Army And Navy Launch Internal Investigations Into Hand Gesture Captured On Video; Hallmark Channel Returns LGBT Ads To Air.
BRIGGS: Internal investigations are now underway at the U.S. Military and Naval Academies after midshipmen and cadets were caught on ESPN's Army-Navy pregame show making a controversial hand gesture. Some are interpreting that gesture as a symbol of white nationalism. Officials at West Point say investigators are looking into the intent of the cadets in question. The Anti-Defamation League does consider the OK gesture a hate crime in some cases. CNN has decided not to show the gesture.</s>ROMANS: The Hallmark Channel abruptly reversing a decision to pull ads featuring same-sex couples and Hallmark apologizing for removing them in the first place.</s>ROMANS: Hallmark pulled the ads for the online wedding planning company Zola and that sparked calls for viewers and advertisers to boycott the channel in the middle of the holiday movie season. Hallmark CEO Mike Perry admitted Sunday the company made, quote, "the wrong decision." Quote, "Our mission is rooted in helping all people connect, celebrate traditions, and be inspired to capture meaningful moments in their lives. Anything that detracts from this purpose is not who we are."</s>BRIGGS: The LGBT media watchdog GLAAD was one of the groups that had been pushing for an advertiser boycott. Now, its president is applauding the company's change of heart.</s>SARAH KATE ELLIS, PRESIDENT, GLAAD: I'm thrilled. I think it was off-brand for the Hallmark Channel to begin with, so we were surprised by it when it came out of nowhere. They want to do the right thing and I think that the quick reversal is the right thing. And now we have to watch and make sure and see what they do in the future.</s>BRIGGS: Hallmark removed the Zola commercials after the conservative group One Million Moms launched a campaign against the ads. No comment yet from One Million Moms on Hallmark's reversal.</s>ROMANS: All right. Harvey Weinstein is speaking out weeks before his sex crimes trial. The disgraced movie producer telling the "New York Post" he is a, quote, "forgotten man." Weinstein claims he has been a pioneer for women in the film industry. He tells the "Post" he "...made more movies directed by women and about women than any filmmaker, and I'm talking about 30 years ago. I'm not talking about now when it's vogue." Twenty-three women who reported Weinstein's sexual misconduct not buying it. Quote, "He says in a new interview he doesn't want to be forgotten. Well, he won't be. He will be remembered as a sexual predator and an unrepentant abuser who took everything and deserves nothing."</s>BRIGGS: All right, we want to warn you the video you are about to see is tough to watch. Some very disturbing surveillance video showing a school resource officer in North Carolina picking up a child and slamming him to the ground twice. After the 11-year-old is thrown down a second time, the officer yanks him up and continues to walk. The incident hit home for the Vance County sheriff.</s>SHERIFF CURTIS BRAME, VANCE COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT: I was stunned, I was shocked. Seeing a child that small reminded me of one of my grandchildren.</s>BRIGGS: That sheriff telling a local station the child was not hospitalized but has a bump on his head. The officer has been placed on paid leave pending an investigation. A decision on criminal charges could come this week. A man known for inspiring a relationship with a South Carolina football program has died. James Kennedy earned the nickname "Radio" in the mid-1960s when he began to show up at the T.L. Hanna's football field with a transistor radio. He was intellectually disabled. He became a fixture at practices. Coaches and players eventually embraced and cared for him. The relationship was immortalized in the 2003 film "Radio." Kennedy died early Sunday morning surrounded by his family. He was 73.</s>ROMANS: All right. A bank employee from Charlotte arrested for stealing $88,000 from the bank's vault. The suspected in-house crook might have gotten away with it if he didn't post the evidence on Facebook. Twenty-nine-year-old Arlando Henderson was so impressed with his loot he shared photos of himself holding stacks of cash and posing with the Mercedes he purchased. Henderson facing, obviously, a range of charges including fraud, theft, and embezzlement.</s>BRIGGS: Through the fog, there was euphoria on the gridiron, a welcome distraction in Newtown, Connecticut on the seventh anniversary of the Sandy Hook massacre. The Newtown High School football team rallied in the closing seconds to win the state championship. Quarterback Jack Street connecting on a 36-yard touchdown pass to Riley Ward in the final second to defeat Darien 13-7. Newtown last won the title in 1992.</s>ROMANS: Good for them.</s>BRIGGS: Congratulations.</s>ROMANS: All right, let's get a check on "CNN Business" this Monday morning. First, a look at markets around the world. Really, a mixed reaction, I would say, in Asian markets to a deescalated U.S.-China trade war -- the biggest issues punted to next year. Businesses still left with some uncertainty over details. You can see a pop there in London markets. Paris and Frankfurt also a little bit higher here. On the China trade front, economist Ian Shepherdson says phase one picked the low-hanging fruit; now for the hard part. On Wall Street, checking futures right now, also a little bit higher. I would call this kind of an indecisive move. On Friday, the Dow eking up the smallest of gains. It was a similar picture of the S&P and the Nasdaq as well. All right, shares of Boeing under pressure in premarket trade. Boeing considering whether to pull back production of the troubled 737 MAX. Boeing could make that call as early as after the market close today. CNN is hearing that from a source familiar with the decision-making process. The company could either suspend production altogether or further cut production. Boeing left a meeting with the FAA least week with the impression its 737 MAX jet would not be cleared to fly by the end of the month. All right, a gigantic open for "Jumanji."</s>CLIP FROM SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT, "JUMANJI: NEXT LEVEL."</s>ROMANS: The latest installment in the franchise, "The Next Level," starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Kevin Hart, raked in an estimated $60 million in North America. Speaking of sequels, "Frozen 2" -- was there any doubt that it would break the billion-dollar mark at the global box office? No, it did it. The animated hit is the latest Disney film this year to make $1 billion. Bob Iger -- this is why "Time" magazine called him the Businessman of the Year, right? "Avengers: End Game", "The Lion King", Captain Marvel", and "Aladdin" have all hit that milestone. Oh yeah, and I'm not done yet. There could be another billion-dollar film around the corner. The finale of the latest "Star Wars" trilogy opens on Friday.</s>BRIGGS: A busy week this week. Watch a movie.</s>ROMANS: And movie week -- Christmas movie week.</s>BRIGGS: OK, the nation is divided in case you haven't noticed. How divided? "SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE" attempted to answer that question.</s>CECILY STRONG, CAST MEMBER, NBC "SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE": I'm so happy everyone flew here for the holidays. And I'm even more happy that they did it -- they're impeaching Trump.</s>BECK BENNETT, CAST MEMBER, NBC "SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE": Well, they did it. They're impeaching Trump.</s>MIKEY DAY, CAST MEMBER, NBC "SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE": Dad, stop.</s>BENNETT: I'm sorry, it's a disgrace. What crime did he even commit?</s>HEIDI GARDNER, CAST MEMBER, NBC "SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE": Well, I guess the crime of being an alpha male who actually gets things done.</s>DAY: OK.</s>KENAN THOMPSON, CAST MEMBER, NBC "SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE": I'm just asking, do you all think "Bad Boys 3" is going to be good or not?</s>CHRIS REDD, CAST MEMBER, NBC "SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE": I hate to say this but could we please talk about politics instead?</s>THOMPSON: Oh, you mean how Trump is definitely getting impeached and then definitely getting reelected? I'm good.</s>KYLE MOONEY, CAST MEMBER, NBC "SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE": I just don't understand who on earth could vote for Trump after this.</s>GARDNER: How could anyone not vote for Trump after this?</s>THOMPSON: Who you think is going to get voted off "THE MASKED SINGER" next week? KATE MCKINNON, CAST MEMBER, NBC "SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE"</s>ROMANS: It's so sad telling him he looks like a plastic straw at a turtle.</s>BRIGGS: The plastic straw and a turtle?</s>ROMANS: It's sad. It's bad but funny.</s>BRIGGS: Yes.</s>ROMANS: All right, thanks for joining us.</s>BRIGGS: Kate McKinnon's got game.</s>ROMANS: Oh, yes.</s>BRIGGS: Yes.</s>ROMANS: I'm Christine Romans. Have a great day, everybody.</s>BRIGGS: I'm Dave Briggs. Here's "NEW DAY."</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The House of Representatives, this week, is expected to vote on those articles of impeachment, making it all but certain President Trump will become the third president to be impeached.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We understood the importance of what we were doing but felt the urgency was such that we could not just allow the president to continue.</s>MCCONNELL: Everything I do during this, I'm coordinating with White House counsel.</s>REP. ADAM SCHIFF (D-CA): There is more damning evidence to be had and they don't want the American people to see that.</s>GRAHAM: I am ready to vote. I don't really need to hear a lot of witnesses.</s>SEN. SHERROD BROWN (D-OH): They don't want to look at anything that might disagree with their worldview of Republicanism and this president.</s>ANNOUNCER: This is NEW DAY with Alisyn Camerota and John Berman.</s>JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to our viewers in the United States and all around the world. This is NEW DAY. It is Monday, December 16th. It's 6:00 here in New York. Alisyn is off. Erica Hill with me this Monday morning.</s>ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning.</s>BERMAN: Great to have you here. What a week we have in store. END