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CNN This Morning

NYPD Believes Suspect In CEO Killing Left NYC; S. Korea's President Yoon Likely To Survive Impeachment Vote Today; Kash Patel Vows To Overhaul FBI If Confirmed; Killing Of Medical Insurance CEO Reveals Deep Anger About Health Care System; Milder Than Average Temperatures Expected; Chase For The College Football Playoff. Aired 7-8a ET

Aired December 07, 2024 - 07:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[07:00:20]

AMARA WALKER, CNN ANCHOR: And if you've seen "CNN HEROES" before, it is sure to be an emotional night. Do not miss it. Another hour of CNN THIS MORNING starts now.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. Welcome to CNN THIS MORNING. It is Saturday, December 7th. I'm Victor Blackwell.

WALKER: Hello to you. I'm Amara Walker. And at this hour, we are following the latest breaking news and the expanding search for the UnitedHealthcare CEO's killer. As the manhunt enters, it's a fourth day, investigators zeroing in on a backpack they believe belonged to Thompson's killer. Detectives found the backpack last night during a second sweep of New York's Central Park.

BLACKWELL: We've learned that guards on both sides of the U.S. borders with Mexico and Canada have been alerted to search for any signs of the suspect. Investigators are waiting on lab results to see if any evidence left on a burner phone and a water bottle recovered at the scene could help them ID the killer.

WALKER: Now, no weapon has yet been recovered, but we've now learned that they are exploring the possibility that the shooter may have used a veterinary gun to kill the healthcare executive. That is a specialized weapon that doesn't make a loud noise. Let's discuss all of these latest developments with CNN Senior Law Enforcement Analyst and former Philadelphia Police Commissioner, Charles Ramsey.

Charles, good morning to you. First off, we heard from Jessica Tisch, the New York City Police Commissioner, yesterday. And she said that authorities had gathered a huge amount of evidence in the way of DNA evidence and forensics fingerprints.

Also, you have the suspect's image, his face, on a surveillance camera. But we don't have the suspect's identity yet. How critical is this piece of information? And do you expect that we'll get that soon?

CHARLES RAMSEY, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Well, yes, I mean, you have to find out who he is. The problem is that with DNA and fingerprints, you have to be in the database in order to get a hit so that we know exactly who it is that we're looking for.

Now, always remember, you know, the police know, at least they should know a lot more than we know on this end of things. So, maybe they do have a tentative ID, but it doesn't sound like it because, you know, it's been what, three days now, at least, since this took place.

And the longer it goes, the more difficult it becomes to catch an individual. That saying that the first 48 is important. Well, it is. And the longer you go outside that window, the more difficult it is to really bring a person into custody.

WALKER: What about this backpack that authorities found in Central Park between two boulders? You know, our reporting is that they're treating it like a dead body, right? Because they don't want to damage any potential evidence in or around it. What likely could they find in this backpack? Any DNA clues?

RAMSEY: Well, you know, like this isn't a this wasn't a murder suicide. So, you have a living suspect. It's out there. So, eventually, if he's caught there's going to be a trial. So, I have to be very careful with the evidence and they have to go through every step meticulously, so that they don't damage any evidence.

It could be DNA, could be fingerprints, clothing, could be the murder weapon. It could be a variety of things, but they're doing the absolute right thing by treating this just like you would a homicide where you know you're limited in how, how much you disturb the uh the body and so forth to try to not lose any uh forensic evidence from the scene.

WALKER: How much does it complicate things now that investigators believe this suspect may have left New York on an interstate bus?

RAMSEY: Well, I mean, you know, it broadens the search, no question. I mean, in New York City, they have total control as far as the police resources go because they're in their own city. Once he's outside of that, of course, now you're relying on partners around the country to be on the lookout, to devote some resources to trying to find this person.

And they don't even know, at least we don't think they know, which bus he got on. That's a very busy bus station. They say more than a thousand buses a day go through there. He could go anywhere. Did he have an accomplice? I mean, he was talking to somebody on the phone before the murder took place.

And I've always been a little puzzled how did he know exactly when to be at that location in order to confront the victim? Could somebody meet him at a location? Now, he's in a car, he's no longer on a bus. I mean, there are a lot of unanswered questions. I'm sure the detectives are exploring every single possibility.

WALKER: Do you think they'll get answers to that question regarding who he was talking to on the phone, that burner phone, because they found it along with a water bottle that he dropped. Will investigators be able to unlock that phone and get some of the data? RAMSEY: I'm sure they're working as hard as they can to try to unlock that phone. They probably have assistance from the FBI and maybe other federal law enforcement agencies to try to get into that phone to get a phone number to find out who he was speaking to. Because this whole thing just doesn't totally add up. When you see him walking down the street, he's very casual. He stops, he gets a bottle of water.

[07:05:24]

I mean, it's not like there was a sense of urgency, not knowing exactly when your victim's going to show up. He shows up what, five or 10 minutes before the individual walks down the street. It's just one possibility. I'm not saying that's the case, but it is a possibility that it's more than one person. And apparently, UnitedHealthcare isn't the most popular insurance agency around. So, does he have help from others? Does somebody recognize the picture, but they're not calling police? There are just a lot of things going on here.

WALKER: Lastly, can you talk to us a little bit about this veterinary gun that investigators believe may have been used by the killer? I mean, does it tell us anything about the shooter? And is that unusual if it turns out that this was a weapon that was used?

RAMSEY: Well, it's an unusual weapon to find, especially being used in a homicide. I wasn't familiar with that gun at all. I had to go online and really look it up. But when you look and you understand how that weapon works, it is very consistent with what you see on the video. What we thought initially was a jam was him pulling back the bolt to put another round in the chamber to fire. And so, when you look at it that way, and it does have a silencer on it intentionally, because you don't want to disturb other animals if you're killing one of the animals for whatever reason.

And so, it's very, so he's trying not to draw attention to himself beyond what he has to at the time he actually commits the homicide. And so, it would make a lot of sense when you stop and think about it, but they won't be able to know for certain until they recover that weapon.

Central Park does have bodies of water in it. He could have thrown it in the water. It could be in the backpack. I doubt if he's got it on his person because he's shedding evidence. He does not want to be caught with critical evidence on his person.

WALKER: Yes, they still don't have the electric bike as well. Commissioner Charles Ramsey, I appreciate you joining us this morning. Thank you.

BLACKWELL: Also, breaking this morning, it appears that South Korean President Yoon Suk-hyo will survive an impeachment vote today after lawmakers from the ruling party boycotted the legislative session. Yoon has apologized for attempting to impose martial law earlier this week. He says he will accept any legal repercussions.

Joining us now from Seoul, South Korea, is CNN's Ivan Watson. So, what's happening now? It's still a busy scene there inside and outside the building, walk us through.

IVAN WATSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It sure is. I mean, I'm in the national assembly and right behind those doors over there those are the main legislative chambers where you have more than a hundred lawmakers, they've been holding a vote to try to impeach President Yoon Suk-hyo. As you pointed out, it is unlikely that he will be impeached today because of big body of lawmakers from the president's own party, they've basically abstained.

They walked out and that triggered scenes of real anger in the halls here from people who had gathered with signs saying impeach the president and accusing him of insurrection. So, what's the situation right now? We'll give you some context. This building was blockaded by police and soldiers just four nights ago when the president suddenly announced and shocked Korea martial law, suspending decades of Democratic civilian government here.

And what happened were lawmakers, they flocked here in the minutes and the hour afterwards and they voted, 190 of them, to overturn martial law, forcing the president to back down just hours after he started. He has apologized now for what he did, but there are a lot of people who want him to pay for what they are claiming was an attempted coup, a power grab.

His own political party has said the president must step down early, he won't be able to finish his term in office, but they have stopped short of supporting the president's impeachment. So, you've got a political battle playing out right now here over whether or not to impeach the president.

Meanwhile, outside you can't see through those windows, but there are thousands of demonstrators in the freezing cold that are holding a protest. The president currently has kind of support of maybe in the teens, according to public opinion polls, and you have an overwhelming majority of Koreans telling pollsters they want him impeached.

He is in a lot of hot water right now and there are calls to have him and his top aides and ministers prosecuted and accused of insurrection. So, this is a political story and battle that will continue probably for some time now.

[07:10:12]

BLACKWELL: Yes, he'll survive likely today's impeachment vote but for all the reasons you just detailed this is not over there in Seoul. Ivan Watson, thank you so much.

WALKER: President-elect Donald Trump returns to the world stage this morning. Trump has landed in Paris where he will attend the official reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral. Trump is expected to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron ahead of a planned dinner and he will meet with the UK's Prince William who is also in Paris for the ceremony.

BLACKWELL: Macron was the first foreign leader to congratulate Trump on winning the election and while there is no agenda for their talks many European leaders are concerned that Trump could withdraw U.S. from military aid to Ukraine.

First Lady Jill Biden will also be in Paris today, along with other world leaders and high-profile guests for the grand reopening of Notre Dame.

Five and a half years ago, it was ravaged by a devastating fire that brought the Gothic masterpiece within minutes of collapsing. CNN's Melissa Bell is live in Paris, outside Notre Dame Cathedral.

So, tell us what's happening there now on this day of grand reopening.

MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it is a cold and windy, blustery Paris that President-elect Donald Trump has landed in, Victor and Amara, as you can see. It'll be later tonight that the ceremonies here will take place, and there are some 40-odd heads of state who've made the trip to surround Emmanuel Macron as that grand opening takes place.

But of course, a lot of attention now that we know President-elect Donald Trump will be meeting with the French President at the Elysee Palace this afternoon. We know also that ahead of the ceremonies here at Notre Dame, President Zelensky will be meeting with the French President as well at the Elysee Palace.

What's unclear for now is whether President-elect Donald Trump and President Zelensky will have a chance to meet, or they will be in quick succession within the French Presidential Palace later today ahead of these opening ceremonies. And of course, given the presence of those two leaders, particularly here in Paris, there will be a lot of attention on Ukraine throughout the day and what those meetings mean.

As you mentioned, it was with President Macron, arguably the president-elect Donald Trump, when he was in his first term, had struck up the strongest relationship amongst European leaders. And so, this, his first return to the world stage since his re-election, an important moment for the French President as well, under a great deal of trouble here domestically, politically. This is a moment for him to shine on the world stage.

But again, we'll be looking very closely to see what any of those leaders have to say about Ukraine, even before they're joined by others here at Notre Dame to celebrate what will be, promises to be, an extraordinary ceremony again amongst around this five-year long waited reopening of Notre Dame which promises to be pretty spectacular. Victor and Amara.

WALKER: President-elect Donald Trump taking the spotlight, central stage on this day of celebrations for the reopening of Notre Dame. Melissa Bell, thank you.

BLACKWELL: And of course, we're watching everything that's happening in Paris as everyone starts to arrive for this grand reopening of Notre Dame. Still to come, how Americans played a crucial funding role here in restoring the cathedral. WALKER: Also, it is another chilly day for most in the eastern half of

the nation. Lake effect snow is still falling in upstate New York, but is any warm-up coming?

Plus, President-elect Trump is giving his full support to his embattled choice for defense secretary, but is that support enough to get Pete Hegseth through confirmation?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:18:25]

BLACKWELL: The grand reopening of the historic Notre Dame Cathedral is just hours away. World leaders and dignitaries are set to attend this spectacular ceremony, as we mentioned before the break, that includes First Lady Jill Biden and President-elect Donald Trump. It took more than five years and hundreds of millions of dollars to restore the masterpiece after a devastating fire destroyed the roof and the famous spire of the cathedral. Most of that money came from American donors. Joining me now is the President of the Friends of Notre Dame of Paris, Michel Picaud.

Michel, good morning to you. How much did it cost? Now that I'm talking hundreds of millions of dollars, what was the overall cost?

MICHEL PICAUD, PRESIDENT OF THE FRIENDS OF NOTRE DAME: Good morning. So, the overall cost up to now is 700 million euros and we have ahead of us a complimentary campaign of restoration and a funding of 250 million euros.

BLACKWELL: So, let's talk about the scope of the work. Was the mission exclusively and entirely to restore Notre Dame to pre-2019 condition?

PICAUD: Not only, so we had to, first of all, to rebuild what had been destroyed in the fire. So, for instance, this fire itself, or the valves on the roof. We had also to restore the interior of the cathedral, which had been seriously damaged by the fire also and by the watering caused by the firefighters. And we need also to restore now the exterior of the cathedral. And we need also to restore now the exterior of the cathedral. So, that's the overall scope of the restoration.

BLACKWELL: And part of the reason that the fire was able to spread throughout so much of the cathedrals because there were no firewalls and there were no sprinkler systems. Have those been integrated now?

PICAUD: Yes, yes, they have been integrated. So, effectively there was nothing like that under the roof of the cathedral. So, now we have installed sprinkling systems under the roof and fire walls to avoid any such catastrophe in the future. So, effectively, even if the appearance of the cathedral is the same as the one we had before the fire, we have added in, I would say, technical equipment in order to avoid another such catastrophe in the future.

BLACKWELL: Talk us through the work that it took to restore and replicate some of those details that anyone who's been fortunate enough to tour Notre Dame remember, the gargoyles and grotesque of the towers that are obviously made famous in the hunchback of Notre Dame, the spire. A lot of the elements that we all remember if we've actually had the opportunity to visit.

PICAUD: Yes. So, all this has been done in two phases up to now. So, we have first what we call the security phase where we tried in the first one year and a half years since then, so we have restored, we rebuilt what had been destroyed and restored as much as possible what was to be restored, such as some of the gargoyles and grotesques. And effectively, we've been able to install a workshop on the square of the cathedral with a sculptor who were able to replicate these gargoyles and grotesques that have been damaged or destroyed during the fire.

BLACKWELL: I read that there's this rooster now atop the spire. Tell us about it and the significance.

PICAUD: So, the rooster is very important both in the Christian tradition, but also in the French tradition, because you know that the rooster is also a symbol of France. And so, this rooster fell down during the fire, was really significantly damaged. And so, we had to put a new rooster on top of this fire which has been done and this new rooster was conceived by the architect in chief of the historical monument. So, a very beautiful golden rooster which now stands on top of a spire and which is a little bit the symbol of this restored and renewed cathedral as we can see it now from Paris, and from all over the world.

[07:23:10]

BLACKWELL: Well, I know that this is a wonderful day for Parisians to have the cathedral fully restored and for people around the world who are so fortunate to see it in person now to have it accessible again. Michel Picaud, thank you so much for your time.

WALKER: Soon it'll be again, the most visited tourist attraction there in Paris, I'm sure. Pete Hegseth spent the week doing damage control over a series of allegations. Now, his attorney is leveling what is being seen as a threat against a woman who has accused Hegseth of sexual assault.

Also, New York Mayor Eric Adams is warming to Trump and sounding more critical of his own party. What's behind his change in tune?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:28:17]

WALKER: While President-elect Donald Trump is in Paris this morning, his pick to lead the Pentagon is gearing up for another critical week on Capitol Hill. Trump is backing up Pete Hegseth despite mounting allegations related to Hegseth's workplace behavior and treatment of women.

BLACKWELL: In his first broadcast network interview since winning the election, Trump told NBC's Kristen Welker that he's working hard to get Hegseth confirmed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT-ELECT: He loves the military, and I think people are starting to see it. So, we'll be working on his nomination along with a lot of others.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Since you bring him up, do you still have confidence in Pete Hegseth?

TRUMP: Yes, I do. I really do. He's a very smart guy. I've known him through Fox, but I've known him for a long time. And he's basically a military guy. I mean every time I talk to him all he wants to talk about is the military. He's a military guy.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Have you gotten assurances from senators that he's going to be confirmed? Do you think he can make it?

TRUMP: No, I think he will. Yes, I've had a lot of senators call me up saying he's fantastic.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Hegseth's supporters believe this next week is critical and if he makes it through he will remain Trump's nominee. But there are reports that replacements are being discussed in the background. CNN's Daniel Strauss joins us now. What's next for him?

DANIEL STRAUSS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I mean, next week, the big meeting right now on his agenda is a meeting with Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa, herself a veteran, and a key vote on the panel that would need to confirm Hegseth as defense secretary.

Now the important thing here is that Ernst has expressed skepticism about the viability of his candidacy so he will need to convince her that he is a qualified candidate to be Secretary of Defense.

[07:30:03]

BLACKWELL: And let's talk about those replacements that are being rumored if Hegseth is not the nominee.

STRAUSS: Right. So, the big name here is Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida. You'll recall that DeSantis was the chief rival for Trump in the 2024 Republican primary, and they've had, at moments, an acrimonious relationship.

So, if it did turn out that Hegseth's nomination was pulled, and DeSantis was the nominee, that would be a change of fortunes for the Florida Governor.

BLACKWELL: Is Ernst herself off the list?

STRAUSS: No, but she's more -- she's seen as a longer shot than DeSantis right now.

BLACKWELL: All right. Daniel Strauss, thanks so much.

STRAUSS: Thanks.

BLACKWELL: Associated Press national politics reporter Michelle Price joins us now for a closer look. Michelle, good morning to you.

So, the president-elect says that Hegseth is doing very well, acknowledged he doesn't have the confirmation of support from the requisite number of Republican senators. What's the momentum going into this next week? Does he have the wind at his face or at his back?

MICHELLE PRICE, NATIONAL POLITICS REPORTER, ASSOCIATED PRESS: Well, he had a couple of days there where it felt like the nomination was in greater jeopardy, but you saw yesterday morning, President Trump put out a statement on his social media network, finally, kind of breaking his silence on what Pete Hegseth was facing, which for Donald Trump was a big show of support, you know, kind of left him twisting in the wind there for a few days.

So, it seems like the way that Pete Hegseth was speaking forcefully in the halls of Congress, continuing to press forward, it seems he approved himself, at least for now, for Donald Trump.

But, you know, we did see that he is expected to be sitting with Ron DeSantis at the Army Navy football game coming up next week. That is a very close proximity for two guys who were rivals and bitter rivals earlier this year.

So, it feels like this is a proving time for Pete Hegseth in these coming days, he's going to have to really get some more vocal support here. Joni Ernst, Senator Ernst her -- you know, she put out another very cautious statement yesterday evening that still has -- she's withheld her support so far, saying she's just continuing to have conversations with him, so she'll be the key one to watch to see if he can make it through.

BLACKWELL: Yes, we know that Kristi Noem will be on the Hill next week. Pam Bondi as well, the pick for A.G., also Kash Patel, the president-elect's choice for FBI director, although we should say that Christopher Wray still has three years left in his term.

We just read that the National Police Association is expressing support for Patel. He doesn't have the allegations of personal misconduct that Hegseth is facing, that Gaetz faced, but he has said that he wants to prosecute anyone who he believes is a political opponent of the president-elect, people that said that the election was fair, they say it was stolen, which is a lie.

What do you expect next week as he goes to the Hill and meets with Republicans?

PRICE: I think there's two things we'll be watching for. I mean, one, the way that these nomination, these meetings that have been going with some of the candidates facing some of the biggest headwinds, Matt Gaetz, who withdrew as the Attorney General nominee, and Pete Hegseth, the Trump team, has been watching how that played out. The people who are going to be working with Kash Patel have been watching how those played out.

You know, they know that the showing for -- showing a force willing -- being willing to fight seems to be helping keep the support from Trump. It seems to be helping sway senators. But we don't have a great sense yet of how much opposition Kash Patel will face. We know that Democrats have deep concerns. We know that there are people in the intelligence community who have deep concerns. There's been reporting about some of the actions he took during the first administration.

But ideologically, he is very aligned with President Trump. When he talks about clearing out the DOJ, there are many Republicans who agree with that, and that we have seen come out already expressing statements of support for Kash Patel.

So, we're not expecting it to be as tough at this moment as it has been for Pete Hegseth, but as they start to have those meetings, as the focus swings that way, we'll see where it lands.

BLACKWELL: Let's talk about indicted New York City Mayor Eric Adams, which I think maybe not many people know that he was a Republican in the late '90s, early 2000s. Here he was Friday. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You were enrolled as a Republican from 1997 to 2001, would you ever consider rejoining the GOP?

ERIC ADAMS, MAYOR OF NEW YORK CITY: The party that's the most important for me is the American party. I'm a part of the American party. I love this country. This is the home of the free, the land of the brave. My 19-year-old nephew died on the fields of Vietnam, protecting this city and this country represents, and that's the party I'm going to always be a member of.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: He was asked to clarify that in another interview on Friday, and didn't give a clear answer about potentially joining the Republican Party. He's increasingly been more critical of the Democratic Party, which he is a member of, favorable to Trump specifically. Is this more of the potential pardon play for Adams. How do you interpret what we're hearing?

[07:35:24]

PRICE: I mean, that's certainly the big question on everybody's mind. There's some reporting last night that even people in Trump's orbit are speculating on this. I think the quote was that he seemed thirsty for a pardon. Was it -- it was in the Rolling Stone report.

You know, Eric Adams is somebody who, you know, when he was elected, when he first won the primary, he came out as the more moderate candidate, and he would kind of position himself all over the spectrum. He also said that he was a progressive, but he claimed his version of politics were progressivism. You know, we've seen him kind of shift where the power momentum has

been in American politics early in President Biden's term, when he was having some of his bipartisan legislation get passed, you saw Eric Adams declare himself to be the Biden of Brooklyn and meet with him.

You know, now we have an incoming Trump administration. Eric Adams has a pardon on the table that he might be seeking from an incoming president, and we're seeing him see more favorable and seeking a meeting with this incoming administration.

BLACKWELL: All right, Michelle Price, with the Associated Press. Thank you.

WALKER: The killing of the UnitedHealthcare Executive has struck a nerve on social media. Still to come, how Americans are using his death to vent their frustrations about the health insurance industry.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:41:19]

BLACKWELL: The killing of an executive of one of the largest health insurance companies in the country has sparked a flurry of pent up anger against the health care system, and a lot of people online are making a light of the shooting.

WALKER: Yes, CNN's Jason Carroll takes a closer look at what's fueling the mixed reactions.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Soon after the shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson came the somewhat unexpected, a flood of social media posts like these.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I vividly remember being on the phone with UnitedHealthcare for days and days, nine months pregnant, about to give birth alone.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was a terrible, stressful, mad scramble. We appealed, of course, to UnitedHealthcare and they denied the appeal within one day.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You were wondering -- I'm just saying my thoughts and prayers were also denied. I don't give (EXPLETIVE DELETED).

CARROLL (voice over): Thompson's death has not only opened the door for people to share their pain about how they say they were unfairly treated by UnitedHealthcare, it is also unleashed a torrent of vitriol against the entire health care industry. X posts like this are some of the tamer versions of what's out there.

Today, we mourn the death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson gunned down. Wait, I'm sorry. Today we mourn the deaths of the 68,000 Americans who needlessly die each year so that insurance company execs like Brian Thompson can become multimillionaires. Then there's UnitedHealthcare Group's Facebook posts about Thompson, who was a husband and father of two. It reads in part, we are deeply saddened and shocked at the passing of our dear friend and colleague, Brian Thompson. Brian was a highly respected colleague and friend to all who worked with him.

So far, that statement has received more than 90,000 laugh emojis.

No laughing matter to security experts like Philip Klein.

PHILIP KLEIN, PRESIDENT AND CEO, KLEIN INVESTIGATIONS AND CONSULTING: There's now a widow and two orphaned children out there. They don't have a father now, and we all need to remember that.

CARROLL (voice over): Klein provided security to Thompson in the early 2000, and he has grave concerns about what he's seeing now.

KLEIN: This has sent a ripple through the corporate executive world about security and the security of their employees.

ERIN BRADSHAW, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, PATIENT ADVOCATE FOUNDATION: I am surprised of the backlash just because it's such a really sad situation that has occurred.

CARROLL (voice over): Erin Bradshaw has some insight into the current climate among patients and insurance carriers. She's an executive vice president at the Patient Advocate Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to improving health care access.

BRADSHAW: It's an exhausting process, you know, and on top of already being sick, injured or disabled when they are running into a challenge with getting access to prescribed care through their insurer, it just -- it complicates it and creates multiple layers of frustration.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Unfortunately, sympathy requires a prior authorization, and I have to deny that request.

CARROLL (voice over): As frustrations simmer online with dark comments such as may the shooter never be found, my thoughts and deductibles go to the family.

A new Gallup poll found just 44 percent of adults say the quality of U.S. health care is excellent or good. The smallest share since Gallup's tracking started in 2001.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CARROLL (on camera): So, we've heard some shocking comments there. Also, comments clearly from people who are frustrated. The security expert that you heard from in the piece just wanted to make it clear that much of this backlash, many of these comments, he says, are insensitive and downright irresponsible.

[07:45:07]

Now, we also have reached out to UnitedHealthcare to get more of their perspective on what's happening here. They did not get back to us, but CNN has learned the company has increased its security measures at facilities around the country, Amara, Victor.

WALKER: All right, Jason Carroll, thank you.

The College Football Playoff is back and bigger than ever. For the first time, 12 teams will earn a chance to win it all. We have everything you need to know ahead of Championship Saturday and Selection Sunday. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:50:06]

BLACKWELL: All right, weather now. And yes, it is December, and we're talking about a weekend warm up in some places.

WALKER: Although, I've been enjoying the cold weather. I know you probably have been miserable, huh, the 40s and stuff?

BLACKWELL: No, I don't mind it.

WALKER: You don't mind it?

BLACKWELL: No.

WALKER: I've been enjoying it, but it's going to get warmer. CNN's Allison Chinchar is here tracking the milder temperatures, where we're going to see those milder temperatures?

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, I had to go back out to my car for a second time yesterday. I hated it. I was not a fan. So, yes, I'm looking forward to this, but it is going to be short lived. This is not going to be like a return to spring, if that's what you were hoping for.

But yes, we've still got the cold temperatures out there, especially in the Midwest and the South and the eastern portion of the country, but we are going to start to see that gradual change in the next 24 hours.

Now, until it's gone, it's still helping to push a lot of that lake effect snow across states like Michigan as well as New York. So, you're still going to get several inches expected on top of what you already have as we go through the rest of the day today.

But here again, you can see all of those warmer temperatures, the green, the yellow color really kind of overtaking more of that blue, especially into the extreme eastern portion of the country once we get to Sunday and in some cases, by Monday.

Here's a look at that change. Again, look, Nashville, Atlanta, Washington, D.C., you still have at least one more day of those temperatures below average, but then we start to see that swing to the opposite direction.

In fact, take Houston for example, going from 14 degrees below normal today to 14 degrees above normal by the time we get to Monday.

However, as we mentioned, it's going to come right back down. We've got a cold front that's going to make its way through and bring some pretty deep some pretty decent amount of rain, especially to the southeast and along that Gulf Coast region.

So, New Orleans, for example, those temperatures spike up for several days, also when we see the rain, but once that cold front comes through, notice that big dip right back down again.

And it's not just for areas along the Gulf Coast. Nashville, also seeing the temperatures rise, but coming right back down again by the end of the week.

BLACKWELL: All right. Thank you.

WALKER: Thank you, Allison. Well, the chase to make the college football playoff all comes down to this weekend.

BLACKWELL: So the official bracket will not be announced until tomorrow, but Boise State all but assured their place in the field of 12 by beating UNLV 21-7 in the Mountain West championship game last night.

WALKER: Meanwhile, today, the ACC-Big 10, Big 12 and SEC Championships will help decide the who, the where and when.

Andy Scholes explains what you need to know about what is at stake.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Well, by the end of today, we should have a good idea who is going to be in the first ever 12 team college football playoff. All of the conference championship games today have playoff implications. For some teams, it's win and get in for others, like at the SEC title game behind me here in Atlanta, Georgia, at Mercedes Benz stadium, a first round by is on the line.

In their first year in the conference, second ranked Texas is in the game, taken on Fifth ranked Georgia. Now the Bulldogs handed Texas their only loss of the season.

Now, both of these teams, they're in the playoffs no matter what, the winner gets a bye. Loser will get a home playoff game, which isn't a bad consolation, especially for their students and fans.

And here's what Coach Sarkisian and smart had to say about the matchup in the SEC title game.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEVE SARKISIAN, TEXAS LONGHORNS HEAD COACH: This is a big deal to us. You know, I think so many times in the world that we live in is focusing on what's next, what's next? What's next? The CFP, the national championship. Hey, we've got it. We've got a great goal in front of us that we have an opportunity to achieve.

KIRBY SMART, GEORGIA BULLDOGS HEAD COACH: This is the greatest championship game of them all in terms of conferences. Honor to be playing Coach Sarkisian's team at Texas. What a tremendous job he's done there. Getting them into this game is a gauntlet, and it's a reward to play in it, and both teams have earned that.

SCHOLES (voice over): Now, top ranked Oregon is taking on third ranked Penn State for the Big 10 title. This game, just like Texas, Georgia winner gets a bye, loser host a game on campus, the Ducks remain college football's only undefeated team.

Now, as for the win and get in teams, the 17th ranked Clemson Tigers will be taking on the eighth ranked SMU Mustangs in the ACC title game, and even though Clemson has lost three times this season, the top five highest rated conference champions are guaranteed a spot in the playoff.

So, if Clemson wins, they are in and Dabo Swinney said his team is in position to accomplish all of their goals.

DABO SWINNEY, CLEMSON TIGERS HEAD COACH: This is our 10th time in this game in 16 years. I know we're supposedly a bad program now, and we're doom and gloom, David, it's all downhill. Everything's terrible. Certainly didn't accomplish all of our regular season goals, but it's all about the postseason.

SCHOLES (voice over): Now, the other win and get in situation today is in the Big 12 title game between Iowa State and Arizona state. The winner of that game could actually end up one of those first round buys if SMU ends up losing to Clemson.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SCHOLES (on camera): And Alabama is going to be keeping a close eye on that ACC title game, and they're pretty big SMU fans right now, because if Clemson wins and claims the ACC title, would the committee also then keep SMU in the playoffs and knock Alabama out who's ranked 11th right now? We'll have to wait and see.

[07:55:15]

WALKER: Andy Scholes, thank you, and we will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WALKER: And first of all, with Victor Blackwell is up next. What do you have, Victor?

BLACKWELL: Packed show, we're going to talk about this DOGE movement in the Trump administration is coming in, and the leader of the federal workers union says that the plan by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to cut down on government employees dramatically could have a disproportionate effect on Black workers and the government services that a lot of Black Americans --

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