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Trump's Iron Grip On GOP Fails To Keep Indiana Republicans In Line; Trump Signs E.O. To Block States From Regulating AI; TIME Selects "Architects Of AI" As 2025 Person Of The Year; Governors Shapiro And Cox On How Faith Drives Them; "Roy Wood Jr.'s Very Very Very Merry Holiday Special" Airs 8P Sunday. Aired 12:30-1p ET

Aired December 12, 2025 - 12:30   ET

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

HANS NICHOLS, POLITICAL REPORTER, AXIOS: The interesting thing about going after, you know, primarying these state senators, they can primary them, as my math, and correct me if I'm wrong here, that's going to be after the midterm elections. So they can defeat them in the midterm elections, but the whole point of this is to bolster and pad the majority and pick up a few seats here and there heading into 2026.

SARA FISCHER, CNN MEDIA ANALYST: Yes, I was just going to say that I look at what's happening in Indiana. They are watching what their colleagues in the federal level are going through, and I think they're picking up views.

Aaron, you mentioned the Epstein files. We just saw a lot of congressional and Senate Republicans coming out against the Pete Hegseth Venezuela strike attacks. We are now seeing people, Republicans on the federal level, come out against health care. I think on the local level, they're seeing what their colleagues are getting accomplished by speaking out and not getting punished on the federal level, and they feel empowered.

DANA BASH, CNN HOST: All right, when we come back, the AI revolution. It's here. Who sets the rules? That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:35:22]

BASH: This year, state lawmakers have introduced over 1,000 bills on artificial intelligence across the country. The Trump administration is seeking to prevent many of those from taking effect. In an executive order signed yesterday, the President moved to block state regulations that impede AI development in favor of a, quote, minimally burdensome national policy framework.

Here's what he said about it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Because you have to have a central source of approval. When they need approvals on things, they have to come to one source. They can't go to California, New York and various other places like Illinois with Pritzker, who's, you know, a totally unreasonable person. China has a central source of approval. I don't think they have any approval to just go and build.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: This order will get challenged in court. Sara?

FISCHER: I have a lot of thoughts on this. So, for one, I don't disagree with the premise. It does make it much easier for industry to succeed when you have a state -- when you have federal laws, because then they're not trying to adhere to 50 different random state laws.

The problem is, a federal law should be passed by Congress. It shouldn't be dictated through an executive order, which is why, to your point, I think this will be challenged in court. In the past, we have passed some federal laws that make it very hard for state laws to sort of supersede them, and it does mostly work.

The copyright law is a fantastic example of that. Passed in the 70s, you very rarely see any states trying to meddle with copyright because of that federal law. But the challenge, Dana, is we have a gridlocked Congress, and we can't get things passed.

The best example I'll give you, everyone agrees we've got a privacy problem. How annoying is it online to always reject and accept cookies? We have no national privacy law in the U.S. We have 50 different state laws. And so I am just bearish that Donald Trump could get something passed in Congress.

I think he is, too, which is why he's going this route. The challenge with an EO, other than the court situation, is just that you're not stress-testing this in a way that is really equitable for everybody involved. I think what critics of this effort see is that Donald Trump is sort of in bed with the AI guys, and he's just going to pass something that benefits them.

I would expect a lot of pushback from lawmakers in states with creative industries --

BASH: Yes.

FISCHER: -- particularly Tennessee and California.

BASH: Yes. I mean, it's such a good point that, you know, I mean, add this to the very long list of things that the President, any president, has just taken upon themselves because Congress is totally inept right now, and especially with something like this, which, let's be honest, it's monumental. They don't fully understand it, which I, you know, I have a little bit of sympathy for, but get with it. It's here.

NICHOLS: Yes, you can squint and see a path for some sort of federal regulation in 2026. It will be a big, major fight. Ted Cruz has legislation. Steve Scalise has legislation. They try to attach it to this must-pass defense authorization bill. It didn't get anywhere. I suspect this will be one of the big conversations. It's so technical, I kind of hesitate to call it a fight, but it'll be one of the big potential pieces of legislation that gets done. I guess we have to add it to health care in 2026, but the outcome is not foreordained, and there are big equities.

As you point out, there are different states that have different approaches, and you mentioned Tennessee. Marsha Blackburn sent it from there. She stopped this previously in the year. OK, I'll call it a fight. It's going to be a big fight, and it'll be interesting to cover.

FISCHER: What I would just say quickly on the complicated side of this -- sorry to interrupt --

BASH: Yes.

FISCHER: -- is just that we've seen before when you have a really complicated issue, you just pass one big sweeping general thing and hope it works. That's the Telecom Act in 1996. We still are going off that law, so it's not impossible to just pass a sweeping thing and refine it later.

BASH: They should call you up.

NICHOLS: I'm glad (INAUDIBLE). I didn't have a Gramm-Bliley reference on my bank record (ph) today, but you pulled it off. Well done.

BASH: Meanwhile, TIME's Person of the Year is out, and it is AI Architects. And you can see, you know, sitting on -- there's a callback to a very famous picture of actual construction workers putting up, I believe it was the, I mean, the Empire Staple --

NICHOLS: Was it the Rock Center? I don't know.

BASH: Anyway, in New York City. And this time, though, we have all of the famous AI moguls there. And this is one of the things that the growth of populism is sort of chafing against. And we're not just talking about the Democratic side, we're talking about populism on the Republican side, separate from Donald Trump.

Let's hear what some of the more prominent Democrats have talked about recently with regard to these AI moguls.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[12:40:04]

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I), VERMONT: Are we comfortable with seeing these enormously powerful men, handful of people, shape the future of humanity without any Democratic input or oversight?

GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM (D), CALIFORNIA: Those that see this as a dystopian future, those that want a light touch, and we've tried to find some balance in this space.

REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ (D), NEW YORK: Should this bubble pop? We should not be entertaining a bailout.

PETE BUTTIGIEG, FORMER TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY: I think there's a way to deal in American citizens on kind of like a dividend off of the value that's being created from AI.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JASMINE WRIGHT, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: And I mean, the people on that TIME magazine, those are folks who have been in and out of the Oval Office repeatedly. And so, I think a part of Donald Trump's platform here is also making AI thrive, to your point. The question is, is a lot of folks on the right are questioning whether or not that's good for them when it comes to jobs? Another major part of Donald Trump's platform.

AARON BLAKE, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL REPORTER: Also interesting to see how this plays out in the Republican Party. You know, Trump is now trying to make this a national approach. You see governors like Florida's Ron DeSantis, who really want this to be a state approach, who have been much more active on this. Are they going to stand by and let Trump kind of take the reins here?

BASH: No, it's a good question.

All right, coming up, is faith the answer to trying to address political division and violence? Two governors from different parties and different religions share how their faiths guide them. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:46:09]

BASH: Elected officials across the country are combating a surge in political violence and hateful rhetoric. What happens though when they try to use faith to combat it? In this Friday's Have a Little Faith series, I sat down with two leading governors, one Democrat, one Republican, in the National Cathedral, and we talked about how their different faiths inform -- their different faiths, rather, inform the way they lead their states.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: We're at the National Cathedral, and you have very different backgrounds. LDS, you're Jewish, but each of you has a very strong sense of faith and belief in God. And I want you to talk about how that drives you as a public person and as a public servant.

GOV. SPENCER COX (R), UTAH: So I've said from the very beginning when I ran for office, the very first time, that I can't separate my faith from who I am. It's part of me, and I'm going to be very transparent about that so that if you don't like that, then don't vote for me. But I'm not going to lie to you and tell you that I can check that at the door.

And so my faith informs me. I believe that there is a higher power. I believe that he cares about us. I believe that we're his children. I believe that we're all brothers and sisters. And that means that I treat you differently. I don't care what color your skin is. I don't care where you're from. You're my brother. You're my sister.

And I also believe that because of my faith that I'm supposed to love my enemies, and I'm supposed to forgive, and I'm supposed to do good to those that hate me and despitefully use me. And that's so hard. And I keep -- you know, I keep looking for somewhere in the scriptures where it tells me that that's true everywhere except politics, and I can't find it.

And so I have to bring that with me. It doesn't mean I'm not going to fight for what I believe in, but it does mean when we do have that battle, I'm going to treat you with dignity and respect that I feel that you deserve as my sibling.

GOV. JOSH SHAPIRO (D), PENNSYLVANIA: I really admire the way Spencer and Abby live their lives openly and are honestly about -- honest about their faith with the public. And I could tell you from my experience, from Lori's experience, the more open we are about our faith in our stay, the more folks are draw to having conversations with us about their faith, about their practices, about the way they live their lives.

Even if the way they live their lives and pray isn't in a temporary church or a mass or a place of worship. I think by putting yourself out there and being open about who you are, you're able to have a deeper, more personal relationship with the people that you're sworn to serve and protect.

We are from obviously different faiths, but there are some common bonds, some similarities, some universality in our faith. We're both from faiths where our ancestors were displaced and were moved. We're both from faiths where we can draw from different parts of our respective scriptures, but they teach us a similar lesson that we have to go serve others and do good for others.

And I think as you understand that more, you realize that there is a universality throughout all faiths, that if you really believe in your faith, you believe in, you know, something that may not be tied to a particular book or scripture, but just a goodness that exists in this country, you believe in treating your neighbor respectfully.

[12:50:02]

You believe in serving others. You believe in, you know, clothing the naked and feeding the hungry and housing the homeless. These are universal messages.

And so I think whether you come at it through your faith, as we do, or you come at it just by being blessed to live in this wonderful nation that we are in, most people come to those conclusions in ways that are really genuine and uplifting and offer me a whole lot of hope.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BASH: Up next, 'tis the season to celebrate Republican Congressman Tim Burchett's famed 15-minute party included a little bipartisan cheese whiz and Mountain Dew. Well, guess what? We have an even better event for you on the calendar. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[12:55:12]

BASH: You know him and love him as the host of "Have I Got News For You." But this Sunday, Roy Wood Jr. is bringing a new kind of joy to our viewers. "Roy Wood Jr.'s Very Very Very Merry Holiday Special" is a festive variety show filled with music and, of course, comedy.

Joining me now with what I'm sure is going to be a very, very, very fun preview of this event. Did I say the night -- did I have enough berries in there?

ROY WOOD JR., HOST, HAVE I GOT NEWS FOR YOU: I was counting the berries to make sure -- yes, I think you hit them all. I was -- you started counting them. Yes, yes. Go ahead. How you're going --

BASH: How many should there be?

WOOD: I think there should be 20. But, you know, the network wanted to limit it to three or four. So I said, OK, fine, I get it.

BASH: You're such a giver if that's what you do in the holiday season. You give.

WOOD: Yes, yes.

BASH: Tell me about the special.

WOOD: It's just going to be a wonderful night in Washington, D.C., celebrating the troops. The United States Air Force, the Air Force Band will be there. Other members of enlisted branches will be in the audience as well.

We have country musician. We got Jessie James Decker. We got comedian Tim Robinson.

BASH: What?

WOOD: We got a bunch of the celebrity guests in there. And I have to say comedian Craig Robinson, because it finally dawned on me. If you just say Craig Robinson --

BASH: Yes.

WOOD: -- from Chicago, you might think about Michelle Obama's wonderful brother --

BASH: 100 percent. That's totally who I thought when I first read that.

WOOD: Yes. No, it's this one. It's Craig Robinson from the office. The voice of so --

BASH: Love him.

WOOD: -- many different commercials that we know and love and the hot time. I'm not going to read all his resume. You know who he is.

BASH: Yes.

WOOD: It's going to be a wonderful time. And we're just there to just celebrate the holidays and just get people a little bit of an escape from everything that has been. Because that's what I am to this network. Like, you all do real journalism. You and Abby Phillip and AC, you all handle all the stuff.

And then they let me loose on the weekends with Amber Ruffin and Michael Ian Black to just say whatever we want to get people --

BASH: Yes.

WOOD: -- to forget about everything that they heard about earlier in the week.

BASH: Love it.

WOOD: So --

BASH: We need it.

WOOD: -- that's what we're here to do.

BASH: All right. Let's have some fun. Lightning round. You ready?

WOOD: Ready, ready, ready.

BASH: Favorite holiday song?

WOOD: Feliz Navidad.

BASH: Oh, that's a good one. All right. Favorite holiday drink?

WOOD: Eggnog with whatever liquor is in your house.

BASH: Re-gift or no?

WOOD: I always re-gift. I got --

BASH: Really?

WOOD: -- an iPod 3. I'm still trying to pass off to somebody.

BASH: OK. So what's the best gift you've ever received?

WOOD: Oh, oh, Madam Bash, you painted me in a corner coz -- BASH: You can name more than one if you want.

WOOD: There might be women watching that I've dated in the past and I don't want to get in trouble. I would say the best gift I've ever received, I don't want to say my mother's love. Like it's not -- like I'm trying to --

BASH: You can say that. I have a son and I'm melting already. I'm totally here for that.

WOOD: I feel like I'm breaking down because I don't feel like it. Have I ever been with anyone --

BASH: Have I stumped you, Roy Wood Jr.?

WOOD: No, you exposed the chasm in my heart that makes me realize that maybe no one ever gave me a gift that really touched my soul. Have I ever known love? Have I ever been truly happy?

BASH: This has taken a turn that I did not expect.

WOOD: It was a PlayStation 3.

BASH: Oh, OK.

WOOD: This girl got me a PlayStation 3 one time.

BASH: Who got it for you?

WOOD: I remember that. Yes, yes. Somebody -- we ain't going to talk about who.

BASH: Oh, OK.

WOOD: Yes, yes.

BASH: All right. So what's the worst gift that you have ever given?

WOOD: Oh, the Billy Blanks Tae Bo box set 2004.

BASH: Was that like an intentional?

WOOD: With Billy Blanks Tae Bo.

BASH: Did you think --

WOOD: Yes, because she said --

BASH: -- it was a really good one or you did it as a prank?

WOOD: Every time -- we would be on the couch, every time the Billy Blanks Tae Bo commercial came on. She'd go, oh, I need to order that. So did I surprise you not order you the whole set? And now I'm a jerk. And we're not together no more.

BASH: That's shocking. WOOD: I thought that I was listening. I thought I was being a good man. But apparently, when you get somebody exactly what the hell it is they said they want it, you're not a good guy.

BASH: Roy, women are complicated. I don't know if you've ever heard that.

WOOD: No, I've learned that day. I learned that day. What about the worst gift somebody ever gave me? Why -- see how you set me up to just say --

BASH: Yes.

WOOD: -- when were you bad man?

BASH: Yes.

WOOD: What about when they was bad woman? I'll tell you --

BASH: OK, so what is it?

WOOD: The Hunger Games trilogy books. I don't read fantasy. My whole house is just full of black authors. And then you give me the trilogy of a girl trying to escape the forest.

BASH: That sounds like a re-gift.

WOOD: It's forest murder.

BASH: I think somebody gave you a re-gift.

WOOD: It probably was.

BASH: Yes.

WOOD: We're not together no more either.

BASH: Feels like --

WOOD: But, yes, it's going to be a happy time on Sunday. I promise you.

BASH: We're going to have -- I cannot wait to see it. It's going to be a lot of comedy and music and, you know, joy. And you're probably going to have Eggnog. And are you going to be playing Feliz Navidad, your favorite song?

WOOD: We'll see. I'm going to talk with Craig Robinson. He'll be on the keys.

BASH: Yes.

WOOD: We'll come up with something.

BASH: He's -- I love him. That's such a great get.

WOOD: Absolutely.

BASH: Thank you for doing this. I appreciate it. I'm excited to watch your special.

Be sure to tune in --

WOOD: Thank you.

BASH: -- to "Roy Wood Jr.'s Very Very Very Merry Holiday Special" this Sunday at 8:00 p.m. on CNN and on the CNN app.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Thanks for joining Inside Politics. CNN News Central starts right now.