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Trump Targets U.S. Allies in Christmas Day Post; Restaurant Owner Hit by Milton Gives Update; Catching Up with Asheville Business Owner After Helene. Aired 10:30-11a ET
Aired December 26, 2024 - 10:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[10:30:00]
STEVE CONTORNO, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: -- 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. And they've had sort of this back and forth, including a meeting at Mar-a-Lago, right across the water behind me, just a few weeks ago.
As far as Greenland, though, look, this is something Donald Trump has proposed going all the way back to 2019. He floated it as an idea then. He kind of said, you know, it's not a front burner issue for us, but it is something that we are considering. Of course, Greenland is an autonomous territory of Denmark, and Denmark has repeatedly said it's not for sale, and they have no interest in letting Donald Trump or the United States purchase Greenland. So, I mean, it's hard to say what comes next because they've been very clear, but Trump continues to push it forward as an issue.
JESSICA DEAN, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. And also in this post, he talked again about wanting to retake the Panama Canal, which is something we've heard from him recently. What can you tell us about his new pick for ambassador to that country?
CONTORNO: Yes, that pick is going to have a lot on his plate if Donald Trump intends to pursue an aggressive agenda with Panama. Let me walk you through a little bit of his biography. His name is Kevin Marino Cabrera. He is a Miami Dade County commissioner. He was elected two years ago with the endorsement of Donald Trump, and he is someone who has been close to Trump's campaign ever since. He actually wants sponsored an idea to rename a street in Miami Dade after Donald Trump.
He was part of Latinos for Trump this past go-around and helped actually campaigned for Donald Trump. I believe we have footage of an event just south of here in Miami where he spoke in favor of getting Latinos out to vote for Donald Trump. And look, he's going to be in a very potentially important position because of the tension Donald Trump has already created with Panama.
In fact, just moments ago, we are reporting at CNN that the president of Panama saying that he's pushing back against Donald Trump's assertions that China is somehow involved with the Panama Canal. He said, quote, "There are no Chinese in the Canal. It's as simple as that. Neither Chinese nor any other power is in the canal."
So, Jessica, just the latest sort of volley in this back and forth between these two leaders before Trump has even taken office.
DEAN: Yes, we still have a little less than a month to go. All right. Steve Contorno, thanks so much for that. Coming up, checking back in with some of the people hit hardest by Hurricane Milton. I'm going to speak with a Florida restaurant owner who has some good news to share about his business and his community. That's next.
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[10:35:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KETTANY ALVE, CAPTAIN, U.S. AIR FORCE: Hello, I'm United States Air Force Captain Kettany Alves, stationed with the 18th Security Forces Squadron here in Okinawa, Japan. I wanted to wish a very special holiday season to all of my friends and family back in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Happy Holidays.
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DEAN: Many communities across the East Coast still picking up the pieces from two massive storms that struck the U.S. three months ago. Hurricane Helene hit in late September followed by Hurricane Milton, just two weeks later. Thousands of homes and businesses were simply devastated, including Slick's Eatery in Cortez, Florida. That restaurant suffered major damage during Helene. CNN spoke to the owner, Bob Slicker, who had put rebuilt -- had to put rebuilding on hold, then to prepare for Milton. Here's what he said, then about riding out both storms.
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BOB SLICKER, OWNER, SLICK'S EATERY AND SURVIVOR AND HURRICANES HELENE AND MILTON: Just the total difference of the two. I mean, one four feet of water and the rest we had sustained winds of 100 miles an hour plus I'm sure in the second one. So, every large tree that I saw driving the four miles towards the island was down and damaged, broken. All fences, I think -- I don't think there's a fence standing in anybody's yard right now.
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DEAN: Yes. Well, Bob Slicker joins us now from Florida. And, Bob, I'm looking at actual painting happening behind you right now after riding out two storms. We hear you have excellent news, which is you plan to reopen in two weeks, which is incredible. Tell us all about it.
SLICKER: Very excited to reopen. After the first of the year, we're just waiting from some equipment right now, getting the team back together and changing our business plan a little bit. We were a little higher end restaurant and with the economy changed and less tourism down here at the at the time, we changed up a little bit. We're doing a little sports bar theme.
DEAN: Oh, I love that. I can see it coming together behind you. And you were saying to me in the break that it's really -- you have an amazing community there in Cortez. Tell us about the people around you, how the broader community is faring three months after Helene and Milton.
SLICKER: Well, I'll tell you, Cortez is the oldest active commercial fishing village in the State of Florida. So, it's not the highest income area, but everybody got together. I got our local rotary involved. We, actually, in our parking lot, threw four parties and Thanksgiving dinner for residents of the local area for -- we gave out about 400 Thanksgiving turkey dinners on Thanksgiving.
But everybody got together, the rotary. We've provided three cars so far to local residents, 60 some bites. It's just nice to see people from all walks of life just pulling together and helping people out. You know, this little community gets forgotten because that the island is right next to us, and it's a high tourist area. So, we usually get driven by.
But I got to tell you, this second storm, it's been real heartwarming and a lot of caring. The tree guy gave me 21 Christmas trees to give away this year to the residents.
DEAN: That's really amazing. And it is -- you're right, it is a proverbial silver lining to see people coming together after something like that. We're looking at video now of what the destruction looked like there, which was just awful.
And I know you've lived there for decades. Give people a sense of how the back-to-back storms compared to other hurricanes and storms you've probably experienced there.
[10:40:00]
SLICKER: Well, I've been here over 30 plus years, and I've also been with hurricane relief for 30 plus years in different states and Florida. We've never had flooding here at my restaurant ever, and we had four feet of water. We've never had one storm directly hit us in the last 30 plus years, and we had two of them within two weeks.
The first week, the whole community got together. I had 30 people here gutting my restaurant, not realizing two weeks later with the work we did was going to go backwards again. Just -- it's just unbelievable because I've never seen anybody lose their homes here. I've been in horrible situations with hurricanes. I've just never had to live through them.
DEAN: Yes. No, you certainly did in this situation. I'm curious, how do you -- what do you think -- how did you get back on your feet? Is it people? Is it hard work? I know you said it's been both the shortest and longest 89 days of your life.
SLICKER: Yes, I would say the community is what keeps me going. I'm fortunate enough to be involved in the community and do a lot with the community. So, knowing they want me back open gives us a lot of get up and go every day. They want us in the community. So, we're sticking around and we're working hard. And my team stayed together. And, you know, 90 days without paychecks.
We've done some fundraisers and the communities come together. Every time we do a fundraiser, we feed the victims, for lack of a better word, for free, but other people come in and donate. So, it's truly been a community event, not just for our business, all the businesses and homes in the area.
DEAN: That's incredible. And --
SLICKER: You know, a lot of the --
DEAN: Yes, go ahead.
SLICKER: A lot of these people in our area, they don't have the money and wherewithal to just get up and go in and move to another place. That's where I get my drive, is some of these people stayed in their houses to this whole process.
You know, we went in and tried to clean them, the rotary, we're buying up some new furniture and some new appliances. But you know, they just -- just their resilience is amazing.
DEAN: Yes, it is truly a testament. And in testament to what happens when you live in a great community like that, when you have good people who neighbors who take care of each other, it can really make such a difference. I hope you're having a big party when Slick's Eatery opens back up in a couple weeks. You guys really deserve it.
SLICKER: Yes, we are. You all -- everybody will be invited. And we just want to let everybody know that we're here for the community. And people talk about survivor's remorse. I've learned that survivor's remorse does not last near as long as the problems. So, if anybody ever has survivor's remorse, get out and help the people that need the help. And remember, it lasts a lot longer than you think it does.
DEAN: That is good advice to live by. Bob Slicker, it's great to see you. Merry Christmas. Happy New Year. Happy Holidays to you. It's great news. Really, really great to hear. Take care.
SLICKER: Thank you. Merry Christmas. Thanks for the opportunity.
DEAN: Thanks. And coming up in our next hour, I'm going to speak to an Asheville business owner on what life and recovery has been like there in North Carolina in the wake of Helene.
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[10:45:00]
DEAN: This morning, more fallout for Justine Baldoni after his former "It Ends with Us" co-star, Blake Lively, filed a complaint against the actor alleging sexual harassment and a coordinated plan seeking to, quote, "destroy her reputation." Baldoni now facing his first formal lawsuit out of the ever-growing scandal. The new lawsuit from his former publicist who claims the actor and director breached their contract and implemented the smear campaign against Lively behind her back.
This legal battle, just one of the big entertainment stories shaking up Hollywood in 2024 and CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister is counting down the top 10 stories of the year.
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ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: From big stars in big legal trouble to big movies, concerts, and a brat summer. Our top 10 entertainment stories start with a "Wicked" boost at the box office.
WAGMEISTER (voice-over): Number 10 The "Glicked" pairing of "Wicked" and "Gladiator II" form this year's "Barbenheimer." With over $150 million in opening weekend ticket sales, the two films energized the typically slow post summer box office.
"Wicked" starring Golden Globe nominees Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo stayed strong through the holiday season. While "Gladiator II" excelled overseas. The pair set the table for the Thanksgiving box office with "Moana 2" joining to set an all-time record for the holiday weekend.
Number 9.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Maybe now people can understand the truth.
WAGMEISTER (voice-over): Television takes on the Menendez brothers case, pushing prosecutors to take action.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I believe. that they have paid their debt to society.
WAGMEISTER (voice-over): Then Los Angeles district attorney said public attention factored into his decision to re-examine the case and recommend a reduced sentence that would allow the brothers to walk free, nearly three decades after they were sentenced for murdering their parents in Beverly Hills. The Hollywood production spotlighted abuse the brothers say they endured at the hands of their father, with even some of the victim's family members calling for them to be released.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thirty-five years is a long time.
WAGMEISTER (voice-over): Ultimately, the judge delayed a decision while a newly elected district attorney reviews the case.
[10:50:00]
Number eight, the hip hop feud between Drake and Kendrick Lamar.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This may be the hip hop equivalent of asking to speak with the manager.
WAGMEISTER (voice-over): In November, Drake filed a court petition accusing a record company of using bots to artificially inflate Lamar song "Not Like Us" on Spotify.
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WAGMEISTER (voice-over): It's the latest chapter in the ongoing feud between two of the industry's biggest names who once toured together as rising stars.
WAGMEISTER: Each claims the other dissed them in song lyrics with one question at the heart of the feud, who is hip hop's biggest star?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Who would have thought it would potentially end in a courtroom?
WAGMEISTER (voice-over): Number seven, a pop star ignites a brat summer. Charli XCX's album "brat" not only storms the charts, it propels an online political movement.
CHARLI XCX, SINGER: Very honest, it's very blunt, little bit volatile.
WAGMEISTER (voice-over): With that description, the singer declared Kamala is brat on social media, spotting a torrent of memes that kicked off Vice President Kamala Harris' presidential run and a lot of questions amongst a certain generation.
JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: So, it's the idea that we're all kind of brat and Vice President Harris is Brad? I don't --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, I don't know if you're brat.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think you aspire to be brat.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You don't just become brat.
TAPPER: I will aspire to be brat.
WAGMEISTER (voice-over): Number six, Alec Baldwin's courtroom shocker.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Dismissal with prejudice is warranted.
WAGMEISTER (voice-over): A judge dismissed the case against the actor accused of involuntary manslaughter when the gun he was holding on the "Rust" movie set fired, killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and wounding the film's director. The judge's decision came less than a week into the trial, citing the prosecution's improper handling of new evidence in the case.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Bobby.
WAGMEISTER (voice-over): The ruling paved the way for Baldwin to return to the limelight, appearing on Saturday Night Live as former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Number five, charges filed in the death of Matthew Perry Two doctors and Perry's assistant are among five people charged in connection with his overdose death. One of the doctors allegedly said, quote, "I wonder how much this moron will pay for ketamine prescriptions."
WAGMEISTER: Three people have pleaded guilty. One of the doctors is awaiting trial, along with an alleged dealer prosecutors say is known as the Ketamine Queen.
WAGMEISTER (voice-over): The Perry family, relieved that charges were filed nearly a year after the beloved actor died in the hot tub at his Los Angeles home.
KEITH MORRISON, PERRY'S STEPFATHER: People who have put themselves in the business of supplying people with the drugs that'll kill them, they are now on notice. It doesn't matter what your professional credentials are, you're going down, baby.
WAGMEISTER (voice-over): Number four, Beyonce goes country.
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WAGMEISTER (voice-over): The superstar bends genres with the release of "Cowboy Carter," which debuted at number one, including on the Billboard Country Chart, making Beyonce the first black woman to do so in the chart's 60-year history.
Beyonce's mega year wraps with what some call the second Super Bowl, a halftime performance on Christmas Day during the NFL's first ever games to stream worldwide on Netflix.
Number three, the death of pop star Liam Payne. Fans held vigils for days in Argentina where Payne fell three stories from his hotel balcony. The 31-year-old British pop star rose to fame in the boy band One Direction. He went on to have a solo career and spoke openly about his struggles dealing with fame and substance abuse.
LIAM PAYNE, SINGER: I was like, I need to fix myself.
WAGMEISTER (voice-over): Toxicology reports found cocaine, alcohol, and prescription antidepressants in Payne's system. With more than 70 million One Direction albums sold, Payne's impact on fans was undeniable.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So, for me, it feels like, I guess like the end of like us growing up together, which is really -- that's what makes it so hard.
WAGMEISTER (voice-over): Number two, the end of the Eras Tour for Taylor Swift. The nearly two-year tour wrapped in Vancouver on December 8th. Estimated to have made over $2 billion. It's by far the most successful concert tour of all time. Not only that, she released a new hit album, "The Tortured Poets Department," all this, and she's still the darling of the NFL Cheering on boyfriend Travis Kelce in February to yet another Super Bowl victory for the Kansas City Chiefs.
[10:55:00]
And the number one entertainment story of 2024, the fall of music mogul Sean Diddy Combs. After a flood of civil lawsuits alleging Combs sexually assaulted dozens of people, federal investigators raided the hip-hop stars homes, signaling a federal indictment was imminent.
Then CNN released this video of Combs assaulting his former girlfriend Cassie Ventura at a hotel in 2016. The shocking video prompted Combs to speak out for the first time since he came under fire.
SEAN DIDDY COMBS, RAPPER: I mean, I hit rock bottom, but I make no excuses. My behavior on that video is inexcusable.
WAGMEISTER (voice-over): But it only got worse for Combs with a September federal indictment charging him with racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking. The case is sending shockwaves through the music industry.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The names that we're going to name are names that will shock you.
WAGMEISTER (voice-over): Jay-Z was named in a civil suit alleging he assaulted a 13-year-old girl with Combs in 2000, charges he vigorously denies, questioning why there was never a criminal charge.
WAGMEISTER: Combs has also denied all of the allegations against him, saying he never sexually assaulted anyone. His criminal trial is set for May of 2025, and he faces at least 30 civil suits, ensuring that Combs' legal troubles could be big news for years to come.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DEAN: All right. Elizabeth, thanks so much. We're going to have much more after a short break. Stay with us.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PARKER WILSON, SECOND LIEUTENANT: What's going on? My name is Second Lieutenant Parker Wilson. I'm here as the First Fires PL in Charlie Battery 177 Field Artillery Regiment. I'm from Manhattan, Kansas. I want to give a special shout out to all those K State fans who are celebrating Christmas this year.
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