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Deadly Boat Strikes Controversy; Colombia's Crackdown on Drug Traffickers; Ukraine Peace Talks; Egypt Accuses Israel of Ceasefire Violations; Pressure on Lebanon to Disarm Hezbollah; Concerns for Young Americans; Hiram Carrero Accused of Setting Subway Passenger on Fire; Young Americans and Politics. Aired 4-5a ET
Aired December 07, 2025 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[04:00:00]
KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada, and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN Newsroom.
The U.S. defense secretary defends America's deadly strikes on alleged drug boats, but lawmakers on both sides of the aisle want more answers. Uncertainty remains over key pieces of a possible Ukraine peace deal, and now there is a new concern amid Russia's assault. Chernobyl's protective shield, not the latest in a live report. And a new poll sheds light on how young Americans are feeling about the U.S. Live analysis on the rather bleak results.
ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta, this is CNN Newsroom with Kim Brunhuber.
BRUNHUBER: The U.S. Defense Secretary is defending the military's decision to carry out a follow-up strike on the Caribbean that killed two survivors in September. Pete Hegseth spoke Saturday at the Ronald Reagan Defense Forum as scrutiny mounts over the strike. During his comments, he said the double-tap strike was the right decision.
Now, critics in Congress don't agree with the Senate Armed Services Committee vowing to investigate. When asked if he would release the full video, Hegseth gave a noncommittal answer. Despite President Trump saying he'd agree to its release. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, Mr. Secretary, you will be releasing that full video?
PETE HEGSETH, U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY: We are reviewing it right now.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is that a yes or no?
HEGSETH: That is for -- the most important thing to me are the ongoing operations in the Caribbean with our folks that use bespoke capabilities, techniques, procedures in the process. I'm way more interested in protecting that than anything else. So, we're reviewing the process and we'll see. (END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: Hegseth also defended the overall military operation in the Caribbean while saying that the strikes will continue.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HEGSETH: These narco-terrorists are the Al-Qaeda of our hemisphere and we are hunting them with the same sophistication and precision that we hunted Al-Qaeda. We are tracking them, we are killing them, and we will keep killing them so long as they are poisoning our people with narcotics so lethal that they're tantamount to chemical weapons.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: CNN's Jenn Sullivan has more on Hegseth's comments.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JENN SULLIVAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT SOARES (voice-over): This video, released by the Department of Defense, captures the moment the U.S. first strikes a Venezuelan boat that the U.S. government says was carrying illegal drugs. The White House now saying that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth authorized U.S. Navy Admiral Frank Bradley to act. While speaking at an event in California Saturday, Secretary Hegseth defended the Trump administration's actions.
HESGETH: If you're working for a designated terrorist organization and you bring drugs to this country in a boat, we will find you and we will sink you.
SULLIVAN (voice-over): Since September, the U.S. military has destroyed 23 boats, killing at least 87 people, all say were tied to drug trafficking. Some strikes, particularly a second on this same boat, are drawing criticism.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We don't need that kind of firepower to do that tactical.
SULLIVAN (voice-over): In the September 2nd attack, 11 people were reportedly on the boat. After a first strike, two survivors were seen clinging to the wreckage, according to some who have seen video of the full attack. Then more strikes, killing them and sinking the vessel. It is considered a war crime to kill shipwrecked people. Now, many are scrutinizing what happened and are calling for an investigation.
SEN. CORY BOOKER (D-NJ): These are, in my opinion, criminal actions or should be investigated as such.
SULLIVAN (voice-over): Sources familiar with Bradley's remarks say he told lawmakers the small boat that was hit was heading towards a larger vessel that was bound for Suriname, a small South American country east of Venezuela, known by U.S. drug enforcement officials as a route for drugs headed to Europe. Bradley reportedly telling lawmakers the two survivors did not appear to have a radio. They watched the men struggle to overturn what was left of the boat and there was no position to make a distress call.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There are still big questions about whether this is a legitimate approach simply going after all manner of drug facilities.
SULLIVAN (voice-over): Both the House and Senate Armed Services Committees have launched inquiries into what happened.
I'm Jen Sullivan reporting.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: And U.S. lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have been expressing their opinions on the strikes. Earlier, CNN spoke to two members of the House Armed Services Committee, and here's some of what they had to say.
[04:05:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. DON BACON (R-NE): The administration has not come to the Congress and asked for authorization. It's one thing if you hit a few boats and you stop, but since these boats are going to continue to be hit, I believe it's their duty and responsibility to come to Congress, make the case, and get authorization for continued hostilities. So, I think that's most important.
And also, make the case to the American people. I would say further, when it comes to Venezuela itself, we don't know what's going on. What is the president's mission? What's the plan? Once again, I think he needs to come to the Congress and make the case, and to the American people, say this is what we're trying to do in Venezuela.
REP. ADAM SMITH (D-WA): I mean, this is a bipartisan concern. The Defense Department has not been responsive to Congress. Just to give you one example, the execute order that authorized this mission was released, sorry, was made on August 5th. The White House tasked the Department of Defense with basically blowing up these boats. By law, that execute order is supposed to be released to Congress within 30 days. They haven't released it. They have no intention of releasing it.
That oversight is crucially important. It's crucially important in a representative democracy. If you don't have a totalitarian government, if you have government of the people, by the people, for the people, then the people have a right to exercise oversight, and the Department of Defense has not been responsive to that right. So, I think we need to continue to press, and I will do so from my current position, and will urge the majority to do so as well.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: Venezuela's opposition leader, Maria Corina Machado, is getting a global outpouring of support amid the country's escalating tensions internally and with the U.S. Across Latin America, to the Spanish capital of Madrid, her supporters came out ahead of Wednesday's Nobel Peace Prize award ceremony. The Nobel Institute awarded Machado the coveted prize for her work in promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela. It says Machado will attend the ceremony in Oslo, Norway, but Venezuela's attorney general told the AFP news agency that Machado would be considered a fugitive if she traveled to Norway.
Meanwhile, President Trump has suggested he's willing to go after other countries he believes are trafficking drugs into the United States. CNN's Isa Soares traveled to Colombia for an interview with President Gustavo Petro to see how the country is addressing the cocaine trade firsthand.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ISA SOARES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In Colombia's decades long struggle with narco-trafficking, concealment has become an art born of desperation, driving traffickers from low-level couriers to organized networks to employ methods that range from the absurd to the darkly ingenious.
SOARES: This is 1.2 tons of coffee destined for the United Kingdom. At least, it looks like coffee, right? You've got the very official packaging product of Colombia there, their date expires. If I look closer, actually looks and smells like coffee. But under a microscope, there's cocaine inside.
SOARES (voice-over): Lieutenant Colonel Hector Toro(ph) says his unit tested this load after it was flagged by an artificial intelligence system they use to identify suspicious shipments, passengers and even mail. It's one of the many examples of how drug seizures here at Bogota's El Dorado Airport have become bolder and more frequent, forcing authorities to adapt as coca production in Colombia continues to rise.
SOARES: As you can see that one, you can see the white inside.
SOARES (voice-over): That increase, the reason why the U.S. says it has dropped Colombia as a partner in the fight against drug trafficking, ending a partnership that had been in place for decades.
It's President Gustavo Petro with whom I sat down for an exclusive interview is also feeling the heat with the U.S. hitting him with sanctions and accusing him of being an illegal drug dealer.
GUSTAVO PETRO, PRESIDENT, COLOMBIA (through translator): What President Trump says is the opposite of reality.
SOARES: Why doesn't he listen? Why do you think he doesn't hear you?
PETRO (through translator): Out of arrogance, because he thinks I am a thug, a subversive, a terrorist, things like that.
SOARES (voice-over): The tit-for-tat between both Presidents has only escalated as President Trump goes after alleged drug boats off the coast of Venezuela and Colombia as well. Actions that Petro has deemed illegal under international law. And as far as drugs are concerned, the Colombian president says he is doing his part.
PETRO (through translator): The government that has seized the most cocaine in history globally is the government of Colombia under my administration.
SOARES (voice-over): Major General Edgar Falla Vargas who oversees Colombia's aerospatial forces in the southern hemisphere, tells me cooperation, collaboration and Intelligence-sharing with the U.S. and 41 other countries have been key to their success in nearly eradicating drugs by air inside Colombian airspace.
[04:10:00]
MAJ. GEN. EDGAR FALLA VARGAS, COLOMBIAN AIR FORCE (through translator): In 2003, there were 639 aircraft leaving Colombia bound for the United States. This year, we can say we have had three involved in some type of illegal movement.
SOARES (voice-over): Under pressure, traffickers have looked to the sea to make their gains. Most shipments leaving Colombia on speedboats or concealed inside shipping containers, but the main route, not the Caribbean as President Trump's campaign against Venezuela seems to suggest.
SOARES: That Caribbean corridor --
VARGAS: Yes --
SOARES: -- is that the biggest? Is that the one you see the most action?
VARGAS (through translator): From my perspective, we have an increase in the Pacific corridor. However, activity in the Caribbean is not zero.
SOARES (voice-over): Despite tensions between both leaders and the threats of stopping Intelligence-sharing by President Petro, this is an area where collaboration is non-negotiable. Major General Vargas, who has repeatedly exalted the importance of Intelligence-sharing during our conversation, and prefers not to wade into the world of politics, tells me very simply that when it comes to cooperation.
VARGAS (through translator): There really isn't a problem.
SOARES (voice-over): As drug production climbs and political rhetoric heats up, it seems both countries are bound by necessity, knowing all too well, perhaps, if cooperation were to falter, only one group stands to gain, the drug traffickers.
Isa Soares, CNN, Bogota, Colombia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: U.S. and Ukrainian officials have wrapped up talks in Miami without a breakthrough on ending the war with Russia. Ukraine's ambassador to the U.S. says there are still lingering questions over security guarantees and territorial concessions. The latest talks came after Russia targeted Ukraine with one of its largest aerial assaults in months. Ukraine said Saturday it detected more than 700 drones and missiles and intercepted most of them. At least five people were reportedly killed in the attacks.
Meanwhile, in Moscow, the Kremlin says it welcomes a revised U.S. security strategy document which reportedly stops calling Russia a threat. The U.N.'s nuclear watchdog says a protective shield at the Chernobyl nuclear disaster site in Ukraine can no longer confine radiation. The massive steel structure was severely damaged after a drone strike in February. Ukraine blamed it on Russia, which the Kremlin denied. The IAEA says temporary repairs have been carried out, but it recommends a major renovation.
CNN's Paula Hancocks joins us now with more. So, Paula, let's start with the talks in Miami. I mentioned no breakthrough. What more can you tell us?
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kim, these were talks that went on for three days between the U.S. and the Ukrainian officials. Now, we heard from the Ukrainian ambassador to the United States. She did say that difficult issues remain, saying that both sides are trying to find a way forward and continue working to shape realistic and acceptable solutions. So, at this point, obviously, no breakthrough, as you mentioned, but the talks were going for some three days, so intense talks.
Now, she pointed out that the main concerns still were territory and security guarantees. These are the two long-standing concerns that Ukraine has when it comes to a peace deal, especially the security concerns, how to guarantee that in the future Russia won't try to force Ukraine to surrender more territory to them.
And, in fact, we did hear from the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, telling reporters in India that he intends to seize eastern Donbass region by any means, of course, a region that he doesn't have 100 percent control of even now. So, there is more work to be done.
At this point, we did hear, though, at the Doha forum, talks of many of the major players regarding this incident. Let's listen to what the NATO ambassador said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MATTHEW WHITAKER, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO NATO: You know, we're closer than we've ever been to peace. And this is, you know, as President Trump has said, this is a tough situation to get to the right spot. And, you know, ultimately, this war needs to end. It's been going on for almost four years with millions of casualties.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANCOCKS: Now, we also know that Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian president, spoke to Witkoff and Kushner, the two U.S. mediators, after these talks, also with his own delegation, to discover exactly what had been gained from these talks. [04:15:00]
And we also know that, looking forward, on Monday, that Zelenskyy will be meeting with British, German and French leaders in London as well. So, there is intense diplomacy that is happening. But at this point, it is still those key sticking points that we haven't seen a breakthrough with. Kim.
BRUNHUBER: All right. So, as we wait for that meeting next week, meanwhile, Paula, that damaged shield in Chernobyl, I mean, how worried should we be?
HANCOCKS: Well, we're hearing from the U.N. nuclear watchdog, the IAEA, that there are concerns, that there has been, to this protective shield around the disaster site, which is making sure that no radioactive material is leaking out into the atmosphere, that that has been compromised.
Now, this is a steel structure which was built recently, just in the last few years. It was completed in 2019. And it was intended to stop, particularly from the reactor number 4, which was the ruined reactor, to stop any radioactive material from leaking. Now, we've heard from the IAEA that this was damaged in a drone strike back in February, which we knew about.
They said it sparked a fire, that there was damage done to the structure at that point. And there does need to be significant renovations. There has been a sort of temporary stopgap measure put in place at this point, if you like. But they have said there needs a major renovation of this structure.
Now, we know at the time that Ukraine blamed Russia for that drone strike. Russia denied it was responsible. But it once again points to the concerns about nuclear safety when it comes to this war and the war in Ukraine. It's not just the Chernobyl nuclear site that has come under concern in recent years. We spoke to one expert about those wider nuclear concerns.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARIANNA BUDJERYN, SENIOR RESEARCHER, CENTER FOR NUCLEAR SECURITY POLICY: There's conventions in place, there's agreements in place that say, thou shall not do that. And a country that's a major, major stakeholder in the whole global system of nuclear energy governance is the one that's perpetrating these violations. And it seems that the rest of, you know, Europe, the West, International Community writ large, is powerless to stop it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANCOCKS: Now, she also pointed out that as far as she understands it, there doesn't appear to be an immediate danger of radiation leaking. Kim.
BRUNHUBER: All right. Thanks for that. Paula Hancocks in Abu Dhabi.
Still ahead here on CNN Newsroom, a critical moment for the Gaza ceasefire with Egypt accusing Israel of violations.
Plus, pressure is mounting on the Lebanese government to see Hezbollah disarmed. But those stories and more when we come back. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[04:20:00]
BRUNHUBER: At the Doha forum Qatar's prime minister warned that negotiations for the next phase of the Gaza ceasefire reached a critical moment. He said Qatar, Turkey, Egypt, and the United States were getting together to push ahead and make it happen. The Egyptian foreign minister accused Israel of daily violations of the ceasefire and he's calling for Israel to deploy along the yellow line meant to separate its forces from unoccupied areas.
In a panel discussion moderated by CNN chief international anchor Christiane Amanpour, the Qatari prime minister outlined what he believes is necessary to move forward.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHEIKH MOHAMMED BIN ABDULRAHMAN AL-THANI, QATARI PRIME MINISTER: Now, we are at the critical moment. It's not it's not yet there. So, it's what we have just done is a pause. We cannot consider it yet a ceasefire. A ceasefire cannot be completed unless there is a full withdrawal of the Israeli forces. There is stability back in Gaza. People can go in and out, which is not the case today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: Israel says they have fired at or struck militants because they crossed the yellow line. Christiane also spoke with Syria's president, Ahmad al-Sharaa. He accused Israel of exporting crisis to other countries and, quote, "fighting ghosts." Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AHMED AL-SHARAA, SYRIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): I believe that since we arrived in Damascus we sent positive messages regarding regional peace and stability and we've said very frankly that Syria will be a country of stability and we are not concerned in being a country that exports conflict including to Israel. However, in return Israel has met us with extreme violence and Syria has suffered massive violations of our airspace and we've been victim of over 1,000 airstrikes and over 400 incursions.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: Israel captured the strategic heights of Mount Hermon when the Assad regime fell. It said the occupation was temporary but IDF forces remain there today. Al-Sharaa said Israel should withdraw to the December 2024 lines and reinstate the 1974 agreement that separated Syrian and Israeli forces. He warned against any attempt to alter that buffer zone. And CNN international viewers can see Christiane Amanpour's full interview with Syrian president Ahmad al-Sharaa on Monday at 6:00 p.m. in London, that's 9:00 p.m. in Doha.
The government of Lebanon is trying to reassert authority over former Hezbollah strongholds and it's facing pressure to ensure Hezbollah is disarmed. CNN's Ben Wedeman traveled with the army deep into tunnels where the militant group operated.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): These are the mountains from which Hezbollah, until a year ago, fired missiles into Israel. But now under the control of the Lebanese army, who took reporters on a rare tour of parts of the south, normally off limits to the press.
WEDEMAN: We are entering a Hezbollah tunnel, well up a rugged ravine. It took a very long time to get here. This is a tunnel that the Lebanese army is telling us was not used for the storage of weapons, but rather was for personnel. Now it goes deep, deep into this mountain.
[04:25:00]
WEDEMAN (voice-over): The Lebanese army says, it is found 74 such tunnels. As part of the year-old ceasefire agreement that halted the war with Israel, the Lebanese army told reporters it has seized large amounts of weapons and ammunition and more than doubled its troop strength south of the Litani River, all part of an effort to reassert government authority in areas where Hezbollah operated.
WEDEMAN: This looks like it was the kitchen. There is still food here. Tins unopened. This clearly was a serious operation. This was some sort of field hospital or clinic. These are hospital's type beds. We also saw other medical equipment in here. And there's a very unpleasant smell as well. We have ventilation pipes, a water pipe.
WEDEMAN (voice-over): This tunnel appears to have been one of several in this area which Israel heavily bombed.
WEDEMAN: And, of course, this is really how Hezbollah has fought Israel for decades. I've been to other parts of Southern Lebanon where during the 1990s, when they were fighting Israeli troops inside Lebanon, they dug similar tunnels, had similar facilities.
But things have changed. Military technology has reached the point where it's very difficult to do anything without being seen by a side with superior technical abilities and that's certainly what we know Israel has had.
WEDEMAN (voice-over): Israel continues to target on an almost daily basis what it claims are Hezbollah members and infrastructure saying Hezbollah is rearming and regrouping. Hezbollah is holding its fire for now. WEDEMAN: What matters is that Lebanon is under intense pressure from the United States to disarm Hezbollah before the end of this year. If it does not do that, the threat is that Israel will start the war all over again.
WEDEMAN (voice-over): Ben Wedeman CNN, South Lebanon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: A high school senior is accused of setting a passenger on fire on a subway in New York. Ahead we'll have details on the investigation and what charges he faces.
Plus, a new study reveals how Americans under the age of 30 feel about the parties that shape the nation's politics. Still to come the change some want from Congress after the midterm elections. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[04:30:00]
BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada, and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber.
This is CNN Newsroom. Two out of three escaped inmates have been recaptured after a jailbreak in Louisiana. They broke through cement blocks and climbed out of the prison using bed sheets tied together. The third man took his own life to avoid capture.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DEON BOUDREAUX, PORT BARRE POLICE CHIEF: He eventually was able to go inside the home and found Mr. Harrington. Of course, he was deceased from a single gunshot wound, a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: There have been a number of prison escapes in Louisiana recently, including a particularly audacious one in which 10 men used hair trimmers to help cut their way through cell walls. The last of those escapees was at large for five months before being captured in Atlanta.
New details are coming in about an 18-year-old accused of setting a man on fire while riding the subway in New York. A surveillance video captured pictures of the suspect, Hiram Carrero, early Monday morning. Police say he lit a piece of paper and dropped it near the man who was sleeping before he jumped out of the subway car and fled. The U.S. attorney says the victim was taken to hospital in critical condition. CNN Correspondent Leigh Waldman has the latest on what charges Carrero faces.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEIGH WALDMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The 18-year-old high school senior Hiram Carrero is facing a federal arson charge that carries a minimum sentence of seven years in prison. Now, in addition to that, NYPD says he's also facing an attempted murder charge, three counts of assault, criminal mischief and reckless endangerment. We know that he's going to have his preliminary hearing on January 4th.
But let's recap what happened here on Monday when the Northbound 3 train was passing by 34th Penn Station, not far from where we are. The authorities say that Carrero lit a piece of paper on fire and placed it near the 56-year-old victim. Surveillance images show that victim, the 56-year-old man, getting off of the train at the 42nd Street Times Square platform, his torso and legs on fire. He had to be extinguished by the NYPD. They said he was hospitalized in critical condition.
The U.S. district judge overseeing this case is ordering that Carrero be detained ahead of that preliminary hearing. His attorney, Jennifer Brown, issuing a statement acknowledging the seriousness of these allegations, but says that her client is a young man with no criminal record and a mother who is willing to take him in.
Despite what happened on Monday, the NYPD is saying that violent crime on subways is down. This is also despite what we saw a little more than a year ago on a subway where a woman was lit on fire. She died from those injuries. NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch is saying that this has been the safest November on subways since outside of the pandemic period.
Overall, crime statistics show that crime is down here in the city. Transit crime down 24.8 percent. Shooting incidents down 19.1 percent. Murders down almost 50 percent in the month of November.
Now, ahead of the holiday season, retail theft is down 20 percent. The only area where we saw a rise in crime were those felony assaults that increased by 1.5 percent in the month of November. NYPD attributes this falling in crime to its fall violence reduction plan, which is a data-driven precision policing strategy that they say combats violent crimes and shootings.
In New York, Leigh Waldman, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: President Trump is set to host the Kennedy Center annual awards ceremony later Sunday, an event which recognizes achievements and contributions in the arts. On Saturday, he gave honorees their medals and said he played a big part in choosing this year's winners, include actor Sylvester Stallone, disco pioneer Gloria Gaynor, and the members of the band Kiss. Here's how the president described the honorees.
[04:35:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: Each of you has made an indelible mark on American life, and together you have defined entire genres and set new standards for the performing arts.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: Trump also touted all the changes he's made to the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts as he tries to shape it into a MAGA- friendly institution. Now, those controversial changes started soon after he took office, and they include gutting the board of trustees and installing loyalists who then appointed him chair, securing $257 million of congressional funding for renovations and removing programming that he and his supporters consider woke.
Trump is also previewing another cultural shift, talking about bringing a UFC fight to the White House. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: They're going to have the greatest champions in the world all fighting that night. The great Dana White does a great job, and he wanted to do it. And the White House will be the background of the fight. There'll never be anything like this. There has never been, and there never will be anything like that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: Americans under 30 don't seem to have much confidence in democratic institutions. That's according to the latest Harvard Youth Poll. More than 2,000 18- to 29-year-olds participated in the survey, and 57 percent of them say the U.S. is generally on the wrong track. Only 13 percent believe the country is headed in the right direction.
Now, the list of issues that concerns them most include the economy, issues relating to government, politics and democracy, and immigration. Overall, only about half say they will definitely or probably vote next year, with the majority favoring a Democratic- controlled Congress over a Republican one.
All right. Joining me now is Jordan Schwartz, chair of the Harvard Public Opinion Project, which runs the Harvard Youth Poll, and he's in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Thank you so much for being here with us.
So, listen, I want to quote you here, because your words were quite notable. You said this is a five-alarm fire. Gen Z is headed down a path that could threaten the future stability of American democracy and society. I mean, what in the numbers that you pulled there from your survey suggests we should be so worried about the future of the country?
JORDAN SCHWARTZ, CHAIR, HARVARD PUBLIC OPINION PROJECT: Yes, thank you for having me. And, you know, sorry to start it off on such a bleak note, but I do think the numbers tell a story that is extremely concerning, because, you know, every semester we run this poll and we ask questions on a whole host of topics, and usually whenever we go through the data trying to find the biggest headlines, the most important takeaways, you know, they go sort of in all different directions, some things positive, some things negative.
But this semester the data told an extraordinarily clear story, and that story was that across just about every part of life, from engagement in politics to interpersonal connections to trust in just about every institution we've talked about in the past two semesters, young Americans are so thoroughly disillusioned with their lives and the world around them that we're heading down a really dark path right now, and if we don't turn that around soon, I think the results could be particularly tragic for American society and democracy.
BRUNHUBER: Yes, I'll get to maybe why in a second, but let's talk about the source of some of that frustration. I mean, the poll found that 43 percent of young people say they're barely just getting by financially, so how much of this sort of generational gloom is really about money and the cost of living versus something deeper like a loss of faith in the system?
SCHWARTZ: Absolutely, I mean, it's the classic adage, it's the economy's stupid, and it's never been truer for young people. Every semester we've tried to figure out what exactly is going on with this generation, and this semester the theme across every question has been not only this broad sense of disillusionment, but also that much of it does stem from this economic situation.
For example, we asked a battery of questions on support for political violence, or rather acceptance of political violence, and through a series of statistical tests we found that the leading predictor of acceptance for political violence, of turning away from, you know, traditional measures of fixing problems via the political system. It's highest among those who are struggling the most financially, which makes sense according to all the academic literature and prior polling, but it is deeply concerning considering economic situations we're seeing for young people right now are not improving.
BRUNHUBER: Yes. So, their struggles are potentially leading them and the country, I guess, down that dark path that you talked about. In terms of, I mean, solutions, let's say, politically young people broadly favor Democrats, but a democratic strategist wouldn't necessarily be comforted by looking at these numbers. I mean, neither party came out well. What message should political strategists take from these numbers?
SCHWARTZ: I think the biggest message to take away from a survey that looks something like this is that we need to do a lot more listening to young people.
[04:40:00]
I mean, we can look at the numbers for how young people feel about each party. And for example, we asked an open-ended question, asking people to give the first word to describe each party, Democrats and Republicans. And 40 percent of respondents were fully negative on both parties. 58 percent of respondents said something negative about Democrats. 56 percent said something negative about Republicans. And the most common word for Democrats, weak. For Republicans, corrupt. I think that paints a pretty clear picture of how young people are engaging with this political situation to begin with.
BRUNHUBER: OK.
SCHWARTZ: When we're talking solutions -- oh, yes, sorry.
BRUNHUBER: Yes, yes. Well, let's talk solutions because, you know, this is a very bleak portrait. And as I said earlier, only 13 percent feel the country's going in the right direction. So, of course, pretty bleak, but only 28 percent consider themselves politically engaged. I mentioned the numbers on -- the number of people who are planning to vote. So, they feel things are bad, but they don't seem as though they can do anything about it, right?
SCHWARTZ: Remarkably, these numbers actually aren't that much lower than usual, which isn't necessarily a bright spot, but it is sort of a bright spot relative to past years. For example, if you look at the number of young Americans who say they were likely to vote at this point in the 2018 and 2022 midterm cycles, it's virtually identical despite this great loss in faith in government. So, hopefully this means young people will be more engaged heading into the midterms once again, but there's always so much more work to do.
BRUNHUBER: Yes. We only have a minute or so, but this is important because we have to put this into context because when you hear these numbers about young people being unhappy, I mean, every generation had its complaints. You know, we had the boomers and in Vietnam, Gen X called slackers, you know, millennials and so on. I mean, what makes this different? Is there something in this data that shows that Gen Z's disillusionment is actually, you know, deeper or more structural than all of that angst we've seen before?
SCHWARTZ: I do think so, because, you know, with every prior generation, we have never seen a world changing this fast. And, you know, we go back always to this sort of anecdote about Gen Z, where if you think about where the generation begins, it's who actually is able to remember 9/11 and specifically who is able to remember September 12th.
Gen Z has never seen America come together and unite behind a single cause. And I think that shows today, because as we see artificial intelligence disrupt the workforce, as we see conflict break out around the world, Gen Z has no reason to believe that we are capable of coming together in the same way that previous generations have seen. Hopefully that can change. And I would urge all elected leaders and leaders in every part of the world to try and make that possible and show Gen Z it is possible for us to unify. But so far, it doesn't look great.
BRUNHUBER: Yes. We'll end on that, well, semi-hopeful note, I guess. Lots to think about there. Jordan Schwartz, thank you so much.
SCHWARTZ: Thanks for having me.
BRUNHUBER: Well, before cars and roads, there was once a dinosaur freeway. When we come back, a groundbreaking discovery about the ancient creatures. We'll explain after the break. Stay with us.
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[04:45:00] BRUNHUBER: A kind of high-traffic dinosaur freeway may have once stretched across a shoreline in what's now Bolivia. That's according to scientists who counted more than 16,000 prehistoric footprints apparently left behind by theropods. Now, those are three-toed bipedal meat-eating dinosaurs. The tracks provide scientists with clues about how dinosaurs moved through their habitat. For more on this fascinating discovery, let's bring in Raul Esperante, paleontologist and senior researcher at the Geoscience Research Institute. Thanks so much for being here with us. I really appreciate it.
So, when you first started mapping all these tracks, at one point, did you realize that you were looking at something record-breaking here?
RAUL ESPERANTE, PALEONTOLOGIST AND SENIOR RESEARCHER, GEOSCIENCE RESEARCH INSTITUTION: Thank you for having me. It was in 2017 when we first visited the site, and we quickly realized the volume and the significance of this track site. The track -- the park rangers told us that there were about 200, 300 footprints there. And then when we began to clean up the site, we found thousands and thousands of them.
BRUNHUBER: Unbelievable. So, you know, before we get to the significance of this, tell me about the site itself. I mean, you have tail drag marks, swimming tracks, birds walking along, dinosaurs. I mean, what makes that area special? What makes it a place that was able to record so much of the past?
ESPERANTE: Well, as you said, we believe that that was part of what we call the dinosaur freeway, running from northern Argentina to southeastern Peru and all through the middle of Bolivia. There -- in Bolivia, there are hundreds of track sites, but this one is the largest in terms of exposure surface and number of tracks. Evidently, perhaps thousands or even thousands of dinosaurs walk along this path for reasons, you know, that we still have to investigate.
BRUNHUBER: Interesting. So, I mean, the pictures are fascinating. And you say there are thousands of dinosaurs. But one thing that jumps out to me, at least, is that every single dinosaur track there, as I understand it, belongs to meat eaters, no plant eaters at all. Why is that?
ESPERANTE: In this particular site, yes. But in other sites in the national park and in Bolivia, there are sites with sauropod and ornithopod and even turtle tracks preserved. But in this particular site, interestingly, only sauropod tracks are preserved. And it's a mystery why there weren't other kinds of dinosaur tracks preserved along with them.
BRUNHUBER: Yes.
ESPERANTE: Yes.
BRUNHUBER: So, all of this, you know, paints a picture of a really busy area, freeway, as you said. I mean, what did it tell you about what life looked like at this spot? You know, 70 or 80 million years ago. ESPERANTE: It was busy, busy transit. Think of this. Tracks have a very short lifespan. So, to say the tracks on a wet surface last a few hours to a few days. So, here we find, and in other places, thousands of tracks. That means that all of them were formed in a very short period of time, a few hours maybe. And they hardened, the substrate hardened, we say cemented, very quickly before they could be eroded. So, we have exceptional conditions for both forming the tracks and preserving the tracks.
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BRUNHUBER: Yes. It's so interesting because we always think, at least civilians like me, of fossils being the way you learn about dinosaurs. But it's interesting to see how much you can learn from their tracks. Now, that you've documented all these tracks, I mean, what's the next question that you want to answer about this?
ESPERANTE: Well, research always opens new questions and more intriguing. One of them is precisely why were so many dinosaurs walking in that surface? Why are the tracks preserved and not destroyed? And the other one is precisely why are there not other kinds of tracks preserved like sauropod in this area?
And also, interestingly is the occurrence of tail drag marks and swing tracks with walking tracks. This is extremely uncommon in other track sites in the world, especially tail drag marks. These dinosaurs lower their tails while walking, and this is very uncommon.
BRUNHUBER: So, many questions that come out of this. I can't wait to eventually hear the answers. Raul Esperante, thank you so much for speaking with us. Appreciate it.
ESPERANTE: Thank you for having me.
BRUNHUBER: All right. We'll be right back here on CNN Newsroom. Stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: Indiana knocked off top-ranked Ohio State on friendly territory in Indianapolis to win the Big Ten championship with a perfect record. Now, look, the game was a nail-biter, but the Hoosiers took the lead with this touchdown pass from Fernando Mendoza to Elijah Sarratt in the third quarter. The Buckeyes missed a game-tying field goal, and the final score was 13-10. The win will likely give Indiana the top seed in the college football playoff.
Now, here in Georgia, fans are celebrating after the Bulldogs beat longtime rival Alabama at the Southeastern Conference Championship. The Bulldogs scored their first two touchdowns off stellar defensive plays, including this one. A blocked punt that set up a drive in the first quarter. Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton put on a masterful performance, throwing three touchdown passes for 156 yards. He led the Bulldogs to a 28-7 victory and was named the game's MVP. And Georgia will now head to the college football playoffs, while Alabama is at risk of missing out.
The ACC championship title game on Saturday came down to the wire. Virginia tied the game late in the fourth quarter and forced Duke into overtime. The Blue Devils managed to power through, scoring a touchdown to secure a 27-20 win in overtime. Now, it's the first overtime game in ACC championship history. Duke's first league crown in more than 60 years. But that victory won't necessarily secure Duke's spot in the college football playoffs. Instead, it could mean a second group of five team could advance to those playoffs.
Well, that wraps this hour of CNN Newsroom. I'm Kim Brunhuber. I'll be back with more news in just a moment.
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