view," but i did story on children with a disease where children are born normal and then they get older and older and usually die by the time they're in their teens. and it had nothing to do with show business, and it was just a -- >> brad pitt did that movie. >> sort of, except brad pitt got younger and younger. these children get older and older, and there's only 65 of them, i think, in the world. >> there's only one barbara walters. >> thank you, larry. there's only one larry king. >> her 3,000th show thursday morning. tina fey and a surprise guest, and she didn't tell me who it was even off the air. iran's president will be here for the hour tomorrow night. jerry seinfeld thursday. and the cast of "saturday night live" on friday. anderson cooper and ac 360 is next. anderson. hello and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the united states and all around the

world. ahead this hour, tv news mourns the passing of a legend. we'll take a look at the life and legacy of barbara walters. plus -- >> these murders have shaken our community and no arrest will ever bring back these young students. >> the long-awaited arrest in connection to the murders of four university of idaho students. how the community is reacting after this month's long ordeal. and a never-before-seen look at donald trump's taxes. house democrats making six years of the former president's financials public. ♪ ♪ live from cnn center, this is "cnn newsroom". >> trailblazer, pioneer, ground breaker. however you label her, barbara walters was an american

original. late friday we learned that legendary news woman had passed away peacefully at the age of 93. it is easy to forget what it was like six decades ago when women were rarely, if ever seen as serious journalists in the u.s. she proved them wrong becoming the first to co-anchor an evening newscast and that was just the beginning. it wasn't easy. barbara walters faced powerful headwinds from the very start yet it was her fight and determination that helped turn her into a world-class journalist and in the process inspired countless others to be like her. cnn's richard roth looks back at her extraordinary career. ♪ ♪ >> reporter: barbara walters was one of the most fascinating people of any year in the television era. >> i know that i have done some important interviews. i know that i have been a part of history. >> reporter: was she ever. >> are you saerorry you didn't n

the tapes? >> yes, i think so because they were private conversations. >> we read that you are mad. >> reporter: from murderers -- >> why did you kill john lennon. >> are you a changed man from the illness? did it affect you much. did you mind the fodder as sex, sex, sex. i think it is important to have curiosity, follow that curiosity. i am a great believer in homework. >> reporter: before people revealed all on social media, barbara walters was the interviewer to open up the stars. >> does he hit you? >> he shakes, he pushes, he swings. >> i'm me and i hope that they think that i'm fair and that i can be ben traiting without being a killer, and i am i hope. >> and which interview was her most important? >> the first and at that time the only, only did one after

interview that men "access holl begin gave. >> reporter: she head her first interview with fidel cass twrees a coup. >> a man who allows no dissent. >> reporter: castro didn't make it easy. >> blowing the cigar smoke in my face for three-and-a-half hours, i didn't mind it. it was a different time. >> reporter: about 74 million people, the most viewers for a news program, tuned in to see monica lewinsky, the white house intern involved with president clinton. >> what will you tell your children when you have them? >> mommy made a big mistake. >> reporter: she got a reputation for making her interview guests cry. >> never got to know -- >> and you won't feel so big. >> reporter: after katherine hepburn said she felt like an old tree, walters was cut down by critics for asking this. >> what kind of a tree are you?

>> reporter: it didn't take long for walters to become part of pop culture. >> hello. this is barbara wawa. >> reporter: the same network that made fun of her is where she got her big break. >> i kicked the door open because after being there for 11 years i was named the first co-host of a morning program. >> reporter: but shifts not permitted by her co-host to ask a question until he posed three. >> harry reasoner. barbara walters. >> reporter: it got worse when walters, to the surprise of many, was named the first female co-anchor of a network evening newscast. >> i've kept time on your story than mine, then i -- you owe me four minutes. >> reporter: she later described it as drowning without a life preserver. >> "the barbara walters special." >> the specials saved my life. >> good evening. i'm barbara walters. >> reporter: and launched a legendary career at abc, capped by creating and co-hosting "the

view." >> when did you first learn about sex? >> i didn't learn about sex until i started to do this show and now i know more about sex than i ever wanted to know. >> the chemistry of it. the fact it is live and you never know what you are going to hear. >> reporter: when she left "the view" and abc they named a building in her honor, a lasting monument for a woman who changed tv. >> i'm so proud of the women today. there are so many that are wonderful. that's my legacy. >> well, as you would expect, the reactions of barbara walters' death is pouring in, especially from fellow journalists. abc's deborah wallace tweeted out her memories. michelle collins described the process of interviewing for the show and her introductory lunch

with her. joan lunden shared her thoughts saying the death of walters was a loss in the industry. connie chung spoke with cnn earlier to reflect on the broadcaster's legacy and how walters landed all of those interviews. >> barbara was one of a handful of women who was in the news business at the time that i started, but beyond that she blaze i blazed a trail for the men, too. in other words the men were sitting back there, not aggressively going after interviews, one-on-one interviews, and they were not picking up the phone frankly. she did everything she could to get an interview. i first met her in 1969 when i was working at a local station

in washington, d.c. and she was just -- shie was bigger than life. she met me in her limousine at the southwest gate of the white house because i wanted to interview her, and she -- i hopped in the limo and i sat there in the back with her and she had an assistant sitting in the front. and she was giving instructions on what to do about this and what to do about that, and i thought, "oh, my god, this is like a katherine hepburn movie in which the executive is not barking orders but saying so definitively, this is what i need to do." i thought, oh, gosh, if i ever get to there, you know, how am i going to be. well, that was the first time we met, but then we had a long relationship because there were times when i was competing

against her for interviews, you know. >> and what was that like, connie, when competing against barbara walters for the get? >> oh, my god. i mean i thought i was against mount rushmore. i thought, i'll never get this. but if i ever did, and i did a few times, she would write me a note. she would -- i mean i can just see her. she would wear -- she had this stationary that was blue, sometimes it was white with blue lettering, but it had her -- her handwriting was kind of slanted. not school teacher handwriting. every time she would write me a note it was heartfelt. i mean it really was so sincere i thought, oh, my gosh, this is how she gets people into her close confidence.

>> well, we will have much more on walters' legacy and the tributes coming in throughout the morning. in idaho people gathered on friday to remember the lives of four university students killed last month. the murders of the students stabbed to death in their off-campus home shocked the small community which hadn't recorded a murder in seven years. now police have announced the arrest of a suspect found through dna evidence, a public database and tracing a car spotted near the scene of the crime. cnn cameron bernal has the details. >> reporter: a call to the public, authorities in need of any information regarding bryan kohberger. >> we ask people to send us tips in the tip line. >> reporter: his dna and white hyundai elantra linking him to the case, according to two law enforcement sources briefed on the investigation, but more evidence is needed for a successful prosecution. >> we are still looking for more

information. we are still trying to build that picture, like we have stated all along. we are putting all of the pieces together and that will help. >> ryan kohberger. >> reporter: the 28 year old graduated in mei from de salles with a masters in criminal justice. >> someone who has been deflvin into the inner most thinking of crime who has been accused of a horrific crime. >> reporter: a student investigator named bryan kohberger sought participation associated with a university study. it was to understand how emotions and psychological traits influenced decisionmaking when committing a crime. the post said the study sought to understand the story behind your most recent criminal offense with an emphasis on your thoughts and feelings throughout your experience. most recently, he was a graduate

student at washington state university's department of criminal justice and criminology. >> i'm not at all surprised, although really disheartened to find out that this suspect is a ph.d. student in criminology at washington state university. from the outset we had to understand that this wasn't an organized killer. >> reporter: he was studying and living just a few miles from the crime scene. police searched his university residence friday morning. >> this is a smart guy who is obsessed with crime. >> reporter: he was arrested early friday morning, giving law enforcement a clear focus for their investigation. >> this is not an ending but rather a new beginning. >> reporter: and the chancellor of washington state university saying that the entire region has been shaken by this crime, adding that she hopes this arrest is the beginning of essentially a healing process in terms of the investigation. the university confirming that university police helped execute

search warrants. this was in terms of his apartment and his office, both of them were on campus. the university saying that they will continue to help with law enforcement in this case and, finally, con frfirming the susp finished his first semester as a ph.d. student at the university just this month. camille bernal, cnn, los angeles. as you heard, police said they are still investigating the killings and the suspect's possible motive. cnn national security analyst juliette kaine explains why investigators are still asking for the public's help. >> reporter: another point they made in the press conference was that they still want tips, and the exact line was anything and everything you know about the suspect. that says to me that they are, in fact, still building a case of motive. they want to know were there

connections or they want to strengthen the case about what the connections are. so they're still asking for tips in terms of what the motive may be, and that may be to build a case. idaho is a death penalty state, and i would anticipate if they can build that case they're not going to be shy in trying to get the death penalty in this case. >> that was cnn national security analyst juliette kayyem there. no matter how much you are paying in taxes, there's a chance donald trump paid a lot less than you. we will explain what is in his tax returns next. g kills more v, including the covid-19 virus, on more surfaces than lysol disinfectant spray. lysol. what it takes to protect. i'm jonathan l lawson here to tell you about life insurance through the colonial penn program. if you're age 50 to 85, and lookinto buy life insurance on a fixed budget, remember the three ps.

wh are the three ps? the three ps of life surance on a fixed budget are price, priceand price. a pre you can afford, a price that can't increase, and a price that fits your budget. i'm 54, what's my price? you can get coverage for $9.95 a month. i'm 65 and take medications. what's my price? also $9.95 a month. i just turned 80, what's my price? $9.95 a month for you too. if you're age 50 to 85, call now about the #1 most popular whole life insurance plan available through the colonial penn program. it has an affordable rate starting at $9.95 a month. no medical exam, no health questions. your acceptance is guaranteed. and this plan has a guaranteed lifetime rate lock so your rate can never go up for any reason. so call now for free information

and you'll also get this free beneficiary planner. and it's yours free just for calling. so call now for free information.

it will be warmer than normal in the eastern u.s. for new year's eve, but there will be rain on the parade of people who will be out celebrating on both coasts. here's the cnn meteorologist, almeteorologist, alison chinchar with the forecast. >> it will be a soggy one for several locations across the u.s. because we have not one but

two separate systems. the first one that will be sliding into the northeast and mid atlantic going through the day saturday, the secondary one just starting to push its way into northern california that is expected to spread across the mountain west in the next 24 to 48 hours, unfortunately bringing several locations just in time for the ball to drop, to produce some rain as well as snow. the one location everybody wants to know about though is new york city. let's start with the good news. temperature wise it is going to be above average and certainly warmer than it was this same time one week ago. temperatures will likely be into the low 50s in the hours leading up to the ball dropping, but there's also quite significant rain chances. now, the heaviest rain is likely going to be in the early evening portion, beginning to lighten up the closer we get to the stroke of midnight. the problem is that it may not be gone entirely. you may want to have a rain coat or poncho handy if you plan on outdoor festivities. new york is not alone. boston also looking at rain chances. the same thing with washington, d.c. out to the west, wherever from

san francisco, san diego, los angeles, looking at rain in the forecast for new year's eve. out to the west, the secondary system is going to move very slow. that will give it a tremendous amount of time to drop a lot of snow as well as rain. in fact, rainfall here most places 2 to 5 inches but some areas could pick up in excess of 7 inches of rain. that along with the fact it could melt a lot of the snow pack that's been brought in the last few weeks increases the flood risk not only for california but also for nevada as well. one thing to note, there will be a change as we head into the first full week of the new year. while warm temperatures will stay in the eastern portion of the country, we are going to start to notice a lot more temperatures in the western half begin to drop back. donald trump's tax returns for the years of his presidency confirm he paid little to no federal income taxes in some years, even while paying substantial taxes to other countries. his 2017 return shows he paid

only $750 in u.s. income taxes. his first year in office. and zero in 2020, his final year. in between there lies a complex web of raw financial data that trump fought all the way to the supreme court to keep secret and it is not difficult to see why. here's cnn's kristen holmes. >> reporter: little or no income tax, foreign bank accounts and eyebrow-raising details about loans to his adult children, just some of the findings after the democratic-led house ways and means committee released six years worth of former president trump's federal tax returns. the returns spanning from the year trump announced his first run for president, 2015, through his last year in office, 2020. >> the research that was done as it relates to the mandatory audit program was nonexistent. the tax forms were really never audited.

>> reporter: previous reporting from the joint committee on taxation revealed shockingly low tax amounts paid by the former president, including paying only $750 in 2017, and in 2018 and '19 paying a combined $1.1 million and paying no income tax in 2020, his final year in office. trump offsetting his income by claiming millions of dollars in losses, raising questions about the former president's business failures. >> i've been successful in every business i have been in. >> reporter: while trump paid less than $1,000 in u.s. income tax in 2017, the former president's tax bill totaled nearly $1 million in foreign taxes the same year, indicating notable business dealings in more than a dozen countries including azer buy jean, turkey, china, isreal and brazil. shedding light on where trump's business interests were while he was in the white house. the returns also showed trump maintained foreign bank accounts while serving in the white house, including in china.

some of trump's business spending raising eyebrows among experts including a 2017 claim that one of his businesses, djt aerospace, made exactly the same amount spent, zero net, ensuring there was nothing to tax, something one tax expert referred to as a, quote, statistical impossibility. >> my personal tax returns would show only that i've had tremendous success. >> reporter: trump blasting the release as an outrageous use of power. >> it is nothing but a deranged witch hunt which has been going on from the day i came down the escalator in trump tower. >> reporter: the release coming after a years-long legal battling culminating with the supreme court. >> i'm under an audit and as soon as it is released it will be released. >> reporter: trump became the first president in decades not to release his tax returns, sparking interest and concern about his foreign business

entanglements and potential conflicts of interest. now, this appears to be a significant oversight on the part of the irs. i spoke to one expert who said much of this would have been flagged, at least likely flagged particularly when it comes to the foreign bank accounts had the irs actually conducted that mandatory presidential audit program, which of course we know now from the house ways an means committee they did not. kristen holmes, cnn, washington. well, it is to talk about the political fall-out is a professor of government at the university of essex in england. so good to have you with us, professor. what have you learned about the former president from these documents from a political perspective? >> well, i think the most important thing that trump was trying to prevent getting out there is the fact that he's not a particularly good businessman. this is the most significant thing of his persona, the thing that he brags about the most, is

that he is so intelligent and he is an amazing entrepreneur. what we see is that's not the case at all. he's just suffered chronic losses and tried to get around it by not paying his taxes, and actually the only thing that was really successful was what he inherited from his father, fred trump. he's not that great a businessman, and that's why he didn't want this to be released. that might be the only thing that might roughly ruffle repub little bit, that this is all fake, it is just a persona, that he is really just marketing himself and that in reality there isn't anything according to the records to back that up. >> how are democratic lawmakers portraying this? and i'm thinking specifically about the timing of the release of these documents. i mean they spent years trying to get these returns to be made public. was it worth it in the end? >> well, that's a really good question. i think democrats have been

trying to get a lot released before the new year and a new congress starts. i think they're trying to highlight some of the things that were unfair. these are the types of things that matter more to democratic voters and possibly independent voters. the fact that he didn't pay any taxes in 2020, he just used clever accounting to get out of it, and the fact that the irs and whatever the presidential audit program was doing has been completely ineffective and that there needs to be more effort for transparency to ensure that the irs has the ability, the capability to go after really wealthy members as citizens of the public that are avoiding paying taxes. this is incredibly important for the strength of this state, and to ensure in the future it is not just a norm that we hope that presidents will reveal their tax returns, that all future nominees are going to

have to reveal it. i think that's something that democrats want to get behind because they're pressuring for more transparency, which is so critical to democracy. this is a lot of the fall-out of all the norm-shattering activity that trump has engaged in. >> now, you referenced the republicans, mr. trump's party. how do these documents affect mr. trump's standing among his party, the republicans, and among his supporters? and what impact does it have on the republicans' internal debate about who should be representing them in the upcoming presidential election? >> i think the only thing, as i already mentioned, that could be a factor is that he is not a very good businessman, and that might be something that potential republican opponents might try to focus on. but if we look at the response from republicans thus far, they are acting like they're ou

outraged, that this is violating precedence or setting a dangerous precedent, that anybody could be -- could have their taxes revealed, and so they're angry about that. but in terms of how trump is doing, i don't think this is really going to affect much in terms of support from other republicans. he has his base within the republican party. it is very strong in the sense that there's very little that's going to change that. if we look at the republicans in total, ron desantis is the candidate, potential candidate that has the best chance going against trump and, in fact, polls that were taken after the november mid terms -- so just a few weeks ago -- revealed that desantis is almost ahead by two to one. a "wall street journal" poll showed that desantis was ahead by maybe 20%. a "morning consult" poll showed desantis was ahead by maybe 15 points. so trump is in trouble within

his own party. this isn't going to change things that much, this big reveal here, but as i mentioned, it might be something that if desantis does run, and i think he may announce this in the spring, that he could use to pick apart at trump's image that he is just not as successful a businessman as he has led the public to believe. >> republicans are set to take over the house in january. what are you watching for? >> i think they're going to try to basically overturn all of the things that the democrats have done, but i think in the end what we're going to see is a lot of gridlock and not much happening because both the democrats and the republicans are going to be going after one another because they're all going to be focusing on what is going to happen in 2024. >> professor natasha lindstaedt, thanks as always. >> thanks for having me. still ahead, a giant of journalism who showed generations of women what it

means to be truly fearless. bye, bye cough. later chest congestion. hello 12 hours of relief. 12 hours!! hmmm, , ok. not t coughing at yoga? antiquing not coughing? not coughing at the movies?! hashtag still not coughing?! aaah. oww! mucinex dm gives you 12 hours of relief from chest congestion and any type of cough, day or night. it's not cough season. it's always comeback season.

my moderate to severe plaque psoriasis... the tightness, stinging... the pain. emerge tremfyant®. with tremfya®, most people saw 90% clearer skin at 16 weeks. the majority of people saw 90% clearer skin even at 5 years. serious allergic reactions may occur. tremfya® may increase your risk of infections and lower your ability to fight them. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms or if you had a vaccine or plan to. emerge tremfyant®. with tremfya®. ask your doctor about tremfya® today.

pst. girl. you can do better. at least with your big-name wireless carrier. with xfinity mobile you can get unlimited for $30 per month on the nation's most reliable 5g network. they can even save you hundreds a year on your wireless bill over t-mobile, at&t, and verizon. wow. i can do better! -yes you can! i can do better, too! see how easy it is to save hundreds a year on your wireless bill over t-mobile, verizon, and at&t. talk to our switch squad at your local xfinity store today.

♪ ♪ welcome back to our viewers all around the world. you're watching "cnn newsroom." barbara walters, one of the most beloved and admired american journalists of the 20th century has died. she was 93. in the early 1960s she burst into u.s. living rooms as a rare female reporter in a news business dominated by men, while she later became the first woman to co-anchor an evening news program in the u.s. she never looked back, blazing a decades-long trail as a world

renowned interviewer of the famous and powerful. in her final years she was the sharp and witty creator and co-host of the talk show "the view" before retiring in 2014. tributes for the legendary journalist barbara walters are coming in almost endlessly right now. bernice king, the daughter of dr. martin luther king jr., tweeted this message, thanking walters for her courage and trail-blazing ways as a female journalist in america and having, quote, difficult conversations that mattered. oprah winfrey shared her thoughts on the loss of walters on instagram. she shared a picture of the two and thanked her for leading the way for other women in the field. john miller who is now a cnn analyst worked with walters as a co-anchor on the show "20/20." earlier he spoke with cnn anchor alisyn camerota and reflected on what made walters so formidable.

>> barbara walters didn't just break the glass ceiling. she broke through -- she caused the collapse of the glass building, and she did it one step at a time through her career. remember, she was on the "today" show and then moved to abc where she was co-anchor of the abc "evening news with harry reasoner," but harry reasoner seemed to resent her presence so much on the air that you could tell there wasn't chem istry, that he was almost hostile. she moved off and forged her own path, getting the interviews other people couldn't get, becoming the go-to person whether you were a superstar or a villain, and she was very generous. when her partner on "20/20" which was a magazine show, she also pioneered into an entire genre, when her partner hugh downs retired, she called me in and said "i want you to be my

new co-anchor." and i remember saying, and this is about generosity in her own picks. i remember saying, "barbara, i have never anchored anything at all in television and this is one of the highest rated television news shows in history." she said, "well, don't worry, everyone has to start somewhere." >> that's wonderful. what a great story. she faced resentment from a lot of her male co-anchors i think, not just harry reasoner. when you talk about the incredible interviews she did, so many were record -- you know, ratings breaking and they were memorable. so just to name a few, obviously she did lots of heads of state. she did one with the egyptian president anwar saddat that i remember. she sat down with michael jackson which basically broke the ratings system. i think the highest rated one ever was monica lieu ensky. as you say, john, people,

whether it was in the middle of a scandal or in the middle of a celebration, shelves was their go-to. she was the person who established herself. you hadn't made it until you sat down and cried through a barbara walters interview. >> i mean a lot of this was about her special technique, you know, that she forged. if you were being interviewed by mike wallace on "60 minutes" the killer question came in the form of a stiletto. when you were interviewed by barbara walters, the killer question would still come. she would ask anything that needed to be asked, but she did it in a way with not a stiletto, it was a scalpel. i mean you didn't feel it going in, and she asked it with real curiosity. the viewers really want to know the answer to this, and it made even a difficult interview, even an interview that might be hostile with another interviewer, seem like the kind of thing where the person just

wanted to talk and tell her and she got a lot out of a lot of people, you know. you name it, world leaders, fidel castro. she brought me back the box of cigars because she wasn't much of a cigar smoker and she knew that would make me happy. but i mean it was -- it was the way that made people feel confident that she would ask whatever needed to be asked but also get their story out. >> the house committee investigating last year's insurrection has released transcripts of its interview with virginia thomas, the wife of supreme court justice clarence thomas. they show that she regretted sending text messages to chief of staff mark meadows encouraging him to overturn the 2020 election. she said in part, quote, i regret the tone and content of these texts. congressman schiff then asked, quote, and what in particular disturbs you in hindsight about the content of the texts?

she replied, you know, i would take them all back if i could today. i wish i could have rewritten them. i wish i didn't send them. cnn's sara murray has more on what the transcripts revealed. >> reporter: the january 6th committee releasing yet another round of transcripts, this round with a key interview with ginni thomas, the wife of supreme court justice clarence thomas. now, previously we had talked about text messages that ginni thomas exchanged with former white house chief of staff mark meadows where she encouraged meadows and former president donald trump to continue challenging the 2020 election results. in her interview with the january 6th select committee ginni thomas offered something of a mea culpa saying i regret the tone of the texts and i would take them back if i could. interestingly though, she stood by her claims of election fraud in her interview with the january 6th committee even though she didn't have specific evidence she could cite. there was another big-name

interview released and that is a deputy white house chief of staff in the trump white house. he came up in cassidy hutchinson's bombshell testimony. chef recalled how irate president trump got when he was told he couldn't go to the capitol. he said he didn't recall what happened in the motorcade and he couldn't recall what happened on january 6th. he cited the fog of war when talking to the committee and said it was a very, very chaotic day so i don't recall those specific details. even though his lawyer said he testified truthfully and cooperated with the committee, the committee said in their final report that they did not view him as a credible witness. this last revelation came from jared kushner's transcripts and e-mails he handed over to the committee. it was a revelation that in the days after the 2020 election donald trump had his head on trademark, spokeaecifically he wanted to trademark the term

rigged election, exclamation point. he set out to try to make it happen for his father-in-law. the work of the committee officially wraps up on january 3rd. sara murray, cnn, washington. pulling more weight for the sake of fellow europeans. still ahead, why he believes ukraine has a far bigger role to play in the security of the entire continent. i tried every. golo and release has s definitely shown me that there is hope out there. i'm jonathan lawson here to tell you about life insurance through the colonial penn program. if you're age 50 to 85, and oking to buy life insurance on a fixed budget, remember the thr ps. what are the three ps? the three ps ofife insurance on a fixed budget are price, price, and price. a price you can afford,

a price that can't increase, and a price that fits your budget. i'm 54, what's my price? you can get coverage for $9.95 a month. i'm 65 and take medications. what's my price? also $9.95 a month. i just turned 80, what's my price? $9.95 a month for you too. if you're age 50 to 85, call now about the #1 most popular whole life insurance plan available through the colonial penn program. it has an affordable rate starting at $9.95 a month. no medical exam, no health questions. your acceptance is guaranteed. and this plan has a guaranteed lifetime rate lock so your rate can never go up for any reason. so call now for free information and you'll also get this free beneficiary planner. and it's yours free just for calling. so call now for free information.

as a business owner, your bottom line is always top of mind. so start saving by switching to the mobile service designed for small business: comcast business mobile. flexible data plans mean you can get unlimited data or pay by the gig. all on the most reliable 5g network. with no line activation fees or term contracts. saving you up to 60% a year. and it's only available to comcast business internet customers. so boost your bottom line by switching today. comcast business. powering possibilities.

♪ ♪ welcome back. north korea is ending its record year of missile tests with another series of launches. south korea reported at least three short-range ballistic missiles were fired stormtracker from a site near pyongyang. all landed in the sea of the peninsula. they don't pose an immediate

threat but highlight the program. by cnn's count this is the 37th day north korea has conducted a launch this year. ukraine remains defiant as it marks the end of a year that brought on a brutal russian invasion. president zelenskyy says his country is not only holding the line in the east where russian troops are trying to break through, but that ukrainian forces are also making slow advances in some areas. mr. zelenskyy's office claims ukraine has liberated almost 1,900 settlements since the invasion began, but the u.n. says the country paid a heavy price for it in human life, losing more than 6,800 civilians in the conflict. the u.n. report says almost 11,000 others have been wounded, mostly in strikes that involved heavy weapons. well, for more now, joining us from london, as the year 2022 comes to a close ukraine faces

an uncertain future. >> reporter: yes, absolutely laila. it is uncertain as we heard from ukrainian military officials as well as western intelligence sources. it is set to be an uncertain beginning to the new year with the anticipation of potential intensification of russia's bombardment of ukraine. over the last ten months we have seen that bombardment continue, but despite that president zelenskyy has remained defiant. we heard him speaking just yesterday in his nightly address, a defiant tone to the nation, saying that the ukrainian armed forces are maintaining their positions in much of the eastern front lines and, in fact, making some slow advances in parts of the east. but over the last two weeks we have seen that bombardment continue and heavy clashes, of course, in missile attacks by the russian armed forces in key areas in the east, particularly on thursday when ukraine saw one of the largest barrages of missile attacks by the russian armed forces that they have seen since the beginning of russia's invasion ten months ago, attacking the country from all

fronts, from ukraine, from kyiv, the capital, and along the eastern front line points. clearly we are seeing a doubling down of the effort by russian armed forces. the message from zelenskyy has been a continuation of the support from the west. he touched on the significant developments that the ukraine armed forces have had in relation to air defense systems, saying this would be crucial going into the next year, not only for ukraine but for europe as a whole. take a listen. >> translator: this year we not only maintained our air defenses, but we made them stronger than ever. in the new year ukrainian air defense will become even stronger, even more effective. ukrainian air defense can become the most powerful in europe, and this will be a guarantee of security not only for our country but also for the entire continent. >> reporter: now, we've already seen the ukrainian armed forces and military officials said that actually on thursday when we saw

that large-scale barrage of cruise missiles heading towards ukraine, ukrainian armed forces were able to intercept a majority of the russian cruise missiles. the russian military and defense ministry however said in fact they were able to successfully target and neutralize all of their targets they say were military hardware stores and, of course, military networks. that is a claim that the russian armed forces has maintained throughout its invasion of ukraine. it stands in contrast to what ukrainian military officials have been telling us and, of course, the evidence we have seen on the ground. president zelenskyy has over the last two weeks taken to sharing images, often graphic images of the impact of the missile launches, civilian losses and, of course, damage to infrastructure across the country. he says it is further evidence that russia is engaging in terrorist activities in ukraine, calling for further support. there are, of course, concerns that the attack from russia will intensify in the new year.

laila. >> nada bashir, thank you for your continued coverage on this story. we will be right back. ememerge tremfyant®. with tremfya®, most people saww 90% clearer r skin at 16 weeks. the majority of people saw 90% clearer skin even at 5 years. serious allergic reactions may occur.r. tremfya® may increase your risk of infections and lower your ability to fight them. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms or if you had a vaccine or plan to. emerge tremfyant®. with tremfya®. ask your doctor about tremfya® today.

♪ ♪ welcome back. let's take a look now at some other stories making headlines around the world. in the philippines heavy rain and floods have killed at least 46 people. the disaster management council says at least another 28 are missing. flooding and landslides happened on christmas day in the southern part of the country. it is estimated the flooding has caused more than $20 million in damage to infrastructure and crops. about 50,000 people were forced to flee their homes. and in bolivia protesters on

a 24-hour strike burned cars, blocked highways and attacked buildings. this is in response to the regional governor, who is a right-wing opposition leader. he was held on charges of terrorism and sentenced to four months of pretrial detention. camacho maintains he is innocent. prosecutors deny his arrest is politically motivated. in one of his last acts as brazil's leader, bolsonaro has revoked the ban preventing nicolas maduro from entering the country. that will allow mr. maduro to attend the inauguration of the incoming president on sunday. but bolsonaro won't be there, choosing to fly to the united states instead. ♪ ♪ this is "cnn breaking news." ♪ ♪ and we've got breaking news

just coming in here at cnn. the vatican says that pope emeritus benedict xvi has died. the former pontiff was 95 years old and had been in declining health. in 2013 he retired as pope, becoming the first leader of the catholic church to do so in nearly 600 years. we'll have much more on this breaking story. but next cnn is getting ready to bring -- to welcome rather 2023 with you around the clock. our special broadcast, new year's -- new year's event live will feature special coverage from across asia, africa, europe, latin america, the united states and even the metaverse. it all starts at midnight in sydney, australia, which is 9:00 p.m. in hong kong and 8:00 a.m. eastern time. that wraps up this hour of

"cnn newsroom." i'm laila harrak. i will be back with more on that breaking news story. do stick around. when they're sick, they get comfortable anywhere and spread germs everywhere. wherever they rest protection nothing kills morere viruses, inclcluding the covid-19 virus, on more surfaces than lysol disinfectatant spray. lysol. what itit takes to prote. i'm jonathan lawson here to tell you about life insurance through the colonial penn program. if you're age 50 to 85, and looking to buy life insurce on a fixed budget, remember the three ps. what are the three ps? the three ps of life insurance

on a fixed budget are price, price, and price. a price you can afford, a price that can't increase, and a price that fits your budget. i'm 54, what's my price? you can get coverage for $9.95 a month. i'm 65 and take medications. what's my price? also $9.95 a month. i just turned 80, what's my price? $9.95 a month for you too. if you're age 50 to 85, call now about the #1 most popular whole life insurance plan available through the colonial penn program. it has an affordable rate starting at $9.95 a month. no medical exam, no health questions. your acceptance is guaranteed. and this plan has a guaranteed lifetime rate lock so your rate can never go up for any reason. so call now for free information and you'll also get this free beneficiary planner. and it's yours free just for calling.

so call now for free information.

♪ this is cnn breaking news.

we begin this hour with breaking news. pope emeritus benedict xvi has died. the vatican shared the news a short time ago saying that more information would be provided as soon as possible. the 95-year-old former pontiff has been in declining health. in 2013, he retired as poem, becoming the first leader of the catholic church to do so in nearly 600 dc years. benedict xvi was a divisive figure during his relatively brief reign as pope but his impact on the church was lasting. cnn's delia gallagher has more on his life and legacy. >> reporter: in many respects, benedict xvi was the pope who got a bad rap. nearly 24 years as pope john paul i