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CNN This Morning
Australia Rings in 2023; Pope Emeritus Benedict Dies at the Age of 95; Barbara Walters Dead at 93; Honoring Barbara Walters; Explosion in Central Kyiv; University of Idaho Murder Suspect Charged. Aired 8- 9a ET
Aired December 31, 2022 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[08:00:00]
AMARA WALKER, CNN ANCHOR: Should we do the countdown with them? Let's watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
CROWD: Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: Wow. Those Aussies, they know how to do their fireworks --
WALKER: They do.
SAVIDGE: -- too right, as they say.
WALKER: It's beautiful.
SAVIDGE: Yes, Sydney Harbour there just all with the glow. Kind of looks like my neighbor's house later.
WALKER: Oh, I'm sure. I'm coming over.
SAVIDGE: As they put on quite a display. But here's another plus, down there in Australia, they are just kicking off summer, so ga-day and welcome to 2023.
WALKER: Do you have any big plans tonight?
SAVIDGE: Not like that, no.
WALKER: No. Well, you know, it's going to be 12:01. We're going to do a quick cheers and good night, everybody.
SAVIDGE: Yes. That's about the way it works in our house too.
WALKER: "CNN This Morning" continues now. SAVIDGE: And good morning. It is Saturday, December 31st, here in the
U.S. We've still got a bit of time left in this year. Happy New Year's Eve. Thanks for waking up with us. I'm Martin Savidge in for Boris Sanchez.
WALKER: So, glad you could be here with me on New Year's Eve.
SAVIDGE: Thank you. I do too.
WALKER: Good to be with you, Martin. I'm Amara Walker. Thank you so much for joining us.
We began this morning with breaking news and sad news to end the year. Pope Emeritus Benedict has died. His health had deteriorated over the last several days prompting Pope Francis to ask for prayers.
SAVIDGE: For the first time in modern history, Benedict resigned in 2009 citing advanced age, which paved the way for Pope Francis to take on the role as head of the catholic church. Let's go now to CNN Contributor Barbie Nadeau in Vatican City, and she's in St. Peter's Square.
And, Barbie, it is heartbreaking news for the end of the year, but what's the mood as people gather there and reflect?
BARBIE NADEAU, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: You know, it's a real mixed bag. There are a lot of people who hadn't heard of the death of the pope, they were just out here enjoying a beautiful day here in Rome. And there are priests gathering here. We've seen a lot of nuns. We've seen a lot of faithful people who are mourning the death of this 95-year-old icon of the catholic church.
His legacy was, of course, a little bit mixed. He was the first pope in 600 years to resign. And so, we're in a situation here a little bit without precedent because usually, you have a papal funeral and a conclave. Now, Pope Francis came into power with the conclave without a funeral. So, we are expecting a very solemn event. His funeral will be on Thursday, the 5th, 9:30 here in St. Peter's Square. He'll be lying in state for Monday. And we can expect a lot of very religious especially German pilgrims coming here to visit his -- to walk past his coffin and to pay tribute to his life and legacy.
People that we're seeing here, certainly, in the Square, that are mourning his death are sad. He was a very, very important influential man. Even in those 10 years in his retirement, he continued to write, he continued to have audiences, he continued to inspire, especially the very conservative traditional aspect of the catholic church.
[08:05:00]
WALKER: Barbie Nadeau, thank you for your reporting. And we will have more on the Pope Emeritus coming throughout the morning.
We're also mourning the loss of an American icon, Barbara Walters, the legendary news anchor, reporter and talk show host has passed away at the age of 93. SAVIDGE: Walters joined ABC News in 1976, becoming the first female
anchor on the evening news program. Three years later, she became a co-host of "20/20" and in 1997, she launched "The View."
WALKER: A statement from her spokesperson says Barbara Walters passed away peacefully in her home surrounded by loved ones. She lived her life with no regrets. She was a trailblazer not only for female journalists but for all women. CNN's Richard Roth has more on the groundbreaking career.
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RICHARD ROTH, CNN SENIOR U.N. CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): Barbara Walters was one of the most fascinating people of any year in the television era.
BARBARA WALTERS, NEWS ANCHOR: I know that I've done some important interviews. I know that I have been a part of history.
ROTH (voiceover): Was she ever.
WALTERS: Are you sorry you didn't burn the tapes?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I think so because they were are private conversations.
WALTERS: We read that you are mad.
ROTH (voiceover): From murderers --
WALTERS: Why did you kill John Lennon?
ROTH (voiceover): -- to movie stars.
WALTERS: Are you a changed man since the illness? Did it effect you very much?
Did you mind being harder, sex, sex, sex?
So, I think that what is important is to have curiosity. Follow that curiosity. I'm a great believer in homework.
ROTH (voiceover): Before people revealed all on social media, Barbara Walters was the interviewer to open up the stars.
WALTERS: Does he hit you?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He shakes, he pushes, he swings.
WALTERS: I'm mean and I hope that they think that I'm fair and that I can be penetrating without being a killer and I am, I hope.
ROTH (voiceover): And which interview was her most important?
WALTERS: The first and at that time the only -- interview with Anwar al-Sadat (INAUDIBLE). UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm always like this.
ROTH (voiceover): She said her 1977 interview with Cuba's Fidel Castro as a news coup.
WALTERS: A man who runs the country? A man who allows no decent?
ROTH (voiceover): Castro didn't make it easy.
WALTERS: Blowing a cohiba, you know, the cigar that he smokes, smoke in my face for 3 1/2 hours. I didn't mind it. It was a different time.
ROTH (voiceover): About 74 million people, the most viewers for a news program tuned in to see Monica Lewinsky, the White House intern involved with President Clinton.
WALTERS: What will you tell your children when you have them?
MONICA LEWINSKY, ACTIVIST: Mommy made a big mistake.
ROTH (voiceover): She got a reputation for making her interview guests cry.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, I never got to know --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And you won't feel so big.
ROTH (voiceover): After Katharine Hepburn said she felt like an old tree, Walters was cut down by critics for asking this?
WALTERS: What kind of a tree are you?
ROTH (voiceover): It didn't take long for Walters to become part of pop culture.
WALTERS: Hello. This is Barbara Wawa.
ROTH (voiceover): The same network that made fun of her was where she got her big break, NBC's the "TODAY" show.
WALTERS: I was not a television sofa jet (ph). I kicked the door open because after being there 11 years, I was named the first co-host of a morning program.
ROTH (voiceover): But she was not permitted by her co-host to ask a question until he posed three.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Harry Reasoner. Barbara Walters.
ROTH (voiceover): It got worse, when Walters, to the surprise of many was named the first female co-anchor of a network evening newscast.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've kept time on your stories than mine tonight, you're only four minutes.
ROTH (voiceover): She later described it as drowning without a life preserve.
ANNOUNCER: "The Barbara Walters Special."
WALTERS: The specials saved my life. Good evening. I'm Barbara Walters.
ROTH (voiceover): And launched a legendary career at ABC capped by creating first by co-hosting "The View."
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When did you start learning about next?
WALTERS: Well, I didn't learn about sex until I started to do this show. And now, I know more about sex than I ever wanted to know.
The chemistry of it and the fact that it's live, that's it's outrageous, that you never know what you're going to hear.
ROTH (voiceover): When she left "The View" and ABC, they named a building in her honor, a lasting monument for a woman who changed TV.
WALTERS: I'm so proud of the women today, there are so many of them that are wonderful. That's my legacy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALKER: Prolific career.
SAVIDGE: Yes, what a legacy. I mean, when she had a special, you watched.
WALKER: Oh, yes, I remember those days.
SAVIDGE: It doesn't even matter who was on, you always watched. Richard Ross, thanks very much for that remembrance. And some of the Barbara Walters' former colleagues are also sharing their touching messages, remembering and honoring her.
[08:10:00]
Former CBS evening news anchor Dan Rather tweeted, "The world of journalism has lost a pillar of professionalism, courage, and integrity. Barbara Walters was a trailblazer and true pro. She outworked, out-thought, and out-hustled her competitors. She left the world the better for it. She will be deeply missed. RIP."
WALKER: And on Instagram, Oprah Winfrey posted a photo with Walters with a caption saying in part, without Barbara Walters there wouldn't have been me nor any other woman you see on evening, morning and daily news. She was indeed a trailblazer.
SAVIDGE: Meanwhile, we continue to follow other major developments, this time, out of Kyiv, where there are reports now of explosions in the center of the Ukrainian capital.
WALKER: Let's get right to CNN Senior International Correspondent Ben Wedeman who is joining us live there on the ground. Hi there, Ben. This is just a continuation of Russia's attacks on Ukraine during this holiday season.
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, this is an intensification, by all accounts. This happened about one hour ago. We had a heads-up that missiles were headed toward the capital. We heard -- we were up on the roof and saw huge explosions around the middle of the city. Also, we heard the bang of outgoing missile defenses.
Now, the mayor of Kyiv, Vitali Klitschko, says that one person has been killed and eight others injured. We don't know, at this point, whether any of the Russian missiles actually hit their targets or whether what we saw the plumes of smoke coming from Central Kyiv, if that was merely debris hitting the ground.
Now, in addition to that, several other Ukrainian cities have come under fire. The City of Mykolaiv in the south where six people were injured according to the mayor there. Also, Zaporizhzhia and Venezia. So, this is not unlike what we saw day before yesterday when dozens of Russian missiles and cruise missiles -- I mean, excuse me, drones, were fired at Ukraine.
And so far, we've seen the air defenses have worked relatively well. But, certainly, day before yesterday, several of the missiles did get through and damage -- seriously damage the power infrastructure. Amara.
WALKER: Oh, goodness. All right. Ben Wedeman, appreciate your reporting there. Thank you so much.
SAVIDGE: And still ahead, a suspect in the murders of four University of Idaho students now in custody six weeks after the crime. We'll have the latest on the investigation, coming up.
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[08:15:00]
SAVIDGE: A graduate student at Washington State University has been arrested in Pennsylvania in connection to last month's murder of four Idaho college students.
WALKER: 28-year-old Bryan Kohberger has been charged with four counts of first-degree murder, as well as felony burglary. But authorities are still investigating what, if any, connection the suspect had to the victims. CNN's Jean Casarez is live this morning in Monroe County, Pennsylvania.
Jean, please, walk us through what led to this arrest.
JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, so much has happened in last 24 hours, that's for sure, and a little before that. But we're right here at the Monroe County Jail, basically. It is the institution. It houses prisoners. But it also has those that are awaiting charges. In this case, this 28-year-old is awaiting extradition. But it all started about four days ago when the Philadelphia FBI started surveilling Bryan Kohberger right here in this area, and this is Northeastern Pennsylvania, this is across the country from Idaho, and it's a very rural part of Northeastern Pennsylvania. And it was the day before yesterday when they realized that they were just about get that arrest warrant, because authorities in Idaho had gone to a judge with probable cause, they believed, for an arrest warrant.
And according to CNN sourcing, it was the DNA and also that white car we've heard so much about. And once they got that arrest warrant, then on Thursday, criminal charges were filed in Idaho, four counts of first-degree murder, one count of burglary. And that is when yesterday morning, Friday morning, at 1:30, the Pennsylvania State Police, aided by the FBI moved in to Albrightsville, Pennsylvania, a small town about eight miles away from here, and that's when they arrested him.
And he is a Ph.D. student in Washington. Got his master's degree right here in Northeastern Pennsylvania in May, and it was all in the area of criminal justice.
WALKER: So many chilling details about this. Jean Casarez, thank you so much for being there.
Let's talk more about these latest developments with CNN's Senior Law Enforcement Analyst and Former FBI Director Andrew McCabe and criminologist and behavioral analyst Casey Jordan. Welcome to you both.
Andrew, let's start with you. I mean, it's fascinating that the FBI surveillance team was tracking the suspect for four days as authorities in Idaho were trying to find probable cause for arrest warrant, as we just heard there from Jean Casarez. Tell us what was happening, you think, during those four days, what they were looking for?
ANDREW MCCABE, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST AND FORMER FBI DIRECTOR: Sure. So, it's really an amazing story and one that highlights really the really remarkable surveillance capacity of the FBI.
So, we know that the subject was already on law enforcement's radar while he was in Idaho, probably shortly before he left to see his parents, or travel across the country. And we also know that the surveillance was established in Idaho and actually followed him across the country. It's an incredibly complicated, well-choreographed ballet, if I may, of surveillance efforts that would cross multiple FBI field divisions, would involve multiple surveillance teams that were following him through their own areas and then, handing him off as he crossed state lines to new teams.
That surveillance ends up in Pennsylvania in what is we know a very rural area. It can be very challenging to surveil someone in those circumstances because any kind of vehicles or people that aren't normally from that area, really stand out to the local population and, of course, to the subject. So, great job by the FBI surveillance teams here to be able to maintain an eye on this subject while the investigators and prosecutors were working back in Idaho. They get their probable cause, and then, they get in front of a judge and get an arrest warrant for this subject.
WALKER: Yes, you can't understate the incredible work there by the local authorities and the FBI. I mean, we're talking about nearly seven weeks had passed since these murders had happened. So, really just a notable breakthrough.
[08:20:00]
Casey, you know what's so chilling is this suspect's background, right? I mean, a Ph.D. student at Washington State University and the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology. And apparently, there is a man by the same name who, you know, was seeking out participants for a research project in a new removed Reddit post which read in part, "To understand how emotions and psychological traits influence decision making when committing a crime. In particular, this study was seeking to understand a story behind your most recent criminal offense, with an emphasis on your thoughts and feelings throughout your experience."
What do you make of that?
CASEY JORDAN, CRIMINOLOGIST, BEHAVIORAL ANALYST AND ATTORNEY: It's huge. And I have seen the screen shots of the post and I have no doubt it belongs to the suspect. The real issue is, why was he so preoccupied, to the point of obsession with the criminal mind. And people who knew him, absolutely interested in forensic psychology and he loved policing, and course, studied under a preeminent criminologist in his undergrad program.
What he's asking on that survey for ex-cons, people who have -- are on a Reddit forum for people who have been incarcerated in the past -- of a killer. And his methodology is flawed -- guess that at a certain point, he became so fascinated with the actual thought process of somebody preparing for a crime. Some of the questions like what were, what were you thinking and feeling before you left the house? What was happening in your brain while you committed the crime? How did you feel?
It's almost as if he didn't trust the survey results, if he even got any, and crossed over, went to the dark side. Decided he needed to do it. To be an expert on it. And everyone described him as being very controlling. Someone with a temper. Someone who is awkward, would stare at people and very detached -- wonder if he really just had no emotions and believed that he could feel something -- committed the kind of crime that he was studying. Again, innocent until proven guilty.
WALKER: Right.
JORDAN: But his fellow students -- learned to the classroom after these murders happened and he was extremely animated. And boy, do we see this in killers of this nature.
WALKER: Wow.
JONES: That they're almost manic high of it after the committed this.
WALKER: God, I can't even comprehend that. Andrew, so, clearly, this piece, this student in criminology knew what he was doing. I mean, he was able to hide for nearly seven weeks. We don't know if he is connected in any way to his four victims. But he clearly had thought this through or had some kind of plan. What do you make of a potential connection or could they have been random?
MCCABE: You know, it's possible but I find that to be highly unlikely that this individual just kind of went driving around one night, stumbled across this house, happened to go in and kill four people. He -- you know, I wouldn't presume to know what was in his mind. We don't have any evidence indicating his motive right just at this point, early on in the investigation. I'm sure that investigators are searching for that. They're coursing through all of his written material. They're looking at his electronic devices. They're serving subpoenas and search warrants on e-mail providers and internet service providers and others to get their hands on everything this guy might have said or written to other people, to try to understand that.
But I do think it's significant that as a student of criminology, I think we can confidently assume that this is someone who has spent a lot of time reading about crime, writing about crime, studying crimes committed by other people, working with other criminologists. So, he certainly had the opportunity to get his own thoughts in a row to figure out where he was going to go and what he was going to do. We just need to find that piece of evidence that connects him to these incredibly, you know, unfortunate four victims. And I'm sure the investigators are working on that now.
WALKER: Yes. And we only have about 30 seconds, Casey, but what kind of questions will interrogators be asking the suspect?
JORDAN: The usual stuff. You know, he's -- the very first thing, it's been -- arrested anyone else. So, I'm expecting him to deny, lawyer up. He knows how the criminal justice system works. They'll ask him questions about the area. You know, has he ever bought a knife. You try to build a rapport before you try to get -- but I think they're going to hit a brick wall with this guy. I don't think they're going to get a confession because he thinks he's smart.
[08:25:00]
So, it will be really interesting to see what happens. And then, again, sometimes -- up and tell you everything because they love the media limelight and they want to stay in it for as long as possible. So, within the next week, we're going to find out a lot.
WALKER: Andrew McCabe and Casey Jordan, thank you for the conversation.
JORDAN: Good to be here. SAVIDGE: In other news, the countdown is on to 2023 in the United States. Times Square, of course, is going to be packed with people ringing in the new year. The security measures in place to keep everybody safe, coming up.
And Americans finally getting their eyes on Former President Trump's tax returns, but was it worth the political fallout?
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WALKER: It's a place to be on New Year's Eve, Times Square are in Manhattan. Celebrations returning to full capacity tonight for the first time since 2020, but the NYPD will be out in full force with extra security.
SAVIDGE: CNN's Gloria Pazmino has more on the massive security presence.
GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN NEWSOURCE NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Martin and Amara, the stage is set, the barricades are set up, all of this, waiting for thousands of people to begin arriving here this morning to await the start of the new year, 2023. There will be thousands of people here today.
And let me just walk you through a little bit of the elements that make this night so special. Of course, you have the big crystal ball that will come down when that clock strikes midnight. 11,000 pounds of Waterford crystal make up that crystal ball. And then, of course, you'll have the confetti. A ton of confetti will fall upon the revelers when the clock strikes midnight.
And we also should mention the security aspect of this event, because it is a massive operation. NYPD takes over every year, and they have told us that there is no credible threat to the event at this time. But, of course, the NYPD and all other law enforcement agencies will be out here in force all day, making sure that this event goes off as smoothly and that it's safe for everyone that's here.
[08:30:00]
I also just want to give people some tips, if they are planning on joining the celebration here today. It will be rainy. It will be cold. You cannot bring an umbrella. You cannot bring a backpack. You cannot bring a blanket or a chair. So, just be very careful of what you bring with you, as little as possible. Because every single person has to go through a screening point, and that is part of the safety plan that the NYPD puts into place.
So, think about it long and hard if you decide to come here. It will be an unforgettable experience when midnight strikes and 2023 rolls in. It will be just packed with people. The energy is like nothing you've seen before and it is really a special way of ringing in a new year. Martin, Amara.
WALKER: Gloria seems a little excited about it.
SAVIDGE: Yes, she does seem pretty wound up.
WALKER: Gloria Pazmino, thank you. And don't forget, Anderson and Andy are back for another global celebration. Join them for New Year's Eve line from Times Square, starting at 8:00 p.m. Eastern here on CNN.
SAVIDGE: Meanwhile, we are learning new details about Former President Donald Trump's taxes. Newly released records showed Trump paid more in foreign taxes than in U.S. Federal Income taxes, at least at his first year of his= presidency. That is just one of the revelations from Trump's tax returns.
WALKER: Now, the six years of returns are shedding new light on Trump's business dealings, questionable loans to his children and more. The tax filings were made public by the House Ways and Means Committee after a year's long legal battle. CNN's National Correspondent Kristen Holmes has the details.
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KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): Little or no income tax, foreign bank accounts and eyebrow raising details about loans to his adult children. Just some of the findings after the Democratic led House Ways and Means Committee released six years' worth of Former President Trump's federal tax returns.
The returns spanning from the year Trump announced his first run for president, 2015, through his last year in office, 2020.
REP. RICHARD NEAL (D-MA), WAYS AND MEANS COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN: The research that was done as it relates to the mandatory audit program was nonexistent. The tax forms were really never audited.
HOLMES (voiceover): Previous reporting from the Joint Committee on Taxation revealed shockingly low tax amounts paid by the former president, including paying only $750 in 2017. And in 2018 and 2019, paying a combined $1.1 million. And paying no income tax in 2020, his final year in office.
Trump offsetting his income by claiming millions of dollars in losses, raising questions about the former president's business failures.
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: I've been successful in every business I've been in.
HOLMES (voiceover): And while Trump paid less than $1,000 in U.S. income tax in 2017, the former president's tax bill totaled nearly $1 million in foreign taxes the same year. Indicating notable business dealings in more than a dozen countries, including Azerbaijan, Turkey, China, Israel and Brazil. Shedding light on where Trump's business interests were, while he was in the White House.
The returns also showed Trump maintained foreign bank accounts while serving in the White House, including in China. Some of Trump's business spending raising eyebrows among experts, including a 2017 claim that one of his businesses, DJT Aerospace, made exactly the same amount spent, zero net insuring there was nothing to tax. Something one tax expert refer to as "a statically impossibility."
TRUMP: My personal tax returns which show only that I've had tremendous success.
HOLMES (voiceover): Trump blasting the release as an outrageous abuse of power.
TRUMP: It's nothing but another deranged political witch hunt which has been going on from the day I came down the escalator in Trump Tower.
HOLMES (voiceover): The release coming after a year's long legal ballot culminating with the Supreme Court's decision.
TRUMP: I'm under a routine audit and it will be released. And as soon as the audit is finished, it will be released.
HOLMES (voiceover): With his 2016 election victory, Trump became the first president in decades not to release his tax returns, sparking interest and concern about his foreign business entanglements and potential financial conflicts of interest.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES (on camera): Now, this appears to be a significant failure on the part of the IRS. I spoke to one expert who said that much of this, particularly when it came to those foreign bank accounts would have been something that was flagged if the IRS had, in fact, participated in that mandatory presidential audit program. But of course, as we now know from the House Ways and Means Committee, they did not. Martin and Amara.
SAVIDGE: Kristen Holmes, thanks very much for that.
Joining us now to discuss this is Gwenda Blair. She is the author of "The Trumps, Three Generations That Built an Empire." Thank you very much for joining us this morning.
GWENDA BLAIR, AUTHOR, "THE TRUMPS, THREE GENERATIONS THAT BUILT AN EMPIRE": Hi there. Nice to see you.
[08:35:00]
SAVIDGE: Thank you. You as well. What are your initial impressions of the release of these tax documents? What do they mean with everything you know of the family?
BLAIR: I would have been shocked if there had been anything other than this trail of, you know, minimum to no tax paying, dodging every possible direction. It's what his dad did. It's the family culture. It's -- he was successful. He's right about that, in avoiding taxes.
SAVIDGE: Right. And that's something that he has bragged about openly on many occasions. And a lot of his supporters have sort of said, yes, he's smart, he doesn't pay his taxes. Trump is responding to the release, saying that his returns "show once again how proudly successful I have been and how I've been able to use depreciation and various other tax deductions as the incentive for creating thousands of jobs and magnificent structures and enterprises."
So, you know, he paints a very positive picture of this. But actually, some of the tax returns show that his businesses, especially those of which his own hand is placed upon, didn't do so well?
BLAIR: His whole business plan from when he was a teenager was get big. Get as huge as possible, and then people will -- you can do what you want. So, he's spent the '80s building with a gigantic shopping spree, bought a yacht. He bought a baseball -- a football team, sorry. He bought a shuttle and an airline, he bought Mar-a-Lago. All of these things that symbolize success, huge success.
And by the end of the 1980s, he was, let's see, almost a billion dollars underwater, the banks that had paid to have put his name -- who had facilitated loans to -- from buildings that would then put his name on them, to build up that name, Trump has meaning successful, the banks backed off, and lo and behold, so did the IRS, as we have now learned.
He made everything so big and complicated, people backed off, and it worked.
SAVIDGE: So, what are the repercussions going forward? Do you think that Trump's business empire, I'm not talking about his political empire, but his business empire, is going to take a hit from the release of these documents?
BLAIR: Well, not just the release of the documents. I think the documents -- you know, back up all -- many charges that have been, you know, put up against him of not being an honest businessman of having, you know, done every which way to dodge taxes, to dodge regulations. I think that this confirms that. But I think his star has been on wane. I don't think it's -- think this like more evidence as it turns out by now.
SAVIDGE: Gwenda Blair, thank you very much. She is the author of "The Trump: Three Generations That Built an Empire." We were talking about Donald Trump's tax returns. Thank you for being with us this morning. Happy new year.
BLAIR: You, too.
WALKER: Still ahead, Southwest Airlines trying to get back on track after a chaotic week filled with cancellations and frustrated passengers. But is the airline doing enough to hold itself accountable.
And Dionne Warwick is a music icon, 56 worldwide hist, six Grammy awards and one extraordinary legacy. She brings her exclusive story to CNN in the new film "Don't Make Me Over" premiering tomorrow at 9:00 p.m.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Dionne Warwick, one of the great female singers of all time.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Dionne was the first African American women to win a Grammy in the pop category.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
DIONNE WARWICK, SINGER: The music I was singing was nothing like anything any of them were singing. Legacy in my family, music. Pure and simple, music.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "Dionne Warwick: Don't Make Over," premieres New Year's Day at 9:00 on CNN.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
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[08:40:00]
SAVIDGE: If you've got a 401(k) or an IRA or anything like it, you know it was a miserable year on Wall Street, and it's finally, thank goodness as of yesterday, come to a close. This past week saw a rare year-end selloff, a kind of fitting end to a trading year that battled high inflation, geopolitical tensions, recession fears and big rate hikes from the Federal Reserve.
The benchmark S&P lost about 20 percent this year, notching the first negative year since 2018. And the worst overall since the financial crisis of 2008 when the S&P fell 38 percent. It's a little bit of the same for the tech-heavy NASDAQ tumbling more than 30 percent in 2022.
WALKER: And that was the biggest surprise is here, right? I mean, the downfall of companies that usually weather storms on Wall Street like tech giants previously seen as invisible, many saw double-digit percentage drops this year. And Tesla, losing more than 60 percent this year, its biggest annual loss ever.
Of course, that wasn't just due to economic uncertainty, there were also major concerns over production and CEO Elon Musk's distraction with Twitter.
Investors were spooked by economic uncertainty as the fed tried to choke off inflation with higher interest rates, raising its benchmark interest rates seven times in 2022. Policymakers at the fed promised additional rate hikes, a move that could tip the economy into a recession in the new year.
[08:45:00]
SAVIDGE: All right. So, the one bright spot on Wall Street, energy. Volatile oil prices finished the year with gains helping oil company profits. The energy sector rose more than 60 percent this year. To put it in perspective, no other sector has gained more than 5 percent in 2022.
WALKER: Now, to embattled Southwest Airlines, working on a way to get back on track, after a week-long disastrous travel meltdown, with almost 16,000 flights cancelled nationwide, leaving thousands of passengers stranded in airports. The worst of it at one of its hubs, Denver Airport.
The CEO of Southwest apologized to customers Friday, vowing to reimburse travelers' costs. But for some, that apology is not enough. Let's bring in the Wall Street Journal's aviation reporter Alison Sider, live from Chicago. Hi there.
So, first off, what is the situation right now? Because it was on Friday that Southwest said, hey, we are returning back to normal operations, whatever that means. But clearly, they have a backlog of thousands of passengers that they need to rebook and get them where they need to go.
ALISON SIDER, AVIATION REPORTER, WALL STREET JOURNAL: Yes. So, Southwest is back up to its full schedule. They sort of came out of hibernation a little bit yesterday for the first time, running their full roughly 4,000 daily flights. And they had a pretty smooth day yesterday and again today. So, the focus will now be, you know, getting people who were disrupted, still haven't gotten them where they need to go, getting them on their way and getting thousands of bags back to people, there's still a big backlog there.
WALKER: Yes. That's also the other part of the puzzle, right? You've got to reunite a lot of these passengers who haven't had their luggage in so many days. We were mentioning Southwest CEO Bob Jordan apologizing and he blamed the winter storm in part. Listen to what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BOB JORDAN, CEO SOUTHWEST AIRLINES: I want to be really frank, I mean, this has impacted so many people, so many customers over the holidays. It's impacted our employees and I'm extremely sorry for that. There's just no way almost to apologize enough because we love our customers, we love our people, and we really impacted their plans.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALKER: Really impacted those plans, or, you know, had been cancelled, unfortunately. He also said that, you know, it was "a highly complex network of problems," including the company's scheduling system, really an antiquated system as I've been hearing. How does Southwest recover from this? Because, you know, just being on social media and just looking at my Twitter feed, so many people saying, you know, I've been flying Southwest for however many years, I'm never going back.
SIDER: I think, you know, a lot will probably depend on what they do from here going forward. You know, people are seeking refunds. People would like to get reimbursements for the expenses they incurred during the last week, if they did book a new a flight or a rental car, or meals in the airport. So, you know, I think a lot of -- how lasting an impact this will have will depend on their actions from here and sort of what they do to win customers' trust back again.
WALKER: So, what is the fix going to be for Southwest?
SIDER: You know, they talked about sort of needing to update some of their systems. You know, the crew scheduling system, that's one that seemed to have played a role here. They said they're going to do sort of whole review and this will likely accelerate some of the investments they already had under way. And, you know, they were going to have to think about how they respond to storms and, you know, how they respond to events like this in the future. But, you know, I don't know if there's a single easy fix, I guess.
WALKER: And back to the baggage issue. You know, we were covering the story throughout the week, as the problem started beginning right before Christmas. You know, I was hearing about the baggage getting to the destination but the passengers were stranded at the original airports. So, reuniting passengers with their luggage is going to be quite a task, isn't it?
SIDER: Oh, yes. I still hear from people, even today, who, you know, maybe they got where they were going, like you said, but their bag hasn't and they're not sure when it's coming back. And, you know, I know Southwest has been working on that and they sort of suited up a group of volunteers to help triage some of those bags and are working with FedEx to ship bags to different airports to sort of lighten the loads on the planes. But, yes, there's definitely -- that's going to be a huge task going forward.
WALKER: And what about accountability, because, you know, we heard so much from Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg about, you know, leveling fines at Southwest and holding it accountable? What would that look like?
SIDER: Well, I think, first, you know, Secretary Pete Buttigieg has said that Southwest is going to be a micro microscope. And so, I think they'll be looking really carefully to make sure that it does live up to its obligations and does do what it's supposed to do in terms of providing refunds and reimbursement and hearing to promises that it's made. So, I think, you know, as that process plays out, you know, then we'll see if there's anything that they should be penalized for.
[08:50:00]
WALKER: Yes. And he'll also look at, you know, whether or not, in terms of the investigation, these cancellations were avoidable. Alison Sider, thank you for joining us. Happy New Year to you. Thanks.
SIDER: You too. Thanks so much.
SAVIDGE: Well, are you ready for some football? Because the stage is set, four teams, two semifinals, one trophy. Who will solidify their place in the College Football National Championship? We'll have a preview, just ahead.
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SAVIDGE: If you are a college football fan, this truly is the most wonderful time of the year. Although, it could also be the most heartbreaking.
COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: That's true. Two sides of this equation.
WALKER: Yes. Coy Wire is here with the preview of this morning's "Bleacher Report."
WIRE: Yes. We have really one great matchup today too. But the Georgia Bulldogs are the defending national champs and they could become the first team to ever win back-to-back titles in the playoff era. Of course, they're going to have to play the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Peach Bowl.
And it's a battle of QB Heisman finalist, Georgia's Stetson Bennett, he's 25 years old and Ohio State's C.J. Stroud. And the Bulldogs had 15 players taken in the NFL draft from last year's championship team, five of them defensive players in the first round, but they're still stacked again, and it's all because of their leadership of their head coach, Kirby Smart.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KIRBY SMART, GEORGE HEAD FOOTBALL COACH: The expectations don't change. We embrace that. The standards that are created are created through the players that play there. And we've had a really good leadership kind of, over the last six, seven years, and they've created a standard for the younger players to emulate.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[08:55:00]
WIRE: All right. In the Fiesta Bowl, number two Michigan is in the playoff for a second straight season, they're facing number three TCU. Now, the Wolverines, they average more than 240 yards on the ground. Ground and pound. And they have a top-five defense and they're going to have to stop another Heisman finalist quarterback, Max Duggan. The Horned Frogs are underdogs. The six players don't have any college bowl game clearance, let alone a college football playoff game.
Now, Fiesta Bowl will kick off at 4:00 Eastern and the Peach Bowl is in the prime time at 8:00 Eastern.
Finally, NC State and Maryland, it played in the Duke's Mayo Bowl yesterday, yes, as in mayonnaise. And players were asked if they even like mayo before the game. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRYSON SPEAS, NC STATE OFFENSIVE GUARD: I'm Bryson Speas. I play offensive line. I'm a senior year in NC State. I do like mayonnaise. And I like to put it on spaghetti.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WIRE: He likes to put it on what? Now, during the game, two different fans, they're going all in devouring jars of mayo as Maryland got the 16 to 12 win. And afterwards, that, the winning coach, Mike Locksley, gets mayo dumped on his nogging boss. What a better way to end 2022.
And to all of our viewers out there, and Martin and Amara, may-o your dreams come true in 2023.
WALKER: Pretty good.
WIRE: I mean, this is a divisive condiment. It's like some say it's the best ever. Some, you know, contest it.
WALKER: Well, it's good when you make an aioli out of it, right? But not when you dump it on yourself, it smells awful, I'm sure. Like --
WIRE: Or just straight guzzle it a jar.
WALKER: Not a fan.
WIRE: Good stuff. But, hey, it's college football, that's why we love it. Bowl season has been great. And these two games today, they're going to determine who will plays on January 9th.
WALKER: I know what a big deal it is because I have some friends over for New Year's Eve tonight, and the first question was, well, is the Georgia game going to be on the background? Yes, it will be.
WIRE: That's it.
WALKER: Coy Wire, thank you. Good to see you. Happy New Year.
WIRE: You got it. You too.
SAVIDGE: Happy new year, Coy.
Well, stick with us. "CNN Newsroom" begins right after we take a quick break and clean up.
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