>> this was after they received a phone call of someone possibly being intoxicated. that suspect did not stop, and instead this became a 19 mile police chase. at some point, the suspect exits the highway and goes into the parking lot of the killeen mall, but he does not stop. instead, he drives through the entrance of the jcpenney, driving through glass doors and continuing to drive through the store, hitting multiple people. we know at least four people were injured and taken to the hospital. one other person went to the hospital on their own, and authorities say the victims range in ages from 6 to 75. it's unclear what the status of those injuries is right now, but authorities describing the chaos and describing how this ended. take a listen to what the dps sergeant said about this trooper and the killeen police officer continued on foot after this vehicle, which was driving through the store,

actively running people over. >> he traveled several hundred yards and there's officers from dps, the killeen police department and three other agencies that engaged in gunfire to eliminate this threat. >> and after the suspect was killed, authorities asked people to stay away from the mall. that mall has since reopened, and authorities also identifying the suspect as 53 year old john darrel schultz. in terms of witnesses who were there that spoke to cnn, they not only described the chaos that was happening and the broken glass and the injured, but they also said that it was people at the mall who then ran to help some of those injured. the sergeant asking for prayers for everyone that was at the mall, especially during this holiday season. camila bernal cnn, los angeles today, the man accused of

gunning down a health care ceo on the streets of new york back in court set to be arraigned on state murder and terrorism charges. >> we are following all of that and breaking news. the house ethics committee has just released a report on former congressman matt gaetz. something gaetz never wanted the public to see. what we are learning about numerous allegations, including illicit drug use and sexual misconduct, and with record breaking travel numbers this holiday, drivers are getting a little gift. the cheapest gas prices in years. i'm sara sidner with kate baldwin and john berman. john berman is off today. this is cnn news central all right. we've got some breaking news to begin with. the house ethics committee found evidence that former congressman matt gaetz paid tens of thousands of dollars to women for sex or drugs on at least 20 occasions. cnn's lauren fox is live in dc. lauren, this is, um, you

know, according to a final draft of the panel's report that cnn has obtained. what more can you tell us about what is in this report? >> yeah, like you said, sarah, these this effort by the house ethics committee spanned years. and i want to read just a part of the committee's finding. they say, quote, the committee determined there is substantial evidence that representative matt gaetz violated house rules and other standards of conduct. prohibiting prostitution, statutory rape, illicit drug use, impermissible gifts, special favors or privileges, and obstruction of congress. now, this report, like you noted, alleges that former representative matt gaetz paid tens of thousands of dollars to women for either sex or drugs over the course of years and on at least 20 different occasions. this report, which is obtained by cnn, also says that gaetz paid a 17 year old

for sex in 2017. now, gaetz has not responded to cnn's outreach for comment. since we have published this latest story, but i do want to point out a tweet that he sent last week when cnn reported that this final report was going to be released after congress took its final votes, he tweeted, quote, in my single days, i often sent funds to women. i dated, even some i never dated, but who asked? i dated several of these women for years. i never had sexual conduct with someone under 18. any claim that i have would be destroyed in court, which is why no such claim was ever made in court. gaetz has also repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. we should also note that gaetz regularly points out that back in 2023, the justice department declined to press charges against him. >> sarah, those are explosive details, though coming out of that report. lauren fox, thank

you so much for bringing it to us, kate. >> so right now we are standing by for the man accused of murdering unitedhealthcare ceo brian thompson to be back in a manhattan courtroom. you're looking at live pictures outside court. we will see when and when and if things are getting underway. possibly as soon as this morning. this time, luigi mangione is expected to appear at a hearing to address the state charges that he faces. these are the 11 counts we've talked so much about. he was indicted on, including murder as an act of terrorism. let's talk about what today means in the scope of everything that this man is facing. joining us right now is cnn chief law enforcement and intelligence analyst john miller, and cnn legal analyst and criminal defense attorney joey jackson. guys, thanks for being here. mr. miller, what are we going to see this morning? >> we're going to see the defendant produced the feds who have him in custody are going to hand him over to the new york city police department and the court there. he's going to go into a courtroom with judge gregory carro on the 13th floor, and they're going to have an arraignment, usually, and an arraignment, as joey

will tell us, the key factor is going to be what are the conditions or possibilities of bail. that is not a factor here. it's not even going to be a question. so they'll read the charges. and basically the horse trading is going to be over. managing the schedules of how do we get this prisoner back from federal custody into state custody. how do we get this trial schedule underway? and when does the federal government get him back? >> that's a lot of that's a lot to be worked out, joey. i mean, yes, i'll call it pro forma. what is going to happen this morning? but it's a key step in trying to figure out, as john miller has done, great reporting on this tug of war going on behind the scenes. >> yeah, there's no question about it. right. >> both have an interest in prosecuting him. >> right. just to reset that, we know that the federal government has charged him via a criminal complaint. criminal complaint? different from an indictment where you present the case to a grand jury, and there are distinctions between the federal case and the state case, primarily, of course, we know that the state is charging

terrorism, right? that's the theory. you think it'd be inverted, right? right. but it's not. you have the state that's charging the terrorism, and that's the core that they're doing as it relates to the first degree murder. that's how you get there in new york state. second degree murder with a component of terrorism for life imprisonment without parole and related gun charges. that's what today is all about. however, to your point, kate, in this tug of war, the feds want him their theory, interestingly enough, is murder by way of stalking. right. and there will be arguments made. >> it does feel inverted when there's. >> and there's a reason for that, which is the new york state anti-terrorism law is broadly written to say that anybody who is committing an act of violence or fear to get policy change or political change is guilty of terrorism. they don't separate domestic from international and all that. the federal laws are very steeped on the domestic side about. if you're not connected with a designated foreign terrorist organization, then are you using weapons of mass destruction and things like

that. so interestingly, the new york state anti-terrorism law is broader than the federal set, especially on the domestic side. so interesting. >> joey, this is this is kind of the arraignment that everyone expected to happen on thursday that then got shocked. you know, everyone who was watching it closely. it also appears including the defense team, when the federal charges came. how what are you hearing of kind of about that now, your view on how that all played out thursday and then what it kind of means going forward. >> so more importantly, right, kate, to your question, i think and really, this whole tug of war federal state, there's the question of is it double jeopardy, is it not? >> they are flying him back. there was a lot of questions around that. so starting with that and thursday. right. many people believing it was overkill. i have a different point of view. i think that they were sending a message that is law enforcement, that if you commit an act, we're going to find you and get you. and we're concerned at the highest levels. we don't care what social media is saying about the fact that you're a

hero and you're saint luigi and you're whatever, you commit a crime, the mayor is going to be there to come and get you. and remember, he has a law enforcement background to the issue of this whole federal state and whether it's double jeopardy, i don't think so. and here's why. you have different elements that need to be proven with respect to each case. john was just talking about, you know, the terrorism and the stalking and the broad latitude of the state statute of terror. et cetera. there are different elements. so that's not going to be the case. what is of issue to me, though, kate, is whether you will need a state prosecution if he's prosecuted federally and convicted. you have the death penalty. what higher form of penalty would there be then? the death penalty such that it would necessitate a state prosecution? last point the federal government is very expeditious with regard to its prosecutions. there are less litigants in federal court. there are more defined issues. and as a result of that, the case usually go much quicker. i know there's been this discussion about, okay, the state will go, we'll wait.

we'll see when a judge is ready to go. a judge is going to say, let us go. i'm not waiting for anyone. so what i'm looking to see is whether the feds go first before the state, right? and if so. and he's convicted and gets the death penalty. right? if it's a death penalty prosecution, what the necessity would be for the state. >> and, john, to the point of the the we'll say the small segment of people. but speaking with a very loud voice of support that have been lionizing luigi mangione we saw it again even on snl, like the audience outburst when his name was mentioned, applauding just his name being his name being mentioned in the show, which was shocking and surprising from your law enforcement sources and intelligence sources, how much of a concern is this going forward? >> it's a big concern on a couple of levels. number one, ceos outside of the health care realm have doubled and tripled security or added security

where there had been none before because they are latched on to this idea from a threat assessment that if someone decides that your company or your industry is the issue, that a de facto death penalty by a jury of one is now on the table. the other thing is the factor you brought up first, which is the popularity factor. there are a lot of people looking online saying, i could be that guy. i'm isolated, i'm alone, i'm ostracized. but i could pick a popular issue and strike out and then not be a loser in my basement of my parent's home. but be this person who's lionized and the lion to loser thing was a big asset to groups like i.s.i.s. and recruiting online. and this is now self-propelled from the intelligence side. that's a big concern. >> and how does that play in? how much can it play into the case against him and how much will it? it's not like the judge is not aware of this. >> so so kate, i think it could be huge, right? remember who the public is. the public are

potential jurors that get impaneled to hear a case. now we have something in law called jury nullification. what does that mean? it means you're guilty of the offense, but the jury excuses it. now many people say, are you kidding? he's guilty. they've got all the evidence. it's compelling, et cetera. many people are relating to him in a way that i have never seen before. john, i have not seen this ever where social media saint luigi selling trinkets, saying, you know, i should have done this before. the health care industry is corrupt. now you have when you're picking a jury challenges for cause. what does that mean? if someone says, i hate the health care industry, you're out of here, i hate government, you're out of here. i can't be fair. you're out of here. what about those where it's not particularly apparent that you have a bias. you get on that jury. do you hang up the jury? meaning, do you hang the jury such that there's a mistrial? do you convince other people that, you know this needed to be done? i'm really concerned because we're in some bizarre and trying times. >> it seems. also, it's

growing, not dissipating, right? there was this fascination when there's a manhunt, always that we often see around one person being able to evade law enforcement, yada yada, yada. but since the evidence against him has been what we know so far has been made public, and then the charges that he now faces, it doesn't seem to be quieting that, um, that support. >> no. and i mean, as joey has teed up, we are at some kind of human point of inflection here as a populace because what we're going to be asked to define is, is murder. okay. if i agree with him on the issue, you know, had this been a foreign countries ambassador or somebody, you know, on behalf of i.s.i.s., it wouldn't be okay. but because there is a groundswell of support on the issue is murder. okay. we have to come up with the right answer to that or we're in big

trouble. >> that this this is why this is not only was not only a shocking murder on the streets of new york, it really speaks to something larger that the boat, however this plays out in court, is going to be important for everyone to see. and we're looking at live pictures right there outside of court. we're going to be following that all for you throughout the morning, guys, thank you so very much. president elect donald trump says vladimir putin wants to meet with him as soon as possible. what does that mean and what could that mean for the war in ukraine? in his first days in office? and president biden has just this morning announced that he is commuting the death sentences for nearly every federal inmate on death row. why? he says he's showing mercy to convicted murderers. can't fool myself. >> it was the most exciting time in the world. >> his life has truly joyful moments and some really difficult moments. >> you only come across an artist like luther vandross once in a lifetime. >> luther. >> never too much new year's day on cnn.

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reputationdefender.com or call 1877866 8555. >> this year is way better for flipping houses bigger budgets. >> 1.3 what they went up. bigger stakes. >> things are so unpredictable. >> is there a crocodile in there? >> the flipping al-mawasi season premiere thursday at nine on hgtv. >> in his first rally esque speech as president elect donald trump offered what he called a small preview of his second term agenda to an audience of supporters this weekend, including that his goal of ending the war in ukraine. during his remarks at the conservative convention

sunday, trump suggested that meeting with russian president vladimir putin may be one of the first things that he does after returning to office. >> one of the things i want to do and quickly and president putin said that he wants to meet with me as soon as possible. so we have to wait for this, but we have to end that war. >> so you have that. add it all together. let's bring in cnn's jim sciutto. what do you what did you think when you heard that and how that reflects kind of how that fits into what we've heard of trump's views on the war in ukraine and how quickly he wants to end it, and how okay, it's going to be different. >> i mean, there's a lot of talk in washington. you'll hear this from the trump camp that on some of these international issues, trump won't be that dramatic, a departure from previous u.s. positions. i hear it all the time from some folks. but when you listen to the way trump talks, he is already different. he's a fundamentally different view of the world war. what he describes the war. he describes

it as a bad thing that happened. right. soldiers are being killed. even in those comments over the weekend. he doesn't say russia invaded ukraine illegally, started this war and led to all this bloodshed. right. it's a sort of both sides, both sides of a horrible invasion of a sovereign country. right. and when he talks about it as well, he states as fact the war has to end. this language we heard for the last several years of whatever it takes, the u.s. will back it. it has to be up to ukraine. what the conditions are that ends this war. it's it's choice that's gone. it's you know, he has stated that i'm going to end this and i'll figure out a way to do it. and it's got to be something that makes me happy, right? not necessarily the people of ukraine. that's a fundamental change in the way the u.s. approaches this war. and he thinks, as he often does, that by pure force of personality and negotiation, he can move vladimir putin off. what is a fundamental decision

of his own right, strategic interest in weakening ukraine or taking over ukraine. >> and how does that when you add that together, then what are you hearing in terms of, you know, from all everyone, it's all a bit of a guessing game, right? in terms of what this does look like. so what could donald trump decide to do when he does get into office? what are you hearing from people? >> so he has said publicly, and he said recently in an interview on nbc that possibly the u.s. will give less aid to ukraine that reduce it. he hasn't said, take it all away, but reduce it. and you've often heard him say he exaggerates the numbers, frankly, as to how much the u.s. gives versus how much europe, because europe has together, european nations have come up to just about match where the u.s. is in terms of how much aid goes in. but trump will often fudge those numbers, as you've heard him do before. so one, he's saying less is going. he has said quite publicly he does not like russia, ukraine, rather using

u.s. supplied weapons to strike inside russia, which the biden administration gave them to. okay to do only recently. i'll tell you this when i talked to republicans on the hill, pro-ukrainian republicans and i asked them, is trump going to abandon ukraine? they don't know, right? they don't know for sure. they hope. and the argument they go to him with and his team with is that if he abandons ukraine, he will be the guy who lost ukraine, and they will even phrase it in this way that you don't want ukraine to become your afghanistan, because trump looks at the u.s. withdrawal from afghanistan. there's a lot of americans do as a weak point for u.s. foreign policy. the u.s. abandoning an ally. and in those terms, republicans hope that trump looks at ukraine and says, you know, as much as i want that war to end, i don't want to be seen as getting a bad deal right now. we don't know if that's going to move him, because you and i have heard him speak for the last four years about how that last three years close, about how that war has to end, you know, virtually at any cost.

that's an open question. we don't know. >> yeah. so interesting. it's good to see you, jim. thank you so much. >> good to see you. >> see you soon. coming up for us, a frightening end to a holiday event in florida. a young boy now needing heart surgery after being hit in the chest by a drone that fell from the sky during a light show. and also why drivers could be seeing some relief at the gas pump this week. >> andy, it has been one wild year. >> i know that whole live stream was crazy. >> what you have been following actual news right oh boy. >> new year's eve live with anderson and andy. live coverage starts at eight on cnn and streaming live on max. >> no more gross cough sirup. >> we all want you to feel better. >> i want extra tv time or i'll walk. >> how about this? introducing the only kids soft shoe for medicated cough relief. new mucinex children's mighty chews are mighty clever. >> i told you, i don't need

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january 1st. and those driving can expect an extra little gift. a christmas gift, a hanukkah gift. analysts say with gasbuddy say these are the lowest christmas day gas prices since the 2020 covid pandemic. joining me now is patrick de haan, head of petroleum analysis for gasbuddy. hey. so with gas prices this low, i mean, that is a silver lining, but does it actually make a difference in the amount of travel on the roads for the holiday? >> you know, not a whole lot. it's certainly great news for many americans who are traveling, but it doesn't make a huge dent or increase in the amount of americans traveling. of course, a lot of folks have very traditional holiday plans, and regardless of gas prices, they're going to get to grandma's house a few anecdotally, there is a small percentage of americans that may stay closer to home, but still, millions of americans hitting the road and 32 states now where you can find average gas prices below $3. in fact,

some areas of the deep south, you'll find average gas prices even below 250 a gallon. >> what were they like? give us some sense of the difference between 2020 and what we are seeing now below 250. sounds good. any time yeah, it certainly does. >> you know, back in 2020, gas prices were almost $0.70 a gallon lower than today. of course, that was the height of the pandemic, and millions of americans were staying far closer to home. back in december of 2020, vaccines had only been released for a month. that was to top emergency responders only, and so many of us were staying far closer to home. so the fact that we're only $0.70 kind of above that milestone, as we're talking about record travel, is rather astounding, and it's taken us a long time to get here. the national average hitting $5 a gallon in 2022. but now all the way back down below $3 a gallon is what we expect this christmas. so a big turn of events over the last couple of

years. >> and what about the skies? is there is there a particular day that people should expect it to be extra busy? i'm assuming like today is probably that day or sunday might have been that day well, you know, a lot of americans now with covid, they'll work from home. >> flexibility has put a lot of americans in a completely different place. so last friday is one of the busiest days in tsa. also expecting this friday is going to be really busy. and of course, ahead of new year's eve on the 30th as well. the tsa expecting 40 million travelers over that two week window. that averages out to about 3 million fliers per day. we're already, as of the 19th, looking at about 2.65 million that were screened. so it's going to be very busy weather on the nation's interstates or flying the friendly skies. >> i forgot abwork at home thing. that does make a difference. if you can do some work when you get there, just bring your computer along. patrick de haan, thank you so much for bringing that to us and have a great holiday. thanks. appreciate it. all right. a major merger of automakers. how a deal between honda and nissan could shake up

the car industry. and we're following the breaking news about the house ethics report on former congressman matt gaetz. cnn has the final draft. what it says about allegations that he paid for sex with women and used illegal drugs while in office can't fool myself. >> it was the most exciting time in the world. >> his life had extremely joyful moments and some really difficult moments. >> you only come across an artist like luther vandross once in a lifetime. >> luther. >> never too much new year's day on cnn. >> at the salvation army, a shelter isn't just a place to rest. it's a chance to shed layers, let loose, and finally let it go with your gift, a warm bed is just the beginning. it's the first night of a new day when our homeless neighbors feel safe enough to close their eyes. they can see the way forward.

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emirates. >> fly better. >> i want to be the greatest player that i could possibly become. 0000. >> breaking news a report by the house ethics committee on matt gaetz's conduct while he was in congress. cnn has obtained the final draft of the report, expected to be released today. the committee found evidence that the now former congressman paid women for sex or drugs on multiple occasions. cnn's lauren fox is live in d.c. with this final draft of the report expecting the full report to be released to the public very soon. what are you learning from it? >> yeah, what we have learned from this report, the final draft, which was obtained by cnn, is that representative matt gaetz, now former representative matt gaetz, paid

tens of thousands of dollars to women for drugs or sex on at least 20 occasions. this report, obtained by cnn, also includes an allegation that gaetz paid a 17 year old for sex back in 2017. and i just want to read about the conclusions this committee's report comes to. it says the committee determined there is substantial evidence that representative gaetz violated house rules and other standards of conduct prohibiting prostitution, statutory rape, illicit drug use, impermissible gifts, special favors or privileges, and obstruction of congress. now, this report also about that incident with the 17 year old says, quote, the committee received testimony that victim a and representative gaetz had sex twice during the party, including at least once in the presence of other party attendees. victim a recalled receiving $400 in cash from representative gaetz that

evening, which she understood to be payment for sex. now, at the time, the committee said she had just completed her junior year of high school. the committee also said the 17 year old did not tell gaetz that she was a minor at the time, and that the report also says gaetz did not ask her age. now we have reached out to former representative matt gaetz for comment. he has not responded yet. but last week, when cnn reported that this committee, the ethics committee, had met earlier in december to secretly release this report after congress had finished its end of year business, gaetz did tweet several things, including in my single days, i often sent funds to women i dated, even some i never dated. but who asked? i dated several of these women for years. i never had sexual contact with someone under 18. any claim i have would be destroyed in court, which is why no such claim was ever made in court. we should also note that gaetz often

refers to the fact that back in 2023, the justice department, which had been investigating him, declined to bring charges. >> sara, this is a bipartisan committee. they came to these conclusions in the final draft that you have there. but there were a lot of republicans who did not want to release this report. what can you tell us about them yeah, we know now that we have a draft version of this report that cnn has obtained, that michael guest, who is the top republican on this committee, was opposed to releasing it because he argued that it broke with past precedent that once a member has resigned, that the ethics committee typically doesn't release these ethics reports or investigations into those members. >> now, what we also know is that the house ethics committee is evenly divided, sara, which means in order for this report to have been released, there would have had to have been at least one republican who voted. with democrats. now, we should note that in the past there are two examples that cnn has found

of members who resigned from congress and later ethics committee actually did release their investigations, or at least part of their investigations into those members, both. representative bill bonner, a former house member and senator john ensign. >> sara loren fox, thank you so much. a lot of reporting this morning. breaking news that that final draft you guys have and the whole report expected to come out a bit later this morning. kate. >> absolutely. joining us right now to discuss cnn political commentator, democratic strategist karen finney and former white house spokesperson under george w bush. pete, it's good to see you guys. thank you so much for being here. pete, let's start with what we have just learned. and lauren fox and her great reporting, tens of thousands of dollars paid for sex and drugs on at least 20 occasions is what the ethics committee found when it comes to matt gaetz, including paying a 17 year old girl for sex in 2017 and the committee finding that he violated florida state laws.

he's no longer in congress. we know this. he is also promising that he's not going away. what impact do you think this report and that i'll call it, the matt gaetz chapter of the republican party means for the party. >> well, this report and what we're hearing is incredibly disturbing. >> the allegations were problematic. and now that the ethics committee has corroborated those allegations and concluded they were at least in part, if not all of them accurate, is is a troubling end to this story, or at least this chapter, as you said. but i want to quickly review how we got to this point. matt gaetz was, while a member of congress, a walking tornado. >> he burned bridges. >> he tried to derail well-laid plans for sport and for attention during his time in the chamber. >> he didn't make a lot of friends. >> and so while he thought he was immune to this first

denying the allegations and then abruptly resigning to try and prevent the release of the report, and then eventually saying that he, quote, had done some embarrassing behavior over time. >> he was not immune. he was not immune because these are serious, serious allegations that have now been proven true and hopefully he goes away. >> but as we've seen in this era, kate, folks like him only get louder and more obnoxious when something like this happens. >> and karen, matt gaetz is actually was just speaking out yesterday at the same event that donald trump was speaking at and spoke about his possible future plans from the stage. let me play this. >> for my fellow floridians have asked me to. i the governor's mansion in tallahassee. maybe special counsel to go after the insider trading for my former colleagues in congress it seems

i may not have had enough support in the united states senate. maybe i'll just run for marco rubio's vacant seat in the united states senate and join some of those folks. >> he's getting applause. yes, now, seeing this report, karen, it does look, this brings forth an important question that everyone, everyone needs to ponder, which is, is this type of behavior. disqualifying anymore for someone in public office? >> it's a really important question. obviously, the charges against donald trump, for example, where it was he was found liable for sexual abuse. >> i think i got that right, but still also found guilty. >> and a convicted felon on other completely different charges and other cases that we'll never know the answer to. >> now. i mean, there there does there is a question. >> is there any means, is there any, you know, line that once you cross, you should not be eligible to run for office?

>> certainly, i think in this instance, it's important that the that this report was released because again, i don't think matt gaetz was planning on going away. maybe this will give him pause. but and i think there should be a standard and i think as a society we need to, you know, decide, you know, it's one thing if you're a leader and you've made a mistake and you come back and you and you are remorseful and you have tried to right the wrong, it's a completely different thing where i mean, matt gaetz knew what was in that report. he probably had a good sense it was coming out today and yesterday. he was full of bluster. right? i mean, so again, he knew what was in there. and so i think there does need to be this question. and i think the answer is yes. there needs to be a line passed which once you've crossed it, you're not eligible to run for office and to be have hold the public trust. i mean, you know, making decisions about, you know, our government, our, the finances of this country, the

laws of our country. if you are someone who has broken those >> we'd like to do with federal death row. what do you think of that pete?

will the president also said that he's convinced now more than that the federal government should not execute criminals, and i am convinced more than ever that he is absolutely wrong. >> i personally have a very hard line on this particular topic. i have no sympathy for those who have committed heinous acts against their fellow humans, have committed murder, and i personally believe in capital punishment. but look at what president biden is doing in these final months. he is on a pardon and commutation frenzy. it started with his own son, hunter biden, and now these 37 commutations of those on death row. this is what the american people are going to remember about joe biden in these final months of him hiding, not actually being on the public stage and demonstrating any sort of

leadership, but instead letting criminals off the hook. that will be a large part of joe biden's legacy. >> off the hook. i know you're using it as a form of speech. they will stay behind bars. these are not pardons. they will stay behind bars for life sentences. i'm only saying that just to make for point of clarification. karen, i want to ask you i want to jump to this really quickly. joe manchin, on a bit of a postmortem kind of tour, is on his way out the door. he sat down with manu raju and gave a very rough review of the democratic party, as he is now about about to leave office. i want to play. let me play this for you i am not a democrat in a form of what? >> what? the democratic party has turned itself into the national brand. absolutely not. and they know that. here's what i told them. i said, you ought to figure out how you lost somebody like me. the brand got so bad the d brand has been so maligned from the standpoint of it's just it's

toxic. and the democratic party, the washington democrats, have tried to mainstream the extreme so it's interesting, right, karen? >> because we often hear people say that it's the republican party. that is not where the american people are. now. joe manchin is saying is the democratic party that is moving away from where the american people are now. >> yeah. so i don't agree with his full assessment. but here's what i do believe. i believe having been at the dnc in 2005, after john kerry lost and we were going through a similar type of process of reexamining the brand and have we lost this quest? the same similar questions. i think if you look at what we're fighting for in terms of building more affordable housing, keeping health care costs low, all of the things that, frankly, president biden has been working on, those are issues that address working class issues, middle class issues. at the same time, i do not believe that our party has done a good job of two things. number one, talk about what we're trying to do from the perspective of our values,

which i think is where we do connect. and number two, connecting with people in a modern context. i don't think we've done a good job. and by that i mean whether it's podcasts, whether it's, you know, in the digital channels where people are, where they get their news and information and on cable and in newsprint, you know, all we have to do all of it to meet people where they are and to constantly have that conversation. i don't think we do a good job of that. i think republicans are doing a much better job. so i agree. but i also think we should listen to someone like joe manchin, because i think we have to be open to hearing the criticism, but not but remember, we did lose an election, but our values and the things we're fighting for are still very much, i think, aligned with the american people. i just don't think we've done a great job connecting. >> it's good to connect with you two, as always. thanks, guys. really appreciate it. coming up for us, a holiday drone display goes terribly wrong. a young boy is now in the hospital after being hit by a falling drone, and we're

taking a look at the top ten sports moments of 2024, including a triumphant return of a gymnastics legend and it has been one wild year. >> i know that home live stream was crazy. >> what you have been following actual news right? oh, boy. >> new year's eve live with anderson and andy. live coverage starts at eight on cnn and streaming live there's nothing like. >> welcome to the white lotus in thailand. >> this is very exciting. >> aren't you a brave girl? >> there's nothing like. where's the money you can't heal something unless you say it out loud. >> it's not polite. >> there's nothing like it i didn't do this for the lights or the fame. >> i did it to pay it forward

to the next generation of athletes and pass on the support my family gave me. i believe in sofi because they gave the same support to millions of members helping them bank, borrow and invest for their future. because for most people, it's not about the lights or the fame. it's about their ambitions sofi, get your money right transform your website into an immersive 3-d experience with infinite reality. >> you can tap the power of the spatial and social web. unlock valuable data, and take your brand to the next level. it's time for better shopping. bolder entertainment, and bigger sports. it's time to up your web game. infinite reality daughter. >> i hope you know that being selfless does not mean

forgetting about yourself. i'm so proud to see who you've become. and i know that when i need you, you'll be there. but it's okay to accept a little help. so you can be my daughter, not my nurse or my caretaker. just you. this is where i belong. home instead for a better. what's next? best part of the party. >> snooping in the bathroom. ooh! party fell. not listening to your dentist. make the sonicare switch. all right, champ, be gentle. be effective. be you. i love you. >> liberty mutual customizes my car insurance. so i saved hundreds. with the money i saved, i thought i'd get a wax figure of myself. cool, right? look at the craftsmanship. i mean, they even got my nostrils right. it's just nice to know years after i'm gone, this guy will be standing the test of time he's

melting. oh, jeez. no oh, god. only pay for what you need. >> liberty, liberty, liberty, liberty. >> this year is way better for flipping houses. >> bigger budgets. 1.3 what? they went up. bigger stakes. >> things are so unpredictable. is there a crocodile in

reputationdefender.com or call 1877866 8555. >> five good things. listen wherever you get your podcasts 2024 was a wild and wonderful year in the world of sports. >> from olympic redemption in paris to a renaissance for women's basketball and beyond. cnn's andy scholes takes a look at the top ten moments that made this year's year in sports so very memorable. >> well, 2024 was the year where the superstars certainly shined bright. lebron. simone.

mahomes. scheffler. ohtani and clark all dominating their sports. but there were some controversies along the way. here are the top moments in sports from this year we start our countdown with the boston celtics returning to the top of the nba, winning their record 18th title. jayson tatum, jaylen brown and company beating the mavericks in five games at the top of the mountain. >> but we did it. we won a championship and we almost saw history in the nhl. >> the florida panthers were up three zero in the stanley cup final before the edmonton oilers stormed back to force a game seven, but the panthers would hold on to win their first ever championship at number nine in college basketball, don staley, south carolina gamecocks became the 10th women's division one team in history to go undefeated. they were a perfect 38 zero and then capped it off by winning the third title in school history. >> so excited to share this moment with our team the uconn huskies, meanwhile, becoming the first men's team since

florida in 2007 to win back to back titles. >> unbelievable. feels like last year. >> at number eight. we had history in the nba. lebron james and his son bronny taking the floor together, making it the first time ever a father and son played together in the league. >> no matter how old i get, no matter how my memory may fade as i get older or whatever, i will never forget that moment. i appreciate the laker nation for, you know, showing their support for me and my dad and at number seven lebron with quite the 2024 as he alongside steph curry led team usa to an olympic gold medal in paris, beating france in the championship game. >> it was their fifth straight gold. the women, meanwhile, winning their eighth straight gold medal behind a dominant performance from a'ja wilson and on the pitch under new head coach emma hayes, the u.s. women's soccer team getting back to their winning ways, beating brazil one nil to capture the gold medal for the first time since 2012. at

number six, we also saw amazing solo performances at the paris games. >> american noah lyles stakes his claim as the fastest man in the world with a thrilling photo finish in the 100 meter dash. >> lyles became the first american in 20 years to grab the title of the fastest man on the planet the swimming sensation katie ledecky becoming the most decorated u.s. female olympian of all time with 14 medals. >> i kind of just wanted to be that guy who might be a little bit nerdy, but also really good at sports. that's kind of all i wanted to be stephen vitrazza, known as clark kent, was a true hero, dominating the pommel horse to get the u.s. >> men's gymnastics team their first medal since 2008, and leaving the games with two bronze medals. many world records were set, but none more impressive than sydney mclaughlin, who crushed the field in the 400 meter hurdles. >> unreal. honestly, full circle moment. first i feel like full olympic moment with friends and family. >> there at number five. simone

biles triumphantly returning to the olympics, proving once again she is the goat. the 27 year old winning three gold medals and a silver and in the process became the most decorated u.s. gymnast of all time. >> i solely did it for myself, and i'm in a really good spot mentally and physically. so doing this for just me, it meant the world. >> biles in the women's team reclaiming the gold. but the paris games did end in controversy for a member of the team. >> surprising turn of events in paris. american gymnast jordan chiles has been stripped of her bronze medal. >> the situation is getting more complicated by the day. usa gymnastics says its appeal for olympic gymnast jordan chiles to keep her bronze medal was denied. >> it's definitely been a really hard year at number four, shohei ohtani had a season in baseball that will never be duplicated again, both on and off the field. >> just one week before opening day, a stunning scandal has erupted in major league

baseball. the interpreter for l.a. dodgers player shohei ohtani fired amid allegations that he stole millions of dollars from the japanese superstar to cover a gambling debt. >> the whole controversy, though, did not affect ohtani one bit. on the field, he went on to have the first ever 50 over 50 season in baseball history. he ended up with 54 home runs and 59 stolen bases. the japanese star then went on to win his first world series, as the dodgers beat the yankees in five games. at number three, the pga championship, getting off to a rocky start. >> we're following major drama at the pga championship in louisville, kentucky, where top ranked golfer scottie scheffler was arrested and detained just outside the course where he would tee off. only a few hours later, i feel like my head is still spinning. >> i can't really explain what happened this morning. um, i did spend some time stretching in a jail cell. that was a first for me. >> despite being arrested

before round two, scheffler still finished tied for eighth at the pga championship, and he went on to have one of the best years in golf history. scheffler won nine times, including his second masters in three years and gold at the paris games. >> just a kid from texas who loves playing golf and just trying to get the most out of myself. and you know, this year has been really fun at number two on our countdown is caitlin clark mania is taking over the country. >> history truly in the making and so far out. by the way, iowa hawkeyes superstar caitlin clark breaking the ncaa women's basketball all time scoring record. >> i don't know if you can really script it any better. >> clark wasn't just setting scoring records, attendance and viewership were at all time highs. whenever clark stepped on the floor. her rematch against angel reese and lsu was watched by 12.3 million people, making it the most watched women's college basketball game ever. >> caitlin clark is headed to the wnba as the number one overall draft pick.

>> just getting to enjoy it and soak it in, i think is the biggest thing because like, this is a once in a lifetime. >> clark's remarkable year ended with her winning the wnba rookie of the year and leading the fever to the playoffs in 2024. certainly, an extraordinary year for the wnba. the league setting records for attendance and viewership. and in the end, it was liberty winning their first ever title, beating the lynx. and finally, our number on sports moment of the year belonged to patrick mahomes and the kansas city chiefs, with taylor swift in attendance to cheer on her boyfriend travis kelce. the chiefs beating the 49ers in an overtime thriller in the first ever las vegas super bowl. mahomes, kelce and company winning back to back titles in their third in five years. >> i'm so proud of the team, so proud of the guys and to battle to the very end. i mean, that was a microcosm of our season. it really is special just to be able to say we're back to back champs. >> and as we head into 2025, the chiefs are looking to become the first team ever to win three straight super bowls