collided. specifically, witnesses say that one chair on the lift slid backwards. you can see it there, slammed into another, sending skiers falling to the ground. at least five people were hurt and taken to the hospital. the resort says it is now investigating what caused that very scary malfunction. and a massachusetts police officer is being credited with saving christmas for dozens of families after he found and returned a huge stash of abandoned amazon packages. the officer made the discovery while patrolling a wooded area early sunday morning, and police later learned the packages had been left behind by what they are calling a stressed out amazon driver. officers returned the packages to amazon. stress getting to everybody these days. a new hour of cnn news central starts now.

>> right now, christmas eve miracle. the glitch is gone. the faa has cleared american airlines flight for takeoff after all of their planes were grounded for a bit this morning. so what caused that technical glitch? and will there be a trickle down impacting travelers reaction to president-elect donald trump's comments on controlling greenland, canada and the panama canal? the strong message from panama's president, plus, a woman is killed after being set on fire on a new york city subway. what we are learning about the victim and the man now charged for this horrific crime. i'm sara sidner with kate bolduan. john berman is out today. this is cnn news central. breaking this morning. flights are resuming for american airlines after the faa lifted

the ground stop the airline issued due to technical issues. it said this happened during the busiest travel time of the year. as people are rushing home for the holidays. we spoke with our affiliate wfor in fort lauderdale, florida last hour. here is what she says they were experiencing during that brief ground stop. >> the flight was supposed to leave at 7 a.m. we got there. we're waiting to board the flight. and then the announcement came over the loudspeaker saying that there was going to be a delay. they were having serious technical issues, saying that they weren't able to scan tickets, not able to board luggage onto the flight. and then we were told that we're going to get updates every 15 minutes. so people were sitting there patiently. a lot of people wearing santa hats. there were so many children there as well. a lot of parents really concerned about getting home for the holidays all right. >> we have our lucy kavanagh looking off into the wilderness because she looks very calm. things don't seem too terrible there at chicago's o'hare

airport, which is busy on any day of the week. what do you what are you seeing there, lucy? >> well, sara, i was looking off at the actual boards here. >> the departure boards. >> most flights are delayed, but none look to be canceled. and of course, the usual hustle and bustle of chicago o'hare airport. of course, a hub for american airlines. you can see things returning back to normal, but it was definitely a scary start for this on this christmas eve. for some holiday travelers. after that brief outage grounded all of the flights, the airline said a vendor technology issue briefly affected flights. they also said that they began boarding again around 8 a.m. eastern. this is according to an american airlines spokesperson. now, a lot of folks learning about this outage on social media when they saw reports that some flights were returning back to their gates and delays were about 90 minutes. but a lot of folks, like i said, learning about this online. take a

listen, including the two passengers that we spoke to. >> we saw it on. well, we saw it first on our phones and then we saw on instagram like a news, a news report. that said all planes grounded for american in the u.s. so we were like, what's going on? and she like recently watched a movie that like a cyber attack happened. so she thought it was like crazy, like christmas eve crisis. yeah. >> so they're getting to grandma and vegas. a lot of folks are getting to their destinations on again, one of the busiest travel days of the year. i think one aviation analytics firm estimated that american was going to have 3333 3300 domestic flights today. so thankfully, this ground stop, this travel delay has been averted. >> sarah, it's a heck of a lot of flights, but we see it is getting busier and busier there behind you as we expect. it's supposed to be a record breaking travel season this

year. lucy cavanaugh, thank you so much for spending some time with us on this christmas eve. we appreciate it, kate. >> all right. donald trump just weeks away from assuming office and is teasing u.s. territorial expansion. the president elect has spent some of the days leading up to christmas talking about retaking control of the panama canal, accusing the country of charging excessive fees for ships utilizing this critical waterway to cross between the pacific and atlantic oceans. the rhetoric clearly not sitting well with panama's president, for one, who told cnn that donald trump's stance is, quote, totally irrelevant. >> it worse. >> that is a manifestation of gross ignorance of history. >> the canal will celebrate 25 years under panamanian hands, under panamanian administration on december 31st. so all those speculations and all that range of eventualities that are not going to happen, well, i leave them there as totally irrelevant issues and quite bordering on

historical incoherence with what the panama canal has been, is and will be. >> it's not just panama. the president elect is also reigniting his push to buy greenland. all in the name of national security, he says. cnn's steve contorno has the very latest for us panama. panama isn't having it, steve. but what are you hearing about? why this push from donald trump now? >> well, it's a fair question, kate, because for a lot of trump's inner circle, this has certainly come out of left field. it's not something that he talked about during the campaign at all. and he has not necessarily made it a priority up until the point where he just suddenly posted the trolls to truth social about it, and he obviously doubled down on sunday. and it's sort of part and parcel with the rhetoric we have seen from donald trump in recent days, not just panama and not just greenland, as you say, but also teasing this idea that canada could potentially

be absorbed as a 51st state. now that appears more as an attempt to needle the canadian prime minister, justin trudeau. but but it does seem like this idea that trump wants to buy greenland and wants to pressure panama and potentially take over the panama canal are serious endeavors. and as you said, it's not just the the panama president that is pushing back, but also the people there as well. take a listen to what some of them told cnn en espanol. >> eso nunca eso. >> that will never happen. >> that will never happen because you will have to kill all the panamanians who live here, all panamanians of all ages, of all classes, and of all social conditions, and with all political beliefs have to close ranks at this moment when the country demands that we defend the canal. >> those are harsh words from the people of panama coming

just a week before the country is set to celebrate the 25 years of ownership and control of the panama canal. and look, they're not the only ones pushing back on trump's expansion plans. the greenland has also said that the country is not for sale, though they are open for cooperation with the incoming administration. >> kate steve contorno, thank you so much for the reporting, sarah. >> all right. joining us now to discuss cnn political commentator maria cardona and founder and principal at bluestack strategies, maura gillespie. okay, donald trump certainly did not run on any of this. and i know you all remember back in the day when he talked about buying greenland before. now he's added, taking control of the panama canal and making canada the 51st state. why is why is he doing this? mara, this is not what the american public, not what he ran on. certainly. why? why is he talking about this right

now? >> it certainly has republicans like myself concerned, because it certainly doesn't follow along with his america first platform, kind of deflecting to land grab issues that were not what the american people voted on on election day. just gives us pause about what it is that his plan is for addressing the real issues that americans are concerned about, and voted for him in november, you know, mainly with immigration and with border control and with the economy. and by picking at panama and greenland as a land grab thing, as opposed to actually having policy issues addressed. it's concerning. and i think it just goes to deflecting, because he knows that right now there is a lack of leadership in the white house. there isn't much being said. and so he's taking any and all attention and trying to deflect from the fact that he doesn't currently have a plan. and that should give cause for concern for a lot of republicans right now. >> all right. i want to ask you this, maria, because i know you've talked about this ad

nauseam with our dear kate this morning. we are hearing discontent about how speaker mike johnson, thomas massie, has come out publicly saying that he doesn't think he'll support him. and then there are several other republicans who have said things privately, one of whom said that he's in trouble. what does this say about the republicans capacity to lead? if the first thing they have to do when the term starts is go through another battle for speaker maria. >> i think this underscores what democrats have been saying for a very long time, which is republicans have no idea how to govern. it seems like they have no interest in how to do it either, and that the republican caucus is way too divided, way too fractured. there are too many people in that caucus that aren't interested in actually governing for the american people and are going to only stand up for their own pure,

idealistic vision, which is not how you run government. it's not how you pass laws in the best interest of the american people. and i think it's a great opportunity for democrats to underscore that to the american people, that it's democrats that understand what needs to be done in order to negotiate and compromise and focus on the best interests for america's families, working families, middle class families, and put those ahead of anything. and it's frankly, what allowed president biden, even with a republican congress and a democratic senate, helping him to pass the most consequential pieces of legislation in the last four years. and so democrats are going to continue with that message going into this congress, underscoring the crazy chaos that republicans bring to the american people. >> you know, but it is the democrats who did end up losing

the senate and the house and the presidency. maura, when you when you look at this situation, do you think and are you hearing that johnson is indeed in trouble? because we know from the democrats hakeem jeffries says we are not going to help him this time. he's on his own with his own party. >> it's certainly a problem for johnson because he he did build a relationship with hakeem jeffries, which is important when you have such a thin majority and they'll still have a thin majority going into this next congress. and, you know, being speaker doesn't mean that you just are, you know, a rubber stamp for everything that the republican party says and does. you are an institutionalist, you know, leader of the whole house or speaker of the whole house. so that's an important role to remember as as being speaker. and i think for mike johnson this next few weeks, he's going to have to go back and probably explain to trump why things work a certain way. but i'll just remind people that, you know, we have a separation of powers for a

reason. and what happened over the debt ceiling and the debate that's going to continue. but but to shut down the government, as trump wanted to do, is really, really damaging. and that's not how you use your political capital going into this next, you know, change of government, right? you know, republicans have a lot of opportunities here, especially in this first year, next, you know, two years to really get their agenda across. but if they can't even get the most basic tenets of that, you know, past, which is electing a speaker in january, that's a problem. and i think that for most of them should realize that they need to move ahead under johnson to get things done. congress has a separate role for the presidency, and it's important that they remember that. >> i want to quickly get to this because it sparked a lot of people's interest. the incoming chairman of the federal communications commission, which we don't talk about on a daily basis, for sure, sending a stern message to the owners of television stations and networks. cnn obtained one of those letters to abc, which reads in part, dear mr. iger, americans no longer trust the national news media to report fully, accurately

and fairly. abc's own conduct has certainly contributed to the erosion in public trust. what do you make of this, maria? if you could give us just a quick idea of what you make of this, because donald trump in the past has said, has talked about snatching broadcast licenses. is this someone who he's pushing towards doing something like that, or at least making people believe that could happen? >> yeah, i think that the administration is making overtures to what we know trump wants to do, which is exactly what you underscored. and i think what they have to be really careful about both the fcc chair as well as everyone who is incoming heads of agencies, heads of the departments, is this massive overreach that the trump administration is signaling that they want to embark on? and i think it is they are overconfident about the quote, unquote, mandate that they think they have, which is not a real mandate. sarah, like you

pointed out. thank you. democrats did lose the house, the senate and the white house. but this is still a very divided country. donald trump didn't even get to 50% of the popular vote, 7000 votes are what separates democratic control of the house from republican control of the house. and the senate still has small margins for republicans. and so they have to be really careful about this kind of overreach, because that is not what the american people voted for. american people voted for trump to bring down grocery prices, bring down high housing prices. and that's like the last thing that he's been talking about in these last several weeks. and i think it's it's going to be something that is a very big risk for republicans. >> maria cardona and maura gillespie, thank you so much for being here on this holiday weekend. merry christmas. happy holidays to the both of you. >> thank you sarah. >> merry christmas. >> all right kate. >> text messages revealed in the house ethics report on matt

gaetz. and they reveal what the committee describes as gaetz's regular, regularly paying women for sex and drugs. how the former congressman is responding now, today. and we are standing by for an update on how bill clinton is doing this morning. the former president hospitalized after spiking a fever and $1 billion lottery winner, finally coming forward to claim their eye popping prize. why? it took nine months. >> andy. take a seat, anderson. >> look at this. >> you're wet. disheveled. there's debris hitting you. we need to be ready for new year's eve maybe you are ready. >> new year's eve live with anderson and andy. live coverage starts at eight from tried and true to try something new. >> so many ways to save life. ready? wallet. happy. that's 365 by whole foods market. >> yellow didn't pass the

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are beginning to lose the rights we fought for, the rights for ourselves, our kids and our grandkids. gone. just like that. i can't believe this is the world we live in where we're losing the freedom to control our own bodies. last year, politicians in 47 states introduced bills that would block people from getting the sexual and reproductive care they need. where does it end? planned parenthood fights for you every day. but we need your support now more than ever. visit this website. call or scan the code on your screen with your $19 monthly gift. help us win the fight for the constitutional right to control our own bodies. truly. >> like, if planned parenthood had not stepped in, i would not be here today. they saved my life. >> your support is urgent. our rights and the rights of future generations are at risk and lives are at risk. and that's why we have to keep fighting in

every state, everywhere. donate $19 a month or whatever you can afford, and you'll help us fight against laws that block care and take away our rights. >> we fight to make sure everyone and anyone can get the care they need. >> but we need your help and there's never been a more urgent time to join. so go online, call or scan this code now. sign up with your monthly gift today and we'll send you this care no matter what t-shirt it is your right to have safe health care. >> that's it. >> we won't give up and we won't back down. >> we need you now more than ever. go online or call or scan right now. >> you've got a pepto predicament, ace. you overdid it on the loaded fries. undo it with pepto. fast. melt when you have nausea, heartburn, indigestion, upset stomach. >> diarrhea. >> when you overdo it, undo it with pepto-bismol.

>> everyone's running to subway for three. all new spicy footlongs. wait. subway did what? that's right. they're bringing the heat with creamy sriracha, jalapenos and all new ghost pepper bread. but hurry! these subs are only here for a limited time for ben and erin. >> the work's never done. i'll never stop. >> yeah, baby. >> until the whole town is transformed. >> they know what they want. >> they don't know where to find it. >> we do. >> hometown season premiere sunday night at eight on hgtv. >> former florida congressman matt gaetz is doubling down, denying allegations levied against him in a house ethics report that found he spent tens of thousands of dollars on sex and drugs while in office. gaetz says he's embarrassed about having partied, and, as he put it, womanized. and he says, though it's not criminal. but the report cites numerous text messages. they say prove he paid for sex and drugs for years. cnn's marshall cohen is joining us now. marshall, give us a rundown of just some of

the messages, as there are many that you are seeing. >> good morning sarah. there's a lot in there. it's a damaging and disturbing report on former congressman matt gaetz from the republican run house ethics committee, which said that there was substantial evidence that gaetz paid tens of thousands of dollars to women for sex and drugs, all while he was serving in congress. most importantly, the panel also found that gaetz had sex with a 17 year old high schooler in the summer of 2017. the report concluded that this violated florida's statutory rape laws. now, over the past few years, as gaetz has faced this legal scrutiny, he has vehemently denied that he has ever paid anyone for sex. he also denies any illegal drug use, and in a social media post yesterday, after the report came out, here's how he responded. he said, quote, there is a reason they did this to me in a

christmas eve eve report and not in a courtroom of any kind where i could present evidence and challenge witnesses. but look, sarah, there was a lot of evidence here. the committee examined 14,000 pages of documents. the committee interviewed many of the key eyewitnesses. the report even includes detailed text messages that gaetz allegedly sent asking women for drugs and haggling over payments. let's look at some of them right here. there are texts from one of these women. you can see it on the screen telling a friend, quote, matt never paid me. how much did he pay you? the friend said that she got $400 and offered some advice. ask him for the money. quote before you have sex with him. there's even a very specific and detailed ledger of payments between gaetz and multiple women using cash app and venmo. some of those women later testified that those payments were indeed for drugs or for sex. and i should point

out, sarah, that the justice department looked into many of these allegations for the past several years, but they never filed any charges against gaetz. >> and now the ethics committee is alleging there may be the possibility, if florida wanted to, of state charges. but we will see what happens there. as matt gaetz over the weekend before all this happened, was floating the idea of running for office there. marshall cohen, thank you so much, i appreciate it. ahead, luigi mangione attorney claims he's been treated like a, quote, ping pong ball between two warring jurisdictions as he stands accused of killing the united health care ceo. how a judge responded in mangione first state court appearance. 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. >> everyone's running to

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things you don't need. take control of your money. download rocket money today. >> i want to be the greatest player that i could possibly become. hurry hurry hurry. >> the judge has now set a next court date for alleged ceo killer luigi mangione for february 21st. he was before a new york judge yesterday. just yesterday, for his first chance to answer to the 11 state charges against him. with cameras rolling in the courtroom. and cnn's kara

scannell was there. >> not ghosn mangione entering a plea of not guilty to the 11 new york state counts he is facing, which include murder in the first degree and murder in the second degree as a crime of terrorism. >> i'm very concerned about my client's right to a fair trial. like every other defendant, he is entitled to a presumption of innocence. but unfortunately, the way this has been handled so far, his rights are being violated. >> his attorney, karen friedman agnifilo telling judge gregory carro that mangione was being used like, quote, political fodder. >> he's a young man and he is being treated like a human ping pong ball between two warring jurisdictions. here, saying last week's now infamous perp walk with mangione stepping off a helicopter surrounded by heavily armed law enforcement officers and new york city mayor eric adams. >> trailing behind was inappropriate. >> frankly, your honor, the mayor should know more than

anyone about the presumption of innocence, noting adams own legal problems over federal charges, including bribery, to which he has pled not guilty. i submit that he was just trying to detract from those issues by making a spectacle of mr. mangione agnifilo also asking for expedited discovery, but prosecutors warning that may not be so easy. >> i have never seen a case with such volume of evidence saying there are thousands of hours of video tracking, mangione mangione is also facing four federal charges, including murder through use of a firearm. as we understand that we have primary jurisdiction and we have been informed by the u.s. attorney that they intend on allowing us to try our case first. we will comply with our ethical obligations with respect to trying this defendant's guilt in this courtroom, in this courtroom alone, mangione has not entered a plea yet on the federal charges. >> prosecutors could decide to seek the death penalty. in that

case, members of the public filling four rows of the courtroom to watch the hearing unfold. what do you want to say something. while outside, protesters rallied in support of mangione and against insurance companies like unitedhealthcare. we shouldn't have to fight, he shouldn't have to fight. kara scannell, cnn, new york. >> kara, thank you so much for that. and let's talk more about this. joining us right now is nick ackerman, former assistant u.s. attorney for the southern district of new york. it's good. thanks for coming in, nick. really appreciate it. thank you. you heard the prosecutor there in court say he's never seen a case with such volume. in terms of the evidence. you say that based on the evidence in this case, it's not likely to go to a trial. what leads you to that? >> well, i just think it's there's no question about his liability here that he did it. they've got him coming into new york. they've got almost every step he took, including the actual murder on tape. there's no way he gets out from under the fact that he

can't claim innocence based on the facts. >> so then the work ahead for his defense team is a big question. it is. it begins. it already began. but from this point, after the after the not guilty plea, not unexpected, of course. what does this work for them look like? what are the options then? if it's not, you can't deny that he didn't. that he did it. >> what then? well, i think the only real defense that you can possibly have here is some kind of insanity or mental defect defense. and i've had this before. i mean, i'm a defense lawyer, too. and what you have to do is really dig in deeply, talk to the family members, try and find out what that medical history was that we heard about. how did that impact him? is there anything out there that would give you some kind of a hook on a defense? i mean, in some ways, this case was very much like the hinckley case with ronald reagan. hinckley tried to assassinate ronald reagan, ultimately

went to trial on an insanity defense and won on that defense in the sense that he was put away for the rest of his life, essentially. but that's kind of what we're looking at here. certainly an insanity defense would protect him from any kind of death penalty in the federal action, but that is really a huge job. i mean, i've had this happen before. what looks like something that is an open and shut case isn't always what it looks like. i had an individual who was a prominent lawyer who hadn't filed his tax returns for ten years. it looked like he was absolutely a goner. but once i dug into it and found out that he had issues going back to his college days when he had a concussion on his brain that caused his left lobe to shrink, which led to him not being able to accomplish certain things later in life. going from spot a to b, which ultimately led to the irs and the u.s. attorney's office

dropping the case. so you never know. it really gets down to looking at what's out there, consulting with doctors and trying to determine whether there really is any kind of defense here. >> and also, i mean, you know, speaking from someone who's not an attorney also leads to when you have a good attorney who can build a good case is also part of part of this. speaking to your abilities as well as karen agnifilo, because if you have an accomplished attorney who can help build that defense, then you're better off. karen agnifilo is beginning to kind of lay the groundwork, saying she is concerned that he can get a fair trial because of the publicity that his capture. and since has gotten in new york. you heard in kara scannell's piece her reporting on that. what do you think of that? >> i don't think much of it. the bottom line is that at the trial, there will be a voir dire of the jury. all of the jurors will be questioned extensively about any prejudices they have, anything that they know about the case, and each side will have the

opportunity to have challenges, to bring challenges up to the judge. this happened in the trump case. it only took two days to pick a jury. i mean, there couldn't have been any more publicity in any other case. >> there was a lot of talk about can he get a fair trial leading up to it? right. >> that's right. that was exactly the talk that was out there. and they were able to pick a jury in a couple of days. so i don't see that being any different here. >> his demeanor yesterday, unemotional, you could see him actually smile at points in the courtroom that is walking. you know, you see kind of a split screen here. we're putting up on the left side is what i would say is the far cry from what we saw in pennsylvania is the left side of your screen. when he had that outburst and he was ranting at cameras when he saw them going into the courthouse in pennsylvania. and then you see on the right side, mangione heading into the courtroom after he has secured this attorney, karen agnifilo, is this the work of karen agnifilo? what is her attorney? what is his attorney telling him? >> well, certainly if you're the attorney, you're going to tell him to cool it as much as he can. be respectful to the

court, not say anything. act normally as best you can. but again, we don't really know much about this individual other than he has a stellar background, and there was a lot of weird things that happened over a six month period that we cannot explain. >> and that's where that's the work that now is underway on both sides of this case, for sure. it's good to see you, nick. thank you so much for coming in. >> thank you and merry christmas. >> thank you. happy holidays my friend. we also have new details this morning on that horrific attack inside a new york subway. what we've learned now about the man who's now accused of murder after setting a woman on fire. while it's believed she was asleep and one particular grinch hates christmas and maybe even hates criminals more with that character has to do with a police plot to take down drug dealers. >> on new year's eve, live with anderson and andy. live coverage starts at eight on cnn. >> every parent knows when it's time to go into.

>> protect mode. kill 99.9% of bacteria when you add lysol laundry sanitizer to your laundry routine. >> someone need a hug? sing. take the world. >> bah humbug. >> somewhere inside, every lost grown up is the kid they once were. it seems to me they need us now more than ever. >> i'm enchanted to the world. >> joy to the. deep blue sea. wow. >> joy to you and me. >> lawmakers are trying to shut down planned parenthood. the health care of more than 2 million people is at stake. >> our right to basic reproductive health care is being stolen from us. planned parenthood believes everyone deserves health care. it's a human right. future generations are beginning to lose the rights we fought for,

the rights for ourselves, our kids and our grandkids. gone just like that. i can't believe this is the world we live in where we're losing the freedom to control our own bodies. last year, politicians in 47 states introduced bills that would block people from getting the sexual and reproductive care they need. where does it end? planned parenthood fights for you every day, but we need your support now more than ever. visit this website, call or scan the code on your screen with your $19 monthly gift. help us win the fight for the constitutional right to control our own bodies. >> truly, like a planned parenthood had not stepped in, i would not be here today. they saved my life. >> your support is urgent. our rights and the rights of future generations are at risk and lives are at risk. >> and that's why we have to keep fighting in every state,

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>> he's coming. >> he is coming he is coming. >> he. >> for r2 rated r only in theaters tomorrow. special engagements in dolby and imax. >> it. are you ready for this? >> are you ready for this? are you ready for this new alka-seltzer plus cold or flu fizzy. >> choose shou chew fizz. feel better. >> fast. >> no water needed. new alka-seltzer plus fizzy juice. >> as soon as this morning, the suspect accused in a brutal burning death on a new york subway could be arraigned. we are learning new details about the man charged overnight with murder and arson. that is a video of him coming out of the police department there. police say he was in the united states

illegally, possibly for years. he was likely homeless, just like the woman he's accused of lighting on fire as she slept on a subway car. cnn's gloria pazmino is here with me now. the images are just stunningly awful. what more are we learning about this case? yes, sarah, a really disturbing crime with some really graphic and upsetting set of details. >> we're learning more about the suspect. his name is sebastian zapeta-calil. he's 33 years old. and as you said, he entered the united states in 2018. he was here for just a couple of days. he was deported back to his home country of guatemala. then he actually made his way back into the country at an unknown date. control and customs and border patrol enforcement does not have the exact date of when he made it back into the country, and eventually to the north, up here to new york city. but i have also just learned in the last minutes that the suspect was hospitalized overnight. and that is the reason why we don't have much news just yet about why he has not been

arraigned. we know he's been in custody since the incident happened. he was apprehended late on sunday. the incident took place early sunday morning, and we know that he's going to be charged with murder in the first degree. but this last in the last two minutes, i just got off the phone and now i've learned that he was actually hospitalized. i'm waiting to learn exactly why, what happened to him and why he's been getting medical attention. but that's what's holding up the arraignment. now, he is expected to face this murder one charge. murder two, as well as the arson charge. we're also waiting to learn more about this victim. as you said, police believe that she, too, was homeless. people usually take shelter in the subway when it's very cold at night, like it was that day. and. and the suspect here also believed to be homeless. he was in and out of several shelters in the city. now, sarah, this has gotten a lot of attention, not just because of the horrific details of the crime, but also because these very

high profile incidents bring a lot of attention to an issue, the subway. exactly. an issue that is ongoing here in new york city, public safety. the fact is that public safety on this system is actually a little bit better. it has gotten better in the last few months, and certainly since the pandemic, when it was not doing very well and ridership was at a record low. so we're at 10% decrease now since a safety plan announced by governor kathy hochul was put into place and overall an improvement. but these high profile incidents really bring a lot of attention to an issue that's still ongoing, a lot of attention, a lot of fear. >> but you do see the numbers. all of them down. still, it was a horrific, horrific crime. thank you so much, gloria pazmino, for walking us through the new details there, kate. >> coming up for u.s. holiday hallmark movies. of course they are. what helps define this time of year for so many. if that includes you, we have just the thing for friends. take an inaugural hallmark christmas cruise together and hilarity ensues. but first, a preview of the new

cnn film luther. never too much that premieres on new year's day. >> you only come across an artist like luther vandross. yes, once in a lifetime. >> luther said. i have a sound in my head. i got to get it out. so we went in the studio, says, okay, it goes boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. i said, this is a quirky little bass line. i can't feel myself. >> i don't want nobody else to ever love me. >> it was the most exciting time in the world. my head, my heart was immersed in this business. >> his life had some extremely joyful moments. four albums and all of them platinum. and some really difficult moments. >> he would say. god has given me everything i asked for except one person who loves me. >> i keep getting the feeling that the best part of my career is still ahead of me. if we were to be able to talk to luther as fans, we would be able to say, just not want to

stop. we just love you luther. >> never too much new year's day on cnn. >> the lead with jake tapper, weekdays at 4:00 on cnn. >> best part of the party? snooping in the bathroom. ooh! party fell. not listening to your dentist. make the sonicare switch for a champ. be gentle. be effective. be you. i love you. >> i wish my tv provider let me choose what i pay for. >> sling lets you do that. hey, where are you going? >> oh, i wish my tv provider let me choose what i pay for and let me pause my subscription when i want. >> sling lets you do that too. sling. >> i wish my tv provider let me choose what i pay for and let me pause my subscription when i want and have hundreds of free channels. >> sling lets you do that too. mr. fish, choose and customize your channel lineup or watch for free. >> sling lets you do that.

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all the difference. >> i'm pete muntean at reagan national airport. this is cnn. >> a new message this morning from the family of austin tice, as they hold on to hope that the missing american journalist will soon be found in syria. he was kidnaped in syria in 2012 and 16 days ago, rebels overthrew the assad regime there. bashar al-assad fled the country and his brutal reign came to an end. and with that, thousands of civilians wrongfully imprisoned were

freed from jails across the country. so far, though, no sign of austin tice, his sister and brother joined us last hour and shared this with sarah. >> we're not chasing a white rabbit. we know that he is alive. we know that he is. well, um, you know his exact location is something that can change at any given moment. it's been weighing so heavily on my heart, on all of us. i think to be so close for this many weeks now. you know, we really feel like this is a window of opportunity. and windows don't stay open forever. i am just really still hoping and praying for a christmas miracle. >> absolutely. also, this we're watching today. a peruvian police officer got into the christmas spirit. or maybe better said, utilize the christmas spirit to fight crime. dressing up as the grinch to lead a drug bust. here is the scene. oh my god. not seen in the movies according to police. the police

chief. an officer dressed like the grinch in order to go unnoticed while mingling in a neighborhood for a christmas event. and then this. a true life drug bust. the grinch taking a sledgehammer to a door and handcuffing several suspects. hard to do with those furry paws. but he did it. three people were arrested in the are. they paused and the operation and several types of drugs were seized. and get this, guys, this is not the first time peruvian police have used costumes when conducting raids during the holiday season. in 2022, officers dressed as santa claus and an elf and arrested four people and another drug raid. people are going to be really suspect if people in costumes around the holiday season in peru from now on, but still, good job. whoa! look at those drugs. keep your eye on the prize on the grinch. here's a prize for you. nearly nine months after hitting a mega millions jackpot worth more than $1 billion, the winner has finally come forward. new jersey lottery officials say the winning ticket was sold at a shoprite supermarket in march. here's the catch we still don't know who the big winner is because he or she has chosen to remain anonymous. taking the lump

sum cash prize of $537 million. the next mega millions drawing is tonight. the jackpot is up to $970 million, and i will not be at work tomorrow. >> it is inching towards a billion. you won't play until it's a billion. that's just. i mean, have some standards. speaking of standards, if you're spending your christmas eve snuggled under a blanket watching those hallmark christmas movies where you always know what the end is going to be, this is for you, kate. john and i spoke with some ladies on board one of the inaugural voyages of the hallmark christmas cruise this year. and if anything, says hallmark christmas cuz cruise, it's their matching outfits. take a look 100%. >> we are finalists for the fan of the year award comes a love story that's a real christmas game changer. >> oh yeah, i know you are. you do? >> yeah, the lucky christmas hat. >> we only get to the super bowl if someone in our family wears the hat on christmas. >> okay. do you not believe me? i just need to see some of that christmas magic for myself. okay, that's pretty good.

>> oh. it's happening. it's that time of year again. john's favorite time when a woman from a big city moves to a small town and she meets, amazingly, this cute and wealthy guy and holiday romance ensues. it's just like life. there is no cynicism to this. >> come on, sarah. >> all right. fine. it's hallmark christmas movie season, y'all. we do need some love in our life. if you can't get enough of these romantic holiday movies, hallmark offered a chance at happily ever after with a christmas cruise, complete with a meet and greet with some favorite hallmark heartthrobs, and we get to talk to several women who just happened to have gotten off that cruise. and they are so cruise ready right now. you will not believe it. we love your outfits. so we've got tracy from left to right, roseanne, lara and suzanne. ladies, first of all, how was the cruise? yes. great. >> for christmas ized. it was.

it was amazing. it truly was amazing. and what's funny is we signed up for this cruise in july of 2023. so we've been waiting a long time for this cruise. wow. >> did you meet the man of was well worth it and it delivered. >> let me tell you, it was unbelievable. of course, lots of hallmark comments you guys. yeah. >> hallmark honk! >> i love that they were all there. >> they were all there. >> yeah. why didn't you? yeah. and not only that, when we were on the cruise, they were looking for a new hallmark hunk to star in an upcoming movie. so they were running all these contests for people on the ship. there's a new show called finding mr. christmas, and it's a reality show looking next hallmark hunk. and you got to watch it. it's really good. jonathan bennett is the host. he was actually e did a great job. so we got to see a lot of things that people haven't seen yet on the hallmark channel. i think, john, i think jon needs to apply. >> yeah, john, i have a lot of

free time. you were going to do three after 10:00 every day. >> i can be a hallmark hunk after ten. you're a cnc hunk. >> okay. >> yes. for sure. >> tell me about what did you guys do on the cruise? like, how is this different from other cruises and what is? i have a favorite hallmark movie, but is there do you guys have consensus on your favorite one? >> well, there's lots of favorites. we like that. we at heidelberg holiday all biltmore. the biltmore christmas is one of our very favorites. and then we got to see a new movie that hasn't even aired yet on the hallmark channel, called, uh, wait, three mile wait three three wiser men and a boy, and it premiers on the hallmark channel on november 30th. 23rd. yeah, yeah, yeah, it is. it's going to be so fun. we did that. but i mean, one of the things we did, we did a cook, we did decorate cookies, we saw hallmark movies. they even had festive food like family feud. but festive feud with some of the cast members, as well as with some of our the cruisers that were on board. we did a

wine tasting. hallmark has a line of wines. we got to sample a lot of their wines and oh, tell them about the hallways. >> the wines taken over. special. >> is everybody decorated their doors. on their doors. and so it's just super fun. it's really, really fun to see everybody. and the people watching was amazing. yeah, it was. and all the outfits, because everyone was in pajamas or christmas outfits, like ours. of course. >> my question is, if this were there it is. that's it. that's fantastic. that's awesome. if this were an actual hallmark special about four friends going on a cruise like this, how would it end? >> oh oh, gosh, we'd all be in love. yep. i'll be in love. we'd all be living in a small

town, huh? i mean, we would all be just super happy. a retail store or bakery, right? i'd be the doctor. i'd be the town doctor. yeah, the it the tech person. yeah. so, you know, and suzanne would be our travel planner because she is the one who actually got us on the cruise. persistence. let me tell you, ladies, persistence. persistence. if it wasn't for suzanne, we would not be standing here today they literally went through all the potential plots of every single hallmark movie. >> the fly on the fly. those ladies are fun. and i didn't know this. hallmark has a lot of wine. i mean, i'm like one of the least surprising things about this entire thing. >> it's like days. it's days and days. what else? love it all. >> i have an idea for 2025 for us, for christmas. another hallmark christmas cruise. it's going to be the second one. you me on taking the show on the road. people could be fun. >> you got to stick around for that one because i know you will. thanks for joining us.

newsroom. up next by. >> 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. whoa! >> yes. >> how do you sleep at night on a mattress from mattress firm? >> i sleep at the semi annual sale and clearance. >> save up to $500 on tempur-pedic. get matched at mattress firm. sleep at night. >> sore throat. got your tongue? >> mucinex institute. sore throat medicated drops uniquely formulated for rapid relief that lasts and lasts. that's my baby. try our new sugar free cough drop into soothe. >> this is the sound of the season's favorite gift for a limited time. omaha steaks is offering the favorite gift package that includes our famous bacon wrapped filet mignon, our top sirloin, our air chilled chicken breast, burgers, franks sides and

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