>> his life had extremely joyful moments and some really difficult moments.

cancel the ones you don't want right through the app, and it can even help you try and get a refund. >> this is cnn, the world's news network. >> good morning, everyone, and thank you so much for joining us on this christmas day edition of cnn newsroom. i am kate baldwin. merry christmas everyone. we are following breaking news this morning out of central asia that we want to get to first, at least 29 people have survived a christmas morning plane crash, though many more are feared dead. 67 passengers and crew members were on board the plane. a warning some of the video we're going to show you may you may find disturbing. this morning it was taken by a witness on the scene who saw first responders and civilians rushing to help survivors get to safety. you can see the plane. it appears to split and

be split in half. many of the survivors appeared truly dazed. and all of them, those who survived, were taken to the hospital. the azerbaijan airlines flight went down near a coastal city in kazakhstan. joining us right now is cnn's safety analyst and former faa safety inspector, david soucie. david, thank you so much for jumping on this morning. really amazing and terrifying images coming out of this. some of the video that has been seen shows the plane erratically circling the airfield before it crashed. and then as it hit the ground, the aircraft bursting into flames. and now we see this video, you know, as rescue workers are trying to make it, they're almost immediately we're told, what do you see in this video? >> well, it's it's obviously a tragic accident here, but there's nothing so far that tells us what caused it, that we do see that not only was the aircraft going up and down, but it's going left and right. there's total loss of control as far as how he tried to land

the aircraft. but on the scene, the miraculous survival of 22 people is just amazing that that happened. but you can see that the reason that happened is the initial impact site. the aircraft was nose down and caused that initial impact to happen. that's where the engines and everything burst on fire. now the tail of the aircraft broke loose and that moved far away from the initial impact site. it continued to travel and that absorbs the energy that's going on with the aircraft. so that's why there were so many survivors, apparently, from that tail section. um, and that's what they're working with there as far as getting them out and trying to see what happened to the aircraft. >> and i talked to me more about that, because when you hear, i mean, you hear a commercial jet crashing and then you hear at least 28 people surviving, including two children. i mean, how tell me more about the i mean, maybe this it is it's more maybe luck than training that led to people being able to survive

here. david. >> yeah, it does have a lot to do with luck. but if we look back at other accidents where there have been survivors such as the sioux city accident, um, uh, richard could tell us more about that, actually, because richard was there at the site on that one. but in that case, most all of the survivors were in the tail section of the aircraft. and the reason that happens is because, as i was mentioning before, the first initial impact is wings forward. and when that happens, the tail of the engine, the tail of the aircraft, most of that energy is absorbed by that initial impact and the tail of the aircraft breaks loose. and then you can see it's far away from any fire or any other, uh, dangers with the aircraft on the impact. so primarily that's how they survive is after that energy is absorbed by the front part of the aircraft. >> you know, there's some preliminary information. and of course, this all can change as the investigation continues. but there's some preliminary information that seems to suggest that the pilot had

decided to make try to make an emergency landing after it experienced a bird strike. and people remember that a bird strike was i mean, we've heard of many accidents caused by bird strikes, but also, famously, a bird strike was what caused the emergency landing. landing that became the miracle on the hudson back in 2009. why are bird strikes so potentially crippling for aircraft? >> well, the engines are most vulnerable to the bird strikes. and when we talk about bird strike, people think of a bird hitting the airplane. that's not what happens with in order to cause that kind of damage. it's a huge flock of aircraft, of birds that the aircraft flies through, and it ingests and it blocks the inflow of air to the engines. when that happens, the energy that's in the engine backfires. kind of it goes backwards through the engine and causes damage to the front of the engine, and therefore the engine cannot, like, ingest it and make the birds go through it. just it damages itself because the airflow is not there and the combustion section of that

engine is pushing forward and causes damage to the engine, which is not recoverable. now, occasionally birds, when there's just a few, they can get right through that turbine engine and everything is fine. it goes through. and then they do an inspection after the fact. but when it causes this kind of damages and again, it's too early to know that this is exactly the cause. but if it is the cause, that's that's the history of bird strikes and why they caused so much damage. >> yeah. david, thank you very much for jumping on this morning. it's always good to see you. thanks so much. >> of course you as well, kate, and merry christmas. considering the circumstances. >> you two, thank you so much. let's turn now. on that note, let's turn now to the vatican, where pope francis delivered his 12th annual christmas blessing this morning, including an urgent call for peace and the end of the wars in gaza. and ukraine. cnn vatican correspondent christopher lamb is joining us now, watching all of it for us. christopher, tell us more about the pope's message today. >> well, pope francis, emphasizing that the message of christmas is one of reconciliation and one of

peace. he's calling on countries to lay down their arms for enemies to be reconciled. and he had specific words about ukraine and gaza and the conflicts there. and this is what he had to say. >> may the sound of of weapons be silenced in ukraine. may there be the boldness needed to open the door to negotiation. may the sound of arms be silenced in the middle east, and contemplating the crib of bethlehem. i think of the christian communities in israel and palestine. and and particularly to the dear community of gaza, where the humanitarian situation is extremely grave. >> now, the pope, speaking after russia's attacks on ukraine's energy infrastructure just today, christmas day. and of course, the pope has consistently

called for a negotiated peace settlement in russia's war against ukraine. the pope's also been outspoken recently about what's been happening in gaza, describing recent airstrikes as cruelty. now, francis is speaking in the context of just launching the catholic church's jubilee year, a major event focused on forgiveness and pilgrimage. so the 88 year old pontiff, although he's certainly has difficulty physically, is continuing with a very, very full schedule of events in the coming days. >> and in the uk. christopher, the royal family is also marking christmas day with, with public appearances, and it's been a i mean for so many, but including the royal family, it's been a long, challenging year for them. what what is this that i'm hearing about? king charles is going to be breaking with at least one tradition. >> yes, normally the king would give his christmas message from one of the royal palaces, but this year he's going to be delivering it from the

fitzrovia chapel, a former hospital chapel still associated very much with with health and wellbeing. this, of course, coming at the end of the year, when the king has had treatment for cancer, and his daughter in law, the princess of wales, also having cancer treatment. so a very challenging year health wise for the royals. the king, wanting to emphasize his support for health care workers and the healthcare sector by deciding to deliver the message from this chapel. >> yeah, thankful for them all the time. you can tell the royal family very thankful for those health care workers, all of them, especially this year. christopher, it's good to see you. thank you so much. thank you. coming up for us, you two, it's technically is a white christmas. technically, for the first time in 15 years for people in new york, sledders seen hitting the slopes of new york city yesterday after a christmas eve storm blanketed the city. but man, that snow starting to move out really quick, especially on the roads, some of it still on the ground there, but definitely not down the avenue that i was driving on to get here to work today.

out west though, the mountain regions clearly saw quite a bit more and millions are preparing for yet another hit of winter weather to come. let's get over to chad myers, who's tracking all of it for us. a technical white christmas in new york city. what are you seeing, chad? >> a little bit of snow still left in the grass. that's really about it. but the problem is it got to about 36in new york city and also down to philly yesterday, but down to 27 overnight. so there are some icy patches out there. so not the only place where we saw the white christmas in parts of minnesota, wisconsin, even into north dakota. a wet christmas down in parts of louisiana. this will be the story of the day. some spots could pick up 2 to 3in of rain. now it's a very dry drought area, so we'll take the rain when we can get it. we just don't need 5 or 6in over baton rouge all at one time. the storm does move to the east. we get some rain a little bit farther to the east tomorrow, but that rain really gets to the northeast, where the airports are on sunday, so

that may be a little bit on the slow side. when you get to your sunday morning flights. with all of that rain and all of that cloud cover from new york all the way down to philadelphia, there is the snow in the west, and they will take it. they are 170% of normal in parts of the sierra. and they need that rain. they need that water. they need that snow. they'll they'll drink it later in the year, but it will certainly put the potential no forest fires for the rest of the season up there. >> chad, thanks for coming in. it's good to see you. >> good to see you. merry christmas. >> you too. coming up for us still, president elect donald trump promising to vigorously pursue the death penalty once he takes office. what that means in reality. now, after president biden took the big step of commuting the sentences of almost all federal death row inmates. can't fool myself. >> it was the most exciting time in the world. >> his life has 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. >> it's the most wonderful time with the kids. >> jingle. be of good cheer. it's the most one. >> whether your phone is broken or old, we've got you. with verizon. anyone can trade in any phone, any condition. it's your last chance to get iphone 16 pro with apple intelligence on u.s. and ipad and apple watch series ten all three on us. that's up to $2,000 in value only on verizon. hello. >> 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 with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. >> my skin was no longer mine. >> my active psoriatic arthritis joint symptoms held me back. >> don't let symptoms define you emerge as you with clearer

skin with tremfya. most people saw 100% clear skin that stayed clear even at five years. tremfya is proven to significantly reduce joint pain, stiffness and swelling. >> serious allergic reactions and increased risk of infections may occur. before treatment, your doctor should check you for infections and tb. >> tell your doctor if you have an infection, flu-like symptoms or if you need a vaccine. >> emerge as you with clear skin. ask your doctor about tremfya ken howery to support your brain health. >> mary. janet. hey, eddie. >> no. frasier. frank. frank. fred, how are you? fred. >> support up to seven brain health indicators, including memory. >> when you need to remember. remember. nariva. >> you make good choices. they've shaped your journey to leave all that your life built.

rock solid for generations. with ambition like that, you need someone who elevates advice to a craft. at ubs, we match your vision with insight and expertise to shape a unique outcome for you. advice is our craft. >> why do nfl players choose a sleep number? >> smart bed i like to sleep cool and i like to sleep even cooler. and i really like it when we both get what we want. >> introducing the new sleep number climacool smart bed. sleep up to 15 degrees cooler on each side. visit a sleep number store near you. i just need to make exceptional the standard in the all new buick enclave. >> experience truly effortless driving that invites you to let go. and stunning technology that's in a class of its own. with quiet tuning that comes standard and room to bring everything along for the ride. the enclave puts you at the center of it all.

buick exceptional by design. >> long after guests leave, viruses and bacteria linger, air fresheners add a scent, but only lysol air sanitizer helps erase the trace, eliminating odor and killing 99.9% of viruses and bacteria in the air. scent can't sanitize lysol can. >> not again. >> your cold is coming. >> your cold is coming. >> thanks, revere. >> we really need to keep zicam in the house. >> only if you want to shorten your cold. when you feel a cold coming, shorten it with zicam. >> nba on tnt. steps into the new year with a night of action. beaming with stars. my goodness play. >> celtics. >> timberwolves 76ers. >> warriors coverage begins january 2nd at seven presented by state farm on tnt. >> so president-elect donald trump now promising that when he takes office once again the department of justice will vigorously pursue the death penalty. those are his words. that is after president biden

commuted nearly every federal death sentence to life in prison without parole. cnn's steve contorno has much more on this one for us. it's good to see you, steve. and, steve, this is a position that he campaigned on. but what do you think is going on behind it? >> kate? donald trump, during the campaign trail, promised to not only restart executions once again, but he promised to potentially expand the definition of who might be eligible for capital punishment by the federal government. >> take a listen to what he had to say during the campaign. >> i'm hereby calling for the death penalty for any migrant that kills an american citizen or a law enforcement officer. i said, i'd like you to give the death penalty to people that are making fentanyl and sending it over to our country. we have to bring in the death penalty if we want to stop the infestation of drugs coming into our country. >> that brings us to yesterday, where donald trump posted on truth social in response to

biden's actions, saying, quote, as soon as i am inaugurated, i will direct the justice department to vigorously pursue the death penalty to protect american families and children from violent rapists, murderers and monsters. >> we will be a nation of law and order again. and that coming, of course, in response to president joe biden commuting the sentence of 37 of 40 people currently on death row and instead giving them life sentences instead of the death penalty. and i should point out that biden, in his statement, specifically said that part of his reasoning behind this was because he didn't want his next, the next administration to come in and continue the executions that he paused. donald trump, though, has long been someone who believed in law and order, as he said, and he was one of someone who aggressively pursued executions during his first term as president and now promising to do that once again. >> sure is. it's good to see

you, steve. thank you so much. really appreciate it. joining us right now to talk more about this is tia mitchell, washington bureau chief for the atlanta journal constitution. and ron brownstein, cnn senior political analyst and senior editor at the atlantic. good to see you guys. merry christmas, happy holidays tia. >> good morning. >> after what joe biden did, how vigorously can donald trump go after the death penalty? >> well, there's not a lot he can do quickly. he can try to work with congress to expand the list of crimes that are eligible for the death penalty. i thought it was very telling in the statement that steve just shared from president president elect trump. he specifically mentioned rapists. there are court decisions that say rapists cannot be sent to the death penalty without also being found guilty of murder, for example. so if donald trump wants to give rapists the death penalty, then he's going to have to get a change in law or he's going to face court

challenges. that's just one example of the many things that stand in his way. if he wants to expand the use of the death penalty. >> and ron, i mean, i spoke with a democratic member of congress just this week who was pretty critical of joe biden for for using kind of using this move, this power of the presidency to very clearly hamper the next administration's abilities. where is the american public generally on this? do you think? >> you know, the death penalty is really more of a symbol than a practical tool in fighting crime? i mean, you know, back in 1994, that crime bill that became such an issue a generation later in democratic politics, it added, i believe it was 60 more offenses to the federal death penalty. and you saw how that eliminated crime in the u.s., right? i mean, uh, the federal death penalty just isn't applied that often. and the death penalty in general is so expensive and time consuming to actually finish a sentence that it really is not that

critical a lever. any criminologist will tell you, but it is a powerful cultural symbol. and certainly, you know, trump wants to be seen as being as tough on crime as he can. and so it's valuable to him in that way. i do not think there's going to be a lot of federal executions, regardless of what biden did. >> yeah. so let me move on to this. um, ron, i'll start with you. the panama canal threat. that came this week from donald trump, or maybe a promise it's now blown up into becoming an even bigger thing. you have, you know presidents of panama, past and present, banding together, speaking out against what donald trump wants to do. and i'm looking at this in the context of this could fit into the category of what was the focus of your recent article in the atlantic? in talking about the unrestrained presidency? i'll read part of your wonderful words to you and to everyone else, saying that the forces that restrained and

often frustrated trump during his first term have all palpably weakened. that will be a mixed blessing for him and for the republican party. there's less chance that the forces inside or outside his administration will thwart trump's marquee campaign proposals. you go on to write, but there will also be fewer obstacles to the kind of polarizing ideas that got stopped during trump's first term. talk me through this more. it's a really great read. >> well thank you. well, look, you know, i think we forget how many institutional constraints donald trump faced when he arrived in 2017. he had republican leadership in the house and the senate, and mitch mcconnell and paul ryan, who were very dubious of him at that point, there was only a 4 to 4 supreme court with anthony kennedy as an unreliable vote from a conservative perspective. uh, business leaders kept their distance from him. the media, i think, was more, you know, kind of in a more aggressive posture of oversight. and most of those restraints are reduced this time. and i should

have added that he was forced, really, because of his position within the republican party, to appoint a lot of officials, senior officials who are not really part of his maga movement. and they ultimately said no to many of the polarized pushback on many of the most polarizing things that he wanted to do. like, you know, according to mark, esper used the national guard to shoot racial justice protesters or sees use the military to seize voting machines or launch unilateral military strikes against mexico without permission of the mexican government. all of those restraints are weaker this time. he is kind of constrained by a narrower house majority that can produce rebellions from the right on occasion, like we saw during the budget fight. you know, the other day. but by and large, the kind of people who said no to many of trump unbound, trump's unbound impulses are not going to be in the room this time. so what you're going to see, i think, is, you know, even more of these secondary firefights. he

was elected in part because he kept his focus overwhelmingly on two issues, you know, cutting your costs and gaining control of the border. and what we have seen in this transition, i think the unifying theme of the transition from matt gaetz to panama to the debt ceiling is that, you know, trump's impulsiveness is just undiminished, and his ability to keep his presidency focused on any central theme, i think, is going to be very challenging, especially without the internal regulators that were there the first time. >> and the other side of this coin that ron, that ron gets to in the piece is really perfectly summed up by matt bennett, a democratic strategist. he's a centrist democrat. he was in the clinton white house. he's been obviously, we all know him very well. he's on the show all the time. and he told ron this, the very crass political answer is democrats benefit in the long run from trump's stronger position because trump always goes too far when he is uninhibited. however, he is going to break things that are very hard to fix, and he is

going to hurt people who are very vulnerable, whom my fellow democrats and i are in the business to protect. so we can't root for that. but to the top of what matt bennett is saying is, in a crass political sense, in the long run, what ron is pointing to could benefit. it could backfire on trump, and republicans could benefit democrats. what do you see? >> yeah, i think that's a possibility, especially as we look towards the midterms where we know already just by being in power. the republican party is is at a deficit just going into the midterm elections, no matter what they do for the next two years. but if the trump presidency is chaotic and you know, everything we've seen from his first presidency to the transition, um, kind of predicts some chaos, um, that could also bring the party down if if the republican party, if congress, if republicans, congress get pulled into all these kind of side conversations led by donald trump, the debt ceiling

panama, canada, greenland, you know, other issues that we can't even fathom right now that all of a sudden the president starts speaking about and they're not focused on the economy. they're not focused on immigration. then the this mandate that they say they have will be unfulfilled. and i think there will be a lot of voters who will be disappointed if what they said they elected trump for doesn't come to fruition, because we know there are a lot of voters who told us, i don't really like the guy, i don't know, i don't like all that he stands for. but the thing he said he's going to do, i believe he can do it, and therefore i'm going to trust him. with four more years of his mandate, if there is one, is very narrow, as ron just mentioned, and if he keeps on the side track conversations, i think american people aren't going to respond well to that. >> you're going to have, at the very least, you're going to have a lot of elected republicans working overtime and very hard to try to connect the border and the economy and

inflation to all of these side issues that might pop up on the impulse of donald trump. we will see it. we will all see it play out. it's good to see you both. thank you very much. >> happy holidays. >> yeah. you too. ron, coming up for us, the beautiful notre dame cathedral in paris holds its first christmas services since rebuilding and finally reopening after that catastrophic fire. and also, we're going to speak to a psychologist about what to do if you have a case of the holiday blues it ready for this? >> are you ready for this new alka-seltzer plus cold or flu fizzy chews? >> chew fizz. feel better fast. no water needed. new alka-seltzer plus. >> hi, susan. honey. yeah, i respect that, but that cough looks pretty bad. try this. robitussin. honey. >> the real honey you love. plus the powerful cough relief you need. >> mind if i root through your trash? >> robitussin with real honey and elderberry.

>> someone need a hug? sing. danny werfel 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. john. to the world joy to the. >> people. >> wow. >> joy to you and me. is here. >> who is? >> the vampire nosferatu. >> for r2. rated r only in theaters today. special engagements in dolby and imax. why do nfl players choose a

sleep number? bed? >> i like to sleep cool and i like to sleep even cooler. and i really like it when we both get what we want. >> introducing the new sleep number climacool smart bed. sleep up to 15 degrees cooler on each side. visit a sleep number store near you. >> long after guests leave, viruses and bacteria linger, air fresheners add a scent, but only lysol air sanitizer helps erase the trace, eliminating odor and killing 99.9% of viruses and bacteria in the air. scent can't sanitize lysol can. >> best part of the party. snooping in the bathroom. ooh! party foul. not listening to your dentist. make the sonicare switch all right, champ. be gentle. be effective. be you. i love you. >> 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

jen b asks, "how can i get fast download speeds while out and about?" jen, we've engineered xfinity mobile with wifi speeds up to a gig, so you can download and do much more all at once. it's an idea that's quite attractive. or... another word... -fashionable? i was gonna say- "popular! you're gonna be pop-uuuu-larrr!" can you do defying gravity?! yeah, get my harness. buy one line of unlimited, get one free for a year with xfinity mobile. and see “wicked,” in theaters now. and that's been a great gift.

>> 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. >> the historic notre dame cathedral in paris held its first christmas eve masses in five years. that is how long it took to rebuild that historic site after it was nearly destroyed in the devastating fire. look how beautiful it is to see open once again. thousands of worshipers attended the services at the at the cathedral. the paris archbishop symbolically reopened notre dame's wooden doors earlier this month. this, of course, with many big, bold, bold faced names in the audience. guests like president-elect donald trump, first lady jill biden, prince william and ukrainian president zelenskyy also on hand. this holiday is also, of course, always a time filled with plenty of

but for some, this time of year can also bring with it a lot of sadness and a lot of anxiety. and it turns out it is quite common. you are not alone if you are dealing with the holiday blues right now, but there is help on the way. joining us right now is jeff girdler, clinical psychologist and professor of behavioral medicine at touro university. it's good to see you. thank you for coming in. so thank you. great to be here. as much as it is important to celebrate the holidays, it's also important to say you're not alone. this is not uncommon. if you are not feeling so much holiday cheer. what is it about this time of year that brings up sadness in so many? when the goal, of course, of the season is the opposite. >> yeah, and in addition to what you're talking about, the holiday blues, we also see some agitation. again, that sadness and loneliness that you talked about, isolating oneself. and a lot of that has to do with the stress of all of those great things that you said that we should be celebrating. for some people, it's just a little bit too much, too many unrealistic

expectations of having to be present, having to be there, having to be smiling. too many of the sentimental memories of days gone by or people that we've lost, or that inability for whatever reason it may be to be with family and friends during the holidays. so all of those things come together and can cause someone to have the holiday blues and the holiday blues. >> of course, not a clinical diagnosis. it's not clinical depression we're talking about or any of the other mood disorders that so many people battle and manage throughout year round. that said, what should people watch out for this season? >> well, i think it's important for people to understand that if they're feeling burnt out, if they're feeling that, perhaps they just can't rise to the moment that other people are enjoying or they're absolutely dreading the

holidays? well, they probably are at risk for the holiday blues. and you're right, kate, it's not a clinical depression, but we tend to see that people who do have a preexisting mental health challenge may be more at risk for the holiday blues. >> and you kind of touched on it a little bit. but the holidays can also be especially hard for people who are in grief, who are grieving a loss of a loved one. and grief around the holidays can also, i have found, also be additionally complicated for some reason, you know? what's your advice to people if they're experiencing this or if they, you know, are having a tough time with it as they move through this season? >> yeah. so in this very joyous time, we tend to miss the people that are no longer with us even more because of some of the memories that it brings up. so i think it's important for us to create new traditions. one of the things that we can do is go to, if one is religious, go to a house of service in order to celebrate a memory of that person who's no

longer with us, or even more importantly, sitting at the kitchen table or sitting at the dining room table and leaving an open place setting for that individual. have a libation for them, or just talk about what it is that they meant in our lives. so this way, it's not just about grieving, but more importantly, celebrating the memory of the significance of that individual in our, uh, in our personal lives as well as the that in our families and in society. >> yeah. now it. and the most basic level it feels just don't go deeper into yourself. make sure you're talking about it and acknowledging it is of course, i think an important part of of getting through it as best you can. >> yes, absolutely. >> and also and also touching base with others. >> absolutely. it's good to touch base with you, jeff. thank you so much. >> great to see you. we'll be right back.

>> 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. is where i belong. >> home instead, for a better what's. >> no matter what kind of teeth you got to brush or will be electric cleans better with one simple touch. >> oral-b's dentist inspired round brush head. hugs him, cleans him and gets in between him for 100% cleaner teeth. your perfect clean starts with oral-b. look out, cause here i come. >> have you always had trouble with your weight? >> same. >> discover the power of wegovy with wegovy i lost 35 pounds and some lost over 46 pounds. >> and i'm keeping the weight

off. >> i'm reducing my risk. wegovy is the only weight management medicine proven to reduce risk of major cardiovascular events such as death, heart attack or stroke in adults with known heart disease and obesity. >> don't use wegovy with semaglutide or glp one medicines, or in children under 12. >> don't take if you or your family had mtc men2 or if allergic to it, tell your provider if you plan to have surgery or a procedure, are breastfeeding, pregnant, or plan to be. stop taking and get medical help right away. if you get a lump or swelling in your neck, severe stomach pain, or any of these allergic reactions serious side effects may include pancreas inflammation and gallbladder problems. call your prescriber if you have any of these symptoms. wegovy may cause low blood sugar in people with diabetes, especially if you take medicines to treat diabetes. call your prescriber about vision changes. if you feel your heart racing while at rest, or if you have mental changes, depression or thoughts of suicide may occur. common side effects include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, stomach pain, flu or upset headache, feeling

tired, dizzy or bloated, gas and heartburn. some side effects lead to dehydration, which may cause kidney problems with wegovy. >> i'm losing weight. >> i'm keeping it off and i'm lowering my cv risk. >> wegovy ask your prescriber about wegovy. >> can you believe this? >> doug flutie and frank thomas you guys look great. once i turn 40. let me guess. >> less energy, less drive. definitely. >> it's not your fault. it happens to every man. >> testosterone levels drop as you age. >> happened to you guys? >> yeah. >> so what did you do? we got jenin total t to get your complimentary bottle of eugenics. >> total t text huge to 369369. this unique man boosting formula is powered by tesla, a key ingredient clinically researched to help increase testosterone levels. >> that does it. >> i got to get nugenix. >> just send the text for a complimentary bottle. and by the way, she'll like it too. >> get your complimentary bottle of nugenix now. text huge to 369369. text now and

we'll include a bottle of nugenix thermo ex, our newest, most powerful fat incinerator ever with key ingredients to help you lose fat and get lean. absolutely free. that's huge. to 369369. >> long after guests leave. viruses and bacteria linger. air fresheners add a scent, but only lysol air sanitizer helps erase the trace, eliminating odor and killing 99.9% of viruses and bacteria in the air. scent can't sanitize lysol can. >> i'm bill weir on the california coast, and this is cnn. >> so this morning russia launched a massive christmas morning aerial attack on ukraine's energy sector, launching more than 70 missiles. ukraine's air

defenses shot down more than 50 of the russian missiles and say that they also took out a significant number of drones that were targeting ukraine's energy infrastructure. but at least one person has died, six others injured. and this is just from the initial reports coming in. let's talk about what this means in this war ahead, where it stands now. joining me right now is a member of the house foreign affairs committee, democratic congressman from california, ami bera. congressman, thank you so much for coming in on this christmas day. this war is now grinding into its third winter. and the president of ukraine just called this christmas day assault inhuman. but there's very clearly there's no pause in this war during the holidays. i mean, what do you think? 2025 is going to mean for this fight for ukraine's survival? >> you know, kate, thanks for having me on. i do think it's inhuman to choose this particular day, but that's not unusual for vladimir putin. um, i think, um, you know, you've heard president-elect trump talk about wanting to negotiate.

you've heard vladimir putin talk about it. and i think republicans in congress are also going to push for some sort of end to this conflict. i've met with ukrainian parliamentarians and others for this conflict to end. there's got to be some guarantee of ukrainian security. i don't know exactly what that that means. um, and i think it would be they'd be reluctant to cede territory. so is there some negotiation that, you know, creates some occupied territory? um, but again, i think putin is also suffering. we've seen what's happened in syria. that was a big black eye for putin. we're hearing reports of rampant inflation, um, lack of food, potatoes, things like that. so i think he's got some incentives. and now president biden is talking about increasing sanctions as well. so can we create the contour for a negotiation? >> yeah, there is a lot kind of in the air, if you will, around what change could come come january 20th. i mean, you also have the president elect saying

very recently that ukraine will possibly receive less military aid once he takes office. how is that going to play out in congress? because there are a lot of crosscurrents that do not perfectly land along party lines. we have seen that over and over again, and you are looking at, you know, the republicans are looking at a even slimmer majority in the house. how is when it comes to congress's role, how is that going to look? >> you know, i think you're going to see some interesting debates. the republican party used to be a very hawkish party, but you've seen these factions within their conference, folks that very much are saying, okay, let's get out of ukraine. folks that are more traditional, hawkish republicans that are saying, we've got to continue this fight and beat putin, and then you've got the same factions in the democratic party. so i think you're going to see vibrant debate. i do think, you know, we've seen what president-elect trump wants to do. and then, you know, i serve on the intelligence committee with mike walsh, who's the

incoming nsc director. so he's also asked some pretty tough questions about ukraine. so again, i think there's an opportunity to try to negotiate an end to this conflict. >> that would be really it's january is going to be january. february, i think is going to be a very interesting time in this war. also separately, i guess on the foreign policy front, the president elect and this new focus on retaking control of the panama canal, i have seen some reporting that trump's focus here actually has more to do with china than anything else. a senior one senior trump appointee, the way they put it is that it's designed to make clear the that decades of u.s. commerce financing china's growth and strategic footprint in the americas is now over. with this, no matter the motivation behind it, panama is taking this very seriously to this approach to foreign policy. you say, what you know, it's unconventional. >> um, you know, we've seen him do it. you know, we watched him talk about wanting to buy

greenland, um, in his first term. he's brought that that up again, too. so, you know, i think this is all negotiation. i do think it is about, you know, china and china competition. and i think we're going to hear a lot more of that. obviously, we're hearing them talk about 100% tariffs and so forth. you know, is that a negotiating ploy or is that something he's really serious about. and again, you know, i don't think we're taking the panama canal back. but i do think, you know, there's legitimate concern about, you know, china's footprint in the western hemisphere. >> yeah. this is also another holiday that families of the israeli hostages are suffering through, as well as civilians in gaza are suffering through. but there does appear appear, i will say, a glimmer of renewed hope on the possible possibility of maybe a final hostage ceasefire deal. the father of one of the remaining american hostages, sigi skelton. he spoke with me this week, and he says that trump getting involved now and setting an actual date and deadline for hamas or else has been a game changer. congressman, let me

play what jonathan declan told me. >> but clearly over the course of the last three weeks since president elect trump came out with a very strong statement with a deadline of january 20th, his inauguration, clearly, all of the sides and the intermediaries egypt, qatar, hamas and israel have put into motion a negotiation process that had been stalled for months until that statement. and there seems to be an urgency on all sides that's been missing for a very long time to get this done. >> what do you think of this, this more aggressive approach that we're already hearing from trump and those around him? >> you know, i think the biden administration has also been pushing for a long time. i agree that there has been a slowdown in those negotiations. you know, i there's an urgency to get the hostages released. there's urgency to try to figure out how do you avert a humanitarian crisis in gaza? i

mean, the amount of starvation there is pretty incredible. and then there's a real possibility of a very different middle east. you've seen hezbollah decimated. we've just seen what happened in syria. iran really is in a very precarious position. so, you know, i think as a democratic member of the foreign policy committee, we'd be happy to work with the trump administration to try to negotiate a different path forward for the middle east. >> i think your committee is going to be one of the marquee committees to be watching, because it is going to be a very interesting few months ahead on the foreign policy front. congressman, it's good to see you. thank you so much for coming in. >> good to see you. merry christmas. >> you too. we'll be right back. harry houdini, no more gross cough sirup. >> i 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. >> when i hear cancer, i hear death sentence every 15 seconds. >> someone will hear the words you have cancer. at the american cancer society, this is why we're here to help people through their entire journey. >> i was ready to battle to be there for my family. >> and today, we're asking for your support. go online or scan the qr code. now. your gift helps fund research that saves lives and provides support like free rides to treatment and lodging in our hope lounge communities, where patients stay for free. >> i want to thank you guys. >> for your donations that make my stay here possible. >> your donation will help support our efforts to end cancer as we know it for everyone. >> i owe it all to the american cancer society. >> go to give dot cancer.org or

scan the qr code to donate today. 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 it. where's the money? >> you can't heal something unless you say it out loud. it's not the light. >> the light? la la la la la la la la la la. there's nothing like it. i just need. >> to make exceptional. the standard in the all new buick enclave experience. truly effortless driving that invites you to let go. and stunning technology that's in a class of its own, with quiet tuning that comes standard and room to bring everything along for the ride. the enclave puts you at the center of it all. buick

exceptional by design. >> my name is dan. >> i live here in san antonio, texas. i ran my own hvac business and now i'm retired. i'm not good being retired. i'm a pain in the neck. i like to be able to have a purpose. about 3 or 4 years ago, i felt like i was starting to slip. i saw the commercials after a short amount of time taking prevagen, i started noticing a difference. i stopped taking prevagen and i found myself slacking back, so i jumped right back on it. i've been taking prevagen for about two years now and i found a huge difference. >> prevagen at stores everywhere without a prescription. >> 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 i've got this. >> hey, susan. toothbrush. big interview, huh? nice new suit, new haircut, ancient bristle stick. make the sonicare

ot spending the thousand dollars on takeout. that actually would really help do your finances a

favor. download rocket money today, new year's eve live with anderson and andy. >> live coverage starts at eight on cnn. >> welcome back. 2024 has been quite a year in terms of health headlines. cnn's chief medical correspondent, dr. sanjay gupta, counts down the top ten of the year. >> from another potential pandemic to health threats infiltrating our daily lives. >> 2024 provided us with some warning signs, but we also saw stories with hard earned moments of inspiration and innovation, reminding us of the relentless search for the next medical breakthrough. >> with more than 100,000 people on the waitlist for organ transplants in the united states, there is a clear need for a solution. and this could be the answer. >> they're fully edited. >> all these piglets can carry a total of 69 edits to their genome. >> genetically edited pigs, designed by scientists to be

compatible with the human body, reducing the possibility of rejection, scientists have started to make progress testing this type of organ transplant. >> it's known as xenotransplantation. >> they're doing this into patients who have no other alternatives. as temperatures around the world keep climbing, it's taking a clear toll on our health. testing the limits of human survivability this year. people hiking, attending concerts, just being in their own homes. they have died from heat. in fact, heat is the deadliest type of extreme weather, and climate change is making those heat waves longer and more severe. heat also means warmer oceans, leading to these supercharged hurricanes like the ones that we saw this year. and that comes with their own health consequences as well. imagine using a computer by only using your mind. that's just the beginning of what brain computer interface or bci technology

combined with artificial intelligence is now hoping to do. companies like synchron and elon musk's neuralink, they have begun implanting bci devices into people's brains to help people who are losing motor functions still be able to perform daily tasks. earlier this year, i met mark. he's an als patient who has mostly lost the ability to use his arms, and we saw firsthand how synchron stentrode device helps send messages on his computer and even play a game like pong. he hopes this technology can help him, can help other patients struggling as well with paralysis. maintain as much independence as possible. >> i was 43 years old at the time when i was diagnosed. >> a growing number of young adults like timothy mitchell are being diagnosed with cancer. >> cancer, which usually would affect people over 65, has now become much more prevalent in patients under 55. >> while the trends have been headed this way for more than a

decade, experts still aren't sure why this is happening. but it has put a spotlight on the importance of recommended preventative screenings, paying attention to any unusual symptoms in your body, and a search for factors that could be behind this increase. >> a new study shows an increase in levels of microplastics in human brains. >> microplastics. they are everywhere nowadays. they're in our food. they're in our clothing. they're in the air we breathe. and now we're starting to get a better understanding of their potential impact on our health. there was a study that found people with micro or nanoplastics in their carotid arteries were twice as likely to have a heart attack or stroke, or die from any other cause over the next three years, compared to people who had none. if you're a parent, i know you're going to understand this. >> 48%. nearly half of parents are saying on most days they are completely overwhelmed by their stress. >> this summer, the u.s. surgeon general vivek murthy, issued an advisory calling parental stress a public health

concern, saying that we need a cultural shift with both individual and government intervention. parents are working more than ever and child care demands have only increased, leaving many families feeling exhausted, burned out, perpetually behind. that's what murthy said. it's no secret that diet plays a major role in our health. and while we know the benefits of healthy food, the harms of ultra processed food are now coming into clearer focus. ultra processed foods make up nearly 70% of our country's food supply. numerous studies have found that consuming higher amounts of these foods raises the risk of obesity, but also the development of chronic conditions like cancer, cardiovascular disease, type two diabetes, depression. it probably even shortens lifespan. researchers are now trying to figure out if ultra processed ingredients are l crted equal. an alarming spread of bird flu throught dairy rds across the united

states has scientists on edge. >> as we think about a virus th might move fr animals into humans and potentially cause the next pandec. it certainly haeveryone's guard up. >> while the cdc says the public health risk remains low, there have been cases of bird flu in humans. >> the cdc is now confirming the first severe case of h5n1 bird flu in a human inside the united states. >> most human cases have been among people who've been exposed to sick animals, but that hasn't completely eased the fears of the possibility of human to human transmission. there may be more hope for alzheimer's patients than ever. a new study led by doctor dean ornish found that some patients who underwent lifestyle interventions alone, like eating a vegan diet, exercising daily, practicing stress reduction. they saw improved cognition, even signs of reversal of the disease. i got to see this firsthand, meeting patients all over the

country. >> this is the best i can do to stay alive, and i want to live with my wife as long as i can. >> we also did see promise in newly approved pharmaceutical interventions, including monoclonal antibody treatments. donanemab, for example, demonstrating the ability to slow the progression of the disease. you know, for decades we only saw incremental progress in treating this disease. but now i have to say these options are giving patients new hope. this year, we traveled around the world investigating the impact of the glp one weight loss drugs, with no signs of slowing in popularity. now, these drugs have given us new insight into obesity as a disease. >> what it did help me was not have a whole lot of thoughts about food. >> my cravings went away. >> we now consider obesity a disease of the brain, a revelation that i think has

lifted a sense of guilt associated with this disease, helped us get to a better understanding of how to treat it as well. >> it's definitely true that there are people out there who've said, time and again, obesity is not really a disease. all you need to do is eat better and exercise more and you'll be okay. >> while these drugs may not be for everyone, we have seen how they can transform people's lives. physically, yes, but also emotionally. we've only at this point begun to unlock the possibilities. studies have found that these drugs could be associated with cardiovascular benefits, lowering the risk of certain cancers, curbing cravings as well. beyond food like nicotine and alcohol. and i'm sure we're going to continue to learn a lot more about this in 2025. happy new year! >> it's the most wonderful time with the kids. >> jingle. be of good cheer. >> it's the most wonderful.

>> whether your phone is broken or old, we've got you with verizon. anyone can trade in any phone, any condition. it's your last chance to get iphone 16 pro with apple intelligence on u.s. and ipad and apple watch series ten all three on us. that's up to $2,000 in value only on verizon. >> start your day with nature made and try new zero sugar gummies. >> why do 80% of nfl players choose a sleep number bed? >> because the higher my sleep iq score, the better i play. but that's not the only reason he likes to slide firm. >> i like my slide. >> soft sleep number does that effortless comfort all night. >> so sleeping on a smart bed is why you can play like this. >> yeah, because i also like to sleep cool and i like to sleep even cooler. and i really like it when we both get what we want. >> sleep number does that. introducing the new sleep number. climate cool smart bed. sleep up to 15 degrees cooler on each side. visit a sleep number store near you.

>> give your dog more days of play with la bella, a once monthly injection given by your vet that controls osteoarthritis pain in dogs. nubrella should not be used in breeding pregnant or lactating dogs. this is the best day of my life. >> la bella. >> 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. >> you make good choices. it's a trait that runs deep, like to step into big shoes and still walk on your own path. with ambition like that, you need someone who elevates advice to a craft. at ubs, we match your vision with insight and expertise to shape a unique outcome for you. advice

is our craft. >> every parent knows when it's time to go into protect mode. adding lysol disinfectant spr