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CNN This Morning

More Than 2 Million People Under Lake Effect Snow Alerts; Bitterly Cold Temps Blanketing Half The U.S. As Snow Hits Great Lakes; Trump Taps Loyalist Kash Patel To Lead FBI; Trump Picks Charles Kushner For Ambassador To France; Hamas Releases Video Of Israeli- American Hostage; Rebel Alliance Claims Control Of Aleppo Artillery, Military Academy; Biden Will Be The First Sitting U.S. President To Visit Angola. Australia Bans Social Media for Children Under 16; D.B. Cooper Mystery Solved?; Fight Erupts on Michigan-Ohio State Rivalry Game. Aired 7-8a ET

Aired December 01, 2024 - 07:00   ET

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

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[07:00:54]

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN HOST: Good morning and welcome to CNN This Morning. It is Sunday, December 1st. I'm Victor Blackwell.

It is the first day of the final month. It is the beginning of the end. Now, I don't know if that's the warmest and most optimistic beginning of a show, but we're wrapping up 2024.

MJ LEE, CNN HOST: We are glad it's December.

BLACKWELL: Yes.

LEE: I'm MJ Lee in for Amara Walker. Here is what we're working on for you this morning.

The lake-effect snow machine is just cranking this morning. The place is already dealing with several feet of snow, could get crushed under even more. And bone-rattling temperatures are making things even worse. Meteorologist Allison Chinchar is tracking it all and how it's implicating the trip home from the holidays for millions of Americans.

BLACKWELL: Big FBI shakeup. President-elect Donald Trump taps longtime loyalist and staunch critic of the so-called Deep State Kash Patel to lead the FBI. We'll talk to former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe about this pick coming up in minutes.

LEE: And it's a mystery that has gripped America for more than half a century. The new piece of evidence that could crack open the infamous D.B. Cooper case.

BLACKWELL: Foot brawl. One of the most heated rivalries in college football history boils over. Our travel back home from the Thanksgiving holiday could be treacherous. More than 2 million people face lake-effect snow alerts.

LEE: Look at this scene in northern New York. People in some communities have heaps of snow to shovel and clear away. CNN Correspondent Polo Sandoval has more.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Record setting snowfall is complicating. The post-Thanksgiving ride home for travelers in the Great Lakes region.

TOM LAIRD, ERIE, PENNSYLVANIA RESIDENT: This could be a 24 to 35 inch snow for sure.

SANDOVAL (voice-over): Daily snowfall totals have paralyzed stretches of the highly trafficked I-90 corridor this holiday weekend.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's a car underneath that. Yes.

SANDOVAL (voice-over): Here in Erie, Pennsylvania, nearly 23 inches fell on Friday alone.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yesterday, I shoveled for four hours.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Wow.

SANDOVAL (voice-over): Shattering a 1979 record, burying cars and interrupting flight operations at Erie International.

In Michigan's Upper Peninsula, over 2 feet of snow fell on Friday, eclipsing a daily record set in 1942. And the list of cities impacted by the locally heavy lake effect snow goes on. In Buffalo, New York, Bills fans are once again being hired as shovelers to clear out the stadium ahead of a snowy Sunday night game against San Francisco.

And there's more to come, warned meteorologists, with nearly 2 million people still under lake effect snow warnings come Monday. Then there's the cold, some of the chilliest temperatures since last winter, which are expected to linger into the week ahead.

They've been felt as far south as Florida, where many residents endured freeze warnings this weekend. Some are making the best of these snowy scenes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, the weather outside is frightful. And the fire is so delightful.

SANDOVAL (voice-over): But they may also be foretelling a wicked winter ahead.

Polo Sandoval, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEO TAPE) BLACKWELL: All right. For the people not dealing with all the snow, there are so many more who are dealing with these really cold temperatures expected to plummet up to 25 degrees below average on the East Coast.

LEE: And thankfully, we have senior -- CNN Meteorologist Allison Chinchar with the up to the minute details on how people should navigate this extreme weather.

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: No plan like you're going outside in the middle of January in Minnesota. That's what I would say if you were going to do that, even if you don't live in Minnesota. Just how would you dress for that? That's how you should prepare, even if -- even in some southern states.

BLACKWELL: Oh, it's cold this morning here.

CHINCHAR: It is. And temperature is actually sorry. Good news, Chinchar. It's going to get even colder. Yes.

So we take a look, and that's been part of the aspect of why we've been dealing with so much snow, because you have those incredibly cold temperatures coming over the -- well, relatively speaking, warmer lakes. And that's fueling a lot of the lake effect snow that's taking place not only on the Midwestern side, but the northeastern side as well.

A separate system a little bit farther south brought record breaking snowfall to St. Louis. Now that's sliding into portions of Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia.

[07:05:05]

But the heaviest snow, even not just earlier, but now going through the rest of the day today and tomorrow, is really going to be focused in the Great Lakes, especially Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, where you're really going to see some of those in very intense bands of snow being funneled throughout the day today.

And keep in mind, this is on top of what they've already had. Look at this. Barnes Corners, New York, almost 4 feet of snow already. But several other states, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, looking at least 2 to 3 feet of snow on the ground.

And they could get an extra 1 to 2 feet on top of that as we go through the rest of the day, because you'll see those wind driven bands are going to continue. Now, the wind may shift a little bit, so some communities may get heavier bands than others. But this is going to be ongoing not only throughout the day today, but for many of these areas through at least the first half of the day tomorrow.

Now, you heard Polo mention it. They're asking folks for the Buffalo Bills game tonight to help them come shovel out some of the snow. They've already had 16 inches in Orchard Park, where the stadium is located. They're going to get more today and even more during the game tonight. But the temperatures, this is what's really going to impact the most amount of people. Seventy percent of the U.S. population is looking at temperatures below freezing over the next several days. Right now, the temperature is 7 in Minneapolis, but it feels like it's minus 9. But these cold temperatures extend all the way down to the Gulf Coast.

Look at this. Mobile, Panama City, Tallahassee, all looking at freeze alerts in effect. And again, some cases those temperatures are going to drop even more. Take Atlanta, for example. Every single one of the next seven days is below average. But look at those morning temperatures.

In the 20s, not just once, but several days in a row. And you see that secondary dip take place on Tuesday as that reinforced cold air comes back in again. And it's not just them, even northern cities. Look at New York again, looking at those temperatures well below where they should be. Same thing can be said for Cincinnati, Chicago, Pittsburgh, so many cities across the country.

BLACKWELL: Got to warm that car up in the morning now. Can't say we haven't been warned.

Allison, thanks.

CHINCHAR: Yes.

LEE: A major staffing move from President-elect Donald Trump, who has tapped loyalist Kash Patel to lead the FBI. That would leave Christopher Wray out of a job with three years left on his current 10- year term. If Patel is confirmed, Wray would either have to resign or be fired.

BLACKWELL: Patel first rose to prominence in Trump's orbit in 2018. He was working as an aide to Congressman Devin Nunes, at the time the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee. As an aide, Patel helped with Nunes' efforts to discredit the FBI's Russia investigation into Trump's campaign.

We've got Politico White House Reporter Daniel Lippman and CNN Senior Law Enforcement Analyst and Former Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe with us today to break it all down. Gentlemen, good morning.

I did a mid-range dive on Kash Patel this morning, and I found a children's book that he wrote. Andrew, I'm going to start with you. It's "The Plot Against the King", Trump cast as the King here. It's described as a fantastical retelling of Hillary's horrible plot against Trump to the whole family, full of fake heralds and keeper Comey spying slugs.

This is a story of daring and danger. I mean, someone who writes a children's book with Trump as king, as Comey as this villain, how do you expect this is resonating within the bureau, this announcement?

ANDREW MCCABE, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Yes, Victor, I would say probably not well for good and obvious reasons. And I think as much as I'm happy to say, I have not read that book. I think it does, in a way, shed some light on one of the dangers of this nominee, and that is that he is someone who really the only thing you can say about Kash Patel is he's gone out of his way to cater to Donald Trump's whims.

Whatever those might be, whether it's discrediting FBI work, whether it's perpetuating lies about the Russia investigation, the investigation of potential ties between Donald Trump and his campaign in 2016 to the Russian government, whether it's perpetuating lies about the 2020 election.

The one thing that Kash Patel has proven time and time again is he is there as a facilitator for Donald Trump, period. And he, from the title of this book that he's written, clearly thinks of him more as a king than a president.

I think that's a dangerous perspective for someone who would serve over the nation's largest, most powerful law enforcement entity and one that has been known at least in the last 50 years of its existence as maintaining a respectable and desirable amount of independence from the White House and dedication to the Constitution, not exhibiting fealty to a king or a supposed king.

So I think, you know, Kash Patel is clearly not qualified for this position. But that's, you know, secondary to the really concerning things that it says about Kash Patel and Donald Trump's intentions for the FBI.

[07:10:05]

BLACKWELL: Well, speaking of his intentions for the FBI, Kash Patel told us what he wants to do on day one. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

KASH PATEL, TRUMP'S PICK TO LEAD THE FBI: I'd shut down the FBI Hoover building on day one and reopening the next day as a museum of the deep state. And I take the 7,000 employees that work in that building and send them across America to chase down criminals. Go be cops.

We're going to come after the people in the media who lied about American citizens, who helped Joe Biden rig presidential elections. We're going to come after you, whether it's criminal or civilly, we'll figure that out. But, yes, we're putting you all on notice.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

BLACKWELL: This job requires Senate confirmation. Daniel, any indications that he'll have trouble getting it?

DANIEL LIPPMAN, WHITE HOUSE REPORTER, POLITICO: Yes, there is some reminders of the Matt Gaetz nomination, which got scuttled. There's no scandals like that in Kash Patel's background. But I think Republican senators are getting some heartburn this morning because they'll have to either oppose Trump on this.

And they don't want to give him a lot of black eyes because they always -- they already have to deal with Pete Hegseth. And I think they're probably recalling an episode when Trump tried to put Patel in as head of the FBI. And Bill Barr said over my dead body and blocked it.

And so, what's interesting about this move is that Trump actually put in the FBI Director, Chris Wray. He's Republican, appointed by a Republican, but he is not seen as loyal enough. And it'll be interesting to see if all of that stuff that you quoted, is that just campaign bluster? Is that to rile up his base or is it actually he's going to try to go after journalists where he will get a lot of pushback from members of agents of the FBI who -- that's not their job?

BLACKWELL: Andrew, I want you to listen to this exchange a couple of weeks ago. This is with Fed chair Jerome Powell also serving a 10-year term. And what he said about potential resignation. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Some of the president-elect's advisers have suggested that you should resign if he asked you to leave. Would you go?

JEROME POWELL, FED CHAIR: No.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

BLACKWELL: He also said that he doesn't believe he has any obligation to leave if he's asked to resign. Do you think there'd be any pushback if Chris Wray were asked to resign?

MCCABE: I don't think so, Victor. And the reason is, even though the FBI director serves a 10-year term, which has been legislated by Congress, he still serves at the pleasure of the president. And so, there is no question that Donald Trump has the authority to fire Christopher Wray or any FBI director, as we saw with Jim Comey.

So I think, you know, I'm sure that Christopher Wray is well aware of that. He's not someone who's going to, you know, stage some sort of a personal rebellion. If he's asked to resign, I expect it probably will.

BLACKWELL: Yes. Daniel, another announcement from the president-elect that he intends to nominate Charles Kushner to be the next ambassador to France. Kushner is the father of his son-in-law, Jared Kushner. And this on its own would be controversial considering the 2021 pardon of Charles Kushner. But when you stack them up next to Hegseth and Bondi and now Patel, is this expected to sail through?

LIPPMAN: Yes, that's another one. This is actually a -- he's a former longtime Democratic Party donor who -- let's remember why he was controversial in the first place. He hired a prostitute to seduce his brother-in-law and then send videotapes of that to his sister.

And so, kind of awkward Thanksgiving dynamics. We just had that holiday. But I think that they're going to give him a fair hearing and people are allowed a second chance in this country. And so they'll see if he is up to the job. But it definitely gives Democrats some talking points to say, hey, these are the types of ambassadors we're getting in a nepotism type administration that we saw last time.

BLACKWELL: All right. Daniel Lippman, Andrew McCabe, thank you both.

LEE: Still to come, a cruel reminder as Hamas releases disturbing footage of hostage Edan Alexander as his mother begs for a deal for his release.

And President Biden preparing for what could very well be the final international trip of his presidency. Why the President is headed to Angola in Africa and what it means for the region?

Plus, Cyber Monday is now cyber week and it already is off to a strong start. Coming up, how consumers are financing their spending spree.

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[07:19:26]

LEE: This morning, the mother of an Israeli-American hostage is in despair after a video was released showing her son begging for a ceasefire deal. We want to warn you that the video you're about to see is disturbing.

This propaganda video you're seeing it there from Hamas shows Edan Alexander under extreme duress, pleading with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President-elect Donald Trump to not forget him and to do everything they can to free the remaining hostages in Gaza.

CNN's Nada Bashir has been following this story for us. Nada, what more do we know about this disturbing video?

[07:20:02]

NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, this has certainly shaken many of those who, of course, still have family members held captive and hostage in Gaza by Hamas. We've been hearing from the White House, they've said that U.S. officials have been in touch with family members of Edan Alexander.

And, in fact, we've also been hearing from Alexander's mother who spoke in front of thousands gathering as part of a rally at a hostage square in Tel Aviv. She said she was shaken by the video but also said that she had been assured by the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the conditions right now are ripe for a hostage release deal.

And, of course, there has been mounting pressure not only from many citizens in Israel for a ceasefire deal which would secure the release of hostages. But that pressure is continuing to grow globally as well for a ceasefire to be struck.

We have, of course, seen negotiations stalling time and time again. There hasn't really been any substantial movement on the progress of these negotiations. The hope now is that there is that growing international pressure.

But, of course, questions as to what this will look like for the Israeli government, whether there will be any movement on that front when we see President-elect Donald Trump take office in January. And questions as to how we may see U.S. policy shift as well with regards to pushing for that ceasefire agreement.

LEE: Yes. Nada, let's turn our focus now to Syria. Syrian rebels recently took control of most of Aleppo city. Give us an update there, including how the residents there on the ground are being affected.

BASHIR: That's right. We are hearing from reports on the ground from both residents and journalists and activists on the ground that it appears as though rebel forces have really been consolidating their control over Aleppo.

Syria's second largest city following that really surprise offensive by Syrian rebels earlier in the week. We've been hearing today from residents nearby a military academy where it appears as though rebels have taken control.

According to those near the area and eyewitnesses, the Syrian Armed Forces, of course, representing Bashar al-Assad, the regime leader, essentially didn't really put up a fight and surrendered to rebel forces. There we've been hearing similar things regarding to other military bases in the area as well.

And there are considerations and some indications that we may see rebel forces attempting to push further down through Syria, perhaps heading towards Hama as well, if indeed that control has been consolidated over Aleppo.

And we've been hearing from residents on the ground, many of whom, although somewhat frightening situation for some. This has been a welcome moment as well. We've been seeing videos emerging of many detained in Syrian jails being released as well. So a real shift in what has been taking place on the ground in Aleppo over the last few years.

But, of course, important to underscore that we are also seeing the Syrian regime really trying to clamp down. We've heard from the Syrian President, Bashar al-Assad, who has spoken out, and speaking to regional leaders as well. We've been hearing that he has said essentially that the Syrian government will stand against any attempts to destabilize Syria, will ensure that Syria's territorial integrity is maintained.

And we've been hearing from others as well, of course, backers of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Russia, Iran as well. And, of course, important to note that we have also seen airstrikes taking place now. The Syrian Armed Forces, along with its backers in Russia, taking part in what is being described as an aerial offensive against rebel forces in parts of Aleppo and Idlib.

The concern is we may see a doubling down of the Syrian Armed Forces and Russian backers in that aerial offensive, as we have seen in the past. And, of course, important to remember, over more than a decade of civil war, more than 300,000 Syrians were killed. So real concern as to what this could lead to.

LEE: All right, Nada Bashir, thank you so much for that reporting.

BLACKWELL: Today, President Biden is leaving the U.S. for his first trip to Angola. CNN's Sunlen Serfaty explains what he plans to accomplish on this trip.

SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: MJ and Victor, this is going to be a landmark trip. The first time a sitting U.S. president has visited Angola, it makes good on a promise Biden made that he would visit Africa before he leaves office.

This is also notably a very long awaited trip. It was originally scheduled back in October, but Biden had to postpone to deal with two hurricanes here in the U.S. Biden, while there, will be meeting with the Angola president.

He'll also meet with members of civil society and deliver remarks that, according to a senior administration official, will lay out the country's shared history and highlight the growth and strength of the relationship.

Biden will also be talking a lot on this trip, according to the same administration official, about U.S. investment in African infrastructure. Specifically, the rail corridor project that would start in Angola that the U.S. is in support of.

Now White House officials suggesting that this is the type of initiative that one that they hope will last in the upcoming Trump administration. And that reality of this moment for Biden is what is going to be important. It is going to be hanging over this trip that the president is visiting as he's also preparing to be departing the White House in just two months.

[07:25:09]

White House officials will not say whether this could be Biden's last trip abroad as president. MJ and Victor?

LEE: Australia is taking drastic steps to shield young children from the dangers of social media. Coming up, how the country will implement the first of its kind law banning social media for kids under 16.

And authorities are having a hard time deporting a woman who stowed away on a Delta flight from New York to Paris. Still ahead, what's causing that delay?

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BLACKWELL: Morning headlines for you now. The woman accused of being a stowaway on a flight from New York to Paris is being held in the Paris

airport. Her return flight back to the U.S. has not been scheduled. That original return flight was cancelled after she caused a disturbance and she will be held in an airport waiting zone used for travelers awaiting deportation until a flight can be arranged. The TSA is now investigating how that woman was able to bypass security checkpoints at JFK airport.

There are now plans to raise the superyacht that sank off the coast of Sicily. Seven people were killed. That yacht's insurers presented eight salvage plans to prosecutors that opened a manslaughter investigation. This 543-ton wreckage is currently stuck 164 feet beneath the surface. It'll cost about $30 million to bring that yacht back to shore.

Cyber Week is off to a strong start. Online sales reached $3.6 billion in sales so far with the help of buy now, pay later installment payment plans. A plan gained popularity this year and drove $430 million of the online spending. That option is expected to continue to grow as shoppers look for new ways to manage their budgets.

MJ LEE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Australia has become the first country to ban social media for children under 16. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese praised the new law, telling parents, quote, "We've got your back." The ban is expected to apply to multiple platforms, including Snapchat, TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram. This move comes as Roblox, one of the most popular online gaming platforms, rolls out new parental tools to protect children.

Joining me now is Dr. Jennifer Katzenstein, director of Psychology and Neuropsychology at Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital. Dr. Katzenstein, I am very grateful to have this conversation with you this morning. We have two little kids. Our oldest is almost four. And as a parent, this issue of children and social media. I'm just kind of obsessed with it. You know, I know that there's going to come a time when our daughter is going to be asking about a smartphone, asking about social media. And I just wonder, first off, put aside this issue of the Australia ban, how much, in your opinion, is social media hurting our children these days?

DR. JENNIFER KATZENSTEIN, DIRECTOR OF PSYCHOLOGY AND NEUROPSYCHOLOGY: Well, MJ, thank you so much for having me. This is an incredibly important topic as a parent myself, something that I struggle with every day. And our kids have both benefits and some of those drawbacks from social media. But this technology is going to be a part of their lives for the rest of their lives. And we as parents and trusted adults have to be working with them to ensure that they're using social media platforms appropriately and that we are monitoring it incredibly closely.

LEE: Yes. So, let's actually talk about this ban that is being proposed in Australia. Setting aside for a second how feasible that even is to enforce, just as a healthcare professional, do you see obvious benefits of a ban like this, again, assuming that it can be enforced?

DR. KATZENSTEIN: Yes, if it can be enforced, there may be some benefits, including reducing anxiety and depression in our kids, reducing the predatory behaviors and their exposure to adults who cannot be trusted on these platforms. However, understanding how to use the platforms and being responsible on these platforms is going to be key throughout their lives. And for us as adults as well, utilizing social media appropriately, being kind to one another on social media platforms our behaviors we need to be modeling for our kids, and we can't just turn the switch back on at 16 and expect them to be ready to go and understand how to use these platforms responsibly.

LEE: And as you're thinking about this, I mean, are there any ways in which you think a ban like this could actually backfire?

DR. KATZENSTEIN: Letting our kids have access to electronic devices of any type gives them the opportunity to get around pretty much anything we as parents and caregivers can put into place. And so, it's important for us to be, again, monitoring everything that they're doing on these devices incredibly closely.

If it's 16, they're just ready to go and hop back onto these platforms. We haven't given them the opportunity to be able to develop the skills necessary to understand who should be trusted and who can't be trusted, what their behavior should be on social media and on these devices. And then, in the midst of all of this, they likely have already been on the devices or found a way to get around these platforms, or as parents, we've let them do it.

And so, again, we're getting around the ban, not letting our kids develop these skills that they're going to need lifelong, and that we should be modeling as adults.

LEE: All right. And I know that I can't be the only parent wondering about this question. Do you have an age where you think is appropriate for a kid, a young teenager, to actually get a smartphone and be able to use social media freely on their phones?

[07:35:00]

DR. KATZENSTEIN: Now, the typical response to that is around age 13. However, as a parent myself of a seven-year-old, my son is on Roblox, he is on Minecraft, and what's most important is that you as a parent or a trusted adult also have an account, you know how to use every app. I know how to navigate all of those platforms as well and that you are following and checking in on that device every single day, checking all the chats, seeing what they've been up to and using a monitoring software as well if you can, so that you can know everything, the time of day, the words that they're utilizing, the words that they're searching to be able to be as closely on top of that device as possible.

LEE: All right. This is such an important conversation for us to be having in the years to come. Dr. Jennifer Katzenstein, thank you so much.

DR. KATZENSTEIN: Thanks so much for having me.

BLACKWELL: New evidence could help solve a decade's old mystery. What happened to D.B. Cooper? We'll speak with a retired pilot and YouTuber about the evidence he says that he has uncovered.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [07:40:00]

BLACKWELL: So, this is a mystery that has baffled people for generations, and especially the FBI since 1971. Who is D.B. Cooper? The man who managed to hijack a plane, parachute out with $200,000 and disappeared. Did he leave? Where is the money?

LEE: Well, a former pilot and YouTuber says he's got some of those answers for us. Joining us now is Dan Gryder, volunteer host of the YouTube show "Probable Cause." Dan, it is great to see you. I have been trying to get my head around this crazy story and how you discovered this parachute, which you've been looking for years now, right? Tell us the backstory.

DAN GRYDER, RETIRED PILOT AND YOUTUBER, "PROBABLY CAUSE: DAN GRYDER": Yes, good morning. Thanks for having me. Yes, it is a crazy story. America has been enamored with this story. 53 years ago, the guy jumps out of the airplane with $200,000, never to be seen or heard from again. What people don't know is that there was another one exactly like it six months later, same guy did both of them. He went back and fixed all the little problems that he had on the first one, namely being able to hold on to the money.

BLACKWELL: So, let's start here. Richard McCoy, who is he? And take the similarities between these two hijackings in '71 and '72 and bring us forward to how you came to this property and potentially a piece of the evidence.

GRYDER: Well, it all started with this book. There was two government men that wrote this book in 1990 and it's on the table here. I got interest in this after this book was published, but the book got shut down. Those two guys published this book that said, without a doubt, Richard Floyd McCoy was D.B. Cooper. They wanted to put that through at the time, but they got shut down because the search warrant on the second hijacking was illegal.

After he did his second hijacking, they busted into his house, but their search warrant was not proper. Therefore, they were almost in danger of having the second one thrown out. So, that's how I ended up on this. I read this book and started down that path and it's been 20 years of traipsing around carrying video cameras and going to all these locations.

LEE: OK. So, you brought a piece of that parachute that you found. Can we see it?

GRYDER: Yes, I have a sample of the actual parachute canopy. This is found in July 22 in Richard Floyd McCoy's mother's possessions. She had recently died, and we ended up in her -- this canopy has never been seen or touched by human hands, but I'll let you touch it. This is the actual --

LEE: Is that OK?

GRYDER: Sure. This is the actual sample of the canopy from D.B. Cooper. That's the actual parachute that lowered him to the ground. November 24 of 1971.

BLACKWELL: And so, Richard McCoy was known as the hijacker in '72. The question was, was he also responsible for the hijacking in '71? And when you found this evidence from the '71 hijacking on his property, you think you have this evidence that links him. How do you know that this is the chute, this is part of the rig from the '71 hijacking?

GRYDER: Well, the interesting thing is I have an amateur YouTube channel. And after I produced those two videos, then the FBI contacted us. We have never contacted any media or any law enforcement, but FBI saw my two videos and they contacted us. Then they wanted to confiscate what we had found, the logbooks, his jump logbook, exactly parallel to what he had done. His rehearsals for D.B. Cooper were logged in his writing in a jump logbook. FBI wanted all that. They contacted us. Then they wanted DNA.

Now, at this point, FBI has asked to exhume the grave of Richard Floyd McCoy for the purpose of DNA. It'll be solved on the basis of DNA. That's how it's going to be solved.

LEE: That's incredible. The story of the McCoy family, I think, is pretty fascinating. I understand you've been in touch with his children recently, right?

GRYDER: Yes. His two kids are personal best friends of mine. I'm in contact with them constantly. They are a little bit recluse. They don't want to really be on camera. They don't want to be interviewed. They want this to go away. This has been a deep family secret. They want it closed. They don't want a book deal. They don't want a movie deal. They just want to apologize to America for what their mom and dad did.

[07:45:00]

Their mom and dad were completely complicit Bonnie and Clyde on this entire thing. They know their mom and dad did two hijackings together and they apologize.

BLACKWELL: Last thing here, the FBI said that they stopped actively investigating this back in, what, '96 or so. But now, with this new evidence, are you certain that we're going to get an answer from the bureau that this same man is responsible for both?

GRYDER: Well, you're asking me if I'm certain about anything about the U.S. government.

BLACKWELL: Confident. Let's try that. Are you confident?

GRYDER: I am not confident about anything about our U.S. government. Who knows what they're going to do? However, they have everything that they need to conclusively, absolutely end this on the basis of DNA, when they exhumed the body and get the DNA link that they want. There were articles left on board the airplane on the D.B. Cooper jump that have specific DNA, when they can link that DNA to Richard Floyd McCoy, then this is going to be over. Everything that we have here and everything that I have done is completely circumstantial evidence. It's extremely powerful circumstantial evidence, but it's not enough for the FBI to call it closed and concluded at this point.

LEE: All right. This is an incredible story. You will have to keep us posted on what happens.

GRYDER: I sure will. I sure will. Thank you.

LEE: Thanks for joining us.

BLACKWELL: Thanks, Dan. All right. College sports thrives on rivalries, but we saw the ugly side of that passion after a massive brawl at the end of the Ohio State-Michigan game yesterday. Both teams blaming the other. We'll get you more video from the field.

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LEE: An ugly chaotic scene at the end of the Michigan-Ohio State football game. A huge fight involving dozens of players from both teams after Michigan pulled off the upset.

BLACKWELL: It was a mess. I mean, look at this. It got so out of hand police had to step in. Carolyn Manno joins us now. Of course, most people know these schools are in the most heated rivalry, but police What happened?

CAROLYN MANNO, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Well, you guys both know. I mean, these rivalries are the lifeblood of college sports. Things get really amped up. But you talk about Michigan-Ohio State, this was really unfortunate. It got really bitter on Saturday. And it was a huge upset. I mean, let's start there. The 120th meeting all time. You got a six and five Michigan team pulling off this 13 to 10 win on the road against second ranked Ohio State.

But after the game went final, you can see a Wolverines player trying to plant a big blue flag on the Buckeyes logo at midfield. Ohio State players confronted him and that is really what triggered the escalation. There was so much pushing and shoving, punches were thrown. Finally, stadium security and local police came in to break this up.

But multiple (INAUDIBLE) reported that officers actually used pepper spray to try to diffuse the situation. You can see several players wiping their eyes and coughing. Here's what both sides had to say afterwards.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KALEL MULLINGS, MICHIGAN RUNNING BACK: You hate to see stuff like that after the game. You know, that's just bad for the sport, bad for college football. But at the end of the day, you know, some people got to -- they got to learn how to lose, man. You can't be fighting and stuff just because you lost a game. You know, all that fighting -- we had 60 minutes, we had four quarters to do all that fighting.

RYAN DAY, OHIO STATE HEAD COACH: I know that, you know, these guys, you know, are looking to, you know, put a flag on our field and our guys weren't going to let that happen. So, you know, I'll find out exactly what happened. But, you know, this is our field. And certainly, you know, we're embarrassed with the fact that we lost the game. But, you know, there's some prideful guys in this team that weren't just going to let that happen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MANNO: It's a fourth straight loss to Michigan for Ohio State Head Coach Ryan Day. His team still 10 and 2. They are a safe bet to make the playoff. And Miami also 10 and 2, but they might be sweating it out come next weekend. The Canes ranked number six entering the day. They were also upset, stunned on the road by Syracuse 42 to 38 after jumping out to a 21 nothing lead.

Syracuse quarterback Kyle McCord torching Miami's defense 380 yards and three touchdown passes. And running back LeQuint Allen had two more on the ground as well. Also had the go ahead score midway through the fourth quarter. So, the loss knocking Miami out of the ACC championship next weekend, meaning they will need to rely on the playoff committee to give them an at large bid to make the field of 12.

Number three, Texas, all but securing their postseason berth with their win last night and making it even sweeter. They did it by dominating their longtime rival, Texas A&M 17 to 7 on the road in front of well over 100,000 fans in the first game between the two schools in over a decade. So, next up, will be trying to avenge their home loss to Georgia earlier in the season in the SEC championship game next weekend.

And then, you've got fifth ranked Notre Dame who's done all they can do to impress the committee by finishing off their regular season with a 49-35 win on the road against Southern Cal. And the Irish defense, which just remarkable. I mean, they sealed this win by returning interceptions for touchdowns on back-to-back USC drives late in the fourth, essentially locking Notre Dame into a home game for the first round of the playoffs in three weeks.

So, if you take a look at all the notable conference championships next weekend, the two most consequential might be Arizona State and Kansas State for the Big 12. While 11th ranked Boise State could potentially earn a first round by with a win over UNLV for the Mountain West title. But it's been chaos all regular season that continuing guys into the weekend. Unfortunately, an ugly situation there between Michigan and Ohio State.

BLACKWELL: Yes. Carolyn Manno, thanks so much. Hey, if you are looking to blow off a little steam this holiday season, find you a spot like this one in D.C. because they certainly have you covered.

LEE: Yes, it's called Kraken's Rage Room for $30. You can walk in, put on your safety gear, and just go to town breaking things. The rooms have everything from dishes to TVs that you can smash with sledgehammers, crowbars, and just about anything else you can imagine.

[07:55:00]

The rage room owner says, business is booming and reservations tripled during the week after last month's presidential election. I've never done this before. I have always thought like throwing plates on the ground, like in the movies, would be pretty satisfying.

BLACKWELL: Yes, and it's better if they're their plates, right? Not your own stuff.

LEE: Yes, not mine. Not mine.

BLACKWELL: Yes. I think that's a great idea. They have these around the country. So, find one of your own.

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I'm a klutz. I'd probably more likely injure myself than actually do any harm to the room.

BLACKWELL: Speaking of Allison with her great weather news, we're looking now at Buffalo, New York, cold, cold start in that part of the country.

CHINCHAR: And a little bit of a break right now, at least like looks on the camera, but it won't last that long.

BLACKWELL: All right. 27 degrees, 11 inches of snow on the ground there. More in the forecast. Thanks so much for watching this morning. Inside Politics with Manu Raju is up next.

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