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179 Killed, Two Survive Fiery South Korea Plane Crash; Azerbaijani President Accuses Russia Of Downing Airliner; Three Dead, 10 Million Under Tornado Watches Across Southeast; Flight Data Recorders Recovered In Deadly South Korean Plane Crash; Trump Defends Foreign Worker Visas, Siding With Musk; Mortgage Rates Jump, Finish Year At Five-Month High; NFL Playoffs Race Hits Final Stretch; Top 10 Crime & Justice Stories Of 2024. Aired 2-3p ET
Aired December 29, 2024 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[13:59:45]
FAREED ZAKARIA, CNN HOST: It is the labor of many generations that have built up these institutions and order. It would be the work of a few years to let it all erode and collapse.
Depending on how America acts over the next few years, we might be entering a new world, actually one that is old and familiar. One must find narrow nationalism, protectionism, insecurity and constant mass- scale violence and war.
Thank you for watching this special hour on "AMERICA FIRST".
I'm Fareed Zakaria.
RAHEL SOLOMON, CNN HOST: Hello and welcome. And thanks for joining me.
I'm Rahel Solomon, live in New York, in today for Fredricka Whitfield.
We begin with breaking news.
A fiery plane crash in South Korea killing 179 people, leaving just two survivors. Witness video shows the moment a Jeju Air jet skidded across the runway earlier today, unable to stop itself, exploded at the end of the runway, killing nearly everyone on board.
Witnesses describing the chaotic moments.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
IM YOUNG-HAK, CRASH WITNESS (through translator): I think it was about 9:00 or 8:50 a.m. I heard a bang.
At first I thought it was an oil tanker accident as we can see, a lot of oil tankers nearby. Then I felt different. So I went outside and I saw a big dark smoke.
Then I could hear a big explosion sound. Not the one from the crash itself. Then I heard more explosion at least seven times.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOLOMON: Now, before the crash, a passenger sent this text message to a friend. "Wait a minute. We can't land because a bird or birds caught in our wing."
"Since when," the friend says.
"Just now, should I leave my last words?" The passenger responds.
Meantime, the two survivors, both crew members, are now in the hospital, and officials there are saying that one is now conscious and speaking with officials.
The National Transportation Safety Board now saying that it is sending its leading team of investigators to assist in the case.
CNN's Mike Valerio has more from Seoul.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MIKE VALERIO, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The cataclysmic scene stunning South Korea and Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 with 181 people aboard.
The plane's landing gear, local officials saying, likely failed. The aircraft's belly scraping the pavement coming down close to the end of the runway before crashing into an embankment and exploding. A breathtaking plume of smoke seen for hours.
In its wake, hundreds of mourners, families of the dead crowding into the arrivals hall at South Koreas Muan International Airport.
The man in the white helmet tasked with naming those who would never come home. Their bodies identified with loss and unspoken farewells, too much for families to bear.
"I'm going crazy," a man shouts, shattered by the calamity.
According to South Korean officials, on Sunday, 8:57 a.m. Local time, the flight arriving from Bangkok, Thailand was contacted by the Muan Airport control tower.
An air traffic controller warning of birds near the runway and a danger of potential bird strikes. Two minutes later, at 8:59 a.m., the pilot makes a mayday call, and at 9:03 a.m. the plane crashes.
GEOFFREY THOMAS, EDITOR, AIRLINE NEWS: One thing that's very perplexing is the reports that are coming in that the aircraft landed without the undercarriage deployed. Now, whether or not, it's a little bit unclear whether or not the undercarriage collapsed on landing or whether the undercarriage was not deployed at all.
VALERIO: Two crew members miraculously survived. They were both sitting in the back of the 737-800 near the tail of the aircraft. Authorities hope the survivors can shed light on what happened. The voice and flight data recorder also recovered. Now, for a country that has been through so much with martial law
declared earlier this month, this catastrophe has certainly cast a pall over South Korea, adding to the urgency to find out just how this could have happened.
Mike Valerio, CNN -- Seoul.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOLOMON: And just how this could have happened is certainly the question. And a lot to discuss.
Let me bring in now my colleague, CNN's Richard Quest. Richard, good to have you.
You have obviously covered your fair share of plane crashes over the years. I'm curious what your first questions are. Obviously early days in terms of the investigation, but what are your first questions about what may have happened here?
RICHARD QUEST, CNN BUSINESS EDITOR AT LARGE: This is one of the most perplexing accidents. And if you read the various fora from experts, everyone is puzzled because we don't know -- we sort of have got a general idea of the sequence of events from that press conference.
[14:04:52]
QUEST: So we know that the plane attempted to land, went past, called the mayday, then came back. But what we don't know is where the bird strike happened, how badly it hit the aircraft -- clearly catastrophically, because it was unable to deploy the various things like landing gear, flaps, thrust deploys, thrust reversers and the like.
And so we don't know the exact sequence and the consequence of the various actions that took place. Why is that significant? Because if you look at the video of the plane and it's -- when it finally does come in to land, number one, the landing gear has not been deployed. It's not sheared off. The doors aren't open. It's not there.
Secondly, its believed the flaps haven't been deployed. The thrust reversers haven't been deployed. It looks like the plane is landing way too fast even in those circumstances. And it touches down on the runway very far and very late into the runway.
Therefore, we can say that whatever the pilots were grappling with was in extremis. They were dealing with the most serious aspects of loss of control that barely and we have this video -- there you go.
Now, that video is believed to be showing the moment of bird strike. If you look at that, the plane is at a height sufficient enough where the wheels aren't down yet. So they haven't deployed the gear.
Were they unable to do so? Were they basically sidetracked? Were they obsessed with what they were dealing with? We just don't know at the moment. SOLOMON: Yes. I mean, to that point, Richard, as you mentioned, the
landing gear, we've heard a few sort of possible causes sort of floated.
One that there was a landing gear malfunction. Two, that it was the bird strike. Three that bad weather may have played a part.
From your perspective, what's the likelihood that perhaps it was all three or a combination of the three?
QUEST: No, that doesn't look like there's any bad weather there. So I wouldn't put necessarily bad weather and it's clear blue skies, as you can see.
The bird strike could certainly have so affected the performance of the engines that it had degraded the hydraulic capability of the 737.
But this aircraft, you can also lower the landing gear by gravity. Theres a lever you pull up and the thing falls down. That hasn't happened.
Now, this is entirely possible because the pilots are overwhelmed in the moment. The pilots are dealing with just trying to keep this thing in the air, seeing the runway. Remember, they've been vectored so they were heading towards the runway. They can see the runway. Their goal is just to get the plane on the
ground as best they can. And we just don't know what -- well, now we will find out because, look this is, by the way, one of the -- this is an old one. I just brought this in to give you an idea of the sort of thing that we talk about when we talk about the black boxes.
This is what we're talking about. This is actually quite an old one. But it gives you an idea of the sort of thing. There are two of them on board the aircraft. Theres the cockpit voice recorder and the cockpit data recorder. Now, both of those have been recovered.
South Korea is an extremely sophisticated and advanced country and will be able to read them along maybe with help from others, but it will certainly be able to do it.
And that will tell us what happened on the plane, what flight instruments were degraded to the point of being abandoned, what the pilots were saying to each other. And we will find out exactly what happened in this crash.
SOLOMON: Yes. And then in addition to the black boxes, Richard, we know that two people miraculously survived this and they were crew members.
So their understanding of what would have been happening, perhaps more sophisticated than just a passenger. How helpful will that be?
QUEST: It will be helpful because they will be able to -- they will have known what area of flight the plane was in. They will have known what the captain may have said in the cabin. They will be able to give an idea of just how it -- look, I mean, it's awful to be discussing this, Rahel, but that message, that message that was sent from one passenger to the ground.
Now, obviously an announcement had been made that there had been a bird strike, that the plane was now seriously degraded in its control capabilities.
And then you take that and you add on to it what the flight data will tell us. I can tell you that the circumstances and the sequence of events here, and the complexity of those events is way up there.
[14:09:49]
QUEST: This is one of those that we'll find out what happened. And my guess is that it's going to be the pilots did a bloody good job in very difficult circumstances.
SOLOMON: Yes. Complicated indeed. And to that end, Richard Quest, we appreciate your expertise as we try to understand exactly what happened.
That's Richard Quest, thank you.
All right. New today, the president of Azerbaijan is now accusing Russia of a cover up after accidentally shooting down an airliner on Christmas Day, killing 38 people.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ILHAM ALIYEV, AZERBAIJANI PRESIDENT: The facts indicate that the Azerbaijani civilian plane is damaged from the outside over Russian territory near the city of Grozny, and almost lost control. We also know that the use of electronic warfare put our plane out of control.
The Russian side must apologize to Azerbaijan.
Secondly, it must acknowledge its guilt.
Thirdly, those responsible must be punished, brought to criminal responsibility and compensation must be paid to the Azerbaijani state, to the injured passengers and crew members.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOLOMON: Now, yesterday, Vladimir Putin did apologize for the fact that the incident happened in Russian airspace, but did not admit that Russia was responsible.
A U.S. official tells CNN that signs point to a Russian air defense system striking the plane.
And still ahead for us, 10 million people are under tornado watches this afternoon as a deadly storm system rips across the southeast. Thousands of flights are delayed as storms leave a path of destruction in their wake.
And President-Elect Donald Trump, now weighing in on the debate over work visas for immigrants. His new message for his own supporters who oppose the program -- when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:14:55]
SOLOMON: Welcome back.
Now to severe weather that has turned deadly, killing at least three people as the threat now moves further east. 10 million people in parts of Georgia, Florida and the Carolinas are under a tornado watch. And travelers are dealing with more than 5,000 airport delays during this busy holiday weekend. That's according to FlightAware.
But Saturday's strong storms spawned several tornadoes. This one was captured on video churning across Mississippi. And in Texas, a tornado touched down at least four times south of Houston. A county judge there, describing the damage that he saw.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK KEOUGH, MONTGOMERY COUNTY JUDGE, TEXAS: The trees that are down are humongous giant trees, all their roots up on the sides. It's just amazing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOLOMON: And cleanup is underway After Saturday's storms moved through Alabama, damaging buildings and uprooting trees.
Let's get to CNN's Rafael Romo, who joins us now. Rafael, I mean, as we can see in that video, the storms clearly leaving a trail of destruction across the south. What more can you share with us?
RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, still a lot of work to be done, Rahel. And just on Saturday, this weather system that is still active, let's remember that along the East Coast was responsible for 170 storm reports, including more than 30 reported tornadoes.
It also caused at least three deaths as it moved east from Texas. A high school student died in Natchez, Mississippi after a tree fell on a home, according to Adams County emergency officials.
The other death was reported in Brazoria County, Texas where a tornado touched down in four separate locations, according to a local sheriff.
A third person died in North Carolina when a tree fell on a vehicle, according to the Iredell County sheriff.
Take a look at this massive tornado that touched down in McCall Creek, Mississippi. This was located about 70 miles southwest of Jackson. It was a violent, long-track tornado that moved through the southwest part of the state, tearing through many homes.
These images from Athens, Alabama showed debris covering the streets around the town square, as well as trees that were uprooted by the storm in this community, located about 94 miles north of Birmingham. And this is the scene captured by a resident in the town of New Caney,
Texas in the aftermath of yet another reported tornado that destroyed his neighborhood on Saturday.
As you can see, debris is everywhere, and that reported tornado tore the roofs off at least a couple of houses.
Earlier today in Conroe, Texas, residents were beginning the cleanup process after the storms left a trail of devastation and destruction.
This is what two survivors had to say about what they experienced. Let's take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CLINTON RAWLS, RESIDENT OF CONROE, TEXAS: Right when the winds are picking up, I said, ok, we all need to get underneath the porch. Before I can get the word porch out of my mouth, we were all on the ground.
And it just went whoosh. I've never seen wind like that before.
PASTOR JOSHUA CATHEY, CANEY CREEK APOSTOLIC TABERNACLE: I just thought it was going to be a few limbs. And then you see houses destroyed and camper trailers tipped over and fences down. I was blown away.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMO: And as would be expected, Rahel, this weather system has also had a severe impact on holiday travel. Nearly 350 flights within, into or out of the United States have been canceled today, and over 5,500 flights have been delayed, including hundreds of flights headed into or out of North Carolina's American Airlines hub Charlotte Douglas international airport, according to the flight tracking Web site FlightAware.
A lot of situations that authorities are dealing with right now.
Rahel, back to you.
SOLOMON: Yes, really devastating impacts there. Rafael Romo, appreciate the reporting. Thank you.
All right. After a short break, we have much more ahead on the devastating plane crash in South Korea. U.S. federal officials now joining the investigation into the cause of the crash as South Korea declares a week of mourning for the 179 people tragically killed.
[14:18:48]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOLOMON: Welcome back.
And we continue to follow that major breaking news out of South Korea. A horrific plane crash killing 179 people, leaving just two survivors. Eyewitness video shows the moment the passenger jet skidded off the runway at an airport Sunday morning local time, hitting a wall and bursting into flames.
Local officials and aviation experts say that it appears the plane had some sort of landing gear malfunction. The NTSB now says that a team of U.S. federal investigators will assist in the investigation into the deadly crash.
Let's bring in CNN's safety analyst and former FAA safety inspector, David Soucie, who joins me now. David, good to have you, certainly under really sad circumstances.
What is your sort of top line reaction to what you see on the video? Does it appear to you like it might have been some sort of landing gear malfunction? Because we've also heard maybe there was fog. There could have been a bird strike as well. What do you think?
DAVID SOUCIE, CNN SAFETY ANALYST: Well, it's certainly one of the most perplexing tragedies I've ever been involved with.
At this point, there are so many unanswered questions. But as far as the link between a bird strike and the landing gear malfunction, those two things are independent. I've never done an accident investigation where a bird strike, even when the engine fails, causes the landing gear to not come down.
Are there reasons for why that landing gear might not have come down? If the pilots were worried about the ability to get back to the airport safely, and having enough power to get to the airport. Typically, they'll leave the landing gear up and perhaps even the flaps up to make sure they have enough range to get to the airport.
The unfortunate thing about that, the tragic thing about that, is that once you've done that, once you have those flaps up and the landing gear is up and you hit the ground, you have no control over the speed, no way to stop the aircraft.
But you do make it to the airport. But then at that point, the -- just skidding to a stop is what they're relying on, and it looks like they hit that airport a little bit further down than what they had initially planned.
SOLOMON: Yes. In terms of determining what happened here, we know that they have the black boxes. They've recorded the black boxes. We know that two people, two crew members, in fact, miraculously survived. How important will both of those components be in terms of determining what happened?
SOUCIE: Well, the flight data recorder will give you all the information that is needed to determine whether == when the bird strike happened. It monitors the engine speed, the vibrations in both engines, whether it's putting power out or not.
It also monitors whether the pilots made the command to lower the landing gear or not. So if they -- if they lowered that landing gear lever and nothing happened, the flight data recorder will give you that information.
[14:24:46]
SOUCIE: However, if they left it up and they didn't put the landing gear down for whatever reason, that's when you have to go to the flight data recorder to determine what the reasoning was.
Had they forgotten it? Had they been overwhelmed with the landing itself? Their goal at that point is to get the airplane there and on the ground so maybe they're overwhelmed.
But those are the two aspects that the flight data recorder and the -- and the voice data recorder, both of those things complement each other, particularly in this -- in this much of a complex accident that needs investigation.
SOLOMON: Yes. The fact that this was a Boeing aircraft. How does Boeing come into this in terms of assisting with the investigation? Obviously, Boeing has had a troubling history the last few years with safety incidents. How do they play a part here?
Well, the main thing that -- the main reason that Boeing is involved, and the NTSB as well, is to determine if this was an aircraft-specific issue, if it happened to this aircraft, or is there something that happened to this aircraft that is pending with other aircraft in the -- in the fleet?
So that's their primary objective now is to determine the cause, to see if there's something that needs to be done to other aircraft as well.
So we'll know that pretty quickly as soon as they've determined whether there was something that affected the fleet or whether it was an isolated incident of a bird strike and subsequent crash of the aircraft.
SOLOMON: David, how long -- I mean, this is one of the worst. I mean, this is the worst, I believe plane crash on South Korean soil, but the worst in nearly 20 years for a South Korean airliner. How long do you think, before we have a clear picture of what caused the crash and what happened?
SOUCIE: Well, I think it's going to be fairly quickly because they need answers and the answers are there. So it's not going to be one of these that drag on for years like some have in the past.
Under the ICAO rules, right now, they're obligated to provide that information at least to the -- to the family members. And what's going on there to inform them of what they know and as they know it.
The -- in the days past, aircraft accident investigations were very, very closely held. But now in today's world, with the modern technologies, we can get that information pretty quickly.
I would say within a week we'll have some very distinctive answers about why this happened the way that it did. SOLOMON: Ok. David Soucie, we appreciate your time today. Thank you.
SOUCIE: Thank you.
SOLOMON: Right now, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is undergoing surgery to remove his prostate. Thats according to a spokesperson at the medical center where he is having the procedure.
Israel's justice minister will temporarily take over as interim prime minister during Netanyahu's surgery.
All right. And coming up for us, what could President-Elect Trump's plans for the economy mean for your family in 2025? We'll tell you how to plan your year coming up next.
We'll be right back.
[14:27:35]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:31:14]
SOLOMON: Welcome back.
President-elect Donald Trump is defending a visa program for foreign workers that has sparked a divisive debate among Republicans. For several days now, MAGA hardliners have been sparring online with Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy over the future of the H-1B visa program. Those immigration visas allow highly skilled workers like tech engineers from abroad to work in the U.S.
Well, Trump stepped into the debate on Saturday, standing by his ally Elon Musk, who once held an H-1B visa himself.
Let's get to CNN's Alayna Treene, who is following this for us from West Palm Beach. That's near Trump's Florida home.
So, Alayna, give us a sense of what Trump is now saying about the visa program that has clearly become very controversial.
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: That's right. It has. We've really seen this issue kind of divide his supporters this week. And yesterday, Donald Trump weighed in for the first time defending the H-1B visa program. As you mentioned, the program that allows U.S. companies to hire high skilled foreign workers. I want to read to you what he told "The New York Post" in a phone interview.
He said, quote, I've always liked the visas -- the visas. I have always been in favor of the visas. That's why we have them. He went on to say, I have many H-1B visas on my properties. I've been a believer in H-1B. I have used it many times. It's a great program.
Now, to be clear, many of the workers that operate at Donald Trump's properties are actually here in the United States under the H-2B visa program. It's essentially a program that allows U.S. workers here for non -- for temporary jobs, including jobs like landscaping, hospitality, et cetera. Now we actually had our colleagues dig into the Department of Labor data that goes back to 2008, showing, you know, how many visas were granted to through Donald Trump's properties.
Now, when we looked at this data, it showed that Donald Trump's businesses requested and received government approval to hire foreign laborers for more than 2,100 positions. And out of all of those, about only 70 of those positions were through or for high skilled workers, through the H-1B program. All to say that it seemed like he might have been mixing up the H-1B visa program with H-2B.
But all to say, to take a step back here, Donald Trump has been very critical of the H-1B visa program in the past, going back to his first administration, especially when he was on the campaign trail in 2016. He then argued that the H-1B visa program was a way for American companies to try and hire foreign workers at a lower pay. And really, he called for them to instead prioritize American workers.
And during his first term as well, we saw him, you know, with an executive order and other actions, implement policies that essentially saw a decline in the number of H-1B visa programs that were granted in the United States. All to say, we're kind of hearing him sing a different tune now.
And as you mentioned, he is siding with people like Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, both of them immigrants themselves, who have really defended this program throughout the entire week, despite a lot of people on the right, including people like Ann Coulter and Laura Loomer, strong allies of Donald Trump as well, who have said this isn't the right way, that, you know, American workers should be prioritized, not foreign workers, even if they are highly skilled.
And one thing, though, I will say as well, we did see Donald Trump on the campaign trail this year, starting to kind of warm up to this idea where he had said that immigrants who come to this country and graduate from United States universities should be able to get a green card to stay in the United States. All to say, this is what we first heard from Donald Trump. It's unclear what is going to happen once he is actually in office, and any kind of policy changes we may see to this program -- Rahel.
SOLOMON: Also unclear if his words now will bridge the divide in the party, now that he has sort of stepped into the conversation.
Alayna Treene, thank you.
And with just over three weeks until his inauguration, President-elect Donald Trump is promising to hit the ground running as soon as he takes his oath of office.
[14:35:04]
He's vowing to implement an ambitious economic agenda on day one centered on tariffs, deportations and tax cuts. But what will those plans mean for the economy and for you and for your wallet? We're joined now by CNN economics and political commentator Catherine
Rampell. She is also a columnist for "The Washington Post".
Catherine, great to have you. Hope you have a happy New Year. You had a good holiday.
Let's start with this piece that you just wrote for "The Washington Post". And in it -- you talk about how consumers are just starting to realize that Trump's economic plans could worsen inflation, is that of bringing prices down.
And to that end, Catherine, what did you find? I mean, what are consumers expecting heading into 2025?
CATHERINE RAMPELL, CNN ECONOMICS AND POLITICS COMMENTATOR: If you look at the University of Michigan's consumer sentiment survey, which they run every month going back decades, this month since the election, the share of consumers who say that they expect the prices of big ticket items to rise surged. So basically, a larger share of people said now is a good time to buy things like appliances, vehicles, refrigerators, et cetera, because they're anticipating higher prices.
And one way to interpret that is that consumers are finally thinking through, or at least they're seeing more news coverage of what might happen if Trump implements his agenda, specifically his tariff agenda. Since a lot of those kinds of consumer goods either come directly from abroad or require a lot of inputs and raw materials from abroad. So for vehicles, for example, even if you are buying a U.S. made car, supply chains are very integrated across North America. A lot of companies that that build cars in the United States are getting parts from Mexico or parts from Canada, and things are going across borders multiple times.
So all of that would suggest that prices could very well go up if, in fact, Trump carries out his tariff threats, which, you know, we don't know that he will. But it seems directionally likely at least, that tariffs will increase.
SOLOMON: And how does that square, Catherine, with what we heard and what we saw from the Fed a week ago or a week and a half ago about what they are expecting in 2025.
RAMPELL: The Fed, when it met recently, shook markets in part because they said that they expect inflation to be much more stubborn than they had thought it might be that a year from now, you know, if you would ask them a few months ago, they said, you know, inflation will probably be where it needs to be close to their 2 percent target rate a year from now, at the end of 2025. Now they're saying, oh, maybe not.
Now, that that may be related to things other than Trump's agenda. You know, I mentioned tariffs. There are things like tax cuts which could have a short term stimulus for the U.S. economy, which could also boost prices. And it's just that inflation has also been a little more stubborn, getting that that last bit of it wrung out of the system that I think had been anticipated. So as a result of that, the Fed said, look, inflation is probably
going to be a little bit higher going forward than we thought it might be, which also translates to fewer interest rate cuts than they had previously expected, because they don't think that they can cut rates as much if there's -- if the economy is a little bit hotter than they want, if inflation is still a little bit higher than they want.
SOLOMON: So to that end, I mean, what do folks who are in the market for home and sort of selfishly speaking here? I mean, what do they make of that in terms of the market for 2025? Because, you know, when we had that Fed meeting, I feel like you could hear hearts breaking around the country who had been hoping --
RAMPELL: I know.
SOLOMON: -- for perhaps more, more steeper cuts with mortgage rates.
RAMPELL: I know. I can understand why it's very frustrating in mortgage rates. Like other interest rates, other borrowing costs had been coming down, in part because the Fed was actually cutting rates and still has been to be clear, and because there had been more interest rate cuts anticipated to be in the pipeline after that Fed meeting, the 30 year mortgage rate unfortunately went back up over 7 percent, which is, you know, quite a bit higher than it had been several years ago when the when the Fed was -- was really stepping on the gas and trying to stimulate the economy.
Unfortunately, that means that if you are in the market for a home, you're going to pay a pretty steep interest rate. Now, some people have to move. They don't have a choice, right? They can't necessarily put off buying a home indefinitely.
SOLOMON: Yeah.
RAMPELL: And it's unfortunate for them. It does suggest that a lot of people who refinanced when interest rates were very low may feel quite locked into their current housing arrangement, right, because it's going to cost them so much more to move.
So it's going to be a sticky situation going forward. But like I said, if you have to move, you have to move, and I wouldn't necessarily count on interest rates to come down a lot in the immediate future.
[14:40:03]
SOLOMON: Yeah. It's been a -- it's been quite the reality check, Catherine Rampell, sort of looking at mortgage rates and being in the market for a house. It has been a struggle -- the struggle is certainly real.
Catherine Rampell, great to have you today. Thank you. Have a happy New Year.
RAMPELL: Happy New Year.
SOLOMON: All right. Well, it has been a wild weekend of football and it's not over yet. Coming up, a historic touchdown pass and edible insanity. The team that took the win and a bite out of the pop tart bowl, coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOLOMON: Another big slate of NFL games are on tap today as the league's playoff race hits the final stretch. Yesterday, we saw one NFL team stay red hot, keeping its playoff hopes alive, while another continued its amazing turnaround.
CNN's Carolyn Manno has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CAROLYN MANNO, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Rahel, finding your stride at the right time is a big part of the formula for success in the NFL.
The Bengals had seemingly no chance at the playoffs earlier this month, but after four straight wins, there's some hope heading into the final week of the year. The Broncos could have clinched the final wildcard spot in the AFC with a win, and they tied the game in the final seconds. Marvin Mims Jr. with an incredible leaping grab over two defenders to send this game to overtime.
So the Bengals had a chance to win it with under three minutes left. But look at this, Cade York's short field goal dinking off the crossbar. Joe Burrow and company would get another chance and burrow hooks up with Tee Higgins for their third touchdown connection of the day, so the Bengals win, 30-24, in overtime. And at eight and eight, they are still a game behind Denver for the final wildcard spot. But they are in the hunt after a four and eight start.
The Broncos blew their chance to secure a spot in the AFC, but the Chargers weren't going to be denied a chance to grab a bid. They rolled all over the Patriots 40 to 7 in Foxboro. Justin Herbert throwing three touchdown passes, two of them to Ladd McConkey.
And it has been quite a turnaround for L.A. It was just a year ago, they only won five games. But now, they're in the playoffs and Jim Harbaugh's first season as head coach.
The Rams held off the Cardinals to keep their NFC West title hopes alive. Ahkello Witherspoon picking off Kyler Murray in the final minutes to punctuate a 13 to 9 win. There are some tiebreaker scenarios that could give L.A. the NFC West title, either today or tomorrow. If not, the Rams and Seahawks will face off for the division crown next Sunday.
Let's go to the college game now, where East Carolina was leading NC State in the military bowl. But they ran it up the middle instead of kneeling down, and Wolfpack players taking exception to that. Both benches emptied, took almost ten minutes for order to be restored. Eight players were ejected in all, five from NC State and three from ECU. And we will see if that bad blood spills over as these two teams face each other to open next season. And now to the pop-tarts bowl in Orlando, which was back for a second
year. It is quickly becoming a viral fan favorite. Miami star quarterback Cam Ward setting the all time record for touchdown passes in a college career. In the first quarter, he finished with three to set the mark at 158, but the projected first round draft pick opted to sit out the second half to avoid injury, and that really hurt his team a lot because the Hurricanes blew a ten point lead. Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht sneaking in the go ahead score with under a minute left as the Cyclones win a wild one 42-41, the final.
Becht named the MVP. Got to choose which pop tart would be baked in the giant toaster afterwards could have had wild berry or hot fudge sundae, but he went with cinnamon roll and after it went in, the toaster, beck and his head coach getting to take a bite out of it. And if you're wondering, Rahel, no humans were harmed in the process, just some good fun all around.
Back to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOLOMON: In fact, I was wondering. Thank you, Carolyn Manno.
All right. Still to come for us, from the Menendez brothers to Sean "Diddy" Combs, it has been quite the year in courtrooms across the country. We'll take a look at the stories that stuck with you most, coming up next.
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[14:51:34]
SOLOMON: Welcome back.
Huge celebrity names in court, a decades-old high profile case revisited and brazen public murders that captivated America.
CNN's Jean Casarez is counting down the top ten crime and justice stories of 2024.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Music superstars charged in criminal court, parents of a school shooter land in prison, and an insurance executive gunned down, shot in the back in the heart of New York City -- all part of the top 10 crime and justice stories of 2024.
Number 10, a conviction in the murders of Abigail Williams and Liberty German.
(voice-over): Two young Delphi, Indiana, girls have an afternoon off from school in February 2017. A family member drops them off to hike at the Monon High Bridge Trail. Libby and Abby were never seen again. Their bodies were found together the next day, with their throats cut.
Libby's phone had pivotal video evidence of a suspect. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Down the hill.
CASAREZ: Local resident Richard Allen was arrested in 2022 and was later convicted by a jury of his peers.
Number nine, charges in connection to the death of a beloved actor.
MATTHEW PERRY, ACTOR: When I dance, I look like this.
CASAREZ: Matthew Perry, who became a household name on the hit show "Friends," found dead in October 2023, his body floating face down in a hot tub at his Pacific Palisades home with ketamine in his system. Five people now charged in connection with his death, including two doctors.
ANNE MILGRAM, ADMINISTRATOR, DRUG ENFORCEMENT ADMINISTRATION: Matthew Perry sought treatment for depression and anxiety, and went to a local clinic, where he became addicted to intravenous ketamine.
CASAREZ: Three of the defendants have reached plea agreements, while the other two have pleaded not guilty.
Number eight, a stunning end to Alec Baldwin's manslaughter trial.
Baldwin goes to trial following the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of his film "Rust". Prosecutors said Baldwin pulled the trigger of a prop gun during a rehearsal, but the gun had a live round, killing Hutchins.
Within two days, the involuntary manslaughter case was thrown out over withheld evidence.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Dismissal with prejudice is warranted.
CASAREZ: Number seven, pop star Justin Timberlake arrested for driving while intoxicated.
Timberlake is pulled over while driving in Sag Harbor, New York. Court records alleged he was glassy-eyed with a strong odor of alcohol on his breath. He told police he only had one martini. Three months later, he pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of driving while impaired.
JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE, MUSICIAN: Even one drink, don't get behind the wheel of a car.
CASAREZ: Number six, an Illinois woman shot and killed in her own home by police.
Thirty-six-year-old Sonya Massey called 911 on July 6 because she thought an intruder was in her home. Deputies responded, but a dispute over a pot of hot water on the stove became the focus.
SEAN GRAYSON, FORMER SANGAMON COUNTY, ILLINOIS, POLICE DEPUTY: Huh. Away from your hot, steaming water?
[14:55:02] SONYA MASSEY, KILLED IN POLICE SHOOTING: Away from my hot, steaming water?
GRAYSON: Yes.
MASSEY: I rebuke you in the name of Jesus. I rebuke you in the name of --
(CROSSTALK)
GRAYSON: You better (EXPLETIVE DELETED) not. I swear to God, I'll (EXPLETIVE DELETED) shoot you right in your (EXPLETIVE DELETED) face.
MASSEY: OK. I'm sorry.
GRAYSON: Drop the (EXPLETIVE DELETED) pot! Drop the (EXPLETIVE DELETED) pot!
(GUNSHOTS)
CASAREZ: Sangamon County Sheriff's Deputy Sean Grayson was fired and has pleaded not guilty to murder and other charges.
Number five, after 35 years in prison, two brothers have the possibility of freedom.
Lyle and Erik Menendez planned, plotted and executed the murders of their parents in 1989. The brothers said they acted in self-defense after suffering years of physical and sexual abuse by their record executive father.
The first jury trial ended in a mistrial, but included their sexual abuse testimony.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you recall the first time that he wasn't nice during the session?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And you were 11?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was 11.
CASAREZ: But during a second trial, the brothers were convicted. Now they say they have new evidence. And with a Netflix docudrama on the case --
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: We did it.
CASAREZ: -- as well as the sudden support of now-former L.A. district attorney George Gascon, the chance for freedom is possible.
But the new DA, Nathan Hochman, is making no promises.
NATHAN HOCHMAN, INCOMING LOS ANGELES COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: Got to review thoroughly the facts and the law. CASAREZ: Number four, the chief executive officer of insurance giant UnitedHealthcare gunned down in New York City.
Brian Thompson, in town for a conference, was shot and killed in the early morning hours of December 4 outside of the Hilton in Midtown Manhattan.
TISCH: It appears the suspect was lying in wait for several minutes.
CASAREZ: On December 9, the NYPD announced 26-year-old Luigi Mangione had been arrested in Altoona, Pennsylvania, while eating at a McDonald's. He was in possession of a document criticizing the health care industry, a police official told CNN.
Mangione has been charged with murder, among other counts, in state and federal court.
Mangione's attorney denies his client was involved in the killing.
Number three, a Georgia nursing student murdered on her morning jog.
Twenty-five minutes into that run, Laken Riley was killed.
GOV. BRIAN KEMP (R-GA): This community, all of Georgia and the entire country have been robbed by this inexcusable and avoidable murder.
CASAREZ: Jose Ibarra, a 26-year-old migrant from Venezuela, was charged with her murder. The trial in November brought an unemotional Ibarra and Riley's family together in the same room.
ALLYSON PHILLIPS, MOTHER OF LAKEN RILEY: This sick, twisted and evil coward showed no regard for Laken or human life.
CASAREZ: Ibarra was convicted and sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Number two, it was precedent-setting, parents of a mass school shooter on trial themselves for the deaths of the students their son gunned down.
KAREN MCDONALD, OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN, PROSECUTOR: Gun ownership is a right. And with that right comes great responsibility.
CASAREZ: Jennifer and James Crumbley, the parents of the Oxford, Michigan, high school shooter, went to trial in early 2024 on involuntary manslaughter charges.
In a first-of-its-kind prosecution, the state alleged the Crumbleys bought their son a gun days before the mass shooting and didn't properly store it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Despite her knowledge of his deteriorating mental crisis, this gun was gifted.
CASAREZ: Jennifer then took the stand. JENNIFER CRUMBLEY, DEFENDANT: There's a couple of times where Ethan had expressed anxiety over taking tests, but not to a level where I felt he needed to go see a psychiatrist or a mental health professional right away, no.
CASAREZ: With the community still overcome by grief from the four students murdered by their son, both parents were convicted by unanimous juries. They are appealing their verdicts.
And the number one crime and justice story of the year, music superstar Sean "Diddy" Combs arrested.
Combs was charged in September with sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and prostitution-related charges.
DAMIAN WILLIAMS, U.S. ATTORNEY, SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK: Combs used force, threats of force, and coercion to cause victims to engage in extended sexual performances with male commercial sex workers.
CASAREZ: The indictment specifically notes surveillance video showing Combs beating his then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura at a hotel in March 2016. Combs apologized after CNN aired that video in May.
SEAN "DIDDY" COMBS, DEFENDANT: I take full responsibility for my actions in that video. I'm disgusted.
CASAREZ: Combs remains in federal custody at the Metropolitan Detention Center in New York City. He has pleaded not guilty.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
