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picks app today. enter $5 and get $50 instantly. prize picks. run your game new year's eve live with anderson and andy. >> live coverage starts at eight on cnn. closed captioning brought to you by inventhelp. call one ( 800) 710-0020. >> do you have an invention idea but don't know what to do next? call inventhelp today. they can help you get started with your idea. >> call now( 800) 710-0020. >> what caused a deadly plane crash in central asia? investigators are scouring the wreckage for clues, and we have new details on the crash. and the 29 people who survived. plus, a series of storms is creating some messy travel conditions for people out west. well, on the east coast, new yorkers saw their first white christmas eve, at least in more than a decade. we have your holiday forecast, and tourists in hawaii are flocking to see

an amazing lava spectacle. but it has scientists warning about the emerging threat from so-called super volcanoes. we're following these major developing stories and many more, all coming in right here to cnn news central. hello and welcome to all our viewers on this christmas day. i'm danny freeman here in new york. we begin this hour with that breaking news of a deadly plane crash in kazakhstan. authorities say at least 38 people are dead after an. azerbaijan airlines plane crashed and burst into flames earlier today. stunningly, nearly half of those people on board, 29 people survived, including two children. 11 are currently in critical condition. we have to warn you, this next video showing dazed survivors pulled from the wreckage may be disturbing for some to watch. >> some.

police. brynn gingras. >> just terrifying. and in this video right here posted to social media, you can see the plane descending to the ground and what appears to be the moment of impact. cnn aviation analyst and former ntsb managing director peter goelz joins me now. first, merry christmas. thank you for coming on this holiday to discuss this really scary event. russia's aviation watchdog said that the preliminary information suggested the pilot had decided to make an emergency landing after a bird strike. you've seen the video now. what's your assessment? >> well, these planes in the

number, you know, is a excellent aircraft with a strong safety record. >> and. azerbaijan airways has a good safety record. if it was a simple bird strike. losing one engine, that's really not a threatening situation. it's a challenging one. but these planes are designed to fly on one engine. pilots train one engine flight all the time. something else happened and caused this. this, you know, terrible fatalities and this terrible accident. if it was an uncontained engine failure caused by a bird being ingested, you would see parts of the engine coming apart, perhaps impacting the aircraft, uh, impacting the flight control systems. and that would be a very difficult situation. and i saw some indications of an uncontrolled an uncontained failure in the tail video tape

of the tail. there was some impact, uh, marks, like shrapnel in the tail of the plane, which might have indicated that, you know, peter, one of the things that stood out to me was, remarkably, at least 29 people actually survived this crash. >> what does that tell you about what happened here? >> well, first of all, it tells you two things. one is that aviation safety has come a long way, and one of the strongest steps towards surviving these kinds of accidents is the requirement that seats be able to withstand impact of. 16 gs that means that you're in your seat. you have a terrible wreck like this. you're not being thrown out, and you have the chance to walk away. that's just extraordinary. and i think that's the the, the real message from from this kind of accident. >> i mean, truly remarkable. and i learned that over the course of speaking with you and other experts, how much

progress there has been on aviation safety. i'm curious your thought on this, though, peter, would the u.s. have any role in this crash investigation, by any chance? would it just depend on the nationalities of the victims here? >> no, it goes beyond that. and it's a great question to ask. this kind of investigation is guided by the international civil aviation organization, icao, and there's a treaty of which azerbaijan is a signatory, and so is the united states. uh, this aircraft had ge engines on it. uh, the, investigator in charge, uh, from azerbaijan, could ask for u.s. involvement, and the u.s. could request involvement because of that, that fact and the there's a cooperative, uh, approach to these investigations. the ntsb has a specific designated

person who handles international, uh, you know, accidents. and, uh, i think the u.s. will be participating. >> peter, one more thing that i wanted to pick your brain on just because we got some new video that i believe we're about to roll. cnn has learned that oxygen masks were actually released before the crash. knowing that, does that tell you anything more about what might have happened here? >> well, it may indicate, as i said, you know, i'm kind of leaning with just preliminary information towards some sort of uncontained failure in the outboard engine in which, you know, the engines are designed with titanium cowling to, to try and hold in if a rotor ruptures, you know, these, these internal fan blades are going at 18,000, uh, revolutis per minute. and, uh, if they rupture, these can enter the enter the fuselage

and cause a depressurization, which could cause the, the masks to drop. >> peter goelz, thank you so much for breaking it all down. and again, just stunning video. we continue to get in of this really horrific crash. but again, miraculously, many survivors from this crash. peter, thank you and have a good rest of your holiday. >> thank you. >> joe biden will now go down in u.s. history for, among other things, the president, who officially designated the bald eagle as america's national bird, a long overdue honor, if you ask me. now, the eagle raptor has appealed on the great seal of the united states since 1782. the new law was one of 50 that president biden approved on christmas eve. there are now just 26 days left in the biden presidency. so for more on this and what happens in this final, less than a month is senior reporter isaac. isaac, thank you for joining us. always great to see you. can you explain what some of these other laws the president just signed might do? >> yeah, the eagle bill,

probably not the most significant of what has been signed into law here. there is a measure to crack down on hazing on college campuses. a measure that a law that had been promoted by paris hilton to look at how teens are faring when they're in various institutions and provide money for studies on their mental and physical well-being. there's also some of the standard congressional stuff, like naming a library after the late senator dianne feinstein, and then some things like, uh, cutting pensions for members of congress who've been convicted of certain crimes. so there's a whole panoply of things, a lot that got thrown in in addition to that spending fight by the lame duck congress in the last couple of weeks. and it does seem like likely those are the last bunch of laws that joe biden will sign as president. but there are still a couple of weeks left. >> well, to that point, about a couple of weeks left. isaac, do you foresee president biden

taking any last minute executive authority type actions? do you know if the administration is thinking or looking at anything in particular? >> well, they're looking at a number of things. obviously, there were a couple days ago, those commutations of people who were facing the federal death penalty that joe biden did. there are likely more commutations and pardons that will be considered in these last couple of weeks. there are also some things related to student debt that the president has been pretty focused on over the course of his term, that he might still do. and then you think about things on the international front. the biggest thing that joe biden would like to accomplish before he leaves internationally is to try to figure out some kind of ceasefire hostage deal in the israel-gaza situation. but it's it's three weeks. it's the end of a presidency, usually not a lot happens. but at this point, with the way the world is and the way the country is, a lot can happen. and we know that the president is saying at least and his

staff is saying that they intend to try to make the most of, of the last couple of weeks that they're in office, and certainly some sort of resolution in the middle east. >> i would imagine one of the biggest goals or priorities in these final weeks. isaac taveras, thank you so much. have a great holiday. appreciate it. a series of storms creating some messy travel conditions for people out west. you can see right there with winter weather bringing snow and slick conditions to the roads in northern california. meanwhile, in the east coast, millions in new york city saw their first white christmas eve in more than a decade. meteorologist chad myers has your christmas forecast. >> yeah, danny. >> still some snow on the ground. although the sun is out now in many places, melting that snow causing spray up in your face. if you're traveling today, make sure your washer fluid is full. and then tonight that will refreeze as temperatures go back down below 32. snow all the way back out to minnesota, but no additional snow. this is a rain event for the mississippi valley and they will take the rain. they are in the middle of a horrible drought across the lower

mississippi valley. let me take you ahead to really the next biggest travel day that will be sunday. this is the area of cloud cover that will invade atlanta, d.c., new york, just in time for air travel on sunday. there'll be a lot of snow in the west still, and seattle is going to be slow the entire week. but here's the problem. here's sunday morning with the cloud cover, low clouds and rain all the way from atlanta, all the way up to the east coast. that is going to slow things down. now. the snow could slow you down. if you're driving across these mountain passes, but it won't slow you down across parts of the sierra that have picked up feet and feet of snow with one storm after the other. the skiers out here in tahoe all the way down to mammoth, just really enjoying this, added snow. natural snow, because it's a whole lot better than skiing in that snow cone. danny it is indeed, man. >> got to got to get back out to tahoe. it's been too long. chad myers, thank you very

much. all right. now to some of the other headlines we're watching for you this hour. the fda has issued an urgent salmonella warning for eggs sold at costco. the agency says there's a, quote, reasonable possibility eating them could result in serious health issues or death. the affected product is the handsome brook farms brand of signature organic, pasture raised, 24 count eggs. they have a use by date of january 5th. they were sold in georgia, alabama, tennessee and north and south carolina. also, the cdc says whooping cough cases are at their highest level in a decade. whooping cough, also known as pertussis, starts with symptoms similar to the common cold but a painful full body cough can develop after a week or two. the cough can be so severe it causes patients to vomit and even break ribs. the cdc recommends everyone get vaccinated. and one lucky person could get a belated billion dollar christmas gift. wouldn't that be nice? the mega millions jackpot has soared to an estimated $1.15 billion, the

highest price ever offered in december. now, the next drawing mark your calendars, is this friday, and if the winner chooses the cash option, that's still more than a half $1 million. all right, still ahead. it's rare for christmas and the start of hanukkah to fall on the same day, but it's happening today. tonight. that means for the first time in nearly 20 years, christians in gaza and jews in israel are celebrating at the same time. this comes as we learn that ceasefire talks have stalled. we'll have an update from the middle east coming up next 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. >> it's the most wonderful time with the kids. jingle. be of good cheer. >> it's the most one. >> whether your phone's broken

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if you're heading low at night? wow. it can alert you. and you can even track your goals. manage your diabetes with confidence. with dexcom g7, the most accurate cgm. learn more at dexcom.com. >> i'm bill, we're on the california coast and this is cnn. >> this just in to cnn. president-elect donald trump has announced his new pick for ambassador to panama. he revealed his choice on truth social with a dig against the country, writing quote, i'm pleased to announce that kevin marino cabrera will serve as the united states ambassador to the republic of panama, a country that is ripping us off on the panama canal far beyond their wildest dreams. of course, this is more interesting than your typical pick for ambassador. after trump suggested that the u.s. should take back control of the panama canal. we'll have much more on this story later in the hour. today is the first day of hanukkah, as well

as christmas day. it's a rare for them to coincide, but for many in israel, it's a grim day. with the war hanging over families separated from loved ones held hostage while in gaza. the sheer destruction and soaring death toll speak to the horrors of this war on the palestinian people. so can the two sides reach an elusive deal now, or even in the new year? joining me to discuss is cnn global affairs analyst kimberly dozier. merry christmas to you, kim, and thank you for joining us on this holiday, especially to talk about a difficult subject. listen, israeli negotiators returned yesterday from qatar after what netanyahu's office called a significant week of ceasefire and hostage release talks. and now israel and hamas are accusing each other of reneging on and adding new terms into those talks. so i just wanted to get your your take on these recent developments. >> yeah. >> covering peace talks over the years. this is the kind of battle rhythm you sometimes see when the negotiators were leaving qatar, they were saying positive things. you know, we

need to go back to head office essentially to brief them on some of the asks and some of the back and forth. once those negotiating teams reached the various sides, then, uh, hamas, israel, the netanyahu government, both have started responding with these, um, angry retorts accusing the other side of trying to move the goalposts. now, in any negotiation like this, um, every time you think you've got one part sorted out, then sometimes another part opens up. in this case, some of the dismay has been over the hostages. the israelis want all the injured hostages, including the young men who've been injured. the hamas fighters consider the young men israeli soldiers, even if they're injured, they want to keep them until the last moment. um, also, there is a question over

does netanyahu want to keep open the option of returning to fighting after this exchange? this initial exchange, whereas hamas is still holding on to a stop in israeli military operations? if not, you know, if they've given up on ending the war, that phrase. but they're still trying to push for as much of a stop of israeli military operations on the ground as they can get. so it doesn't look like we're going to get a resolution at least this week. >> well, one of the things that certainly caught people's attention was netanyahu told israeli lawmakers on monday, quote, together with our american friends, i plan to expand the abraham accords and thus change even more dramatically the face of the middle east. what kind of change, based on that, do you think the prime minister is talking about? >> well, netanyahu thinks that with some of the trump team back in office that helped broker the abraham accords,

before, which essentially spelled normalization with a number of gulf countries and morocco, and as stepping up of. business, um, allowing israeli planes to land in east gulf countries where they never had before. they want to keep building on that. they were about to sign some sort of deal under the biden administration with saudi arabia when the attacks of october 7th happened. so basically, what netanyahu is hoping is that once the trump administration is back in power, they will be more understanding of netanyahu's complaints about the need for security. they will allow continued military operation in places like gaza, parts of southern syria, and that they will also reach out to saudi arabia and other gulf countries and get some of these negotiations back on track. my doubt about that is the arab and muslim public is very angry over what they've been

watching on tv, coming out of gaza, coming out of southern lebanon and syria. destruction wrought by israeli forces. and i think that public opinion is going to make expansion of the abraham accords a little bit more difficult. >> and again, it just it calls into question if we're going to see a deal prior to the end of president biden's term in office. um, kim dozier, thank you so much, as always for your time. i really do appreciate it and have a very merry rest of your christmas. >> holidays. to all. >> still ahead. hawaii's kilauea volcano erupts, shooting jets of lava into the sky. but some scientists worry about far more dangerous explosions from so-called super volcanoes in the future. we'll talk to an expert about it all. coming up next. >> scott luther. never too much new year's day at eight on. i just need. >> to make exceptional the standard in the

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now for your free legal consultation. again, that's one 800 712 3800. >> 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 el moussa's season premiere thursday at nine on hgtv. >> hawaii's big island is being treated to a rare sight.

kilauea erupted dramatically on monday after one of the world's most active volcanoes had lain quiet for about three months. you're actually looking at live footage right there. we've been seeing fountains of lava spurted 300ft high as amateur volcanologists watched from a safe distance. but some scientists worry another explosion, one that might not be so safe, could happen in the future. for more on this, we have jess phoenix, a volcanologist who wrote misadventure my wild explorations in science, lava, and life. jess, merry christmas, thank you so much for being with us today to talk about the coolest story of the day. uh, i you've piqued my interest. how big is this risk from supervolcanoes? >> well, supervolcanoes are fortunately, something that we don't see. that scale of eruption happen very often. to give you a sense of scale, kilauea's summit caldera, where we're seeing those great images is, you know, a couple kilometers across. not quite. i

mean, it's pretty small. it's less than a mile. um, these super volcano eruptions are basically 240mi÷ of material has to be erupted to reach the level of a supervolcano. so if you think about how far 240 miles is, that is a massive amount of material. we see these big eruptions periodically throughout the history of planet earth. some we have great evidence of, like previous yellowstone eruptions, others have been lost to time itself. so fortunately, the odds of a supervolcano level eruption happening in our lifetimes, they're not super high, but they're also not zero. which is why it's important that we get people who live in the shadow of active volcanoes ready and prepared in case of an eruption. >> okay, you've calmed my nerves for the moment, which i do appreciate very much. you know, i just want to get your thoughts, though, jess, we're looking at this live picture of kilauea. i mean, it's it's mesmerizing. it's beautiful.

why is this eruption so significant or fascinating to folks like yourself right now? >> well, kilauea is nature's perfect laboratory for scientists who study volcanoes because it's very accessible. you can walk right up to the rim of that summit crater that we're seeing. the footage from, and it is it's relatively calm in terms of volcanoes on the scale of, you know, nothing to supervolcano, where hawaii's like a one. so for the most part, that means that we can get really good instrumentation on the volcano so we can put seismographs or seismometers to take seismographs to get a sense of what's going on in the subsurface. we can measure the volcano, whether it inflates or deflates with lava magma underneath the surface. we can measure the gases, which actually are the most dangerous part of kilauea, typically because the gases really

irritate folks respiratory systems. so it's a really good place for us to learn and study. and it's amazing to watch when you have these eruptions where you don't have a lot of people in harm's way. we can actually breathe a little bit easier as scientists and enjoy the spectacle that nature's putting on for us. >> well, i love it, and i'm so glad that we had the exact right person to walk us through all of this. because yes, it is fascinating to watch, but it's a joy that so many people can actually get a lot of benefits from it, while also it not being dangerous to populations as well. that is also key. jess phoenix, thank you so much for your time on this christmas day. i hope you have a very merry rest of your christmas day. >> likewise, and the same to everyone else out there. >> still to come, a music mogul charged a push to free the menendez brothers and a ceo murdered in manhattan. we'll look back at the top crime stories of the year. that's coming up

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>> 808 two one 4000. >> 2024 brought a long list of shocking crime stories. cnn's jean casarez takes us through the top ten cases that had people talking all year. >> music superstars charged in criminal court. parents of a school shooter land in prison, and an insurance executive gunned down, shot in the back in the heart of new york city. all part of the top ten crime and justice stories of 2024. number ten. a conviction in the murders of abigail williams and liberty german two young delphi, indiana girls have an afternoon off from school. in february 2017. a family member drops them off to hike at the monon high bridge trail. libyan and abby were never seen again.

their bodies were found together the next day with their throats cut. libby's phone had pivotal video evidence of a suspect tank dell local resident richard allen was arrested in 2022 and was later convicted by a jury of his peers. number nine charges in connection to the death of a beloved actor. >> when i dance, i look like this matthew perry, who became a household name on the hit show friends, found dead in october 2023, his body floating face down in a hot tub at his pacific palisades home with ketamine in his system. >> five people now charged in connection with his death, including two doctors. >> matthew perry sought treatment for depression and anxiety and went to a local clinic where he became addicted to intravenous ketamine. >> three of the defendants have reached plea agreements, while the other two have pleaded not

guilty. number eight. a stunning end to alec baldwin's manslaughter trial. baldwin goes to trial following the fatal shooting of cinematographer halyna hutchins on the set of his film rust. prosecutors said baldwin pulled the trigger of a prop gun during a rehearsal, but the gun had a live round, killing hutchins. within two days. the involuntary manslaughter case was thrown out over withheld evidence. >> dismissal with prejudice is warranted number seven. >> pop star justin timberlake arrested for driving while intoxicated. timberlake is pulled over while driving in sag harbor, new york. court records alleged he was glassy eyed with a strong odor of alcohol on his breath. he told police he only had one martini. three months later, he pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of driving while impaired.

>> even one drink. >> don't get behind the wheel of a car. >> number six. an illinois woman shot and killed in her own home by police. 36 year old sonia massey called 911 on july 6th because she thought an intruder was in her home. deputies responded, but a dispute over a pot of hot water on the omour hot, steaming water, away from my hot steaming water? >> yeah. oh, i rebuke you in the name of jesus. >> i shoot you in the name. you better not. i swear to god, i'll shoot you at your face. okay? i'm sorry. drop the top. the. drop the pot. >> drop the sangamon county sheriff's deputy, sean grayson, was fired and has pleaded not guilty to murder and other charges. number five, after 35 years in prison, two brothers have the possibility of

freedom. lyle and erik menendez planned, plotted and executed the murders of their parents in 1989. the brothers said they acted in self-defense after suffering years of physical and sexual abuse by their record executive father. the first jury trial ended in a mistrial, but included their sexual abuse testimony. >> do you recall the first time that he wasn't nice during the sex? >> yes, yes. >> and you were 11. >> i was 11. >> but during a second trial, the brothers were convicted. now they say they have new evidence. and with a netflix docudrama on the case. we did it as well as the sudden support of now former l.a. district attorney george gascon. the chance for freedom is possible, but the new da nathan hochman is making no promises. >> you have to review thoroughly the facts and the law. >> number four, the chief

executive officer of insurance giant unitedhealthcare gunned down in new york city. brian thompson, in town for a conference, was shot and killed in the early morning hours of december 4th outside of the hilton in midtown manhattan. it appears the suspect was lying in wait for several minutes. on december 9th, the nypd announced 26 year old luigi mangione had been arrested in altoona, pennsylvania, while eating at a mcdonald's. he was in possession of a document criticizing the health care industry. a police official told cnn mangione has been charged with murder, among other counts, in state and federal court. mangione attorney denies his client was involved in the killing. number three, a georgia nursing student murdered on her morning jog 25 minutes into that run, laken riley was killed. >> this community, all of georgia and the entire country have been rocked by this

inexcusable and avoidable murder. >> jose ibarra, a 26 year old migrant from venezuela, was charged with her murder. the trial in november brought an unemotional ibarra and riley's family together in the same room. >> this sick, twisted and evil coward showed no regard for lake and her human life. >> ibarra was convicted and sentenced to life in prison without parole. number two, it was precedent setting parents of a mass school shooter on trial themselves for the deaths of the students their son gunned down. >> gun ownership is a right. >> and with that right comes great responsibility. >> jennifer and james crumbley, the parents of the oxford, michigan high school shooter, went to trial in early 2024 on involuntary manslaughter charges in a first of its kind prosecution, the state alleged the crumbleys bought their son a gun days before the mass

shooting and didn't properly store it, despite her knowledge of his deteriorating mental crisis. >> this gun was gifted. >> jennifer then took the stand. >> there were a couple of times where ethan expressed anxiety over taking tests, but not not to a level where i felt he needed to go see a psychiatrist or a mental health professional right away. >> no, with the community still overcome by grief from the four students murdered by their son, both parents were convicted by unanimous juries. they are appealing their verdicts and the number one crime and justice story of the year. music superstar sean "diddy" combs arrested. combs was charged in september with sex trafficking, racketeering, conspiracy and prostitution related charges. >> combs used force, threats of force and coercion to cause victims to engage in extended

sexual performances with male commercial sex workers. >> the indictment specifically notes surveillance video showing combs beating his then girlfriend, cassie ventura, at a hotel in march 2016. combs apologized after cnn aired that video in may. >> i take full responsibility for my actions in that video. i'm disgusted. >> combs remains in federal custody at the metropolitan detention center in new york city. he has pleaded not guilty. >> jean casarez, thank you very much for that. all right. coming up, this new year's day, a new cnn film examines the storied career of one of the most influential artists of all time, luther vandross. here's a preview. >> 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. >> it's 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, i just don't want to stop. we just love you, luther. never too much. new year's day on cnn. 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

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with so much great entertainment out there... wouldn't it be easier if you could find what you want, all in one place? my favorites. get xfinity streamsaver with netflix, apple tv+, and peacock included, for only $15 a month. before it starts. that's my secret to better odor control everywhere. >> i'm elizabeth wagmeister in los angeles, and this is cnn. >> well, today is a time of celebration for millions of people. for many others, it's anything but. a survey conducted by the national alliance on mental illness finds 64% of people struggling with mental health may feel even worse during the holidays. so what can be done for anyone who is suffering during this time of year? clinical

psychologist doctor jeff gardere joins me now. thank you so much for talking about this important topic on christmas day. first, just how common is this, this, this feeling of of loneliness and sadness on the holiday season? >> yeah, well, there are two things that we need to distinguish. >> first of all, as you said, yes, there are a number of people who do have some preexisting mental health challenges, such as depression and anxiety and may be more prone during the holiday season due to all of the stressors and the pressures of being there, of of mixing with other people, of even though being depressed, having to be part of different groups and dinners and get togethers. so that makes it very difficult. and then there's something called the holiday blues, danny, that's, you know, much, much milder. but people feel that same sort of stress that i just talked

about. the unrealistic expectations, some of the sentimental memories, changes in diet or routine, less sunlight, maybe over commercialization of this particular holiday. so it has them feeling pretty bad too. >> well, when people feel like, well, first, thank you for making that distinction. but the second thing is when people feel like they are alone, often they may not want to ask for help or even know how to reach out for help. what are signs that you think can help folks figure out when a friend or loved one is suffering? >> well, if that person is not acting like everyone else, where then? where? they really don't have that holiday cheer, where they may be isolating themselves, where they may be more agitated, where they may have negative emotions, where they may be very anxious or worried about being able to meet those expectations. i think those are clear indicators that something is going on with that particular person. and so it's really

important that we be able to reach out and ask them what's going on. it may be, again, part of the holiday blues. it may be their depression kicking in, but certainly more than anything else, it's important to not just leave them alone and just think, well, they'll go ahead and get through it. it's really important to connect with them during that holiday season. >> that's very well said. you know, one of the things that when reading up on this was interesting is that many people, including the surgeon general, they're warning that in general, our society is facing an epidemic of loneliness even beyond the holidays. do you think this is getting worse? >> yeah, i think it's something that we've been dealing with since the pandemic, but it has continued. part of that is because we are so caught up in our social media. i mean, it's not necessarily such an evil thing, but when we. are over spending and over abundance of time on social media, thinking that we have all these social media friends,

but we're not having that person to person face to face contact with people. i think that tends to make us even more isolated and lonely, even though we may think the solution is to be online and to connect with people in that way, there's there's just no no substitute for actually being in a room with a person, especially the people who are close to us. >> yeah. well said. and if you see something, especially with your loved one, say something. it's important. doctor, doctor. jeff gardner, thank you so much. we'll leave it there. i hope you have a wonderful rest of your holiday day and week. >> thank you. happy holidays. >> and if you or someone you know is struggling at this time of year, the 988 lifeline is here. counselors are available to talk. you are not alone, that's for sure. especially this time of year. we'll be right back welcome to times square. >> it's

the biggest party of the year. >> happy new year with the biggest guests. >> we have even more amazing guests lined up for you with performances by music's biggest stars and appearances by comedians, celebrities and more. >> yes, anything can happen on new year's eve. oh my gosh. >> wow. >> new year's eve live with anderson and andy. live coverage starts at eight on cnn and streaming live on mac. >> it's the most wonderful time with the kids. jingle. be of good cheer. >> it's the most wonderful. >> whether your phone's 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? >> sore throat. got your

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lackland air force base, texas. i am from tampa, florida, and merry christmas and happy holidays. >> familia en los quiero mucho y los amo. muchas gracias por todo todo apoyo en aqui. see you guys at graduation. >> hi, i'm major becky chapman with u.s. army, nato in sembach, germany. >> and i would like to wish all of the shamans in buffalo, new york, a very merry christmas. love to you all. >> hello, i am trainee pete hernandez. i'm currently at u.s. air force basic military training joint base san antonio, texas. lackland i'm from yuma, arizona, and man, happy holidays. love you mom. love you dad. love you brother. hey. merry christmas to everybody for coming up. and i can't wait to see you at my graduation. >> hello. >> i'm united states air force technical sergeant sierra lofton, stationed with the 380th intelligence squadron in okinawa, japan. this is my family. zaire, india and

malaya. we wanted to wish a very special holiday season to all of our friends and family in columbus, mississippi. >> hi. >> my name is colonel john schermer from the nato rapid deployment corps, italy, currently in stavanger, norway. >> i just wanted to take a quick moment to say merry christmas to the family and friends we have in chattanooga, tennessee. >> billy and janice. you know, the greater family that is out there in tennessee. merry christmas. and to everybody else out there in chattanooga as well. >> hi, i'm billy restrepo, the commander for the area support group kuwait, and i am command sergeant major andrew brott, asg senior enlisted advisor. from our family here in kuwait to all our family members back home, and to you and yours, we want to wish you happy holidays. >> patton's own always forward. >> love that. so thankful for their service. i'm danny freeman in new york. thank you so much for joining me today. to those who celebrate merry christmas, happy hanukkah. i'll be right back here tomorrow morning at 5 a.m. eastern on

cnn this morning.