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Bondi Beach Shooting Indicates ISIS Inspiration; Military Strikes More Drug Boats; FBI Offers Reward for Brown University Shooting Information; Trump Insults Reiner After Death. Aired 6:30-7a ET

Aired December 16, 2025 - 06:30   ET

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

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[06:32:33]

AUDIE CORNISH, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everybody. I'm Audie Cornish. I want to thank you for joining me on CNN THIS MORNING.

It's half past the hour, and here's what's happening right now.

The manhunt continues in Providence, Rhode Island, for the man accused of killing two students and wounding nine more at Brown University. The FBI now offering $50,000 for any information to identify the suspect.

And today in L.A., the double murder case of Rob and Michele Reiner will be turned over to prosecutors. The suspect is the couple's son, Nick Reiner, who is being held without bail.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF JIM MCDONNELL, LOS ANGELES POLICE: We have our robbery-homicide division handling the investigation. They worked throughout the night on this case and were able to take into custody Nick Reiner, a suspect in this case.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: Hollywood has been shaken by the tragedy. Reiner's star on the Walk of Fame has now been turned into a memorial.

And early investigations point to ISIS as an inspiration behind the deadly Bondi Beach attack. Police say the suspects were motivated to carry out the Hanukkah massacre by, quote, "Islamic state ideology."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COMMISSIONER MAL LANYON, NEW SOUTH WALES POLICE: The vehicle, which is registered to the younger male, contained IEDs. But I'll also confirm that it contained two homemade ISIS flags.

(END VIDEO CLIP) CORNISH: This morning, 22 people injured are still in the hospital. And police say one of the suspected shooters is now out of a coma. New this morning, Nine News in Sydney spoke to one of his former coworkers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LACHIE, FORMER CO-WORKER OF SUSPECTED GUNMAN: Obviously in shock. Yes, disbelief. Like, sort of a pretty quiet bloke. Kept to himself. Fairly polite, respectful. Had his views, but never pushed anything on anyone.

He's just a sick individual.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: CNN's Angus Watson joins us now from Sydney.

And, Angus, can you give us more about what you're learning?

ANGUS WATSON, CNN PRODUCER: Audie, we've learned today that this father and son duo, Sajid Akram and Naveed Akram, traveled to the Philippines in November. There they went to Mindanao, an island known for its Islamist insurgency, where ISIS-connected groups have been fighting the Philippines military for over ten years.

[06:35:09]

Now, the Australian authorities believe that the two men could have received some sort of military training there. The father, 50-year-old Sajid, he is deceased. He was killed on Sunday. The son, 24-year-old Naveed, remains in hospital but is now out of a coma and police are waiting until he is in a fit state of mind to charge -- to formally press charges against him, Audie.

CORNISH: That's Angus Watson. We'll be following him today as we learn more about those suspects.

And the U.S. military says eight people are dead following a strike on three alleged drug trafficking boats in the eastern Pacific. U.S. Southern Command, in a post on X, says the boats were moving along known, quote, "narco-trafficking routes" and "were engaged in narco- trafficking."

Now this as the president says he's calling illegal fentanyl a weapon of mass destruction.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're formally classifying fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction, which is what it is. No bomb does what this is doing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: And joining me now in the group chat, Zolan Kanno-Youngs, CNN political analyst and White House correspondent for "The New York Times," Chuck Rocha, former senior advisor to the Bernie Sanders presidential campaigns, and Ashley Davis, former White House official under George W. Bush.

And it's Kanno-Youngs. Sorry about that, Zolan.

So, I was reading this executive order and it says illicit fentanyl is closer to a chemical weapon than a narcotic. And people have talked about how lethal fentanyl can be even to the touch.

But it's also talking about the idea of like how you go after it all. Does this designation mean anything in terms of how the government operates, or is this kind of a rhetorical or political exercise?

ZOLAN KANNO-YOUNGS, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: You know, it's -- there's no doubt the devastating toll fentanyl has taken on the United States. But there are real questions about the -- how accurate the descriptions are in this executive order and what the practical impact would be.

The executive order is making a claim that this isn't just a means of terrible addiction and having a -- and the root of a drug epidemic in the United States, but rather that it's been used as an actual weapon of war, a weapon of mass destruction.

CORNISH: Yes. I should say, to read one part, it says, "the potential for fentanyl to be weaponized for concentrated, large-scale terror attacks by adversaries is a serious threat to the United States."

KANNO-YOUNGS: Right. And by the --

CORNISH: Is that a threat you've been hearing about?

ASHLEY DAVIS, FORMER WHITE HOUSE OFFICIAL UNDER PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH: Yes, I think it is just -- well, first of all, there's two things. If you have -- like you said earlier, if you have a family member that was impacted by fentanyl, you would want it to be called a weapon of mass destruction, right? I mean that drug is horrible.

I do think that there's ramifications of it being called that because of what they probably will ask Congress for eventually. I mean if you see what's happened --

CORNISH: So, this is paving the road to that?

DAVIS: I think so.

CORNISH: Because the last time we talked about weapons of mass destruction, we ended up in what is now called a forever war, right?

DAVIS: Yes.

CORNISH: And the pursuit of that and the evidence of that, this is language that is familiar to the American people.

DAVIS: Correct. CHUCK ROCHA, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: And let me -- and let me be clear, any American wants to keep drugs out of America. We want to keep drugs out of the hands of children. But there are protocols that you go through in engagement.

And Ashley said something really important. She goes, when he takes it to Congress. Congress is the one who is supposed to wage war, and there should be a war powers act that we've been currently going under a continuing resolution forever. Yesterday, Senator Ruben Gallego in Arizona brought this up because he's like, we, Congress, are supposed to be the ones saying if and when we go to war, unless there's an imminent threat, which is what you saw yesterday in the language that he put in the executive order.

CORNISH: Let me push back on this for a second. The Defense Department report, they released a national security strategy just a few weeks ago. And what they wanted to do was elevate the fight on the war on drugs, right? Saying that the use of lethal force to replay these boat strikes, which are -- you can -- we can show you all of them all at once, practically, to replace a failed law enforcement only strategy. So, they know there's a way to do this through policing.

KANNO-YOUNGS: Sure.

CORNISH: But they're saying that has failed for like 20, 30 years.

KANNO-YOUNGS: Yes, I think it's fair to see this in the vein of the administration trying to build their argument to justify their actions in the Caribbean and off the Pacific that have gathered more and more bipartisan criticism over its legality when you're talking about these strikes against these battles (ph).

CORNISH: And the seizure of the oil tanker was, in some circles, seen as an escalation as well, militarily.

KANNO-YOUNGS: That's right. That's right. To build the case as you continue these strikes or potential action against the land of Venezuela too, and any sort of action against Maduro that the president has mused about at this point.

I do think it's worth saying, though, experts have said that fentanyl has only been used in a gas attack once, in 2002 by the Russians.

[06:40:01]

The National Defense University also released a report. They study potential weapons of mass destruction. These kinds of designations. They said that this wouldn't be necessary for fentanyl as well. That it's more of a public health emergency or a law enforcement issue (ph).

CORNISH: So, they aren't willing to call it a chemical weapon just yet.

KANNO-YOUNGS: Just yet.

CORNISH: Yes. OK.

In the meantime, Ashley, I want to leave it to you because what happens within an administration as people start to mobilize the argument for wartime activity?

DAVIS: Well, first of all, you see what they're doing today. I mean, in the House and Senate you have Secretary Rubio and you have Secretary Hegseth, both in Congress, briefing. Obviously, they're talking about the double-tap situation in September.

CORNISH: Yes.

DAVIS: But they're also laying the groundwork of -- and you watched -- I was on the show. We have Democratic congressmen now that -- now that they've been briefed, which was very important, kind of going back on some of the things they've been criticizing the administration about, because they're actually giving classified information that us, as the American people, don't know of how bad things are.

But let me just say one more thing. Venezuela is not just about fentanyl. It's not just about the drugs. Let's remember, it's also about Russia and Ukraine.

CORNISH: Why not say that? Why go through this thing with like overdose deaths and all that?

DAVIS: Because I think that -- I think --

ROCHA: You know, for the TV commercial.

KANNO-YOUNGS: Also, the facts don't exactly back up the account that the administration has put out about Venezuela producing all this fentanyl. Fentanyl comes from precursors from China that are then produced in Mexico. Most of the drugs that have come from Venezuela actually end up going to Europe when you talk to national defense officials. So, also the account here that this is all about drugs, facts don't exactly back up that account as well.

CORNISH: Well, it will be interesting to see as this argument builds and builds, something like an executive order. Next you know there will be a statement and we'll see at what point the war on drugs is just a war.

You guys, stay with me. We're going to talk about a lot more this morning.

If you missed any of that conversation, any other part of the show, maybe you want to share it, know that we're a podcast. So, just scan this QR code. You can find it. And then CNN THIS MORNING is available basically anywhere you can get a podcast.

And next on CNN, we're going to continue to follow the developing news out of Brown University. The urgent search for the suspect. We're going to be live from the scene, next.

Plus -- (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: He became like a deranged person. Trump derangement syndrome.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: Many presidents take on the role consoler in chief. Not this one. His response to two tragedies that has even Republicans speaking out.

And --

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[06:46:55]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TED DOCKS, FBI BOSTON SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE: It's painstaking work. And we are asking the public to be patient as we continue to run down every lead so we can get victims, survivors, and their families, and all of you, the answers you deserve.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: So, the search for answers and the search for the Brown University shooter still unfolding in Providence, Rhode Island. Investigators are turning to the public for help in identifying the suspect. They believe it is the person in this surveillance video who opened fire on Saturday, killing two people and injuring nine more. This morning, students say they do not feel safe with the shooter still on the run.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COLE FRANCIS, BROWN UNIVERSITY STUDENT: Now, to know that he may still be on the street is extremely scary.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Do you feel safe here right now?

FRANCIS: I don't feel safe here whatsoever.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are they still in this community? I know you said there's not danger to this community, but is that person, do you believe they're still here? Have they left the state?

MAYOR BRETT SMILEY, PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND: Honestly, we have no way of knowing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: CNN's John Berman is on the ground in Providence. He joins us now.

And good morning, John. I wanted to first just hear from you about updates to the

investigation. I know the FBI is offering money for information. What more are you learning?

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, $50,000 reward now the FBI is offering as they put up these new photos and also the new video.

This is Hope Street, where I'm standing right now. All the video and photos are from these blocks surrounding the Barus and Holley Engineering Building right there, which is where the murders took place.

The fact that this new video came out more than 48 hours after is raising some questions in the community, but may offer some new clues. In this video, the FBI and officials say, they believe that the person they're looking for is five eight with a stocky build.

Our Andy McCabe, the former deputy FBI director, was watching this video and noticed the person had a distinguishable gait, if not a limp, at least a noticeable way of walking. Maybe that will lead someone to recognize something about him.

Also, the jacket he is wearing is clearly a two-tone with maybe a shade of green. Also, something that might be recognizable as people look at this.

But again, the fact that they put that out 48 hours after the incident, we're approaching three days at 4:00 today, shows you they still need help. And in fact, one other bit of information is that authorities are now asking everyone who was in this building, the engineering building, at the time of the shooting, they're asking everyone who was in there to now come to them for an interview. They need more information at this point. And what they say is any little thing, even if you think it might not be significant, might help.

Audie.

CORNISH: For students, this is so difficult, right? Over the weekend they were in lockdown. There was a person of interest. Then there wasn't. And I heard someone saying they're afraid. What else are you hearing in the community?

BERMAN: I think there are wild swings in emotion, right?

[06:50:02]

Because they were locked down all night Saturday into Sunday. All day Sunday they believed a person was in custody and this investigation was coming to an end. And then. by yesterday, by Monday, no way. Manhunt, full on. Still a person considered armed and dangerous on the street.

And there is still something a little bit incongruous about what officials are saying here. They're saying there's a person who's armed and dangerous on the run who killed two people, but they're also saying there's no specific or immediate threat to the community and that it's safe to go about your business.

Public schools, for instance, are still open today. So, officials want people to be out there. At the same time, there's clearly still a killer.

As for the Brown community, I do have to say, this emptied out. I think students, when they woke up yesterday to the news that there was still a killer on the loose, they'd been planning to get out of town with finals and classes canceled, but they got out much more quickly. The indelible image that I saw yesterday that I really won't forget was all these streets were just filled with students with rolly bags headed to the train station, headed out of town because they just didn't want to be here anymore, Audie.

CORNISH: Yes.

John, thank you so much.

John's in Providence. You can see more of him in just a few minutes.

Now, one place you won't find any condolences for Rob Reiner and his wife is the White House. During an event in the Oval Office, the president was asked about attacking Reiner on social media just hours after his death. The president doubled down.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I wasn't a fan of his at all. He became like a deranged person. Trump derangement syndrome. So, I was not a fan of Rob Reiner at all in any way, shape or form. I thought he was very bad for our country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: Now, many in the president's party condemning the attacks. So, for instance, Congressman Thomas Massie said in a statement, quote, "this is inappropriate and disrespectful discourse. I challenge anyone to defend it."

Michelle Obama now speaking out during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel last night. She said she and the former president were actually going to see Rob and Michele Reiner the evening that they were killed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHELLE OBAMA, FORMER FIRST LADY: Let me just say this, unlike some people. Rob and Michele Reiner are some of the most decent, courageous people you ever want to know. They are not -- they are not deranged or crazed. What they -- what they have always been are passionate people in a time when there are not -- there's not a lot of courage going on.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: OK. We're bringing Segun Oduolowu back to the chat because, as you're -- you're our emissary from Hollywood. And the reason why I wanted to talk about this is because one of the -- taking it back for a moment. Jimmy Kimmel got in trouble for criticizing the president about his inability to console and his inability to grieve in public. And at the time people in Hollywood, you know, they really back down.

I just want to play for people the joke, which you may not remember, from that moment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPORTER: My condolences on the loss of your friend Charlie Kirk. May I ask, sir, personally, how are you holding up over the last day and a half, sir?

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think very good. And, by the way, right there, you see all the trucks? They've just started construction of the new ballroom for the White House, which is something they've been trying to get, as you know, for about 150 years. And it's going to be a beauty.

JIMMY KIMMEL, HOST, "JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE": Yes. He's at the fourth stage of grief, construction.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: And he went on to say, this is, you know, you wouldn't console like a -- grieve for a goldfish this way. That came back to me when I was looking at this Truth Social post from the president. How do you think it was received in Hollywood?

SEGUN ODUOLOWU, EMMY AWARD-WINNING JOURNALIST AND MEDIA PERSONALITY: Well, it was received like a lead balloon. And it wasn't that Jimmy Kimmel was criticized. He was vilified. The president of the United States put a thumb on the scale and bullied media companies to remove him off the air for that joke, and what was perceived as indifference to Charlie Kirk's tragic murder on a college campus. And yet here we have the president of the United States, who is supposed to speak with the will of the people, showing no remorse, no condolences, nothing that even resembles empathy or compassion.

And so my challenge is to all of us collective at the table, reporters, political pundits, to say, when is enough enough? When has civility been so far gone in America that we can say this type of thing and it get, you know, I -- that wasn't good. President Trump missed the mark. This is past missing the mark. This is mean.

CORNISH: OK.

ODUOLOWU: This is mean.

CORNISH: Let me let you guys jump in. There's missing the mark, and then here's how some other Republicans, frankly names you recognize because they often talk about the president, Don Bacon, et cetera, but here's how they describe the president's comments about Rob Reiner.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. NICOLE MALLIOTAKIS (R-NY): I don't think it was a proper thing to say at this time.

[06:55:01]

And it is a tragedy. I don't think we should bring politics into it. And that was unfortunate.

REP. DON BACON (R-NE): It's just classless. It's not -- it's not appropriate. It's not presidential. And I think a lot of folks, I mean, I saw a lot of the MAGA guys today just shaking their head. It's not called for.

SEN. JOHN KENNEDY (R-LA): A wise man once said nothing. Why? Because he's a wise man. I think President Trump should have said nothing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROCHA: You know, there's a -- in politics, you know, I was thinking as we were doing this segment, that most of America don't know Rob Reiner was a staunch Democrat. Most of America don't know his political leanings. And if you do, you were staunchly in one corner or the other because you're on Twitter too much like me.

CORNISH: Yes.

ROCHA: Most of America remember Rob Reiner like this, meathead, the guy that was on Archie Bunker, an amazing producer of movies, people who told Americana stories. And then they wake up this morning, Democrat, Republican or independent. That's why you see these Republicans backpedaling because they know it is horrible and it's a horrible visual, and it's just horrible for the leader in chief, like you said, brother, to say this thing. And that's where it's -- why it is so bad is because most of America don't live in the world where all of us get all this information every day.

CORNISH: Yes. And to your point, online, there is a lot of sharing of Reiner's past political comments about Trump. He was very strident about Trump all the time.

ROCHA: Sure. (INAUDIBLE) that.

CORNISH: This -- I mean he was a political guy.

ROCHA: Right.

ODUOLOWU: But regardless -- but regardless of his politics, he's a person. Like, let's not -- let's not lose sight of that. His daughter found the bodies of her parents and now the president that people voted for, it's not an unfortunate statement, which is what one politician said. It isn't, should have said nothing. That -- that's a cop out.

CORNISH: Here's a response from Sean Davis. He's the CEO and co- founder of "The Federalist." He said, quote, "they said far, far worse things about Charlie Kirk." And then describes the murder as, "a gay left-wing nutjob entirely because of his faith in political views." And then Tim Young, who's a comedian, a Heritage Foundation associate, said, "leftists celebrated when Rush Limbaugh died. They celebrated when Charlie Kirk was murdered. They celebrated attempts on Trump's life. They swatted right leaning personalities." And goes on to say, "yet many on the right will still virtue signal for leftist approval."

The idea that people sitting on panels saying, you shouldn't be saying this, or lawmakers shouldn't be saying this, when I went online today, that was dismissed as, like, stop trying to play nice.

DAVIS: Yes. Well, no, I mean this is the problem, I think, with the country in general and how polarized we are. Whether it's Charlie, whether it's the Reiners, like, it's a loss of life and no one should be talking about it in a positive way, ever. And so that's, end of story. And it was wrong for the president to say it. It was wrong during the Charlie Cook days. It just -- Charlie Kirk days. It just needs to stop. I mean, it's super sad.

Not only did this -- the kids lose their parents, they also lost a brother. So they --

ODUOLOWU: A family destroyed by a single act.

DAVIS: Yes.

ODUOLOWU: And we are discussing whether or not the president has the compassion to say the right thing as a -- and one person saying he should have said nothing.

CORNISH: Well, I think I'm also talking about it because the phrase we used to hear in politics is "the fish rots from the head." And so, we all have now finally crossed the Rubicon and embraced this approach. How do you do you grieve someone depends on their politics.

KANNO-YOUNGS: This is -- I think the administration will continue to be asked about this too. This is also the same administration that encouraged -- it wasn't just Jimmy Kimmel -- encouraged Americans to call the employers of people who criticized Charlie Kirk, or they thought were celebrating his death. This is an administration that went out and did podcasts and made it a central part of their messaging to basically say that the Democrats were the sole party contributing to like a lack of civility.

And then you have the head of the administration going out and making those comments yesterday, criticizing someone after they were just murdered. So, this is something they're going to continue to be criticized for.

CORNISH: I want to play one more thing. I don't know if we have it. Rob Reiner, at the time of Charlie Kirk's death, he was on Piers Morgan. Here's how he talked about it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PIERS MORGAN, HOST, "PIERS MORGAN UNCENSORED": When you first heard about the murder of Charlie Kirk, what was your immediate gut reaction to it?

ROB REINER, DIRECTOR: Well, horror. Absolute horror. And I, unfortunately, saw the video of it and it -- it's -- it's beyond belief what happened to him. And that should never happen to anybody. I don't care what your political beliefs are, that's not acceptable. That's not a solution to solving problems.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: Segun, I just have a short time left. Will Hollywood backlash for real? With Kimmel it was a little bit of fear. With this, what do you expect to see?

ODUOLOWU: When Kimmel was taken off the air, you saw people march in the streets. You saw protesters say, bring him back on.

[07:00:01]

And the suspension lasted a day.

I'm hoping that they will. I want the actors, the actresses, the producers, I want people to finally stand up and say, enough is enough. We lost one of our own and we lost a good man who was willing to say, hey, I may not agree with you, but there's no reason that we can't -- that we need to be violent or we need to be at odds. So, yes, Hollywood should stand up. We'll be standing up.

CORNISH: All right, you guys, thank you so much for being in the conversation with me and for joining the chat.

Stay with us. The headlines are next.