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CNN Transcripts for December 19, 2025

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Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees
• Trump DOJ Releases Epstein Files Including Photos And Court Documents; Interview With Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA); Official: DOJ Briefed White House On What Epstein Files Contained, New Details Emerge About Brown Univ. & MIT Shooting Suspect; Actor Kevin Pollak Remembers Rob Reiner; Kennedy Center Gets New Signage Bearing Trump's Name. Aired 8- 9p ET


Amanpour
• Interview with ACLU LGBTQ and HIV Rights Project Co-Director Chase Strangio; Interview with Artist Gilbert Proesch; Interview with Artist George Passmore; Interview with Former NPR Correspondent and "A Nation of Nations" Author Tom Gjelten. Aired 1-2p ET


CNN's The Arena with Kasie Hunt
• Now: Trump DOJ Releases Trove Of Epstein Files. Aired 4-5p ET


The Lead with Jake Tapper
• Trump DOJ Releases Trove Of Epstein Files; Newly Released Epstein Docs Include Unseen Photos Of Bill Clinton; Rep. Mike Lawler, (R-NY), Is Interviewed About Release of Epstein Files, Stefanik Bows Out Of N.Y. Gov. Race, Won't Seek House Re-Election; NBA Coach Steve Kerr Calls For Gun Control After Brown Shooting; Kennedy Center Gets New Signage Bearing Trump's Name. Aired 5-6p ET
• Trump DOJ Releases Trove of Epstein Files; Suspected Gunman in Brown University and MIT Shootings Found Dead; Heroic Bystander Who Wrestled Gun from Bondi Beach Attacker Receives $1.6 Million in Donations; Ben Shapiro Slams Tucker Carlson, Candace Owens At Conservative Event; Paul Rudd & Jack Black Team Up For New Adventure Comedy. Aired 6-7p ET


CNN NewsNight with Abby Phillip
• Trump DOJ Releases Trove Of Heavily Redacted Epstein Files; DOJ Releases FBI Doc Confirming Epstein Was Reported In '90s; Trump's Name Added To Kennedy Center Despite Legal Questions; U.S. Visa Applications May Now Be Expedited For A Huge Sum; Stefanik Announces Political Plans; Erica Kirk Endorses Vance. Aired 10-11p ET


CNN News Central
• Brown University Shooting Suspect Found Dead After Six-Day Manhunt; Today, DOJ Faces Deadline for Releasing Epstein Documents; Sources Says, HHS Planning Fewer Shots in Childhood Vaccine Schedule. Aired 7-7:30a ET
• Brown University Shooting Suspect Found Dead After 6-Day Manhunt; NTSB Officials Expected On Scene After Deadly North Carolina Plane Crash; Rep. David Min (D-CA) On DOJ's Race To Redact Some Epstein Files Ahead Of Deadline. Aired 7:30-8a ET
• TikTok's U.S. Operations to be Controlled by Joint Venture; Suspect in Brown University and MIT Shooting Found Dead; Former NASCAR Driver and 6 Others Killed in Plane Crash in North Carolina; Flood Risk Forces Evacuations in Parts of Oregon. Aired 8-8:30a ET
• Madison Mills is Interviewed about the White House Economy Message; Joint Chiefs Lawyer Gives Guidance; Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) is Interviewed about the Epstein Documents; A.I. Chip Lifespan Raises Concerns; Democrats Hope for Tennessee Surprise. Aired 8:30-9a ET
• Brown University Shooting Suspect Found Dead; DOJ Faces Epstein Deadline; Helene Weiss is Interviewed about the Epstein Documents; HHS Plans to Overhaul Vaccine Schedule. Aired 9-9:30a ET
• Geoffrey Mark is Interviewed about Rob Reiner; Seahawks Mount Comeback; Harry Enten and John Miller go Window Shopping in NYC. Aired 9:30-10a ET
• TikTok to Spin Off U.S. Assets; Trump Targets Drug Prices; Washington Braces For Release of Epstein Files; Brown University Shooting Suspect Found Dead. Aired 1-1:30p ET
• Reddit Post Helped Solve Brown And MIT Shootings; Suspected Gunman In Brown University & MIT Shootings Found Dead; Suspected Killer ID'd As 48-year-old Former Brown University Student; DOJ To Drop Hundreds Of Thousands Of Epstein Docs Today; WI Judge Guilty Of Obstruction For Helping Immigrant Evade Feds; U.S. Strikes Two More Boats In The Pacific, Killing Five; Australia Announces Gun Buyback Plan After Bondi Massacre; Top Russian Envoy To Meet With Witkoff In Miami; Putin Offers No Compromise On Ukraine; "Avatar: Fire And Ash" Opens Today As Third Installment In Series; Kennedy Center Gets New Signage Bearing Trump's Name. Aired 1:30-2p ET
• Kennedy Center Gets New Signage Bearing Trump's Name; Brown University & MIT Manhunt for Suspected Shooter Ends, Officials Found Body Inside New Hampshire Storage Unit After Six-Day Manhunt; Epstein Files Expected to Be Released Today; Military Lawyer Says Officers Should Retire if Facing Illegal Order; Trump Says Troops Will Receive $1,776 Checks Before Christmas; NTSB on Scene of NC Plane Crash That Killed Seven, Including NASCAR Driver Greg Biffle. Aired 2-2:30p ET
• Epstein Survivors, American Public Await Release of Epstein Files; New Details in Brown University and MIT Professor Shootings; Heavy Rains in Northwest and Strong Storm System in the East. Aired 2:30-3p ET
• Source: Today: Justice Department Deadline to Release Epstein Files; Rep. Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA) Discusses About the Release of Jeffrey Epstein Files; Search Turns to Motive After Brown University, MIT Suspect Found Dead; Police: Brown and MIT Shooting Suspect "Very Strategic" in His Plans; Pres. Trump Declines to Take Questions at White House Event; Source: HHS Plans to Recommend Fewer Shots in Child Vaccine Schedule. Aired 3-3:30p ET
• Some Americans Feeling More Optimistic About Economy; Justice Department Deadline to Release Epstein Files; AI Chip Lifespan Raises Concerns Over Spending Boom. Aired 3:30-4p ET


CNN Newsroom
• Suspect in Brown University, MIT Shootings Found Dead; E.U. Reaches a Deal on Financial Support for Ukraine; Australian Prime Minister Announces Gun Buy Back Plan; Hong Kong Pays Tribue To Firefighter Killed In Inferno; Storms Set to Bring Rain, Strong Winds To Atlantic Seaboard. Aired 2-3a ET
• Shooting Suspect Took His Own Life; Australia Announce Buy-back Plan; Lawmakers Expects to See Epstein Files; E.U. Supports Ukraine, Russia's Assets Remain Intact; President Trump's E.O. Reclassifies Marijuana. Aired 3-4a ET


CNN This Morning
• Suspect in Brown University, MIT Shootings Found Dead; Will Trump Use Military Force on His Perceived Domestic Foes?; TikTok Agrees to Deal with U.S. Investors to Avoid Ban. Aired 6-6:30a ET
• NTSB to Investigate Biffle Crash; Ed Davis is Interviewed about the Brown University Shooting; Deadline for Epstein Files. Aired 6:30- 7a ET


Connect the World
• EU Announces $105 Billion Funding Plan for Ukraine; Moscow Welcomes EU Decision Not to Use Frozen Assets; Putin: Willing to End Conflict Peacefully if Principles Met; Suspect in Brown University, MIT Shootings Found Dead; U.S. Justice Department Faces Deadline for Releasing Epstein Files. Aired 9-9:45a ET
• E.U. Announces $105 Billion Funding Plan for Ukraine; Putin Fields Questions During Annual News Conference; Suspect in Brown University, MIT Shootings Found Dead; DOJ to Release Several Hundred Thousand Epstein Documents Today; Winter Storms Add to Danger of Living in Damaged Buildings in Gaza; Man Found Guilty of Drugging, Raping Unconscious Wife; Trump to Take His Economic Message to North Carolina. Aired 10-11a ET


Erin Burnett Outfront
• Trump's DOJ Releases Trove Of Heavily Redacted Epstein Docs; Autopsy: Gunman Died By Suicide Two Days Before Police Found Him; Putin's War Is Having A Deadly Impact On Finland's Beloved Reindeer. Aired 7-8p ET


Early Start with Rahel Solomon
• Suspect In Brown University, MIT Shootings Found Dead; Australian Prime Minister Announces Gun Buyback Plan; U.S. Justice Department Faces Today's Deadline To Make Epstein Files Public; E.U. To Finance Ukraine Without Using Frozen Russian Assets. Aired 5-5:30a ET
• Trump Media To Merge With Nuclear Fusion Company; Suspect In Brown University, MIT Shootings Found Dead; Trump Signs Executive Order To Reclassify Marijuana. Aired 5:30-6a ET
• Suspect In Brown University, MIT Shooting Found Dead; Australia PM Albanese Launches Gun Buyback Plan After Bondi Beach Attack; House Democrats Release Another Batch Of Epstein Photos; E.U. Agrees Hefty $105 billion Ukraine Loan Without Using Russian Assets. Aired 4-4:30a ET
• Suspect In Brown University, MIT Shooting Found Dead; U.S. Suspends Green Card Lottery Scheme After Brown Shooting; Five Killed In Strikes On Two Alleged Drug Boats; Trump Signs $900 Billion Defense Policy Bill Into Law; Tears At Tribute To Firefighter Killed In Hong Kong Blaze; Storms Set To Bring Rain, Strong Winds To Atlantic Seaboard. Aired 4:30-5a ET


Inside Politics
• Justice Department Has Until End Of Day To Release Epstein Files; Trump Administration Eyes New Ways To Block Legal Immigration; Mitt Romney: Tax The Rich, Like Me; Tonight: Trump Rally In North Carolina To Tout Economy. Aired 12-12:30p ET
• Sen. Coons: "Democrats Need To Stop Telling Americans How To Be"; Turning Point Event Displays Deep Tensions In MAGA Movement; Honoring The Hero Of The Bondi Beach Antisemitic Terror Attack. Aired 12:30-1p ET


Isa Soares Tonight
• Deadline to Release Epstein Files By DOJ Looms; EU Agrees to Loan Kyiv $105 Billion; Police Arrest Suspect in Brown University Shooting; Trump Not Ruling Out War With Venezuela; Sources: Top Military Lawyer Told U.S. Joint Chiefs Chair Officers Should Retire If Faced With Unlawful Order; Man Found Guilty Of Drugging, Raping Unconscious Wife; Bespoke Tailoring At The Heart Of Slow Luxury; Record-Setting Director James Cameron Speaks To CNN; Grand Finale With Leonardo DiCaprio And Jennifer Lawrence. Aired 2-3p ET


Laura Coates Live
• Trump DOJ Release Trove Of Heavily Redacted Epstein Files; Trump's Name Added To Kennedy Center, A Memorial For JFK; New Details Emerge About Brown University And MIT Shooting Suspect. Aired 11p-12a ET


One World with Zain Asher
• EU to Finance Ukraine Without Using Frozen Russian Assets; Putin: No New "Special Military Operations" if Russia is Treated With "Respect"; Suspect in Brown University, MIT Shooting Found Dead; Rubio on China & Japan Tension: We Can Work with Both Sides; U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio Holds News Conference; Rubio: We have an Illegitimate Regime in Venezuela. Aired 11a-12p ET
• Today: DOJ Faces Deadline For Releasing Epstein Documents; Soon: Witkoff To Meet With Top Ukrainian Officials In Miami; Winter Storms Worsen Gaza's War-Torn Buildings; Suspect In Brown University, MIT Shootings Found Dead; U.S. To Pause Diversity Visa Program In Wake Of Shootings; Man Found Guilty Of Drugging, Raping Unconscious Wife; Embracing The Holiday Season Amidst Stressful Times; Aired 12-1p ET


Quest Means Business
• Exploring Highclere Castle's Storied History; Viking To Open Contemporary Events Pavilion At Highclere; United Kingdom Businesses Face Low Growth, Prospect Of Higher Taxes; Descendant Of Charles Dickens' Performs One-Man Adaptations Of His Famous Works. Aired 4:30-5p ET


The Situation Room
• Search Turns to Motive After Brown University, MIT Suspect Found Dead; Today, Justice Department Deadline to Release Epstein Files; Trump Says He's Not Ruling Out War With Venezuela. Aired 10- 10:30a ET
• Trump to Give Speech Tonight in Touting Economic Progress; Putin Showed No Movement Today on Ending the War in Ukraine; Trump Not Ruling Out War with Venezuela; TikTok Agrees to Deal with U.S. Investors to Avoid Ban. Aired 10:30-11a ET
• Search Turns To Motive After Brown Univ. & MIT Suspect Found Dead; Today: Justice Dept. Deadline To Release Epstein Files. Aired 11-11:30a ET
• New Space Policy?; Immigration Enforcement Tactics Face Scrutiny; HHS Plans to Recommends Fewer Childhood Vaccinations. Aired 11:30a-12p ET


The Source with Kaitlan Collins
• DOJ Releases Trove Of Heavily Redacted Epstein Files; Trump's Name Added To Kennedy Center Building; Elise Stefanik Ends Her Short- Lived Bid For New York Governor. Aired 9-10p ET


The Brief with Jim Sciutto
• Epstein Files Released; DOJ Not Told To Redact Trump's Name In Epstein Files; Kennedy Center Board Votes To Rename It "Trump Kennedy Center"; U.S. Strikes Targets Inside Syria Tied To ISIS; E.U. To Offer Ukraine $105 Billion Loan; Files Tied To Jeffery Epstein Case Released; Prosecutors Share New Details Of Brown Univ. Suspect; Brown Univ. Suspect Found Dead; World Champion Vs. The Youtuber. Aired 6-7p ET


The Story Is with Elex Michaelson
• Suspect in Brown University, MIT Shootings Found Dead; House Democrats Share New Photos from Sex Offender's Estate; What is GOP's Healthcare Plan? Aired 12-1a ET
• Brown University Shooting Suspect Found Dead; U.S. To Pause Diversity Visa Program In Wake Of Shootings; Suspect in Brown University, MIT Shooting Found Dead; U.S. Justice Department Faces Friday Deadline to Make Files Public; Trump To Give Another Speech Touting Rosy Economic Outlook; Trump Signs Executive Order to Reclassify Marijuana; E.U. Reaches a Deal on Financial Support for Ukraine; TikTok Deal Reached to Spin Off U.S. Assets to American Investors. Aired 1-2a ET


What We Know with Max Foster
• Midnight Deadline For Justice Department To Release Epstein Files; Reddit Tip Helped Authorities To Brown University Shooting Suspect; U.S. To Pause Diversity Visa Program In Wake Of Shootings; Putin Fields Questions During Annual News Conference; TikTok Spins Off U.S. Assets To Avoid A Ban. Aired 3-4p ET