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D.C. Pipe Bomb Suspect Confessed; Americans on Trump, Russia and Ukraine; Kira Rudik is Interviewed about Peace Talks; Top 10 Entertainment Stories of 2025. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired December 29, 2025 - 08:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:31:37]

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking overnight, new details in court records showing what prosecutors say is a detailed confession by the Virginia man accused of planting pipe bombs in D.C. the day before the January 6th Capitol attack. Prosecutors say Cole confessed to placing the bombs outside the RNC and DNC headquarters ahead of what became the deadly riot at the Capitol. According to the memo, Cole told the FBI that if people feel, quote, "something as important as voting in the federal election is being tampered with, is being relegated null and void, then, like, someone needs to speak up, right?"

Here now, CNN legal analyst and criminal defense attorney, Joey Jackson.

OK. So, according to these records, there is a confession. But the suspect's lawyers say he has severe autism. So, how will these two things collide in court?

JOEY JACKSON, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Yes. Great question, Sara. Good morning to you.

So, what happens is that initially, you know, when he was interviewed by investigators, denying everything, and then ultimately went into and spoke with them. I think like any defense attorney, you're going to challenge the statements, you're going to challenge the voluntary nature of the statements, you're going to challenge whether or not he waived the right to counsel, whether there was a custodial interrogation, et cetera. But I think the fact that there is a, you know, potential autism there or a mental state that could be altered in some way, that is certainly going to be challenged.

At the end of the day, though, it's not only about the statements, which are very important, OK, very important because they go to motive, they go to his disillusionment with the election, his disillusionment with both parties, his disillusionment, Sara, with who's in charge. But you have to remember that in addition to statements, there's other evidence, which is very compelling, like what? Like the fact that they found components of pipe bombs in his home pursuant to a search warrant, like components of pipe bombs in the car, and like the tracking of him over the course of time. This was a five-year investigation. So, statements are always valuable to an investigation. But there's

often other information which buttresses the real, you know, the nature of the case, the value of the case and the weight of the case that investigators have against you.

SIDNER: Yes, you've got a lot of different pieces of evidence. And in any case, to help try to prove your case.

JACKSON: Yes.

SIDNER: I do want to ask you about what Cole did say to investigators that he didn't want to kill anyone, and he was relieved that the devices didn't actually explode. Legally speaking, does that help him at all?

JACKSON: So, Sara, buyers remorse doesn't really help you. The fact is, is that prosecutors are saying that they did not go off, these devices, predicated upon luck, not predicated upon intent. They were set there. They were set for 60 minutes. And, you know, now he's really sorry about that. And, you know, he should be. But the fact that they didn't go off and he now, you know, seems to be somewhat apologetic about that is not going to really enhance his chances at trial. It's all going to be about the facts and the evidence. And remember, he's facing up to 20 years as a result of this alleged transgression.

SIDNER: That's right. And as you said, this took a five-year period for investigators to finally figure out who may have committed these crimes and arrest someone.

I do want to move on to another case that is underway today. Tyler Robinson. There's a hearing for Tyler Robinson. He is charged, of course, with the murder of Charlie Kirk. The assassination. What the judge expects to issue oral orders on limited intervention and redactions.

[08:35:05]

What's most important to watch for in court today?

JACKSON: So, I think a number of things are happening. The judge has to make a number of rulings.

The first thing is, is that you're going to look and see about media access, OK. I think the media is looking to determine whether or not they could be involved, whether or not information should be released, et cetera. And I think at the end of the day, there's really a public interest in this trial and what specifically is going to go on and what is going to occur. And so, you know, I'm looking for how much access to judge is going to allow the public, whether or not transcripts are going to be released of an earlier proceeding that happened in October, whether we'll get the audio of that, whether we'll get the specific transcripts of that, and just how much we're going to have access to what goes on now and moving forward into the future. There's a lot of compelling interest in this.

SIDNER: Yes.

JACKSON: This is a death penalty prosecution. Later on, Sara, we're going to see whether the prosecutors in Utah are disqualified or not from this case. And so, I think the public wants to know. I think transparency is important.

And ultimately, what I'm looking to see is whether cameras, not for today but in the future, are going to be allowed into the courtroom so that we can see it. Charlie Kirk, his widow supports that. You know, the sheriff does not. The defense does not. But I think inquiring minds want to know. Let's see what the judge does in terms of inviting the public in to see what occurs.

SIDNER: Yes. Yes. There's already so much fodder, there's already so many conspiracy theories, and there is huge public interest in this. It will be interesting to see what the judge decides, considering all of that and victims and, you know, there's so many things the judge has to consider.

JACKSON: Oh, yes.

SIDNER: We will be watching. And, of course, we will have you back on to explain it all, Joey Jackson.

JACKSON: Looking forward to it.

SIDNER: We keep you working every day, all day.

JACKSON: Awesome. Thank you, Sara.

SIDNER: Thank you so much.

Omar.

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN ANCHOR: That's a good day if we've got Joey Jackson on set.

SIDNER: Truly.

JACKSON: You're amazing.

JIMENEZ: Look, we're following a lot of news this morning, including investigators in New Jersey working to determine the cause of a deadly midair collision between two helicopters on Sunday. The crash killed one of the pilots and injured the other. This video shows the moment one of the helicopters went down. You can see it literally spiraling out of control there headed to the ground. The FAA said only the pilots of both helicopters were on board when they collided. The helicopters came down in an open airfield. This is some of the aftermath here. And the pilots were airlifted to a nearby hospital.

Now, when fire crews got to the scene, they said it was hard to tell the mangled metal from the crash was even a helicopter. Both the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the incident. But, of course, still a lot of questions as we see some of those scenes. Sara.

SIDNER: All right, thank you, Omar.

Breaking overnight, President Zelenskyy giving new details on a possible peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine after his critical three hour meeting with President Trump at Mar-a-Lago yesterday. Now we're standing by for a phone call between President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin that the Kremlin says will happen, quote, "very soon."

CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten is tracking how Americans are feeling about all of what we are finding out.

What can you tell us about how Americans see this, this whole debacle, if you will, this war and the and the negotiations that are happening between Trump, Russia and Ukraine?

HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA ANALYST: Yes, I remember when Donald Trump was running for president a year ago, right, he said, I think it was over 50 times our dear fact finder Daniel Dale found, over 50 times he said, oh, I could end the war within 24 hours, or I could end the war before I even take office. Well, it turns out it didn't happen in under 24 hours. We're now over 8,000 hours into the Trump presidency, and the war has not finished, and Americans are taking their frustrations out on the president of the United States.

It turns out it's far easier to yell from the bleachers than actually be the guy in charge because, take a look here, voters on Trump and the Russia-Ukraine war. You go back to 2024. Look, Trump was favored on this issue over Kamala Harris by two points.

SIDNER: Right.

ENTEN: Look at where we are now. His net approval rating down, down, down, minus 20 points among independents. He is 29 points underwater. Americans trusted Donald Trump to do something much more so, or at least a little bit more so, than Kamala Harris coming into office that is ending this war. He has not done so. He's had more -- more time than he said he needed to end it. And, therefore, they're taking their frustrations out on him. He's 20 points underwater, his net approval on the Russia-Ukraine war.

SIDNER: Why is Trump so disliked on the Russia-Ukraine issue? Is it just about him not sticking to the timeline and saying, oh, I'll get this done quickly?

ENTEN: Yes, it's also about who he's favoring, or at least who Americans perceive that he's favoring in terms of the negotiation tactics. Look at this, in Russia-Ukraine war, Trump favors Russia too much. That's the winner right here, 48 percent, strikes the right balance, 36 percent, favors Ukraine too much, very few people believe that three percent. You add together three percent and 36 percent, that gets you to 39 percent. That is well less than the 48 percent who say that Trump favors Russia too much.

[08:40:02]

So, at this point, the American people say, it's not just that the war has ended. They are disagreeing with Trump's tactics in this, saying that he is favoring Russia too much, which I think a lot of experts would agree with.

SIDNER: So that, suffice it to say, you know, what are Americans feeling about Zelenskyy, you can almost guess from looking at this, can you not?

ENTEN: Yes. Yes, I think you can. Exactly. Which is, Volodymyr Zelenskyy is far more liked by the American public than either Donald Trump or Vladimir Putin. Net favorability among Americans. Look at this, Zelenskyy, plus 12 points. That's pretty gosh darn good in this country that's pretty equally divided. Donald Trump, 14 points underwater in his net favorability. Look at Vladimir Putin, 73 points underwater. What is that? He's 85 points above Vladimir Putin. So, Zelenskyy well liked. Trump disliked when it comes to Russia, Ukraine and overall here in America.

SIDNER: Yes, to be clear, it is Vladimir Putin who started the war, even though he's tried to rewrite history.

ENTEN: You got it.

SIDNER: And Americans not happy to see that.

Thank you so much, Harry Enten. I am always happy to see you.

ENTEN: Happy to see you.

SIDNER: Omar.

JIMENEZ: All right, lot to talk about here. Joining me now is member of the Ukrainian parliament, Kira Rudik.

Thank you for taking the time.

You know, we've heard President Trump describe the current state of negotiations as one or two very thorny issues remain, one of which over the questions, of course, of land concessions. And the president suggested it might be better to make those land concessions now before Russia invades further and potentially takes more land. How do you see it?

KIRA RUDIK, MEMBER OF UKRAINIAN PARLIAMENT: Hello, Omar, and thank you so much for having me.

Russia says many things. They have said that they will take Kyiv in three days. They have said that they will take over Donbas till (ph) the end of this year. And what we see right now is that Ukrainian army is protecting us very well, and we are not going to give up territories and not even territories. We are not going to give up our people who are there just because Russia said so. Well, if they feel that they can take it, they should actually display it by the actions. And again, Russia is failing to take those territories by attacking us at the front line.

What they are more successful with, unfortunately, is attacking peaceful cities, committing war crimes and terrorist attacks on Ukraine. But that is not giving you additional territories. And of course there is no appetite between Ukrainian people to give up anything to Russia.

JIMENEZ: And look, President Trump is obviously talking to the Russian side as part of these negotiations as well. But I want you to listen to some of how he described Russia's position.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Russia wants to see Ukraine succeed. Once -- it sounds a little strange, but I was explaining to the president, President Putin was very generous in his feeling toward Ukraine succeeding, including supplying energy, electricity and other things at very low prices.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ: He said, Russia wants to see Ukraine succeed. What is your reaction to hearing that from the United States president?

RUDIK: The -- unfortunately, President Trump didn't learn to think about Russia, that they can be calling things exactly the opposite of what they are. Again, Putin was telling President Trump that he wants peace, at the same time attacking Kyiv and other cities, killing people. And it's an open information. It was happening at the same time. And he was still able to tell American president that he is ready for peace. He's going for peace.

Russia always lies. We are able to prove this by facts, by -- and there are so many other countries and country leaders who are also able to prove it by facts. Why, why, why right now is the president of United States chooses to believe Putin when he says something. There is absolutely no way to prove it or support it with any facts. It's just absolutely painful for Ukraine and Ukrainian people when we are sitting without electricity, without heat and running water during the winter, because Russia chooses to terrorize us, to attack our peaceful cities. And at the same time, Putin lies to President Trump and President Trump allows him to continue doing so and chooses to believe him to do so.

JIMENEZ: Kira Rudik, I appreciate the time and perspective, especially in this moment where we're monitoring to see what crucial next phases may come in any peace negotiations. Thank you for taking the time.

All right, ahead, could we see more than a million new documents in the Jeffrey Epstein case? The department now asking for volunteer prosecutors to help sift through them. We'll talk about it.

And from the engagement seen around the world to the late night host's feud with President Trump, the top entertainment stories of the year coming up.

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[08:49:08]

SIDNER: Breaking news, the boxer who just beat YouTuber turned boxer Jake Paul in a boxing match earlier this month, Anthony Joshua, was hurt in a deadly car crash. The crash happened in Nigeria. Two other people died in that crash. But the British former heavy weight boxing champion had minor injuries. The cause is still under investigation. And we will update you when we hear more.

Also on our radar for you this morning, a major show of force in the Pacific this morning. China mobilizing massive air and sea units around Taiwan for drills, calling it Justice Mission 2025. Beijing says this is a serious warning following a landmark $11 billion arms deal between the United States and Taiwan. With nearly 90 warplanes in the sky and warships simulating a blockade, Taipei says it is on full guard against what it calls blatant intimidation.

[08:50:06]

The world is mourning a legend of the century. Brigitte Bardot has died at the age of 91. From sparking a sexual revolution on screen, to her second act as a fierce animal rights activist, Bardot leaves behind a complex, powerhouse legacy. Today, fans are gathering in Saint Tropez, laying flowers at her statue to honor the woman French President Macron says embodied a life of freedom.

Omar.

JIMENEZ: All right, kick off the new year with comedy icon Chevy Chase in a revealing new CNN film, which features candid interviews with Chase's family, friends and co-stars and, of course, Chevy himself.

Our John Berman sat down with him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Why did you decide to do a documentary? Why did you agree to do it?

CHEVY CHASE, ACTOR: What the public had thought of me over many years was that they thought I was basically an asshole, if you'll pardon the expression. I'm sorry I said that. But that there was a large section of people who thought that. They wanted to show that I'm not somehow. And, frankly, I don't care if I am. Of course, I care. That's just ridiculous. I'm not an asshole. Thanks for talking, John.

BERMAN: It was nice to meet you. I appreciate it. Good talk. Good talk.

CHASE: Good talk, son.

BERMAN: How do you do that, first of all? How do you prove something like that?

CHASE: I don't know. For God's sakes, are you kidding? I don't -- I haven't the foggiest. I just know that when I look at the documentary, I don't see an asshole, frankly.

Look, I'm just me. And I'm 82 years old. My life consists of me, my wife and my children. And then wonderful friends and happiness. The rest of it doesn't mean much to me. It's just sort of Hollywood stuff.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ: "I'm Chevy Chase and You're Not" premieres New Year's Day at 8:00 p.m. Eastern, and the next day on the CNN app. A lot happens in this film. Be sure to check it out.

SIDNER: It's so good. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

All right, Jimmy Kimmel versus the Trump administration, Sean "Diddy" Combs sent to prison, an uproar over a blue jeans ad and media mergers galore. Entertainment stories were big news stories in 2025. CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister breaks down the biggest moments of the year.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: From Hollywood's battle with Trump to courtroom drama and the engagement we were all waiting for. Here are the top ten entertainment stories of 2025.

Number ten, a super-sized controversy.

BAD BUNNY: I'm doing the Super Bowl halftime show.

WAGMEISTER: Bad Bunny is named halftime headliner, delighting his global fan base.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Bad Bunny is slated to become the first Latino male artist to headline the Super Bowl.

WAGMEISTER: But some others blasted the choice.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This guy does not seem like a unifying entertainer.

WAGMEISTER: The Trump critic decided not to tour the U.S. mainland amid ICE raids, opting for 31 shows in Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory.

MARIA CARDONA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: And, by the way, ICE did show up in -- during his shows. So, he did not want to have that happen for the Latino communities here in the United States.

WAGMEISTER: In response, conservative group Turning Point USA is producing their own halftime show.

Number nine.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Let's get to know each other. And thanks for watching.

WAGMEISTER: Artificial intelligence invades Hollywood. Meet Tilly Norwood, a British actress who's not real. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Real life Hollywood stars are condemning the

project.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is a ripoff.

WAGMEISTER: But A.I. is coming to Hollywood.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Michael Caine and Matthew McConaughey have partnered with 11 labs that will allow the voice cloning company to use A.I. technology to replicate their voices.

WAGMEISTER: And Disney, while suing one A.I. startup, is licensing its characters to another.

Number eight.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don't I know it?

WAGMEISTER: The box office roller coaster. As "Minecraft" and "Lilo and Stitch" wipe away early year box office bombs.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Listen here. This ain't no house party.

WAGMEISTER: Beyond "Sinners" and "Weapons," many original stories failed to hit big. Theaters turned to special events to fill seats.

TAYLOR SWIFT, MUSICIAN: Hey, it's Taylor.

WAGMEISTER: A Taylor Swift album party, and a K-pop demon hunter sing along prove that fans can be wooed into theaters.

Number seven, the Sydney Sweeney saga.

SYDNEY SWEENEY: I'm not here to tell you to buy American Eagle jeans.

WAGMEISTER: Sweeney's American Eagle ads led to a political firestorm.

SWEENEY: Jeans are passed down from parents to offsprings.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sydney Sweeney has great jeans.

SWEENEY: You see what I did there, right?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The ads featuring the blonde, blue-eyed actress generated a storm of criticism, accused of promoting eugenics.

WAGMEISTER: The internet blew up with calls of racism and Naziism. The ad spawned endless parodies.

[08:55:01]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: American Eagle stocks soaring up 35 percent.

WAGMEISTER: American Eagle had the last laugh. The jeans sold out within a week.

Number six.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There are houses on fire.

WAGMEISTER: The L.A. fires ravage Hollywood. Celebrities like Mark Hamill and Dick Van Dyke fled for their lives, while Jeff Bridges, Billy Crystal and Paris Hilton are among those who lost their homes. Actor Steve Guttenberg sprung into action as fires raged.

STEVE GUTTENBERG, ACTOR: I was helping people in wheelchairs, and there were mothers who were hysterical.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know one guy that lost his entire studio, burned.

WAGMEISTER: Award show producers had a dilemma, should the show go on?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There is a sense of community right now in Los Angeles that I personally haven't seen before.

WAGMEISTER: The Grammy's did go on, honoring firefighters and raising millions for victims.

Number five, the war for Warner Brothers.

JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: It's a mega deal that could reshape the entire entertainment industry.

WAGMEISTER: Netflix wins a bidding war for the storied film studio in HBO. The streamer could change how we watch legendary titles like "Batman," "Harry Potter," and "Game of Thrones."

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: Paramount CEO David Ellison is turning up the heat, launching a hostile takeover bid.

WAGMEISTER: Taking its bid for Warners directly to shareholders. Any deal needs federal approval.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's a lot of market share. So, we'll have to see what happens.

WAGMEISTER: Number four.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's Taylor Swift.

WAGMEISTER: Another year of Taylor mania.

CROWD: That was so good.

WAGMEISTER: First, her engagement to Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.

LAURA COATES, CNN ANCHOR: Posting their engagement on Instagram today with the caption, "your English teacher are your gym teacher are getting married."

WAGMEISTER: Then came the number one album of the year, "The Life of a Showgirl," which Swift announced on a record-breaking podcast with Kelce. JASON KELCE: Do I have to wait until October 3rd?

TRAVIS KELCE: Yes, you do, Jason.

J. KELCE: (EXPLETIVE DELETED) this is unfair.

TAYLOR SWIFT, MUSICIAN: Yes. We don't -- we don't trust you at all.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The album is a coda to her biggest year yet. She finished her record-shattering Era's Tour. She announced in an Instagram post that she owns her masters.

WAGMEISTER: Cementing her as the most influential celebrity in the world.

Number three, shocking celebrity deaths.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Hollywood legend Rob Reiner and his wife Michele found dead in their Los Angeles home. An apparent homicide.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 9:15 p.m., a suspect arrested. The couple's son, Nick Reiner.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Reiner had well-known battles with substance abuse. But by 2015 he said he was clean and co-wrote the film "Being Charlie," inspired by his own experiences with drug addiction, directed by his father.

ROB REINER, DIRECTOR: It forced me to have to see more clearly and understand more deeply what Nick had gone through.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This actor, writer, director, producer, political activist, Harry Shearer, one of the stars of "Spinal Tap" said, "this is unspeakable. The stuff of Greek tragedy."

ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: We begin this hour with the shocking death of actor Gene Hackman.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The 95-year-old Hollywood icon was found dead Wednesday inside his New Mexico home, along with his wife, Betsy Arakawa, and a dog, according to officials.

WAGMEISTER: The mystery ended when the cause of death was finally revealed.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Betsy Arakawa Hackman died from the hantavirus. When she died, authorities say that Gene Hackman was unable to care for himself. He had advanced Alzheimer's.

WAGMEISTER: "French Connection," "Unforgiven," "Crimson Tide," Gene Hackman's legacy will endure. The deaths of Hollywood legends brought the end of an era.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How much can you tell me about Deep Throat?

ROBERT REDFORD, ACTOR: How much do you need to know? WAGMEISTER: Robert Redford transcended the screen.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He had the heart and soul of a -- of an artist.

WAGMEISTER: Oscar winner Diane Keaton.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Along the way, she became an icon of beauty and fashion, of eccentricity and humor.

WAGMEISTER: Ozzy Osbourne, the eccentric rocker turned reality star.

RIKI RACHTMAN, FORMER MTV HOST: And when he put out a record that had like Post Malone, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, it's like, look at all these people that want to work with Ozzy Osbourne. There's a reason for that.

WAGMEISTER: Number two, late night chaos. Jimmy Kimmel pulled off the air by ABC.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The decision to pull the show came hours after Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr publicly pressured the company to punish Kimmel for recent comments he made about the reaction to Charlie Kirk's shooting death.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There was a tremendous backlash to this, not just among the left. You saw people on the right saying, you can't -- the government can't do this.

JIMMY KIMMEL, HOST, "JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE": I'm happy to be here tonight with you.

WAGMEISTER: Six days later, ABC put Kimmel back on the air. The return set a ratings record for Kimmel, but that wasn't the only late night drama in 2025.

STEPHEN COLBERT, HOST, "THE LATE SHOW WITH STEPHEN COLBERT": Next year will be our last season.

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: CBS said it is canceling "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert."

WAGMEISTER: CBS said the show was too expensive. Critics called it political, coming two weeks after CBS settled a lawsuit filed by President Trump.

Colbert was later crowned with an Emmy. IMMEL: Stephen Colbert.

WAGMEISTER: And after the Kimmel saga, the hosts made history, appearing on each other's shows on the same night.

KIMMEL: Say, I've never been happier to lose the Emmy.

COLBERT: I've never been happier for you to lose the Emmy either.

[09:00:01] WAGMEISTER: Number one, the trial and downfall of a music mogul.

TAPPER: Sean "Diddy" Combs told the judge, quote, "I'm a little nervous today," unquote.