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Most Important Supreme Court Cases To Watch In 2026; The Biggest Entertainment Headlines Of 2025; "Searching For Spain" Explores Culture And Cuisine. Aired 7:30-8a ET
Aired December 24, 2025 - 07:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[07:30:13]
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: In the coming months, we expect some critical decisions from the Supreme Court on wide-ranging issues.
Joining us now CNN Supreme Court analyst Steve Vladeck. Thank you so much for being with us, Professor.
As we look back on 2025, what is it you think we learned most about the Supreme Court?
STEVE VLADECK, CNN SUPREME COURT ANALYST, PROFESSOR, GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY LAW CENTER, "ONE FIRST" SUPREME COURT NEWSLETTER: Hey, John.
I mean, I think we learned two things.
The first is that, you know, this continues to be a very conservative and very ideologically divided court. Many, if not most of the major cases being decided by the court are splitting the justices into their two camps with the six Republican appointees usually in the majority and the three Democratic appointees usually in dissent.
Second, and I think, John, even more importantly -- I mean, this is a court that at least to this point in the second Trump administration has really gone out of its way not to uphold what the Trump administration has done in so many different cases, but to allow the Trump administration to continue carrying out policies that lower courts have blocked through all of these grants of emergency relief.
And I think, John, the really big question as we turn the calendar and head toward 2026 is, is that going to continue or was that a, you know, temporary holding action by the court? And as these cases reach the justices for full review on the merits, are we going to see a little bit more pushback and perhaps some more ideological consensus?
BERMAN: Um, let's keep looking backwards just for a second here. What stood out to you the most? What case -- either decision or arguments because you learn a lot from the justices in the actual arguments and what they asked? What jumped out to you the most? VLADECK: Yeah, and I think, you know, it really is a tale of two different Supreme Courts, John. You have the court that is handling the sort of normal docket of high-profile but not Trump-infused cases. And for that court, you know, what really I think stood out to me is just how unapologetic I think the majority has become about its commitment to what really 10-15 years ago would have been perceived as a fairly aggressive agenda.
Whether it comes to voting rights, where we saw in the Louisiana redistricting cases -- a court that's hostile even to the possibility of majority-minority districts or in the context of transgender discrimination. A court that doesn't even think transgender identity is even a thing. You know, this is stuff that the justices might have believed 10 years ago but it's really out in the open now in a way we haven't seen before.
And John, in the Trump cases -- I mean, I think what's striking is that there haven't been that many arguments. I mean, the only cases that were argued, you know, in 2025 were the birthright citizenship cases, the tariffs cases, and the case about President Trump's effort to remove Rebecca Slaughter from the Federal Trade Commission.
And, you know, John, in all of those contexts what struck me was how little the justices seem invested in engaging and defending the administration on the merits while still looking for ways to rule for the Executive Branch. Ways that might be inconsistent with how it ruled during the Biden administration. Ways that might be inconsistent with how it's ruling on cases not involving Trump.
So we really are seeing I think two different faces to this Supreme Court, both of which I think are going to be very much on display in the early months of 2026.
BERMAN: And so let's just pick one case looking forward -- the tariffs here -- because this is fundamental. I mean, this is one of the president's major initiatives. But it's also, depending on how you look at it, something that if you're a strict textualist, which is what something so many of these justices claim to be, might give you pretty clear guidance.
So they've been -- you know, they've deferred in some cases to presidential power. On the other hand they have this thing that they've liked to claim to be. Where is it going to meet when it comes to tariffs?
VLADECK: I mean, that's the question, John, and if I had an answer, I probably wouldn't be a law professor.
You know, I think that the real part of why the tariffs case is so interesting is because it also flags, John, the inconsistency question.
When major Biden administration cases reached the Supreme Court -- take the student loan debt forgiveness program just as one example. The justices relied on this idea of the major questions doctrine -- the idea that Congress have to speak clearly before the president can embark on programs of vast economic or political significance. And because Congress hadn't spoken clearly, President Biden's programs were struck down.
Well, you know, John, in the tariffs case the statute at issue, IEPPA, the International Economic Emergency Powers Act, doesn't say a word about tariffs. In the 48-plus years it's been on the books it's never been used to impose tariffs.
[07:35:00]
And so, you know, I think the question is a court that is generally predisposed to support executive power -- that is specifically predisposed to perhaps support President Trump is now confronted with its own doctrine, which is supposed to cut the other way in a case like this one.
BERMAN: Yeah. I have to say it's going to be fascinating to see. It's going to be fascinating to read the language in the arguments in the decision. Um, we're standing by as always.
Steve Vladeck, great to see you. Happy holidays, Happy New Year. Thank you.
SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: Which one would you choose? Ahead, the biggest entertainment stories of the year, including -- well, you're looking at that couple. I mean, we were all talking about them -- let's be honest.
(COMMERCIAL)
SIDNER: It's impossible to bid ado to 2025 without a look back at what the world of entertainment gave us this year. New couples, new albums, new films, fresh representation, and long overdue accountability -- and all of it setting the stage for a mind-blowing new year.
[07:40:10]
Here with me now to break it all down, entertainment journalist Segun Oduolowu. It is so good to see you in person and not with --
SEGUN ODUOLOWU, ENTERTAINMENT JOURNALIST: I know. I'm here in the flesh. Look at you.
SIDNER: I love it so much.
All right. We're going to go backwards. We're going to -- we're going to start with number three when it comes to entertainment.
ODUOLOWU: Sure.
SIDNER: Sean "Diddy" Combs. We began the year talking about him and we ended the year, and everybody's talking about him.
ODUOLOWU: Yeah, it was the year of Diddy and not in a good way. Not in a way I'm sure he wanted. We first started with the trial and then early in the summertime you had the verdict. He was found guilty. Everyone is reacting.
But after the guilty verdict what's the sentence going to be? And everyone's debating back and forth. Well, he just should get time served. He's not going to get a lot of time.
SIDNER: Because he didn't get popped on the two biggest charges against him --
ODUOLOWU: Exactly.
SIDNER: -- only the prostitution charges. So everyone was talking about how he was able to beat --
ODUOLOWU: Yeah.
SIDNER: -- some of the charges.
But also, that video -- that horrible video of him and Cassie in the hotel. I mean, people have been talking about this for ages.
ODUOLOWU: Yeah, it tainted -- it tainted all of the -- well, we thought it was going to taint the jury pool. It tainted the court of public opinion --
SIDNER: Yeah.
ODUOLOWU: -- because, as you said, he wasn't found guilty even though he looked like a monster. He was found guilty for the prostitution. Then the verdict. Then the -- then the -- then the actual sentencing. And we're like oh my goodness, 50 months. He's going to go to a federal penitentiary.
We thought it was over and then 50 Cent comes up with hey, I've got a documentary I'd love for you all to see about how bad this guy really is. And now the documentary has just been playing all through the winter months.
So yeah, Diddy was the story for 2025.
SIDNER: A big one. The biggest one --
ODUOLOWU: Yeah.
SIDNER: -- almost.
ODUOLOWU: Yeah.
SIDNER: All right. Because then we have number two, which is a young woman named Taylor Swift and a football star named Travis Kelce.
ODUOLOWU: Well look, you've got the two biggest entities in American entertainment. You've got football and then you've got Taylor Swift. Look, Taylor is a worldwide phenomenon -- the biggest thing not named Bad Bunny, as we are finding out.
SIDNER: Or Beyonce. Anyhoo. ODUOLOWU: Or Beyonce. And there's -- look --
SIDNER: To be fair, there's a fight.
ODUOLOWU: I'm in the Beehive -- Queen Bee.
SIDNER: OK.
ODUOLOWU: We could talk all day long.
But they get engaged and it breaks the internet. And no one is -- you don't know what to think. Are they getting married soon? Is Taylor pregnant? Is that going to affect her music? Will Taylor -- you know, will Travis retire?
But that relationship that everyone kind of looked askance at and was like hey, what's going on here and is it OK to like football? They're there together. We're happy for those two crazy kids.
SIDNER: We are.
ODUOLOWU: It's good when good people just get together. So we'll expect a wedding in 2026.
SIDNER: Oh, you're looking forward. You're like OK, let's get this started.
ODUOLOWU: Oh, yeah.
SIDNER: An engagement did happen, so --
ODUOLOWU: Yeah, could be. In 2026 I expect a wedding.
SIDNER: OK. This is not going to be one of those long courtships where it goes on for six years? That's not -- that's not how you see it?
ODUOLOWU: That's not good for Travis because Tay-Tay is known for writing songs about bad breakups, so Travis --
SIDNER: Oh my God.
ODUOLOWU: You don't want that. Lock it up, Travis. Lock it up, OK? Get that ring on the finger.
SIDNER: You do not want a negative song about you because it will come.
ODUOLOWU: Oh, yeah. She's pretty good at that.
SIDNER: All right. Let me talk to you about number one, Kendrick Lamar -- go.
ODUOLOWU: Kendrick Lamar, Super Bowl. We're back to football. But look, if the coffin nail was put into Drake's career it was at the largest -- the largest sporting event that we have in America, the Super Bowl. SIDNER: Yeah.
ODUOLOWU: Kendrick's halftime show was amazing. He hit political issues. There was little Easter eggs of why he was doing this and why he was saying that. You've got Samuel L. Jackson as Uncle Samuel Jackson.
SIDNER: Uncle Sam.
ODUOLOWU: It was -- it was fantastic. It was great. But it was also something to talk about because some people didn't like it. What is -- what is this? This is not -- you know, this isn't The Beatles. This isn't John Lennon. Like, this isn't -- this is what I'm used to.
But Kendrick was fantastic. And listen, when you have a whole arena saying A-minor, that's A-major.
SIDNER: But not for one specific person.
ODUOLOWU: Right.
SIDNER: That's rough.
ODUOLOWU: No -- yeah.
SIDNER: I do want to mention something else that happened during the Super Bowl where you had Serena Williams --
ODUOLOWU: Yes.
SIDNER: -- show up.
ODUOLOWU: Yes.
SIDNER: I mean, everyone was like what?
ODUOLOWU: Yeah. It's like --
SIDNER: It's in L.A. It's like her hood.
ODUOLOWU: Yeah. But, you know, Drake had been saying a little --
SIDNER: Right.
ODUOLOWU: -- subversive stuff about Serena and her husband. And so when you get Serena front and center, dancing and being like, OK, I got you. Take this -- yeah. Take this. It was -- it was great.
SIDNER: Looking forward, what do you think is going to be a big juggernaut of an entertainment story in 2026?
ODUOLOWU: Well, I think there are a couple. One is the -- of course, the Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce --
SIDNER: Yeah.
ODUOLOWU: -- wedding.
AI has dominated the talk for 25, especially in entertainment. The AI actress. What's that going to do to all of these performers? Maybe that's why all of these stars are doing commercials, trying to get as much money as they can since no one's --
SIDNER: Yeah.
ODUOLOWU: -- going to the movies.
I think the movie industry is going to look really, really hard at do we need to go back to the superheroes -- the big tentpole summer movies that we didn't really have this year in 2025. I think you're going to get a lot of that.
[07:45:05]
But also, and this is really interesting, the AI in music. What's acceptable? Whose voices -- whose voice it is. Who is performing. Is that OK? It feels like a lot of history repeating, right? Remember Milli Vanilli?
SIDNER: Yes.
ODUOLOWU: A lot of lip syncing.
SIDNER: Yeah.
ODUOLOWU: Right? We had issues with that. And now the computer is the one doing the singing. I think that's something that we're going to have to take a look at.
And then look, it's like a game -- it's like a TV show. It's like an episode of "SUCCESSION." The mergers of the big streaming (audio gap).
SIDNER: I knew you were going to --
ODUOLOWU: And look, if that's --
SIDNER: It affects all of us.
ODUOLOWU: It affects some of us standing right here (audio gap).
Is the biggest, baddest, bully Netflix going to be able to just control the block or is Skydance and Paramount going to, you know, kind of block that? What's going to happen to Warner Bros. Discovery is a big thing to look at in 2026. How it will affect news, how it will affect streaming, and then how will it affect the prices of those streaming services to the average consumer?
SIDNER: It's a big one. And you know which one I'll be paying most attention to, but anyhoo.
ODUOLOWU: For sure, AI.
SIDNER: That's right. Segun, it is always wonderful to see you. I'm so glad to see you in person.
ODUOLOWU: You are a vision in pink, Sara. Thank you for having me.
SIDNER: Thank you, my dear.
BERMAN: Delicious food, incredible culture, and beautiful countrysides. In her series "SEARCHING FOR SPAIN," Eva Longoria explores the culture, climate, and cuisine from that country.
I sat down with Eva Longoria to discuss it all.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BERMAN: Hi, cheers.
EVA LONGORIA, HOST, "SEARCHING FOR SPAIN": Cheers. (Speaking foreign language).
BERMAN: What am I drinking here, and why?
LONGORIA: You're drinking vermouth, which is my drink while I was in Spain. It was very, very, very popular.
BERMAN: Is there a wrong time to be doing vermouth?
LONGORIA: No. I guess every hour is (speaking foreign language) vermouth.
BERMAN: Andalusia --
LONGORIA: Yeah.
BERMAN: -- where is that?
LONGORIA: In the south.
BERMAN: And?
LONGORIA: It used to be called Al Andalus (audio gap) name that had the longest rule of the Moors. So when the Reconquista -- when Spain reconquered, it started in Asturias and then they pushed the Moors out towards the south. That's how -- where they came in and came up from Africa. And so Al-Andalus is the south.
BERMAN: And this is jamon?
LONGORIA: Jamon.
BERMAN: Jamon.
LONGORIA: Jamon.
BERMAN: And -- which is
LONGORIA: Cured pig, yeah.
BERMAN: Cured pig.
LONGORIA: But it's a special pig, and especially if it's potaneria, which it means black foot. They're very spoiled pigs. They only eat acorns.
BERMAN: Is it a finger food or is it a fork food?
LONGORIA: No, finger, finger -- yeah. You grab a piece like this. And it's cured for a long time. And you eat it --
BERMAN: Acorns?
LONGORIA: They eat acorns.
BERMAN: Do you taste some of that?
LONGORIA: Um-hum. Well, yeah. That's how you can tell if it's really good because not all of them are potanerias. Not all of them are of a certain pedigree.
So you wrap it in this little thing -- yeah -- and you do that.
BERMAN: It was so -- can I have another piece?
LONGORIA: Yeah, but clean your chin.
BERMAN: Do I have it on me -- my chin? That's gross.
LONGORIA: No, it's great.
BERMAN: I had it on my chin.
LONGORIA: But it's great. I mean, the greasier the better. The way --
BERMAN: Do you think I'm doing it right then?
LONGORIA: It means you're doing it right.
The way they test if this is good ham is it wouldn't -- it won't fall off the plate. Well, this -- not the decoration but it has so much fat that it doesn't come off the plate. That's when you know it's good jamon.
BERMAN: You were saying this was the Moors region -- the region that was conquered by the Moors, and that the ham actually played an important historical role.
LONGORIA: In Spain, it's hanging like this and they'll have a lot of legs of the jamon hanging in the shop. And during the Spanish Inquisition it was to prove that you weren't Jewish.
BERMAN: Um-hum.
LONGORIA: You would hang pork, you know, in your storefront and that would keep the Spanish Inquisition away.
BERMAN: Well, you know what? I'm going to eat it anyway --
LONGORIA: Eat it.
BERMAN: -- even though I am Jewish.
LONGORIA: Are you Jewish?
BERMAN: Don't tell anyone. I'm breaking many traditions, Spain's and my own.
LONGORIA: Oh. This to me is comfort food. When I get to Spain I get -- everywhere you go they will give you a plate of jamon.
BERMAN: And has it ended up on other people's chins too or is it just mine?
LONGORIA: Just yours.
BERMAN: I'm the first?
LONGORIA: (Laughing)
BERMAN: So that's a first, OK.
LONGORIA: Oh my God. So now we're in the Basque Country. I feel in love with Txakoli, which is the grape and the wine that is made in the Basque Country. You really can't get it anywhere else outside of the Basque Country. I'm so excited. I haven't had a Txakoli since I got back. Cheers.
BERMAN: Cheers.
LONGORIA: Spain geographically is located in the perfect spot for gastronomy. It has so many oceans that surround everything and that ecosystem really provides a breeding of so many different fish and seafood, and amazing marine life.
So this is a pincho. Usually, a pincho is served on a piece of bread with a stick through it. And then, of course, this sheep's milk cheese that is from the Basque Country as well.
BERMAN: Um, pincho is different from tapas how?
LONGORIA: Yes. Pincho has evolved into a more gourmet bite --
BERMAN: Hmm.
LONGORIA: -- in San Sebastian, specifically, or Bilbao in the north. Each bar has their own special pincho. And so you do like a bar crawl, and you'll have one pincho and one vermouth at this bar, and then you move to the next because this bar is known for a certain pincho and a different drink. And then you move on to the next.
[07:50:10] And so, they're only -- they're that big. It's not -- it's not filling. You have to have many.
BERMAN: And the Basque region, of course -- could you understand anything anybody was saying? It's --
LONGORIA: No. It was very difficult. Nobody knows the roots of that language. It's not a Latin language. It's not a romance language. It's not a Germanic language. It's its own beast of a language.
BERMAN: And talk about proud. I mean, in the Basque region everyone is so -- all over Spain people are proud --
LONGORIA: Yeah.
BERMAN: -- of their home region. But in the Basque region -- like, fiercely proud.
LONGORIA: Yeah. What a lot of people don't understand is Franco had a dictatorship for so long and he had such a stronghold over one Spain, one flag --
BERMAN: Um-hum.
LONGORIA: -- one identity that he really squashed and suppressed the regional identities. And so what happened during the dictatorship was so many of these regions -- they could not speak their language. And so once Franco died and the dictatorship was over and the country opened back up, these regional identities came back with a resurgence of energy and celebration.
BERMAN: The food is an expression of liberty and identity and self that was, what, like --
LONGORIA: Yeah.
BERMAN: -- suppressed for generations.
LONGORIA: Yeah. Well, when you talk about the food of a country you're talking about its people. And when you're talking about the people of a country you're talking about, you know, centuries of history -- centuries of history. And so how the Basque region, you know, held on to the -- to the language and held on to the tradition was a struggle worth storytelling.
We have moved on to the Galicia region, which --
BERMAN: Galicia.
LONGORIA: -- they speak Galego there. They are really known for their seafood -- specifically for its octopus. But it's also known for its beef. It has a very, very famous Galician blond beef that you can only find in Galicia, and it is rare, it is expensive. It is a cow that is massaged and taken well care of until it is on your plate.
BERMAN: Is this where you had a piece of meat and then called your dad in Texas and said you guys --
LONGORIA: I did.
BERMAN: -- you guys think you know meat.
LONGORIA: I did call him. We had a cattle ranch in Texas. I'm like if anybody knows beef it's me. It was the best beef I have ever eaten by far.
(Speaking foreign language).
BERMAN: Ah, cheers.
LONGORIA: Cheers. Another favorite of mine in Spain.
BERMAN: I think that might be my favorite.
LONGORIA: No. I love an Albarino too, but Albarino is a grape specific to Galicia.
Galicia is really a rich region of Spain that is known for the best products, whether it's produce, seafood or beef.
But the interesting thing about pulpo, which is the octopus -- so the pulpo has to be prepared by a pulperias, which is a person who specializes in making octopus. And it's a very simple -- it's -- you just boil the octopus and then you put a little bit of paprika on it. And then you usually eat it with a toothpick, but we can eat it with our fingers.
BERMAN: OK.
LONGORIA: Umm.
BERMAN: Sometimes in the U.S. --
LONGORIA: Chewy?
BERMAN: -- when I have octopus -- yeah, it's chewy.
LONGORIA: No.
BERMAN: This is not chewy.
LONGORIA: When you're in Galicia it is out of the ocean onto your plate.
The other thing I drank in Galicia was Queimada, which is the drink that they light on fire and you have to say this incantation in Galegos that burns off evil spirits. And so I got to make that, mix it, pour it in a cup, and burn away any negative energy.
BERMAN: You know, we could all burn away some evil spirits.
LONGORIA: Right, exactly.
BERMAN: It's something we can all get a little bit of.
LONGORIA: Yeah, exactly.
And, you know, Galicia was the only region I had never been to. I had always wanted to go to Galicia because it's the end of the Camino de Santiago, which is a Catholic pilgrimage that could start in France and ends at the cathedral in Santiago Galicia. And so to be there in Galicia in front of the cathedral and you see all of these groups. They arrive and they're in tears, and they're praying at the cathedral that they made this pilgrimage. It was really beautiful to watch. And I want to do the -- I want to do the pilgrimage one day.
This is a tortilla de patatas -- tortilla de patatas. It's like an omelet. Mexican call tortillas something else. In Spain, this is a tortilla, which is egg with potato inside.
BERMAN: My story with tortillas is I was in Madrid after college --
LONGORIA: Yeah.
BERMAN: -- and I was broke.
LONGORIA: Um-hum.
BERMAN: And my friends all wanted to spend any money we had at the clubs at night.
LONGORIA: Yeah.
BERMAN: So during the day the only thing I could afford was tortilla. So for, like, two weeks I ate nothing but this.
LONGORIA: Tortilla de patatas.
BERMAN: Um-hum.
LONGORIA: Yeah. It's everywhere. In bars. It's a very common patatas that you get along with a croquetas.
Cheers.
BERMAN: Cheers.
LONGORIA: We did a Madrid episode.
BERMAN: How did you like Madrid?
LONGORIA: I love Madrid and I love Madrilenos, the people of Madrid. They have a saying in Madrid. It's Madrid al cielo, which means after you experience Madrid the last thing to experience in life is heaven. That's how high they think of Madrid. It's a beautiful city. Obviously, very cosmopolitan. Even though it's landlocked it has the best cuisine of the country.
BERMAN: I felt it was -- it was years ago out of college. It was electric. [07:55:00]
LONGORIA: Yes.
BERMAN: It was -- it was just pulsing --
LONGORIA: Yes, it still is.
BERMAN: -- electric.
LONGORIA: Yes.
BERMAN: So vibrant.
LONGORIA: The streets are alive in Madrid. I mean, it could be 11:00 at night and people are still outside drinking in the pubs and the bars, eating.
Spain does clean eating. Very clean eating. Very minimal ingredients in the way they cook and how they present things. And you don't really have to go to a farmer's market because everywhere is a farmer's market.
BERMAN: Yeah.
LONGORIA: Their produce -- they don't have to transport things very far. You just have the freshest tomatoes, the freshest potatoes, the freshest meats.
Also, in the Madrid episode it's really a city welcoming of immigrants. It really has so many different neighborhoods. So many different kinds of food. So many fusions. They are very welcoming of any walk of life, any type of person, no matter where you're from.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SIDNER: Ahead, this is such a beautiful thing to stay around for. Meet CNN's Hero of the Year. We'll introduce you to the young man making a huge difference in his community with the beauty of flowers.
(COMMERCIAL)
