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One World with Zain Asher

Noem Testifies About National Security Threats To U.S.; Maduro Calls For Peace, But Also Sends U.S. A Warning; Ukraine, European Allies To Discuss Peace Proposals; Heavy Rain Floods Displaced Palestinians' Temporary Camps; Houses Burnt In Palisades Fire Rebuilt, Nearly One Year On; Visa Program Promises Expedited Visa For $1M; Record-Breaking Floods Cause Devastation In Washington State; Aired 12-1p ET

Aired December 11, 2025 - 12:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:00:55]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is CNN Breaking News.

ZAIN ASHER, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Coming to you live from New York, I'm Zain Asher.

BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Bianna Golodryga. You're watching the second hour of "One World."

We begin this hour with more of our breaking news from Capitol Hill. U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is testifying before U.S. House

Committee about national security threats to the United States.

ASHER: Yes. Political observers say her role in the Trump administration's immigration policies is under scrutiny. She has overseen the president's

mass deportation campaign.

Annie Grayer joins us live now from Capitol Hill with the very latest. So, Annie, just in terms of some of the topics that are being discussed here, I

mean, it's everything from intensified and increased deportations, especially migrants going to countries where they're not originally from.

Also, this idea of violating court orders when it comes to sending Venezuelan men to a notorious El Salvador prison. Just give us through.

Give us some of the highlights here from this testimony.

ANNIE GRAYER, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Well, as one Republican lawmaker in this hearing put it, this really feels like a tale of two cities. To hear

Republicans in this hearing, they are praising Secretary Noem for her work in securing the border. They are focusing on events in the future like the

2026 FIFA World Cup, the 2028 Olympics, the 250th anniversary of the United States, and just how to further secure the United States for those future

events. And really praising Noem for her time today to come to this hearing.

But the Democrats are going after Noem aggressively for her mass deportation effort telling personal stories of people, some of their

constituents, some who are -- some who are related to those in the hearing to stand up to really just personalize how Noem's intense deportation

efforts are targeting people who may be here legally, who already have green cards, who have claimed asylum, who have -- who are not violent

criminals.

And Noem is continuing to stand by her policies. They're also criticizing Noem for how she is using federal dollars, saying that she is

misappropriating funds and taking away funds from critical counterterrorism programs and using them for her own purposes.

And then to start off this hearing, just to show you how tense it's been at times. The top Democrat on this committee, Bennie Thompson, started his

hearing by asking Kristi Noem to resign. Take a listen to that clip.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. BENNIE THOMPSON (D-MS): You have systematically dismount the Department of Homeland Security, but your own interest above the Department

have violated the law. You are making America less safe.

So rather than sitting here and wasting your time and hours more with more corruption, lies, and lawlessness, I call on you to resign. Do a real

service to the country and just resign.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRAYER: Now, a big event overshadowing this hearing was the deadly shooting in Washington, D.C., right before Thanksgiving that killed one National

Guardsman and left one injured.

Democrats are pointing out that that Afghan individual was actually claimed asylum -- was granted asylum by the Trump administration in 2025. But the -

- but Noem is pushing back and saying that this individual came under the Biden administration in 2021, that it is former President Biden's fault for

this individual being in the country.

So there's a lot of intense emotion in this hearing, a lot of sparring words being thrown, but Noem is sitting there defending herself against a

lot of Democratic attacks.

ASHER: All right. Annie Grayer, live for us. Thank you so much.

GOLODRYGA: Well, calls are growing louder for the Pentagon to release unedited video of that controversial double-tap strike in the Caribbean

back in September.

ASHER: Yes. And a new military spending bill may force the Trump administration's hand after being passed by the House on Wednesday. The

measure now heads to the Senate. The bill includes a provision that puts pressure on the Defense Department to provide Congress with videos of its

strikes against alleged drug boats.

GOLODRYGA: In the meantime, the Republican head of the House Armed Services Committee said that he's seen enough, and that the investigation into that

follow-up strike is closed.

The lawmakers are still demanding answers, including the Senate's top Democrat, who posed this direct question to our Jake Tapper.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[12:05:04]

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): Roger Wicker, who's the chairman, Republican chairman, conservative Republican, head of the Armed Services Committee,

has joined with Senator Jack Reed, the ranking Democrat on the committee, to demand that these unedited videos be released. That's the right thing to

do. The question is this, Jake. What the hell is Hegseth hiding? Why is he so afraid to release these videos?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: Well, as the U.S. sharply expands its military campaign in the Caribbean, new questions are being raised about the mission. And what

exactly the Trump administration is trying to accomplish?

ASHER: Yes. On Wednesday, Washington dramatically escalated tensions with Caracas by seizing an oil tanker off Venezuela's coast. You can actually

see some dramatic video here.

Armed personnel rappelling out of helicopters, and essentially commandeering the ship with guns drawn.

Attorney General Pam Bondi says the tanker was actually carrying sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran. We are learning more about it.

GOLODRYGA: The ship was flying under a false Guyana flag, according to that country's maritime authority. And satellite imagery reviewed by CNN shows

the tanker had been concealing its true location.

ASHER: Yes. And it previously been sanctioned by the U.S. three years ago while sailing under another name. U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed the

seizure without providing any additional details.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: As you probably know, we've just seized a tanker the coast of Venezuela, a large tanker, very large.

The largest one ever seized actually.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The oil tanker, who owns that oil tanker?

TRUMP: You'll get that information later.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. And have you spoken to Maduro since your last conversation?

TRUMP: No, I don't.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We've got one conversation.

TRUMP: No.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NICOLE MADURO, VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT: Don't worry. Be happy. La, la, la, la, la, la.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: Well, that was Venezuela's president in Caracas on Wednesday. Nicholas Maduro is calling for peace, but he also told supporters, his

country is, in his words, prepared to break the teeth of the North American Empire if necessary.

ASHER: Yes. Maduro's government responded to the tanker seizure by calling it an act of international piracy and said it is brazen theft. He accuses

Washington of trying to control Venezuela's natural resources.

CNN's Stefano Pozzebon joins us now live. We actually had an exchange between you and the president yesterday. You were able to speak with him

exclusively. Tell us about that interaction and what he said to you, Stefano.

STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, we were able to speak in with Maduro yesterday at that rally where he lately quoted Bob Marley on the

stage, but it was just minutes before the news broke of the United States seizing that tanker, which is a completely change of tactics and a rapid

escalation coming down from the White House towards Caracas.

So I wasn't able to actually ask him about that particular tanker. I was asking if he had any message for the American people. And what he told me

was that immediately pivoted peace. Let's talk. Let's sit down.

But he also said that he -- he didn't want any war for oil. It was interesting that in the first two lines that I think that Maduro gave me

yesterday when I was asking him about the Nobel Peace Prize and other issue that has to do with Venezuela, he immediately pivoted towards oil.

Oil, Bianna, Zain, oil is a big deal when it comes to Venezuela. About 90 percent of the foreign income of this country comes from oil exports. And

the fact that the United States is now taking action against sanctioned oil after putting sanction on the Venezuelan an oil export for several years.

It shows that the U.S. and in particular, the White House have a distinctive more appetite to go after Maduro's purse.

Over the last few weeks and days, and months, frankly, we've seen the White House trying to put pressure on Nicolas Maduro with these -- with these

consecutive strikes, kinetic strikes against alleged drug traffickers.

It was a high-risk strategy, one strategy that was not justified by conclusive evidence that those people that have been killed were indeed

drug traffickers. We're talking about 87 victims at least and an action that, of course, led the door open for the accusations of extrajudicial

killings at the U.S. door.

Going after the oil is a completely different perspective. And definitely something that is much more palatable, for example, for the Venezuelan

opposition. One of the people that today recommended the U.S. for taking this action and said that other countries should do the same was Maria

Corina Machado, the Venezuelan opposition leader who in Oslo was there to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.

Because going after the oil is immediately going after the stream of resources, the cash lifeline that allows Nicolas Maduro to remain in place

and has been able to remain in place for more than 14 years, despite, of course, the U.S. really throwing everything at their disposal at him.

[12:10:09]

We're seeing that here, Zain and Bianna, a very distinctive change of narrative from the Washington -- from Washington. And we should pay very

close attention to that.

GOLODRYGA: We are -- we are indeed paying very close attention it. You, of course, having a front row seat to it all.

Stefan Pozzebon, thank you so much.

ASHER: Thank you, Stefano.

All right. After a daring journey, this year's Nobel Peace Prize winner is urging the world's democracies to help Venezuela.

Maria Corina Machado says, the U.S. helped her travel to Norway for the Nobel honor. The Venezuela opposition leader has been in hiding in her

country where she's accused of treason.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARIA CORINA MACHADO, VENEZUELAN OPPOSITION LEADER AND NOBEL LAUREATE: Certainly, the regime would have done everything to prevent me from coming.

They did not know where I was in hiding in Venezuela, so it was hard for them to stop me. It was rude, nonetheless. And, yes, we did get support

from the United States government.

(CHANTING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: The Nobel Laureate was greeted in Oslo by cheering crowds after making an audacious escape from Venezuela. We're learning more about her

dangerous journey.

According to "The Wall Street Journal," Machado was in disguise wearing a wig. She had to slip through 10 military checkpoints to reach a fishing

boat. And later, she was flown to the Norwegian capital by private plane. Machado now says that she's, quote, taking it one day at a time.

And this development in Ukraine has now delivered its response to the U.S. drafted peace proposal amid a frenzy of diplomatic discussions. This is

Ukraine launched its boldest attacks against Russian energy infrastructure.

Here you can see what appears to be long-range Ukrainian drones striking an operational Russian oil platform in the Caspian Sea. A source in the

security service of Ukraine says that this strike happened earlier in the week.

ASHER: On Wednesday, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz held what he described as a constructive call with the U.S. President Donald Trump.

Trump later said that some pretty strong words actually were exchanged during that call.

CNN's Fred Pleitgen asked Merz about the call.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You spoke a little bit about your phone conversation with President Trump last night.

He said that strong or harsh words were used in that phone conversation. Can you shed some light on where the friction points lie?

FRIEDRICH MERZ, GERMAN CHANCELLOR (through translator): We proposed to him that we will, over the weekend, finalize the documents together with the

American government. There is a suggestion that he didn't know about it at the time he spoke on the phone, because it hadn't yet been handed over to

the Americans.

We did that yesterday, late afternoon. Above all, it's about the question of which territorial concessions Ukraine is prepared to make. But this is

first and foremost a decision that the Ukrainian president and the Ukrainian people have to make.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: Let's discuss all of this with Melissa Bell joining us live now from Paris.

So just in terms that Zelenskyy actually delivering his revised 20-point peace plan to the U.S., what more do we know, Melissa, about some of the

sort of, I guess, new ideas that he sort of substituted into this plan compared to the 28-point plan that was highly favorable to Russia?

MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We do have a better idea now of some of those Ukrainian revisions. This is now a 20-point plan,

Zain and Bianna.

And what it includes now that it's been revised by the Ukrainians, we understand, is this idea of some sort of demilitarized zone in, along the

contact lines. Of course, this is a Ukrainian position. We know that in the original plan, the Russians had been asking for control of the whole of the

Donbas.

The idea is that some kind of compromise might be reached for a sort of demilitarized zone, Ukrainians hope, along the current contact line. So

that is in the plan we understand, as is the idea that Ukraine would benefit from Article V, NATO Article V-type guarantees in terms of its

security, even though the idea of it joining the alliance formally is not mentioned, but language barring it eventually joining has been, we

understand, removed.

It also includes, for instance, the idea that Ukraine might be able to join the European Union by 2027.

So it is fairly detailed. There are, of course, the sticking points, and they are, as President Zelenskyy has been speaking to this just, a short

while ago this evening, to the pressing key.

If the idea that some of the major sticking points are likely to be, of course, the nature of that demilitarized zone. Its precise location, how

far troops remove from it, what kind of civilians are allowed inside, how Ukrainians could ensure that Russians didn't continue to operate within it?

So a lot of sticking points and questions, but certainly there is a sense of hope at least that these conversations are continuing. And we now

understand that they are set to continue here in the French capital on Saturday.

[12:15:03]

We don't know exactly who will be representing the United States, but we do understand, and I think there's obviously just some glimmer of hope at

least, that this revised Ukrainian plan, which has been in the hands of the United States since last night, has provided the basis for the hope that

the conversation at least should continue.

ASHER: Melissa Bell, live for us there. Thank you so much.

GOLODRYGA: Well, major setback for peace efforts in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Rwanda-backed rebel group M23 said Wednesday it had taken

control of Uvira, a key city in eastern Congo in their most significant advance in months.

ASHER: Yes. People in the city report hearing gunfire during what they describe as a really chaotic night, some voice their fear and frustration

amid a growing sense of the conflict was spreading far beyond the front lines.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GARDI DIANA, KINSHASA RESIDENT (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): As Congolese, it's the blood of our brothers that is flowing in Western Congo. We ask the

government to take responsibility to end this progression of barbarity by AFC that is attacking us.

The government must take responsibility, because we as Congolese are tormented. Because when we see in Uvira, we see Katanga. Katanga is next.

We see Mbuji-Mayi. After Mbuji-Mayi Maite, it's Kinshasa. We will suffer more. So I ask the government to do everything to stop this hemorrhage of

war.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: M23's latest offensive comes despite a U.S. brokered peace agreement side last week between the Congolese and the Rwandan presidents

in Washington. The agreement does not include M23, which is negotiating separately with Congo.

Well, belongings soaked through and shelters destroyed. That is the reality for families in Gaza who are facing devastating floods after heavy

rainfall.

ASHER: Yes. It's worsening. The already dire humanitarian crisis there in Khan Yunis. The baby has died from the severe cold after her family's tent

was flooded.

CNN's Jeremy Diamond has their story. And a warning that this report contains really disturbing images.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Already battered by bombs. A night of heavy rain and wind was the final straw for this building in Gaza

City.

No injuries were reported, but it was one of several buildings that collapsed amid the most severe storm to hit Gaza this winter. Gaza's tent

camps, where hundreds of thousands now live, face the worst. Floodwaters ravaged this central Gaza camp, where residents equipped with nothing more

than shovels, tried to drain the camp by digging trenches while battening down their tents with mud.

We have been trying to block the water since the morning, but it's not working. Shide Abu Salah (ph) says. We are drowned. We just want to go home

and find comfort.

Despair and frustration are quickly rising. We drown tonight. Mahmoud (ph) cries out, all of our flour and food and drink and children all drowned.

Despite their best efforts, water poured into one tent after the next. Floors bedding, clothes and food stocks all soaked. Other homes submerged

as residents tried to salvage what they could.

Humanitarian aid organizations say conditions have been worsened by continued Israeli restrictions on aid, with insufficient shelters being

allowed in.

Tonight was very difficult. I put the children to sleep there and water came in on us, says Om Ibrahim (ph). You can feel the bedding and the

amount of water in it. And the other children were awake all night trying to remove water from here and there.

The rain is continuing to fall on Gaza. And Hanan Abu Nada (ph) is continuing to fight against it.

My body is shaking because of the water. I can't help myself. I changed my clothes many times because I was already sick from the previous storm, she

says. We have drowned. We are exhausted. We are mentally exhausted. We are devastated and no one feels our pain.

This storm was all too much for seven-month-old Rahaf al-Mujazah (ph), died of hypothermia after her family's tent flooded overnight.

She was completely fine. I breastfed her last night. Then all of a sudden, I found her freezing and shivering, her mother explains. She was healthy,

my sweetheart. But now she is gone, and another mother is left to mourn.

Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Jerusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[12:20:28]

ASHER: All right. Take a look at some of the devastation caused by heavy rains across Washington State. One sheriff actually calls it the worst

flooding. He's actually never seen that.

GOLODRYGA: Dozens of alerts have been issued due to the water and debris on the road. And the torrential downpour this week led to a new record

breaking level in the rise of the Snohomish River, surpassing records set by Flood there back in 1990.

CNN -- speaking to CNN, Washington Governor Bob Ferguson reflected on these unprecedented events.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. BOB FERGUSON, GOVERNOR OF WASHINGTON: I'm just here to say it absolutely will not just be historic and break records. It will shatter

those records.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: For the latest on weather updates, just in terms of what's happening in Washington State, right now, let's bring in CNN meteorologist Allison

Chinchar.

So, I mean, this flooding is potentially catastrophic. The rain has been relentless. There have been some helicopter rescues even as I was just

reading up about this morning. Just walk us through what's happening across the state.

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes. I think the biggest concern is that even though the rain itself is expected to end here in about the next

24 hours, these problems will last well into the weekend.

So you can see here beside me, this is a video of one of the rivers here, the Skagit River, just north of Seattle.

Now, what they're trying to do is you've got this barrier set up in place. They're trying to reinforce it, make sure that it holds, as those

floodwaters are expected to rise.

But it's one of many locations that are going to be looking at the potential for, not just high waters, but record high waters.

We take a look at this. All of these dots you see here on this map, have the potential to break some type of a reef, some type of flood state. That

could be minor, moderate or even major flood state indicated by the different colors on this map. You can see there's dozens of them.

Now, one of them in particular that we've been talking about, the Skagit, the same place you saw the video, this is forecast to get to cresting

around 40 feet.

Now, keep in mind, even if we don't get that high, let's say it's not even two feet below that, that still, even if it's two feet less, is going to

potentially break the previous record of 37.4 feet an actual just flood stage is 28 feet. So again, you're talking incredibly high levels.

So, what does this mean in terms of impacts, OK? So this is the Skagit River right through here. This is north of Seattle. Now, they have a

forecast model that kind of shows you what this looks like with the inundation of all of that water.

So the blue color here is not just the river, but where that water would potentially flow into. And again, you can see some of these communities

around here. You're talking homes and businesses where all of that water, once it kind of comes out of the banks of the river, then ends up flowing

into.

[12:25:06]

ASHER: All right. Allison Chinchar, live for us. Thank you so much. Appreciate it.

GOLODRYGA: Well, you may remember the devastating California fires from the start of the year where thousands of homes were destroyed and hundreds of

families displaced.

ASHER: Yes. Now that the ashes have settled, some residents are actually starting to rebuild their homes with some major changes.

CNN's Nick Watt reports from the Palisades.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK WATT, CNN CORRESPONDENT; New house smell. That's kind of encouraging.

WATT (voice-over): Because within a year of the most destructive fire in the history of L.A., the first certificate of occupancy was issued for a

rebuild in the Palisades.

WATT: Wow. Wow. Wow.

WATT (voice-over): A major priority? Making sure all this doesn't burn down again.

WATT: So that's not wood?

STEVE SCHLAGETER, COO, THOMAS JAMES HOMES: It's not. Its cement and fibers that hold it together. You'll also notice up in the eaves, those little

nozzles.

WATT: Yes.

SCHLAGETER: Well, in the case of a fire, douse the house with either water or a fire retardant. There are sprinklers that pop up on the roof and douse

the roof like a lawn system.

The other thing that we've added is the six-foot aluminum fence around the entire perimeter.

WATT (voice-over): He's COO of the developer that bought this lot last November to tear down, rebuild, and sell. Then it burned down. So, they

built this as a show home.

SCHLAGETER: And so, the people who are thinking like, what do I do? Do I want to build again? Do I want to move? Do I want to sell my lot? It gives

them an idea of what's possible out here.

WATT (voice-over): Four thousand feet, four beds, four and a half baths, walk in his-and-hers closets.

WATT: Did you ever think, you know what, we're going to move to Florida?

JIM HUSER, PACIFIC PALISADES RESIDENT: Never.

SUSAN HUSER, PACIFIC PALISADES RESIDENT: Our community was here. You know, our church, our friends, our kids -- our kids' friends.

WATT (voice-over): Susan and Jim Huser have asked these developers to build on the lot where they lived 28 years. They missed the view.

WATT: When are they going to break ground?

S. HUSER: Well, they've started grading. Our permits are already --

J. HUSER: Last week.

S. HUSER: -- are already approved.

WATT (voice-over): Some people, like the old neighbors, are selling up. Plenty others, still fighting insurance companies for the money to rebuild

or wrapped up in red tape.

J. HUSER: When we talk to other people who are waiting for a year and a half, two years, we feel like we're on the speedy train.

WATT (voice-over): The city has streamlined the permitting process, near tripling the speed, says the mayor.

WATT: Is it streamlined?

SCHLAGETER: It's better. Yes, it's certainly better than it was pre-fire.

WATT (voice-over): But so much to rebuild. More than 9,000 structures were destroyed in the Eaton Fire to the East. Nearly 7,000 structures in the

Palisades Fire; 1,200 construction permits issued here so far.

A shade over 340 projects actually underway in what was one of the most beautiful and tranquil corners of the city.

Less tranquil right now. Still beautiful.

SCHLAGETER: I think when people are displaced, they just want to get home. Even if it's a bit of a construction zone, it's still home.

WATT: There's a lot of work going on.

S. HUSER: Yes.

WATT: But there's a lot of work to be done.

S. HUSER: Yes. It's -- it's going to be a while before there's a real community here again.

J. HUSER: Getting the supermarkets back and the drugstores and the library and all that. That's going to take years.

WATT: This developer, they have a bunch of other projects in the Palisades, and they say people are going to start moving in January, February. And by

the summer, there will be something of the community here.

It's going to take a long while for the rest of it, but something of the community. But listen, these guys are pros. They take two to three months

to get the permits. They build in a year, guaranteed.

If you're doing it by yourself, it's going to take a lot longer, and it's going to be a lot more painful. But at least this is a symbol of hope.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GOLODRYGA: A symbol of hope and determination for that community to be built.

ASHER: It could be so much.

GOLODRYGA: However long it takes.

All right. Still to come for us, not holding back. President Trump inserts himself in the middle of the battle for Warner Brothers Discovery, taking

another jab at CNN.

ASHER: Plus, the Trump administration is offering access to the American dream for really hefty price. How much are foreigners expected to shell out

for a fast-tracked green card? We'll explain after the break.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We argue about it internally for months. And then the world stops and they have a feeling.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: Time announces its person of the year. We'll have that reveal just ahead. Here's a hint, more than one individual is taking home the

title.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:30:10]

GOLODRYGA: All right. Welcome back to "One World." I'm Bianna Golodryga.

ASHER: I'm Zain Asher.

President Donald Trump isn't holding back in terms of how he feels about the high stakes bidding war for Warner Bros. Discovery, which is of course

CNN's parent company.

GOLODRYGA: Netflix signed a deal last week to buy Warner Bros. and HBO, but not CNN.

Paramount, meanwhile, launched a hostile takeover to try and buy the entire company. "The Wall Street Journal" reports that Paramount's CEO would make

sweeping changes to CNN if he gets to buy its parent company.

The president commented on the decision process and, of course, took a swipe at CNN.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Well, I'm not involved in that. I -- I will be probably involved. Maybe involved in the decision. It depends. You have some good companies

bidding on it.

I think the people that have run CNN for the last long period of time are a disgrace. I think it's imperative that CNN be so, because you certainly

wouldn't want to put people, just leave those people with some money, good money, and CNN so that, you know, they can spend even more money spreading

poison because it's lies. It's a disgrace.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: All right. For many, the opportunity to come to America and make life here is a dream. That dream was just made easier, but only if you're

really, really, really rich.

For $1 million plus a $15,000 processing fee, I mean, you think they would actually throw in the processing fee for $1 million, but OK. The Trump gold

card promises foreigners, quote, U.S. residency in record time.

The process will take weeks instead of months or even years. Companies that want to sponsor and bring a foreign worker to the U.S. will need to pay

even more to the tune of $2 million. And there are promises of a Trump platinum card. I want to stay tuned for that.

We want to bring in Brett Bruen, who is the president of the international consulting firm, the Global Situation Room. Brett, it's good to see you.

[12:35:07]

I want to get to the gold card in a moment, but first, let me ask you about the latest developments in Venezuela, the U.S. seizure of a Venezuelan

tanker, what the president called the largest one ever seized.

We've heard officials, both from the Trump administration and from the Biden administration, say that this was actually handled by the book. There

was a federal judge who had ordered a seized warrant -- a seizure warrant, because of a history of this boat smuggling sanctioned Iranian oil. We

already noted that its transponder was falsifying its location.

My question to you is, if this was done by the book involving the Coast Guard there, as we see the -- the released video, why is this not the

action that's being taken by the U.S. military as it relates or not including the U.S. military and left with the Coast Guard as it relates to

potential drug smuggling boats?

BRETT BRUEN, PRESIDENT, GLOBAL SITUATION ROOM, INC.: I think it does contrast with what the U.S. military is doing on those small vessels

transporting relatively small amounts of drugs.

I mean, when you talk about an oil tanker, that's a massive amount of money. And money that does go to fuel the drug trade through the Maduro

regime. And so, yes, it's encouraging that the Department of Homeland Security followed the book, went to court, presented evidence, and -- and

got that authorization to pursue the -- the tanker.

And just, you know, a bit of background for the audience. I mean, this has been a major source of support for Maduro. He's been able, as Russia has,

to essentially send out oil tankers filled with Venezuelan oil, and that has allowed him to avoid a lot of the pressure from the sanctions.

So I think what we're seeing here is that Trump is starting to tighten those screws on Maduro and his regime.

ASHER: Yes. And just in terms of the effect on Venezuela's fragile economy, if these kinds of oil seizures become much more common and more frequent, I

mean, obviously, Venezuela's economy is hugely dependent on oil, and the revenue they receive from exporting oil is used for, in part, basic

necessities, like, for example, food and medicine, just in terms of importing that.

What do you think will be the effect on the economy in Venezuela if these - - if these kinds of seizures become that much more frequent?

BRUEN: I mean, saying that the Venezuelan economy is dependent on oil is something of an understatement. Oil is essentially what fuels the

Venezuelan economy.

And certainly now with so many other economic avenues closed off, and what the effect of even seizing one ship does is create a -- a ripple effect so

that you have those who might put money up for this oil for that ship.

Think it twice about it next time, because it could be seized by the Americans. And so this is going to have a chilling effect on Venezuelan oil

shipments, and that is just going to continue to add pressure to Maduro.

Look, I think the other part of this right now is obviously you've got all of those U.S. military assets positioned off the coast of Venezuela.

What we're likely to see, I think, is in the coming weeks, if not days, Trump is going to continue to add those pressure steps, military, as well

as these economic and security pressure steps.

GOLODRYGA: Brett, I'd like to ask you and go back to how we began the segment, and that was the president making official and launching the

website for the Trump Gold Card. I do have to say there's a lot of gold on this website, and the font is quite large.

Aside from that, it essentially is a fast track. You buy it for millions of dollars, you get a fast-track visa branded with the Trump's name on it.

Just from your perspective, how unusual is this? What risks are posed from this? And is it even legal?

BRUEN: Well, the truth of the matter is it isn't so unusual. New Zealand, for the small price of a few million dollars will provide you with

residency.

You know, I -- I think the challenge here is one of what kind of immigrants are we going to be attracting with this? Sure, you may have people with a

lot of money. They're not going to be washing dishes. They're not going to be picking fruit or vegetables in the fields. They're not going to be

building those homes.

And so Trump still hasn't figured out how are we going to deal with what is increasingly a significant labor shortage in the United States, thanks to

his new immigration policies and no strategy for how you're going to replace it apart from saying Americans should do more, but there really

aren't that many Americans who are either available or -- or willing to do those kind of jobs.

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ASHER: You know, the previous -- what -- you know, what this particular, you know, fast track to getting a green card replaces is the EB-5 track,

which was when you would -- foreign immigrant could invest either half a million dollars in the U.S., but then they would have to in exchange at

least hire five Americans, or a million dollars and they would have to hire 10 Americans. This is certainly a while ago when I was coming up. I can't

remember if the numbers have changed. But at least you would be creating jobs in this country.

The fact that this is just, you know, hey, I'll give you a check for a million dollars and I'm going to get a visa in exchange for that and a

green card without actually contributing to American jobs. I mean, how much of a difference does that make?

Because essentially, the prior way was still transactional in some way, but you were benefiting the U.S. economy at least.

BRUEN: Yes. And I think this is a major disconnect because you can, you know, invest passively in the U.S. in a way that doesn't create jobs. And

we're already seeing, for instance, how those invested on Wall Street are doing quite well this year, whereas those in the middleclass and the

working class are struggling.

And so I -- I worry that this is just going to continue to exacerbate those differences. I worry that we have not seen a significant jobs program and

we haven't got an answer to how we're going to replace so many of those workers who have been deported by the Trump administration.

So we really, you know, yes, fine. You want to make it more attractive for folks to come who have millions of dollars, but you also have to solve a

more important part of the puzzle, which is how are we going to get the labor and the workers we need?

GOLODRYGA: Yes. And that is something the Federal Reserve Chair Powell was even alluding to yesterday concerns about the labor market, the future of

the labor market, in particular going forward.

We have to say this is a program the president has been very excited about since taking office and has been touting for months.

ASHER: You wire a million dollars to the federal government and you can get a green card in weeks. I've seen it all.

Brett Bruen, live for us. Thank you so much.

All right. Apologies for the pun, but it is that time of year again.

GOLODRYGA: Oh, I get it. Yes. Well done.

ASHER: "Time Magazine" has just announced its president of the year for 2025.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. And on the cover are the architects of A.I. Here, you can see a nod to the classic 1932 lunch atop a skyscraper image. Some of the

A.I. tech titans being honored include Meta's Mark Zuckerberg.

All right. That is the talk of the year and possibly years to come. What impact A.I. has on our lives and the global economy. That does it.

ASHER: We're in an A.I. bubble right now.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. All right. That does it for "One World." I'm Bianna Golodryga.

ASHER: I'm Zain Asher. Appreciate you watching. African Voices Changemakers is up next. You're watching CNN.

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