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Interview with Rep. Mark Alford (R-MO): Lawmakers Split on Party Lines After Viewing Video of Boat Strikes; House GOP Still Working on Reaching Consensus on ACA Subsidies; Netflix Announces Deal to Buy Warner Bros. and HBO for $72 Billion; DC Pipe Bomb Suspect Brian Cole Jr. To Appear in Court This Morning. Aired 8-8:30a ET

Aired December 05, 2025 - 08:00   ET

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

[08:00:00]

WILLIAM FASTOW, HAD AFFAIR WITH BRIAN WALSHE'S WIFE: Relationship that she would hear it from her. She had expressed great concern and I think she felt it would be a strike against her integrity if he found out a different way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: On cross-examination the defense continued to focus with Fastow on the fact that no one knew about what they were having the affair and Brian did not know at all. Now, later in the afternoon video, video to show that after Brian dismembered his wife, we know he's pleaded guilty to this, but the jury saw these bags of trash and they were actually on his personal effects. That's him right there by an apartment complex taking the bag.

He's putting it in the dumpster and the jury should see quite a few of these because a lot of dumpsters around town he drove to just to just --

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Dispose of all that stuff.

CASAREZ: Yes, exactly.

BERMAN: Jean Casarez, you are covering every twist and turn of this all day long on CNN All Access. Everyone should tune in. Thanks so much for being with us.

CASAREZ: Thank you.

BERMAN: A new hour of CNN NEWS CENTRAL continues.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: So overnight, the U.S. conducts a new strike, another strike on an alleged drug boat. Scrutiny of that September double-tap boat strike though reaches a fever pitch and now the lawmakers have seen the video. What are they going to do?

And new data is out this morning showing that when President Trump calls affordability a con job, he may have a very hard time convincing even his biggest supporters of that. And a high-rise rescue, a high-risk rescue at a high-rise for two

window washers.

I'm Kate Bolduan with John Berman and Sara Sidner. This is CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: All right, just moments ago we saw Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth boarding a plane to California as questions are growing over those U.S. strikes on alleged drug boats. The military announcing it struck another boat on Thursday killing four people. This time that was in the Pacific.

It comes amid scrutiny on that earlier what has been called and known as the double-tap strike that killed survivors on a boat in the Caribbean. Our reporting now undercutting some claims defense officials have been making for months that those two survivors were trying to call for backup.

CNN has learned that Admiral Frank Mitch Bradley, who oversaw that follow-up strike, told lawmakers during classified briefings that the survivors did not appear to have a radio or other communication devices.

In the end we're told Bradley said he ordered the second strike because part of the boat was still afloat with cocaine and the survivors could have in theory made it to safety and continued their operation. Lawmakers emerged from those briefings split along party lines.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN: Do you see any evidence of them trying to use a radio in the video you saw?

SEN. TOM COTTON (R-AR), CHAIRMAN, INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE: Well, I saw lots of evidence of them standing on the boat that had been capsized.

BERMAN: That wasn't my question. Did you see any evidence --

COTTON: Trying to get it back up. Trying to flip it over.

BERMAN: Did you see any evidence of them trying to use a radio?

COTTON: No I didn't, John.

No, John, but they were clearly not incapacitated. They were not distressed. One guy took his t-shirt off like he was sunbathing.

They were trying to get the boat back up and to continue their mission of spreading these drugs all across America.

REP. JIM HIMES (D-CT), RANKING MEMBER OF INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE: You know, and we observed them for a long time and the commanders involved said that they believed that there might be some chance they would be rescued. That there might be some chance that the cocaine on board could be recovered. But these two individuals to anyone looking at this thing would say are moments away from slipping under the waves.

The decision was taken to kill them, and that is in fact what happened. And that was pretty hard to watch I must say.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SIDNER: All right joining us now Congressman Mark Alford. Thank you so much for being here. Let me ask you about what you heard there.

You've got your colleague congressman Tom Cotton basically saying, look, the strike was perfectly fine. And then you have the Democrat Congressman Himes saying this is a violation of the department's own manual for how you go about conflict for the laws around armed conflict. How do you see it?

REP. MARK ALFORD (R-MO): Well Sara thanks for having me on. Keep in mind this was a classified setting. I was not there.

I would be very wary of any information that comes out of there because it's not going to be the full and complete picture. I've learned that. I was on the Armed Services Committee last term and I know when you get in these settings there's a lot of information coming at you.

I do believe these were righteous strikes. Look, I wish that we in America had as much passion and empathy for the victims of fentanyl including my good friend Lance and Storm Dillon Schneider who's lost two sons in three years to fentanyl poisoning in our district.

[08:05:00]

We have lost a hundred thousand people a year the equivalent of a plane load 737 crashing in America each day. I am so glad that President Trump is doing something about this. Do we need to take a look and possibly tweak some of the tactics and techniques that are going into these strikes?

Perhaps. That's going to have to be done in a highly classified setting. The mode and operation that the U.S. military used to take out these narco-terrorists is highly classified and should remain that way.

SIDNER: Our Kate Bolduan was talking to a member of JAG who said this is murder. But also said look, the Coast Guard has been doing this job for a very long time. Why not just leave it to them? What do you say to that?

ALFORD: Well, the Coast Guard does have capabilities, but they don't have the same capabilities as other arms of the Department of Defense, including the capabilities in the sky, which I won't get into. They're used in these takeout strikes of narco-terrorists. The U.S. Coast Guard will work in collaboration as we get closer to our home shores, but overseas and international waters in particular, it's going to be the Department of Defense under the Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth.

SIDNER: Let me ask you about whether or not judging from what you're hearing the very partisan divide on what people saw -- they saw the exact same video.

ALFORD: Yes.

SIDNER: Do you think it's important that the American people see this video? The administration has put out many of these videos showing strikes but not this one.

Do you think it's important that it's released to the public so that the public can make its own determination as to what the United States is doing in their name?

ALFORD: If the proper context is provided to have a complete understanding of what that video shows, I don't know if you can do that outside of a classified setting. That's why the Admiral and the Joint Chiefs came to Capitol Hill yesterday to brief the Senators and our Armed Services Chairman in the House, Mike Rogers. That information was very important that they have it, that they have eyes on it, because they're going to be questioning those people in power and reforming and tweaking some of these tactics and techniques.

SIDNER: Doesn't it, though, make you question, since so many of the other videos were put out almost immediately after these strikes, to the American public, but not this one?

ALFORD: Look I'm a former journalist as you know.

SIDNER: Yes.

ALFORD: We used to work at the same TV station in Dallas.

SIDNER: We did.

ALFORD: I am for full transparency. The more truth, the better for the American people. If they can release that video with the proper context and perspective that the American people can not just digest it but understand it, what they're looking at, yes, I'm for it.

SIDNER: All right, I want to move on to the Inspector General's report that was made public on Secretary Hegseth and his use of Signal and his personal phone. Here's what the report said, just sort of summarizing what happened. It said, "The Secretary's transmission on non-public operational information over Signal exposed sensitive information which could cause harm to DOD personnel and mission objectives."

Are you worried about Secretary Hegseth's leadership considering what you're seeing here from the IG?

ALFORD: Not one bit. I think Pete made a mistake in using Signal for some of this information, which was clearly not at risk, but it's something that probably should not have been put on Signal, as the IG's report says. But we've moved on from that.

SIDNER: Should he just admit the mistake because he -- because he isn't he went on Twitter and said he's totally exonerated. Are you are you worried about his response? ALFORD: Look I'm not Pete Hegseth. I'm not the secretary of war. That is up to him and how he wants to operate as the really the commander right under President Trump for the Department of Defense.

SIDNER: I quickly want to ask you about the Obamacare subsidies.

ALFORD: OK.

SIDNER: You know there are millions of Americans who are really afraid. We've talked to many of them who's seeing their premiums already doubling going forward in January if these subsidies are not approved.

What is your plan when it comes to this? Are you -- do you want to see a vote where you extend these subsidies even for a short time to try and figure out a better system? What's your plan for them?

ALFORD: Well, look, first off, the democrats broke this with Obamacare 15 years ago. We're going to fix this. We had a meeting with Mike Johnson, our Speaker, yesterday.

They are working on a plan. I know everyone wants to see this plan. It's probably going to be revealed midweek of next week, possibly Wednesday.

He's working with our doctors conference. We have quite a few physicians in Congress who are helping and we're going to bring down premiums. We're going to bring down costs and we're going to make health care more available for the American people.

We are going to fix this system. We have a duty to do that being in the majority. John Thune is going to bring it to a vote in the Senate.

[08:10:00]

I doubt that it passes for these extensions of these COVID-era premium subsidies that have been going on now and keep going and rising and the money going to the insurance companies. I think that's wrong. I think the American people --

SIDNER: Do you have time to fix it? You only have like nine legislative dates left.

ALFORD: Yes. We are going to bring something to the House floor by the end of the year.

SIDNER: And will that include the extending the subsidies so that people can deal with that quickly or --

ALFORD: I don't have knowledge of that. I know that the speaker and others we all want some solution to this. It's been broken for way too long. It was never designed to to succeed.

It was designed to have universal health care, Medicare for all. And we're not doing that. We understand that people are hurting in America. We want to provide a solution but it has to be reasonable rational and something that can be successful for the long term.

SIDNER: Whatever you come up with there are a lot of people 64 percent in the last survey that said they liked their Obamacare or their ACA care. We will have to see what you all come up with and we'll have you back.

ALFORD: Thank you, Sara.

SIDNER: It's a pleasure. Thank you. Appreciate it -- John.

BERMAN: All right. We are standing by for a court appearance by the man accused of planting pipe bombs on the eve of the January 6th riots. We've got new details on what led investigators to the suspect.

The whole world is standing by for one of the most anticipated moments in sports, the World Cup draw. What I care about is who the U.S. will have to play in the first round.

And a volunteer fire chief springs into action to save a dog who fell into the middle of a frozen pond.

[08:15:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BOLDUAN: Breaking this morning, Netflix has just announced a deal with Warner Brothers Discovery to buy the legendary TV movie studio and assets like HBO Max for $72 billion plus debt. Reminder, we share the same parent company as CNN. This new combo of Netflix, Warner Brothers, and HBO will face some serious review, as would be expected in the United States and other countries.

Let's get right over to CNN's Chief Media Analyst Brian Stelter, who has much more on this. Brian, what are you learning?

BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: This is a jolt for Hollywood and for streamers all around the world. You know, we live in a streaming era that has been defined by Netflix. Netflix has been growing by leaps and bounds for years.

We already talk about it as the king of the streaming services, and now, Kate, it is trying to get even bigger. But as you said, this is going to face a significant regulatory review in the U.S., in the E.U., and in other countries. So, I said this is a jolt for Hollywood.

In some ways, it's an unexpected development in the auction that's been underway for Warner Brothers Discovery. So, that is CNN's parent company. Warner Brothers Discovery was formed about three years ago.

Its stock has languished. It has been in the basement for a couple of years. So, earlier this year, there was an announcement about a breakup of WBD, going off into two different halves.

The Warner Brothers and HBO half will be on one side, and CNN and other cable channels will be on the other side. That breakup is now moving forward and will take effect in the summer of 2026. And once it takes effect, that's when Netflix will come in and try to buy Warner Brothers and HBO.

For CNN viewers wondering what's going to happen to this channel, it will be off in a different half of the house called Discovery Global, a separate publicly traded company. So, Netflix is clearly interested and wants to take over the HBO Max streaming service, the HBO content library, the Warner Brothers movie and TV studio. You know, this would reunite.

This would not reunite. This would bring together two of the three biggest streamers out there, and it would involve Netflix taking over one of the most famed movie studios on the planet. So, the regulatory questions are going to be huge here.

We don't know how the Trump administration will react to this proposed deal. We also don't know how regulators in other countries will react. And there's one other big X factor, and that's the other bidders for WBD.

Comcast had been making offers, and more importantly, Paramount had been trying very aggressively to buy all of WBD, including CNN. Yesterday, Paramount sent a letter to the WBD board, essentially suggesting it might go hostile. It might try to go over the board's head and make a proposal directly to shareholders.

So, we don't know if this is the end of the story or just the very beginning. But at least in this very moment, it's a seismic development for Hollywood to see Netflix, already the biggest streamer out there, trying to get even bigger, trying to gobble up one of the most famous movie studios in the world.

BOLDUAN: Yes, shook up Hollywood once, maybe doing it twice. Maybe doing it again. It's great to see you, Brian.

STELTER: Yes, now it's doing it again.

BOLDUAN: Great to see you, Brian. Thank you so much. Clearly, much more to come on this -- Sara.

SIDNER: And somehow, I know we'll be watching. All right, coming up, Republicans in Texas get a major win, the Supreme Court clearing the way for a new congressional map in the Longhorn State that really favors Republicans. What this means for next year's midterms.

And CNN and Variety are teaming up for Actors on Actors. Ariana Grande opens up with Adam Sandler on how she got the starring role in Wicked.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ADAM SANDLER, ACTOR, COMEDIAN: So what was it? Did you, was it -- I'm sure you talked about it before, but I don't know. Did you audition?

ARIANA GRANDE, SINGER-SONGWRITER AND ACTRESS: Yes, I begged for an audition. SANDLER: Really!

GRANDE: I didn't know if they would have even considered seeing me for it. I really begged.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[08:20:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: All right, new this morning, the man suspected of planting pipe bombs near the Democratic and Republican National Committee headquarters in Washington on the eve of the January 6th riots. That man will make his first appearance in federal court this afternoon. Brian Cole Jr. faces two charges related to transporting and attempting to use explosives. The FBI says cell phone data puts Cole in the area of the pipe bombs on that night. They also say he bought bomb-making materials in the year leading up to it.

With us now, CNN law enforcement analyst and former Secret Service agent, Jonathan Wackrow. Great to see you this morning. Investigators have referenced an aha moment in this investigation, though they didn't tell us what it was exactly. But based on your experience, what could that be?

JONATHAN WACKROW, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Well, listen, John, we heard yesterday that there was some piece of evidence that they came across that really accelerated the final moments or the final mile of this case. But really, what you have to look at is that this arrest itself really demonstrates the persistence and technical depth of a very long term investigation. And what it underscores is that time does not guarantee concealment for offenders.

[08:25:00]

And when I went through the criminal complaint yesterday, what really stood out to me is that this criminal complaint really laid out a masterclass of modern forensic investigation, which really centered on two things, transactions and movements. And embedded in there is that aha moment where, you know, the calls from the FBI field office back to Deputy Director Bongino in saying, hey, we think we have this guy was extracted from that.

But the driving force, you know, through years of this investigation was really laid out yesterday when they were talking about these devices themselves. These devices were actually viable. They were weaponized.

They were strategically placed. So they were real bombs. And it was the placement of these these devices which signaled the intent to investigators.

That intent was really the intent to cause harm, mass casualties, chaos, disruption. And that was the driving force from, you know, beginning to yesterday, culminating in the arrest of this suspect. BERMAN: Talk to us about the cell phone data, how that was able to be used here.

WACKROW: Yes, listen, the FBI's Cellular Analysis Survey Team, or CAST, was deployed to, you know, work on this case. But technology has changed. When this case first started, the technology was more nascent than what it is today.

Today, the technology used by the FBI's CAST team is more advanced. And what it was able to do is really map the activity in the exact route that the bomber traveled. And when you start connecting the suspect's phone to different cell phone towers, and then you correlate that specifically with video evidence that they had, you know, basically since day one, you start matching those timestamps to the digital signals, and you really start, you know, codifying the alignment between all of these pieces of evidence.

And really, to me, this is the strongest form of digital evidence in the case against this suspect.

BERMAN: It took a lot of work to get to this point. Jonathan Wackrow, thanks for helping us understand everything that went into it -- Sara.

SIDNER: All right, thank you, John.

For many, this time of year is about giving back, as well as getting presents. But CNN Heroes, an all-star tribute, salutes five extraordinary people who put others first all year long. The Star Studies Show airs this Saturday at 8 p.m. Eastern. Here's a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Saturday on CNN. It's a special night of hope and inspiration. CNN Heroes, an all-star tribute. Meet the everyday people doing extraordinary things to improve the lives of others.

TIM WOODWARD, ANIMAL RESCUE CORPS: We've rescued well over 10,000 animals. My hope is that they have the best life possible.

DEBRA DES VIGNES, INDIANA PRISON WRITERS WORKSHOP: I decided to volunteer in a prison. Why not use writing as a tool to become better in the space that you're in?

HEIDI CARMAN, FIRST RESPONDER THERAPY DOGS: We have hundreds of therapy dog teams across the entire country. We have helped so many people.

HILLARY COHEN, EVERY DAY ACTION: Giving someone that's hungry food is the best thing one can do. Now more than ever, we have to help each other.

QUILEN BLACKWELL, SOUTHSIDE BLOOMS: What we do is creating jobs in the floral industry for at-risk youth. There are people who want a chance at something better.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Find out who'll be Hero of the Year. CNN Heroes, an all-star tribute. Saturday at 8 on CNN and next day on the CNN app.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SIDNER: If you need something to grow your heart three sizes too big, this is the show. It's going to be really, really great. We look forward to every year.

All right, a big win for Republicans in Texas. The Supreme Court giving the green light to newly drawn congressional maps, boosting GOP chances to gain more seats.

And window washers left dangling from a high-rise building. The new video we're getting this morning on a daring rescue mission that firefighters had to go on to bring them to safety. Oh, it wouldn't be me. I can't do it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)