>> call 1877538382

or visit homeserve. com. >> closed captioning is brought to you by sokolov law. >> mesothelioma victims call now $30 million in trust. money has been set aside. >> you may be entitled to a portion of that money. call one 800 859 2400. that's one 800 859 2400. >> a u.s. official tells cnn what may have brought down that azerbaijan airlines flight yesterday in central asia was this disaster a consequence of russian aggression? plus, after saying he wants to take back control of the panama canal, president elect donald trump, now tapping a loyal ally as u.s. ambassador to the country. what he's claiming about china's influence. >> and netflix acing its big christmas day test, delivering two big football games virtually error free, not to

mention the halftime show facing off against the sports league that used to own the christmas day holiday. i'm jim sciutto, alongside my good friend erica hill. we are following these major developing stories and many more, all coming in right here to cnn news central. >> new today, for the first time, we are hearing from a u.s. official about what may have caused the azerbaijan airlines crash in kazakhstan, killing dozens on board christmas day. the official telling cnn. early indications suggest a russian anti-aircraft system was responsible and that it may, in fact have been a case of mistaken identity. video of the plane's wreckage shows small perforations in the body of the plane. experts say those holes look similar to damage from shrapnel or debris. cnn cannot confirm where they came from. joining us now to discuss. cnn aviation analyst miles o'brien. miles, good to have you. so there's been plenty of finger pointing at

russia behind this. and questions about whether it was, in fact, intentional or not. should it have been russia? we know there's also a fair amount of gps jamming in the region that apparently is sort of standard practice. according to matt berry of osprey flight solutions. he told me that a short time ago. how could that complicate things? miles, when it comes to safety and security in the region? >> well, the gps jamming is an ongoing problem, and this has affected civilian airliners over the course of the years. >> in the context of the ukraine war. >> in this case, it does not appear that the aircraft in question was in heavy instrument conditions. >> bad weather, although the ceiling was pretty low at grozny, and there might have that might have had some factor in the decision of the crew not to make an emergency landing there. it's quite possible, though, if the crew realized it had been struck by a surface to air missile, that it wanted to

land outside the borders of that country and thus fly across the caspian sea to kazakhstan. that's a possibility as well. but there's no question from looking at the wreckage here, erica, that this was an aircraft that was in close proximity to some sort of explosion in the tail section of the aircraft. the the metals tells the story there. the rest of it, the source of it. and all that will come in due course. >> miles, as you mentioned. and this has sort of struck me, and i know we have a map that we can put up as we're discussing this, this next part here. but the fact that this plane then flew back over the caspian sea, just that from a from a simple logistics right perspective, the fact that it could be hit and then make this sort of circuitous route and go back before crashing. i was struck that it continue could continue flying for so long despite the other issues as well. right. does that alone offer any insight, perhaps, into the extent of the initial damage before this plane went down?

>> yes. clearly. what what happened in this case? most likely we've had crashes like this in the past. japan airlines one, two, three back in the 80s comes to mind immediately. where damage in the tail section causes a hydraulic failure. this makes it very difficult to control the plane, to say the least. united 232 in sioux city, iowa in the 1980s was another case like this. the loss of hydraulic pressure throughout its system makes it impossible for the crew to fly the aircraft using the control surfaces, the ailerons and the rudder. for example, it is possible to in a in a fairly crude way, control general direction of an aircraft using the power. the differential thrust between the two engines, which it appears is what the crew was doing as it was led to that crash landing. the question of why they didn't try to put it on the ground sooner is an interesting question. why

would you fly that far across the caspian sea? about an hour of flight time from the time they declared an emergency to the crash, were they concerned about landing in the territory region there of chechnya? that's a possibility. or, as you say, was the gps problem. the jamming of their gps systems, giving them less confidence about flying into grozny, which did have a relatively low ceiling of about 600ft. so those are two distinct possibilities. in either case, the fact that they had to fly on for an hour. certainly exacerbated the problem. if there was a hydraulic leak, it's not going to get any better. >> yeah, absolutely. the investigation. right. so given the fact that the plane landed in kazakhstan in terms of who will be involved in the investigation, there's an initial commission that's been announced. how much information do you think we're actually going to get out of that investigation, given who is currently involved? >> that's that's a

difficult question. i mean, the kazakhs will take the lead on this. that's the way the international treaties are set up. the azerbaijanis, of course, will be involved as well. the manufacturer of the aircraft, which is made in brazil. they will be a party to this as well. the question of whether all that will come to light is an open question right now. it's not going to be exactly the way things transpire in whether it's europe or the united states involving the ntsb and the faa or esa. >> is there a chance that any of those organizations get pulled in? >> i doubt they will be invited. frankly. but, you know, there is expertise there. and if there's a real desire to find out what happened. certainly the amount of expertise the europeans and the united states have to track the source of this down is is quite evident. however, there may not be a huge mystery here. there. certainly the black box

recorders, the flight data recorder, cockpit voice recorder will likely have been recovered. uh, looking at the metal, we can see what happened. uh, there may not be a lot of huge mysteries here. it's just a question of whether the culpable party in this case, uh, you know, comes forward. >> yeah. it's such a good point. miles. appreciate it, as always. thank you. jim. >> all right. >> i want to speak more about this now with evelyn farkas. she's a former deputy assistant secretary of defense for russia, ukraine and eurasia. also the executive director of the mccain institute. good to have you on. thanks so much. thanks, jim. >> thank you. >> so in a perfect world, to miles's point there, you would have international organizations in all the countries involved cooperating on a transparent investigation based on the facts. this is not a perfect world. russia has a dismal track record when it comes to investigating crashes. when you think of ones where it was involved, like mh17, they still deny to this day, despite the evidence there, that that was a russian missile that took

it down. so. so how do you judge where we are so far with russian authorities saying this was a bird strike, whereas reporting out of baku, as well as a u.s. assessment saying that this was russian air defenses. >> right. i mean, jim, i think look, the political dynamics are as follows. this happened over russian airspace. the russians launched a war against ukraine in 2014. you mentioned the civilian aircraft, the malaysian mh17 aircraft that the russians shot down over ukrainian airspace, but it was their russian fighters with russian equipment in 2014. to this day, they denied that they did it. they have acted incredibly recklessly. they should have closed in this instance. they should have closed the airspace because apparently there was some ukrainian drone fighting and back and forth between the russians and the ukrainians over that airspace. so most of the outside experts who have

seen pictures of the aircraft on the ground after it safely landed, noted that there were puncture marks on the aircraft consistent with the use of a russian air defense system. so it's basically the fact that russia is at war with ukraine and didn't close off the airspace here to civilian aircraft that caused people to die, and they were lucky that the that all 60 something people didn't die on that aircraft. but vladimir putin is obviously not willing to take responsibility so far. so we'll have to see what happens in terms of an investigation. >> what do you make of the second piece of this? because you have an event which caused the pilots to declare an emergency. the theory now at least a u.s. assessment, an early one, is that that initial event was a mistaken hit by russian air defenses. then you have this long, looping journey over the caspian sea, an hour in the air after a crisis in

the air to get to kazakhstan. how do you explain that? >> yeah, that's interesting because you don't know whether it was that the pilots requested the permission to land in grozny, which, remember, is the capital of chechnya, in the russian federation. it is under the control of vladimir putin. he has a strong man there. everyone knows ramzan kadyrov. he is essentially in charge, calling the shots. but it may be that the that the either the pilots or the you know, somebody intervened to say, we don't want to land in the russian federation. of course, that could have cost lives because people may have been hurt at that point. we don't really know. but there are always potics, unfortunately, involved. when you're talking about the russian federation, vladimir putin, let's remember, the aircraft is an azerbaijani aircraft. relations between azerbaijan and russia are kind of touch and go right

now. they may be better than otherwise. although the government in azerbaijan is waiting to see what its relationship is with, with our government. the incoming trump administration. so that's complicating things. i'm sure kazakhstan is a central asian country. it used to be part of the soviet union. the russian foreign minister not that long ago declared that kazakhstan was not a real country. so they view russia with a lot of nervousness and skepticism, and they're always trying to balance between or have the united states, china and russia be their kind of partners so that they don't come under control of russia or china. so the politics are really complicated. and the answer is something we may never really know fully. >> well, listen, it's worrisome when the kremlin announces you're not a real country. that's exactly the language they used for ukraine before invading it. they've they've said that about other countries that formerly were part of the soviet union. i do want to now turn to russia's ongoing invasion of ukraine after

russia bombarded ukraine's power grid on christmas day, president biden is now urging the u.s. and international community to, quote, stand with ukraine until trump's until triumphs over it triumphs over russia's aggression. but whether the u.s. itself does that is a major question. as president-elect trump is pushing to end the war, ukraine reports christmas day on christmas day, russia launched some 70 missiles, more than 100 drones striking the dnipro and kharkiv regions, killing one person, injuring six, forcing more than half a million households into the cold due to a lack of power. biden said that was the purpose of the strikes, calling it outrageous. and evelyn, it's not the first time we've seen strikes such as this specifically targeting the power grid and doing so in winter time when russia knows it will leave people in the cold. is it safe to say this is a deliberate russian tactic to put pressure on the civilian population of ukraine?

>> absolutely, jim, it's psychological pressure. it's the kind of petty, mean spirited, brutal politics and military, political, military action that we see from the kremlin. repeatedly, the ukrainian government decided, i think about a year ago to change when they celebrated christmas. they used to celebrate on the orthodox calendar, which would occur later than our the generally roman catholic or or the western christmas, which is on december 25th. so instead of celebrating christmas later in january, the ukrainians decided we're going to align not with the russian orthodox calendar, but we're going to and the orthodox calendar in general. we're going to align with the western calendar. so putin was sending these missiles to freeze out the ukrainians on. now what they celebrate is christmas deliberately. and i'm sorry, this is just a jerky move, you know, for lack of a better way of saying it, except for the fact that people potentially could have lost

their lives if they're relying on electricity for life support and other systems. so i'm sure the ukrainians have backup systems by now. but nevertheless, you said one person died. it was a brutal move and it was aimed at the civilians. and as you said, it's it's trying to demoralize them. and certainly the ukrainians are, of course, under a lot of stress. but they are doubtful that they would, you know, react to this in the way that the russians would like. >> let me ask you this, because, of course, the question now is how the incoming u.s. president responds to this war. >> it was notable that keith kellogg, who is acting something as an emissary of the trump administration, the incoming trump administration to russia, he did condemn the attacks, though, also said that the u.s. is watching both sides in this conflict when, of course, we know this is a conflict that russia started when it invaded in february 2022. is it becoming clearer to you how president elect trump is going to approach this war? >> yeah, jim, i have to say i'm optimistic for a couple of

reasons. one, i think general kellogg understands the dynamics, and he's using careful language, saying both sides. that's fine. we want ukraine to continue to abide by international law as it has. and of course, we note that russia has not repeatedly. so i think that that's a practical, pragmatic approach. president trump, i think, is starting to sense that he needs to be able to put pressure on vladimir putin in order to bring a real negotiation, you know, to a close or even to start a real negotiation. and i guess i shouldn't say he's starting to sense it, but but there are a lot of indicators that point to that fact. his true social tweets about the fall of the the assad regime in syria recently, where he said that russia is weak. i think president trump, if he doesn't understand yet, he will soon understand that he needs to put pressure on russia because they're the ones that aren't ready to make a fair peace and a real compromise.

>> evelyn farkas, always good to have you on. thank you so much. >> thank you jim. happy new year. >> still to come, president elect trump doubling down on his suggestion that the u.s. could unilaterally retake the panama canal, who he just picked to be u.s. ambassador to that country. and the message that sends to leaders there, plus, netflix survives its live nfl christmas games unscathed after another sports fiasco. what's next for the streaming giant? >> andy, take a seat. anderson. >> look at this. >> you're wet. disheveled. there's debris hitting you. >> we need to be ready for new year's eve. maybe you are ready. >> new year's eve live with anderson and andy. live coverage starts at eight on cnn. >> your parents have given you some amazing gifts. celebrate the ones you inherited with ancestry dna. explore the detailed family roots, cultures, and traits that shaped who you are today.

for only $39. >> whoa. how'd you get your teeth so white? >> well, you got to use the right toothpaste, doctor. >> see, not all toothpaste whiten the same crest. >> 3-d white removes 100% more stains for a noticeably whiter smile. new personal best crest. >> we, the lazy, declare that we will recline when we feel inclined. and yes, we feel inclined. we answered our kids questions all day. it's our time to prioritize. no priorities. why? >> because we put in back to back doubles. so now we'll be putting in extra ot right here. >> we've checked off our to do list. >> now we're checking off our to do list. >> we the lazy, are taking back lazy by getting comfy on our la-z-boy furniture. >> la-z-boy. >> long live the lazy. >> i was

born with idiopathic infantile scoliosis. i've had 17 surgeries. >> i was born missing. my lower right foot. >> i was born ten weeks early without my left arm. >> i have osteogenesis imperfecta. >> i've broken over 70 bones in my lifetime with my polio. >> i have tough days and my pain just pops out out of nowhere. there's nothing to be afraid of because all the doctors are all so nice. >> most people think, oh, it's the medical side of things at shriners hospital. but for me, it's the confidence that i've gotten when somebody sees these commercials, there'll be a phone number on the screen and all they have to do is call and make a donation to help kids like me. >> thanks to a generous donor, every dollar you give will go three times as far to help more kids. >> when you join with us, we'll send you one of these adorable blankets as a thank you and a reminder of all the abilities you are helping make possible. >> we have so much to celebrate this time of year. please call or go to lgov. shriners.org. your gift of $19 a month will

have three times the impact in the lives of kids like me. you are the best you because shriners has given you the confidence that you need. >> it's just really cool knowing that you're part of something bigger than yourself. >> china has given so much to us, and we have a mission, and we have a goal that we want to help more kids from all of us at shriners hospitals for children. >> merry christmas. happy christmas. >> please call the number on your screen or go to love shriners.org. if operators are busy, please call again. and when you become a monthly donor, your first gift will be tripled. thank you for giving. >> consumer cellular is lowering the price for those 50 and up. >> get two unlimited lines for $30 each. >> that's just $60 a month. so switch to the carrier ranked number one in network coverage satisfaction. now new customers

get your second month free when you switch the online store that was just reached has my payment info during the holidays. >> think of all the places that can expose your info. lifelock monitors millions of data points for identity theft. >> if there's a problem, we fix it. guaranteed. >> the lead with jake tapper today at four on cnn president elect trump has announced his pick to become u.s. >> ambassador to panama. this as he spends more time in his christmas day post, focusing on his desire for the u.s. to take back control of the panama canal. in the same post, trump suggests the people of canada and greenland would be better off if their countries became part of the united states, something that the citizens of those countries, we should note, are not asking for. cnn's alayna treene is live in west palm beach, florida, with more details. elena. one of the claims trump is making without presenting evidence is that chinese soldiers are controlling the

panama canal. i wonder, based on your conversations with trump administration officials, is he serious about this? is this a negotiating tactic? >> i think that is the big question. and from my conversations so far, it's been unclear. >> i think what is clear is that donald trump is really trying to assert his dominance right now as really, you know, a leading figure in the global stage and and trying to show these different world leaders that he wants to have, you know, fair trade. he wants to not he wants to make sure the u.s. isn't being taken advantage of something. he believes that the u.s. is being taken advantage of as it relates to the panama canal. he said explicitly that he believes u.s. vessels are not getting their fair shake out of the panama canal. going back to how it was u.s. made, even though panama has controlled the canal for more than 25 years. all to say, it's really unclear why. as of now, he is so fixated on this, but it's very similar with the way that he's been responding to what we saw a couple of weeks ago with his threat against mexico

and canada to put a 25% tariff on all goods coming into the united states, if they do not crack down on how they handle the border and crime and the flow of drugs into the united states. kind of similar things we're seeing play out now where he's trying to make it known that he means business when he is sworn in, when he becomes president, he is going to be acting in a very aggressive way. but again, it's not very it's not totally clear right now whether he's being totally serious about actually wanting the united states to take over control of panama. and just to your point as well, jim, about, you know, his comments as it relates to trying to buy greenland, a danish territory or also trying to make canada the 51st state of the united states. these are things that these countries are not asking for. i think it's clear. i mean, the danish or excuse me, greenland's prime minister, who's in control of the danish territory, has said greenland is not for sale. trudeau, of course, is not going to be playing ball on this idea of selling canada to the united states. and it's still unclear exactly what

panama is expecting that donald trump wants out of these different threats. but again, he is trying to show that he is asserting his dominance over this. i do want to read for you some of what we've heard from panama's president, jose molina. he said this this morning in response to these claims about chinese soldiers operating the canal. this is what he said, quote, he said there are no chinese in the canal. it is as simple as that. neither chinese nor any other power is in the canal. so again, trying to make clear that pushing back on donald trump's claims here. now, i do also want to just briefly talk about what donald trump also posted yesterday, because, again, he is very much fixated on the panama canal. right now, he announced that he is naming his pick for the ambassador to panama, kevin marino cabrera. he is someone who has been is currently the miami-dade commissioner. he is someone who has worked on the trump campaign before. back in 2020, he helped run for the florida florida's director for donald trump's campaign. but he also

has been someone who is very much in donald trump's corner, who has very clearly wanted to boost donald trump. i think it's clear that he is going to be aligned with trump. he's very close to the campaign. i'm told he still speaks with many of donald trump's advisors. so he's kind of putting someone in donald trump's corner on this. but again, it's unclear what what cabrera is actually going to have on his plate as it relates to whether or not donald trump is totally serious about this or if this is kind of him just throwing red meat to the base with just weeks ago until inauguration day. >> jim, we should note that there is a senate ratified treaty from the late 1970s that transferred ownership of the panama canal to panama. alayna treene, thanks so much. >> thank you. erica. >> joining us now to discuss as well, someone who knows the country quite well, john feeley served as ambassador to panama under presidents obama and trump. it's good to have you with us. um, you know, and it's important to to remind everyone, as jim just pointed out, there is a treaty. the the canal is, in fact, under panama's authority. um, when

we look at this and what is being floated by the president elect, i know you've noted this is actually a long standing obsession of donald trump, something that he raised in a white house meeting with panama's then president back in 2017 with nearly identical language. what was the reaction then? >> the reaction was one that we had prepared then president juan carlos varela for, um, i and another trump adviser at the time had met with varela the night before, and we basically told him, look, this is going to be unlike any meeting you've ever gone in. >> we had no idea that president trump was going to raise the canal or canal fees. but what we gave him is general guidance was don't raise any issue on the bilateral agenda. we can work that out at our level. but if he gets you in a corner and he's being very belligerent, try to change the subject. and so president trump, in the broad bilateral 20 odd people sitting there raised the canal, the same issue, the same language. and president varela very astutely listened for a few minutes. and then he said, mr. president, can i ask you a question? how

are you doing in syria? and donald trump went off and handled that answer, and we didn't talk about canal anymore. >> that is quite a left turn to make. but but clearly it was effective. you didn't talk about it any more in that meeting. but how often did it come up during your >> variants in the trump administration, where do you think the ultimate goal lies with this language well, i think two things. >> number one, let's get something

erica the united states is not being charged exorbitant fees. >> the united states does not have a very large shipping industry. the five major conglomerates are danish maersk, their greek. they're chinese. the united states doesn't do much commercial shipping through the canal to be charged those fees. the products that come through the canal do go in large part to the east coast of the united states and the united states. liquid natural gas industry along the gulf coast absolutely depends on that canal. but the fees are an issue of climate change. the panama canal saw record low waterfall and had to limit passage. that's a supply and demand issue simply for commercial waterway. >> so you're talking about supply and demand. you're talking about all the facts there, which are important when it comes to discussing any story. but it's certainly where we are now. and yet the water continues to be muddied. even just as recently as yesterday, with donald trump's post on social media, where he said, in part, merry christmas to all,

including the wonderful soldiers of china who are lovingly but illegally operating the panama canal. panama's president merlino pushing back, noting once again there are no chinese in the canal, saying it's as simple as that. there are concerns about china's rising power globally. this is something that has always sort of been under donald trump's skin. could that maybe be guiding this decision making or attempt at pushing a conversation? >> you know, speculation is always difficult, and especially when it comes to donald trump, i think in the report we just heard, there may be some elements of truth in there. trump likes to keep his adversaries and his friends on edge. he likes to be unpredictable. he considers himself a disruptive force. as president. i think one, it bears saying there's no way he's going to take the canal back by force. absent a second. just cause the 1989 invasion where the united states grabbed

manuel noriega and took him home for trial on drug trafficking charges. but i don't think that president trump and his domestic political advisers believe that he's really got the constituency that would support another foreign war. i mean, for goodness sake, the man ran against the biden foreign wars in iraq and afghanistan. so i don't think he's going to do another invasion. and short of another invasion. and there are no chinese in there. as president merlino correctly stated today. again, facts are facts. and even donald trump has to accept, well, he doesn't have to accept them, but the rest of the world does and knows i don't think he's really doing anything other than positioning himself, perhaps with the threat of economic warfare and tariffs, which he very well could do to put panama and truly everybody else around the world on edge, worried about what's could come in with president moreno pushing back very strongly, not just, of course, in response to to yesterday's social media

post, but ever since this has come up. >> before i let you go, president-elect trump announcing kevin marino cabrera is his pick for your old job. u.s. ambassador to panama. do you have any relationship with him? how do you think he is in terms of a choice for that role? >> i don't have any relationship with him. and because i'm a former career ambassador, we have an unwritten rule that we don't comment on nominations until the senate of the united states has an opportunity to do so. and the very host country. let's keep in mind that president trump's named nominee has not received what's called aigremont. the diplomatic approval of the merlino government for him to even proceed forward with the senate confirmation. so i really don't have much to add there. >> well, you did actually add a lot because it's an important reminder for everyone in terms of how the process works. ambassador john, we really appreciate you joining us today. thank you. >> a pleasure, erica. >> still to come here. super bowl contenders taking a back seat to beyoncé during the

nfl's big debut for its christmas day extravaganza on nfl. plus what lebron james has to say about that christmas day doubleheader. >> there's a. tornado in my city. >> my city. >> it's the basement. that's pretty strong. >> luther. never too much new year's day at eight. >> love saving money. then it's time to join aarp. get your first full year for just $12 with automatic renewal, and get a second membership free. that's a great deal. you'll have access to hundreds of benefits to help you save money, stay healthy, and have fun. plus, everyday discounts at top retailers, dining, and more. your first year is just $12 with automatic renewal and get a second membership and an insulated trunk organizer for free. >> one( 800) 290-7516. >> with com g7 managing your diabetes just got easier. so what's your glucose number

right now? good thing you don't need a finger stick. how's all that food affect your glucose? oh, the answer is on your phone. what 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. >> for over 25 years, lovesac has been rewriting the rules of comfort. it's okay to change your style, get messy, get immersed. with lovesac. you make the rules. >> i love dice dreams, stealing coins from your friends and family, destroying the castles. it's fun though i have to admit, when they take my coins right in front of my face, i can't get a little angry. but after some personal growth meditation, i realized why i get angry when i

can get even. oh, we're good now. >> water under the bridge. attack your friends and steal their coins. >> dice. dreams. play. >> now what if you could tackle your dog's itching, soft stools and low energy? millions of pet parents are raving about doctor marty. nature's blend. such a huge difference in your health. >> more energy, more playful. no more pooping issues. i'm doctor marty. >> i've been a veterinarian for more than 50 years. the dangerous ingredients added to many pet foods could be impacting your dog's lifespan. that's why i formulated nature's blend. >> now you can feed your dog wholesome cuts of real meat, vegetables and fruit with no artificial preservatives or fillers. try doctor marty risk free. go to doctor marty pets.com slash tv. >> believe it or not, baby, you could earn your masters for under 11,000. >> master's degree for under 11 k in less than a year. >> earn your competency based master's at university of phoenix. >> do you know why i stopped cleaning my apartment? because my first cleaning with home oklo was just $19. since then,

i was sold. this is the best, most affordable cleaning service i have ever seen. boand

big during the holidays. >> one point equals one win prize picks. run your game coming january 2025. >> founded by the stars of women's basketball, a new style of three on three six clubs, more action, more access, unrivaled coming january 17th. >> the nfl's big debut on netflix. was it the christmas day game day extravaganza? league fans expected the streaming giant flexing its live events muscle with a monster double header. the top seeded reigning super bowl champs kansas city chiefs against pittsburgh and the baltimore ravens blowout of the houston texans. oh, and the real show. hello, girls. >> hello, beyoncé. hello, fellas. you're pretty swell. those petty ones can't touch me. why? because i'm a clever

girl. >> we clapping? >> listen, i watched it was awesome. houston native beyonce's super bowl halftime show with lots of cameos, including her daughter right there on the right. blue ivy. lakers superstar lebron james was not feeling the nfl's christmas takeover. the holiday has traditionally been the nba's territory. we'll get to what he said in a moment. let's begin, though, with sports broadcaster and cnn. contributor keri champion. cari, listen. you know, i was watching last night. i also watched the jake paul mike tyson fight when they did have those streaming issues, some sort of stop start, kind of freezing up issues didn't not that i saw last night or yesterday. i didn't see it happen. so did it hit or miss? it's it's mark. >> you know, i, i enjoyed it, but i do understand that there were some glitches for different people. and so i've been hearing through the grapevine the different critics and other people responding there, giving it a b+ in terms of its ratings. but the the

main goal, as you just pointed out, was to make sure that the beyoncé bowl went off without a hitch. and by the time it was time for queen bee to perform, everyone was more than happy with what they saw because there were no glitches. unlike the jake paul and mike tyson fight that you just referenced a few moments ago. >> yeah, i mean, that show it was and it was super bowl halftime show worthy. i mean, frankly, i thought better than a lot of the most recent ones. anyway, it was fantastic. >> no, you're right about that. you're right about that. jim, let me say this one thing. i do believe what she did will see other artists try to do, because we do know that the that netflix has the same christmas day games. at least two games on christmas day next year that will be a coveted spot to actually get if you are a performer. based on what she did. >> yeah. i mean, and then rise above the audience like several hundred feet. it was kind of cool. you're a big nba fan, even bigger lakers fan, and i won't take issue with that. as a knicks fan right now, lebron holds the nba

record for most christmas day games played. he had some, it seemed, hurt feelings about the nfl games. he needed to get off his chest. have a listen. >> i love the nfl. i love the nfl. but christmas is our day. >> i mean, a little rich for him who's, you know, been a little bit into promotion through the years, you might say. but i mean, is this the beginning of a bigger battle? >> i you absolutely bet your bottom dollar it is, jim, because my lakers, as you just mentioned a moment ago, used to own christmas day. now that has a lot to do with whether or not they're winning or not. we'll leave that aside. but what lebron is saying is true. christmas day was always reserved for the nba. over the years, there was this gentleman's agreement, if you will, between the nfl and the nba. and then they just reversed course. the nfl is a goliath. it will always it will always supersede, at least in my opinion. now the ratings of the nba. and if you're telling me there's $150 million the

nfl received from the netflix to have two games, and they can get those ratings, do you think they're going to leave that money on the table? there's just no they want to be a global force. there's just no way. what how what other way? to be global besides erin west worldwide, globally on netflix. and so i think we'll see more of this. lebron is pointing out what is surely to come, will be some contentious conversations between the nfl and nba. yeah. >> i mean, listen, putting games right in cities around the world, the nfl, they're going to add another regular season game. i mean, it's a it's a money machine at this point. all right nba there were some good games yesterday. i might note that my knicks won yesterday. just throwing that out there. but the five thrilling finishes right. >> yeah jim are we going to are we battling because nixon lakers really never had a battle. i want you to. know i support your knicks. i when the nba is great when the knicks are doing well as is the case for the lakers. lakers had a great nail biter with austin reaves with a game finisher.

there's something to be said. i know that people have heard about this. the nba ratings are low, but the reason the nba ratings are low is because we need more characters. we need more superstars. we have our big superstars leaving us our lebrons of the world, our steph's. they're not leaving, but they are no longer box as box office as they used to be. and so that's why you find people are turning to different outlets, whether it be wnba, nfl now on christmas day. and so we needed these christmas day games with more attention than usual during the regular season, so that people could pay attention and say, i'm interested, who is this austin reaves kid who all of a sudden, out of nowhere was the game saver against the golden state warriors? like those kind of story lines we need we need the knicks to be good so that we have these characters that we can root for people. so we're right on track. and the nba understands that. >> yeah. the question is who's going to who's going to replace the steph curry's and the lebron james's? i mean there's certainly some talent out there that they got the they got the skills to do it. so i'm sure they'll find someone. >> yes that is the question. and every time i try to answer

it they get very upset. so i'll leave that to in the ether. let's see who will do it. >> wembanyama cari champion, thanks so much. >> thank you jim. have a good one. >> happy holidays and we'll be right back. >> 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 on cnn. >> it is a entire transformation. it's like we have a new home. >> real customers share their stories about empire today. >> it's just that above and beyond that empire is known for. the crew was professional. they were courteous. they worked so fast. but the quality is amazing. empire's products are top notch. the carpeting, the flooring, it's phenomenal. i'm so

happy we selected empire( 800) 588-2300. >> empire. >> today we are encountering nosferatu. >> nosferatu is the best horror movie of the year and one of the best horror films ever made. nosferatu. rated r now playing only in theaters. special engagements in dolby and imax. >> hungryroot is here and i needed it because my fridge is super empty. >> 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. it is crunch time for our family. >> honestly, i barely have time to wash my hair, let alone meal prep. >> hungryroot allows me to get everything that i need. >> it's so easy to just whip together a quick, healthy meal. hungryroot has been a huge game changer. >> head to hungryroot comm for healthy groceries and simple recipes. >> plus, get free veggies for life! >> when you order a keepsake frame, your photo is professionally printed and your frame is hand assembled. here at our studio in lexington, kentucky. hi, i'm adam weiss, founder and ceo of keepsake. we've made the keepsake app

ridiculously easy, so it only takes a couple minutes to frame your favorite memories. and when you do, you're going to love the frame that shows up at your doorstep. we've framed over 1 million photos and would love the opportunity to frame one for you. download the free keepsake app and start framing today at bed mgm. >> everyone gets a welcome offer, so whether you're courtside trying to hit the over or up here trying to hit the under hoop or hitting that win with your crew. >> oh yeah. see, defense away up here with a same game parlay. >> yeah. betmgm's got your back. get your welcome offer and play with the sportsbook. born in vegas, only seats really get up to a $1,500 new customer offer in bonus bets when you sign up. >> now, bet mgm download and bet today. >> whether you need to lose ten, 20, 50 or over 100 pounds, make the healthy choice with golo. head to

golo comm. that's golo.com. >> do you have a life insurance policy you no longer need? now you can sell your policy, even a term policy for an immediate cash payment. call coventry direct to learn more. >> we thought we had planned carefully for our retirement, but we quickly realized we needed a way to supplement our income. our friends sold their policy to help pay their medical bills, and that got me thinking. maybe selling our policy could help with our retirement. >> i was skeptical, so i did some research and called coventry direct. they explained life insurance as a valuable asset that can be sold. >> we learned we could sell all of our policy or keep part of it with no future payments. who knew? we sold our policy? now we can relax and enjoy our retirement as we had planned. >> if you have $100,000 or more of life insurance, you may qualify to sell your policy. don't cancel or let your policy lapse without finding out what it's worth. visit coventry direct.com to find out if your policy qualifies, or call one ( 800) 651-0200.

coventry direct redefining insurance closed captioning brought to you by book.com. >> if you or a loved one have mesothelioma, we'll send you a free book to answer questions you may have. >> call now and we'll come to you. >> 800 821 4000. >> a baltimore pizza shop was days away from closing its doors when the owner got some much needed help. dave portnoy, the president of barstool sports, stopped by for one of his famous pizza reviews and left behind quite the tip. caroline foreback of our affiliate wjz has the story. >> people say it's a christmas miracle. it kind of feels like a christmas miracle. >> it's a miracle. on light street and it started with one bite. >> good undercarriage. >> will the owner of tiny brick oven pizza in federal hill says he was days away from having to close his restaurant. we weren't. >> we weren't making any money. the market opened and everyone inside was allowed to sell alcohol, and we were never allowed to sell alcohol.

>> when in walked, the founder of barstool sports, dave portnoy, to do one of his famous one bite pizza reviews. >> oh my god, man, this is incredible. >> will told dave about the restaurant's dire situaon, and after dave gave the pizza a solid 7.9 score, he asked will how muche would need to stay open for another year. >> listen, i think we could probably get our liquor license and continue to stay open. if we had 60,000, would that be done? done, done. >> oh my god, this is unbelievable. >> hey, the video went viral and on christmas eve, tiny brick oven had a line out the door and phones ringing off the hook. >> we've never had a crowd like this. we've never had a crowd like this. >> cynthia streeter says if anyone deserves this, it's will. >> my guardian angel, she says, will found her stranded in the cold after she missed her bus last weekend, and he offered her a ride home and a part time job. he says you look like you're freezing cold. why don't you come on in and get warm? >> after the video went viral, the donations kept pouring in. >> it's an incredible feeling.

i mean, i've always had a lot of community support. it's amazing. it's it's overwhelming. and i really thank i thank everybody so much. >> this is a christmas miracle. >> you know, you want to ask me if santa is real? i say his name is davey claus. >> wow. pizza is good. >> and again, our thanks to caroline for back with our affiliate, wjz. still ahead here on cnn news central, a los angeles county sheriff's deputy fired after pleading guilty to assaulting a transgender man. what we're learning about this case. can't fool myself. >> it was the most exciting time in the world. >> his life had extremely joyful moments and some really difficult moments. >> you only come across an artist like luther vandross once in a lifetime. >> luther. never too much new year's day on cnn. >> sara, at a. olaf scholz arthur engoron

lindsey vonn zero. >> maggie haberman conflict is raging across the world and millions of children's lives are being devastated by war, hunger, disease and poverty. we urgently need your help to reach children in crisis. please call or go online to give just $10 a month. only $0.33 a day. we need 1000 new monthly donors this month to help children in crisis around the world and right here at home. you can help us provide food essentials and life saving medical care to children in the most need. >> esha karam yokohama. ahmad morjan khuza'a daniel duggan. o2 arena. indonesia. >> a man in the darkest times, children

suffer the most. you can help by calling right now and giving just $10 a month. all we need are 1000 monthly donors. please call or go online now with your monthly gift of just $10. thanks to generous government grants, every dollar you give can have up to ten times the impact. and when you call with your credit card, we will send you this save the children tote bag as a thank you for your support. >> when al-qaim john harwood. i feel like the your small monthly donation of just $10 could be the reason a child in crisis survives. >> show them they're not alone. please call or go online to give to save.org to help save lives 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 o

reputation report card at reputationdefender.com or call 1877866 8555. >> new year's eve live with anderson and andy. live coverage starts at eight on cnn developing now out of los angeles, a sheriff's deputy has been fired after pleading guilty to assaulting a transgender man in a convenience store parking lot. >> just last year. the incident, which was caught on camera, later sparked a federal probe here. is that assault here now? multiple other deputies are under investigation for their role in possibly attempting to cover it up. cnn's josh campbell has the latest. so, josh, walk us through exactly how this unfolded and what happens next here legally. >> yeah, jim, you know, it might be uncouth and

disrespectful to flip off a police officer, but it's not illegal. and officers across the country are continually trained not to let that kind of rude behavior get under their skin. here. this incident actually led to a full on assault. this started last year, as you mentioned. the victim in this case, what we're learning, he was driving by a police officer. this deputy who says was speaking aggressively to a isrbance calls is joseph bens is the deputy's name. he then starts following this individual. emmett brock. multiple turns turn by turn. brock actually calls 911 and says, hey, i'm concerned. there's this officer who's following me. the dispatcher then tells him, look, if the lights and sirens aren't on, continue on your way. but as brock pulls into a convenience store parking lot, the deputy pulls in behind him, flips on the lights. an altercation ensues. i'll warn our viewers that what you're about to see may be disturbing.

>> come here. i just stopped you. no you didn't. yeah, i did. get your hands off of me! stop! are you doing oh my god! >> what the f is happening? >> what the f are you doing? get the off me! get the off me! get it for me, huh? help! i'm not resisting. okay. >> i can't, you have my hands! move your arms behind your back. >> i have my hand pinned. >> now, according to benza's federal plea agreement, the victim here sustained serious bodily injury, including suffering a concussion, contusions and abrasions, and experiencing vomiting and head pain. interestingly, as part of that agreement, we're also learning about kind of the tiktok here and allegations that this deputy benza actually allegedly conspired with other officers to alter the police report to not mention that idea that he was flipped off, that kicked this whole thing off. but instead, he wrote in his police report that he stopped this man because of a air

freshener that was hanging from his rear view mirror. now, as part of the investigation, the fbi was brought in. theyn ese d hey, let's delete messages before this federal probe. and so obviously, very serious allegations here that deputy benza has been relieved of duty. we're learning and possibly those others could face relief of duty as well. as this investigation continues. >> so. so i wonder how the sheriff's department is responding, but also what comes next then if he's pleaded guilty to assault here? >> yeah. so if he is convicted, he faces up to ten years in federal prison. we're waiting to see what the court actually does. sheriff robert luna here in los angeles came out very quickly slamming this incident, saying that these actions do not uphold the values of the sheriff's department. he wrote in this statement that based on the statents and reports provided at the time, the department deemed the use of force to be within policy. however, the ongoing federal investigation has revealed disturbing evidence of false statements and egregious actions to cover up misconduct. this, of course, for those

folks familiar a department that has faced past allegations of misconduct, including so-called deputy gangs. a lot of these actions that the sheriff has tried to root out. these latest actions, obviously very serious, particularly if it involves multiple deputies trying to cover up this incident. >> yeah, i mean, that presumes they knew what they did wasn't right. josh campbell, thanks so much. you bet. still to come, how one drone and a dangling piece of chicken led to the ultimate christmas rescue on a frozen pond. >> the lead with jake tapper next on cnn. >> this is a keepsake frame. this is actually a photo from my wedding. i'm adam weiss, founder and ceo of keepsake, the mobile app that makes it easy to have your photos printed, framed, and shipped to your doorstep. you just choose a photo that you love. you can preview it in over 100 frames, and in a couple of days, you're going to receive your photo in a beautiful handmade frame. so

if you've got a special photo on your phone, install the free keepsake app. we would love a chance to frame it for you. the online store that was just breached has my payment info. >> during the holidays, think of all the places that can expose your info. lifelock monitors millions of data points for identity theft. if there's a problem, we fix it. guaranteed. >> what if you could tackle your dog's itching, soft stools and low energy? millions of pet parents are raving about doctor marty. nature's blend. such a huge difference in your health. >> more energy, more playful. no more pooping issues. >> i'm doctor marty. i've been a veterinarian for more than 50 years. the dangerous ingredients added to many pet foods could be impacting your dog's lifespan. that's why i formulated nature's blend. >> now you can feed your dog wholesome cuts of real meat, vegetables and fruit with no artificial preservatives or fillers. try doctor marty risk free. go to doctor marty pets.com slash tv. >> do you have a life insurance policy you no longer need? now you can sell your policy, even a term policy for an immediate cash payment. call coventry

direct to learn more. >> we thought we had planned carefully for our retirement, but we quickly realized we needed a way to supplement our income. our friends sold their policy to help pay their medical bills and that got me thinking. maybe selling our policy could help with our retirement. >> i was skeptical, so i did some research and called coventry direct. they explained life insurance as a valuable asset that can be sold. >> we learned we could sell all of our policy or keep part of it with no future payments. who knew? we sold our policy. now we can relax and enjoy our retirement as we had planned. >> if you have $100,000 or more of life insurance, you may qualify to sell your policy. don't cancel or let your policy lapse without finding out what it's worth. visit coventry direct.com to find out if your policy qualifies. or call ones with high quality

custom apparel, accessories, and promo products, all backed by our guarantee@customink.com. >> hey john, did you know that there's new episodes of wipeout? >> yes, i did. na na na na na na na na

na na na na na na na na. >> crushing it. >> really crushing it. wipeout. >> all new sundays at nine on tbs. >> closed captioning is brought to you by skechers. hands free slip ins. boots. >> introducing hands free skechers slip ins. boots. it's like they have an invisible built in shoehorn so your foot slides into place without bending down. try skechers slip ins, boots so here's a fun story a dog who spent christmas eve and part of christmas day stranded out on the thin ice of a frozen lake, is now safe and back with her owner, all thanks to a new jersey drone. >> a good one, not a scary one. >> yes, not a scary one. important to clarify these days. look at cute little brooklyn there. well, brooklyn apparently has a little sense of adventure and somehow escaped from the home where she was staying. ran out onto that frozen lake. the woman who was dog sitting eventually realized, this dog is not coming back in and called the police. they initially tried to rescue her using a net. no luck, but then a neighbor with drone experience