CBS Evening News with Norah O'Donnell, 12/25/24
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Audible's best of 2024 picks are here. Discover the year's top audiobooks, podcasts, and originals in all your favorite genres. From memoirs and sci-fi to mysteries and thrillers, Audible's curated list in every category is the best way to hear 2024's best in audio entertainment. Like a stunning new full cast production of George Orwell's 1984.

Heartfelt memoirs like Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson's lovely one, the year's best fiction like The Women by Kristen Hanna, and Percival Everett's brilliantly subversive James. Another worthwhile listen is Amy Tintera's thrilling and twisting whodunit Listen for the Lie. This laugh-out-loud funny tale follows Lucy, a woman who needs to clear her own name after a true crime podcast decides to probe into the worst night of her life, one she conveniently can't remember.

Audible. There's more to imagine when you listen. Go to audible.com slash wonderypod and discover all the year's best waiting for you. Americans agree that everyone should be able to make their own health care decisions. You and only you should control your health care decisions. But the truth is, attacks on reproductive health care, including abortion, are only intensifying.

That's why your gift to Planned Parenthood is so important right now. No matter the battle, no matter the stakes, no matter what, Planned Parenthood is there. Protect our rights, protect our health care. Make your gift to Planned Parenthood at plannedparenthood.org slash protect. A passenger plane crashes in Central Asia. Nearly half on board survived. What caused the flight carrying 67 people to fall from the sky?

I might get that. How President-elect Donald Trump's plans for tariffs could threaten small businesses. Would prices go up for consumers? Absolutely. Did anybody hesitate? I think we all hesitated. I don't know. And in tonight's Eye on America, we visit four pastors who set aside denominational differences to create their own holiday tradition. This was a grand and beautiful experiment. Our people loved it. The CBS Evening News starts now. ♪♪

We begin with a plane crash in Central Asia. Remarkably, about half of the 67 people on board survived the fiery wreck. The passenger jet flying from Azerbaijan to Russia crashed in Kazakhstan. The Embraer E-190 aircraft burst into flames after impact along the shore of the Caspian Sea. Now, there are plenty of questions as investigators work to connect the dots.

Among them, why was the plane hundreds of miles away from its scheduled route? And why was the nearest Russian airport on the flight path closed to incoming traffic this morning? As for what caused the accident, Russia's aviation authority says it appears a bird strike led to an emergency situation on board. CBS's Chris Livesay is monitoring developments from Italy. Chris, any other factors that may have been at play here?

Well, good evening, Jerica. Azerbaijan Airlines is reportedly saying that they've recovered the plane's flight data recorder and that the plane had to be rerouted after takeoff due to bad weather. Cell phone video recorded the final moments of the commercial flight. In seconds, smoke turned

turned to flames about two miles outside the Kazakh city of Aktau. Rescuers dragged survivors from what's left of the passenger jet, now split in two and flipped upside down. In this remote Central Asian city off the Caspian Sea, the ground strewn with wreckage and the dead.

This cell phone footage posted online shows passengers on board the plane before the crash. It appears there's damage to the wing and oxygen masks in use. Azerbaijan Airlines said the Embraer 190 jet en route from Baku to Grozny, Russia, was attempting to make an emergency landing. Russia's aviation watchdog said preliminary evidence suggested it was after the jet collided with birds.

Most passengers were from Central Asia. 16 were from Russia. The plane crashed. There are people killed. There are many injured, said Russian President Vladimir Putin. Let's hope for their recovery.

Now, the model of the plane that went down, the ERJ-190, is made by a Brazilian company. JetBlue is the biggest American company that uses it, but says it had planned on retiring that model in 2025. Jerika? Yeah, so incredible that so many people survived. Chris, let's say thank you.

Turning to another aviation incident, officials in Hawaii are investigating the discovery of a dead body found in the wheel well of a United Airlines Boeing 787. The jet had flown from Chicago to Maui on Christmas Eve. How the body got there remains a mystery. United said the wheel well is only accessible from the outside.

Tonight, we take you on a journey across the globe to witness how the holiday season is being celebrated in remarkable and heartfelt ways. Today marks a rare intersection of two major holidays. For the first time since 2005, Christmas Day is also the first night of Hanukkah.

In Vatican City, thousands gathered in a chilly St. Peter's Square to hear Pope Francis' Christmas Day message and kick off the 2025 Jubilee, expected to bring more than 30 million visitors to Rome over the next year. In Kyiv, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky lit the first candle of Hanukkah with several visiting rabbis, honoring resilience and unity in a country still at war with Russia.

A Christmas mass was held at the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, the first since a devastating fire destroyed much of it five years ago. In the UK, King Charles, who was treated for cancer, delivered his annual Christmas speech from a former hospital chapel. I offer special heartfelt thanks to the selfless doctors and nurses who this year have supported me and other members of my family.

And 250 miles above Earth, astronauts Sunny Williams and Butch Wilmore sent a Christmas message. They've been stuck at the International Space Station for over six months due to problems with their capsule designed to bring them home. It's a great time of year up here. We get to spend it with all of our family up on the International Space Station. There's seven of us up here, and so we're going to get to enjoy company together.

Well, it was another somber Christmas in the Middle East with celebration scaled down because of the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. It's part of a holiday season filled with uncertainty. Here's CBS's MTS Taib. As we made our way down the well-worn marble stairs into the grotto of the Church of the Nativity, first built in 326 by the Roman Emperor Constantine, the now oldest site continually used as a place of worship by Christians,

who believe Jesus was born at this very spot. For a second year, the war raging in Gaza has kept pilgrims and tourists away. Christmas tourism makes up 70% of Bethlehem's economy. And yet again, there have been far fewer visitors this holiday season. This is our small and humble church. A short walk away is the evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church. We pray for peace. Where we met Palestinian Christian pastor Munther Isaac. How are you feeling right now?

It's a mixed emotions of anger, despair and fear. That's the last thing I thought that I will be doing this over again. Yet another Christmas calling for a ceasefire. This nativity scene he and his congregants made last year of baby Jesus as if he were born today amid the ruins of Gaza drew international attention and some criticism for its stark depiction of the manger scene.

the horrors of war and violence into the peaceful image of Jesus in a manger. We're not used to connecting the two images together. Palestinians are going through tremendous pain and it's natural for us to see Jesus

as one of us who survived a massacre born under occupation in a sign of solidarity with us. While at the Deir el-Latin church in Gaza City, which has become a safe haven for hundreds of Palestinian Christian families displaced by the war, there were glimmers of holiday cheer at Christmas mass.

But hearts here are heavy. "We are only celebrating for religious reasons because of the birth of Christ," says this woman. "We can only truly celebrate the day the war ends."

And tonight, Israel and Hamas are blaming each other for delays in finalizing a deal which would see a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also under fire from hostage families who accuse him of stalling the talks for political gain. Jerika. MTS Tayeb, thank you for your reporting.

The holiday season can be a make or break one for mom and pop toy shops. They risk getting caught in the crosshairs of a trade war if President-elect Donald Trump makes good on his threat to slap big tariffs on China. Nearly 80% of toys sold in the United States are made there, according to the Toy Association and Industry Group. Money Watch's Kelly O'Grady reports on the impact tariffs could have on your wallet and your children's toy box.

Yeah, this is made in China. This is made in China. This is made in China. One of my favorites. Jennifer Bergman is the owner of West Side Kids, an independent New York City toy store founded by her mother over 40 years ago. People that used to shop here as children are now shopping for their children. Large retailers like Amazon already dominate the U.S. toy market. With that size, they could likely absorb some of a tariff on China. Small businesses like West Side Kids can't.

Where do most of the products in your store come from? China. And kind of what percentage? 90%, I'd say. And so if there was a tariff, would prices go up for consumers? Absolutely. How quickly? Probably instantly. Bergman admitted she would have to pass the cost of those import taxes on to shoppers.

I love this store. If prices were to go up, would that force you to shop somewhere else? Yeah, it would be hard. As more customers turn to cheaper online outlets, small toy stores are a vanishing business, along with the in-store experience. We're a toy store. It's a magical place to bring a child. So, Henry, what are you looking for today in the toy store?

I might get that. With higher costs and slowing sales, Jennifer Bergman worries a potential tariff on toys made in China could put her out of business. If you were to close, what would that mean? Well, it would be heartbreaking. It would be a real loss for the community. I can't really imagine not being here.

President-elect Trump may use these tariffs as a negotiating tool, as well as a push to bring manufacturing to the states. But these smaller businesses are worried, Jerika, domestic production does not happen overnight. And you said that this is about encouraging manufacturing in this country. But Kelly, is that realistic?

So potentially yes, okay, it's not going to happen quickly, but these import taxes could incentivize toy companies to build production capabilities here. Quality would also be better, but it costs more. And it takes more time. It does, exactly. Labor, it all costs more. All right. Kelly O'Grady, Merry Christmas. You too. Thank you. Well, doctors are doling out more prescriptions of popular weight loss drugs to adolescents, but is that a good idea? We'll tell you what the experts think coming up.

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Hey, I'm Ryan Reynolds. Recently, I asked Mint Mobile's legal team if big wireless companies are allowed to raise prices due to inflation. They said yes. And then when I asked if raising prices technically violates those onerous two-year contracts, they said, what the f*** are you talking about, you insane Hollywood a**hole?

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There's another application for those so-called miracle drugs that help people lose weight. Last week, the FDA approved Eli Lilly's Zepound for treating sleep apnea in adults with obesity. Meanwhile, the market for GLP-1 drugs is making inroads among adolescents with obesity as a solution to a growing problem. With cases tripling over the last 30 years, the American Academy of Pediatrics now recommends the medications for some younger patients.

CBS's Janet Chamleon explains why. 15-year-old Jeremiah Jimenez weighed 350 pounds by the time he was 13. But after less than a year on the weight loss drug Wigovi, he lost 65 and hopes to drop 80 more. What's that like? It feels good. I just feel stronger because I've incorporated strength training as well.

So I just feel empowered. These are once a week injections. Susie Jimenez says she talked to her son's doctor about whether it would be suitable for him after she dropped 70 pounds on the same type of medication. He's turned into a different person. Like his light has just been lit.

The number of prescriptions for young people for what's called GLP-1 weight loss medications is skyrocketing. From more than 8,000 a month in 2020 to more than 60,000 a month in 2023. Their FDA approved for adolescents 12 and older. More than 20% of adolescents are considered obese. There is no off-ramp for these drugs that we know of yet. So putting an adolescent on them sort of means a lifetime of being on them.

Maybe, maybe not. I'm hoping over time we learn how the off-ramp works. Dr. Stephanie Sizely, who doesn't treat Jimenez, is a pediatric endocrinologist who says while the medication's long-term effects are unknown, the health risks associated with obesity are undeniable. The biggest problem she sees are insurance rejections. 70% of our patients are not able to get the medication.

Jeremiah's prescription was $1100 a month until his deductible was met. It has since dropped to 25. Big breath.

Chest out. Jimenez now works out every day and says he feels great. I finally have something that works for me. I don't have to drastically change my diet. I just eat in moderation. I think for me, it's been the best decision that I have made for him because I've seen him struggle. Alongside behavior changes, it can be a winning combination. That's good work today. For young people with a lot to lose.

Janet Chamblee and CBS News. Last one. Austin. In tonight's Eye on America, despite ideological differences, a group of religious leaders embark on a new path to strengthen the ties that bind the faithful. Stay with us. That's next.

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We have a special Eye on America to report on this Christmas day. It's the story of four leaders from four different churches in West Texas who picked a novel way to preach tolerance and acceptance. CBS's Jason Allen reports on the power of not just walking in another man's shoes, but preaching from his pulpit.

Anyone walking into this Mexican restaurant in Midland, Texas, probably wouldn't give a second glance to the four guys at a corner table laughing over their enchiladas. But this lunch meetup wouldn't be found on everyone's menu around here. My great-grandfather was pastor for a long time, and he would be horrified at this partnership. He would be horrified.

Darren Wood is a Baptist pastor, and Steve Brooks, Alan Stanglin, and Steve Shore are pastors too, but not Baptists.

leading to some eternal differences of opinion. The only ones going to heaven. Now wait, I've heard that about the bad guys. I've heard that all of my life. We've all claimed that at one point in time, right? 65% of people here in Midland County regularly go to church, but not the same church. In fact, there are as many as 45 different religious traditions represented here, from Protestant to Catholic to Hindu to Muslim.

A few years ago, the newest leader of one of those West Texas churches was Stanglin at the Church of Christ. He was curious about finding ways his church community could do more for the Midland community. So he put in a call to a Presbyterian. Is it okay if our whole church comes to your church? Wait, you went right away from lunch to let's have our whole church come over to your church?

to the Presbyterian Church. You might ask Steve, but yeah, kinda. Yeah, that's how it happened. In those post-pandemic years, the friendship grew to four. And then this fall,

during an election season where they saw a divide in their city and the country, an idea developed to reach across their own major denominational lines. Who made that suggestion to switch pulpits, and did anybody hesitate? -I think we all hesitated. -I don't know.

I don't know who. We believe that the word. Denominations have built their foundations over centuries, with leaders taking great care not to undermine a church's beliefs. I was a little worried, maybe, not because I didn't trust Alan, but because we'd never tried this before. This was a grand and beautiful experiment. On a Sunday morning in November. Would y'all please help me give Pastor Darren a warm welcome? The Baptist preached to Presbyterians.

The Church of Christ pastor gave his first sermon to the first Baptists. I have spent all of my preaching life trying to make sure we get out on time to beat the Baptists.

And now I'm with the Baptist. We've got a cross in our church too. And if there was grumbling or griping from the pews, not a single pastor said they heard a word of it. What came to me is people are sick and tired of division. Unity takes relationship. It takes Mexican food. Right? It does. Sitting down and talking to each other, and if people are willing to do that,

It will happen. This is an opportunity to... Maybe then a Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, and Church of Christ pastor can go into a restaurant together, and it won't be a joke anymore. Wonderful. Thank you. For Eye on America, Jason Allen in Midland, Texas.

Finally tonight, the art of playing Santa Claus goes much deeper than donning a red suit. We found a jolly but serious Saint Nick who puts future Santas to the test with a rigorous training program. Here's CBS's Skyler Henry. If the saying, "Seeing is believing," means anything at Christmas, then Rick Rosenthal is a true believer. What makes a good Santa? The very first thing is your heart. You have to like yourself.

You have to be understood and logical to be believable. Twice a year, Rosenthal, or Santa Rick as he likes to be called, is Dean of Students at the Northern Lights Santa Academy in Atlanta. Between 100 and 150 student Santas and Mrs. Clauses from as far away as England and Germany enroll each session. And these aren't your typical mall Santas. I'm working on becoming a...

A professional Christmas entertainer, but not just a, an extraordinary Christmas entertainer. In the near decade since Rosenthal founded it.

Northern Lights has grown to the largest Santa school in the southeast. You have a professionally trained and educated Christmas performer. They look different, they have real Santa suits, not costumes. So education is really important in every field. The training includes hair care with tips on how to keep Santa's beard snowy white.

a course on magic tricks, and a workshop on inclusivity for children with disabilities. Why go to such great lengths to put this much energy into it? Christmas is a season, even though it falls on the 24th and 25th,

It lasts for weeks or months, and people change, and it brings out the best on them. And that's Rosenthal's goal, helping to bring the true meaning of the holiday season out of new students and those who already know the way of the clause. Skyler Henry, CBS News, Atlanta. Well, hopefully all the children watching out there got exactly what they want this Christmas. That's tonight's CBS Evening News. Have a good evening. Merry Christmas.

If you like this podcast, you can listen ad-free right now by joining Wondery Plus in the Wondery app. Before you go, tell us about yourself by filling out a quick survey at wondery.com slash survey.

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They say Hollywood is where dreams are made, a seductive city where many flock to get rich, be adored, and capture America's heart. But when the spotlight turns off, fame, fortune, and lives can disappear in an instant. When TV producer Roy Radin was found dead in a canyon near LA in 1983, there were many questions surrounding his death. The last person seen with him was Lainey Jacobs, a seductive cocaine dealer.

who desperately wanted to be part of the Hollywood elite. Together, they were trying to break into the movie industry. But things took a dark turn when a million dollars worth of cocaine and cash went missing. From Wondery comes a new season of the hit show Hollywood and Crime, The Cotton Club Murder.

Follow Hollywood and Crime, The Cotton Club Murder on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts. You can binge all episodes of The Cotton Club Murder early and ad-free right now by joining Wondery Plus.