Return to Transcripts main page

CNN This Morning

Pope Francis Holds Mass Following Death Of Pope Emeritus Benedict; Suspect Bryan Kohberger Awaiting Extradition In Pennsylvania; Massive Search For NC Girl Who Disappeared More Than A Month Ago; IRS Adjusts Tax Brackets For Inflation, May Lower Tax Bills; Ukrainian Officials: Forty-Five Iranian-Made Drones Destroyed; Brazil To Start New Year With New President; McCarthy Struggles Locking Down Votes To Be Next House Speaker; West Inundated With Heavy Rain, Flooding; Self-Checkout Trialed In More Clothing And Department Stores; Top 10 Health Stories. Aired 6-7a ET

Aired January 01, 2023 - 06:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:00:34]

AMARA WALKER, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everyone. Happy New Year, and welcome to this special edition of CNN This Morning. It is Sunday, January 1, 2023. I got to say it first, Boris. I'm Amara Walker.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: 2023.

WALKER: Yes.

SANCHEZ: Isn't that crazy, Amara?

WALKER: Where does the time go?

SANCHEZ: Thank you so much -- yes. Thank you so much for joining us on this New Year's Day. I'm Boris Sanchez. We hope your New Year is off to a fantastic start. Is it, Amara?

WALKER: It's too early to say. But I'll tell you this, I do not set New Year's resolutions because I will just disappoint myself. I take it literally, day by day. Like let's survive today, January 1, and let's see what the next day brings.

SANCHEZ: I am fully with that sentiment. Here is what's ahead for you this hour on CNN This Morning. The New Year comes with new rules when it comes to filing your taxes. Why that could mean a larger paycheck this year.

WALKER: Plus, if you've been to the store lately, there's a good chance you've been told there is an unexpected item in the bagging area. Sound familiar? Coming up, we'll talk about those self-checkout machines and why you'll likely be seeing more of them pop up at all kinds of stores. Bad news for me. I can't stand those self-checkout machines. I can never get it to work right.

But first, let's get you caught up on this morning's news headlines with Whitney Wild.

WHITNEY WILD, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning and happy New Year, Boris and Amara, and to all of you at home. We begin this morning in Vatican City, where Pope Francis is holding a New Year's Mass service just one day after the death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. He was 95 years old.

And beginning Monday, Pope Emeritus Benedict's body will lie in state in St. Peter's Basilica, the papal enclave. CNN's Barbie Nadeau is live this morning in the Vatican City. Barbie, do we expect the Pope to say anything about Pope Benedict? Can you share any new details about what the funeral arrangements might look like?

BARBIE NADEAU, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Yes, the Pope Francis is speaking right now, and the first thing he said was to call for prayers for Pope Benedict XVI who died yesterday. We're learning a few more details about the funeral. He will be lying in states on -- starting tomorrow here inside St. Peter's Basilica, and we're expecting a lot of pilgrims, a lot of German Catholics to come and pay tribute to him. There'll be a lot of people from the religious communities as well that will file by his casket and pay tributes to him.

And then on Thursday, the funeral will be held in St. Peter's Square, presided over by Pope Francis. What's really interesting is Pope Benedict presided over the funeral of John Paul II. So it's a tradition for the next Pope, for the previous Pope to preside over these funerals. We're expecting it to be a very a solemn affair. This is what Pope Benedict wanted, and he was a simple man and he left very much his last wishes to have his funeral be a very, very solemn affair.

WILD: All right, Barbie Nadeau, thank you.

This morning, three NYPD officers are recovering after a man attacked them with a machete. According to the NYPD commissioner, a 19-year-old man carried out this unprovoked attack just outside of Times Square New Year's Eve security screening zone.

That's where a man approached an officer and attempted to hit him over the head with a machete. He then hit two additional officers before one of the officers fired his service weapon, striking the suspect in the shoulder.

The suspect is being treated for his injuries. The FBI, NYPD and the FBI's JTTF, the Joint Terrorism Task Force are all investigating. Meantime, in Alabama, one person was killed and nine others were injured in a shooting in Mobile, Alabama. It happened just last night, just blocks from where people had gathered for the city's New Year's Eve celebration.

The conditions of the injured are not clear. However, police said that the surviving victims were all transported to local hospital. A motive for the shooting also not clear at this time. No arrests have been made.

Right now, in California and Nevada, more than a quarter of a million customers are without power after heavy rains and high winds hit that region so hard. Those conditions also prompting flooding in several areas. That flooding forced a major highway in the area to shut down temporarily, although it is now back open. So that's the good news.

New this morning, the suspect charged in the deaths of four university of Idaho students is currently being held without bail in Pennsylvania, where he was arrested on Friday. 28-year-old Bryan Kohberger's lawyer says he will waive extradition back to Idaho, where he's charged with four counts of first-degree murder as well as felony burglary.

CNN's Veronica Miracle is in Moscow, Idaho, with the latest.

[06:05:11]

VERONICA MIRACLE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There has been such a sense of relief in this community now that the suspect has been arrested. Of course, it doesn't change the fact that four gruesome murders took place in this seemingly safe town in this rural college community. But now that there has been an arrest, we have heard from people who just feel such relief.

In fact, one business owner came by here to the Moscow Police Department to drop off a gift. He was so grateful. He says this community, of course, has been impacted emotionally. Everyone has been on edge for the last seven weeks, but it's also impacted the economy. He's a business owner and his employees are students, as are most of the businesses in this town.

There's other businesses who've been impacted where students have left because they just don't feel safe being in this city. And so they've been studying virtually. And so now, so many people are hoping that this community comes back together when students come back to class in the next couple of weeks.

In terms of the Moscow Police Department, you know, there's been a lot of criticism over the last seven weeks because they did not release hardly any information. And every time we would ask why that was, they said they wanted to protect the integrity of the investigation. There were no leaks from this small department and they kept all of their information close. They say that they are glad that they did that.

The police chief saying he wouldn't change a thing and, in fact, he is receiving apologies now. Here's what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF JAMES FRY, MOSCOW, IDAHO POLICE: Few of them have sent me e- mails, some apologizing. You know, we're a pretty humble group here, and we know that people are going to be watching what we're doing. And some of that is criticism. And we have a job to do. We continue to do it.

And it does feel good to -- we held everything close for a long time, and we did it for the reason that we've stated. And I think the end result here proves to a lot of people that maybe it was exactly done right.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MIRACLE: Bryan Kohberger remains in Pennsylvania right now, but he has an extradition hearing coming this Tuesday. His public defender has told CNN that he is going to waive his right to that extradition hearing and so he could be back in this state as early as Tuesday. I asked the police chief how long that process will take. He says it could be a couple of days, it could be as early as Tuesday. When he arrives back here, he will go to the Latah County Jail.

Veronica Miracle, CNN, Moscow, Idaho.

WILD: Veronica, thank you. Certainly, a huge relief for those families.

Authorities in North Carolina say the massive manhunt for missing 11- year-old Madalina Cojocari has been hampered by how late police were notified for disappearance. CNN's Nadia Romero has the latest on that investigation.

NADIA ROMERO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Law enforcement tells us they've received about 250 leads spanning across the globe as they begin this search effort and as it continues this weekend, looking for 11-year-old Madalina Cojocari. So the timeline here is what's so interesting and disturbing about this case.

So let's start with November 21. You're taking a look at surveillance video on a school bus, and law enforcement officers tell us that that is Madalina on that school bus on November 21. That's our first timestamp. Then you go two days later, November 23, the day before Thanksgiving, that's when her mother told police that was the last time she saw her daughter.

But then there's this big gap intime from November 23 to December 15. Now, her mother reported her missing to her school only after school officials started asking questions about where Madalina was. On December 15, the mother went to the school, told them that her daughter was missing. And then the school district, according to police, immediately called law enforcement and told them what was going on.

Two days later, on December 17, that's when Madalina's mother and her stepfather were arrested for failing to notify police about their daughter being missing within a reasonable time. That is a law in North Carolina. That is why they're both being held in jail right now. Madalina's mother told police that she didn't report her daughter missing because she didn't want to cause conflict in her marriage. But she told them that she did not know where her daughter was.

Now, this search that began in a small community has now involved that local police department, the county sheriff's office, now the FBI, as the search expands, all looking for this missing 11-year-old girl.

Nadia Romero, CNN, Atlanta. WILD: Nadia, thank you. Two more countries are ramping up COVID testing requirements for people traveling from China. Canada and Australia are the latest to require a negative test before boarding a flight from the country. This comes just days after the U.S. and the U.K. issued the same requirement.

U.S. officials do not estimate how long they expect these rules to remain in place, saying that they're going to watch the situation on the ground and adjust if they need to.

[06:10:04]

All right, looking to catch in this new year. The mega millions jackpot still up for grabs after Friday's failed drawing -- Friday's drawing failed to produce a winner. The jackpot now stands at an estimated $785 million. That is the fourth largest pot in the game's history. Your chance to win, if you think you are so lucky, is Tuesday. Put that on your calendar.

All right, I'll see you right back here in about 20 minutes. Let's send it back to Boris and Amara now. Back to you guys.

WALKER: Inflation may be pushing prices up, and starting this year, it may also impact your paycheck in a good way. The new IRS rules that could boost your take home pay coming up.

SANCHEZ: And if it seems like you're doing more work than actual shopping when you go to the store these days, you're probably right. We're looking at the rise of those self-checkout machines and why you should expect to see even more of them soon.

WALKER: And from the ongoing pandemic to the rise of RSV and kids, we have a look at the top 10 medical stories of 2022 on this special New Year's Day edition at CNN This Morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WALKER: Millions of Americans could be in line for some big tax savings this year. The IRS is adjusting the tax code for next year so that more of your 2023 wages may be subject to lower tax rates than they were this year. And you may be able to deduct higher amounts of income.

Here with me now to discuss this further is Mark Luscombe. He is a principal analyst at Walter's Clover Tax and Accounting. Mark, good morning to you. Thank you so much for joining us. So, as we know, this could really help Americans deal with rising prices, and I do want to show some numbers.

So, standard deduction goes up by 7 percent. That's the biggest increase since at least 1985. And for individuals, it was almost 13,000 in 2022. That goes up to almost 14,000, an increase of $900,000 and $27,700 for married couples filing jointly, that's $1,800 of an increase from 2022.

[06:15:09] So a lot of numbers here, Mark. Break it down for us and who benefits the most from these deductions?

MARK LUSCOMBE, PRINCIPAL ANALYST, WOLTERS KLUWER TAX & ACCOUNTING: Well, sure. Thank you. Glad to be here. The goal of the inflation adjustments is obviously to keep taxpayers in the same position they would have been, had there not been the inflationary period we've had over the last year.

So the -- if you are a taxpayer whose income has not gone up that same 7 percent, then you would see a lower tax bill because more of your income would fall in that higher standard deduction, or more of your income would fall in a lower tax bracket.

If, however, you've been lucky enough that your income has gone up that 7 percent along with inflation, then the goal is to keep you in the same place so that your taxes will be about the same as they were in the past.

WALKER: So how much does this really help offset rising costs? I mean, our families and individuals, are they going to see a meaningful difference in their pockets?

LUSCOMBE: Yes, the inflation adjustments that you were talking about, the standard deduction and the tax brackets are both reflected in the IRS withholding tables. And those withholding tables are what employers use to determine how much to withhold from an employee's paycheck.

So if those withholding tables will be adjusted to reflect these higher amounts, and that should result in lower withholding from the employees and therefore higher paychecks.

WALKER: And you were mentioning the tax brackets, I mean, the IRS is also bumping up all seven brackets to those higher thresholds. So I guess all put together, I mean, is this -- I guess how significant is this?

LUSCOMBE: Well, you know, as you said, the 7 percent increase is the largest we've had in many years. And so looking at those numbers, the increase in the standard deduction, that's -- they're talking hundreds of dollars there. And the tax bracket, similarly, the higher the bracket, the higher the numbers, but you're talking hundreds of dollars there as well.

WALKER: And is there anything folks could be doing to safeguard their retirement funds during this time of inflation? We should mention the IRS is also boosting the 2023 contribution limits for 401(k)s by a record $2,000. What's your advice there?

LUSCOMBE: Well, yes, there's a -- I mean, a lot of people have 401(k)s and IRAs. Your -- if you want to bump up your 401(k), you're starting to run out of time to do it. You basically have to request a higher withholding for your 401(k) on your paycheck. And probably at this point, there's only at most a couple -- at more a couple more paychecks before the end of the year. The IRA is a different story. You have until the tax filing due date, April 15. I think this year it will be April 18 to max out your IRA contribution for 2022. So you do have a little more time there to make sure you put in everything you can to the IRA.

WALKER: Mark Luscombe, appreciate your advice. Thank you.

LUSCOMBE: All right.

SANCHEZ: Your morning news headlines are coming up after a short break. Plus, a special New Year's Day shoutout you do not want to miss. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:21:01]

SANCHEZ: Welcome back to this New Year's Day edition of CNN This Morning. We are so happy that you're starting the year off with us.

WALKER: And good morning, everyone. Happy 2023 to you, Boris, and to all of you at home. Coming up this half hour, most of us have encountered those frustrating self-checkout machines at stores. I can't stand them. But while they may be annoying, expensive, and prone to breaking down, they're not going anywhere. We'll explain why.

SAVIDGE: And as people around the world found ways to live with the coronavirus pandemic and get back to some sense of normalcy, we saw the rise of another concerning virus. We've got to look at the top 10 medical stories of 2022 coming up. But first, let's get you caught up on the morning's headlines.

WILD: Good morning, Boris and Amara. And good morning to you at home. Right now, the New Year in Ukraine beginning right where last year left off with relentless Russian attacks. The capital city of Kyiv bombarded with attacks in the last 24 hours. The city's mayor reporting that at least eleven people were hospitalized as a result of those attacks.

Ukrainian officials also say 45 attack drones were shot down by air defenses on New Year's Eve and just shortly after the clock struck midnight. CNN Correspondent Clare Sebastian joins me now from London. Clare, what more can you tell us?

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Whitney, we're hearing that this was a fairly largescale drone attack across the country, as you say. The air force, the Ukrainian air force says they shot down 45 attack drones. They didn't say how many might have actually got through and hit their targets.

In the Kyiv region, the authorities there, where, of course, the capitalists say that about three dozen drones were launched towards that region. hey report damage to infrastructure, though, as of yet, no casualties. And I want to show you some images that were put out by the police chief of the Kyiv region. Fragments, he says, of drones. One of them, if you look close up, seems to have the words Happy New Year on it in Russian. The New Year holiday very much the most important of the holiday season in much of the Russian speaking world. Ukrainians had been concerned about attacks over the New Year period.

And all of this following up, of course, on those missile attacks across the country on Saturday. The power grid has been left weakened, the energy company working to repair that. And it comes as President Putin delivered a New Year address where he accused the west essentially of fermenting this conflict, of using Ukraine for its own end, saying that they will not let them do that. It seems there is no let-up in Russia's efforts to meet its goals in Ukraine.

WILD: It's been an exhausting, to put it mildly, almost a year for the Ukrainians just won't let up at all.

Clare Sebastian, thank you so much.

Brazil is ringing in the New Year with a new president. The inauguration for Luis Inacio Lula da Silva is hours away in Brasilia to -- and that is going to be followed by a massive party for his supporters. Here is one fan ready to celebrate.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAIO SILVA, LULA THE SILVA SUPPORTER (through translation): I am very happy, very excited. This victory is much bigger than a party or a candidate. It is the victory of a country, of people who believe that we can renew our hope and repair all that has been taken away from us. This is victory of democracy against fascism.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[06:25:13]

WILD: The outgoing far right President Jair Bolsonaro will not be at that inauguration. He left the country Friday and is headed for Florida. His administration says it's cooperating with the transition of power, even though, he hasn't publicly conceded.

CNN's Julia Vargas Jones has more from Sao Paulo.

JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: While no official reason was given for President Jair Bolsonaro to leave the country ahead of the inauguration, it's not surprising that he opted out of participating in the peaceful transition of power. This is a President who never conceded or congratulate his opponent, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, now president-elect.

In fact, he went in the other direction throughout his government and all the way up to the elections. He said he didn't trust the electronic voting machines, eventually calling into question the results and filing a lawsuit asking for hundreds of thousands of votes to be thrown out. Meanwhile, his supporters were marching and blocking off highways, going to military barracks and demanding a military intervention. This all culminated on December 24, on Christmas Eve, when a man was arrested in Brasilia for planting explosives, saying that he was inspired by Bolsonaro to do so. And that he wanted to create chaos ahead of Lula's inauguration.

The incoming administration, though, charges ahead, continuing with the plans of a massive party in Brasilia, expecting hundreds of thousands of people to show up to greet Lula and ring in the New Year. And going into January 1, he has popstars, entertainment industry all showing up to show their support for the new President. The question that remains is who from the Bolsonaro administration will be there to pass the torch to the new President?

Julia Vargas Jones, CNN, San Paulo.

WILD: Julia, thank you. The newest members of Congress are scheduled to be sworn in this coming Tuesday, on January 3. But House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy still has not secured the votes he needs to be the next House Speaker. CNN's Melanie Zanona has more on all this.

MELANIE ZANONA, CNN CAPITOL HILL REPORTER: Kevin McCarthy is still on the hunt for 218 votes for Speaker. Kevin McCarthy convened a conference call on Friday with some of his critics and some of his supporters. But sources tell me and my colleague Lauren Fox that there were no major break throughs. This despite the fact that Kevin McCarthy has offered a number of concessions to his critics

That includes agreeing to an investigative panel to centralize all the probes into the Biden administration. That's something conservatives have really been clamoring for, and perhaps most notably here. McCarthy has agreed to a lower threshold for a vote on triggering -- a vote on deposing the sitting speaker. That is something known as the motion to vacate the Speaker's chair. It has been a chief demand of his conservative critics.

Up until this point, McCarthy has been really reluctant to budge on the issue. That is because he's essentially giving power to his critics to fire him at any given notice. But as he has struggled to lock down the votes for speaker, he is now willing to come down to a threshold as low as five people, sources tell CNN. So that would be a major concession for Kevin McCarthy.

However, moderates in the party said on the conference call on Friday that they are very uncomfortable with that idea. And meanwhile, the critics who are pushing for that threshold still wouldn't commit to voting for Kevin McCarthy. So they wrapped the call, agreeing to work through the weekend.

They are hoping to resolve some of these outstanding issues and then finalize a rules package and then hope that everything else sort of just falls into place. But there is no guarantee of that happening, and, of course, time is running out to seal the deal.

WILD: Melanie, thank you. It could be a tumultuous start on Congress -- in Congress.

All right, now turning to Alabama, where officials are investigating how an airline worker was killed at Montgomery's Airport Saturday. The incident involved an employee who was on a ramp where an American Airlines regional jet was parked. The airport briefly shut down operations following the incident.

In a statement, American Airlines offered condolences to the workers' family and called the death an accident. However, circumstances of the death have not yet been released.

Anita Pointer, one of the founding members of the R&B Act, the Pointer Sisters, has died at the age of 74. She grew up singing in her father's church before she and her sisters formed that group. They won three Grammys as a band and are remembered for such hits as "I'm So Excited and Jump". Her publicist says Anita Pointer staged a very heroic battle with cancer before dying at home in Los Angeles with her family by her side.

In New York, thousands of nurses are threatening to go on strike next week. The State's Nurse Association says at least 16,000 caregivers have delivered notices to eight private hospitals. They want a new negotiation of their union contract. The president of the association tells CNN hospitals aren't doing enough to invest and retain nurses.

[06:30:00]

Right now, in California and Nevada, more than a quarter of a million customers don't have any power after heavy rain and high winds slammed that region. Those conditions also prompted flooding in several areas such as a highway in San Francisco. That Bay Area highway actually had to shut down temporarily. But it's back open now, so that's the good news.

The storm system is going to continue to give back to the west before pushing east and bringing the threat for severe weather to parts of the south. CNN Meteorologist Allison Chinchar is tracking that weather from the weather center. So, Allison, first of all, good morning to you and Happy New Year. What is this weather system going to look like as it moves West Coast East Coast?

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST (on camera): And good morning to you too. Yes, this is going to be a very impactful storm over the next several days, because it's going to cross over so many states bringing a variety of impacts. We're talking rain, we're talking snow, and we're even talking severe storms. But let's begin with today.

The focus for today is still going to be some lingering rain showers across southern California, areas of Arizona, Nevada, portions of New Mexico, and then snow for the intermountain west. But it's where it goes after that and the impacts it we'll continue to have that will keep our eye on the storm in the long term.

Here's a look at the live radar. Again, you can still see a lot of those rain showers across San Diego. Same thing with Las Vegas. The good news is we're finally starting to see an end to the rain across northern and central California giving those areas a bit of a break. Here's a look though as that system begins to make its way east, it's going to dump a lot of snow.

Take a look at this. You've got winter weather it works that stretch from Wisconsin all the way back towards California because that's where a lot of that cold air and moisture is going to go in the coming days. Here's a look, widespread. You can see a lot of these areas likely four to six inches of additional snow. But once you start getting up into elevation, now you're talking one, two, in some places even as much as three feet of snow possible.

On the southern edge where it's just rain, most of these areas likely to pick up about an inch or two at most. Then you start to see some more of the rain begin to spread into the eastern half of the country because that's where this system is going to go in the coming days. Here's a look at Sunday as we transition into Monday. Now, you're starting to see more of the winter weather begin to impact areas of the Midwest, but also severe storms across the Gulf Coast region, especially for areas of Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas. And this is a multi-day event too, so you'll have to keep a close eye on Monday and Tuesday.

WILD: And certainly, a close eye on your travel plans. Allison Chinchar, thank you.

All right back to Brazil. Brazil is making preparations for the public week for football legend Pele. The ceremony will begin Monday at the stadium in Sao Paulo state. Organizers have been setting up tents, chairs, banners all across the field. That's where Pale's body will be placed. Thousands of people are expected to show up and say their goodbyes.

Pele died last week after a battle with cancer. He scored more than 1200 balls in his career and he won three World Cup titles.

All right, speaking of titles, college football's national championship game now set. It does not include my team Michigan. Maybe next year. That's after a pair of epic semifinal games, one of which ended just after the stroke of midnight.

Coy Wire is here with the highlights. Coy, the highlights don't include Michigan winning against TCU. I understand those are the breaks but --

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Yes. You might have to cover your eyes on this one. Let me take care of it. This was the best semifinal day in college football playoff history that we've seen unless you're an Ohio State fan or a Michigan fan or a lot like Whitney, then perhaps it's heartbreaking.

But the defending champs, Georgia, let's start there. They edged our Ohio State here in Atlanta. The dogs were trailing by 11 early in the fourth and the Buckeyes fake a punt and run for a first down. It could have been the difference in the game, but Dogs' coach Kirby Smart had called a timeout just in the nick of time, and that seem to spark a Georgia rally. The 25-year-old former Walk-On turned Heisman finalist quarterback

Stetson Bennett slinging it to Arian Smith who saunters 76 yards for the touchdown. Dogs cutting the lead to three. The Buckeyes' field goal put them up six again. But Bennett was in it to win it, finding Adonai Mitchell, injured most of the season, but makes the biggest catch on the season. Georgia up one.

Ohio State's Heisman finalist quarterback CJ Stroud would march his team to field goal range one last chance but the 50 yard attempt was wide left. It was struck just at the stroke of midnight, Georgia escaping 42-41 looking to become the first school to ever went back- to-back titles in the playoff era. They will face TCU.

Turn your head, Whitney. This is Michigan team that was off their game. Uncharacteristic penalties, two interceptions returned for touchdowns, Dee Winters put TCU up by 18 in the third with that one, but Michigan never quit. You could be proud. Quarterback J.J. McCarthy scrambling to his right finding Roman Wilson in the endzone. That was Roman's second touchdown in the fourth quarter. Michigan cutting the lead to six. And they had a chance to tie in the final minute, but there's a bad quarterback center exchange. The ball goes everywhere. Linemen are trying to run with it. It was Michigan's seasons slipping away.

TCU wins 51-45. That's the most points ever scored in Fiesta Bowl. And both teams, they played their hearts out. Michigan losing for a second straight year in the semis. TCU going from unranked, Whitney, to the title game that's next Monday in L.A.

[06:35:24]

WILD: All right, well, go blue, anyway. Coy Wire, thank you so much. All right, let's send it back to Boris and Amara.

SANCHEZ (on camera): Love them or hate them, they are here to stay.

WALKER (on camera): Why more stores are trying to self-checkout machines even though they're expensive to maintain and could lead to more theft from customers?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Loved by some, loathed by others. Self-checkouts were first introduced by supermarkets in the 1980s. And since then, big box chains and drugstores have started using them, and now they're starting to crop up in more and more clothing and department stores.

CNN Business Reporter Nathaniel Meyersohn joins us now. Nathaniel, great to be with you on New Year's Day. Great to see you. Walk us through this. Which clothing and department stores are trialing these self-checkout lanes and why?

NATHANIEL MEYERSOHN, CNN BUSINESS REPORTER (on camera): Right, Boris. So, we're used to seeing self-checkout at grocery stores and pharmacies like CVS, but now they've spread to unexpected stores, clothing and department stores. So, Kohls, Bed Bath and Beyond, H&M, Uniqlo, Zara, they all recently rolled out self-checkout.

Self-checkout is very controversial. You have some shoppers that love it. They don't want to talk to the cashier. They think that it moves more quickly than going through traditional checkout. Other shoppers get so frustrated by it. Think about all the errors and then the number of times you hear "unexpected item in the bagging area," or "please place item in the bag." It's incredibly frustrating, irritating, slows everything down.

SANCHEZ: I feel like it's constantly accusing me of thievery. Like, if I haven't put the item in the bag, I'm like, it's in the bags, and then I got to go get somebody to help me and then -- there are a lot of pros and cons here. But what are the pros and cons of self-checkout for the actual businesses?

[06:40:10]

MEYERSOHN: Right. So, over the businesses, they're trying to save on labor costs, save money. They don't have to hire and staff those cashier areas. They can just add the self-checkout machines. That's a little bit cheaper for them. And then, younger shoppers, they often prefer it. You're seeing technology change the way that people are shopping. So, they're looking for those experiences.

But then, there are other people who get really frustrated by it. And then shoplifting levels are higher with self-checkout than traditional cashiers. You think about people will scan everything and then walk away without paying, or they'll switch to a more expensive steak for a cheaper eggs. There are all sorts of maneuvers that people have to try to avoid paying on self-checkout. And then, unions really oppose self- checkout because they lead to job losses.

SANCHEZ: Yes, well, it's really interesting. There was this 2021 survey by Raydiant. They asked 1000 shoppers if they had an issue using a self-checkout. Nearly 70 percent of them said yes. Do you think retailers might be risking driving customers away by having self-checkout?

MEYERSOHN: I do. I think that people -- you know, the work of checking people out is being shifted from paid employees to unpaid shoppers. And I think that we're all feeling a little frustrated by the amount of work that we have to do when we go -- when we go to the store. So, I do think that there's a risk. You also have people that prefer them. But when competition from Amazon is so tough against these stores, you do risk driving shoppers away.

SANCHEZ: Yes, I was going to say, so much of retail now is about the experience you have in the store that you can't replicate when you're shopping online. It's interesting that they might risk losing customers because they're forcing customers to do the work of a cashier. But also, there are unique ways in which the pandemic helped popularize these self-checkout systems, right?

MEYERSOHN: Exactly. So, during the pandemic, we all got used to social distancing. And a lot of people started using self-checkout because they wanted to limit those close interactions with cashiers and other customers. But I think as you mentioned earlier, with all the issues with self-checkout, you often need an employee to come help you if you try to -- if you try to, you know, scan a banana and you miss-scan it, or if you want to check out some beer, you have to -- you know, the employee has to come over.

So, is it really kind of limiting the interactions with employees? I'm not sure.

SANCHEZ: Yes. So going back to what we just talked about a second ago for the retailers that want to give customers a special experience, a lot of those are luxury brands, do you see any luxury brands starting to introduce self-checkouts?

MEYERSOHN: I don't. I think what we're moving toward is kind of a two- tiered system where if you're shopping for groceries or smaller purchases, you're going to be driving -- you know, you're going to be driven to self-checkout. But then if you're going to luxury stores where you're expected -- the service levels are expected to be higher, you're not going to have self-checkout.

So, I think it's very unlikely that you're going to see luxury brands rollout self-checkout. It's all about the experience in the stores and the service levels.

SANCHEZ: Yes, it'll likely become more of a boutique kind of experience for those brands. Nathaniel Meyersohn, Happy New Year. I'll definitely come get you the next time I'm at a self-checkout and it's malfunctioning. Thanks so much, man.

And Amara, it sounds like you may have had some of those experiences where you want to physically fight a machine over the frustration it gets you.

WALKER: Aren't they so inefficient? Or at least the way I handle them. I'm not going to, you know, blast the machines for them, but I'm just terrible at self-checkout. Look, I detest them. I abhor them I loathe. I mean, I need a source to, you know, think of all the words to describe how much I can't stand these machines.

Look, there's something about having a little bit of social interaction, I guess, even though Sydney, our executive producer love self-checkouts because he doesn't have to talk to anyone. I'm going to put you on blast there, Sydney. But look, I've got two little ones and they want to play with the machine when they see me doing it. So, all around, it's a bad thing.

SANCHEZ: You're super passionate about it. I feel like you should start a political campaign. I can see --

WALKER: Do you love it?

SANCHEZ: I can see that you're riling up the crowd about these machines.

WALKER: Boris, do you like self-checkout, yes or no?

SANCHEZ: I'm fine with it. It can be annoying when it doesn't work.

WALKER: Which is 99 percent of the time.

SANCHEZ: Fair.

WALKER: All right, coming up, we've got a look at the top 10 medical stories of 2022 when CNN THIS MORNING comes back after this short break. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[20:45:00]

SANCHEZ: In 2022, people found ways to live with the Coronavirus and things started to feel at least somewhat normal again.

WALKER: It did. But as the pandemic always lingered in the background of our lives, we saw the rise of more concerning COVID variants and other viruses altogether. CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta has a look at the top 10 medical stories of 2022.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): 2022 was a year where we began to really see ripple effects of living through a pandemic. So, while it's clear COVID-19 is here to stay, other health issues began to take the spotlight once again. And some of it is very good news, starting with number 10 of our top health story.

GUPTA (voiceover): More people are surviving cancer than ever before in the United States. In the past three years, the number of cancer survivors increased by more than one million. The big reasons why, a continued decline to smoking. And we are catching and treating cancer earlier as well. But there's still more to be done.

DR. WILLIAM DAHUT, CHIEF SCIENTIFIC OFFICER, AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY: To know that nearly half the cancer deaths in the world could be prevented is just astounding.

GUPTA: A global study found that preventable risk factors like smoking, like drinking too much alcohol, high body mass index contributing to 44 percent of all cancer deaths 2019.

Number nine. A new experimental Alzheimer's drug called Lecanemab appears to be one of the first to slow the progression of cognitive decline. Now, the MAB stands for monoclonal antibody. Lecanemab works by removing amyloid plaques from the brain. The buildup of this naturally occurring protein can block neural pathways, making it a hallmark of Alzheimer's. Researchers found that the drug eventually help reduce amyloid levels and slow cognitive decline by 27 percent.

DR. BABAK TOUSI, SPECIALIST IN MEMORY CARE, CLEVELAND CLINIC: That's maybe the first medication we have there's such a positive result so far, but we have to be cautious about it. GUPTA: While the data is encouraging there, there are also some serious safety concerns in the phase three trial, brain swelling and brain bleeding. Those are certainly things the FDA is going to evaluate if the drug comes up for approval.

Number eight, mental health. In a CNN/KFF poll the summer, 90 percent of adults said they believe there is a mental health crisis in the United States. And another survey can really one in four adults aged 18 to 44 were treated for mental health in 2021, reflecting an increased anxiety and depression during the pandemic.

Continuing concerns over mental health prompted the launch of a new three-digit national suicide crisis lifeline number which is 988.

DR. CHRISTINE YU MOUTIER, CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER, AMERICAN FOUNDATION FOR SUICIDE PREVENTION: It really treats mental health on par with physical health just like we have 911.

GUPTA: Number seven.

KARINE JEANE-PIERRE, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: So, we have big news today that is going to benefit as many as 30 million Americans.

GUPTA: Thanks to a long-awaited by the FDA, you can now buy over-the- counter hearing aids to help with mild to moderate hearing loss. And some doctors estimated that 90 percent of the population with hearing loss could benefit from these over-the-counter devices. And this move could also make them more affordable.

Number six. Between supply chain issues and investigation to bacterial contamination in a major manufacturing facility, parents around the country were frustrated as the baby formula shortage went on month after month.

COURTNEY HOUSTON, MOTHER: It's terrifying when that's the only true source of nutrition that your baby gets because it gets to the point when you go to a store and everyone was crying.

GUPTA: To help fill the empty shelves, the Biden administration enacted Operation Fly Formula to bring in supplies from other countries. The FDA has also been working with foreign formula manufacturers to allow them to permanently sell their products in the United States.

Number five. A case of polio was identified this year at Rockland County outside of New York City, sparking major public health concerns.

DR. JOSE ROMERO, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL CENTER FOR IMMUNIZATION AND RESPIRATORY DISEASES: Finding polio in a country where we've had a high level of the vaccination, haven't seen polio cases for over 40 years is significant.

GUPTA: Additional polio virus was found in wastewater samples two local counties in New York City, suggesting there was local circulation of the virus. Polio was considered eliminated in the United States thanks to mass vaccination campaigns and the highly, more than 99 percent effective vaccine. The New York case was an unvaccinated person and resulted in paralysis, which is a rare but severe outcome and the disease.

Number four. Life expectancy in the United States continued to drop. It went from 77 years to 76.4 years, which is the lowest it's been since 1996. COVID-19 was a driving factor as well as drug overdoses which were deadlier than ever.

ANNE MILGRAM, ADMINISTRATOR, DEA: It is being driven by fentanyl, which is the most deadly and addictive drug that is widespread in the United States right now.

GUPTA: Fentanyl and other synthetic opioids made up about two-thirds of overdose deaths, which claimed more than 106,000 lives.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's one of the last pictures of him. That's actually the day he died.

GUPTA: Number three.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It started off with just a few regions.

GUPTA: An outbreak of monkey pox later renamed Mpox put the U.S. on its heels this year, prompting another public health emergency on top of COVID-19. Even though it doesn't spread as easily or as stealthily as COVID, cases of the disease climb to almost 30,000. And the fact that it was spreading mostly among men who have sex with men, meant public health officials had to battle stigma, in addition to the virus itself.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They do associate it with being a gay man's disease or bisexual man's disease, which I think is not a great way to approach it because any disease can be anybody's disease.

GUPTA: While the vaccination campaign for Mpox got off to a frustrating start, it did eventually help get the outbreak under control.

Number two, the overturning of Roe v. Wade. It made reproductive healthcare the United States complicated for patients and the providers.

DR. JILL GIBSON, MEDICAL DIRECTOR, PLANNED PARENTHOOD: When I signed up to become an obstetrician-gynecologist, it never occurred to me that there would be a possibility that I wasn't able to take care of my patients in the way I'm trained to do so.

GUPTA: The decision not only affected access to abortion, but to other medications and procedures as well.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When a woman is walking around with a dead fetus for weeks because she can't get a surgical procedure, what's the danger to her?

DR. LILLIAN SCHAPIRO, OBSTETRICIAN-GYNECOLOGIST: She can develop an infection that can make her sterile and never able to have children again.

[06:55:02]

GUPTA: Public health agencies and medical groups worldwide spoke out against the rule.

And number one.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: This holiday season, the best gift is really good health. The trifecta of viruses are spreading through population.

GUPTA: COVID-19,the flu, and RSV, three respiratory viruses all simultaneously circulating creating a triple threat. The measures that help keep us safe COVID-19 in the past two and a half years also did keep other viruses at bay. But this means that some people, especially young children, did not build up immunity to those viruses, and that means you're getting hit harder this year.

DR. PAUL OFFIT, VACCINE EDUCATION CENTER, CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL OF PHILADELPHIA: I think now you may be seeing the result of that for all those who've been to respiratory viruses.

GUPTA: Hospitals are fuller than they've been throughout the entire pandemic. Public health officials are reminding people that the tools to fight COVID-19 like masks and washing, ventilation, can also help prevent other respiratory diseases as well. But the most important message when it comes to vaccinations is the one that has remained.

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, FORMER CHIEF MEDICAL ADVISOR TO THE PRESIDENT OF UNITED STATES: My final message, maybe the final message I give you from this podium is that please, for your own safety, for that of your family, get your updated COVID-19 shot as soon as you're eligible to protect yourself, your family, and your community.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALKER: A look at your morning headlines coming up. Plus, 2022 saw record prices in the housing market with some fearing we are on the cusp of collapse. What can we expect in 2023? That's coming up.

[07:00:00]