>> good morning. it's thursday, december 26th. right now on cnn this morning, trump's christmas wish. the president elect lays out his hopes for the future involving panama, greenland and canada. plus, a fatal mystery. a search for answers after a plane crashes in kazakhstan, leaving dozens dead. and. texas ain't no hold on. this was so freaking good. queen on the turf beyonce turns the nfl christmas halftime show into a cowboy carter party. it is just after 5 a.m. here on the east coast. here is a live look at beautiful new york city. and good morning everyone. i'm danny freeman in for kasie hunt is so wonderful to have you with us on this

holiday week. let's start here with three and a half weeks to go until inauguration day. president-elect donald trump remains fixated on expanding america's territory at the expense of western hemisphere neighbors. in a christmas day post announcing kevin cabrera as his new pick for the u.s. ambassador to panama, donald trump once again claimed panama is, quote, ripping us off on the panama canal. and in recent days, trump has amped up tensions with panama by demanding control of the canal be turned back over to the united states, a proposal panama's president has called non-negotiable. but president-elect trump seems undeterred, taking aim at not only panama, but also canada and greenland in his christmas day message. in this post, he once again called canada's prime minister, governor and imagined if, quote, canada was to become our 51st state. and once again he eyed greenland, saying the danish controlled territory is, quote, needed by the united states for national security purposes. greenland's prime minister this week came out against trump's statement, saying we're not for sale.

denmark's prime minister called the idea absurd when it was first raised during the trump administration five years ago. trump then canceled a planned trip to denmark in response, denmark. i look forward to going, but i thought that the prime minister's statement that it was absurd, that was it was an absurd idea, was nasty. >> i thought it was an inappropriate statement. all she had to do is say, no, we wouldn't be interested. >> what's old is new again. joining me now to talk about all this is shelby talcott, politics reporter at semafor. good morning, shelby. thank you for being here on this holiday week. uh, so let's start right here on, i guess, greenland. five years ago. you heard right there, trump said all denmark had to say was that they weren't interested. and yet here we are once again talking about how greenland is needed. shelby, what's going on here? >> yeah. good morning. >> and this is the ultimate question, right? is donald trump

serious? is this a negotiating tactic? his transition team hasn't exactly clarified his comments as they often do. they they will typically say with things like this, this is what donald trump said, take it as you will now back in 2016, he of course, did not buy greenland and he was irritated by the response when he first suggested it. now, this time around, combined with panama and canada comments, it does seem like this is a negotiating tactic in donald trump's push to sort of reshape trade, u.s. policy and trade under his new administration. so i think that the goal here is to sort of pressure some of these areas to concede to his demands once he does take office. >> along those lines, i want you to take a listen to what trump's former chief of staff, mick mulvaney, said about this whole panama discussion earlier this week. take a listen. >> this is a negotiation, by the way. one of the reasons trump is so good at negotiating

is that it's a it's a credible threat. if he says, you know, look, we are going to have problems with panama if they don't lower the rates. i don't envision american troops going in to retake the canal. but you got to think that someone is out there scratching their head going, is donald trump crazy enough to do something like that? and it's that viable threat that sort of gives him negotiating leverage that not a lot of other folks could ever come up with. >> we're talking about other countries. we're talking about mick mulvaney. i'm telling you, it's it's back in the first term. it's like nothing has changed. so so he said, though like you said, that this is just a negotiating tactic. uh, but i guess to what end, i understand it may be a negotiating tactic, but what is the end goal here? >> yeah, of course the end goal with panama is, you know, donald trump has argued that they their fees are too high on american ships traveling through the waterway. so his end goal in that situation would be they lower the fees, of course, with canada. his comments. right. joking about

the governor of canada and that should it become, it should become another state is a threat with he wants to levy taxes on canada. he wants them to close their borders. so there are sort of strategic goals here that donald trump is, is trying to get to. but at the same time, he risks alienating these places. right. because these areas could say, we're not doing this again. we're frustrated that donald trump is sort of toying with us and making fun of us. so there is a risk that he crosses that line even before he steps into office and ends up frustrating these countries and areas to the point where it becomes more difficult to make deals with them. >> shelby, i just want to get your take on this. the wall street journal opinion board. they weighed in on this, uh, panama discussion saying, quote, forgive us if we missed it, but we don't recall donald trump campaigning to invade panama and retake its famous canal. but there was the president, but there was the president elect on the weekend, threatening our central american ally with punishment if it doesn't meet his demands.

the board goes on to say, it's hard to know how seriously to take mr. trump's broadsides, but threatening a takeover that would require an invasion may cause more trouble than he imagines. uh, just quickly on that note, shelby, just the wall street journalist, at least have a point. is this what voters voted for? >> yeah, absolutely. they they 100% have a point, right? as i just said, donald trump runs the risk of of going overboard with this and ending up frustrating some of his these key allies. now, at the same time, i do think that since 2016, we have known who donald trump is, right? part of the reason why people voted for him is because they like this sort of bullying style that he has brought to us politics. so while i think some people will be surprised that he has taken this tactic, it's similar to how he operated in 2016. so for people who are paying attention, i don't think it's going to come as a surprise. >> yeah, i think that's very well said. and again, we're

we're back. what's old is new again. uh, shelby talcott, thank you so much for your time and for joining us early this morning. all right. and coming up straight ahead on cnn this morning, terrifying scenes in the skies, a plane crash in kazakhstan kills dozens. we'll have the latest on the investigation. plus the pope's message of hope in a jubilee tradition. first, pope francis opens a holy door from inside a roman prison. and this how democrats are picking up the pieces after election setbacks. less than a month out from a major shift in washington, the democratic party should have one simple mission, and that is to address the economic hardships and struggles of many americans, not just working class americans. >> a large slice of americans who feel the american dream has slipped away. >> and it has been one wild year. >> i know that whole new live stream was crazy. >> what you have been

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fat incinerator ever. absolutely free. that's t o n e d to 231231. >> i'm. bill, we're on the california coast, and this is cnn. >> investigators in kazakhstan are working to determine what caused the plane crash that killed at least 38 people on wednesday, 29 survivors, though amazingly, were pulled from the azerbaijan airlines flight wreckage and the black box was recovered. russia's aviation watchdog reports. the pilot tried to make an emergency landing, likely after a bird strike. russian president vladimir putin, speaking after 16 russian nationals were confirmed dead. >> ossetia-alania before we begin work, unfortunately, i must say a few words about the tragedy that happened in aktau today. >> the plane crashed. there were people killed, there are many injured. >> and as we were just talking about on your behalf, i would like to express my condolences to the families of the casualties and all the injured,

and let's hope for their recovery. >> cnn's nadia bashir has more to tell us. >> well, the azerbaijan airlines flight was traveling from the azerbaijani capital, baku, to grozny in the russian region of chechnya, but it was forced to make an emergency landing around two miles from the kazakh city of aktau. >> now, video circulating from eyewitnesses and those nearby the crash site shows that the plane was circling the airfield somewhat erratically before the crash, then bursting into flames as it hit the ground. now, emergency response teams were quickly at the scene and remarkably, there were a number of survivors, including at least two children, according to authorities, with videos showing some of those injured emerging from the wreckage. but this is a moment of huge tragedy for those that that did not survive. according to authorities, there were 67 people on board the flight, including five crew members. preliminary reports according to russian aviation

authorities, suggest that the pilot was forced to attempt an emergency landing following a bird strike. however, investigations are still ongoing. nadia bashir, cnn in london. >> happening soon, pope francis will deliver the angelus prayer and blessing from his window in saint peter's square in rome earlier today. the 88 year old pontiff opened the holy door in rome's main prison, the first time a holy door has been opened inside of a prison. he also called for peace in ukraine, in the middle east. in his christmas message on wednesday. as cnn's christopher lamb reports, these events are all kicking off the 2025 jubilee year of hope. >> pope francis, emphasizing that the christmas message is one of peace and reconciliation, calling on countries to lay down their arms and for enemies to be reconciled. france is making specific reference to the war in ukraine and in gaza. this is what he had to say. >> may there be the boldness needed to open the door to

negotiation and to gestures of dialog and encounter in order to achieve a just and lasting peace. >> may the sound of arms be silenced. in the middle east. >> the pope's remarks in ukraine, coming after russia's attacks on ukraine's energy infrastructure on christmas day. the pope has repeatedly called for a negotiated peace settlement to end russia's war against ukraine. he's also been outspoken recently on what's been going on in gaza, calling recent airstrikes cruelty and also being in regular contact with the catholic community in gaza. now, pope francis, making his remarks after launching the catholic church's jubilee year, an ancient tradition that focuses on forgiveness and pilgrimage and which began on christmas eve when pope francis opened the doors of the holy door of saint peter's basilica, normally cemented shut the door meant to represent god's mercy. the pope said in the. francis is hoping that the message of

the jubilee can be one of hope and one that can impact not just in rome, but globally. francis is 88 years old. he's got a packed schedule of events during the jubilee, but nevertheless, despite the difficulties the pope has when it comes to his physical mobility, francis is determined to carry out the celebrations of the jubilee and hoping that the message that the jubilee represents will resonate across the globe. christopher lamb, cnn, london. >> christopher. thank you. coming up, three people shot at the phoenix airport. we'll tell you what police are saying led to the christmas night shooting. plus, hard to believe this wasn't already the case, but the u.s. finally giving the bald eagle official recognition. stay with us. >> all there is with anderson

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hard to believe the eagle just got official recognition, since it's, of course, featured on the united states seal and even his post alongside presidents including who can forget this then candidate donald trump. during an interview with time magazine in 2015. >> i love time magazine. >> what you will do for a cover. this bird is seriously dangerous but beautiful. >> seriously dangerous but beautiful. and this now king charles, breaking with tradition for his annual christmas address. the broadcast, generally recorded at buckingham palace or windsor chapel. but this year it was taped at a formal hospital chapel in london. the king, taking a moment during the greeting to address his and the princess of wales's cancer treatments, take a listen. >> i offer special, heartfelt thanks to the selfless doctors and nurses who this year have supported me and other members of my family through the

uncertainties and anxieties of illness, and have helped provide the strength, care and comfort we have needed. >> and this now, a new cnn film examines one of the most influential artists of all time, luther vandross. from his early appearance at the apollo theater to becoming the king of love songs, luther tells his own story. >> mr. luther vandross. was dum dum dum dum dum dum dum. >> hey, baby, whoa. >> i remember hearing a house, not a home for the first time. i couldn't believe what i was hearing. i told him, i said, baby doll, you have just given me the definitive version of that song. >> a chair is still a chair.

even when there's no. one sitting there. >> can't get enough of that. the all new cnn film luther never too much premieres new year's day at 8 p.m. eastern, right here on cnn. still coming up after the break. it wasn't all touchdowns and field goals yesterday. i don't even remember the ravens win. but i do remember beyonce becoming the main event during her christmas performance at the nfl halftime show. can't wait to talk about that. plus, democrats have less than a month to go until the lay of the land completely shifts in washington. we'll talk all about it. >> i want to be the greatest player that i could possibly become. harry houdini.

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$10 off your first package. the prescription is free and the shipping is free as well. do not wait. text mail mail to 69069 today. >> i'm elizabeth wagmeister in los angeles and this is cnn. >> it is just about 5:30 a.m. here on the east coast. here's a live look right now at beautiful baltimore this morning. good morning everyone. i'm danny freeman in for kasie hunt. it is wonderful to have you all with us. let's talk politics. despite flipping the presidency in 2020 and pulling off several wins during the 2022 midterms, democrats are heading into 2025 having lost the white house and both chambers of congress this past election cycle. so what went wrong this time around? well, there's been a lot of speculation, including from independent vermont senator bernie sanders, who said this in a statement right after donald trump won the election.

he said, quote, you might remember it should come as no great surprise that a democratic party which has abandoned working class people would find that the working class has abandoned them, while the democratic leadership defends the status quo, the american people are angry and want change, and they're right now, democratic congressman seth moulton seemed to somewhat agree. take a listen. >> i think both bernie and richie are right. i think we do need to reconnect with working class voters. we haven't done enough for them. we haven't spoken to their concerns, and by definition, we're out of touch because they clearly don't support us at the polls. i think richie is also right to a certain degree. i'm grateful for the advocacy and the ideas that the far left brings to our party, but we can't be branded by that. we can't be defined by the far left. we're a much broader party than that, and if we're going to win more elections, we've got to appeal to voters in the senate so looking backwards has been a big question since the election. >> but the real question now is

where do democrats go from here? well, according to house minority leader hakeem jeffries, it's all about the economy. >> we're going to focus like a laser beam on dealing with the issues related to working class americans and middle class americans and those who aspire to be part of the middle class, to make sure that we can build a healthy and affordable economy. >> joining me now to discuss political editor for bloomberg news, laura davison, and national political reporter for the hill, julia manchester. thank you both for joining us early on this holiday week. really appreciate it. let's start, laura, with you. what's your perspective here? will focusing on the economy like a laser get democrats back on track for the next election cycle? >> that certainly seems to be the takeaway from this election though, as we heard earlier from both seth moulton and bernie sanders, they agree that losing the working class is the biggest hurdle for democrats. >> what they don't agree on is what the policy prescription is

going forward. is that doubling down more on some of those progressive policies that bernie sanders has championed for his entire career, or is this focusing more on on some of these more kitchen table issues, you know, acknowledging that maybe the biden administration wasn't the best when it came to prices and some of the other day to day concerns that people have had when they look at their paychecks, when they look at the cost of living, and that is going to be sort of the issue that they're going to have to wrestle with going forward. what are the ideas they have? what do they bring to the front? and, you know, what are the sort of broader issues that they look at in terms of, you know, abortion has been a main focus. do they pull away from that focus more on immigration? this entire policy conversation is what they're going to have. and being in the minority for the next two years will give them a little bit of space to test out some of these messages as they recruit new candidates and figure out where they have a chance to potentially build a house or senate majority going in in two years. >> julia, i understand hakeem jeffries goal here to talk about the economy, and i understand the postmortem. but i mean, if you look at this past week, right, which was all about all of a sudden president elect trump is talking about trying to get back the panama canal and greenland and canada.

i mean, how are democrats going to be able to laser focus on the economy when i guarantee this next year to four years is going to be a lot of responding to whatever idea pops into president-elect trump's head? >> well, it's a good point, danny, and i think you have to just look back to 2016 or i should say, the first administration after 2016, 2017 to the beginning of 2021 and see that democrats were constantly responding and attacking president trump. >> now, i would say that that 2020 presidential election was a bit of an anomaly. of course, it was happening during the coronavirus pandemic. et cetera. but i think democrats probably have learned somewhat from their messaging when it comes to trump over the past eight years or so and realizing that it's not just hitting back against trump, hitting back against his supporters, but really, you know, focusing in on those so-called kitchen table issues. and i would argue that, you know, when it comes to issues like panama,

greenland. et cetera. there are economic impacts there, particularly with panama, trump wanting panama to start, you know, to lower the tariffs or stop charging the u.s. tariffs to use the canal. so you could, you know, make that argument, though i don't know how well that translates to voters. but one point i would make is that, you know, it's one thing to talk about, you know, house democrats. and of course, we're going to hear them responding. but i think it will be probably even more interesting to go out to the states to look at democratic governors, lieutenant governors, attorneys general, and see how they're responding to the trump administration. and i think we could really see that in january. once trump starts trying to at least implement the so-called mass deportations. let's see how how you know, how much these democratic officials in blue states go along with that or don't go along with it. >> yeah, that's well said. and along those lines, let's take a listen to what democratic congressman dean phillips had to say about his views of the issues with the party right

now. >> we don't really know. >> and i'll say it again, we don't really know. despite being members of congress, we have silos, the d, triple c, the dcc, the dnc, the governors association. we have super pacs and independent organizations. none of us really know who's sitting at the table, who's making the decisions. of course, president biden would be the leader of our party, but that is part of the problem. we don't have an organizational structure that we, even members of congress, understand. we don't have a reporting structure. we don't have a strategy of which we're aware. >> so i take the point. i think, you know, all parties kind of have this challenge to some extent. even though trump is such an imposing figure, of course, on the republican party. but to julia's point, laura, i do think that we're probably going to hear the names josh shapiro, gretchen whitmer, gavin newsom, you know, for at least newsom's case, for as long as he has left quite a bit. what do you think? >> yeah, one of the things that democrats realized really, over the summer, if not before, is that the fatal flaw, at least

on the presidential level, was not going through a competitive primary process. by the time biden stepped aside? really the only option of who could run was harris, because she had the campaign infrastructure behind her, she was able to take over all of the money of the biden campaign. no one else had that. and that was, you know, just with, you know, essentially 100 days ago to go until the election, it had to be her. now they have an opportunity to have a competitive process. you're going to see these names out there. you're going to see them traveling to places like iowa, new hampshire, south carolina. you're going to see books and book tours, and that's going to be sort of how they determine, okay, do we want to go with a more progressive pick? do we want to go with a more moderate pick? what is the demographic makeup? what are the issues that are resonating? and that's what the next four years will be about. really. and that starts today essentially. >> well, again, and voter testing messages. right. i mean, nothing beats, you know, actually being on the stump and getting real time reaction for longer than 100 and whatever days to get your message right and to mass appeal. julia, i want to thank you for reminding

us that there are more elections coming right around the corner, right around the corner. i want to talk about your recent reporting on two upcoming races in virginia. we have a full screen, i believe, and you write about the special elections in state senate district 32 and house district 26, both located in virginia's loudoun county. they're slated for january 7th. and the elections come amid warning signs that democratic support in the region appeared to slip in the last month's general election, something democrats hope to improve on ahead of next year's gubernatorial and house of delegates races. what are i mean, what are you looking for out of these two races? but what are democrats looking for in loudoun county? incredibly important. and, you know, almost a bellwether these days. >> incredibly important, particularly for democrats. we have to remember, you know, even though going back to 2021, during that when we saw governor glenn youngkin elected, how loudoun county was really the center of the, you know, education debate in many

ways in the country and the reopening of schools. et cetera. that debate, you know, amid the the covid pandemic, um, you know, loudoun county, even though, you know, was sort of ground zero for that, it is a safe democratic county. it's an exurb of washington, d.c. it certainly leans blue. and normally we see democrats carry it very handily. and, you know, vice president harris did win loudoun county. and she also won neighboring prince william county in northern virginia. what raised red flags for democrats, though, is she wasn't carrying at the same margin that president biden carried it out in 2020. so there was the question of, you know, whether we were seeing in other blue parts of the country like california or new york, this, you know, seemingly depress turnout for democrats or heightened enthusiasm for republicans in those areas. so democrats want to be able to juice back up that enthusiasm. it's going to be hard to in a special election in the beginning of january, right

after a presidential year, the likely win these seats. but they want to get back that turnout. they want to juice that enthusiasm, and they want to keep that going into november's election in virginia, where we will likely see congresswoman abigail spanberger on the democratic side and lieutenant governor winsome sears on the republican side laura davis and julie manchester, thank you both so much for breaking all that down this morning. >> really appreciate it. have a great rest of your holiday week. thank you. and still ahead on cnn this morning, 2024 was a year filled with major medical breakthroughs. dr. sanjay gupta takes us back through the top ten stories in medicine. plus, beyoncé gave us the ultimate christmas present. taking the stage for an epic nfl halftime show. coming up, the final and the radio, he can't watch the news nowadays luther never too much. >> new year's day at eight today, my friend. >> you did it. you did it.

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to you by skechers. hands free. slip in footwear. >> hi, i'm howie mandel. the newest ambassador for skechers. i went to the store to buy hands free skechers slip ins, and i said i was an ambassador. >> the owner called me and i said yes. >> skechers slip ins from weight loss drugs to genetically edited pigs being used for organ transplants. >> 2024. made tremendous strides in the search for the next medical breakthrough. cnn's dr. sanjay gupta has the top ten health stories 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 function 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 all created equal. an alarming spread of bird flu throughout dairy herds across the united states has scientists on edge. >> as we think about a virus that might move from animals into humans and potentially cause the next pandemic. >> it certainly has everyone'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.

>> and it is time now for sports. the chiefs lock up the top seed in the afc with a christmas day win over the steelers. coy wire is here. he's got this morning's cnn sports update. hey coach. >> good morning danny. this is my first time here in this new sports music. i kind of like it. it's good. >> good things come to those who wait in kansas city. fans got another big gift from their team on christmas day. the two time defending super bowl champs clinching home field advantage in the playoffs and a bye in the first round. patrick mahomes and company racing to an early 13 point lead. and they're never really threatened by the steelers. mahomes throwing three td passes, including one to his favorite target, travis kelce. travis, his 77th career touchdown catch early in the fourth, breaks kansas city's all time td receptions record. and there he was dunking it to pay tribute to former record holder, hall of famer tony gonzalez. chiefs win 2910. afterwards, mahomes said he was just keeping a holiday promise to his wife, brittany. listen, i thought it was a full team

performance. >> the defense stepped up. offense stepped up. >> everybody had their imprint on the game. >> and i told my wife, my pregnant wife, i was gonna get her the number one seed so we can go have that baby. so i got the we got the one seed. >> now, it was a very merry christmas for the chiefs. and even santa was there to help them celebrate in the locker room. that is actually head coach andy reid. then a jolly old elf showed up to give coach, aka santa, the game ball after his chiefs earned a franchise record 15th win on the season. the baltimore ravens, flying high in the second game against the texans. there was no stopping baltimore qb lamar jackson. he threw two td passes, but he can also run like some reindeer. he went dashing and dancing for 87 yards in the game, including a 48 yard score reaching a top speed of more than 21mph. then lamar ran into the record book in the third, moving past michael vick at the top of the all time rushing list for quarterbacks. baltimore wins 31

to 2, improving to 11 and five on the season. one game up on the steelers for first place in the afc north. perfect. hello, girls. >> hello, beyoncé. hello, fellows. you'll be swell. those petty ones can't touch me. why? because i'm a clever girl. we clapping? >> all right. now, fans also treated to a halftime performance from 32 time grammy winner beyonce. queen bee rocking her hometown of houston with her first live performance of songs from her cowboy carter album, along with special guest shaboozey post malone and her daughter blue ivy. beyonce also teased something coming on january 14th. is it a new album, a new tour? we shall see. to the nba, lebron and the lakers taking on the warriors and steph curry. lebron scoring a team high 31. this one went down to the wire. curry dropping a game high 38 with eight three pointers including that heave tying it with seven seconds to go. but it was austin reeves calling

game sinking a layup in the last second, giving himself a 26 point triple double and the lakers a 115, 113 win. lebron, playing in his nba record 19th christmas day game, had one message about the sports ball on christmas. >> best christmas tip. i love the nfl. i love the nfl. but christmas is our day. >> all right. lebron's just going to claim that we have more nfl coming up today than we have a thursday night game. between the bears and the seahawks coming at you. >> i can't wait for that. there's so many things to talk about andy reid that's hilarious. blue ivy i thought killed it. but where's joe mixon? oh my goodness i'm sitting watching this game. what nine carries i know i know and i don't know what has happened to their quarterback c.j. stroud. >> he had an awesome year last year and they kind of fallen off. they put up two points two points, two points. you must be a texas guy. i hear some angst in that voice. >> no. even worse, i'm a fantasy guy. thanks, clay. really

appreciate you. all right. coming up on cnn this morning, the birth of brett summer. an era makes its curtain call. and the heated feud between two hip hop titans. we're going to take a look back at the year's biggest entertainment stories. plus, why some business leaders are lining up to pledge their donations to donald trump's inauguration. >> and all over the world, people are investing now. they're calling it the trump effect, because even before taking office, we're already bringing in the jobs and opportunity. >> 2024 was a wild ride. >> it was like the craziest roller coaster ride i've ever been on in my life. >> that was an whooping. >> tom foreman and special guests look back. all the best. all the worst. 2024 tonight at 11 on cnn. >> you make good choices. they've shaped your journey to leave all that your life built.

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