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House Dems Release New Epstein Pictures Ahead Of Tomorrow's Deadline For DOJ To Release Epstein Files; Rep. MTG: Trump Said Releasing Epstein Files Would "Hurt People"; Trump Tries To Sell His Economy To Skeptical Voters; Inflation Rates Slows, But Prices Still Up 2.7 Percent From A Year Ago; Trump Defends Economy, Blames Biden In National Address. Aired 12-12:30p ET

Aired December 18, 2025 - 12:00   ET

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

[12:00:00]

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: If the NTSB investigates and it would be likely if there were fatalities on board. Although we do not have that confirmed at the moment, they would dig into the airplane. The pilots and the environment, the weather in Statesville is not very good right now, known as IFR conditions, meaning pilots flying solely in reference to their instruments.

You can see the foggy conditions there in the video that is coming in right now, which would have made this return to the airport. If that is in fact the case, even more challenging for the pilots on board this airplane. So, of course, they'll be looking at the weather.

And then the big thing is we will want to know any interplay between pilots and air traffic controllers. Although this airport is known as an uncontrolled field, meaning there is no control tower at the airport, seems unlikely that we'll get any sort of major instincts -- major insight into what happened over the radio from these pilots in this sort of doomed flight as it was coming back into the Statesville airport.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR, THE SITUATION ROOM: All right. Pete Muntean, thank you so much. And thank you all for joining us this morning. It was great to have you along. Inside Politics is next.

DANA BASH, CNN HOST, INSIDE POLITICS: Five pictures and a puzzle. House Democrats just released new photos from the Epstein estate a day ahead of the DOJ deadline to release the Epstein files.

I'm Dana Bash. Let's go behind the headlines at Inside Politics.

First up, new photos from House Democrats that put Jeffrey Epstein back in the spotlight on the eve of the deadline congress set for the Justice Department to release all the Epstein files. We just got five more pictures from the Epstein estate, courtesy of Democrats who are eager to keep the story in the headlines. The photos were provided without context.

CNN's MJ Lee is here. MJ, can you tell us what these images show? MJ LEE, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL ENTERPRISE CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Dana. First of all, I'm really glad that you said that these photographs have been released without any kind of context. We shouldn't be reading into them. What we can do is simply describe what we are seeing here, and certainly we can talk about the political context that is behind all of this as well.

The photos, as you said, were just now released by Democrats on the House Oversight Committee. They were obtained from the Epstein estate, and committee Democrats also are saying that they were received without the contacts. So, it's not as though they are holding back contacts that they otherwise have from the estate.

So here are the five new photographs. First, we have, if you see up there on the screen, a woman's foot with a quote from Lolita. This is a novel about a man's sexual obsession with a 12-year-old girl. You see in the background there the actual book itself.

And then we have a photo that appears to be a series of text messages sent by somebody. And again, we don't know who, discussing, quote, sending girls. Let me just read some of these texts. I don't know, try to send someone else. One tech says, I have a friend scout. She sent me some girls today, but she asks $1,000 per girl. I will send you girls now. Maybe someone will be good for Jay. Don't know who Jay is. Redacted information. I think we are seeing as well about this girl, presumably including age and height measurements.

The next photo is what appears to be a Ukrainian woman's passport. No context there, of course, about who this person might be. And then we have two photos, one a philosopher, Noam Chomsky on a plane with Epstein, and then Bill Gates posing for a photograph with a woman, but the woman's face has been redacted by the House Democrats.

They've been doing this to -- they say, to make sure that they are protecting the identities of potential Epstein victims. And I should just be careful to note that Gates has previously said that he regrets meeting with Epstein, whereas Chomsky has previously declined CNNs request for comment.

So, Dana, there's nothing here that explicitly seems to sort of depict any kind of sexual misconduct. But again, without any kind of proper context, we have no idea what these text messages are supposed to suggest, what the significance of these images might be.

But as you say, you know, this has been sort of a pattern that we have seen from House Democrats, sort of a slow rolling release of small batches at times, of information that they have gotten from the Epstein estate. And Republicans on the committee have certainly accused Democrats of cherry-picking certain information to release a little bit at a time for political reasons.

And I do think it is an important question to sort of ask, what the service might be that Democrats think they are serving by doing this in this manner, when they could be releasing, perhaps everything at the same time, or maybe waiting until we do have the context so we can understand what exactly we are seeing here. [12:05:00]

BASH: Well, we're talking about it. So that gives the answer to your question, and we're doing it, I should say, not to be flip. We are doing this because it is an important news story particularly on the eve of the important date on the calendar tomorrow, which is the DOJ is, by law, supposed to release the Epstein files.

So, what we are seeing is perhaps, yes, sort of examples or illustration of some of what we're going to see, much of which might not have the context in and around them that it's exactly what we're getting today.

LEE: Yeah, that's right. And you know, it's not as though there is some public rollout plan that we've gotten from the Justice Department about how tomorrow might go. If these files end up being released tomorrow to begin with but we do generally expect that whenever these files are released by the Justice Department, it will be broader in scope than anything else that we have seen so far.

I mean, we are talking about years and years of information that the DOJ might have access to, but we don't know, for example, Dana, what kinds of redactions are being made. You know, I've spoken to Epstein survivors who have said they've not been contacted in any way by the DOJ. Lawyers for them have said, you know, some of us have been contacted, others have not to discuss redactions.

And then I think we should be just taking a real effort to make sure the conversation is being brought back to the survivors. You know, some of them have told me that the slow, rolling nature of these disclosures have been incredibly triggering because they don't know when these images might suddenly pop up on their TV screens or on the internet and some of these images. When they see them, sort of bring them back to the moments that they experience this kind of trauma and abuse from Jeffrey Epstein and perhaps others around him.

BASH: Yeah. Very, very important note there. MJ, thank you so much. Appreciate your reporting. And my smart panel is back here. David Chalian?

DAVID CHALIAN, CNN WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF & POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Well, I keep thinking as I'm listening to this and looking at these films. What if? What if, as Susie Wiles said, Pam Bondi did not completely whiff at the Epstein files, as the White House chief of staff described the attorney general's approach in this beginning.

And what if the administration sort of followed political crisis management, 101, got their arms around this, put out everything, and they would be able to provide all the context around it. You wouldn't have moments like this of the House Democrats, you know, being able to, like, put stuff out, drip by drip, and create a daily headache for the administration.

I know that's backward looking, but as I was just listening to MJ, I was like, the administration had an opportunity here. One, by the way, that the president's own base was demanding to see everything and put their frame around it, and they did not take that opportunity.

BASH: Listen to what AOC said about sort of her commentary or analysis of what we're seeing out of the White House vis-a-vis what's happening in the world of the release of the Epstein files.

Oh, forgive me, it's a quote. It's not a sound bite. Reminder -- here's what she said. Reminder that the Epstein files are supposed to be released on Friday and every political development that you see between now until then should be viewed with that in mind.

SEUNG MIN KIM, WHITE HOUSE REPORTER, AP & CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Yeah, I think that it's also -- yes, and also, what the president did when he signed the legislation from Congress to release these files. I remember he really framed it as the Democrats are too focused on this. I want to move on, get it out, and what not. But as David points out, this is something that his own justice department could have done months ago. He didn't have to be forced by this bipartisan majority in the House and the Senate to release these files.

And I think the whole episode, you know, politically speaking, really showed just the weakness of two leaders of the Republican Party. One obviously being Trump, that he let this, you know, what he didn't want for so long actually happened, and also the weakness of Mike Johnson. I mean, clearly the rank and file overrode him. He did not want this on the floor. He followed the wishes of the president to not put this for up for a vote.

And it just really -- and this is kind of also where the dam started breaking. We saw breaks from Republicans, breaks coming from Republicans to Donald Trump on a lot of other issues. Obviously, it could be related to his poll numbers, which aren't very good right now. But this is really, you know, almost a seminal episode of this -- of the saga, if you will, between the Republican Party and Donald Trump.

BASH: To the point.

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN CHIEF DOMESTIC CORRESPONDENT: I think that's actually a really great point. You obviously, cautious with connecting trend lines or different elements that you're seeing. But this was the first time I think everybody looked around and thought, oh, there are some Republicans (inaudible), but there are some Republicans, at least initially, who were willing to buck kind of the leader that no one in any way questioned in public and to a large degree in private, more so than I'd ever seen before over the course of the eight months prior.

[12:10:00]

The thing, though, and I'm really glad, MJ wrote a really great story about this, and it was the last point she was making, is the survivors here and the elements of it. I think when last week's photos came out, I looked at them purely through the probably subconscious, cynical lens of this is Democrats trying to ensure that this stays front and center to pressure the Justice Department, but also to ensure that people are still focused on this going into the DOJ deadline. And MJ's great story, when she was talking about and what I'd heard from Epstein survivors last week was the triggering nature of it, the personal nature of it, the visceral nature of photos, seeing places in the backgrounds of photos where they had been or people that they had been connected to. And the importance of remembering what underpins all of this, which I think has probably never been shown better than those text messages that MJ just read through, which are disgusting and humane.

BASH: Yeah, absolutely. David, you said that when you were listening to MJ, you were thinking of what Susie Wiles said about the attorney general whiffing the whole process here. What I thought about when I, in fact, I think about it now a lot when I see the new developments is what Marjorie Taylor Greene said on 60 minutes about the reason President Trump gave to her about why he didn't want these released. Listen?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE (R-GA): He was furious with me.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What did he say?

GREENE: He said that it was going to hurt people. I had asked him, these women are the ones that were hurt. They were raped at 14. They were raped at 16. I watched them stand in front of the press trembling, their bodies shaking as they were telling their stories. Have these women come in the White House? These women deserve to be heard.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He said to you, people will get hurt.

GREENE: People will get hurt. I don't know what that means. I don't know who they are.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHALIAN: I mean, this gets at the divide that you guys are talking about here, right? I mean, I interpret, I know Marjorie Taylor Greene said she didn't know who the president was referring to. But it could be interpreted that he's trying to protect, you know, powerful and influential people in his orbit, or in the larger orbit of influence in American society.

What Marjorie Taylor Greene, though, said about bring these women into the White House. That that was a message she was delivering you'll recall on the steps of the Capitol outside, before her total fallout with President Trump. Yes, she was breaking with him on this and joining. But she has been consistent about saying, trying to guide the president to your point Phil about like, the root evil here, and maybe bring that in and express some compassion for that and he hasn't seen open to that.

BASH: We have to sneak in a quick break because we have some breaking news in North Carolina. New details on what appears to be a deadly plane crash there. Stick around. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:15:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BASH: This was President Trump, selling his take on the economy last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Inflation has stopped, wages are up, prices are down. Our nation is strong.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Well, inflation hasn't stopped. Wage growth is slowing. Some prices are down, but others are up. And Americans, they know all that. They see it every time they go to the grocery store or pay their bills or look at their checking account. In a new Fox News poll, 72 percent of registered voters said economic conditions are poor or fair.

That same poll showed 42 percent of voters said the president needs to focus more on high prices. The president did try to focus on what seemed like clear wins his promise to close America's southern border.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: We inherited the worst border anywhere in the world, and we quickly turned it into the strongest border in the history of our country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: He's right, that illegal border crossings have plunged, and yet, 30 percent nearly a third of voters, think the president should pay less attention to immigration, less attention to tariffs, arguably his two signature issues.

My panel is back now. David, as we were going in, you asked what happened at the plane in North Carolina. We're still getting details, and we want to be responsible. So as soon as we get those details, we will bring it to you.

While we wait for that, let's talk about this issue that is plaguing really most Americans, which is the crisis of affordability. I'm going to start with you, Phil, and just your sort of overall takeaway of the sales job and how it landed.

MATTINGLY: This is an issue politically, and we've talked about this before, that is very difficult for leaders, be it presidents or congressional leaders, who don't want to acknowledge what people are actually feeling because they have just a kind of general distaste for admitting that perhaps everything is not great.

And there certainly wasn't an effort to reconcile that last night. As I think, it's very clear when you look at poll numbers, even when you talk to administration officials, we're 11 months in. This is Donald Trump's economy. Ask Joe Biden if saying, look at the last guy, it was terrible when he left me across any number of policy issues is effective over time. It's not particularly on this issue.

[12:20:00]

I think what's most interesting about kind of how they're framing things is the degree of the uncertainty tied with the attempt to paint everything as some kind of top line success. And you mentioned, you know, inflation down, got a good, really solid inflation report today. Let's get some caveats to it, but Americans don't see CPI when they're at the grocery store.

BASH: That's because you mentioned that let's bring that up. I know that you're eager to dork out on this, and I'm totally here for it, completely here for it, because it's not dorky. It's really important. It matters. Can you explain what you're talking about?

MATTINGLY: 2.7 percent is a great number. It's the lowest CPI, or lowest rate of inflation gain month over month, you could say month over month. Since 2021, it is -- there was a relief rally immediately in the markets, because they're looking at that and looking at what the Fed may do, and saying, this is a great number, far surpassed expectations and forecast.

The difficulty with this number and a key caveat to remember, without diminishing the top line number, is there was no November data. When this data started, when the Bureau of Labor Statistics started collecting this data was in the middle of November because of the shutdown. That's when the shutdown ended.

And so, you have some deal related price elements of it. So, there's Thanksgiving price decreases, there's specials, all that type of stuff going into the holidays, so that may have an impact on it. There was data that they couldn't collect. It seems like on some of the stickiest elements, like housing and rent.

There's a divergence between kind of the topline and the core number, which I think has some economists questioning things, but it's a good number. If the trend continues over time, the bigger issue is, again, people aren't buying things based on 2.7 percent CPI. They're buying things based on my bananas have gone up, my bread has gone up, my milk has gone up, my eggs have gone down. And so that divergence is difficult to just capture in a single speech.

BASH: I do want to just take a moment, because you explained the substance, which is very complicated but very important, very well. To not just the content of what the president said, but the performance and how he said it and some of the content as well. This is Trump doing what we have heard him do a lot, which is blaming Joe Biden, but the way he said it was noteworthy. Watch?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Do you remember when Joe Biden said that he needed Congress to pass legislation to help close the border. He was always blaming Congress and everyone else. As it turned out, we didn't need legislation. We just needed a new president.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: And here's a little bit more.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I inherited a mess. We inherited the worst border anywhere in the world. Democrat politicians also sent the cost of grocery soaring. One year ago, our country was dead. We were absolutely dead. The Democrat inflation disaster, again, the worst in the history of our country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: David, it seemed to be a president who was dragged kicking and screaming behind that podium to say, you have to say this, because people are not feeling it and he delivered it in a way that did not hide that.

CHALIAN: I think it was reported by the pool reporter in the room that is, of course, you said. Susie--

(CROSSTALK)

MATTINGLY: He literally acknowledged it after his speech to reporters.

CHALIAN: Exactly. So, I'm not sure this was like on his top list of things he wanted to do before he headed home to Mar-a-Lago for the holiday. But I think the doing of it is the admission of the problem, right? The reason Susie, his chief of staff, Susie Wiles wanted him to do this. The reason he was convinced to do this is because there is a need to try and reconnect the president and his policies and his salesmanship with the American people of their real lived economic experience.

That is a -- that is a severed moment between the president and the people he serves. And the White House is keenly aware of it. And so, the whole reason that the speech occurred last night is to try and start bringing that back together. I'm not sure that this speech is the thing that did that but, you know, we'll see as it lands with the American people--

BASH: And Americans are screaming from the rooftops. Talk about this just. A Fox poll that just came out, which issue should Trump pay less attention to immigration, tariffs, which is the economy, you know, we put that aside for a second, foreign policy and budget deficit?

KIM: It just seems that right now, his strategy on the affordability conundrum, if you will, is whether it's in like a two-hour campaign rally or a really truncated speech, is just to keep telling Americans over and over that everything is going great. I mean, we know he's a very forceful messenger, and that communication skill has served him politically well in the past. [12:25:00]

But when voters are contrasting, you know, what they're actually paying and what they're seeing with what the president is seeing, how they reconcile those, you know, if there are differences, how they reconcile those two factors is going to be a major factor in the midterms. And I'm really struck too by how sometimes other senior White House officials talk about this issue versus the president himself.

You know, particularly immediately after the November elections, you did see White House officials such as James Blair, kind of talk about needing to lean in on this issue more and, you know, and kind of acknowledging that pain the president right now is just in telling of a world where everything is really great. And that's -- and how he pivots, or if he pivots, will be something that we're obviously very closely watching.

CHALIAN: Well, it's not great. It's not his fault.

KIM: Correct. Yes.

BASH: Up next. We will be able to get some new details on that, what appears to be a deadly private plane crash in North Carolina. What we're learning and what led to the crash, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:30:00]