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Vatican Celebrates First Christmas with Pope Leo; Zelenskyy Signals Willingness to Compromise on Donetsk; Looking Forward to Political Landscape in 2026; YouTubers Teach People How to Eat Frugally. Aired 6-6:30a ET
Aired December 25, 2025 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RICHARD QUEST, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR/CORRESPONDENT: He's not there. Missing, also, are the Sussexes. They are -- they're in California.
[06:00:10]
And the Mountbatten-Windsor's children probably won't. We don't know. We'll see more pictures. It's the king who arrives last, of course, for the morning service. They've already been once to church.
I can just see there the princess royal and Captain -- Vice Admiral Timothy Laurence at the front there.
You're very welcome. I know it's hard to take me seriously when I'm standing here with a silly hat, but I thank you for joining us on EARLY START. I'm Richard Quest in London. My colleagues at CNN NEWS CENTRAL start right now, because the news never stops. Even on Christmas day
AUDIE CORNISH, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning and merry Christmas to all who celebrate. Thank you for waking up with me. I'm Audie Cornish.
And new this morning, Pope Leo just presided over his first Christmas mass at St. Peter's Basilica, seven months after he was chosen to lead the world's 1.4 billion Catholics. Here, take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
POPE LEO XIV, LEADER OF CATHOLIC CHURCH (through translator): This is the way of mission, a path towards others. In God, every word is an interest (ph) word. It's an invitation to conversation, a word never closed in on itself.
This is the renewal that the Second Vatican Council promoted, which will bear fruit only if we walk together with the whole of humanity, never separating ourselves from it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CORNISH: Moments ago, Pope Leo waved to the crowd from the Popemobile in St. Peter's Square as he made his way to deliver the traditional Urbi et Orbi blessing. CNN Vatican correspondent Christopher Lamb is in Rome with more.
Christopher, what's been the response to this pope's very first Christmas mass?
CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Audie, merry Christmas.
There's a lot of people here in St. Peter's Square for Leo's first Christmas since his election. He's just out on the balcony now to deliver the Christmas, the traditional Christmas Urbi et Orbi blessing to the city of Rome and to the world.
There's been a real sense of excitement here for this Christmas. People are gathering in the rain and the cold. Despite those weather conditions, they've turned out in big numbers. Pope Leo greeted them last night, thanked them for their courage to come out and be part of the celebrations.
Leo is celebrating more services than his predecessors. He's, of course, a younger pope than Benedict XVI, and Francis; and therefore, he's doing more.
There is a sense, as I say, of -- of, you know, renewed enthusiasm and excitement. You can hear Leo is -- is speaking now, and he's going to be giving that Christmas message, where he's expected to talk about different conflicts taking place around the world.
Earlier this morning, he mentioned Gaza and the plight of people there and refugees. This is what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
POPE LEO XIV (through translator): How then can we not think of the tents in Gaza, exposed for weeks to rain, wind and cold. Of those so many others, refugees and displaced persons on every continent; or of the makeshift shelters of thousands of homeless people in our own cities?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LAMB: Well, St. Peter's is also decorated with nativity scenes. There's also an exhibition of nativity scenes from across the world, including the Chicago nativity from Pope Leo's hometown.
So, just hearing Leo now, he's reflecting on the Christmas message. People are here waiting for his blessing and his greetings for happy Christmas in different languages, which he's going to do, including, in English -- Audie.
CORNISH: OK. Happy Christmas to you, Christopher Lamb. Thanks so much.
This morning, we're also waiting for Russia's full response after Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, signaled he's ready to make some major concessions.
Zelenskyy said he's open to a compromise on his country's Eastern region, in particular the Donetsk. He suggested establishing a demilitarized zone that would require Russia and Ukrainian forces to pull back from key areas. Russian President Putin has said Ukraine must give up all of Donetsk
for any deal to work.
Now this as a massive Russian aerial assault slammed parts of Ukraine on Christmas eve. CNN's Nada Bashir is live for us from London.
[06:05:00]
Nada, can you tell us more about what Zelenskyy said in this Christmas address?
NADA BASHIR, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, as we've heard from President Zelenskyy over the last -- (AUDIO GAP) --high alert in Ukraine, the armed forces being put on high alert in anticipation of an attack by the Russian armed forces being stepped up, as we have seen in previous Christmases during wartime in Ukraine. And that is indeed what happened.
We did see that massive aerial assault, and this is something that the Ukrainian president did touch on in his Christmas address, highlighting again Russia's position of assault and offense against Ukraine during this time, when many in the international community have called for peace. And of course, as peace talks continue.
Take a listen to this part from his Christmas address.
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): On Christmas Eve, the Russians once again showed us who they really are: massive shelling, hundreds of Shahed drones, ballistic missiles, Kinzhal missiles. Everything was used.
This is how godless people strike. This is what those who have absolutely nothing in common with Christianity or with anything human do.
But we are holding on. We support one another. And today, we pray for everyone on the front line to return alive; for everyone in captivity, to return home.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BASHIR: And of course, once again, many in Ukraine will be celebrating Christmas away from their homes. Many continue to be internally displaced as the war continues.
But also, we are seeing some indications of potential progress in peace talks. This comes after both Ukrainian and Russian delegations wrapped up talks in Miami with U.S. officials, including U.S. Special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, discussing those peace negotiations and the 20-point peace plan that is on the table.
President Zelenskyy has indicated that he may well be willing to make some concessions, including on ceding territory, but we are still waiting to hear where Russia stands on this -- Audie.
CORNISH: OK, that's Nada Bashir with that update. Thank you so much. Another top story we're monitoring today in Southern California.
Millions are under a state of emergency as a powerful storm slams the region. Evacuation orders have been issued due to dangerous flooding conditions.
Northern California has also taken its hit of heavy rain and winds.
We're going to hear more from Kate.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: So as 2025 comes to a close, no more looking back, guys. All eyes to the future. What is going to shape the political debate, come 2026? And what does it all mean for the big prize of the new year, the midterm elections?
Joining me right now, CNN political commentator S.E. Cupp and Maura Gillespie, former senior adviser to then-House Speaker John Boehner.
Forget 2025.
S.E. CUPP, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Let's.
BOLDUAN: Just so last year. Breaking out the crystal ball already, because I'm forcing you to.
CUPP: Right.
BOLDUAN: What is one story that you think is going to really define '26?
CUPP: Well, because -- maybe because I covered the New York City mayoral election every day and I was really, like, steeped in it, I'm really looking forward to covering Mamdani's 100 first days.
I just think it's going to be interesting. There's so many story lines in there. There's what can you do? Literally, what --
BOLDUAN: What can't --
CUPP: What will he be allowed to do? Right?
BOLDUAN: Right.
CUPP: But also, what can he, by sheer force of will and charm and personality?
There's going to be, like, his relationship with Donald Trump and the federal government. And then his relationship with establishment Democrats and what's possible, you know, looking -- looking ahead to the midterms.
There's just so much to watch in that. And I think there's going to be a story a day coming -- coming out of the New York City mayoralty. So, that's going to be really fun.
BOLDUAN: Yes. And how the Democratic establishment kind of like reacts to it.
CUPP: Yes.
BOLDUAN: I mean, the -- the -- will you endorse, have you endorsed, why haven't you endorsed leading up to that election was, like, something to watch.
CUPP: Chef's kiss. Chef's kiss.
MAURA GILLESPIE, FORMER SENIOR ADVISOR TO FORMER HOUSE SPEAKER JOHN BOEHNER: He chose not to endorse. I mean, think about it. Kathy Hochul went out for him, and he had still decided, I'm not sure yet.
BOLDUAN: What are you -- what's -- what's the story you're looking for in '26?
GILLESPIE: As a creature of the House, I can't help myself. I'm very curious what happens with the speaker's gavel.
Because I have heard many rumblings of people who are contemplating leaving their term early out of just complete frustrations with the fact that Speaker Johnson, to them, has given up the gavel to Donald Trump, and they're not pleased by it. They're really frustrated.
And so, I am very much looking to see who is going to -- yes, we saw the -- Stefanik step up and say some things.
BOLDUAN: Yes.
GILLESPIE: And she's certainly not pleased. But there are more people in the conference who feel as though they can't do anything.
BOLDUAN: But do you really -- I mean, but he does -- he really does have Donald Trump's back for maybe the reason that people are frustrated with him.
Do you really think that -- that the gavel is in Question for Mike Johnson in the new year? Wow.
GILLESPIE: I do.
BOLDUAN: What is that going to look like?
CUPP: She would know.
GILLESPIE: I mean --
CUPP: She would know better than anyone.
BOLDUAN: But let's go back. Let's go in the Wayback Machine of what the -- the last speakers went.
CUPP: Yes. Yes, yes.
BOLDUAN: How that's going to go. What does that mean for the Republican Party if they have another fight like that on the House floor?
CUPP: And who could --
GILLESPIE: And who would do it?
[06:10:02]
CUPP: Who is it?
GILLESPIE: Who would do it?
CUPP: Who is it?
BOLDUAN: Right.
GILLESPIE: Speaker Johnson wanted this job.
CUPP: Yes.
GILLESPIE: He -- he raised his hand and was like, put me in, coach. I'm ready to play.
And yet, he gave up the gavel. So, that's a problem for a lot of Republicans who want to have a team and want to have a leader, and they don't.
I understand there's a lot of different opinions within a conference, but a good leader is able to explain, Here's the plan. And he hasn't been able to. And I think that's been the biggest frustration and the biggest problem.
CUPP: Yes.
BOLDUAN: If I do not allow you to say it is going to be the economy, stupid.
GILLESPIE: OK, OK, OK.
BOLDUAN: What -- midterms is obviously the big prize, the big everything. And everything and everyone needs to know that from, you know, this point onward, everything that happens in Washington and beyond is with the focus of raising money and running for reelection when it comes to Congress.
What, other than the economy, what will be, do you expect, a defining issue of this midterms?
CUPP: It's going to be the economy. But --
GILLESPIE: I was waiting. I was waiting for --
BOLDUAN: Every time we do this, I do know that S.E. Cupp does not follow rules.
CUPP: No, I don't. Besides the economy, it's going to be the economy. But no, I mean,
listen, looking -- looking back at some of the -- the consternation that Democrats kind of went through this past year, right? They had a bruising election. They went through it this year.
They've got to figure out the messaging, not just on affordability, but a bunch of other issues. Right? They've got health care sitting right in front of them. That's a great one for them. They're always great at talking about women's issues and civil rights and those kinds of -- and democracy.
But they sometimes fall into this trap of telling people the things that they should care the most about, instead of responding to the things that people are telling you they care the most about.
BOLDUAN: Yes. See Joe Biden.
CUPP: See -- Joe Biden. See affordability, crime and immigration. Those were the top three issues of the 2024 election. Voters were screaming this.
And what did Democrats do? They said, the economy is great, crime is down, and immigration is not a crisis.
Do better. Do better in a midterm election year where you're actually hearing from people who are telling you what's bothering them. And that's going to be the economy, but it's going to be a host of things. Listen, respond.
GILLESPIE: I'm wondering if the Mamdani grassroots effort of how he ran his mayoral race will also be what Democrats look for in their 2026 strategy, the midterms.
BOLDUAN: Is that the model? Is that the model?
GILLESPIE: And how much of that will they adapt without really giving him the credit, because they don't want to necessarily align with him directly.
And so, I'm looking at that as like -- as a, you know, how are they going to approach the midterms to try and reach people where they are, as Mamdani did? And so --
CUPP: But is that -- that's a model.
GILLESPIE: A model.
CUPP: They have to also look to New Jersey and Virginia, where two moderate NatSec moms won, too, talking about the same stuff. Affordability, lowering energy costs.
GILLESPIE: Yes.
CUPP: Like, there are several models. There's not one blueprint, and Democrats have to be a little agile when they're looking at -- BOLDUAN: For '26, who is kind of being able to actually articulate a
message? Who's more on the back foot? Are Republicans struggling going into '26.
CUPP: Yes.
GILLESPIE: Yes.
BOLDUAN: With, I mean, the fact that you're -- they're saying we need to tell the president to refocus on affordability is like, what?
CUPP: Yes. Yes.
BOLDUAN: That was like such a deja vu moment.
GILLESPIE: Yes. They don't have a messaging strategy and a structure.
And I will just speak from being in the House and being with the speaker's office. There was a coordinated messaging tactic we sent out. Here is the top line messaging. We had meetings about it. We had conferences about it to get everyone on the same page.
And that's part of the frustrations that you're seeing play out with Republicans. They don't know what the president is doing one minute to the next, and then how can they possibly respond to it in a unified way? They can't, because it's also conflicting with what they believe to be their principles and what their policy objectives are.
You know, think of the Henry Cuellar pardon. That threw everyone off. But again, you can't really defend that or --
BOLDUAN: Surprising Henry Cuellar.
GILLESPIE: But how do you defend that if you don't know what's happening? So --
BOLDUAN: OK. So, one of the things that I think helped define 2025, or just some very public and somewhat very -- even for today's day and age, nasty, surprising political feuds.
CUPP: Yes.
BOLDUAN: So, let's look at the 2025 political feuds. And then again, I'm going to break out the crystal ball. What was the most surprising political feud of the last year for you guys?
CUPP: So many.
GILLESPIE: I mean --
CUPP: So many, so many.
GILLESPIE: We went after Greenland. I just want to point that out. We went after Greenland.
CUPP: U.S. versus Greenland. GILLESPIE: I just want to say. U.S. versus Greenland.
BOLDUAN: That was, like, so --
CUPP: U.S. versus Canada.
GILLESPIE: U.S. versus Canada.
BOLDUAN: MTG versus Donald Trump.
GILLESPIE: Elon versus Trump. The breakup of the year.
CUPP: Ben Shapiro versus -- versus Tucker Carlson.
I mean, this internecine battle inside the Republican Party over neo- Nazis and what is pedophilia? Can't believe I'm saying that, but that's where they're at right now. Those are weird fights.
Lots. Dems versus Dems. Like I said, there was a lot of Dem on Dem.
GILLESPIE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) versus the whole Democratic Party.
CUPP: There was a lot of Dem-on-Dem crime this year.
GILLESPIE: Yes.
CUPP: You know, it was Dems versus Biden. Then Dems versus Kamala, then Dems versus Jeffries, then Dems versus Schumer, then establishment Dems versus Mamdani. Like, there was a lot.
BOLDUAN: Then there was the Senate fight club, the Senate fight club.
CUPP: Exactly, exactly. And that can be healthy, you know, to sort of duke that out after a bruising loss.
[06:15:04]
But you've got to hope that also Dems figure out, OK, now it's time to coalesce. Now we've got to figure our way forward. Republicans are in a pretty weakened spot. Donald Trump's approval is abysmal. Let's take advantage of this and stop fighting.
GILLESPIE: And you've got Stefanik versus speaker Johnson.
BOLDUAN: It's like -- OK, so then -- yes. We had so many options for the biggest political theater in 2025.
What could possibly -- I mean, I would not have been able to guess half of these, if you'd asked me in '24 what was going on in 2025 in terms of political feuds.
What one could happen in '26?
GILLESPIE: I think I'm going to be looking for the internal ones between the White House and as they pit against each other, House Republicans versus the White House, how they pit against each other. But I do think there's a lot in Trump world that's going to really
deteriorate, especially amongst cabinet members, but also House versus -- or not House, but just Congress versus the cabinet members. Because, again, people don't want to talk to Trump directly. People want to --
CUPP: Right, right. They'll find somebody else.
GILLESPIE: They'll find other people.
CUPP: That's exactly right. I think -- I think House Republicans are going to start -- and we've already seen it starting -- to openly question what the administration is doing and what leadership is doing.
They've already started, you know, pushing back. They said no to the -- you know, ending the filibuster for Trump. They're pushing back. They're asking, what are we doing on health care? Speaker Johnson and Trump, what about the Epstein file? Like they're starting to openly question and openly say they want to leave.
GILLESPIE: Yes.
CUPP: I just think you're going to see more of that as, like I said, lawmakers go home, face constituents, look at their reelection, think I'm tied to all of this garbage? Help me out.
BOLDUAN: And they look ahead, like, am I going to do this again? Like, there is this like end of the year --
CUPP: And what's the point? Do I do this again and again? So, I think that fight, especially, is going to be important this -- this next year.
BOLDUAN: Buckle up.
CUPP: Oh, yes.
BOLDUAN: I think that's what we have concluded. It's great to see you guys.
CUPP: You, too.
BOLDUAN: I think that was uplifting.
CUPP: Sure.
BOLDUAN: I think we ended on an uplifting note, or not at all. S.E. Cupp, Maura Gillespie, thank you.
CUPP: Sure.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Ahead, issues surrounding affordability hitting millions of Americans and now so-called momfluencers are teaching people how to be frugal and eat on just $1 a day.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[06:21:12]
BERMAN: Issues surrounding affordability hitting so many Americans. Now some YouTubers are gaining popularity online for teaching people how to be frugal by eating on $1 a day.
CNN's Elle Reeve reports.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Today's video is more broke meals, meals to make when you're broke.
ELLE REEVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): These YouTuber sisters are a different kind of momfluencer.
EMILY ANDERSON, YOUTUBER: We're going into the Dollar General market first.
REEVE (voice-over): Making super low-budget food videos for people who are broke.
BROOKE SOUTHERLAND, YOUTUBER: They have a clearance event. What?
REEVE (voice-over): How to eat on a dollar a day. A week of meals for $10. These videos are in demand as a growing number of people are struggling to afford rising food, power, and rent bills.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It doesn't look like inflation is going anywhere except up.
REEVE (voice-over): Since last year, eggs are up more than 16 percent, coffee 14 percent, and beef 11 percent.
SOUTHERLAND: Oh, my gosh, that is $43.
REEVE (voice-over): There are fears tariffs could raise food prices more in the future.
Electricity prices have grown more than twice as fast as the cost of living. And Central Services, a food bank here in Morristown, Tennessee, says it's seen 22 percent more new families this year than last.
Brooke Southerland and Emily Anderson have expertise in how to make something from nothing, because they did it as kids.
ANDERSON: Most of the time growing up, it felt like it was me and Brooke against the world. I want to try not to cry. Why does that --
REEVE (voice-over): Southerland says she wanted to start making these videos after their older sister died. SOUTHERLAND: When my sister passed away, me and my mother were going
through her purse. And I got this little card out, and it was from a food bank. And it said her next available date to pick up a box of food.
She had never told anybody that she was struggling like that. And that just made me sad that she thought she couldn't talk to family about her food insecurity.
REEVE (voice-over): The sisters say they want viewers to feel less shame about having to make tough choices.
SOUTHERLAND: Y'all think I'm going to take away the extra pack of franks. Hot dogs. And get a pepper.
There are some viewers that think that vegetables are the most important choice, and to me, that just shows that they've never had to really struggle. Fresh vegetables are really a luxury in some instances, and that -- it shouldn't be that way at all.
REEVE: Sometimes you have to go to a whole bunch of Dollar Generals?
SOUTHERLAND: Yes. Everybody in our area wants to save money and they take everything off the shelves before we can get to it.
REEVE: How many hours a week do you think you put into this?
SOUTHERLAND: Eight, ten hours?
REEVE (voice-over): We talked to more than a dozen people in downtown Morristown. Everyone was mad about prices.
LINDA BRADLEY, MORRISTOWN, TENNESSEE, RESIDENT: Sometimes things is four times what they was a year ago. Roast I used to get for 12, $15; $35 now. It's awful.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everything, you know, just keeps going up.
TONY MAYES, MORRISTOWN, TENNESSEE, RESIDENT: I used to spend $40 a week. Now it's a 140 or something like that. I just don't think it's going to go down for a long time. They're not concerned with people like us.
BRADLEY: They said these tariffs that they've got on, it's going to bring prices down. They're not, because it's going to have to charge more to make up for them having to pay to bring it in. And I just say everything's going downhill.
REEVE: Did you vote for Trump this last time?
BRADLEY: No, I didn't. I didn't see no choice of a good president. No choice, I'm not choosing. Maybe we'll get somebody good in office, and it'll change. Not before I'm gone. No.
REEVE: For Southerland, she says she wants to keep the conversation positive. And to do that, she bans certain words from her Facebook page.
SOUTHERLAND: The banned words. I can give you a list as long as my leg: Republican, Democrat, liberal, conservative, tariffs, Trump, Biden.
[06:25:08]
REEVE: So, I was looking for videos kind of like yours on TikTok, and the -- the nasty comment I saw the most -- and maybe that's just my algorithm -- was, well, this is what you voted for. You know, that's what you get.
Did you get -- do you see stuff like that?
SOUTHERLAND: Yes. The politicians are politicians, and they're doing a job. They're making money.
But we are here together. We are real people. And we need to help each other get through this, get through these hard times. Because they're not seeing us on a personal level, but we can see each other on a personal level.
REEVE (voice-over): Elle Reeve, CNN, Morristown, Tennessee.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BERMAN: Ahead for us: from Russia's invasion of Ukraine to strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean to a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. The major foreign policy headlines of 2025 and what we can expect in the new year.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
