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Connect the World
U.S. Hits Venezuelan Companies, Vessels with New Sanctions; Machado Speaks About Her Plans and the Future of Venezuela; U.S. Weighing to Attend Weekend Peace Talks; Ukraine, European Officials Set for More Talks on Peace Plan; Heavy Rainfall Floods Camps of Displaced Palestinians. Aired 9- 9:45a ET
Aired December 12, 2025 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[09:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ERICA HILL, CNN HOST, CONNECT THE WORLD: The Trump Administration says it is still considering whether to take part in Ukraine peace talks this
weekend. It's 09:00 a.m. in Washington. I'm Erica Hill in New York. This is "Connect the World". Also, ahead this hour, new sanctions on Venezuela, the
U.S. taking aim members of President Maduro's family, and six oil shipping companies.
Plus, it is the strictest warning for a U.S. prescription drug, and it could soon be slapped on COVID vaccines. The stock market in New York opens
just about 30 minutes from now. Here's a quick look at the futures for you. Bit of a mixed bag there. We'll continue to follow that, of course, ahead
of the opening bell this following Thursday's gains, of course, that we saw.
Well, first, a seizure, now sanctions. The Trump Administration is stepping up pressure against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his government
sanctioning shipping companies and vessels that the U.S. says engage in deceptive practices to transport Venezuelan oil.
Three nephews of Maduro are also facing sanctions, and these sanctions, of course, follow the U.S. seizure of an oil tanker off Venezuela's coast, a
move that President Maduro has called criminal naval piracy. The White House says that tanker will travel to a U.S. port and that the U.S. will
take possession of its cargo, which is a reported 1.8 million barrels of Venezuelan oil that was headed to Cuba.
We have Kevin Liptak following those developments for us from the White House. Stephano Pozzebon is in Venezuela's capital of Caracas. Kevin, I'm
going to start with you there at the White House. So, President Trump, in some of his latest comments about the pressure on Venezuela, notably, went
beyond just talking about drugs, as we have heard.
He is now talking about immigration too. What else are we hearing from the administration today?
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yeah, and that was an interesting comment from the president. He said that a part of the reason
that the U.S. seized this oil tanker was because Venezuela had, quote, allowed millions of people to come into our country.
And so, you see the rationale sort of building up. You have the drugs they know the U.S. has been targeting those alleged drug boats in the Caribbean
Sea. 22 strikes so far, you have immigration, which the president referenced today, but which has been sort of a constant bee in his bonnet
when it comes to Venezuela over the last 10 months of his presidency.
I think in reality, when you talk to administration officials, the goal here is to get Nicolas Maduro out of power. That is the president's
objective. That is why this pressure campaign has been mounting and mounting, whether it's the massive buildup of military personnel and
equipment or whether it's these new sanctions that have been applied on Venezuela, which include three of Nicolas Maduro's wife's nephews.
They call them the narco-nephews. They were arrested in 2015 connected to a major cocaine smuggling ring in Haiti. They were commuted by President
Biden. Their sentences were commuted as part of a prisoner swap, but the president now applying new sanctions on them, just yesterday.
In addition, they are applying new sanctions on Venezuelan oil firms, companies associated with additional oil tankers. And so, you can see how
the administration is starting to go much more intensively after Venezuela's energy sector. I think the question is, where this is all
leading.
Certainly, President Trump has said as recently as yesterday that he is prepared to launch air strikes on ground in Venezuela. He's been
threatening that for some weeks now. He doesn't seem in any particular rush to actually give the final order, though. And I think that speaks to some
of the reservations that the president has about potentially getting the U.S. mired in a conflict there.
He is concerned that any attempt by the United States to oust Maduro from power could have the effect of backfiring. And he, I think, is very mindful
of the history that the U.S. has in Latin America in these kinds of interventions. And so, for now, the move seems to be increasing this
pressure in the hopes that Maduro will voluntarily leave.
But certainly, we have seen no indication from him yet that, that is something that he's planning to do.
HILL: Yeah, an important note, and that's where I bring -- I want to bring in Stefano here. So, these U.S. sanctions now, which Kevin just walked you
through some of those targeting the Maduro government, targeting family members. How is that playing out there in Venezuela? And what more are you
learning on that side?
STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, I think that here, it's not really a new development. Let's remember, Erica, that Nicolas Maduro has been
under personal sanctions from the United States since at least 2017.
[09:05:00]
And in particular, those three nephews which, like Kevin pointed out we are normally dubbed here as the narcosobrino. So, the narco-nephews had been
arrested before in 2015 that case was one of the main reasons and one of the main indications that indeed the presidential circle, the inner Maduro
circle, was involved in narco-trafficking, in drug smuggling.
Given that those three people had been detained by DEA while trying to carry cocaine from Haiti into Miami, Southern Florida, and then their
sentence was commuted and pardoned by President Biden, a part of it, of the prison deal. What is really significant here, and I want to go back to
migration, like having pointed out is that this is stuff that we're learning just as of now, Erica.
The Venezuela government, is denouncing that the United States have unilaterally suspended deportation flights from Washington, from the United
States, back into Caracas. This is very significant Erica, because in the last few weeks and months, we have always pointed out.
I don't know if you remember images of us at the international airport here in Caracas, that despite all of the confrontation, despite the military
buildup, there have always been two flights a week carrying hundreds of migrants from the United States back into their homeland here in Venezuela.
This is where I.C.E. operated flight for migrants that had been apprehended as part of migration raids and deported back to their homeland. The fact
that the United States have unilaterally suspended this flight, and there was one scheduled to arrive here from -- in Maiquetia, here in Caracas.
We're learning from the Venezuelan government, the fact that the United States have unilaterally decided to suspend these flights is that perhaps
the appetite to put pressure on Maduro is now even higher than the appetite to deport as many migrants as possible, which you will remember is one of
the main goals of the Trump Administration as a whole.
So clearly, yet another red tape, perhaps yet another sign that the president is inching towards a more decisive action when it comes to
ousting Nicolas Maduro here in Caracas. We haven't heard from him, by the way, in particular, over the last few hours, the last time we saw him out
in public was on Wednesday.
And even I was able to ask him a couple of questions, and he clearly showed like Kevin said, no indication that he's ready to step down, which is, once
again, a sign of worrying and escalating tensions, Erica.
HILL: Yeah, absolutely. Stefano, Kevin, appreciate it. Thank you both. Well, Nobel laureate and Venezuela Opposition Leader Maria Corina Machado,
says she is ready to step in as vice president when her country undergoes a democratic transition. Speaking to reporters in Oslo, where she also met
with the Norwegian royal family today and greeted supporters.
You may remember, of course, she had missed the actual Nobel Peace Prize ceremony on Wednesday by just hours as she made that daring escape from her
home country. She has been in hiding, of course, from the Maduro regime. For more now, we want to take you live to Oslo, where CNN's Pau Mosquera is
standing by.
So, you're actually able to speak with her. What more did she tell you?
PAU MOSQUERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, exactly, Erica, today, we had an interesting opportunity to pose more questions to Maria Corina Machado, the
ones that we were still willing to ask her, and she stressed, or at least she seemed like very confident, that a political transition will happen
soon in Venezuela.
On being so then I asked her, where does she see herself in that scenario? And as you just said, she told me, as vice president, alongside Edmundo
Gonzalez, which would mean fulfilling the mandate of the Venezuelan people after boarding in the presidential election that took place in July last
year.
But also, I wanted to know about her. What does she think about the administration Trump plans for the post Maduro era? And that's what she
told me. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARINA CORINA MACHADO, VENEZUELAN OPPOSITION LEADER AND NOBEL LAUREATE: Not only the Trump Administration, but many other governments in Latin America
and in Europe and in other parts of the world are already preparing for the transition that is advancing towards democracy in Venezuela for many
reasons.
One of them is precisely the migration of millions of Venezuelans who have been forced to leave their country and who are also already getting ready,
packing their bags to return.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MOSQUERA: She said Erica, that is quite confident that our political transition will happen in Venezuela soon, and she hopes that they can
negotiate with Maduro's government. But if they cannot, then she hopes that Maduro will step down in any ways. Also, she made another call to the
community, the international community, to put all sources of funding for the Venezuelan government to make that transition happen the sooner as
possible, Erica.
HILL: Absolutely. Do we know security, of course, was such a major concern, both in getting her to Oslo and, of course, her being there.
[09:10:00]
What are the rest of her plans do we know at this point about perhaps where else she will be going, or who else she'll be meeting with?
MOSQUERA: That's actually Erica, one of the questions that we made to her. But again, she didn't offer a clear answer. She said that, for the moment,
will take few days to take a rest, to be with the family, with the friends, and after that, she will start thinking about what to do next.
She said that maybe we'll meet with different authorities, but she didn't specify if that would happen in Europe. Who would it be? She even didn't
say if she would travel to the United States to maybe meet Trump. So, it seems that for the moment, it is unclear what she's going to do.
But the only thing that we know for real is that so far, is going to stay a few more days here in Oslo, Erica.
HILL: All right, Pau, appreciate it. Thank you. U.S. President Donald Trump says America will help with security. Should Russia and Ukraine reach a
ceasefire agreement? However, when it comes to further talks between Ukraine and its European allies, which are set for this weekend.
The White House said on Thursday, it was still considering whether to take part. CNN's Salma Abdelaziz joining us now, live from London with more. So,
this latest decision to not quite decide yet, I suppose I should say. How is this being received, this current posturing by Donald Trump? Has that
been received by Kyiv?
SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, President Trump has made no secret of the fact that he needs a peace deal, and he needs it to happen
now. President Zelenskyy is saying that the administration is expecting to have an outline of an agreement by Christmas time.
And his push is not only alienating Ukraine. It's also alienating European partners who are meeting tomorrow in Paris to discuss these security
guarantees. But President Trump saying in the oval office yesterday he's not sure if he's going to send anyone because he's not sure if it's going
to actually help the ultimate outcome he wants to see, which is a signed peace deal.
I want you to take a listen to how the White House Press Secretary put it to the press.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAROLINE LEAVITT, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: If there is a real chance of signing a peace agreement. If we feel like those meetings are worthy of
someone on the United States his time this weekend, then we will send a representative. It's still up in the air whether we believe real peace can
be accomplished and we can truly move the ball forward.
The president is extremely frustrated with both sides of this war, and he is sick of meetings just for the sake of meeting. He doesn't want any more
talk. He wants action. He wants this war to come to an end.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ABDELAZIZ: Sick of meetings, it's very strong lines that we're hearing there, of course, from DC. And it comes as the mediation efforts are
ramping up. What's the latest on that? Well, Ukraine submitted their return, their response, if you will, to the latest draft.
Now, originally, this was a 28-point peace plan. It's been whittled down to 20 points that are supposed to be more amenable to Ukraine. What was in
Ukraine's response? Well, according to two European diplomats familiar with these negotiations, it included a demand for security guarantees, something
that, of course, Ukraine and its European partners will be speaking about tomorrow in Paris.
It included a demand to remove any language that would bar Ukraine from potentially joining NATO in the future. And finally, it included an
indication that Ukraine may be willing to hold elections if a ceasefire is in place, if the violence stops within a 60-to-90-day time period of that
end of conflict.
But there's still a lot of obstacles in the way here, you have to remember that the key issue, the main issue, is won over territory. President Trump
had originally called in this peace plan for Ukraine to cede all of the Donbas, a part of the country that they are still fighting over, and which
they still control parts of now the administration seems to have backed down from that and is instead calling for a free economic zone in the
Donbas.
But Ukraine is asking the obvious questions here, well, who would control that zone? Who would govern it, and how would you prevent Russia from
attacking it in the future? And all of these answers like I said, have to be solved very quickly, according to President Trump, who wants this deal
by Christmas?
HILL: Yeah, we will be watching. Salma, appreciate it as always. Thank you. A bit later this hour on CNN, why the FDA is now poised to place its most
serious safety warning label on COVID vaccines. The new reporting and the reaction just ahead. Plus, newly released videos show Israeli hostages in
Gaza celebrating Hanukkah two years ago. What the video reveals about their time in captivity.
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[09:15:00]
HILL: Bitter winter weather and heavy rain worsening now the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, at least one Palestinian baby, we've learned, has died of
hypothermia. That's according to the Gaza Health Ministry, flooding has swept through parts of the enclave, drenching temporary shelters and
displacement camps, as you can see from this video here.
Meantime, newly released video showing a poignant scene of six hostages in captivity two years ago. So, the Israeli hostages you see here celebrating
Hanukkah in a tunnel in Gaza, months before they were killed. The videos were released by the hostages and missing families for him just days before
this year's holiday begins.
Hanukkah, of course, begins at sundown on Sunday, and it also provides a glimpse into the captives' final month. CNN's Jeremy Diamond joining us
now. Jeremy, what else do we learn from these videos?
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is a really rare look at what life in captivity was like for some of these hostages. In this
case, of course, it is both heartbreaking and deeply humanizing. Heartbreaking because we know that these six hostages did not make it out
of captivity alive.
They were executed by their Hamas captures in August of 2024 as Israeli troops closed in on their location. But it is deeply humanizing, and it is
why the families of these hostages want the world to see these images. They know that this footage was filmed by Hamas likely as part of some kind of a
propaganda effort.
Although these videos were never released by Hamas, but this footage, which was filmed by Hamas and later obtained by the Israeli military before being
released by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, the families say this. They say, quote, Hamas filmed these videos as propaganda, but the humanity
of the beautiful six, as they are known, shines through this footage.
In this footage, you can see them celebrating the holiday of Hanukkah, likely in December of 2023. There's footage here from the first and second
nights of Hanukkah. You can hear them saying the blessings as they light the candles and then singing traditional Hanukkah songs.
We also see them celebrating the New Year in one part of the video, and there's also other footage showing them cutting each other's hair, for
example, playing cards to pass the time, playing chess. It's not clear how much of this is actually how they live their lives, day to day, or whether
it was filmed by Hamas as part of some propaganda effort.
What we can tell, though, is that these hostages, every chance they get, were trying to send a message to the people of Israel, to their families,
to say that they were OK, that they hope to come home soon. And we also see the American hostage, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who will be very familiar to
our audiences.
We've told his story numerous times over the course of the last two years. You can see him at one point in the clip. He is missing his left hand,
which was blown off during the October 7th attacks. You also see Carmel Gat, one of those six hostages who talks about, she's talking to one of
these Hamas guards, saying, pointing to another hostage, saying he needs treatment.
He needs professional treatment, urging him to get her fellow hostage medical attention. Of course, all of this is heartbreaking in the sense
that you see them lighting these candles.
[09:20:00]
You see them raising up their prayers, talking about the miracle of Hanukkah, which talks about bringing light into a very dark place, which
was very true for them, of course, but unfortunately, it did not lead to them being released alive from captivity. All six of them were executed by
Hamas in August of 2024 again, as Israeli troops were closing in on that location.
HILL: Yeah, Jeremy, appreciate it. Thank you. Let's check his feet now and some of the other stories on our radar right now, the U.N. Human Rights
Chief is calling for an investigation into an air on a hospital in Myanmar. He said the attack, which left dozens of civilians dead and wounded, could
be considered a war crime.
It happened in Rakhine state, which is largely controlled by armed separatists. Japan now lifting a tsunami advisory after a 6.7 magnitude
earthquake struck off the East Coast near Honshu Island earlier today. This follows Monday's 7.5 magnitude quake near Japan's northeastern coast, which
prompted, of course, widespread evacuations.
Rivers in the U.S. State of Washington cresting now. Meteorologists say that water levels will now begin to go down. The governor, however, is
urging residents to continue to heed evacuation orders, noting that the danger is not over from the historic flooding that has hit the state.
The man whose name has become synonymous with the Trump Administration's immigration crackdown is speaking out about his case. A federal judge
ordering Kilmar Abrego Garcia be released from I.C.E. custody on Thursday. The Salvadoran man was mistakenly deported earlier this year before he was
returned to the U.S. and then detained again for several months.
The judge said he was being held without lawful authority. Trump Administration officials have hinted, perhaps not surprisingly, that they
do that they might rather appeal the decision. Abrigo Garcia does still face prosecution in Tennessee in a human smuggling case.
His right to travel is severely limited as that case plays out. Just a short time ago, he checked in at an I.C.E. field office in Baltimore,
Maryland. CNN's Julia Benbrook is there. So, Julia, he also made some remarks. What did he say?
JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. Kilmar Abrego Garcia is back in Maryland today, after just yesterday, a judge ordered his immediate release
from immigration custody. Then just hours later, over we had the evening, and then this morning, he was required to be here.
This is at a field I.C.E. office, and this was for a mandatory check in that is part of his release. People gathered around. We heard from a
politician, from faith leaders, from advocates, and we also heard from Abrego Garcia himself, and he said that he was walking in here today with
his head held high. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KILMAR ABREGO GARCIA, RELEASED FROM I.C.E. CUSTODY: I stand before you as a free man, and I want you to remember me this way with my head held up high.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BENBROOK: We also heard from one of his lawyers, who said that they were granted assurances that he would not be arrested again during this check
in, and that they would have time as they get another hearing on the schedule for Abrego Garcia. Take a listen to what he had to say about some
of the options they believe they have going forward.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SIMON SANDOVAL-MOSHENBERG, KILMAR ABREGO GARCIA'S ATTORNEY: The government has a lot of tools in their tool box, but he also has a number of options
available to him, and now that he's got at least a brief reprieve and some assurances from the court that he can't be arrested today.
He'll have time to consider those options in terms of his immigration status, whether he chooses to apply for asylum or not, that will be one of
the many choices that he has.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BENBROOK: And he highlighted that Abrego Garcia will be able to be at that upcoming hearing that will be the first time he's been able to be at one of
these for himself. So, he will be able to actually interact with the judge and be a part of it. Now that he is out of that immigration facility.
Now, of course, his story has become a flash point in the Trump Administration's broad mass deportation efforts. He was mistakenly deported
to El Salvador, then it was a process to get him back. A lot of back and forth, a lot of questions on if that would happen. Now that he has returned
to the United States, the administration has been looking for other countries they can deport him to.
There have been several countries in Africa considered. Some of them have rejected accepting that deportation. Important to note here though that
Costa Rica actually had said that they would be open to taking him. And his lawyers have said that he would he would be open to going there as well. So
could be a potential option down the line.
HILL: All right, and real, quickly. What are we hearing from the administration at this point?
BENBROOK: Yeah, they've made it pretty clear that they will likely appeal this.
[09:25:00]
In fact, I want to read a statement from a spokesperson who said in part, this is naked judicial activism by an Obama appointed judge. This order
lacks any valid legal basis and we will continue to fight this tooth and nail in the courts, Erica.
HILL: Julia Benbrook, live for us in Baltimore. Thank you. You are watching "Connect the World". Still ahead here some of Disney's iconic animated
characters now entering the world of AI. How that could put you right into the middle of a Disney adventure.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HILL: Welcome back. I'm Erica Hill in New York. Or watching "Connect the World". These are your headlines. The U.S. is sanctioning three nephews of
Venezuelan President, Nicolas Maduro, along with shipping companies and vessels that it says engage in deceptive practices to transport Venezuelan
oil.
This move follows the U.S. seizure of a tanker off Venezuela's Coast earlier this week. The White House says the U.S. will take possession of
that ship and its reported 1.8 million barrels of oil. Maria Corina Machado, the Venezuelan Opposition Leader, who was awarded the Nobel Peace
Prize, says she is ready to step in as vice president when her country undergoes a democratic transition.
Show the Norwegian royal family and also greeted supporters in Oslo earlier. The U.S. said it has not decided whether to send representatives
to peace talks involving Ukraine and its European allies this weekend. However, President Trump said he was prepared to help with security, should
Russia and Ukraine reach a peace agreement.
About 100,000 people in the U.S. State of Washington are under evacuation orders after torrential rain triggered widespread flooding. Governor Bob
Ferguson says no fatalities have been reported, but notes the next 24 hours are critical, and has been stressing that it is not yet safe for people who
left their homes to return.
Mickey Mouse, Goofy, the gang could all be popping up in AI videos on social media soon. Disney striking a billion-dollar deal with OpenAI that
gives its video generation platform access to Disney's famous characters. Now this, of course, is the same media giant that fought fiercely to
protect its intellectual property.
As CNN's Brian Stelter reports that this latest move may be a case of, if you can't beat him, join him.
BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: We know that these AI systems have been trained on copyrighted content. There are lots of lawsuits now
unfolding about that, and even this week, Disney sent a cease-and-desist letter to Google over its use, over the use of copyrighted material to
train AI systems.
But Disney, like other media companies, also looking around, trying to figure out how to be a part of this revolution, how to involve its content,
knowing that that's what users want to do.
[09:30:00]
So, for example, under this new deal, you'll be able to create a video of you having a light saber battle from Star Wars, a video of you right inside
the movie, Toy Story. People will be able to create short, little mini movies with more than 200 Disney characters and also using different Disney
props and things like that.
Notably, though, you won't have access to the voices, so you know, that's one guardrail that will still be in place. And Disney has lots of other
guardrails in place about a lack of violence, not interacting with characters from other media companies, et cetera. So, Disney is saying this
is an interest -- in its interest, as well as in OpenAIs.
And as you mentioned, Disney taking a $1 billion investment in OpenAI, but we don't really know how this is going to end. I'm so curious about this,
because other Hollywood studios will probably follow. There will probably be other deals like this, Disney wanting to get in on the ground floor, so
to speak.
But we're just at the very beginning of this generative AI revolution, where you'll be able to insert yourself, I guess, with Mickey Mouse now.
HILL: We'll be watching. Meantime, a Hollywood Director is facing serious prison time after being convicted of scamming Netflix out of $11 million
for a streaming series he never delivered. Carl Rinsch, who is known for directing the movie 47 Ronin, was convicted of wire fraud, money laundering
and other charges.
Rinsch claimed that he needed the extra funds to finish his science fiction series, but instead he funneled that money into failed personal
investments, crypto and luxury shopping sprees, including get these five Rolls-Royces. The director, will be sentenced in April. One-time crypto
mogul Do Kwon will spend 15 years in prison.
The Stanford graduate known as the crypto king, pleading guilty to fraud charges linked to two digital currencies that he helped develop with his
company, Terraform Labs. The judge presiding over the case called it fraud on an epic generational scale that caused everyday investors to lose some
$40 billion.
We are also closely following a potentially controversial move, which involves COVID vaccines here in the United States. Sources speaking
exclusively to CNN, say the U.S. Food and Drug Administration intends to place its most serious safety label, what's known as a black box warning,
on these medications.
Now that black box warning is a designation that is normally reserved for drugs with potential side effects that include death or disability. While
the FDA has not publicly committed to the plan, our sources say it's being driven by the agency's new leadership under the Trump Administration.
Medical experts tell CNN such a move seems to bypass standard scientific review and that it would indicate the FDA was pursuing a political agenda
rather than following the data. CNN's Meg Tirrell is following the story for us very closely. So, this comes this information you're reporting comes
from people familiar with the FDA plans.
What are we hearing from the makers of these COVID-19 vaccines?
MEG TIRRELL, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, so Pfizer and Moderna are the makers of the two mRNA vaccines, which are on the market, and there's a
third vaccine, which uses an older technology. And it's not clear if this most serious warning is going to go on all COVID-19 vaccines or just the
mRNA vaccines.
But those are the ones based on technology that have been under the most fire from health officials in this Trump Administration. And what Pfizer
and Moderna are pointing to are statements that they issued in September, when some of these safety claims around the vaccines first started to arise
in reports that they were going to come from the FDA.
And they both point out that their vaccines have been rigorously tested for both safety and efficacy, and that is something that's been underscored by
outside experts as well. You know, they point out that these vaccines were tested yes during record speed during the first Trump Administration, but
also in massive clinical trials involving more than 70,000 people, and that their safety continues to be monitored worldwide.
And so, you know, there are concerns that this is an inappropriate placing of a very serious warning on life saving products where we haven't seen the
data. We know that there was a memo circulated inside the FDA by its vaccine's chief linking the COVID vaccine to deaths among 10 children.
But outside experts haven't seen the data that that claim is based on, and they are concerned that if that is supporting the putting of this label on
these vaccines, that, that might be inappropriate if they don't know exactly what those claims are based on, Erica.
HILL: Yeah, it's an important point. And in terms of medical experts that you have been speaking with, I have seen some very strong reaction out
there. What are they telling you?
TIRRELL: Well, they're very worried that this is going to further undermine confidence in these vaccines, which of course, have shown to be lifesaving
both through the pandemic, and they're still important now. These vaccines are still recommended from outside medical groups for annual shots for
particularly vulnerable groups, including the elderly people with compromised immune systems.
And for babies and toddlers under the age of two, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends an annual shot for those babies, because COVID can
still be so severe for them in terms of hospitalization risk. And we know that the trends in terms of vaccination are already very low.
[09:35:00]
7 percent of children, 15 percent of adults over 18 and 33 percent of adults over the age of 65 have gotten vaccinated so far this season,
according to CDC data. And Erica, we should also mention, we have reached out to the Department of Health and Human Services about this, and they
told us, quote, unless the FDA announces it, any claim about what it will do is pure speculation.
They say the FDA takes very seriously any death that is attributed to a regulated medical product, Erica.
HILL: Meg, really appreciate it, and we know you'll keep us posted on any of those developments. Thank you.
TIRRELL: Thanks.
HILL: Lindsey Vonn is dreaming of a Winter Olympics come back, making an emphatic statement in the opening season, opening race, rather of the new
season that's just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HILL: The first two episodes of Taylor Swift's new six-part documentary are now out pulling back the curtain on the final days of her eras tour in the
end of an era which was released on Disney plus the superstar shares candid backstage moments, the highs and plenty of lows.
It shows the effort to the massive effort for this tour, and also touches on the multiple security threats, specifically during stops in Europe.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TAYLOR SWIFT, 14-TIME GRAMMY WINNING ARTIST: We've done like 128 shows so far, but this is the first one where I feel like I don't know, like, I'm
like, skating on sand ice or something. We just had this. We've had a series of very violent, scary things happen to the tour, like we dodged,
like, a massacre situation, and so I've just been kind of all over the place.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: Swift says her goal was to quote, over serve her fans, and she also speaks about how she felt after meeting with the survivors of the Southport
attack.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SWIFT: I know you help them. I know it doesn't seem like it, but I know you helped them. From a mental standpoint, I just do live in a reality that's
very unreal a lot of the time, but it's my job to kind of be able to handle all these feelings and then perk up immediately to perform. That's just the
way it's got to be.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: Also out today is a concert film of the tour's final performance. Well, it is the headline that perhaps you've also been waiting for. I know
I have. Turns out chocolate actually could be the fountain of youth. Stay with me on this one. OK, well, here's the real deal. A study by King's
College London found that a compounded dark chocolate could slow the aging process. I mean, that's enough for me.
[09:40:00]
The study does shop short of recommending that you go all out and eat as much dark chocolate as your stomach can handle. But listen, a little could
really go a long way. So, enjoy. American skier Lindsey Vonn is off to a strong start for her Olympic comeback hopes just winning the opening
Women's Downhill World Cup, making Alpine Ski history at the age of 41.
Amanda Davies joining me now. I am loving this moment.
AMANDA DAVIES, CNN WORLD SPORT: It's unbelievable. It was not unbelievable. It's brilliant. I had the privilege of sitting down with Lindsey in April
this year, and she was talking about how she's not just doing this for herself. She's doing this for all girls and women to prove that age really
is no barrier.
And she came back from that retirement, that knee surgery, and saw finishing still in the silver medal position, second place on a World Cup
podium last season, as a massive win. But this is a whole new statement of intent. It's a whole new level that she's reached with this victory, the
opening downhill race of the season.
And of course, when that massive countdown now to the Winter Olympics, what will be her fifth Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina. And I think there's a
fair few of her competitors who might be shaking in their boots, quite literally, because she has done it and done it in style today.
It's a really brilliant moment, and you can see what it meant to her, the emotion on that podium.
Hill: Yeah, it's so fantastic. And it does send such an important message to young girls and specifically to women. Looking forward to much more of
that coming up next to the -- "World Sport". Amanda, thanks.
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[09:45:00]
(WORLD SPORT)
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