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America Bids Farewell To President Carter; Massive Storm Set To Impact 62M People Across The U.S.; Driver Who Caused Vegas Explosions Was An Active-Duty Soldier; NOLA City Council To Launch Fact-Finding Cmte On New Year's Attack; Sources: Trump Wants To Move Agenda In One Big Policy Bill; Biden Awards 19 Recipients With Presidential Medal of Freedom; Surgeon General Warns Of Link Between Alcohol And Cancer; 11 Percent Of Americans Smoke Cigarettes Weekly; Sales Of Non-Alcoholic Drinks Are On The Rise; 16 Cruise Shipps Suffered From Gastrointestinal Outbreaks; Comedian Nikki Glaser Previews Hosting Award Show. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired January 04, 2025 - 17:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:00:40]

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

And America is bidding farewell to the late President Jimmy Carter. Today marking the first of six days of tributes and observances across the nation. The public will have an opportunity to pay their respects in Atlanta before Carter's casket is taken to Washington on Tuesday as the world honors the life and legacy of America's 39th president.

We're joined now by Jeff Zeleny CNN's chief national affairs correspondent.

Jeff, I know you've been there at the Carter Center in Atlanta all day. Help set the scene from today's somber and emotional tributes to President Carter.

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (on-camera): Well, Jessica through scripture and song there was a very somber tribute the beginning of what is going to be several days of paying respects and honor to the 39th president the United States, Jimmy Carter whose body is lying in repose right now. You can see that picture here at the Carter Center. At 7:00 p.m. tonight, it will open to the public. So, people for the next 36 hours or so can gather here and pay their tributes to Jimmy Carter.

But this was a long day really sort of tracing the improbable and remarkable journey of Jimmy Carter from Plains about two and a half hours Southwest of Atlanta all the way through really the arc of his life. He -- his motorcade passed by the State Capitol. Of course, he served as a state senator. He ran for governor once he lost, he ran again. He won, of course served one term and then of course was elected improbably as the nation's 39th president. But today was not a day about talking about his time in the White House that will come next week. It was about really the work here at the Carter Center in his post-presidency. People were gathered really from around the world who have done the work of democracy, humanitarian work, clean water, really restoring hope for so many. So that is what today was about the mission that Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter had.

So, as you can see there, those are live pictures people paying their respects here for the next some 40 hours or so before he will move on to Washington for a state funeral Wednesday at the Washington National Cathedral.

Jess.

DEAN: And Jeff, we're watching -- we're watching video as you're talking of people paying their respects there to walking by his casket. You mentioned that it will be headed to Washington. This is quite a celebration of his life that's going to take place in many places. And as you note going to focus on the different parts of his life.

ZELENY (on-camera): In so many different chapters of his life, I mean, of course he really, you know was a son of Georgia, a son of Plains, Georgia was in a naval a graduate, went to the Annapolis Naval Academy, was a submarine engineer, but then came back to Georgia. And this is really where he began his work on a peanut farm.

So, it was an improbable a journey that history will never likely see the likes of again from a peanut farm indeed to the presidency. And the Carter Center and the library behind me here really tracks all of that, but we are seeing it in living of a memoriam today play out. And what I mean, it was a motorcade going from, you know, spanning a couple hundred miles. And his son Chip Carter said on every overpass, there were people there were Georgians turning out today to pay their respects and we do expect that to continue throughout the evening into tomorrow as -- as people from all walks of life pay their respects to former president Jimmy Carter.

Jessica.

DEAN: From a peanut farm to the presidency and beyond only in America. Jeff Zeleny, thank you so much coming to us there from Atlanta.

Let's go now to tonight's breaking news as a massive winter storm is set to unleash dangerous conditions to an estimated 62 million people this weekend. Freezing rain and high winds already hitting the plains making roadways they're treacherous ahead of possible heavy snowfall tomorrow.

Virginia and Kentucky have declared a state of emergency as tornadoes and severe storms are also expected in the southern states. And we're just getting this in the Kansas City International Airport has now closed its airfield as the winter storm coats that area with ice.

Meteorologist Elisa Raffa is tracking all of this from the CNN Weather Center.

Elisa a lot of people are going to be affected by this. When do you expect the worst of it to hit?

[17:05:07]

ELISA RAFFA, CNN METEOROLOGIST (on-camera): Really not until tomorrow. What you're seeing on radar doesn't look like much. It's really just the appetizer. And it also just goes to show how much little ice it takes to really cause problems.

There have been problems all day on the roads in Wichita, as you mentioned, problems at the airport in Kansas City. And this is all of the storm that we have so far. It really starts to blow up on the overnight. And we're looking at major winter storm impacts from the Central Plains, from Kansas, all the way to the Mid-Atlantic, to D.C., as we get towards Monday.

We're talking about difficult to nearly impossible travel, heavy and blowing snow, significant ice, all of this causing some power outages. And in some parts of Kentucky, we're looking at extreme impacts that will disrupt daily life, from Louisville over towards Evansville, Indiana, really just could be significant. And this is mainly because of the ice accumulation. If we get a half to three quarters of an inch of ice, that will cause longstanding power outages.

New this hour, we have a blizzard warning in effect now for parts of Kansas and Missouri, including parts of Kansas City, where we'll have winds up to 50 miles per hour blowing around that snow, dropping visibility. There's the ice storm warning. Just north of Paducah, headed into parts of Kentucky. That will cause, again, crippling problems. The alerts, again, stretching across more than 1,400 miles. Just incredible, the breadth of this storm.

So, it continues to blow up overnight into tomorrow. Tomorrow morning, we're waking up to a mess. You've got heavy snow and ice as that cold air tries to squeeze in that moisture from the south. This continues through the day. We're going to have that heavy snow and heavy icing through the day. And then by Monday morning, that's where you have some problems with your morning commute for places like Washington, D.C.

Snow, the footprint could be significant. We're looking at six to 12 inches for most locations in the Central Plains. Some totals over a foot. You could see that snow footprint, again, stretching across to the Atlantic there. The ice, this is what I'm very concerned about. South Central Missouri, Southern Illinois, parts of Kentucky. A half an inch to three quarters of an inch of ice, that is significant. Because that will really weigh down tree limbs and power lines and can really cause some problems with power outages.

Now, it's not just the winter part. We're also in severe storms. This storm is so multifaceted, so dynamic. It has warm air pumping into it, and that will cause some severe storms. We're at a level 3 of 5 risk for severe weather across parts of Louisiana and Mississippi, where several tornadoes are possible and a line of damaging winds. Now, this area is still cleaning up from the tornado outbreak that we had last weekend. So again, that's pretty significant for them.

Behind this, cold air comes in. So that can be a problem for anyone that has long-lasting power outages without access to heat. This could be a really dire situation for some people.

Jessica?

DEAN: All right, walking us through it. So much more left to come as you illustrate there. Elisa Raffa, thank you so much for walking us through that.

Meantime, officials have now confirmed the identity of the driver who caused a Cybertruck explosion in Las Vegas as active-duty Army Green Beret, Matthew Alan Livelsberger. They say he drove the truck to the Trump Hotel, where he parked outside and shot himself before explosives he had set in the vehicle detonated. Investigators are now revealing some insight into his possible motive.

And CNN national correspondent Natasha Chen is joining us more.

Natasha, what are investigators learning about a possible motive here?

NATASHA CHEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on-camera): Well, Jessica, they've been going through his devices, and late yesterday, they sent us full transcripts of two letters they believe were written by Livelsberger. One of them was actually calling to action for removing Democrats from the federal government, from the military, and including the possibility of occupying roads and federal buildings, not ruling out the use of force. That was one of two letters that were shared with the media.

Another one talked about political grievances, issues that he found with society, with American culture, stated his support for President Trump and Elon Musk. I'm going to read you a few excerpts that investigators actually read to the media during a press briefing in hopes that it would provide some context for his state of mind. Here's one excerpt that says, time to wake up, we are being led by weak and feckless leadership who only serve to enrich themselves.

Another excerpt says, why did I personally do it now? I needed to cleanse my mind of the brothers I've lost and relieve myself of the burden of the lives I took. And another excerpt, we are the United States of America, the best country people to ever exist, but right now we are terminally ill and headed toward collapse.

The day before the explosion, he had sent an e-mail to some online media outlets saying that he was armed and in possession of a vehicle- borne improvised explosive device.

He had been diagnosed last year with depression. U.S. officials told CNN that he had visited a behavioral health program in the military multiple times in recent months, but was never flagged for being a risk to harm himself or other people. So, we're still trying to figure out exactly what kinds of conversations he had with people prior to this explosion. And investigators are looking at a log as well on his phone of activity in the 10 days leading up to it, Jessica. [17:10:30]

DEAN: All right, Natasha Chen with the latest reporting on that. Thank you very much.

We're also learning new details about the explosive devices placed ahead of the New Year's Day attack in New Orleans, which killed 14 people. Law enforcement officials telling CNN the attacker used a rare organic compound not previously seen in the United States.

As CNN's Rafael Romo reports, this comes as we're also getting new information on prior warnings about security around Bourbon Street.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Jessica, CNN has learned that a security firm warned five years ago that the Bourbon Street area in New Orleans was especially vulnerable to a vehicular ramming attack.

Both the FBI and ATF say the killer set fire to the short-term rental location where he stayed to destroy evidence, including precursors for bomb making material. The FBI also says the killer intended to use a transmitter found in his truck to set off two improvised explosive devices that he had previously placed on Bourbon Street.

In an interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper, Louisiana Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser accused New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell of failing to secure Bourbon Street, despite requests made years ago.

LT. GOV. BILLY NUNGESSER (R-LA): The mayor and her team failed miserably. You know, today I sent out a video of the balusters in front of Jackson Square, historical Jackson Square. Two years we've been asking to get them replaced. I didn't let that out to the public because we didn't want people to know you could drive through that pedestrian mall.

ROMO: And Jessica, New Orleans Mayor Cantrell said the day after the tragedy that over 10 years ago, the city undertook an infrastructure project that included installing bollards on Bourbon Street, but they would frequently malfunction and had to be replaced. She also said at the time of the attack, there was already a plan in motion to get those bollards replaced.

LATOYA CANTRELL, MAYOR, NEW ORLEANS: We were able to build in bollard replacement into our Super Bowl infrastructure package. And because of that, the city of New Orleans has moved forward with that infrastructure that is nearing completion. Bollards were not up because they are near completion with the expectation of being completed, of course, by Super Bowl.

ROMO: Jessica, a Royal source has told CNN that a British man killed in the New Orleans terrorist attack was the stepson of a woman who was the nanny of Prince William and Prince Harry. British media reported Edward Pettifer was the stepson of Alexandra Pettifer, formerly known as Tiggy Legge-Bourke, who served as nanny for both princes for several years and is remembered as someone who supported them after their parents, Charles and Diana, separated. And especially following the death of the Princess of Wales.

Meanwhile, the Orleans parish coroner released the list of 12 of the 14 people who died in the attack. Seven of the victims were from Louisiana, but there were also others from Alabama, Mississippi, New Jersey and New York, as well as the British National and one person who remains unidentified.

Jessica.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DEAN: Rafael, thank you. And joining us now is New Orleans City Councilmember Oliver Thomas.

Councilman, thank you so much for being here. I know that you all are learning new information. I also know that your city council president is launching a fact-finding committee to review this terror attack and its implications.

I just want to ask you first about that clip from your lieutenant governor that we had in the story just before you, where he was saying that he asked for two years to have these bollards replaced. What do you know about that? I think a lot of people are curious.

Obviously, we heard from the mayor that they weren't up because they were in the process of going up. But why have this event if they weren't there in place? Did you not think people would be at risk of something like this?

OLIVER THOMAS, NEW ORLEANS CITY COUNCILMEMBER: Well, first of all, let me say, I wasn't on the council three years ago, and I wasn't in politics 10 years ago. Had I had that kind of information, then hopefully we would have done something so that we could have looked to replace or improve the protection system and deal with those bollards or barriers.

I understand the frustration. First, my hearts and prayers go out to the victims and their families still, but we must continue to be prayerful for them because they're experiencing loss as well as the victims who are trying to heal from their injuries and the police officers who went into the line of fire, which ultimately saved more lives and prevented more injuries.

[17:15:07]

Our council president was calling for an investigation his share of criminal justice. I called for a fact-finding committee that was going to be on Monday, but we're delaying it because the President is coming to town and out of respect for President Biden and his wife and our federal family.

We're going to have my fact-finding committee up at another date where we can coordinate with the administration as well as with infrastructure and law enforcement. You know, but what a could have should have can always come into play. I just know that we need to do better moving forward, but a lot of people know is that I've been surveying the French quarter walking with a retired police officer who was stationed in there for 20 years.

Looking at a lot of the entrances and exits, and I've learned a lot of things. I've talked to security experts that talks about how we need a better coordinated effort, especially after folk listen to the press conference with the federal law enforcement agencies, the state and the city that needs to be better coordination and experts who are talking to each other that can talk about how we best protect ourselves, especially around special events.

DEAN: And you're talking about coordinating. We know that federal agencies previously warned of the threat of violence from loan offenders around the holidays, the potential use of vehicle ramming just like what happened. Were you all at the council made aware of these warnings?

THOMAS: No, no, those warnings that went out several years ago, which every major city in America and especially as a city that hosts major events. We may be a city of less than 400,000 people, but we got 20 million visitors. We probably get as many tourists per capita as any major city in the world.

So special attention definitely has to be paid attention to that moving forward. But no, I was not aware of any report. I was not around three years ago, and I definitely wasn't -- wasn't elected 10 years ago.

DEAN: And looking ahead to what can be done to make sure people stay safe in New Orleans. You guys have the Super Bowl coming next month. Of course, Mardi Gras, you have, you -- you mentioned you host a lot of events, major, major events there. How confident are you -- you can keep people safe?

THOMAS: Well of course we can't make guarantees and in the world we live today, especially where evil people or help that on hurting our way of life here. But what I do know is we have to, whatever the best practices are there needs to be a much tighter, unified relationship with our federal partners, our state partners and local officials on how we protect our visitors, but also how do we protect the locals?

You know, we have local events where thousands of people come out in our streets and our sidewalks and in our parks. It's not just about the Sugar Bowl or the Super Bowl or even Mardi Gras. New Orleans is famous for 143 I think, festivals. Second line, I just left the Le Bon Ton Baby Dolls and their celebration and panel discussion about our history and our culture, Mardi Gras culture and Indian culture and Baby Doll culture. Those things that are unique to New Orleans, from Haiti to France to Africa to the Spanish influence.

So, people are preparing now. This is a season for us for second line, culture and parades and heading into Mardi Gras. So, it's not just about a major event for us. We need to know how to protect our citizens every day.

DEAN: All right. New Orleans City Councilmember Oliver Thomas. We really appreciate your time. Thank you. THOMAS: Thank you. God bless him to the Carter family. Our hearts go out to President Carter. He was two words that my dad used to describe people. He was a good man.

DEAN: That's very sweet. All right. Thank you so much, Councilman.

And still to come, after a dramatic vote to remain House Speaker, Mike Johnson already signaling a shift in how his party will get President- elect Trump's desired agenda across the finish line.

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[17:23:58]

DEAN: New tonight, President-elect Donald Trump with a clear message to House Republican leadership. Pass one big bill. Covering a number of legislative priorities. Sources telling CNN House Speaker Mike Johnson spoke with Republican lawmakers at a closed-door meeting today saying, Trump expects to move some of his biggest campaign promises on energy tax policy and the border all through Congress in one package.

And joining us now Republican Congressman Rich McCormick of Georgia.

Congressman, thanks so much for being here with us this evening. We really appreciate it. I know you were initially a holdout in voting for Speaker Johnson. You ultimately did. But our reporting indicates that that push for a single bill and his agreement to do that really swayed you. Why was that such a major priority for you?

REP. RICH MCCORMICK (R-GA): I think we did two reconciliations. First of all, has not been done since I think 1997. We had much larger majority. It's going to be one of the record slimmest majorities we've ever had. First time in history we had less of majority in Congress than we have in the Senate.

So, it's going to be precarious. We're going to need all the leverage points we can to get a responsible budget passed, especially when you're talking about things that are very popular in American culture, securing the border, making sure we secure those the tax package that we haven't before that keeps our businesses flowing and accelerating through this new process of international competition with China and make sure their energy production is high. So, we can have people afford the energy they need to produce for heating their homes and feeling their cars, making sure we deliver all the promises we did to have the election mandate that we had.

[17:25:28]

DEAN: Have you spoken with the president or his team about all of this as all of these talks were going on leading up to the vote?

MCCORMICK: I sure did several times in my fact there's some disagreement, obviously, on that the continuing resolution. I didn't want to vote for that. I want to pay for. I'm very much a deficit hawk. I want to make sure we don't continue to expand our debt to deficit ratio. But ultimately, I want to see that reconciliation package pushed through. We're in good position to do that. We're going to come out lightning fast. We're going to work around the clock until we get that package done and to get it across the finish line.

DEAN: And I do want to ask you about just the logistics of all of this, because you, you make a great point, which is it's not easy to do a big reconciliation package like this. And certainly, with the very slim majority that House Republicans have, you're right, it's going to be, everybody has to kind of work in concert together to get that over the finish line. It's going to have to go through a number of committees. I know that the Senate -- the incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune had previously called for a hundred-day sprint to just get a border bill done, much less. Some of the other things you guys want to get done.

What makes you confident that you can achieve this goal when it has been difficult for Republicans to get on the same page previously?

MCCORMICK: It's going to be very difficult, but everybody has the idea that we want to get something done historically. Senator Thune was actually with us today and talking about how we're going to reconcile between the Senate and us, making sure that the birth rule is addressed, which means that everything that we do is germane to policy, to -- to our different policy makers and -- and how we're going to get it through rules and how we're going to get this packaged up appropriately, so we can get it across the finish line and do it the way we're supposed to do it, the way we're constitutionally responsible for the budget to make sure that we're working in lockstep with the Senate.

Because a lot of times, quite frankly, when the Republicans take over and we have both the -- when we have the trifecta, we don't get things across the finish line because we're not working well together. I think this is the first time in a very long time that the -- the Speaker and the Senate leader both are going to be working hand in hand to get this across the finish line along with the President's guidance and make sure we deliver on the things that we ran on.

DEAN: And you mentioned that Senator Thune was with you. So, would you say he's now on board with this one -- this one big bill?

MCCORMICK: He is. Matter of fact, we had Steve Miller there today. We had several people that are going to be instrumental in making sure that we're all courting our efforts and we're delivering what we said we're going to deliver.

DEAN: And I also want to ask you about the national debt. And I know that's something you're very concerned about and focused on. And according to the nonpartisan group committee for a responsible federal budget, the last Trump tax cuts added nearly $2 trillion to the national debt. Are you worried that the new tax bill or extending those tax cuts could further grow our debt?

MCCORMICK: I'm glad that you addressed it that way, because a lot of people are saying, we're talking about new tax cuts. This is not new tax cuts. This is what sustained Biden's economy. The good side of that was what Biden continued from Trump, that we allow business to be competitive on the international market.

The fact is, if we increase those corporate tax rates, which would be higher than Russian or Chinese tax corporate rates, we would not be internationally competitive, and that's going to hurt our entire economy. That's going to hurt the job market, our taxable income. We have a spending problem. We've had this spending problem for a very long time.

Reagan talked about it. Years and years ago, 40 years ago, he was talking about this. It's only accelerated since 2004. That's when Republicans were in control. That's when George W. Bush ran and we saw this massive acceleration in Spain.

So, I'm not saying it's a partisan, but it is a bipartisan problem that we have to address. We have a spending problem. We need to make sure we address the waste, fraud and abuse of government, the size and scope of government, the regulations that burden all of society, including businesses that provide our jobs, and the competitive market that's going to help everybody going forward.

DEAN: And so, you, it sounds like your support of them, of extending what is already in place, but what about adding any additional tax cuts?

MCCORMICK: You know, this is what we're going to have our fight. You know, there are a lot of promises made I want to make sure that we are even handed in how we apply our tax structures if we are going to do anything it should benefit the ability for us to produce a bigger economy that benefits everybody. You don't need a minimum wage if you have a whole competitive market out there where people are competing for the workers. You don't have to worry about H1Bs or other things like that when you have so many jobs. So, you don't have enough Americans to fill those jobs.

But we can't reward people for staying home. We can't make it more attractive to be on the government's dime than on corporate dime. We have to make sure we provide opportunities for everybody out there, and it shouldn't be by promising certain sub segments of the society tax breaks and we don't provide others. But -- but I think that's going to fight. We're going to have to have, and I know we may have compromised because nobody ever gets exactly what they want.

[17:30:06]

DEAN: All right, Congressman Rich McCormick thank you so much for being here with us. We really appreciate it.

MCCORMICK: Absolutely. My pleasure. Bye.

DEAN: Thanks.

Still ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM, it was a who's who of high-profile names and faces at the White House.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: So let me just say to each of you, thank you, thank you, thank you for all you've done to help this country.

(APPLAUSE)

(CHEERING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: From Hillary Clinton to Lionel Messi and Ralph Lauren, Bono, the latest recipients of the country's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

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[17:35:02]

DEAN: It has been a busy day at the White House. As President Biden's term draws to a close, his legacy will include awarding the Presidential Medal of Freedom to todays 19 recipients for work that spans arts, sports, philanthropy and politics.

The honorees, including former secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, fashion icon, Ralph Lauren, NBA legend, "Magic" Johnson, and U2 frontman, Bono.

CNN's Julia Benbrook is at the White House. She joins us now with more.

And, Julia, a lot of boldface names joining the ones I just named today with President Biden.

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Jessica, it was a star-studded day here at the White House. And the Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients, they represent a wide range of accomplishments in areas like philanthropy, politics, sports and the arts. There were 19 honorees today in total.

And among them, world renowned conservationist, Jane Goodall, award- winning actors, Michael J. Fox and Denzel Washington. Bill Nye, The Science Cuy was one of them, as well as "Vogue" editor-in-chief, Anna Wintour.

And then, as you mentioned, legendary basketball player, Magic Johnson, who actually, at six foot nine, this was one of the moments that drew laughter from the crowd. He had to crouch down so that President Joe Biden could actually put that medal on him.

Now, this award, it's the nation's highest honor for civilians. The White House says that, "It is reserved for people who have made exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values or security of the United States, world peace or significant societal, public or private endeavors."

And here's a bit of what Biden had to say when he introduced the group this afternoon.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: As cultural icons, defined statements, should be dignified statements, humanitarians, rock stars, sports stars. You feed the hungry, you give hope to those -- those who are hurting, and you craft the signs and sounds that our movements and our memories.

You know, it's amazing, your innovation, your -- you inspire. You bring healing and joy to so many lives. Otherwise, you wouldn't be touched.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BENBROOK: When Hillary Clinton received her award today, she also received a standing ovation from the crowd. She was honored for her decades-long career in public service as -- and highlighted her time as first lady, as a U.S. Senator, as a secretary of state.

And then as the history making moment of being the first woman to lead a major party ticket when she was the Democratic nominee for president back in 2016.

And today, during the program, they said, "Her nomination for president broke barriers and inspired generations."

Lionel Messi was also honored today. He's the most decorated player in the history of professional soccer. But he was unable to attend due to scheduling conflicts. The White House has confirmed that he will receive his award.

And, Jessica, this brings back memories of 2017, when Biden himself received the Presidential Medal of Freedom. That was when he was vice president and then-President Barack Obama actually surprised him with this award. It was an emotional moment. Biden was visibly emotional during that time and was really taken off guard. I believe.

DEAN: All right. Julia Benbrook, at the White House for us, thank you so much for that reporting.

[17:38:19]

And when we come back, the nation's top doctor wants to make sure the link between alcohol and cancer is abundantly clear by putting a label right on the bottle. We're going to run the numbers on that connection. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:43:11]

DEAN: A new advisory from the U.S. surgeon general is warning of the link between alcohol consumption and the risk of cancer. Dr. Vivek Murthy says drinks should warn that alcohol is a leading cause of preventable cancer.

And joining us now to run the numbers is CNN senior data reporter, Harry Enten.

Hello, Harry.

HARRY ENTEN, CNN SENIOR DATA REPORTER: Hello.

DEAN: So the news from the surgeon general about the dangers of drinking shouldn't be too surprising to Americans. But I do think people might be surprised by this.

ENTEN: I think there are some friends of mine who will definitely be a little surprised by this, or certainly not liking this news particularly much.

I, though, am not particularly surprised by this. I'm not someone who drinks very much. I think I've had like one alcoholic beverage in the last year.

But more than that, take a look at these trend lines. I mean, my goodness gracious. When you see trends on -- trend lines like this, they really sort of jump out.

Alcohol in moderation is bad for you. You go back just six years ago -- I guess now it's seven years ago, like 2018, oh, my goodness gracious. That's now seven years ago.

Under the age of 35, just 34 percent of those under the age of 35 said that alcohol moderation is bad for you. Look at where we were in the last study from Gallup, up to 65 percent.

My goodness gracious, what a jump from those under the age of 35 believing that alcohol, even in moderation, is bad for you. This is nearly a doubling in just a six-year time span.

You look at those 35 and older, you see that number going up as well, from 26 percent to 38 percent.

But really what we're seeing here is young Americans are definitely out in front on this issue. Definitely, would agree with the surgeon general on this that alcohol is not necessarily a good thing for you.

Despite all those studies and all those folks, at least my father back in the day, truly believing that red wine would be good for him. I'm not quite sure it necessarily is based upon the latest news in Americans certainly are of that belief that it is not particularly good for them.

DEAN: Yes, it is striking to see the difference in age there, too.

ENTEN: Yes.

DEAN: And just -- just how far apart they are.

[17:45:07]

Staying on health habits, we have -- we have more information to discuss. Because there's a study out this week from the U.K. that suggests every cigarette smoked could take 20 minutes off someone's life.

So walk us through the trend line there.

ENTEN: Yes, I think you and I have spoken about this, right? You know, we talked about our parents prior. My mother, the pediatrician, only had two rules, always wear a seatbelt in the car and never smoke a cigarette.

DEAN: Don't smoke. Yes.

ENTEN: Exactly. Bingo, bingo, bingo. I have never smoked a cigarette in my life.

And if we look at the trend line here, smoke cigarettes weekly or more? I mean, wow. Just over the last 70 years. You know, you go back to 1954, it was 45 percent of Americans who smoked the cigarette at least weekly. By 1994, to drop down to 27 percent.

You look at the last year, though, it's just 11 percent. This has been one of the biggest changes in society.

You know, you look back at these old wedding photos -- I was looking at wedding photos, my Uncle Neal, my Aunt Leigh back in the early 60s, like half the people in the wedding were smoking a cigarette.

Now, if you took a picture from a wedding, outside of a few, I really don't think you'd see many folks who would be lighting up. I don't think any of my friends actually smoke cigarettes at all.

DEAN: I know it would be really -- I was talking to somebody the other day about, remember when they let you smoke on an airplane --

ENTEN: Yes.

DEAN: -- or there were nonsmoking sections in a restaurant? Like that was a big difference. Anyway, we've come a long way.

ENTEN: Yes.

DEAN: One upswing trend you are tracking, though, focuses on non- alcoholic beverages. What did you learn about that?

ENTEN: This -- you know, if some vices are going down in terms of American usage, how about this, sales of non-alcoholic beer, wine and spirits in the United States.

You go back to 2022 with 395 million per year, by 2023, 564 nearly up by 200 million. You look at 2020 for the summer, look at that, $740 million of sales.

If people are smoking less and drinking less booze, they're going to non-alcoholic beverages a lot more.

Not really much of a surprise in that. My father used to drink O'Doul's, which tastes terrible. But he would be very happy on this particular news. So, you know, bad on the red wine, good on the O'Doul's.

DEAN: Yes. And there's -- there's more choices now, I think, because it's more popular.

ENTEN: Yes.

DEAN: OK. So let's say, you're going to stop drinking, you're going to stop smoking, but you're going to go on a cruise. What -- what would you say to that? What's the interest level in cruises?

ENTEN: Not interest from me. I mean, you know, we're talking about health news. All right? Gastrointestinal -- that's a pretty big word -- 2024 gastrointestinal cruise outbreaks. Look at this, 16, the highest in over 10 years. Many are norovirus related.

The bottom line is, Jessica, this is one of the reasons I don't go on cruises. I mean, I like terra firma, unless I need to fly somewhere. I don't need bands playing me out every single night. I can just throw on the headphones.

I don't know about you. You've been on any cruises recently?

DEAN: I have not recently, no. I -- I empathize with people, though, that have been on those ships with an outbreak. Does not sound like fun.

ENTEN: No. No need.

DEAN: No need.

All right. Harry Enten, as always, thank you to you.

ENTEN: Thank you.

DEAN: All right, we have more news straight ahead.

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[17:52:53]

DEAN: Hollywood is rolling out the red carpet this weekend. The 82nd Golden Globes taking place tomorrow.

And ahead of the show, our Elizabeth Wagmeister talked with this year's host, who will make history when she takes the stage.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIKKI GLASER, COMEDIAN: I'm going to be a little bit (EXPLETIVE DELETED) funny in some of the jokes. But there's no harm in that.

ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Oh, boy. Comedian Nikki Glaser couldn't resist a little raunch in her sit down interview with CNN.

GLASER: Let's get this party started.

WAGMEISTER: But she insists she'll keep it mostly classy when she takes the stage as the first solo female host of the Golden Globes.

GLASER: Watch out, watch out. No. Expensive equipment.

Like, nine minutes of Angelina Jolie's life is spent listening to me talk. That is wild.

WAGMEISTER: Hosting the 82nd annual show is a pinch-me moment for Glaser.

GLASER: You have seven rings. Well, eight now that Gisele gave hers back. But --

WAGMEISTER: Who says her breakout roast of Tom Brady on Netflix is the reason she was invited.

GLASER: It's before and after that moment. I really feel like I woke up the next day and was just more recognizable to people.

WAGMEISTER (on camera): Is this going to be a roast?

GLASER: I was hired because of the Tom Brady roast. I can't, like, not deliver on that a little bit.

But I just would -- if any celebrities are seeing this, I promise you I am not out to ruin your night.

You know, Tom Brady signed up for a roast. He knew what he was getting into. These people are just going, they're nominated. You know, they're not even -- they're not signing up to be roasted at all.

WAGMEISTER (voice-over): Is Hollywood bracing for Glaser to be Ricky Gervais 2.0?

RICKY GERVAIS, ACTOR: It's the last time. Who cares?

(LAUGHTER)

WAGMEISTER: The five-time host unapologetically skewered stars in the room for his final Globes monologue.

GLASER: I think everyone's like, you got to do what Ricky did. And I'm like, that was his last year. He knew it was his last year and that's why he did that.

He was like, I don't care. I don't care. He kept saying that after every joke. And it was like, but I do care. I want to go to the after party and still be able to, like, have a good time.

WAGMEISTER: Ahead of her big night, Glaser said she's heard from comedy royalty, Seth Rogen, Seth Meyers, past host Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, and of course, Ricky Gervais.

[17:55:02] GLASER: He told me, remember that you are not one of them. You're a comedian. That's what you're there to do. Don't get in your head. Like, you're -- don't get high and mighty. Like, don't try to buddy up with them.

WAGMEISTER: Glaser says she can't wait to meet one of her comedic heroes, Martin Short.

WAGMEISTER (on camera): Is there anyone that you're super excited to see?

GLASER: Who else is there? Like, Glen Powell's hot. I don't think that was your question.

WAGMEISTER: Who's -- who else do you think is hot? Come on.

(LAUGHTER)

WAGMEISTER: She doesn't care about the scrutiny that comes with hosting. She stopped reading social media comments years ago.

GLASER: I have been sober from comments since 2000, like, 18 or something. Like they ruined my life and so I don't get to have them just like I don't get to have alcohol. Other people can handle comments. I can't.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DEAN: All right. We'll -- we'll look forward to that.

Elizabeth Wagmeister thanks so much for that interview.

In our next hour here, more than 60 million people across 1,300 miles now under the threat of the worst storm we've seen so far this winter. Heavy snow, ice, rain, thunderstorms, all a possibility with this one.

We'll have the latest timeline on this potentially dangerous weather. That's straight ahead.

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