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North Carolina Still Recovering Following Storms; Top Health Stories of 2024; Bird Flu Cases Rising; Holiday Gift Returns. Aired 11:30a-12p ET

Aired December 26, 2024 - 11:30   ET

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

PATTIY TORNO, OWNER CURVE STUDIOS AND GARDEN: So we are trying to do what we can with the buildings that still exist on the east side of the tracks, but all of the properties on the west side, where the river is, which is what you're looking at here, and, from what I can see, that -- all of those buildings have major, substantial damage.

[11:30:12]

Riverview Station, I think the price tag on that one is $16 million. I mean, you can't get that kind of money from an SBA loan. And so we are still struggling to figure out where the money is going to come from in order to be able to revitalize and recover from this event.

JESSICA DEAN, CNN HOST: It is just so destructive.

TORNO: Yes.

DEAN: I'm curious what you have been leaning on as you have gotten through this. I mean, this is not an easy thing. You were without water, without power. This is tough.

(CROSSTALK)

TORNO: Yes.

Well, I think you have a picture, I'm not sure, of our smokestack lit up. I'm not sure if that got into the rotation or not, but that was one thing we did.

There was an organization called Light the Night Asheville, and they did a lantern walk through the district for solstice. And, just for me, I was like, I would like to light up our smokestack. And so Mesred Aiken (ph) and the Frisson audiovisual team at Radical Hotel took that, took my challenge and did an absolutely lovely job of sort of creating a beacon of hope for our future and for our recovery.

So we -- again, as creatives, we continue to do what we do best in terms of trying to visualize and coming together to create the unified recovery of the RAD organization to try and vision from the ground up, from -- as a community effort, what do we want the River Arts District to look like going forward if we are successful in getting enough funding to make it happen? And we challenge our legislators to be able to make some of those --

that money available to the building owners, to our nonprofits, to the arts organizations in order for them to be able to have some control of their own future.

DEAN: Well, you and your neighbors' perseverance is really incredible, and it is something to aspire to.

And we wish you all well, and I hope that you're back whole quicker than you even think.

But, Pattiy, thank you so much for being here with us.

TORNO: Thank you.

I would love -- I'm just going to say, I would love to come back every month or two and give you guys an update, because, as goes Asheville, so goes every other small town that may one day find themselves in our shoes. So what we are dealing with is something that, with climate change being what it is, it probably will replicate.

I mean, I think a month after Helene, there had been four more federally declared disasters in the United States. So I don't think any of this stuff is going away any time soon. So, I -- it would just be really fun to be able to continue to report our progress, if you're game.

DEAN: Yes, we -- no, we would love that.

TORNO: Thank you.

DEAN: And America's small towns are really bright lights, so we all are thinking about you guys.

TORNO: I appreciate it.

DEAN: Thank you so much. And we hope 2025 is better.

TORNO: Amen. It will be.

DEAN: Yes.

(LAUGHTER)

DEAN: Thanks for being here.

And we're going to be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:37:15]

DEAN: As the holiday season comes to a close, a lot of people headed to the stores to return gifts that maybe weren't quite right for a lot of reasons. According to the National Retail Federation, returns will total $890

billion for 2024. And while returns happen year-round, they're, of course, especially prevalent around the holiday.

So if you are thinking of returning what is maybe an ugly holiday sweater or using the gift card you received, we have some tips for you.

And joining us is the CEO of AsktheMoneyCoach.com, Lynnette Khalfani- Cox.

Thank you so much for being here.

Listen, 'tis the season for returns. What should people know if they're planning on returning a gift either in person or online?

LYNNETTE KHALFANI-COX, FOUNDER, WWW.ASKTHEMONEYCOACH.COM: 'Tis the season indeed. And let's not hate on the people who don't like those ugly sweaters or whatever.

DEAN: That's OK.

(LAUGHTER)

KHALFANI-COX: But we have all done it. We have all been there.

First up, you want to document everything if you have to make a return. You absolutely want to try to take a screenshot of your return receipt and then get an e-mail confirmation also, if possible. Now, some people -- you don't want to make -- you don't want to make sure that the things that you return, if you do something in the mail, maybe get lost or don't return in time, because a lot of retailers are giving pretty strict deadlines this year, some as little as seven or maybe 14 days.

So if you do have to, say, go to the post office to return something, maybe one of those big-ticket items or something grandma or a rich uncle sent you, get the tracking from the insurance, the tracking from the Postal Service and maybe add the insurance as well if it's, say, a high-ticket or a high-value item. That's a great way to start things off.

DEAN: Yes, that's really a smart idea just to make sure where it ends up if it doesn't quite go to the right place.

What about when it comes to gift cards and people protecting their balances on those gift cards?

KHALFANI-COX: Well, the smartest thing here, Jessica, is, you want to guard your gift card data.

Unfortunately, even though a lot of us are having fun around the holidays and taking a little time off, relaxing, the scammers aren't relaxing. They're out in full swing. So, unfortunately, some of them will copy the gift card data, those numbers, in store and kind of drain the balances before you even get to use it. So, as soon as you get a gift card, you want to check the balance.

Again, take a screenshot, and be wary of some of those things. In store as well, make sure that you are checking the back screen, the little data strip on there, because, again, fraudsters know how to tamper with or manipulate that.

So watch out for those who might even use some of those handheld skimmer devices to just kind of manufacture or do something fraudulent with it. So those are some of the ways you want to be careful with guarding the gift card data itself.

[11:40:06]

DEAN: Yes, that's smart.

And then what about this idea of the amount of time, the window you have? Obviously, each store or organization is going to be a little bit different, but do you need to be mindful of that? Do people -- do you find that stores really hold you to that 30 days or whatever the case may be?

KHALFANI-COX: Stores are absolutely strict about the return policy. So, you do want to be mindful and to know in advance when you're buying something that perhaps you have gotten -- or if someone gave you a gift and they gave you a receipt on there, it might indicate specifically the number of days that you have to return it.

Try to stick to that if at all possible. Don't give the retailer a reason to turn you down and say, no, you can't return this. But you really want to protect your digital footprint when you're doing this.

DEAN: Yes.

KHALFANI-COX: So if you're going to return, say, something that was bought online, then you want to make sure that you're using that retailer's specific Web site or their app only. Don't use a third- party system or something else. Maybe if somebody e-mails you asking, did you need a return or whatever, that could be a scam, a con artist or a phishing attempt.

DEAN: Yes.

KHALFANI-COX: If you have to go...

(CROSSTALK)

DEAN: Yes, you don't want to get caught with that.

Lynnette Khalfani-Cox, thank you so much for great tips. We will be using those.

We will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:46:12] DEAN: Well, here's a concerning thought that I'm sorry to tell you. We are now just a single mutation away from the bird flu potentially being able to spread from human to human.

There have been dozens of human cases confirmed in the U.S. this year, but those were all contracted from animals. Right now, the CDC estimates the current risk to the public is low, but there has been a spike in cases among animals recently. The virus killed more than half of the big cats at a Washington sanctuary in a matter of weeks, and a house cat in Oregon died from eating pet food that tested positive for bird flu.

CNN medical correspondent Meg Tirrell is joining us now.

And, Meg, I think everyone would like to know just, like, how worried should we be about this?

MEG TIRRELL, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Jessica, I mean, when you hear about a cat dying after eating infected pet food, I mean, that makes you think, uh-oh, how widespread could this potentially be?

It's really important to give the details about this pet food. It was raw frozen turkey pet food sold by a company called Northwest Naturals that this cat consumed and was infected by H5N1. They found that the virus had contaminated the pet food and that cat died. We also have heard about House cats who have died after drinking raw milk. They died from H5N1.

And so we know that cats are very susceptible to this virus and that raw milk and raw food are concerning, because the virus can be found in really high levels in those items. And so it's not recommended that cats or humans consume those things.

We do know that pasteurization, though, inactivates the virus. So regular milk is all right. But if we look at the source of exposure for the 65 cases in humans that the CDC has confirmed of bird flu, most of these have come from dairy cattle. So we know that this is a really big outbreak, particularly in California among cows.

We also know that there have been some cases, about 23, that have been confirmed among workers on poultry farms. And then there are a few cases where we don't know the source of exposure. And there is one where -- we just heard about this. Somebody was infected from a backyard flock.

And so right now the U.S. is starting to step up its response to this. The most recent thing is that the USDA has started requiring testing of unpasteurized milk before it goes to the pasteurization process to try to get a better handle on where we're seeing bird flu in dairy cattle.

So, as of now, they have brought on 13 states onto that program. The goal is to make that a nationwide program, so we can a better handle on this -- Jessica.

DEAN: All right, Meg Tirrell, great information for everyone. Thank you so much for that.

From weight loss drugs and genetically edited pigs, 2024 has been an incredible year of advances in medicine.

CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta looks back at the top 10 health stories of the year.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: From another potential pandemic to health threats infiltrating our daily lives, 2024 provided us with some warning signs.

But we also saw stories with hard-earned moments of inspiration and innovation, reminding us of the relentless search for the next medical breakthrough.

With more than 100,000 people on the wait-list for organ transplants in the United States, there is a clear need for a solution. And this could be the answer.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're fully edited. All these piglets can carry a total of 69 edits to their genome.

GUPTA: Genetically edited pigs designed by scientists to be compatible with the human body, reducing the possibility of rejection. Scientists have started to make progress testing this type of organ transplant. It's known as xenotransplantation. They're doing this into patients who have no other alternatives.

As temperatures around the world keep climbing, it's taking a clear toll on our health, testing the limits even of human survivability. This year, people hiking, attending concerts, just being in their own homes, they have died from heat. In fact, heat is the deadliest type of extreme weather.

[11:50:09]

And climate change is making those heat waves longer and more severe. Heat also means warmer oceans, leading to these supercharged hurricanes like the ones that we saw this year. And that comes with their own health consequences as well.

Imagine using a computer by only using your mind. That's just the beginning of what brain-computer interface, or BCI technology, combined with artificial intelligence, is now hoping to do. Companies like Synchron and Elon Musk's Neuralink, they have begun implanting BCI devices into people's brains to help people who are losing motor functions still be able to perform daily tasks.

Earlier this year, I met Mark. He's an ALS patient who has mostly lost the ability to use his arms. And we saw firsthand how Synchron's Stentrode device helped send messages on his computer and even play a game like pong. He hopes this technology can help him and help other patients struggling as well with paralysis maintain as much independence as possible. TIMOTHY MITCHELL, CANCER PATIENT: I was 43 years old at the time when

I was diagnosed.

GUPTA: A growing number of young adults like Timothy Mitchell are being diagnosed with cancer.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Cancer, which usually would affect people over 65, has now become much more prevalent in patients under 55.

GUPTA: While the trends have been headed this way for more than a decade, experts still aren't sure why this is happening. But it has put a spotlight on the importance of recommended preventative screenings, paying attention to any unusual symptoms in your body, and a search for factors that could be behind this increase.

RAHEL SOLOMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A new study shows an increase in levels of microplastics in human brains.

GUPTA: Microplastics, they are everywhere nowadays. They're in our food. They're in our clothing. They're in the air we breathe.

And now we're starting to get a better understanding of their potential impact on our health. There was a study that found people with micro- or nano-plastics in their carotid arteries were twice as likely to have a heart attack or stroke or die from any other cause over the next three years compared to people who had none.

If you're a parent, I know you're going to understand this.

DR. VIVEK MURTHY, U.S. SURGEON GENERAL: Forty-eight percent, nearly half of parents, are saying on most days they're completely overwhelmed by their stress.

GUPTA: This summer, the U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy issued an advisory calling parental stress a public health concern, saying that we need a cultural shift with both individual and government intervention.

Parents are working more than ever, and childcare demands have only increased, leaving many families feeling exhausted, burned out, perpetually behind. That's what Murthy said.

It's no secret that diet plays a major role in our health. And while we know the benefits of healthy food, the harms of ultra-processed food are now coming into clearer focus.

Ultra-processed foods make up nearly 70 percent of our country's food supply. Numerous studies have found that consuming higher amounts of these foods raises the risk of obesity, but also the development of chronic conditions like cancer, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, depression, and it probably even shortens lifespan.

Researchers are now trying to figure out if ultra-processed ingredients are all created equal.

An alarming spread of bird flu throughout dairy herds across the United States has scientists on edge.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As we think about a virus that might move from animals into humans and potentially cause the next pandemic, it certainly has everyone's guard up.

GUPTA: While the CDC says the public health risk remains low, there have been cases of bird flu in humans.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: The CDC is now confirming the first severe case of H5N1 bird flu in a human inside the United States.

GUPTA: Most human cases have been among people who've been exposed to sick animals, but that hasn't completely eased the fears of possibility of human to human transmission.

There may be more hope for Alzheimer's patients than ever. A new study led by Dr. Dean Ornish found that some patients who underwent lifestyle interventions alone, like eating a vegan diet, exercising daily, practicing stress reduction, they saw improved cognition, even signs of reversal of the disease.

I got to see this firsthand meeting patients all over the country.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is the best I can do to stay alive. And I want to live with my wife as long as I can.

GUPTA: We also did see promise in newly approved pharmaceutical interventions, including monoclonal antibody treatments, donanemab, for example, demonstrating the ability to slow the progression of the disease.

[11:55:01]

For decades, we only saw incremental progress in treating this disease. But now, I have to say these options are giving patients new hope.

This year, we traveled around the world, investigating the impact of the GLP-1 weight loss drugs. With no signs of slowing in popularity now, these drugs have given us new insight into obesity as a disease.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What it did help me was not have a whole lot of thoughts about food. My cravings went away.

GUPTA: We now consider obesity a disease of the brain, a revelation that I think has lifted a sense of guilt associated with this disease, helped us get to a better understanding of how to treat it as well.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's definitely true that there are people out there who've said time and again, obesity is not really a disease. All you need to do is eat better and exercise more and you'll be OK.

GUPTA: While these drugs may not be for everyone, we have seen how they can transform people's lives, physically, yes, but also emotionally. We've only, at this point, begun to unlock the possibilities. Studies

have found that these drugs could be associated with cardiovascular benefits, lowering the risk of certain cancers, curbing cravings as well beyond food, like nicotine and alcohol.

And I'm sure we're going to continue to learn a lot more about this in 2025. Happy New Year.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DEAN: Sanjay, thank you.

And thank you for joining me. I'm Jessica Dean.

Stay with us. "INSIDE POLITICS" with Phil Mattingly starts after a short break.

Have a great day.