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At Least 38 Killed, 29 Survive Commercial Jet Crash In Azerbaijan; CDC Says Bird Flu Mutating In First Severe Human Case; Corporate Interests Give Millions To Trump Inauguration; Trump Asks Supreme Court To Delay U.S. TikTok Ban; Housing Market Outlook For 2025; Israeli Force Raid Last Major Health Facility In Northern Gaza; Mega Millions: Winning Ticket Hits $1.22B Jackpot. Aired 4-5p ET

Aired December 28, 2024 - 16:00   ET

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


[16:00:33]

JESSICA DEAN, CNN HOST: You're in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Jessica Dean in New York.

And new developments tonight in the deadly plane crash in Kazakhstan. Russian president Vladimir Putin apologizing for the crash, calling it a, quote, "tragic incident." But he did not say Russia was responsible.

Thirty-eight people died when an Azerbaijan Airlines flight crashed on Christmas Day, and it is still unconfirmed what exactly was behind that crash. But video and images of the plane after it crashed show a number of holes consistent with damage from shrapnel.

Now, all of this is coming as a U.S. official tells CNN Russian air defenses may have mistaken the commercial airliner for a Ukrainian drone. Today, Putin admitted Russia's air defense systems were active when the plane tried to land in Chechnya.

CNN's Nada Bashir is covering this for us.

Nada, what's the latest developments?

NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. There have been a lot of questions swirling around whether or not the plane was downed by Russian anti-aircraft defense systems. Now this update from the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, as you mentioned, apologizing for the fact that the plane, the incident rather, took place after the plane had entered Russian airspace. And we'd previously heard from Azerbaijani officials that the plane itself had faced what is being described as external physical and technical interference.

Now there had been question around nearby drone activity. The Kremlin has acknowledged that there were drone strikes taking place in parts of southern Russia and in Grozny, the Chechen city, where, of course, this plane was intended to land before it had been diverted. And of course, there have been questions around some of the evidence, emerging images and video of the wreckage of the plane, the fuselage showing perforations and holes, which, according to some military and aviation experts, would suggest shrapnel damage as a result of an explosion.

And then, of course, Putin once again acknowledging that there were Russian air defense systems active in this area at the time. So lots of different pieces of the puzzle that investigators are trying to piece together. Important to note, of course, that the two black boxes have been recovered. They will provide crucial evidence in terms of the flight data as well as potentially internal recordings from within the cockpit. But of course, that investigation is still ongoing. No firm conclusions just yet from investigators or from the authorities in Azerbaijan.

DEAN: And Nada, we know 38 people died. Miraculously, 29 people survived that crash. And I know we have been hearing from them. How are they describing it?

BASHIR: That's right. It is remarkable that 29 people survived this crash, among them two children. And some are still said to be in a serious but stable condition. But of course all received medical attention immediately after that crash. But again, as you mentioned, we've been hearing from some of those survivors, some of whom actually filmed the final moments of this flight before it crashed, describing hearing a loud bang. The plane moving unusually, passengers being thrown up and down.

Take a listen to this one account that we have heard.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BASHIR (voice-over): Subhonkul Rakhimov thought he was plunging to his death. He said he heard a bang before oxygen masks dropped. Reciting the Shahada, the Muslim proclamation of faith, he says what he had thought to be his final prayer.

According to Azerbaijan Airlines, the plane had faced physical and technical external interference. As the pilot attempted an emergency landing, the plane burst into flames upon impact. 38 people on board did not survive.

Remarkably, Rakhimov was among 29 people who survived the crash.

After the bang, I already had my mind set that something bad would happen because it was clear that the plane had received some damage, Rakhimov says. And when the plane started behaving unusually, then it became 100 percent clear. I realized then that it was all over and decided I should film my final minutes.

Accounts from survivors like Rakhimov give a rare firsthand glimpse into the terrifying final moments of the flight and potentially what may have caused the crash. Azerbaijani sources and a U.S. official say preliminary evidence suggests the plane may have been hit by Russian air defenses.

[16:05:04]

A possible case, one U.S. official told CNN, of mistaken identity with the Russian city of Grozny, the flight's intended destination, under Ukrainian drone attack at the time.

Ukrainian combat drones were mounting terrorist attacks on civil infrastructure in the cities of Grozny and Vladikavkaz, the head of Russia's Federal Air Transport Agency said. Due to this, in the area of the Grozny airport, the Kovyur plan was introduced, meaning all aircraft had to leave the indicated airspace immediately.

Russian aviation authorities claim the plane had initially attempted to land in Grozny twice and was later offered other airport options within Russia, but the pilot rerouted towards the Kazakh city of Aktau instead.

For those on board, it was a terrifying physical and emotional ordeal. For a brief moment, passengers thought they were out of danger.

But when the Caspian Sea appeared, the clouds dispersed and the plane began to behave unusually, Rakhimov says. The feeling of tension began to increase, both for other passengers and for myself.

While not acknowledging responsibility for the incident, Russia's president Vladimir Putin apologized on Saturday for the fact that the plane crashed after entering Russian air space. Noting that Russia's air defense systems had been active when the plane attempted to land in Grozny.

Clear perforations in the fuselage point to shrapnel or debris hitting the plane while still in the air according to several aviation experts. The hope now is that recovered black boxes will provide more definitive information regarding the plane's final moments.

I was conscious when I felt the impact. I was thrown up and down and back up again. I was strapped in, yet I was being thrown back and forth, Rakhimov recounts. It all lasted for a few seconds, then everything went quiet. There was silence. Everything was calm. And I realized that that was it, we had landed.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BASHIR (on-camera): And Jessica, while Moscow has not yet acknowledged responsibility for this, and of course investigations are still ongoing, those allegations appear to be mounting, but it could be a while before we get a firm conclusion from investigators. Authorities say it could take around two weeks to fully assess the data recorded in those two black boxes. And of course, investigators are piecing together other bits of evidence, including firsthand accounts from passengers, as you heard there from one of those survivors.

DEAN: All right. Nada Bashir for us, thank you so much for that latest reporting. We appreciate it.

Turning now to another developing story tonight, the CDC keeping a very close eye on a bird flu patient in Louisiana after doctors there noticed signs of the virus mutating in that patient. The CDC says so far there is no evidence of human-to-human transmission and the public risk of infection remains low.

CNN medical correspondent Meg Tirrell has more for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MEG TIRRELL, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the CDC analyzed these samples that were taken from this patient who was hospitalized in Louisiana with the country's first severe case of H5N1 bird flu. And what they found is mutations in this virus that may make it easier for the virus to infect human cells in the upper respiratory tract.

The bird flu isn't very good at infecting people in our nose and throats. But with these mutations, possibly it could get better at that. Now the good news is that the patient doesn't appear to have spread the virus to any other humans, and it doesn't look like the patient picked up these mutations from wherever the patient caught this virus in the wild.

So it's thought that the patient was infected after having contact with sick and dead birds in a backyard flock. And these mutations weren't seen in the birds. And so it really seems like these mutations are confined to this one patient.

We have seen similar mutations to these before also in a severe case of H5N1, this one in a teenager in British Columbia, Canada. Again, in that scenario, it appears that these mutations happened in the patient and weren't spread to anybody else. So really the threat level would rise if we see human-to-human transmission of bird flu, and we have not seen that as of this point.

Of course, health experts are worried when they see these mutations. It shows they are potentially possible. So they are watching this very closely. There have been a couple instances where we don't know the source of exposure. And then this one patient in Louisiana is the only one associated with backyard flocks.

So this is something that the CDC is following very closely. But they say right now the rest of the public is low, especially because we haven't seen that human-to-human transmission.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DEAN: All right. Meg Tirrell, thank you for that report.

Joining us now is epidemiologist Michael Osterholm. He's the director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota.

[16:10:04]

Thanks so much for being here. I want to start first, yesterday on CNN, the former --

MICHAEL OSTERHOLM, INFECTIOUS DISEASE SPECIALIST: Thank you.

DEAN: It's good to see you. The former COVID-19 response coordinator under President Trump, Dr. Deborah Birx, had some strong criticism. She said the U.S. has had its head in the sand and is moving too slowly on bird flu testing. The CDC has disagreed, telling CNN last night that Dr. Brix's comments are, quote, "out of date, misleading and inaccurate," and said access to testing has increased significantly and is available at doctor's offices around the country.

I'm curious what your take is on all of this and the response so far.

OSTERHOLM: Well, first of all, I think the response has been a challenge. And so I don't want to make it sound like it hasn't been. But at the same time, the answer is just not more testing as Dr. Brix has said. She said that through the COVID pandemic and that was not helpful. And I agree with the CDC's assessment of her comments here. I don't think that they're helpful at all.

DEAN: And how concerned are you about this data or the reports that the virus could be mutating in that Louisiana patient?

OSTERHOLM: Well, you know, to put this into perspective, and I think the public right now is all sitting there wondering, is this a real problem or not? We seem to cover it in the media. We keep saying that it's a challenge, but then we say don't worry, it's low risk.

I just want to remind people that influenza virus is normally reside in wild birds and for centuries and centuries we've had spillovers occasionally from birds to humans, where the virus then changes and becomes a human-to-human transmitted virus. That's when we have an influenza pandemic. We've had four of them in the last 100 and some years, of which the 1918 one was actually worse than our COVID pandemic.

What we're worried about is that happening again. And so in that case, what the situation with H5N1 is, one, we don't know, we've been following this virus since 1996, surely is in a different place right now with human infections. But I have to say, I think the risk is low. And having said that, we still need to be prepared for an influenza pandemic because there will be another one soon, whether it's H5 or any other of the influenza viruses.

DEAN: And do you think that as a country we are properly prepared for that at this point, whatever the next pandemic may be?

OSTERHOLM: We're not. Well, the whole world is not. I mean, let me just give you an example. Right now we very well likely would need a brand new influenza vaccine if in fact a pandemic emerged and the CDC all but said that in their briefing on Friday in which they looked at the Louisiana patient of the virus and said, you know, we have a candidate vaccine virus for that, but none that in stockpile right now.

Well, note that in the world today, we have the capacity to make about 3.8 billion doses of influenza vaccine in a year. That's a two-dose regimen. So that's less than two billion people in one year could get vaccine if a pandemic emerged tomorrow. That leaves basically 75 percent of the world with no access to vaccine well into the second and third years of the pandemic.

So in that sense, can you tell me we're prepared? No, not at all. And I think that from that perspective, we have to wake up and understand preparedness means a lot more than what we're doing now. This is a wakeup call. H5N1 may never cause the next pandemic, but it might. But some virus will. And all I can say is the pandemic clock is ticking. We just don't know what time it is.

DEAN: Yes, that is certainly ominous and sobering and worth thinking about. I think people out there, you hit the nail on the head. They want to know how serious to take this, what they should be doing to protect themselves, protect their families. If they don't work directly with, you know, cattle or birds, what do you recommend for them?

OSTERHOLM: Well, first of all, it is appropriate to say it's low risk. But the problem is it's like walking off the edge of a cliff. You know, two feet from the edge, it's low risk. Two feet past the edge, you're falling thousands and thousands of feet. That's the problem with -- if this starts to become a human-to-human transmitted virus. We have to be prepared for that. But right now, as we look at the dairy herd workers, we look at the poultry farm workers, those have all been largely very mild to moderate illnesses, none evident of classic influenza.

We don't want them to be infected. We surely don't want the cattle to be infected because this could be a place where a bird virus and a human virus combines in a -- the udder of a cow. They both have the udder has receptor sites for both viruses. That could be where the new one starts. So we've got to bring this H5N1 in cattle to an end, and we have to understand that again there will be a pandemic someday in the future.

I just can't tell you when and until then live life and hope your government officials are doing everything they can to make sure we have vaccines that are readily available, that are effective.

DEAN: And in the meantime, I talked to another expert earlier this week who suggested that people should get their regular flu vaccine, with the concern being if this -- the bird flu were to mix with the -- if you had both at the same time, that that could be problematic and that getting the flu vaccine is at least a good step to just go ahead and get that now. Would you agree with that?

[16:15:01]

OSTERHOLM: Well, I strongly support getting seasonal flu vaccine. I have mine, but just know that that vaccine is largely effective against preventing serious illness, hospitalizations and deaths, about 40 percent of the time. It doesn't necessarily stop transmission. It doesn't stop you from getting infected. So while people are calling for everyone to get vaccinated with seasonal flu vaccines to really impact the H5 situation, I don't see it really having that much impact on the H5 situation.

But let me just say again, it's great to get your flu shot because right now we're coming into flu season and this seasonal flu by itself is a big killer. And so this will surely help protect you against serious illness. DEAN: All right, Michael Osterholm, thank you so much for being here

with us. We appreciate your time. Thanks.

OSTERHOLM: Thank you.

DEAN: When we come back, how President-elect Donald Trump is trying to throw TikTok a lifeline and save it from a ban set to take effect in just a few weeks. Plus, we're getting our first look at damage from destructive storms just outside Houston, as people in four southern states fall under a rare type of tornado watch with several touchdowns already confirmed today. And why Israeli forces say they are arresting staff from one of northern Gaza's last working hospitals, essentially closing that facility as critically injured patients and their caregivers are forced to find shelter elsewhere.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DEAN: This afternoon a tornado outbreak is sweeping across the south.

[16:20:01]

New video of what appears to be a tornado touching down in a neighborhood just outside Houston this afternoon. Wow. Multiple tornadoes have been confirmed so far. The powerful system is now barreling east with millions of people still in its path.

Tonight meteorologist Tyler Mauldin is tracking this for us.

What is the latest, Tyler? It's certainly a weird time of year for tornadoes.

TYLER MAULDIN, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It certainly is. And the tornadoes that you just showed in east Texas were essentially the first course. Now, what we're seeing unfolding is the main course. The tornado watch for Louisiana, Mississippi and Arkansas has been upgraded to a particularly dangerous situation tornado watch, which, by the way, those only take up, comprise roughly 5 percent of all tornado watches issued.

So it just kind of goes to show you the type of situation we're in right now. We have that until 9:00. You can see why. We're beginning to see tornadoes really crop up across Mississippi and Louisiana, as far south as Beaumont, Texas, as well. We're going to see all of this begin to fill in as the system pushes to the east.

The Storm Prediction Center has issued a level four out of five risk for strong thunderstorms and strong tornadoes. A level four severe weather day. We have only seen that 12 times this entire year. And the reason why we have both the PDS tornado watch and this level four severe weather risk is because we could see strong, violent, long- lived tornadoes in this region.

As we go through tonight, all of that is going to push to the east. We're going to continue to see the threat for severe weather overnight, as well as it pushes into Georgia and the Carolinas. It's really not until we begin to see some drier air push into the system from the west on Sunday afternoon, Sunday evening, that this storm machine begins to wane and we see it all taper off.

Typically, tornado season is in the spring. So when you think of big tornadoes, you think of the May tornado season. However, we do have secondary tornado seasons, one being right in the fall and winter here in December, where we typically see roughly 43 tornadoes during the month of December.

And Jessica, I'll leave you with this. This year has seen above average tornadic activity. This is the last weekend of 2024 so it's only fitting that we end it with yet another tornado outbreak.

DEAN: I hope those people are safe and there isn't any damage or very limited damage.

Tyler Mauldin, thank you so much for that report. We appreciate it.

Just over three weeks from now, President-elect Donald Trump will take the oath of office for the second time. CNN is learning how his inauguration celebrations will be funded by Fortune 500 companies, crypto firms, billionaires, all writing seven figure checks for next month's festivities.

CNN's Fredreka Schouten has new reporting on the thinking behind those checks and the inaugural perks that they'll get in exchange. She joins us now.

What did you learn, Fredreka?

FREDREKA SCHOUTEN, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL WRITER: Well, we learned a lot of people are trying to make friends with Donald Trump even before he enters office. I mean, we have certainly seen a parade of CEOs going down to Mar-a-Lago to visit with him. And in some cases, they're walking with big checks. You're seeing companies like General Motors. You're seeing Toyota, crypto firms.

There's one firm, Ripple, that's giving $5 million in digital currency to the inauguration. Ford, Toyota, Bank of America says it's going to donate. So you're seeing a lot of folks really trying to get in on the ground floor of this incoming administration and sort of make sure that the president-elect understands the issues confronting them and sort of begins to talk to him about policies.

DEAN: Are we seeing companies or even individuals that haven't typically donated to inaugurations who are this time?

SCHOUTEN: Oh, yes, absolutely. I mean, for instance, Meta, the parent company of Facebook, did not donate previously to Donald Trump's inauguration or to President Biden's. And you're seeing participation by them now. You know, at the seven figure level. You are seeing folks like Ken Griffin, who is a billionaire hedge fund executive who was not a big contributor to his campaign, but says, look, you're going to see my name there this time around. I mean, people are determined to get engaged in this because the

stakes are so high. I mean, when you think about the Trump administration and some of the proposals he's floated, think for a second about the car industries, right. He has talked about slapping tariffs on goods brought in from overseas. As we know now, there's no car that's made entirely in America. The parts and supplies, they all come from all over the globe.

[16:25:01]

And so this is an existential threat to them. So you're seeing folks again racing to make friends. And one of the things that happens is if you donate at a high level, you're going to get access to Donald Trump and his cabinet members. There are three days of celebrations planned around this inauguration. And depending on how much you donate you get access to more exclusive events and more tickets for some of those events.

I mean, for instance, if you look at, if you give $1 million or raise at least $2 million, you get an invitation to dinner with incoming Vice President J.D. Vance and his wife, Usha Vance. That's not available to anybody giving it a lower level. So there are some serious perks here. And as one person said to me, who's sort of a campaign watchdog, you know, this is access that most Americans could only dream of.

DEAN: Yes. And it's interesting, too, because Washington hasn't had a full blown inauguration in a while. 2020, of course, was very, very different with January 6th having just happened and the pandemic in full swing. So this will be different on a lot of ways.

All right, Fredreka, thanks so much. We appreciate your reporting.

SCHOUTEN: Thank you.

DEAN: Could President-elect Trump win a new title among Gen Z? The man who rescued TikTok? Trump is asking the Supreme Court to delay the new law that bans the popular video app in the U.S. in a few weeks unless it's sold.

And for the latest on that, we go to CNN's Alayna Treene, who joins us from West Palm Beach with more on this.

What are you learning, Alayna? Because this is a big one. There is a deadline set for this the day before Trump is inaugurated.

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. There is. And we also know that January 10th is the date that the Supreme Court is expected to hear oral arguments in this case. I'm going to break it all down for you. So all of this is about the law that Congress passed earlier this year. Biden signed it into law as well.

As you mentioned, TikTok is expected, this ban on TikTok is expected to go into effect on January 19th. All of that is because they have not divested from their Chinese owner, ByteDance. Now what Donald Trump is asking for in this briefing is he's essentially urging the Supreme Court to postpone this controversial ban on TikTok, arguing that such a delay in its implementation would give his incoming administration time to try and find some sort of negotiation to save the app.

Now, what is currently before the Supreme Court right now is whether or not this ban violates First Amendment rights. That is what they're going to be hearing about on January 10th. Now, Donald Trump, in his legal brief on Friday, did not really get into the First Amendment question. But this is what he wrote in the filing. He said, quote, "President-elect Trump urges the court to stay the statute's effective date to allow his incoming administration to pursue a negotiated resolution that could prevent a nationwide shutdown of TikTok, thus preserving the First Amendment rights of tens of millions of Americans, while also addressing the government's national security concerns."

Now, one key thing to note as well is that the Biden administration also filed a brief on Friday asking the Supreme Court to uphold the ban, arguing that TikTok currently operating in the United States is a grave national security concern, citing, you know, China's influence through the app. Now one thing is also very clear, Donald Trump recognizes how popular TikTok is. It has 170 million monthly users in the U.S. alone.

And recently, he's even said that he's warming to TikTok because he recognizes a lot of young people who voted for him use the app. I want you to take a listen to how he put it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT-ELECT: We'll take a look at TikTok. You know, I have a warm spot in my heart for TikTok because I won youth by 34 points. And there are those that say that TikTok has something to do with that.

We did go on TikTok and we had a great response. We had billions of views, billions and billions of views. Maybe we got to keep this sucker around a little while. You know?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TREENE: Now, Jessica, it's also worth noting that Donald Trump earlier this month met with TikTok CEO and our own Kaitlan Collins reported that shortly after filing this brief on Friday, Donald Trump spoke again with TikTok CEO. All to say it's very unclear what is going to happen. This is really in the Supreme Court's hands right now. But what Donald Trump is asking for is for a delay in this ban so that his administration can try to find some sort of resolution so that TikTok is not banned in this country -- Jessica.

DEAN: We will see what the Supreme Court decides to do if they will listen to President-elect Trump or make their own decision.

Alayna Treene, thank you so much for that reporting.

Meantime, Trump says he wants to bring down housing costs by building more new homes, but his planned policies may not all be good news for the housing market. When we come back, we're talking with Jonathan Scott, co-host of "Property Brothers," about the changes we can expect in the housing market in 2025.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:33:24]

DEAN: As we look ahead to 2025, a lot of you out there may be asking yourself, is this the year I buy a house?

We've seen borrowing costs start to go down this year, with the Federal Reserve lowering interest rates three times since September. However, mortgage rates just went up for the second time this month. So right now, a 30-year fixed rate stands at 6.85 percent.

Joining us now is the co-host of "Property Brothers," Jonathan Scott. He's also the co-host of a new show on HGTV, "Don't Hate Your House with the Property Brothers."

We also should mention HGTV is a sister company of CNN. We're all part of Warner Brothers Discovery.

Jonathan, it's so good to see you. Thanks for being here.

JONATHAN SCOTT, CO-HOST, "PROPERTY BROTHERS" & NEW CO-HOST: "DON'T HATE YOUR HOUSE WITH THE PROPERTY BROTHERS": Glad to be here.

DEAN: I just want to start first with what you expect to see in the housing market for 2025.

SCOTT: I think we're going to see some of the same trends continue into 2025. Inflation was a little bit higher than expected as the year comes to a close. And you're going to still continue to see that rise when it comes to home ownership.

I think rental rates are going to come down. You're going to see a lower trajectory on that. Even though the driver for both of those is the lack of inventory.

We've been having this conversation for years and years. And I just -- it's painful to see how slow it takes for anything to pass in D.C. But the number-one thing that I think will affect a lot of people across the country is inventory.

We've got to find a way to start to allow some of these larger builds to -- in our larger cities. Otherwise, we're never going to tackle this price. And homeownership is going to become unattainable for future generations.

DEAN: Because what you're saying is there's just not enough inventory. There aren't enough Houses out there.

[16:35:03]

SCOTT: No. We're about four million houses or apartments short in the country right now than there should be. And so, obviously, there's not a switch we can flick that's going to make that correct itself overnight.

You see great strides happening. And Los Angeles alone is trying to implement, you know, 50,000 new units. it's not going to happen by 2025.

The problem is a lot of these places, they'll see there's the school district or there's other, you know, government lands that have been sitting vacant for 20, 30, 40 years. And they're saying, OK, let's build something in here. We can integrate some affordable housing into these projects.

And then every time they go to do it, people rally from neighboring buildings and communities and they say, hey, not in our backyard. We don't want to have a housing project here.

People are going to have to get off their high horses and realize the only way to solve the problem, the only way to get people off the streets, the only way to make housing affordable for our kids and the next generation is to start building these projects and look for solutions as opposed to opposing everything.

DEAN: And I do want to ask you, because you and your brother have both talked about these potential tariffs that president elect Trump has floated. They're really large tariffs on Mexico, Canada, China.

What kind of impact could that have in the real world if those go through on the real estate market, on building a new home?

SCOTT: Yes. So blanket tariffs are not good for anybody. And it wouldn't be good for the economy in general. You'd see, you know, price hikes on everything. That -- that would not be good.

I feel like sometimes things are more like clickbait. I think the -- President Trump is saying things that maybe have not actually been fully fleshed out.

For example, you know, if you're putting massive tariffs on Canada, Canada is the largest importer of lumber. And lumber is one of the largest and most expensive resources we already have for building homes. So that wouldn't be good.

At the same time, though, I think that there's new technology coming out constantly. We're seeing new ways to build homes that use different materials that are cost effective.

So I don't think there would be any catastrophic price increase to renovations or construction. But I do think blanket tariffs would just not be good for anybody.

DEAN: And I want to -- just turning to a little bit lighter, I think -- I think also, too, people are very interested to hear what you think the trends will be for next year. Kind of what's in what's out as we start 2025.

SCOTT: I mean, we're still seeing this continued use of color, a lot more muted tones, jewel tones, things like that.

Some of the interesting trends that I'm seeing are textured walls and textured ceilings are coming back in a big way. And so for me, instantly I'm like, are popcorn ceilings? No. It should go back to the 70s and never return.

But that's not what they're talking about. They're talking more about wood applications, you know, veneers, things like that. I, personally, as you can tell from my office, I'm a big fan of custom woodwork.

(CROSSTALK)

SCOTT: And, you know, I love seeing something that has a little more character.

And you also see a lot trends swinging back to classic handmade elements and artisanal work. So I really love that.

I'm not a huge modern guy, even though I can design a modern space. I love tradition, I love a classic feel, and so I'm glad to see some of that stuff coming back.

DEAN: Yes, that's so nice. I like that, too.

I also want to ask you about this new show, "Don't Hate Your House with the Property Brothers," which is a very intriguing title.

SCOTT: Yes.

DEAN: But I want to play a clip for everyone and then we'll talk about it on the other side.

SCOTT: OK.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCOTT: This is not good.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What?

SCOTT: I'm stressed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're not alone. This all has to be ripped out.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I kind of feel like throwing up.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And rebuilt.

SCOTT: I don't want to finish a beautiful house and then they aren't happy.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No pressure.

SCOTT: My hope is that they will see this house as everything they've dreamed of.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: So this is streaming on Max and Discovery Plus.

But what are people going to see? Is this -- it seems like you're going in and you're helping people who live somewhere, and you want to make them actually love where they live.

SCOTT: Yes. In fact, you even get to see our parents' home because we moved our parents here from Canada and did a home for them. And, you know, you don't want to disappoint your mother, so -

DEAN: No, no you don't.

SCOTT: -- you got to get it right.

You know, I think this show is so poignant right now because we're at a point where with the rising cost of housing and lending, it's not a great time to take big risks in real estate.

So you really need to know where you're putting your money. You need to know if you need to move or renovate where you are.

And this -- these are all people who are at the end of their rope. They're ready to give up. They don't know what they can do with their house. They're just fed up.

And that's where we're coming in and saying, look, there is a path. We will be honest with you, and it's not going to be easy. And you see people have meltdowns, but we'll get them through it.

And -- and I think a lot of people can relate to that, especially anybody who has tried to tackle a renovation and is pulling their hair out these days.

DEAN: I think there's a few people out there that can certainly identify with that. And I am curious, how do you talk them through a meltdown?

SCOTT: Well, I like to think of myself as a relationship therapist.

(LAUGHTER)

SCOTT: And I think, a lot of times -- you actually see that, in general, across the country. There are a lot of people that are very reactive instantly to a negative situation. Guess what? Life comes with negativity.

[16:40:03]

So we need to figure out a path forward. There's no sense in dwelling in the negative. So when it comes to home renovation, we know you're going to come across unexpected issues. That's why we have a contingency.

If you're ever riding so close to the financial line that there is no movement, no room for error, do not get into a renovation. Do not build a new house because you're going to come across some hidden problem.

But if you can step back and rely on your professionals -- I think there's a huge opportunity as well for in the labor force for new jobs in construction, new jobs in the trades.

What an incredible job and an incredible career. And you can start working after just a year or two in college. So I think there's a lot of positivity and we try to showcase all of that on the show. But we also don't cut out all the negatives.

DEAN: All right. It's good. It's an honest look at it.

It's so great to have you. Thank you so much for being here.

SCOTT: Thank you so much. My pleasure.

DEAN: Yes. HGTV's "Don't Hate Your House with the Property Brothers" available to stream now on Max and Discovery Plus.

We'll be right back.

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DEAN: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will undergo prostate surgery Sunday. According to his office, during an examination Wednesday, a urinary tract infection caused by a benign prostate enlargement was discovered and, as a result, it was decided he would undergo prostate removal surgery.

CNN has reached out to his office on clarity for who will fill in as interim leader during that surgery.

[16:45:05]

Sirens ringing out in Israel today after the military reported incoming missiles from Yemen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(AIR RAID SIRENS)

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DEAN: That coming after Israel launched a raid against the last functioning hospital in northern Gaza.

Israel calling that hospital a, quote, "Hamas terrorist stronghold." And says the military has arrested at least 240 Hamas and Islamic jihad terrorists.

For more on this, Elliott Gotkine is joining us now. He's tracking these events from Jerusalem.

Elliott, what more can you tell us?

ELLIOTT GOTKINE, JOURNALIST: Jessica, this operation carried out by the Israeli military ended on Saturday morning in Jabalya at the Kamal Adwan Hospital in the northern part of the Gaza Strip.

So we were only told of that, a few hours ago, on here on Saturday evening. As you say, more than 240 people arrested that the IDF describes as a terrorist from Hamas and Islamic jihad. They made a number of additional arrests on top of that.

But the upshot is that, following this operation, the Kamal Adwan Hospital, according to the World Health Organization, is now empty and the hospital itself is no longer functioning.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GOTKINE (voice-over): A hospital on fire and encircled.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translation): The situation is extremely dire tonight.

The (Israeli) army is present at Kamal Adwan Hospital.

(CROSSTALK)

GOTKINE: Patients and staff gather anxiously at the entrance of northern Gaza's last major functioning hospital. Others fight flames.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translation): The army are surrounding us from every side, our situation is very difficult.

Dr. Hussam was directly threatened with arrest. They might arrest him at any time.

GOTKINE: Words from a nurse at Kamal Adwan Hospital in the midst of an evacuation order from the Israeli military.

Doctor Hussam Abu Safiya, the hospitals director, is one of the last doctors in northern Gaza. He had been documenting the horror inside his hospital in the wake of an Israeli offensive that began in early October.

DR. HUSSAM ABU SAFIYA, KAMEL ADWAN HOSPITAL DIRECTOR (through translation): We had spoken and appealed to the world to protect and neutralize the medical system. But unfortunately, this is the grim reality we are witnessing.

GOTKINE: On Friday, he was assaulted and detained by Israeli forces, witnesses tell CNN. On Saturday, the IDF said he was being questioned in Gaza, suspected of being a Hamas terrorist operative, but didn't provide evidence for the claim.

Meantime, video shared widely appears to show the front of Kamal Adwan Hospital with people walking between a number of tanks. Many appear to be holding their own clothes with hands held above their heads.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translation): From Kamal Adwan Hospital to al-Fakhura, they made us strip down to our underwear. It was a tough situation and they assaulted the wounded and women.

GOTKINE: In a briefing, an IDF spokesperson said people were asked to remove clothes to ensure no one was carrying explosives.

SHUROUQ SALAH, NURSE AT KAMAL ADWAN HOSPITAL (through translation): They separated the men from the women and took the women in groups. Those who refused to remove their clothing were beaten and they took our phones.

I didn't have a phone, but those who were refusing to hand over their phones were beaten. And those who refused to take off their clothes were also beaten.

GOTKINE: The IDF says that it had carried out targeted operations around the hospital based on intelligence regarding the presence of terrorist infrastructure and operatives there.

CNN cannot confirm these claims.

On Friday, the World Health Organization said the raid took the last major health facility in north Gaza out of service.

Adding that, "The systematic dismantling of the health system in Gaza is a death sentence for tens of thousands of Palestinians in need of health care."

Many patients now evacuated to Gaza's other hospitals, which medical staff say are not fit for purpose.

This critically ill man evacuated from Kamal Adwan, still in an ambulance Saturday after he was evacuated a day earlier.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

GOTKINE: Inside another hospital, this man tries to explain what happened to him, appearing to make signs of gunfire and beating.

All the while, Gaza's healthcare system, in a seemingly never ending freefall.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GOTKINE: The IDF also saying this evening that of the more than 240 Hamas and Islamic jihad as it described it as terrorists, that it arrested, some of them posed as patients, some tried to flee in ambulances.

It also added, in response to questions from CNN, that those who are questioned after being detained, who are found to not be part of militants for Hamas or Islamic jihad, are released.

And one can only assume the same applies to the director of the hospital, Dr. Abu Sufiya, who, as we noted earlier, was one of those detained. And as far as we're aware, is still being questioned in Gaza -- Jessica?

[16:50:06]

DEAN: All right. Elliott Gotkine, with the latest reporting from Jerusalem, thank you.

We'll have more news ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DEAN: It's going to be a mega new year for one lottery player. Mega Millions announcing a ticket sold in northern California has won the over $1 billion jackpot.

We don't know who the winner is, but we do know, after taxes, they're expected to take home more than $550 million in cash. That would be the fifth-largest prize in the games history.

Marybel Gonzalez is joining us now from Los Angeles.

What are you hearing? Do we -- I know everybody wants to know who this person is, but we don't know yet?

MARYBEL GONZALEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No, Jessica, we do not know. That still remains a mystery. And who knows if we will ever find out, if that person will come out publicly.

[16:54:58]

But we do know where that winning ticket was sold. It was sold in Cottonwood, California, as you mentioned, in the northern part of our state.

And a little bit on Cottonwood, it's a small, tiny community with a population just over 6,000. They are right off the I-5 freeway here in California, one of the main ones in the state.

And so it could very well be somebody who is just passing along that area. But locals are hoping that it's amongst one of them, that the winner is among one of them.

And they tell us this is a very tight-knit community. It's small, but it's the kind of place that everybody knows each other.

We spoke to one woman, Sydnee Perez, and she tells us, you know, this is the kind of community that steps up when people need help. When her dad was in the hospital, the community participated in a fundraiser for her family, including the retailer that sold that winning ticket.

That retail reno is the Sunshine Food and Gas Station in Cottonwood, California. We also caught up with the son of the store owners.

Now they've had this business in the family for 21 years, and they tell us they were over the moon to find out that one of the tickets they sold yesterday was the winning ticket.

He also tells us that they will receive a $1 million bonus for selling that winning ticket. So they, too, are winners.

DEAN: Yes, they certainly are. That is amazing and exciting. And gosh, I think a lot of people had big dreams about winning that jackpot. Marybel Gonzalez, thanks so much.

We'll be right back.

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