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Winter Storm Slows Post-Christmas Travel In The Northeast; Intense California Storm Brings Flash Floods and Mudslides; Russian Drones, Missiles Pound Ukraine Ahead Of Trump-Zelenskyy Meeting; U.S. Launches Christmas Day Strikes On ISIS Targets In Nigeria; Trump Urges DOJ To Release Epstein Files Naming Democrats; Ashlee Buzzard Pleads Not Guilty, Sheriffs Issued Gag Order. Idaho Investigators Search for Motive After Sheriff Office Shooting; Perry Bamonte, Guitarist and Keyboardist for the Cure, Dies at 65; Michigan Hires Kyle Whittingham As New Head Football Coach. Aired 6-7a ET

Aired December 27, 2025 - 06:00   ET

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

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[06:00:27]

BRAD SMITH, CNN ANCHOR: It is Saturday, December 27th. Welcome to CNN This Morning. I'm Brad Smith in for Victor Blackwell. Hope that you're having a great holiday season. Here's what's new this morning.

It's beginning to look a lot like winter. The Northeast getting pummeled with snow right now. New York could see its biggest snowfall in years. We'll take a look at the impacts on travel and power outages across the region.

Plus, breaking news overnight, Russia launches a massive attack on Ukraine's capital. The timing is notable as President Trump is set to meet with Ukraine's president tomorrow. We have a live report on the chaotic scenes in Kyiv right now.

And there's an update on the performer who canceled annual renamed Trump-Kennedy Center. That performer said he did it because of the venue's name change and now he's being threatened with a million dollar lawsuit. We have the details.

This morning, people in the Northeast are starting to wake up to winter storm warnings because of a massive post-Christmas snowstorm. Check out the dangerous driving conditions in New York. A mix of snow, ice and rain is coating the streets there. This system, it could dump up to 11 inches of snow in New York. That's more than it's seen since 2022.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZACHARY ISCOL, COMMISSIONER, NEW YORK CITY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT: This is the most significant snowfall New York City has seen in years and we're encouraging all New Yorkers to take it seriously. In the last four years, we've dealt with just about every type of climate emergency, Mr. Mayor, but really haven't had a major snowstorm yet. So you know, God is not done with us yet. (END VIDEO CLIP)

SMITH: This storm is also causing a travel mess at airports. New York's three major airports are among the hardest hit with additional disruptions reported in Boston as well. There were more than 8,500 delays and 1,700 cancellations on Friday. States of emergency are in effect in New York and New Jersey with people in Connecticut also being asked not to hit the roads right now.

The storm is affecting all the way out to Michigan where there are a significant number of power outages.

And over in the west, in California, first responders are carrying out water rescues as a final push of rain threatens even more devastation in rain soaked California. This type of scene has been playing out over and over as rescue workers and choppers have been working around the clock to get stranded residents the help they need to safety.

And look at how it ripped apart this road in Southern California. Parts of California have been soaked with a month's worth of rain. And get this, just a few days. It's triggered mudslides, debris flows and evacuations. And here you can see how the relentless rain has buried cars, surrounded homes and left residents surveying the damage.

Since last weekend, there have been more than 100 rescues of people trapped in their homes by flooding. In Ventura, California. The fire captain describes one of the rescues.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAPTAIN ANTHONY MCHALE, VENTURA COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT: We sent a firefighter over the side, put a harness on the victim, secured the victim, and then we do what's called a flying Stokes operation, lifted the victim up off the river bottom and onto the roadway. It was a very successful operation and fortunately was a good outcome. He's uninjured. We do have significant traffic backup. So our next priority is to get the freeway open so people can head home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SMITH: The flooding in California has left at least four people dead since last weekend. And for more on how these storms are really impacting travel and everything, CNN meteorologist Chris Warren is here with us. Chris, it's good to see you, too. What are we tracking right now?

CHRIS WARREN, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, we're we call it the fourth quarter of the system in the Northeast. So that winter storm, we're getting toward the end of it right now. That being said, still winter storm warnings in place.

This is what's going on for the day today. One moving out. That's the snow for New York and Connecticut, and then another one for the second half of the weekend for the upper Midwest and the Northeast.

Here's some of the snowfall totals. Now, the worry that you're going to get inches in New York did not pan out. There's still some snow around, but as of this point, only a couple of inches at both JFK and in Central Park.

Meanwhile, the band that was looking like it was going to set up the snow band over New York City went more into Connecticut where there was 8 inches or more of snow being reported.

[06:05:06]

This is where a quick inch of snow could fall in the pink colors with the winter storm warnings reducing visibility is making roads very slick. This is the snow right now in blue and you can see just the coverage of it really winding down. That's why I'm saying it's like the fourth quarter of a football game here if the storm was a game. Right.

So we're getting toward the end of things. Could be a little overtime with some of these leftover showers. But then comes the next one, another round. This time milder air for the Northeast, but a pounding of snow here in the upper Midwest that's going to bring possibly around a foot of snow and possibly even around the Twin Cities.

On top of all of that, for travel concerns during the day tomorrow, winds are going to be picking up. That's what we're seeing right here. Brad, the red we could at times see wind gusts in that 40 to 45 mile an hour or 50 mile an hour range. Of course, that's bad news for airport.

SMITH: Some serious conditions to continue to keep track of. Chris, thanks so much. Appreciate it.

Breaking overnight, Russia launched a large scale attack on Ukraine's capital Kyiv, killing at least one person and wounding 19 others, according to city officials. Kyiv's mayor says a third of the city is without heat or electricity, including thousands of residential buildings and schools as temperatures remain below freezing.

The attack happened less than a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced plans to meet with President Trump in Florida on Sunday. The two leaders plan to discuss the 20-point peace plan that has been in the works by US and Ukrainian officials over the past week. CNN's Nada Bashir joins us now with more on this. Nada, what is the latest from what you've been tracking and rounding up here?

NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is marked one of the longest assaults by Russia on Ukraine that we've seen in recent weeks, lasting, according to officials, almost 10 hours. And as you've mentioned, we have seen the massive targeting of the capital, Kyiv, including Ukraine's energy infrastructure, but also the city's residential and civilian infrastructure as well.

Districts of the city are now going without electricity and heating in this cold weather. We've seen at least one person killed now, according to officials. And the latest update, at least 28 people injured and that figure could potentially rise as we continue to gather more details from officials on the ground.

According to the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, some 500 drones and 40 missiles were used in this overnight assault by Russia. And this follows recent days where we have seen that ramping up of Russia's assault, aerial assault on Ukraine, as had been anticipated by the Ukrainian president and armed forces over the Christmas period.

But as you mentioned, Brad, this comes ahead of a planned meeting between the Ukrainian president and his U.S. counterpart, President Donald Trump in Florida on Sunday where it is anticipated that the leaders will try to hammer out the final details of that 20-point peace plan.

We have been hearing some positive indications from the Ukrainian president himself. President Trump and the White House has cautioned that nothing really is complete and confirmed until approved by the US President who is also expected to hold calls with his Russian counterpart over the coming days as well.

And this of course follows indications that Ukraine may be prepared to make major concessions on that peace deal, including ceding territory in the Donetsk region. This is something that Russia has long pushed for. And while we haven't had any firm comments or reaction from Moscow just yet, we have heard from the Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, who has told CNN giving up the rest of the Donetsk region could contribute significantly.

So this may be enough to move the needle when it comes to further negotiations on that peace deal. But again, there have been multiple attempts to see progress in this peace agreement that have stalled and failed. So all eyes remain focused on what will happen in this meeting tomorrow and of course, how Moscow will respond.

SMITH: Absolutely. All eyes on what takes place in that meeting. And then additionally, as you mentioned, the response from Russian President Vladimir Putin. Nada Bashir, thank you so much.

Nigeria's Foreign Ministry says no civilians were killed in the Christmas Day airstrikes in the U.S. carried out against Islamic State terrorists.

President Trump acted jointly with Nigerian officials and called the strikes a Christmas present. The strikes included Tomahawk missiles fired from a navy vessel that struck two ISIS camps. CNN's Larry Madowo joins me now live from London.

And Larry, Trump's Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth says that more is to come here. So how are people in Nigeria reacting to all of this?

LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Brad, there's some head scratching and mystery about why this northwestern state of Sokoto was the first to be hit. It is large, Muslim, 90 percent or so. They largely coexist with the Christian minority there. They have not seen the recent spate of attacks, militant attacks of the northeast of Nigeria has seen.

[06:10:00] They do have some kidnappings and banditry and some battle for resources, but not at the same scale as other parts of the country. And that's why a lot of people who woke up overnight to this huge blast and flares in the sky, they thought it was an aircraft landing or crashing before they saw the aftermath. This crater that was formed and going as far as neighboring Kwara State.

But there's more to come. That's what Pete Hegseth had said. We asked the Nigerian foreign minister directly, would that mean boots on the ground? And he would not commit to it. He said that's a decision for the Defense Ministry.

But other analysts are wondering why Sokoto was hit. They do have instances of Lakurawa. It's an affiliated group with ISIS, but they haven't done a lot of activity here. Listen to this one analyst.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AWWAL ABDULLAH, SECURITY ANALYST: To eliminate and disengage the Lakurawa, it is a welcome development. But to say that the Lakurawas are ISIS or bandit ISIS, that is where the challenge is. Not only ISIS, but saying that Christian genocide taking place in Sokoto or the entire northwestern state of Nigeria, it is truly a challenge. And then we truly -- there are a lot of questions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MADOWO: A lot of questions and he pushes back on the Christian genocide narrative that's been animating issue on the American right. President Trump specifically said he sent this Christmas present for this Islamist terrorists who've been targeting largely innocent Christians. The Nigerians immediately pushed back on that. They said terrorism is a security issue in the region, affects both Christians and Muslims. And actually recent data show that more Muslims than Christians have been affected by that.

So some disagreement between the Americans and the Nigerians about the messaging after that first airstrike. Brad?

SMITH: Yes, especially from what we were hearing after these strikes took place that there was some combined effort with local officials there too. We'll have to see how both entities continue to frame their response and how much is still to come in the future. Larry Madowo, thank you so much.

Well, President Donald Trump is lashing out over newly uncovered documents tied to Jeffrey Epstein. In a True Social post, Trump said the Justice Department should stop pouring resources into the newly discovered Jeffrey Epstein files and instead focus on election fraud investigations.

But at the same time, Trump urged prosecutors to release the names of the Democrats he claims were connected to Epstein and, quote, embarrass them. Trump's post comes after federal officials said that they found more than a million additional pages of potentially Epstein related documents that may take weeks to review before public release as required under a law that Trump signed in November.

Joining me now is Meg Kinnard, who is a national political reporter for The Associated Press. And let's just start with the reaction from Trump on the announcement from the Justice Department that there are a million more Epstein files. We're starting to see the White House's stance shift here, but how can they balance the growing outcry for these documents to be released in full and Trump's desire to move on from the files?

MEG KINNARD, NATIONAL POLITICAL REPORTER, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS: Hey there, it's really good to be with you. And you're right, there has been a lot of back and forth even within the White House's own stance on exactly what should be happening with the Epstein files. If there were a whole lot of Epstein files or when we'd be seeing them.

Let's not forget that President Trump was kind of against the release of all of this until it became obvious that even within his own party in Congress there became a groundswell of attention and focus on let's just release the files. And a lot of his support in the Magaverse were on board with that as well.

But now that the files are coming out and seeing this kind of change of opinion from President Trump, it is a little bit confusing. And I would believe that even within some of those supporters of his, dating back to when he was still candidate Trump in the last election, talking about all of this, the whole push at that time for, OK, what has there been hidden from all of us? Let's just release all of the files now that they've really been coming out in force. 30,000 documents in this most recent release.

To see the president kind of going back and forth, I would believe there's a bit of confusion even among some of his biggest supporters as to why there shouldn't just be sunshine on all of this and just release everything or at least after there's been proper redaction.

SMITH: There's also been bipartisan frustration on the release of these documents, with many lawmakers criticizing the slow pace, the heavy handed redactions. I mean, some pages that were just totally blacked out, what are you hearing about that? And do some lawmakers agree with Trump that this is somewhat overshadowing other issues that the DOJ should focus on?

KINNARD: Sure, there is some conversation about, OK, we have gone through this. We as Congress, we as a body have passed the legislation that brought all of the release of these files. It's up to DOJ now to do their job and mete out the documents as they see fit. Let's now move on to other business.

[06:15:08]

We often see this in Congress when there is a topical moment for something that kind of distracts from a lot of other business that is going on. And so it is to be expected that there would be some who say, let's get back to some of that business when we come back in the new year and really get down to things that we as members of Congress are likely to be hearing from our constituents and voters as we go into the midterms that will be coming up here in the next year.

Those are things that are certainly on President Trump's mind as well, since the midterms will be a test of his strength as well as at the top of the Republican Party. But for those members of Congress, they have those elections in mind and they need issues on which they can vote or at least have a debate and then bring to their districts into their states and show the voters there. This is what we've been working on.

Yes, we voted to release the Epstein files, but now we're going to be focusing on some other issues that voters are telling them they care about, certainly top among them, the economy.

SMITH: Meg, while we have you talk about things that are on President Trump's mind. We are also seeing some fallout from the renaming of the Kennedy Center to the Trump Kennedy Center as the Kennedy Center President Richard Grenell blasted a performer's decision to cancel their Christmas Eve concert after Trump's name was added to the venue.

The president also posting about possibly installing marble armrests. Is there a political upside to all of this? I mean, how does the White House see this gaming out?

KINNARD: This is certainly something that we've seen from President Trump in a variety of arenas, not backing down or not saying, oh, no, don't name all of these storied institutions after me or put my name on things. Trying to remake Washington in his own image.

We at the AP and other outlets as well have done a lot of reporting on how parts of D.C. that we've come to really kind of see as part of the fabric of the city are looking different. And in part that is because of things that Donald Trump has wanted to do.

And one of those, the board of the Kennedy Center voting to put his name on that building with the cancellation of these concerts and with bringing in and saying, okay, let's remake these things and look at these samples of armrests that he posted on Truth Social a couple days ago. Those are other ways that Donald Trump is looking to leave his imprint, not just on how our government runs or the Republican Party, which he certainly did when he was first elected in 20, but now also on the pieces of Washington itself.

Obviously, the naming of institutions like The Kennedy Center, that is something that is really technically up to Congress. And so we'll see how that debate moves forward. But with artists pulling out of concerts like this recent holiday festivity that Chuck Redd pulled out of, we'll maybe start to see more of that as well. And so we'll see different things happening at the Kennedy Center.

SMITH: A lot to keep tabs on. Meg Kinnard, thank you so much for taking the time this morning.

Well, the mother of a missing nine-year-old girl now charged with her murder, how investigators were finally able to find 9-year-old Melodee Buzzard's body. Plus, cheer isn't the only thing Americans are spreading this holiday season. They're spreading the flu. What we're learning about a surge in cases across the US.

And a perplexed consumer view of the economy is having an impact on the number of good Samaritans out there as charities say they're seeing fewer donations as 2025 comes to an end. Still ahead, what's driving a decline in charitable giving.

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[06:22:36]

SMITH: OK, this story is getting a lot of attention this morning. A mother pleads not guilty to killing her daughter. Ashlee Buzzard has been charged with killing nine-year old Melodee. She disappeared on a road trip with her mother and triggered a massive investigation across two months and eight states. The criminal complaint says Ashley killed Melody with exceptional cruelty and viciousness. CNN's Josh Campbell has been following that case for us. Brad.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: An update in the tragic case of Melodee Buzzard, the missing nine-year old California girl whose remains, police said were found this month in the state of Utah. Her mother, Ashlee Buzzard made her first appearance in court on Friday charged with first degree murder in connection with the death of her daughter.

In this brief hearing, Ashleee Buzzard entered guilty. CNN has reached out to the public defender representing her for comment. Authorities gave an update on Tuesday laying out various items of evidence that they believe connects the mother to this alleged killing. They said that includes forensic evidence, digital evidence, as well as ballistics evidence, including a comparison of ammunition found at the crime scene with ammo found at the Buzzard family home.

SHERIFF BILL BROWN, SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA: Sheriff's detectives along with the FBI evidence response team responded and served follow up search warrants at the home of Ashlee Buzzard.

During the search of the Mars Avenue residence, an expended cartridge case was recovered. Cartridge cases found at the Utah crime scene resulted in a Nibin hit linking them to the single cartridge case that was found at the Buzzard residence.

CAMPBELL: Now this all started in October when the young girl's school contacted authorities after they had not heard from her for some time. Authorities launched an investigation. They determined that over the course of days, both the mother and the daughter traveled about 1,000 miles from California east as far as the state of Kansas.

Authorities released CCTV footage as part of their investigation that allegedly showed both the mother and the daughter wearing wigs. Police say that at times the license plates on their vehicle were swapped out. The mother returned to California. The young girl was not with her.

Authorities say that the mother wasn't cooperative and she didn't have a plausible explanation about where her daughter was. Police say a couple outtaking photographs in Utah discovered human remains earlier this month and called police.

[06:25:05]

Investigators say they were able to identify those remains as belonging to Melodee Buzzard based on DNA analysis. Brad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SMITH: A case that will continue to track, no doubt. Josh Campbell, thank you for that update. Also in other cases, flu cases surging across the U.S., but fighting the virus just got a little easier. Coming up, the new options to help ease the symptoms.

And user beware. Why New York State is requiring social media sites to carry a warning label.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SMITH: In other headliners in Wallace, Idaho, are now trying to figure out why at a sheriff's office, the suspect injured three people before he was killed in a standoff yesterday. Deputies say that he first shot at a pickup truck outside the Shoshone County Sheriff's office and then walked into the lobby and started and kept firing.

[06:30:03]

Two women in the truck were hit in their legs, and the deputy was grazed in the ear. They are all expected to be OK.

And fans are mourning the death of Perry Bamonte; the long-time guitarist and keyboardist for the band, the Cure. Bamonte joined the Cure in 1990, and he played on several of their biggest albums and performed more than 400 shows with them before leaving in 2005.

He rejoined the Cure for a major tour in 2022. His final performance with them was in London last year. The band says that he died after a short illness and will be greatly missed. Perry Bamonte was 65. As its new head football coach. The 66-year-old joins the Wolverines after the school fired previous head coach Sherrone Moore.

The university said Moore had an inappropriate relationship with a staff member. Moore was later arrested and charged with home invasion and misdemeanor stalking. And flu cases right now, they are on the rise across the country this holiday season.

In its latest report, the CDC says that flu cases nationwide jumped nearly 15 percent over the previous week. Nearly 10,000 people have been hospitalized, and Tamiflu is widely prescribed as a treatment for the flu, but it's not the only option. CNN health reporter Jacqueline Howard has more on what other flu treatments are available.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER: The CDC recommends four different antiviral flu medications for this flu season. One of them is Tamiflu, that one is already widely used, widely available. It's typically taken twice daily over the course of five days, and it can be administered either in pill form or liquid form.

It's approved for nearly everyone, ages two weeks and older. Now, there's also Relenza. This is typically inhaled as powder form. It's approved for ages seven and older. There's also Rapivab. It's an IV infusion for ages six months and older, and there's Xofluza.

Now, this is a single dose pill and it's approved for ages five and older. And Xofluza is growing in popularity, because of that convenience of having just one dose to take, and then you should be good to go. Now, if you have flu symptoms, it's important to get tested.

If you test positive, call your doctor right away because all of those antiviral medications, they are prescription drugs. So, you do need to be prescribed a treatment. And once you're prescribed, it's important to start your treatment as soon as possible because these medications work best when taken within the first 48 hours after your symptoms start.

And again, while Tamiflu is widely popular, Xofluza is becoming more well known. There are slight differences. The side effects associated with Tamiflu are typically nausea and vomiting. But with Xofluza, most people typically experience nausea and diarrhea.

Now, Tamiflu does tend to cost less than Xofluza, but with Xofluza, you could look into getting manufactured coupons to help lessen the cost. And for both medications, they do work prophylactically as well. So, if you've been exposed to the flu virus or if someone in your household has the flu, your doctor may prescribe either medication to help reduce your risk of getting sick as well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SMITH: Jacqueline Howard, thank you so much. We're all familiar with warning labels on many of the medicines that we were just talking about, but New York is now going to require some of those warning labels for social media sites. This, as Governor Kathy Hochul signed the new law on Friday.

She compared it to warning labels on tobacco products, the law. It actually targets features like infinite scrolling, autoplay and algorithm driven feeds that encourage excessive use. Violations can trigger civil penalties of up to $5,000 per incident.

And it is worth noting that this is not the first time that we've seen this at the state level. California and Minnesota have similar laws. Twenty-twenty-five, it brought plenty of legal and criminal drama, from the daring daylight robbery of the Louvre to Sean Combs trial. We've got the top ten legal stories of 2025 coming your way.

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[06:35:00]

SMITH: This morning, we're taking a look back at the biggest crime and court dramas of 2025. Here's CNN's Jean Casarez with the top ten legal stories that made headlines this year.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At number ten, the Massie murder trial. Illinois sheriff's deputy Sean Grayson convicted of second degree murder for shooting the 36-year-old Sonya Massie inside her home. Massie had actually called 9-1-1 to report a suspected prowler, but body-cam footage shown at trial showed tensions rising after the officer confronted Massie for how she was handling a pot of hot water.

Number nine held accountable. A jury awarded Virginia teacher Abby Zwerner $10 million after she sued the ex-assistant principal at her school for failing to act before Zwerner's six-year-old student shot her in the chest and hand. In gripping testimony, Zwerner told the jury after being shot, she was sure she was going to die.

[06:40:00]

ABBY ZWERNER, TEACHER SHOT BY SIX-YEAR-OLD STUDENT: I thought I had died. I thought I was either on my way to heaven or in heaven.

CASAREZ: Number eight. Shocking museum heist.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All right, let's begin with breaking news out of Paris. Priceless jewels are stolen from the Louvre in an audacious day-time heist that took only seven minutes.

CASAREZ: It all happened at the Louvre in Paris, when thieves stole more than $100 million in crown jewels and slipped away in broad daylight. All eight suspects were later arrested, but the jewels are still missing to this day.

Number seven, Karen Read acquitted.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What say you? Is the defendant at the bar guilty or not guilty?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not guilty.

CASAREZ: A jury found Read not guilty of hitting and killing her boyfriend, off duty Boston police officer John O'Keefe with her car.

KAREN READ, ACQUITTED OF MURDER: No one has fought harder for justice for John O'Keefe than I have, than I have and my team. Thank you.

CASAREZ: Large crowds celebrated the decision outside the Massachusetts courthouse.

Number six. Minnesota lawmakers attacked. A man disguised as a police officer ambushed two state Democratic officials at their homes. Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband were killed, while state Senator Jon Hoffman and his wife were shot, but survived.

Vance Belcher was arrested after a two-day statewide manhunt. He has pleaded not guilty to charges of murder and attempted murder.

Number five. Deadly stabbing in North Carolina. Passengers watched in horror as 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska was brutally stabbed three times in an unprovoked attack on Charlotte's light rail system.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, tell me exactly what happened?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know, we didn't see it. There's just a lady right now on the ground with a lot of blood, and everybody is screaming that she got stabbed and I don't know if anybody has called 9-1-1 yet. People are just freaking out.

CASAREZ: The case became a political lightning rod after the public learned the suspect, 34-year-old Carlos Brown, had an extensive criminal record.

Number four.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: As to count one, wherein the defendant, Brian Walshe, is charged with murder in the first degree. What say the jury? Is the defendant guilty or not guilty?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Guilty.

CASAREZ: Brian Walshe convicted. Jurors in Massachusetts found Walshe guilty of murdering his wife, Ana, but unbeknownst to the jury, even before the trial began, Walshe pleaded guilty to illegally disposing of Ana's body and misleading police.

Walshe's defense argued that Ana died in a sudden, unexplained death, something prosecutors told jurors defies common sense. The defense rested without Walshe testifying or even putting up any evidence to back their claims. Walshe now faces years in prison, Ana's body has never been found.

Number three. Catholic school children gunned down.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're following breaking news of a deadly mass shooting at a Catholic school and church in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

CASAREZ: August 27th, a shooter fired dozens of rounds through stained glass windows into the sanctuary of Church of the Annunciation in Minneapolis. Students from the Annunciation Catholic School were gathered inside to celebrate a mass in honor of their first week of school. The attack killed two children and wounded two dozen others as well as adults.

JESSE MERKEL, FATHER OF FLETCHER MERKEL: A coward decided to take our 8-year-old son, Fletcher, away from us. Because of their actions, we will never be allowed to hold him, talk to him, play with him, and watch him grow into the wonderful young man he was on the path to becoming.

CASAREZ: The suspected shooter, a 23-year-old who graduated from the school in 2017, died of a self-inflicted gunshot. Sadly, this was just one of more than 70 school shootings in the United States this year.

Number two. Controversial plea deal.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you pleading guilty because you are guilty?

BRYAN KOHBERGER, CONVICTED MURDERER: Yes.

CASAREZ: In a move that blindsided the families, Bryan Kohberger took a plea deal before heading to trial for the grisly murders of four University of Idaho students in 2022. In exchange for the guilty plea, the government removed the potential for the death penalty.

At the emotional sentencing hearing, the families of Kaylee Goncalves, Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle and Madison Mogen had their turn to speak directly to the killer.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Police officers tell us within minutes, they had your DNA, like a calling card. You were that careless, that foolish, that stupid.

[06:45:00]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're going to go to hell. I know people believe in other stuff, you're evil. There's no place for you in heaven.

CASAREZ: Kohberger is now serving four consecutive life sentences in prison without the possibility of parole.

And number one.

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News!

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Happening now is the breaking news coming in. Jurors in the trial of Sean "Diddy" Combs have reached a verdict on all counts.

CASAREZ: Rap mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs found guilty, but Combs avoided the most serious charges stemming from his federal sex trafficking trial and was found guilty of lesser counts, including transportation to engage in prostitution. Each day, hundreds of people gathered outside the courthouse to follow the proceedings.

Despite no cameras being allowed in the courtroom, Combs got more than four years in prison and was fined $500,000. His attorneys are now appealing. Jean Casarez, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SMITH: The season -- into those in need, but few Americans plan on making charitable contributions. Why?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [06:50:00]

SMITH: A new poll shows most Americans are not planning to make end of year charitable contributions and donations, despite fundraising appeals. People's dollars, they're stretched thin, with tighter budgets, rising prices, worry over jobs and an unpredictable economy.

About half of adults surveyed for the "AP" NORC poll say that they've already made their charitable donations for the year. Eighteen percent say that they have given and will donate again before the year ends, and just 6 percent planned to donate for the first time this month.

The rest, 30 percent, say they haven't donated and don't plan to. Here with me now, we've got Laura Hennighausen, who is the Director of Strategic Philanthropy at Purpose Possible. Great to have you here with us.

LAURA HENNIGHAUSEN, DIRECTOR, STRATEGIC PHILANTHROPY, PURPOSE POSSIBLE: Yes, thanks for having me.

SMITH: Let's dive into this a little bit. This new poll shows Americans are giving, but nonprofits, they are saying that they're stretched thinner than ever. From your vantage point, what is driving this gap right now between generosity and the reality that nonprofits are facing on the ground?

HENNIGHAUSEN: Well, it's interesting. The poll actually shows that about 70 percent of people have either given or plan to give by the end of the year, which is on par with last year and year's prior. So, we're not necessarily seeing that individuals are being less generous.

But what we are seeing is that the non-profits are really suffering from a lot of other existential crises, maybe. So, we have the changes in federal funding, state funding and other local funding that's changing. And then our area foundations are responding to that.

So, it's not that we're becoming less generous, but it's becoming that nonprofits need our support more than ever. And if we are not ramping up that support, then it's not keeping pace with demand.

SMITH: You know, it's interesting to track what we're seeing year- over-year from giving Tuesday as well. They hit another record this year and individual giving, starting to stabilize --

HENNIGHAUSEN: Yes --

SMITH: From what we're hearing. Individual givings, stabilizing a rough stretch that had just moved through as well. What do you see as the bright spots right now in terms of the donor behavior and how nonprofits can actually build on that momentum?

HENNIGHAUSEN: I think that right now we're seeing a lot of folks responding to great need in the communities. So, for instance, a lot of our area food banks put out calls, especially when snap benefits were in question, and we saw a huge amount of folks rally to donate products, to donate cash. And I think that people do, are and will continue to still respond to

emergency giving in those crises. But what we need really are for individuals to give on a monthly basis and a more continuous basis, and not just when something is really bad.

But kind of continue that support throughout the year so that nonprofits can expect and know when they will have that support that's needed.

SMITH: This holiday season, I think back to some of the stories that we heard about, not enough bell ringers outside of retail places and facilities, meaning less people were actually signing up to be bell ringers. Less people participating in the service side of nonprofits as well.

HENNIGHAUSEN: Interesting --

SMITH: Where do you believe that we can actually kind of fill the gap between some of those challenges and making sure that staffing is up to snuff at a lot of the nonprofit efforts?

HENNIGHAUSEN: Yes, that's hard. I think that overall volunteering, I believe, is up. But I think that with folks really struggling to pay their mortgage each month, it's harder and harder to find time to volunteer for those things. I think that companies that give their employees time to volunteer is really key, so that folks can have that extra moment to do that.

And I think that finding opportunities for families or for, you know, your friends to get together and go, maybe work at a food bank for one day is really important, because the research also shows that people give to people. People give when they're asked, and people give to people.

So, they want to have that personal interaction, and nonprofits that can leverage that will succeed ultimately.

SMITH: Laura Hennighausen, thank you so much for joining us here on CNN.

HENNIGHAUSEN: Thank you.

SMITH: Appreciate it. Well, Chevy Chase helped define a generation of comedy from his early days on Saturday night live to movie stardom. The CNN film "I'M CHEVY CHASE AND YOU'RE NOT" explores the life and career of this comedy icon. Here's a preview.

[06:55:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, OK --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Fan, Mr. Chase.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank -- UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Huge fan --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I appreciate that. Thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Would you like a signed picture?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you have one available?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I might. I might have one.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We were at the AFI tribute to Gregory Peck(ph). Way in the corner, Mary Hart(ph) was interviewing someone live and Chevy said, I wonder if I can hit her with this roll. And he whipped it as far as getting -- and hit her right in the head in the middle of a thing. And then he had to sit down like a kid.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was at a an event, and this young caterer came up with a tray full of chocolate mousse like shots of chocolate mousse. And she said, would you guys like some chocolate mousse? And Chevy looked at it and he stuck his finger in one, took it out, and no, thank you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SMITH: "I'M CHEVY CHASE AND YOU'RE NOT", premieres new year's day at 8:00 p.m. Eastern and the next day on the CNN app. Thanks so much for joining me this hour, we have more headlines coming up shortly after the break.

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