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Hegseth Defends Decision To Carry Out Double-Tap Strike; Opposition Leader, Nobel Laureate Machado, Gets Support; Ukraine Peace Talks In Miami End With Lingering Questions; Syria Calls For Israel To Reinstate Previous Buffer Zone; Lebanon Moves To Reassert Control Over Hezbollah Strongholds; Two Out Of Three Escapes Recaptured; Minnesota Faith Leaders Denounce Trump's Attacks On Somalis. Aired 5-6a ET

Aired December 07, 2025 - 05:00   ET

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

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[05:00:38]

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and 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. Secretary of War defending the military's use of force in the Caribbean. We'll have a look at the new details revealed by Senate leaders.

Plus, a Ukrainian delegation has left Miami after a weekend of talks between top U.S. and foreign leaders. We'll tell you where the peace process between Russia and Ukraine stands now.

And the Trump administration's crackdown on immigration is being met with resistance in Minnesota. How one targeted community is staying strong as homeland security officials flood the state.

ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta, this is "CNN Newsroom" with Kim Brunhuber.

BRUNHUBER: The U.S. Defense Secretary has defended the Trump administration's military operations in the Caribbean as demonstrating the strength of American resolve, that's despite mounting questions over their legality. Pete Hegseth was speaking Saturday at the Ronald Reagan defense forum. He doubled down on the administration's efforts to combat drug trafficking, comparing the alleged traffickers to Al- Qaeda, while saying the strikes will continue.

Hegseth also defended the administration's decision to carry out a follow up strike that killed two survivors in September. That's led to criticism in Congress, with the Senate armed services community vowing to investigate. And when asked if he would release the full video of the strike, Hegseth wouldn't be pinned down.

Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LUCAS TOMLINSON, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: So, Mr. Secretary, you will be releasing that full video?

PETE HEGSETH, U.S. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: We are reviewing it right now.

TOMLINSON: Is that a yes or no?

HEGSETH: That is -- 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: CNN's Oren Liebermann has more on the secretary's comments.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth spoke here at the Reagan national defense forum, and one of the key questions was how he would address the controversy around a double tap strike on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean from September 2nd. Well, Hegseth didn't back down at all. He said these strikes would continue.

To date, there have been more than 20 strikes that have killed more than 80 people. And he said they were targeting what he described as narco-terrorists and compared the drugs they were carrying to chemical weapons.

One of the key questions about that September 2nd strike was the timeline itself, and that's where we've seen shifting explanations from Hegseth himself. He had initially said that he watched the strike take place, emphasizing the planning that went into it, before backing off that and saying he watched the first of what was a double tap strike and then went to meetings. He justified that decision as he continued to say the strike itself met all the criterion of what he described as a legal strike.

HEGSETH: So, I was satisfied with the strike criteria, yes. Saw the strike itself, which all of you have seen. It was probably 30 or 40 minutes is what I've been told of -- of dust and -- and it was on fire for a long time after that.

I stayed for probably five minutes or so after, but ultimately at that point it was a tactical operation and so I moved on to other things. I shouldn't be fighting tactics as the Secretary of War, so I moved on to other things.

Later on, a couple hours later, I was told, hey, there had to be a re- attack because there were a couple of folks that could still be in the fight.

LIEBERMANN: One of the questions about the fallout from the strike itself is will the Defense Department release the video of the double tap strike? President Donald Trump said earlier this week that he wouldn't have any problem with it being released. But when Hegseth was asked if he would authorize that release, he wouldn't give a firm yes.

He said the Department was reviewing that and would at some point make a decision when he was pressed on whether that meant yes or no. He basically said the focus has moved on and is elsewhere. So, the controversy around the strikes itself and the decision to carry out a second strike that killed the two survivors who were hanging on to the wreckage, that very much remains.

Oren Liebermann, CNN, Simi Valley.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have been expressing their opinions on the strikes. Earlier, CNN spoke to Republican Congressman Don Bacon of the House Armed Services Committee for his view. And here's some of what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. DON BACON (R-NE): I believe that he did not give the order to kill everybody. We got that pretty well validated. Whether or not we should have hit that boat the second time, I think it's debatable. I think it's probably in a gray zone.

[05:05:07]

But I do think it would be wise just to put out the video and be fully transparent. I think you make a good case either way. Should we hit the boat or not? On one hand, you got a boat that's floating there or a sinking boat with two survivors. But they're saying that there's still drugs on the boat and another boat was coming to get the drugs. So, it's debatable. I think it's in a gray area. But I was relieved to hear that the Secretary did not order that everybody should be killed and kill all the survivors. He did not say that.

What I think that what has not been done is the administration has not come to 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 and say this is what we're trying to do in Venezuela.

BRUNHUBER: Venezuela's opposition leader, Maria Corina Machado, is getting a global outpouring of support amid escalating tensions between the U.S. and her home country. 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 as CNN's Pau Mosquera reports from Madrid, doubts remain about whether Machado will show up.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAU MOSQUERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Flashlights and lead candles as if they were torches. Banners showing their support to the new Nobel Peace laureate, Maria Corina Machado. This is one of the 23 marches that the Venezuelan opposition present in Spain has organized this Saturday in the country.

This specifically is the one that took the streets of downtown Madrid, an opportunity where the concentrated expressed their desire that after the prize is awarded to Machado, things might change in Venezuela.

DANEILA GONZALEZ, VENEZUELAN RESIDENT: We are supporting our family and all the people living in Venezuela and living in different countries. And we are trying to fight for the democracy and the freedom of our country.

MARCOS PLANCHART, VENEZUELAN RESIDENT: For me, it's important to be present because it's to send a message to all the people of the regime, from their supporters and the whole structure of violence that they have enabled, that we are present, that there is a diaspora that will never take their eyes off what's happening in Venezuela.

MARISABEL GARABITO, VENEZUELAN RESIDENT: This award puts our country in a public view, an important one. So, I believe it's a huge step up from our country for our freedom.

MOSQUERA: While the hope of everyone involved in the march is that Machado can receive the Nobel in person, there are still some doubts about it. Contacted by CNN, the Novel Institute informed that they spoke to her this Friday night and she assured that would attend the ceremony in Oslo. Now, they don't know how and when she would get to Norway. That's why the doubt will only be cleared up next Wednesday when the Nobel is presented at the Oslo City Hall.

Pau Mosquera, CNN, Madrid.

(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. Its 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. The structure was completed in 2019, decades after the power plant suffered the worst nuclear disaster in history.

CNN's Paula Hancocks joins you now with more. So, Paula, let's start there with that damaged shield in Chernobyl. What more do we know?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kim, we know these details from the IAEA, the top U.N. nuclear watchdog. They have a team that is permanently on site. They say they're monitoring it at this point.

[05:10:09]

But they are concerned about that steel structure, which effectively encases the damaged or the ruined reactor four to make sure that no radioactive -- that steel structure, which effectively encases the damaged or the ruined reactor four to make sure that no radioactive material can leak into the atmosphere.

Now, they say it was -- as you mentioned, from that February drone strike, which Ukraine blamed on Russia, Russia denied. But the IAEA says, at the time, it sparked a fire and it damaged the external cladding to that structure. So, what they are recommending at this point is there does need to be a major renovation of this steel structure to make sure that it can continue to do the job, the very vital job that it was built to do. It was -- cost them $2.5 billion at the time to put this structure into place. And it really does highlight the concerns about a number of different nuclear sites, this obviously a damaged nuclear site, but other nuclear power plants across Ukraine in the midst of this war.

Kim?

BRUNHUBER: And, Paula, back to the talks in Miami. I mentioned no breakthrough. I mean, where does that leave things now?

HANCOCKS: Well, these talks went on for three days between the U.S. and the Ukrainian delegation that was in Miami. We did hear from the Ukrainian ambassador to the United States. She said that difficult issues remain, although many sides are suggesting there was progress made.

There doesn't seem to be anything tangible at this point that they are at least willing to say publicly. She said that it was territory and guarantees that are the two main sticking points. And these have long -- for a long time been the sticking points, the fact that Ukraine feels it needs security guarantees to ensure that, in the future, Russia is not going to try and take more territory from it.

And in fact, we heard just recently, when Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, was in India meeting Prime Minister Modi, that he had said to reporters he intends to seize the eastern Donbas region by any means. So, at this point, the talks, we know, will continue. They have finished in Miami at this point. We know that the Ukrainian president met -- spoke to Steve Witkoff and Jarred Kushner, the two U.S. mediators. And then, looking forward, we know on Monday, Zelenskyy will be in London to meet with the British, French and German leaders. So, this diplomacy is continuing.

And we did also hear from the U.S. ambassador to NATO about how he assesses the current progress. Let's listen to that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MATTHEW WHITAKER, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO NATO: You know, we're close -- we're closer than we've ever been to peace. And this is -- you know, as President Trump has said, this is a -- this is a tough situation to get to the right spot. And you know, ultimately, it's -- this war needs to end. And it's been going on for almost four years, with millions of casualties.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANCOCKS: These talks and the conversations that Zelenskyy said he had with his U.S. counterparts were constructive. Constructive being a word that we are hearing a lot of when it comes to these ongoing talks. Kim?

BRUNHUBER: Interesting. All right I appreciate that. Paula Hancocks in Abu Dhabi, thanks so much.

Japan is accusing Chinese military fighter jets of locking their fire control radar on Japanese aircraft twice on Saturday. The system helps guide weapons and could signal a potential attack. Japanese officials say it happened over international waters near Japan's Okinawa Islands and close to Taiwan.

Japan's defense minister called the action, quote, "beyond what is necessary for the safe flight of aircraft and is a dangerous act." A Chinese Navy official blamed Japanese aircraft for repeatedly approaching and disrupting the Chinese Navy during carrier-based flight training.

At least 25 people are dead after a fire ripped through a nightclub in western India. Officials in the resort region of Goa say at least four tourists and more than a dozen kitchen staff members are among those killed. CNN affiliate News 18 says the blaze is thought to have broken out after a cylinder exploded at the club. Local news reports indicate most of the victims succumbed to burn injuries, while others died of suffocation. You know, Goa is a small state on India's west coast known for its beaches. It attracts tens of thousands of tourists each year.

All right, still coming up here on CNN Newsroom, a critical moment for the Gaza cease-fire, with Egypt accusing Israel of violations.

Plus, Syria celebrates the first anniversary of the end of civil war. Those stories and more coming up. Please do stay with us.

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[05:18:52]

BRUNHUBER: Qatar's prime minister warned at the Doha forum that negotiations for the next phase of the Gaza ceasefire have 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. 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-THAN, QATARI PRIME MINISTER: Now, we are at a critical moment. It's not yet there. So, 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 militants because they crossed the yellow line. Christiane also spoke with Syria's president, Ahmed al-Sharaa. He accuses Israel of creating interference in his country and others.

Here he is.

[05:20:02]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AHMED AL-SHARAA, SYRIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Israel, in managing its crises in the region, often exports crises to other countries and tries to run away from the horrifying massacres it committed in Gaza, and it does so by attempting to export crises. Israel has become a country that is in a fight against ghosts.

(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.

CNN's international viewers can see Christiane Amanpour's full interview with Syrian President Ahmad al-Shara on Monday at 6 p.m. in London. That's 9 p.m. in Doha.

Syrian rebels in Hama are celebrating one year since the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime. They captured the city on December 5th of 2024 after a lightning advance across northern Syria. The move dealt a serious blow to the Assad regime's hold on power, and by December 8th, the country's 13-year civil war came to an end with Assad fleeing to Russia.

A year later, residents of Hama are reflecting on the huge changes they've experienced.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZIAD AKHMAS, HAMA RESIDENT (through translator): Thank God we have a country that we care about. We were scared of our country, scared of the army. Now, we have an army that we care about. Now we are not afraid. We go to pray dawn prayers at the mosque without fearing anything. Thank God.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: The Assad regime was rife with conflict and brutal human rights abuses. President al-Sharaa says his country faces external challenges now.

AL-SHARAA: 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: 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 (on camera): 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 in deep, deep into this mountain.

The Lebanese army says it has 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.

This looks like it was the kitchen. Still food here, tins unopened. This clearly was a serious operation. This was some sort of field hospital or clinic. These are hospital-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.

(Voice-over): This tunnel appears to have been one of several in this area which Israel heavily bombed.

(On camera): 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.

(Voice-over): Israel continues to target on an almost daily basis, what it claims are Hezbollah members and infrastructure saying Hezbollah is re-arming and regrouping. Hezbollah is holding its fire for now.

[05:25:14]

(On camera): 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.

Ben Wedeman, CNN -- South Lebanon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: All right, still ahead here on CNN Newsroom. Escapees from the latest Louisiana jailbreak have been recaptured. And a high school senior is accused of setting a passenger on fire on the New York subway. And we'll have details on the investigation and what charges he faces.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRUNHUBER: Welcome back. I'm Kim Brunhuber. Let's check some of today's top stories.

At least 25 people are dead after a fire ripped through a nightclub in western India. Officials suspect the blaze broke out after a cylinder exploded at the club in the Goa resort region. Goa's chief minister has ordered an inquiry into the cause and whether safety and building regulations were followed.

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.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is declining to say whether the full video will be released of a double-tap strike against an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean. Speaking at an event in California, he defended the military's decision to carry out a follow-up strike that killed two survivors of that attack in September. He also doubled down on the administration's efforts to combat drug trafficking, saying the strikes will continue.

[05:30:15]

Two out of three escaped inmates have been recaptured after a jailbreak in Louisiana. CNN's Rafael Romo has the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What we know is that out of three inmates who authorities say, escaped this week from a jail in St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, located about 60 miles west of Baton Rouge, only one remains at large. The fugitive has been identified as 24- year-old Keith Eli, who was facing a second-degree attempted murder charge.

A second escapee identified as 24-year-old Jonathan Jevon Joseph, and who was facing several charges, including principal to first-degree rape, has been captured according to the St. Landry Parish Sheriff's Office.

The third escapee, 26-year-old Joseph Allen Harrington, who faced several felony charges, including home invasion, killed himself after he was found as Port Barre Police Chief Deon Boudreaux told CNN affiliate KADN.

DEON BOURDEAUX, PORT BARRE POLICE CHIEF: Eventually were 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.

ROMO: Regarding how the inmates were able to escape, St. Landry Parish Sheriff Bobby Guidroz said that the inmates discovered a degrading part of an upper wall area, and over time removed the mortar, allowing them to remove concrete blocks and provide their exit. The sheriff added that the inmates used sheets and other items to scale the outer wall, drop onto the first-floor roof and lower themselves to the ground.

But St. Land Parish President Jessie Bellard disputed that statement saying at a news conference that the comment about crumbling walls is not true.

JESSIE M. BELLARD, PRESIDENT, ST. LANDRY PARISH: As you can see, the walls are not crumbling. Our jail's in good shape. We had structural engineers come in last year look at our jail for the possibility of expanding our jail. And the structural engineers came back with a clean bill of help. ROMO: This latest jailbreak adds to several brazen escapes from Louisiana Prison so far in 2025. An inmate escaped from the same St. Landry Parish jail on October 23rd and was recaptured by the Opelousas Police Department only a day later, as KADN reported then.

Ten inmates broke out of a New Orleans jail in May in a stunning overnight escape using electric hair trimmers with multiple clipper blades to help cut their way through the cell walls, according to a source. The last of those 10 prisoners was at large for nearly five months before being recaptured in Atlanta.

Rafael Romo, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Authorities in North Carolina are investigating another stabbing on the same rail line where a Ukrainian refugee was stabbed to death. Charlotte police arrested Oscar Solorzano for Friday's attack that left one person seriously injured. He's facing several charges, including attempted first-degree murder. According to court records, Solorzano is an undocumented immigrant who was deported previously.

On Saturday, President Trump used the stabbing as a reason to complain about Democrats on social media. Now the attack happened on Charlotte's Lynx Blue Line, the route where authorities say Decarlos Brown stabbed and killed refugee Iryna Zarutska in August. The White House used a briefing to bring national attention to Zarutska's killing.

New details are coming in about an 18-year-old accused of setting a man on fire while riding the subway in New York. 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 the 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. [05:35:00]

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: All right, let's just into CNN from London, where authorities have arrested a man on suspicion of assault in London's Heathrow Airport after a group of men reportedly attacked a number of people with a, quote, form of pepper spray at a multi-story car park at Terminal 3. Officials believe the group of people may have known each other and had an argument which escalated. Traffic in the area is disrupted, but the terminal is open and officials say they're not treating the incident as terrorism.

Police say the victims were taken to hospital, but their injuries aren't believed to be life-threatening. Passengers are advised to allow extra time when traveling to the airport. We'll bring you more information as it becomes available.

All right, still to come here on CNN Newsroom, Minnesotans are rallying around their Somali community members and neighbors after the U.S. president calls them garbage. We'll have that story coming up. Please do stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:40:25]

BRUNHUBER: The U.S. Supreme Court agreed on Friday to rule on whether Donald Trump's executive order ending birthright citizenship is constitutional. The justices will hear arguments next year and could issue a ruling by June. It's the first time the nation's top court will take up the case since lower courts comprised of both liberal and conservative judges have ruled that the order violates the Constitution.

The ACLU and other civil liberties groups have filed lawsuits to keep the order from being implemented. The leader of one group who sued the Trump administration explains what's at stake.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JUAN PROANO, CEO, LEAGUE OF UNITED LATIN AMERICAN CITIZENS: Ending birthright citizenship would literally leave tens of thousands of U.S. born children with no legal claim and no other country to go to. We are happy that the Supreme Court is going to actually be hearing this, and we actually feel very strongly that they will support and uphold this birthright citizenship status in the 14th Amendment. You've got 127 years, right, of precedent when it comes to actually, you know, this amendment of the Constitution.

What Trump is really asking the court to do is reinterpret something that has longstanding, you know, rulings in support of it, and we don't necessarily think that that's actually going to happen. But it is possible in this Trump court, if you will, that things could potentially not necessarily go our way, our way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: The White House is ramping up its immigration crackdown. A source tells CNN the Trump administration is expected to deport dozens of Iranians back to their home country in the coming hours. It would be the second such deportation flight after a rare agreement between Washington and Tehran. Human rights and advocacy groups warn there are serious risks for those who fled the U.S. And may be forced to return to Iran.

U. S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement declined to confirm reporting about the deportations without denying the planned operation, citing, quote, "the safety of the flight and its passengers."

Well, public anger is growing as the Trump administration carries out heavily militarized anti-immigration raids in Minnesota and Louisiana. Yesterday we took you to New Orleans, where the Department of Homeland Security is aiming to make 5000 arrests. A controversial state law makes it a crime to interfere with, ignore or thwart immigration enforcement efforts.

Meanwhile, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, volunteers are literally sounding the alarm as ICE agents arrest people in the streets. Community members are patrolling areas where their Somali and Hispanic neighbors frequent blowing whistles to alert people of confirmed ice sightings. Donald Trump has verbally singled out Somali migrants in Minnesota, calling people of Somali background garbage.

Local Somali leaders and allies of all backgrounds and faiths are coming together to condemn the raids and to denounce Trump's attacks. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REV. PAUL GRAHAM, ST. ANSGAR'S LUTHERAN CHURCH: No human being is garbage, Mr. President, and shame on you for saying so.

RABBI ADAM STOCK SPILKER, MOUNT ZION TEMPLE: We know that when a few people commit crimes, it does not implicate an entire community. And to say so is racist, xenophobic and just wrong.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Fanah Adam is the Chair of the Somali American Social Service Association, and he joins me from Mankato, Minnesota. Thank you so much for being here with us and just to let our viewers know we're having some trouble with the video, but we can hear you clearly. So, tell us what you're hearing from Somali families in this time. How are they reacting to being put in the crosshairs by the president like this?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FANAH ADAM, SOMALI AMERICAN SOCIAL SERVICE ASSOCIATION CHAIR: First of all, thank you so much for having me. What is going here in Minnesota, especially for the twin cities? There's an immigration crackdown for homeland security and also operation with ICE.

Over the past few days, federal immigration authorities, the DHS and ICE have carried out arresting for the twin cities, targeting all the people of Somali origin, regardless of documented or undocumented people. And this has caused all Somali citizens to carry the passport. And that is the problem.

Citizen who is someone who is a citizen carrying a passport in this country. So, passport is intended to show the foreign countries that you are American citizen. But now, as a Somali, we're carrying our passport in order to prove that we are citizen.

[05:45:10]

And the problem here is if you don't prove your citizenship, you will be divinely detained without any condition.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, it must be just terrifying for so many people in the community. I mean, when you -- when you hear the president call your entire community garbage, I mean, what -- is that racism, pure and simple? Or is there something else at work here, do you think?

ADAM: Yeah, that was a brash, memorable effect, because President Trump is the president of the United States of America. He is not a president for his racial ethnicity. So, I believe Trump's remarks are morally wrong and deeply harmful, not only to Somali-American Minnesotans, but to the value of inclusion and the fairness and the pluralism that is essential in a diverse democracy like the USA.

So, Trump's remarks also were designed to provoke fear, anger, which we need as Somali-American Minnesotans to stay confident and organized and common sensory, not to respond it. OK.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, I want to ask about that because you say it's important to stay confident and -- and so on. I mean, I understand you are getting support from outside of the Somali community. Tell me about the people in the community in Minnesota there that have been rallying to your cause.

ADAM: First of all, as you know, we have support from other communities, like a church, synagogues, and also we have the mayor. So, we have all Minnesotans are beside us. And also, as a Somali, we need just to stay, to respond, OK, anything that could be used against the community. So, we are very grateful to be for getting more support with our Minnesotans.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah. Listen, I appreciate hearing from you, Fanah Adam, of the Somali-American Social Service Association. Thank you so much for speaking with us.

ADAM: OK, so, finally, I want to just conclude my one remark, please, if it's possible.

BRUNHUBER: Sure, a last word. Go ahead.

ADAM: OK, finally, just what I want to tell to President Trump is, he said, go back to Somalia. And I wanted to say to him, we are not going anywhere. God created us in this golden state of Minnesota, and we will remain Somali and Minnesota. And President Trump, you are the one who will go and leave the office after years.

And thanks so much for having me.

BRUNHUBER: OK, we'll leave it there. I appreciate getting your perspective on this troubling time for so many Somalis here in the U.S.

All right, still to come here on CNN Newsroom. The president is celebrating the controversial changes he's made to the Kennedy Center, one of the country's most prestigious performing arts spaces. That is ahead. Stay with us.

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[05:52:10]

BRUNHUBER: President Trump is touting all the recent changes he's made to the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington as he tries to shape it into a MAGA-friendly institution. Donald Trump is set to host the annual honors ceremony later Sunday, and he says he played a big part in choosing this year's winners. CNN's Julia Benbrook has the details.

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JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Well, the Kennedy Center honors is a longtime tradition, one that spans several decades. There are changes this year. The big one is that the sitting president, Donald Trump, is going to serve as the host for the main event set to take place Sunday night. He announced that he was stepping into that role back in August when he announced the honorees. And as he handed out medals Saturday night, he expressed that he was confident in the job he would do.

DONALD TRUMP (R), U.S. PRESIDENT: I look forward to celebrating with all of you at the Kennedy Center tomorrow. And it's going to be something that I believe, and I'm going to make a prediction, this will be the highest-rated show that they've ever done. And they've gotten some pretty good ratings, but there's nothing like what's going to happen tomorrow night. So, I just want to thank you all. I want to congratulate you all.

BENBROOK: Trump, who currently serves as chairman of the Kennedy Center, said that he was, quote, 98 percent involved in selecting this year's winners. The list includes actor Sylvester Stallone, country music star George Strait, members of the rock band Kiss, Grammy Award- winning singer Gloria Gaynor, and actor and Tony Award winner Michael Crawford.

Now, during his second term, Trump has taken a special interest in the Kennedy Center and has been working to make various changes. Back in February, he dismissed a slew of Democratic appointees to the center's board of trustees and appointed several aides and allies, including Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, as well as Second Lady Usha Vance. Trump was subsequently elected chairman of the board.

Just this last week, he referred to it as the Trump Kennedy Center.

Julia Benbrook, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Music filled the air, and crowds cheered as Bethlehem lit its Christmas tree on Saturday. It was a long-awaited return to celebration for the West Bank City, which Christians consider the birthplace of Jesus. The holiday this lasts -- well, the holiday over these last two years, it's been quiet and dark, with no tree and limited to prayer because of the war in Gaza. But streets, as you can see, are now brighter, and a small number of pilgrims and visitors are even expected to join the festivities.

Trader Joe's grocery stores got started in the late 1960s in the greater Los Angeles area and have since expanded across the U.S., and now the chain is making waves overseas without even opening a store. CNN's Richard Quest and Anna Cooban explain.

[05:55:03]

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RICHARD QUEST, CNN HOST: Trader Joe's is a grocery store institution known for high quality and reasonable prices. They're everywhere.

The bags are also ubiquitous. They used to be a bit of a fashion statement here in New York. But now, the way they've taken off overseas, it's worth a great deal more.

ANNA COOBAN, CNN BUSINESS & ECONOMICS REPORTER: I'm in a trendy part of East London on a fact-finding mission, because I want to know why these bags have really taken off in the U.K., despite the fact that Trader Joe's doesn't even have a store in the country.

JOHN STAHL, SHOPPER: Anytime I go anywhere, people are complimenting me on it, which is odd, because it's just a thing you would have in the States.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Maybe people saw it on TikTok.

TITIEN GUNTER, SHOPPER: You see something, a piece of, like, something that people wear online, you see it, you like it, because you see it more and more and more, you get used to it, and you think that's what you want to wear, because everybody wears it, basically.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, I did bring this back from L.A., all the way across the Atlantic Ocean to London.

AMANDA DE GODOL, SHOPPER: It feels like it's not luxury, but something, like, niched, you know? You have to be in America to have one of those, so maybe that's the reason why people think it's cool, but it's basically just a supermarket. COOBAN (voice-over): As with all fashion trends, it's about individual taste.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I wouldn't wear it, but I'm a black-only wearer.

COOBAN (voice-over): Anna Cooban, CNN London.

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BRUNHUBER: London got an unexpected surge of holiday spirit as a group of Australian and Kiwi Santas flooded Fogger Square, participating in a SantaCon parade. They sang carols, rang bells, and climbed just about anything climbable, including Nelson's Column. Officials tried to put a lid on the rowdy festivities, but holiday cheer won out in the end, and the celebrations continued, as they should.

That wraps this hour of "CNN Newsroom." I'm Kim Brunhuber. For our viewers in North America, "CNN This Morning" is next. For the rest of the world, "It's Connecting Africa."

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