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Bondi Beach Shooters Possibly Inspired by "Islamic State Ideology"; The Underlying Causes of Radicalization; Reiner Homicide Case Goes to Prosecutors; Zelenskyy Meeting with European Leaders in Netherlands; Trump Blames Brown University for Shooter Manhunt; Uganda Elections; Abu Dhabi- Based StarzPlay Strategy to Grow Viewership. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired December 16, 2025 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from CNN Abu Dhabi, this is CONNECT THE WORLD.
ELENI GIOKOS, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Welcome to the second hour of the show from our Middle East programming headquarters. I'm
Eleni Giokos in Abu Dhabi where the time is just after 7 in the evening.
Now new details about the Bondi Beach terror attack emerge as Australians mourn.
In Rhode Island, authorities continue searching for the suspect in the Brown University shooting.
And we are likely to learn more today about the homicide of Rob and Michele Reiner and why their son is a suspect.
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GIOKOS: We're learning more about the motives behind Australia's worst mass shooting in almost three decades. Prime minister Anthony Albanese says
the father and the son suspects in the attack appeared to have been inspired by Islamic State ideology.
Police said both recently traveled to an area in the Philippines that is a hotbed of extremism. Now there's also new video of one of the shooters
that, I must warn you, is disturbing.
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GIOKOS (voice-over): It shows the younger shooter on a bridge, firing rounds at beachgoers below. Vigils continue to be held in Sydney for the 15
people killed in the terror attack, targeting Jews, celebrating the start of Hanukkah; 22 others are in hospital, three of them in critical
condition.
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GIOKOS: CNN's Will Ripley is following developments in Sydney and he spoke to me last hour about the latest information on the suspects, as well as
the investigation.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: A lot of new information has been coming in today. We know that the younger shooter, the
son who survived after being shot by police, has apparently woken up from a coma. And we don't know whether he has stayed awake, whether he's
communicating.
We do know that police have been guarding him at St. Vincent Hospital here in Sydney and that, at some point, he's likely to be charged at his
hospital bed.
Because he's still very much in serious condition because of the gunshot wounds that he sustained during the attack that he waged on this community
with his father, who died on that bridge when they were fighting off police officers.
A remarkable dashcam video, really, that you mentioned just a moment ago, really revealing that there were more heroes in this story than we were
initially aware, because in the first moments, perhaps the first seconds or minutes of the attack, this couple saw the gunman getting out of a car that
had the ISIS flag.
Would appear to be the ISIS flag draped on the windshield with a rifle. And so you can see the man in the purple shirt, just trying to yank the rifle
away from him. Then he took the rifle and he didn't try to shoot him but he started kind of swinging it like a bat, trying to hit him.
As his wife looked on, unaware apparently, that the gunman had packed many more weapons in the vehicle. So the gunman grabbed another rifle from the
vehicle and shot at point-blank range the man and his wife. And they both died there, right on the side of the street together.
The first two victims of this unspeakably terrible attack that also claimed an 87-year-old Holocaust survivor and a 10-year old girl, who was
reportedly playing on a playground by the beach on what was an absolutely beautiful, sunny Sunday here.
It's been pretty cold and gray in the days since. There have been a lot of investigators on the scene from various countries, trying to figure out
where these men were radicalized. We learned today, as you mentioned, that they traveled to the Mindanao region of the southern Philippines, landing
in the southern city of Davao on November 1st.
Stayed there for about four weeks, receiving what the Philippines government describes as military-style training before flying back here to
Sydney about two weeks before they opened fire on the innocent Jews who were celebrating the first day of Hanukkah here at Bondi Beach.
You see behind me, this memorial just continues to grow. There's actually so many flowers that they put here. They had to start another memorial in
another area behind the building where I'm standing in front of right now, because otherwise you wouldn't be able to even walk through.
That's how many people have come out to show their respects. The local flower shop down the street is basically completely sold out.
You've had dignitaries coming throughout the day here, speaking words of support for the Jewish community, showing solidarity for the families, who
are now beginning the painful process of funerals to say goodbye to their loved ones.
[10:05:02]
And those funerals are expected to continue and to pick up, in fact, in the -- in the days ahead.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GIOKOS: All right. That was Will Ripley for us in Sydney.
I want to welcome Michael Zekulin. He is a senior lecturer in the School of Politics and International Relations at Australian National University and
he focuses on issues related to terrorism, extremism as well as radicalization. And he joins me now from Canberra.
Michael, really good to have you with us. And we've heard, you know, more information about these perpetrators, this horrific attack at Bondi Beach.
And I wonder what you're reading into this.
Will you hear news about them having a homemade ISIS flag?
They went to the Philippines in an area that is known to be a hotbed of terrorism, where the Filipino government said they probably received
military training over a four-week period.
MICHAEL ZEKULIN, SENIOR LECTURER, SCHOOL OF POLITICS AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS, AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY: Yes. Well, it -- this is the
reason we do these types of investigations because obviously things have changed.
And, quite frankly, it opens up a lot more questions. So for example, there must be more to the story in terms of who they're connected to or who they
know. Quite simply, you don't get off a plane in the Philippines or anywhere and simply say, you know, to a cab driver, take me to a training
camp.
So obviously there must have been some type of introduction made there. There must be some type of connection there.
And then again, you're also asking how high up the ladder this goes when we generally -- when we talk about inspired by ISIS, this term is reserved for
individuals who, you know, didn't travel anywhere but are inspired by the ideology.
And then often attack you know, in their own country. And in this case, it appears that they did travel. So there's more involvement here.
Did, you know, were there assistants in picking their target?
Were they told to do something at a specific time by someone?
So there's a lot more to unpack here.
GIOKOS: Yes. I mean, really interesting. Those are very pertinent questions. And perhaps some of them could be answered by the son of this
duo. The father, the son, he's just awoken from a coma. He's been guarded by police. He's clearly is going to be very, you know, questioned.
What kind of information do you think they could elicit from him?
ZEKULIN: Well, I mean, it really depends on how cooperative he wants to be. And, you know, there's no way to know until they actually start talking
to him. He would, of course, have a lot of the answers.
One of the other interesting things that still needs to be unpacked is, you know, who radicalized whom?
Generally, you would have thought that the dynamics of the relationship, it would be the father who, you know, drags along the son.
But considering the son was, you know, known to authorities up to six years ago, is it the opposite?
So that remains to be seen. But as I mentioned, there's no guarantees that the son is going to be cooperative or say anything
GIOKOS: Yes. You know, with the Philippine government saying they probably received military training.
I wonder what kind of investigation needs to be pursued, not only in the Philippines, in this specific area, but also how the Australian government
needs to try and assess risks that exist within the country to see if there's other you know, cells, radicalized people that are living within
Australia at this time.
ZEKULIN: Yes, it actually, you know, suggests some uncomfortable, you know, inwards examination as you suggested. Look, the reality is, is that,
we haven't had this type of, of travel in such close proximity.
And in this context, you know, people were traveling to, to, to the Middle East, joining ISIS several years ago. But the reality is, is that this,
again, is considered to be in Australia's back yard.
And we saw this in the early 2000s in places like Indonesia and the Philippines. So they have to get on top of this and figure out, you know,
how close this is and whether or not this is a viable pathway for other people, who are potentially, you know, sharing a similar ideology.
GIOKOS: I want to take a macro view here and I want to talk about what causes this radicalization, what fuels it. Usually we see it when there's a
rise in anti-American sentiment or anti-Western sentiment.
Frankly, it could be you know, religious radicalization. It could just be an ideology.
Where do we stand with this at a global level in the current environment we're in?
ZEKULIN: Right. Well, the reality is, is that when we talk about the phenomenon that we saw in the sort of, you know, early to mid 2010s with
the height of ISIS and the fighting in places like Syria and Iraq, this never went away.
These -- the group was defeated. The caliphate was ceased to exist. But the reality is, is that, you know, the ideology still exists.
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And what we've seen over the past couple of years, particularly with one of the, you know, affiliates or franchises, ISIS-K in Afghanistan, is that
they've become quite strong. And so once again, we're starting to see increased activity.
And the bottom line is that these groups still are out there. And as they become stronger, people become attracted to them once again. And the
reality again is that the geopolitical incidents, particularly what's happening in the Middle East as well, sort of, you know, picks at the
grievances that some in the Middle East have.
GIOKOS: You know, the Australian government came in very swiftly to look at gun laws once again because the father of, you know, this father-son duo
had licensed guns to him legally, stepping in and trying to look at that policy.
But I wonder, what are the measures need to be taken to counter terrorist threats?
And importantly, this is clearly an anti-Semitic attack that we've seen, you know, happening in Australia.
How are you reading?
What's the calculation here?
ZEKULIN: Well, again this, of course, just seems to be an Islamist- inspired attack associated with ISIS ideology. But you know, over the past two years, with the rise of anti-Semitism -- and again, this is not the
only Western democratic country to be dealing with this.
You know, most of this was as well being driven by far right extremists. So the reality is, is that, you know, these are politicized times. You know,
you have cost of living struggles. As I mentioned, you have other geopolitical considerations.
And the reality is, is that, things such as the internet are driving this type of polarization and fragmentation. So dealing with the immediate, the,
the, you know, the ability of individuals to acquire things like guns, that's one thing.
But there are longer term strategies needed to, you know, tone down the rhetoric to monitor what's going on online.
You know, provide education, go back to things such as enhancing or increasing, you know, societal cohesion so that people can empathize and
sympathize and work together once again instead of, you know, falling into groups and allowing grievances to emerge and fester.
GIOKOS: Yes. Michael, great to have you on the show. Thank you so much.
A manhunt continues for the gunman who opened fire on Brown University's campus. Authorities are releasing additional surveillance footage of
someone they hope to identify as they investigate the deadly shooting.
The FBI says he's approximately 5'8" tall and has a stocky build. They're appealing to the public for any information that may help them locate this
person. CNN's Leigh Waldman is following the story for us from providence.
Leigh, we've got this footage. It's a man, you know, they're saying stocky build. They've given very little information. But I want you to tell me
about how this investigation is evolving, because it is four days in and you've got a rattled community.
LEIGH WALDMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You're exactly right, Eleni. We are days out now from when this shooting actually happened. And we have those new
videos, new pictures being released, and the FBI describing this person you see in them with all the clear image of his face.
But we can see his face behind that mask. They're saying he's about 5'8", stocky build. There's kind of a distinct gait there. And they're saying
he's an armed and dangerous person.
But we have seen less presence in this neighborhood of officers not as active as we saw yesterday when they were sifting through that snow,
knocking on doors, asking for surveillance video and other pictures that people might have taken or gotten in the days and hours after the shooting.
But we do know that inside of this building behind us, that agents try and reconstruct the scene where this shooting actually happened. They're trying
to sift through any and all physical evidence. The AG mentioned that they're looking through any kind of electronic evidence that there may be.
We learned new information at that press conference, a 9 millimeter firearm was used and the police chief said it was a targeted attack against this
university. But that's not putting people's fears at ease who live here, who have nowhere else to go.
Students have left but people still live in this community. And they said that they're not going to feel at ease until (INAUDIBLE) has been caught
and they have justice in this case. They're anxious, they're nervous and they are desperate for answers days after this shooting happened.
GIOKOS: All right. Leigh Waldman, thank you so much for that update.
Now the double homicide case of slain director Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele, is moving to a new phase. It's set to be presented to the Los
Angeles County D.A. today.
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L.A. police allege the couple's son, Nick Reiner, is responsible for the death of his parents. The 32-year old is being held without bail following
his arrest on Sunday night. CNN's Nick Watt has more on the tragic loss of the beloved Hollywood couple.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NICK WATT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Rob and Michele Reiner met on the set of "When Harry Met Sally." They were married more than 35 years.
They died together Sunday.
Around 3:40 pm, the LAPD and Fire Department responded to a medical emergency at the Reiner home in upscale Brentwood. They found an elderly
man and woman dead.
Homicide detectives soon on the scene, 9:15 pm, a suspect. Arrested the couple's son Nick Reiner, age 32.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He was subsequently booked for murder and is being held on $4 million bail.
WATT (voice-over): The D.A. is yet to file charges. Nick Reiner seen here with his parents at the "Spinal Tap II" premiere in September, has been
open about his struggles with heroin addiction and homelessness. He co- wrote a movie, "Being Charlie," based on those experiences. His dad directed. They talked about it on AOL back in 2016.
ROB REINER, FILM DIRECTOR: But it is loosely based on, you know, things that Nick went through and his relationship to me and his mother.
And you can talk a little bit more about it, Nick, if you want.
NICK REINER, SCREENWRITER: I wasn't really that shy about including some of the bad stuff I did, because a lot of people do things that are pretty
unsavory.
R. REINER: I like to take care of one foot at a time.
WATT (voice-over): Rob Reiner's big break was as a T.V. actor, playing Meathead on, "All In The Family" back in the '70s. Later, as a movie
director, he was prolific and versatile -- "Princess Bride," "A Few Good Men," "Stand By Me," "Spinal Tap," "Misery," "When Harry Met Sally."
BRENT LANG, EXECUTIVE EDITOR, "VARIETY": It's a seismic shock, because Rob Reiner is such an outsized presence in the entertainment community. I mean,
he's almost the mayor of Hollywood. He's such an affable, genial person.
WATT (voice-over): Tributes laid today at his Walk of Fame star for this actor, writer, director, producer, political activist and much loved
avuncular industry figure.
Harry Shearer, one of the stars of "Spinal Tap," said, "This is unspeakable, the stuff of Greek tragedy."
WATT: Now investigators will be presenting the case against Nick Reiner to the D.A. Tuesday. We assume that charges will follow. A grim death to end a
great life. Rob Reiner was a lauded filmmaker.
But also in this town, more famous for sharp elbows and big egos, Rob Reiner was universally liked by pretty much everybody he came in contact
with -- Nick Watt, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GIOKOS: Still ahead, Congress is expected to get a classified briefing on U.S. strikes against alleged drug trafficking boats in the Caribbean, as
well as eastern Pacific. Who is expected to attend, that's coming up after the break.
And Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy is in the Netherlands for another round of peace talks. We'll bring you the latest from his
discussions with European leaders.
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GIOKOS: U.S. secretary of state Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth are set to give Congress a classified briefing today on strikes
against alleged drug trafficking boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific.
The U.S. military says eight people were killed in the latest strike on Monday, bringing the total to at least 95 since September. Meanwhile,
Congress is moving to limit travel budget unless unedited video of the strikes is released to lawmakers. We've got CNN's Alayna Treene joining us
live from the White House.
Alayna, what details are lawmakers hoping to get today in this classified briefing?
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. So one of them had just kicked off or was at least scheduled to kick off just moments ago, 10 am Eastern here
in D.C., and that would be with senators, as you mentioned, secretaries Rubio and Hegseth, the ones leading this closed door classified briefing.
And then afterwards, the full House will get this. And this is a big deal, because this is essentially all lawmakers on Capitol Hill who are getting
these briefings. And it comes as there have been so many questions and a lot of mounting scrutiny over the different operations that the military is
conducting in both the Caribbean and the Pacific.
Now I should note as well that, later this week, the House Armed Services Committee is also expected to get a briefing from the head of the U.S.
Special Operations Command head Admiral Frank "Mitch" Bradley. He is the one who led that very controversial double tap strike on a boat.
They claimed an alleged boat carrying drugs -- excuse me -- carrying drugs off the coast of Venezuela, that double tap strike, that essentially, once
the first strike didn't kill everyone on board, he ordered a second. That will be also a very telling briefing.
And I think the big question here is there have been many, you know, concerns over potentially the legality of these, specifically that double
tap strike back in September. And there hasn't been a lot of information that has been shared with lawmakers who believe that some of these actions
could potentially amount to acts of war.
The administration has laid out that they believe that they are in armed conflict with Venezuela specifically. But some of these other countries
regarding, you know, the trafficking of drugs into the United States. And so there's going to be a lot of questions over this.
And also, I think other questions I know that people have been wanting to ask is, you know, how do you know that these are actually boats that are
carrying drugs?
There have been some criticisms from people in Venezuela and other countries saying, actually, you know, this boat belonged to a fisherman.
So questions around that as well, where they're really going to be pressing administration officials on exactly how they know the targets are, what
they are and whether they fully do have the legal backing behind them.
GIOKOS: Yes. And it's a really good point, because the big question around evidence regarding these strikes has been something that's been mentioned a
lot. I also want to talk about the unedited video that lawmakers are asking for.
Do you think and we've heard anything about the Pentagon perhaps releasing some of this video?
TREENE: Well, I think actually where we could see this video being made, maybe not public but being shown, would be in one of those classified
briefings, specifically the one I mentioned that Mitch Bradley, the admiral who was the one that the Pentagon is saying, the man who ordered that
double tap strike on that boat.
That could be where some of the lawmakers actually get to see some of this. Now we know some have already seen a lot of it. But lawmakers are very
eager to have all of them review it. If not, have the general public see it. We'll have to see.
I think what's been interesting, of course, is we've seen a lot of the footage of other strikes on other alleged drug boats that the military has
carried out action in operations on. This is one where really we've heard president Trump himself argue that it's up to the secretary to decide.
And so the questions around why wouldn't they do that is something that is still very concerning to a lot of lawmakers who are trying to get answers
around all of this
GIOKOS: Alayna Treene, good to have you on. Thank you so much.
Meantime, in Europe, leaders are meeting to discuss Russia's war in Ukraine and whether Ukraine is due any compensation for the damages it has
suffered.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is in the Netherlands for another round of talks with allies, following two days of discussions in Berlin and he's
calling for Russia to face justice for invading Ukraine, with hopes to launch an international claims commission to gain that compensation.
We've got CNN's Melissa Bell joining us live from Paris for more on these ongoing talks.
[10:25:03]
Melissa, what do other European leaders think of this compensation claim?
MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the idea that Europeans are going to be looking at and have been pondering for some time
is how there could be some use of these, some $250 billion worth of frozen Russian assets in Europe to help underwrite some loan, for instance, to
Ukraine.
This has been at the heart of discussions for some time and is really going to come to the fore in the next couple of days. Already those funds have
now been successfully frozen by the European Union. And that, of course, is a first step to trying to figure out how then to figure out the
underwriting of such loan.
It comes, of course, at this moment also where the security guarantees are being discussed.
We've heard a great deal of optimism from the Ukrainian leader, European leaders, even president Trump, about the fact that progress had been made
and that many seem to believe that we are closer to a peace deal than we have been at any point before.
President Zelenskyy has just been speaking to that there in the Netherlands. and speaking to the fact that these cast-iron-clad guarantees
are NATO Article V guarantees would be underwritten by Congress.
There is a sense, we've heard from one American official, that president Trump may well put these guarantees before Congress.
So certainly, when it comes to the conversations between Europeans, Ukrainians and Americans that have been really speeding up over the course
of the last 10 days, there's a great deal of hope that sufficient progress has been made, that we can be looking ahead to more progress being made on
the question of peace.
Some 90 percent said one American official of those issues over which there had been disagreement had been resolved. The big question now what the
Russians are going to have to say to these revised plans over the next couple of days.
We heard president Zelenskyy's very optimistic timetable earlier today, the idea that he believes the Americans will be speaking to the Russians over
the next couple of days and that Ukrainians could be meeting in the United States with American officials after that to continue these peace
negotiations. So there is hope.
But for the time being, of course, at the very heart of the expectations for the next couple of days, the fear over the territorial concessions that
Moscow is likely to continue insisting on and has suggested again today it would continue insisting on.
And as one European official put it a couple of days ago, it's really going to take all of the power and the skill of the United States at this stage
to try and help see whether they can get Moscow to play ball, Eleni.
Yes, exactly. I mean, it's territorial concessions that are the sticking point. You know what security guarantees Ukraine is hoping to secure, the
question of whether, you know, joining NATO at some point is still on the cards.
What is Zelenskyy hoping to gain from these talks?
BELL: I think that, to your question about NATO, I think that's something he's also been highlighting today. That is a concession on the part of
Ukraine that, in this latest document, they had removed any suggestion that Ukraine would necessarily join NATO.
But they had also removed any language that barred them from doing so. And instead, the idea of this compromise over these Article V-style security
guarantees seems to be making progress.
As does, Eleni, the other American suggestion that one compromise in terms of the territory there in the Donbas that is disputed by the two sides and
that Russia continues to insist needs to be given up, could be reached by some economic free zone.
So these two major bits of progress, these concessions that they believe they're able to find some kind of agreement upon, the big question now, how
willing Moscow is to negotiate.
GIOKOS: All right, Melissa Bell, thank you so much for that update.
I want to get you up to speed on some of the stories that are on our radar right now.
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GIOKOS (voice-over): President Trump says he feels so badly for Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai. Lai was found guilty on national security and
sedition charges on Monday. Trump says he asked Chinese president Xi to consider his release. The verdict is seen as a sign of shrinking freedoms
under Beijing.
You're looking at video showing a levee breach along the Green River in Washington state. That's near Seattle. Crews are desperately working to
repair the levee, which failed on Monday. A flash flood warning was issued for more than 45,000 people in the affected area.
Organizers of the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles have promised that there will be affordable tickets for the Summer Games there. Reuters reports at
least 1 million of those tickets will be priced at $28. The decision comes amid widespread criticism of soaring ticket prices for next year's FIFA
World Cup.
And still to come, growing criticism over Donald Trump's response to news of legendary director Rob Reiner's death.
And we'll look at the U.S. president's handling of two major tragedies and whether he'll likely pay a price with supporters. That's coming up next.
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GIOKOS (voice-over): Welcome back to CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Eleni Giokos. Here are your headlines.
Australia's prime minister says the two alleged shooters who carried out the Bondi Beach terror attack were inspired by ISIS.
Police say the father and son recently traveled to an area of the Philippines known to house insurgent groups; 15 people were killed while
they were celebrating the start of Hanukkah; 22 remain in hospital, three in critical condition.
Now to the urgent manhunt entering day four for the suspect wanted in connection with the deadly shooting at Brown University, law enforcement
releasing these new surveillance images of a person they want to identify. The FBI says this person of interest is male, approximately 5'8", with a
stocky build.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is in the Netherlands to speak with European leaders. He's meeting with allies to discuss the war with Russia and
potential competition for Ukraine over the damages it has suffered during the conflict. It follows two days of talks in Berlin, where he also met
with a U.S. delegation to discuss security guarantees.
Today, police are expected to turn over the double homicide case of famed Hollywood director Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele, to Los Angeles County
prosecutors. Their 32-year-old son, Nick, was arrested Sunday on suspicion of murder and he's currently being held without bail.
Meanwhile, at least two Republicans are joining the growing chorus of critics speaking out against president Trump's social media post about the
Reiners. The president suggested their deaths stemmed from what he calls Trump derangement syndrome and he was given the chance to clear that up on
Monday. But he instead doubled down.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
Tripoli 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)
GIOKOS: And as America also grapples with the tragic campus shooting at Brown, president Trump is pointing the finger at the university for failing
to quickly identify a suspect. Mr. Trump, calling it a, quote, "school problem," seemingly trying to deflect blame from the FBI.
I want to discuss these cases now. We've got CNN Politics senior reporter Stephen Collinson with us.
Stephen, always good to have you on. And look, criticism over president Trump's social media post about the Reiners, you write that, quote, "this
uproar could underscore Trump's lost connection with most of the country."
You say it reinforces the sense that he remains obsessed with his own grievances.
[10:35:00]
Rather than focusing on working for all Americans.
So what do you make of this post?
Because, frankly, he was asked about it and he doubled down.
STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I must admit, the first time I read it, I had to check that it wasn't some AI fake because,
even for Trump, this post was really out there.
I think it does show that the president sees everything through the prism of what it means for him. And his first reaction was that Rob Reiner was a
political adversary and he was a big Democratic fundraiser. So I think that tells you quite a lot about the president's character himself.
And this outrage follows many outrages that Trump has perpetrated on social media. This goes all the way back to his maligning of the heroism of late
senator John McCain, a former Vietnam war prisoner, during his first campaign. He's always been able to ride these out. And probably history
shows that this will be the case again.
But this does come at a time of diminished popularity for the president. His approval ratings are tanking. People are angry about the economy. This
shows that, first, he's obsessed with things that matter to him, rather than perhaps working for all Americans.
And you know, when some people are looking at the president and thinking is this what we really voted for?
I think this adds to that stack of evidence.
GIOKOS: Yes. I mean, I also had to do a double take on what I read on social media. And frankly, this was even a step too far for some of his
allies as well, as Republicans, Republican leaders remain mum at this point.
Give me some information of whether he's losing power within his base, especially the people around him, because, as you say, this post was
completely out of touch
COLLINSON: Yes, well, we've certainly seen some instances lately where Republicans have been more willing to criticize the president. We saw a
full-on revolt in the Republican House, which was unprecedented, which voted for a bill to release the Jeffrey Epstein papers.
Increasingly, some Republicans are standing up and saying that the president has deserted his own MAGA principles and America First principles
by traveling the world while a lot of Americans are hurting from high prices.
There was something very interesting that the White House chief of staff, Susie Wiles, said in a fascinating story this morning in "Vanity Fair"
magazine, a series of interviews she carried out with the journalist Chris Whipple.
She suggested that where the president is eroding politically is among the new people he brought to his coalition in the 2024 election; some minority
voters, some Black, male and Hispanic voters, some younger voters who are attracted to his positions in the last election.
She argued that that was where he was slipping away. And I think she's probably right, that Trump's base will be with him whatever.
But the danger for Republicans is that those extra Republicans in the new coalition that Trump forged could be not available to Republican candidates
in next year's midterm elections in Congress.
So I think Trump's power base, as it's always been, his most loyal supporters is still firm, pending, you know, economic developments. But
there's certainly an ebbing of his support in other areas.
GIOKOS: Yes. I mean, look, these are the two major incidents, right?
So what we saw at Bondi Beach as well as Brown University, he's been very critical of what's happened at Brown University. Look, it is four days in.
There's still a person on the run. He's blaming the university. Tell me about the response to the way that he's been reacting to some of these big
events this week
COLLINSON: Yes. You know, at a time of a very grim time, it was a rough weekend for everybody. A lot of people already in the United States are
feeling beaten down by which has been a very turbulent year. You would expect to get words of consolation from a president, rather than him trying
to use various situations for his political gain.
It's interesting how he tried to absolve the FBI of any blame over the failure so far to catch the shooter in the Brown University shootings. You
know, Trump has flushed out all of the senior leadership of the FBI, basically arguing that it was weaponized against him under the Biden
administration. And this is what happens.
The FBI director, Kash Patel, is very quick to release information on investigations that, in the past, the FBI probably wouldn't have released.
And we saw this during the Charlie Kirk investigation, too.
[10:40:00]
Some of this information turns out not to be true. So I think it's a symptom of the lack of professionalism in law enforcement that has been
caused by Trump's politicization of those agencies himself.
GIOKOS: All right. Stephen Collinson, good to have you on the show. Thank you so much.
Well, coming up, a former musician is hoping to unseat Uganda's long time president. But the opposition alleges a crackdown and tensions are running
very high. We'll have a report from Kampala that's coming up.
And Chile's president-elect, Jose Antonio Kast, wins the election. We will cover that story as well.
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GIOKOS: Welcome back.
So Chile's president-elect Jose Antonio Kast has met with the current president to begin the transition of power. Kast's decisive victory marks
the country's sharpest shift to the Right since the end of military rule in 1990.
He and Gabriel Boric held talks at the presidential palace in Santiago, where the two pledged an orderly and cooperative transition.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GABRIEL BORIC, CHILEAN PRESIDENT (through translator): After the meeting with the teams, we had a long personal conversation in my office. We shared
some of the experiences from these past four years and talked about the challenges of the campaigns and the day-to-day realities of governing.
I also told him that, after March 11th, when it's my turn to be former president of the republic, I will always be available to help for the good
of Chile.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS: Kast defeated leftist candidate Jeannette Jara, who conceded the race. He ran his campaign on a right-wing law-and-order platform, winning
with about 58 percent of the vote.
All right. I want to take you to Uganda now where, less than a month away from general elections, a crackdown on the opposition is setting off waves
of anger. CNN's Larry Madowo brings us close-up view of the tensions boiling over into the streets.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is the man seeking to remove President Museveni from power after 40 years. He has incredible support
among the young people. As Bobi Wine arrives, so do the crowd. There is nothing like it.
MADOWO (voice-over): Bobi Wine wants Ugandans to sing a new tune. The musician turned politician is running for president for a second time.
Nearly twice his age, President Yoweri Museveni is also running for a seventh term. When the former general came to power after a civil war in
1986, Bobi Wine was just 4 years old.
ROBERT "BOBI WINE" KYAGULANYI, UGANDAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I believe that General Museveni largely views Uganda as his personal property, as his
family property and he views us as slaves.
[10:45:00]
It is our time to change our future.
MADOWO (voice-over): Bobi Wine accuses security forces of using violence to stop him from campaigning. At this stop in Northern Uganda, supporters
formed a protective shield around the candidate as military officers whipped them. One of his closest aides was wounded.
WINE: Look at what the police and the military are doing to us for no crime whatsoever.
MADOWO (voice-over): The electoral commission condemned the incident that is now under investigation. He says more than 450 members of his party and
supporters have been imprisoned during the campaign, others tortured or disappeared.
WINE: Some people have been shot dead at my rally and I know the regime has me as the main target.
MADOWO: Why won't you be allowed to campaign freely?
WINE: Well, I believe it is fear. It is fear that General Museveni knows that he has no support. Every time I go out to campaign, I know that
somebody is going to be beaten, somebody is going to be killed, run over by the police, shot with live bullets and all that.
MADOWO (voice-over): The U.N. Human Rights Chief has condemned widespread, arbitrary arrests, detentions and the use of unnecessary or
disproportionate force against the opposition.
CNN filmed hundreds of police, military and special forces at Bobi Wine's rallies in the capital, Kampala. They blocked him from using some roads,
beat up some supporters and teargassed bystanders.
MADOWO: Everywhere Bobi Wine goes, there's dozens of police officers, soldiers. It always ends up in a scuffle. Right now, they're blocking his
way from coming into a rally venue and that's tear gas.
Before he's even inside, we're hearing -- that sounded like live shots, tear gas in every direction -- tear gas in every direction. It's really
become a chaotic scene. And this happens at every Bobi Wine --
MADOWO (voice-over): Police told CNN that they were forced to use teargas here to disperse people and clear busy intersection. They have repeatedly
denied that they're specifically targeting Bobi Wine or his campaign.
RUSOKE KITUURNA, UGANDA POLICE SPOKESPERSON: We all benefit from coming out of this election with the most minimal damage on individuals and
property.
MADOWO (voice-over): There are six other candidates running for Uganda's top job but January's election is largely a rematch between the president
and the pop star.
MADOWO: In a free and fair election, can you beat President Museveni?
WINE: If 2021 was a free and fair election, I would be president already.
MADOWO: Will this be a free and fair election?
WINE: This is not an election to begin with. This is war.
MADOWO (voice-over): Uganda's Electoral Commission has asked law enforcement agencies to exercise restraint and stick to the law while
dealing with candidates -- Larry Madowo, CNN, Kampala.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GIOKOS: All right. We're going to take a short break. We'll be back with more news right after this.
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GIOKOS: Welcome back.
And it's the holiday season and, for many of us, that means unwinding by streaming our favorite movies. One of the big platforms competing for
viewers in this region is called StarzPlay.
[10:50:04]
CNN's Becky Anderson caught up with CEO Maaz Sheikh to see how the content stands out compared to its competitors.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MAAZ SHEIKH, CEO, STARZPLAY: So you're getting access to a subscription service. We have content from all major Hollywood studios. We produce our
own original Arabic content and we carry live sports -- football, cricket, MMA, especially UFC and golf. So we carry all the major sports.
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST: Looking ahead, where do you think the next big export opportunity lies for Arab content and creators?
SHEIKH: I think you're beginning to see more and more Hollywood films being produced here, big ones, big titles, including "Dunes" perhaps the
most recent example.
And I think what that that tends to do is transfer talent, transfer knowledge but it also gives us the confidence that we can also produce the
next Dunes, right. And you've seen some big movies come out of the region and go global. Same with TV shows.
Perhaps the one big opportunity we see is the intersection of sports and entertainment, especially when events are hosted locally here in the
region. So UFC is a good example. We carry the streaming rights.
But each year their UFC events are hosted in Abu Dhabi and now they're being expanded into Riyadh season as well.
And so when UFC events are hosted locally, same with PFL, another MMA league, it gives us the ability to create that content sometimes behind the
scenes, sometimes those viral moments and build entertainment content around it.
ANDERSON: This is called shoulder content to a degree. And we see the Netflixes of this world doing exactly that, right?
SHEIKH: It works really well because it pays dividends in two ways, right?
It drives the consumption of your core product but then it's also entertainment. The key to doing that is finding local partners, local
talent that will collaborate with you.
So for example, in UFC's case, specifically, there were two YouTube bloggers locally -- they're lawyers by daytime. But UFC fans even, they
created their own YouTube channel called Hosheh. And they were doing it for fun.
And we signed them up to be our commentators, be our analysts, be our pundits. People are not just coming for UFC; they're coming to hear the
analysis in Arabic and engage with those commentators and make it more interactive.
ANDERSON: You combine exclusive sports rights, especially for the likes of UFC --
SHEIKH: Correct.
ANDERSON: -- with AI personalization.
What does that mean?
SHEIKH: As the fight goes on, consumers want highlights immediately, right?
If there's a knockout, if there's a win or a loss, they want to know immediately. So those real-time highlights are being pushed using AI as
well.
Perhaps the most critical element is that of personalization because remember that old adage of 200 channels and nothing to watch?
I think it's a song, if I remember correctly.
It's the same issue even today, right?
You have even more content, yet people feel they have nothing to watch. That's what AI solves, is tracking your consumption history and then
personalizing content for you.
ANDERSON: You've teamed up with ByteDance to incorporate their technology in the platform.
Why?
And how does that technology help what you are trying to achieve with your business?
SHEIKH: So what we wanted is access to an AI technology that that takes personalization to the next level. And that that's been, you know, proven
on millions of customers.
And that's where ByteDance comes in. We're collaborating with them to take our AI rec engine to the next level by using some of their insights in
helping improve personalization in our service.
ANDERSON: Talking about security, do you not have any issue with ByteDance parented by and in China?
SHEIKH: So, well, no; there's two things. One, we control the technology. So it's still in our cloud. And we control that recommendation engine. And
our customer data does not leave UAE. It stays inside our cloud here right here in UAE.
ANDERSON: Talk to me about AI generated content.
SHEIKH: Where we are investing is AI generated animated content. And the beauty we see there is it has the opportunity to localize dialects and
languages without too much incremental cost. So that's where we're looking to release our first AI generated animated series in 2026.
ANDERSON: What about commentating?
Where's the AI input there?
SHEIKH: It's a very sensitive subject we see with our fan base. If they don't -- if you take out their favorite commentator, we get a lot of
feedback on all the social media platforms. And we tried that and we had to bring our old commentator back, especially in Arabic language. The fan base
is very attached to their favorite commentator.
[10:55:03]
So I don't see AI replacing that anytime soon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GIOKOS: All right. So Santa arrived a little early in some cities or at least runners dressed as Santa. Thousands of people in red suits flooded
the streets of Kosovo on Sunday for the 10th annual Santa run. And it's not just a Christmas tradition. The event raises money for sick children and
needy families.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LORIK ZHITIA, PRISTINA RESIDENT (through translator): It's an extraordinary event for the children and mothers in Kosovo and for
families. Every year, children, parents and businesses gather here with positive energy. And it's a wonderful sight to see.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS: I have not seen so many Santas ever.
I mean, it's amazing, right?
You've also got a similar scene in Mexico City on Sunday. More than 3,000 people sprinted through the streets for that city's Santa run. And some
participants even brought their pets. It looks absolutely awesome.
Well, that's it for this edition of CONNECT THE WORLD. Stay with CNN. "ONE WORLD" is up next. From me, Eleni Giokos, I'll see you same time tomorrow.
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