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One World with Zain Asher
U.S. Sanctions Nephews Of Venezuela's Maduro; Machado Says She's Ready To Step In As Vice President; New Photos Released From Jeffrey Epstein's Estate; Indiana Republicans Defy Trump, Reject His Redistricting Push; Thailand's PM Says No Ceasefire Yet With Cambodia; Taylor Swift Docuseries On Final Days Of "Eras" Tour Premieres. Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired December 12, 2025 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:00:33]
ZAIN ASHER, CNN ANCHOR: All right, U.S. hits Venezuela with new sanctions. One World starts right now. The U.S. is intensifying its pressure campaign
on Venezuela and taking aim at President Nicolas Maduro's family and shipping companies as well.
Plus, Kilmar Abrego Garcia speaks to his supporters shortly after being released from ICE custody. We'll look at what comes next for his federal
case.
And what everyone wants on a Friday, more Taylor Swift. We'll have all the details of a new docuseries this hour.
And I come to you live from New York, I'm Zain Asher. You are watching One World. One day after seizing an oil tanker off the Venezuelan coast, the
White House is further escalating its month-long pressure campaign against the Maduro regime. But it remains unclear what the Trump administration's
ultimate goal actually is.
On Thursday, the U.S. announced it's sanctioning three of President Nicolas Maduro's family, his nephews among others. Washington also says it's
targeting six shipping companies that allegedly move Venezuelan oil. The U.S. President, meanwhile, is also hinting at possible strikes inside the
South American nation.
And a senior official tells CNN that additional tanker seizures are possible in the coming weeks as well. It comes after the U.S. military's
largest buildup in the region for decades and two months after Trump authorized the CIA to conduct covert operations on Venezuelan territory.
It's also happening amid dozens of deadly strikes on alleged drug boats that critics say violates international law and amounts to extrajudicial
killings.
CNN's Stefano Pozzebon joins us live now from Caracas. So, just in terms of the latest developments, Stefano, six more oil tankers, a super tank is
essentially added to the sanctions list, as well as members of Nicolas Maduro's family, including some of his nephews as well. Walk us through it.
STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, yes, the sanctions against the inner circle of Nicolas Maduro in particular are against those three
nephews of his wife. They are widely known here in Venezuela. They are dubbed the narco-sobrinos, which is a translation for narco-nephews because
they were actually being apprehended back in 2015, Zain, when they were seen trafficking cocaine from Haiti into the United States.
They were boarded on a flight with a D.A. informant that was traveling towards Miami, and that's where the arrest was made. They were later
pardoned by President Biden, and their sentences commuted in -- in an exchange for prisoners a few years ago, straight after the COVID pandemic,
E.I. in a moment of detente between Washington and Caracas.
By the way, that case is one of the reasons why we know that the United States have been looking at links between the president of Venezuela,
Nicolas Maduro, and drug traffickers for a very long time, dating back to 2015.
However, what is really breaking through here is the sanctions against the tankers, and the appetite from the White House to physically block, which
means seizing and taking, cruising these tankers off to U.S. facilities. These tankers that are being used by Venezuela to sell its oil on the black
market to countries like Russia, China, India, or Iran, which have the financial muscle to sustain U.S. sanctions, if they are indeed caught
purchasing Venezuelan oil, which is currently illegal to be sold according to United States law.
One more news that we're tracking here this morning in Caracas, Zain, is the fact that according to the Venezuelan government, deportation flights
between the United States and Caracas have been unilaterally suspended by the Americans, by the White House.
Now, CNN has asked that to the White House. We did got -- get a comment which the White House has completely denied this characterization, and said
that these deportation flights will remain. But as of now, Caracas is saying that no longer is in place.
The agreement that would have allowed hundreds, and has allowed in recent weeks, hundreds and thousands of migrants to be deported back from the
United States, back into their homeland in Venezuela, which was yet another red tape that allowed us to be a little bit cautious in the prospect of the
U.S. actually taking decisive action, conducting strikes on Venezuelan soil because those agreements had always been in place.
[11:05:04]
There was still the sense that the two administrations were speaking to each other. Some member of the Venezuelan government had to coordinate
these flights with some member of the White House administration, and in particular with DHS and ICE. The fact that those flights are no longer in
place, a day after further sanctions, and two days after that dramatic seizure of the tanker, gives us a sense of the temperature rising around
Nicolas Maduro, who so far is adamant in his intention not to step down, but we will see what the weekend brings to us. Zain?
ASHER: All right. Stefano Pozzebon, live for us there, thank you so much.
All right. Chris Sabatini is a senior fellow for Latin America at the Chatham House and joins us live now from London. Chris, thank you so much
for being with us. I was speaking to one analyst yesterday who said that, essentially it's an understatement to say that Venezuela is dependent on
oil revenue. Venezuela, its economy is basically oil. That's it. You know, it's -- it's -- the two are fundamentally intertwined and linked.
And so the question I have to you is, what would additional tanker seizures mean for Venezuela's economy, just in terms of the country having to sell
oil at an even steeper discount to countries who might not want to take that risk, that their tankers could end up being seized by the United
States. What -- what is the -- what is the likely risk to Venezuela's economy at this point, if this continues?
CHRIS SABATINI, SENIOR FELLOW FOR LATIN AMERICA, CHATHAM HOUSE: This is a huge risk. What -- what the Trump administration is trying to do is trying
to cut off the major, as you said, Zain, the major source of revenue of the Maduro government. And by doing so, demonstrating that basically it has the
capacity now to shutdown basically how the government funds itself and how it funds its public employees and how it funds its military.
This is huge, but it's also important. This is a different step from what before, whereas as you mentioned in the previous report, the attacks
against the narco boats probably violated international law. In this case, these are shadow pirate fleets that are often misflagged, misrepresented,
that have been evading sanctions for -- for -- since 2019 and also aiding many of the other countries that are U.S. enemies, if you will, Russia,
China, as you mentioned.
So this is important. It's a much more, I think, effective strategy, and it's one that's much more in line with international law.
ASHER: And just in terms of other additional sanctions that the U.S. could impose, I mean, can you see a situation whereby the U.S. starts to impose
secondary sanctions? I mean, we saw the U.S. do this with Russia, with countries that are buying Russian oil. You think about the fact that China
basically purchases 80 percent of Venezuelan oil. Could you see a situation where the U.S. ends up sanctioning Chinese companies, Chinese oil traders?
I mean, obviously there would be a massive risk in terms of escalating the tensions that already exist between the U.S. and China and also the risk of
retaliation. But just give us your take on whether that could be a possible lever that the U.S. might use.
SABATINI: I think it's exactly the next step. I mean, I think it's hoping that by basically this effective blockade on Venezuelan oil that's leaving
illegally Venezuela, the idea is to disincentivize other countries to try to purchase and use ships to transport illegal Venezuelan oil. But you're
right, if this continues, if that isn't sufficient, I think we could see secondary sanctions on countries that are buying that oil, which, again,
are probably long overdue.
The truth is some of the countries like Russia and Iran are already heavily sanctioned. But China, Turkey, India, yes, they could be sanctioned as
well, especially those companies, whether private or public, that are buying that oil.
ASHER: And in terms of how much oil the U.S. technically still does get from Venezuela, how much -- do we know how much oil the U.S. is getting,
especially through Chevron?
SABATINI: It's a very small amount right now. Chevron has a very narrow license. It cannot actually provide the profits from its sale of oil to the
Venezuelan government to pay their visa. What it does is it's shipping its oil, which is only around 30,000 barrels a day, to refineries off the coast
of -- of, well, the Gulf of Mexico or the Gulf of America, depending how you want to call it.
But that's a very small amount. It's really a token amount and largely there to keep Chevron operating in Venezuela and to avoid any sort of
public backlash that may amount from Chevron not been -- having to suspend its operations.
ASHER: Let's talk about elections happening on the continent this weekend. Chile -- Chilean voters go to the polls this weekend. We know that right-
wing lawmaker Jose Antonio Kast appears to be the front-runner at this point. Talk to us about the pivot we've seen from a number of Latin
American countries, Honduras being one of them, which was obviously talked about recently, that are shifting to the right, and also the fact that
violence, public safety is one of the major issues in these elections.
[11:10:00]
And Kast has actually promised that if he does win, he will actually end up deporting a lot of Venezuelan migrants that already are living in that
country. Just give us your take on that.
SABATINI: Yes. This is really -- I think this is going to be the shape of things to come. We have upcoming elections in 2026 in Peru, in Colombia,
and Brazil. The primary concern of most voters across Latin America is insecurity, violence, and crime. And they have spiked. Chile, comparatively
speaking, is much safer than many other countries.
But basically, Jose Antonio Kast has promised that if he does win, has captured this fear. He's very much channeled this idea of a mano dura, an
iron fist strategy to crime. He's basically targeted immigrants, undocumented immigrants. There are about 300,000, not a huge amount, but
relative to Chile's population. It's significant.
And there have been attacks by the Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan criminal group in Chile, quite famously actually murdering and basically taking
apart a dissident from the Chavez government, Maduro government. So what he's done is he's threatened to actually dig ditches, mobilize the
military, even sort of throw up walls and try to deport a lot of those undocumented immigrants, but also just address crime at its roots.
Most controversially, he's threatened to -- to bring in the military to this, which obviously has scars from the 1973 coup of Salvador Allende and
the very blood-soaked time under Augusto Pinochet. But Jose Antonio Kast comes from that sort of Pinochet movement. His father worked in the
Pinochet government. He's actually said very controversially that if Pinochet were alive, he would vote for him.
But I think this really reflects a real sense of insecurity that Latin Americans have. And I think we're going to see it again in Colombia where
crime has spiked and coca production has increased. And we also see it in - - in Honduras. These are politicians that are not cut from the traditional cloth oftentimes of traditional parties in Latin America.
And they're very much outsider candidates, particularly Jose Antonio Kast. Obviously, Javier Milei of Argentina, too. We're seeing a very distinct
rightward shift, but along with that, a very outsider rightward shift. And this is driven in part by fears about crime and insecurity.
ASHER: And also driven in part by Donald Trump because Kast has been described as having a Trump-style campaign. He's a huge admirer of Donald
Trump. I don't think that Donald Trump has formally endorsed Kast the same way that he sort of intervened in the sort of Honduras elections that we
had a couple of weeks ago, but there is no doubt an influence there. Chris Sabatini, live for us. Thank you so much. Appreciate it.
SABATINI: Thank you, Zain.
ASHER: All right. Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Laureate Maria Corina Machado says that she's ready to step in as vice president when her
country undergoes a democratic transition. She's been speaking to reporters in Oslo. Machado was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize this week.
She made it to the Norwegian capital after a daring escape from her home country where she's been in hiding from the Maduro regime. Earlier today,
Machado met with the Norwegian royal family, and she greeted supporters as well. CNN's Pau Mosquera joins us live now from Oslo. I understand, Pau,
that you actually had an opportunity to ask Machado some questions, especially about, you know, the transition, a sort of peaceful transition
if Maduro was to be ousted. What did she have to say?
PAU MOSQUERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's it Zain. Today the journalists, we had a second opportunity, or let's say a third opportunity to get some
questions to Maria Corina Machado. But in this case, it was more a sort of an intimate pressure where a few journalists made it out of the room. We
were one of those who were with Maria Corina Machado.
In that opportunity, Zain, the Venezuelan opposition leaders seemed pretty convinced that the transition in Venezuela, it is unavoidable. They are
working now, she said, on a peaceful transition, but whether Maduro decides to negotiate or not, the transition is going to happen.
We were one of those that had the chance to pose a question to the Venezuelan opposition leader, and that's what she told me. Let's have a
listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MOSQUERA: The Trump administration is already developing plans for the post-Maduro era. Where do you see yourself in that scenario?
MARIA CORINA MACHADO, VENEZUELAN OPPOSITION LEADER: Well, not only the American government, I think many other governments around the world are
preparing for a democratic transition in Venezuela for several reasons. One is because they realize that the largest migration crisis in the world
today is certainly Venezuelans that have been forced to flee, and Venezuelans are also preparing to come back.
So this will have impact in many countries, including the United States. I'm talking about hundreds of thousands of people that will come back home.
And I will be where the Venezuelan people already mandate it.
We won an election by a landslide, and our president-elect has asked me to join the government as vice president. Our president-elect has asked me to
join the government as vice president. So I will accompany him in -- in this new and challenging era that starts, or I would say that has already
started.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[11:15:22]
MOSQUERA: The moment that the transition arrives, she expects -- expects both the military and the Venezuelan police to obey the guidelines coming
from the new authorities. Now, Zain, there are a lot of questions still being not answered, because, again, we asked her about what are her future
plans, but she said that so far she wants to take a rest, to spend some time with family and friends, and maybe have a medical check-up, as during
the months that she has been in hiding, she has not had the time to do it.
And after that, maybe she will consider getting meetings with authorities, but she didn't specify if that would happen here in Europe, or maybe she
would travel to the United States. So the agenda, the schedule for the forthcoming weeks is still to be done, and that's something she will
decide, at least it seems here from us, because she told us that she will be spending some more days in the Norwegian capital here in the forthcoming
days, Zain.
ASHER: All right, Pau Mosquera, thank you, appreciate it.
All right, still to come after the break, the man who became the flashpoint of the Trump administration's relentless crackdown on immigration has now
been freed, but a lengthy legal battle awaits, we'll explain.
Plus, Indiana Republicans hand Donald Trump a significant defeat, as Trump's hold on the GOP slipping. More on that, too, just ahead.
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ASHER: All right, new developments in the Jeffrey Epstein case. Moments ago, Democrats in the House Oversight Committee released new photos from
his estate. Nineteen images show some of the many powerful figures in the late sex traffickers' orbit. This includes two U.S. presidents, Donald
Trump and Bill Clinton, as well as former Trump adviser Steve Bannon, billionaire businessman Bill Gates, also Richard Branson as well.
None of these released images depict any sexual misconduct or are believed to depict underage girls either. Let's get straight to Annie Grayer, who
has the latest from the capital. So, 19 images with Jeffrey Epstein, with the likes of Trump, Steve Bannon, Bill Clinton, Bill Gates, Richard Branson
as well. I mean, these are people that we know have the likes of Trump, Steve Bannon, Bill Clinton, Bill Gates, Richard Branson as well. I mean,
these are people that we know have been linked to Jeffrey Epstein in the past, but I guess the photos really show the extent of their friendship or
relationship. What more are we learning, Annie?
[11:20:17]
ANNIE GRAYER, CNN CAPITOL HILL REPORTER: That's right. These photos really show how connected Epstein was to some of the most powerful men in the
world. These are 19 photos that are part of 95,000 images and documents that the Oversight Committee is still combing through, and there are three
photos in this batch of '19 that include President Donald Trump. There's one where there's a photo of the President with six women whose -- whose
faces have been blurred out.
There's another where the President is with one -- one woman whose face is blurred out, and a third where the President and Jeffrey Epstein are
speaking to a woman whose face is not blurred. Then there is an image of what appears to be a novelty box of condoms that has President Trump's face
on it. It's listed as being for $4.99, with the caption, I'm huge.
But Trump is not the only one featured here. There's also Bill Gates, Bill Clinton, Alan Dershowitz, Steve Bannon, Woody Allen. These are all
individuals who said to -- have been connected to Epstein in the past, but these photos, again, just provide more context on those relationships, and
they're part of the Oversight Committee's broader investigation into Epstein.
These -- these new images came from Epstein's Gmail account. We don't know who took these photos or necessarily the context behind them. Again, as you
mentioned, there's no evidence of sexual misconduct in these photos, and the women in these images do not appear to be underage.
But it comes as we are waiting for the Department of Justice to release all of the Epstein files that it has in its possession that's mandated by,
passed by a law in Congress. I want to play for you the top Democrat on the Oversight Committee, Robert Garcia, what he had to say about the release of
these new images today.
ASHER: All right, Annie Grayer, live for us.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. ROBERT GARCIA (D-CA): HOUSE OVERSIGHT RANKING MEMBER: Oversight Democrats have been committed to transparency, and any time that we receive
information from, whether we've sent the subpoena or whether we have fought to get that information, we're going to put it out to the public, and
that's, I think, the most important thing.
Obviously, just last night, we received about 95,000 photographs from the Epstein estate. I want to be clear. Our committee, Oversight Democrats,
have gone through maybe about 25,000 of them so far, so there's an enormous amount of photos that we have not gone through. It will take days and weeks
to ensure that we've got those photos and that a redaction is done in the appropriate way.
Let me just also say that, clearly, we have put out, I think, maybe 15 to 20 of those photos this morning. Democrats have. We will continue to put
out more photos in the days and weeks ahead, but I just caution folks that the redaction process and ensuring that we are protecting the survivors and
the women who were abused by Epstein are protected.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRAYER: Now, Republicans on the committee say that Democrats are cherry- picking here and only doing a select number of photos, but, again, these photos just really show how connected Epstein was to some of the most
powerful men in the world.
ASHER: All right, Annie Grayer, live for us. Thank you so much.
Just moments after regaining his freedom, Kilmar Abrego Garcia was again caught up in the Trump administration's immigration crackdown. Abrego
Garcia was released from ICE custody on Thursday after an order from a federal judge, but his attorneys had to race back to Judge Xinis earlier
today to seek a fresh court order to temporarily block what they said was a new attempt to detain him.
This throws the Salvadoran man back into a longstanding legal battle to regularize his immigration status. Speaking at a rally after his release,
Abrego Garcia appeared optimistic.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KILMAR ABREGO GARCIA, RELEASED FROM ICE DETENTION: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I stand here today with my head held up high, and I will continue to fight and stand firm against all of the injustices this
government has done upon me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: All right, for more on this, let's bring in Julia Benbrook, who is following the story for us from Baltimore. So what the judge is actually
saying here is that officials cannot detain him again until the court conducts a hearing on the motion, on the temporary restraining order. Just
walk us through it, Julia.
JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, the attorney said that they are grateful for this relief. I mean, there was a concern that he could go in
for this mandatory check-in today and not be able to walk back out. But because that they had received this assurance that that would not happen,
and that they would have some time before that hearing.
[11:25:08]
So it's quiet here right now. Just a few hours ago, this area was filled with advocates and supporters. The day after, a judge had ordered the
immediate release of Kilmar Abrego Garcia from immigration custody. And in that 31-page decision, the judge said that he had been detained for months
without lawful authority.
Just hours after that order, he was required to be here for this check-in. This is at an ice field office in Baltimore. And as you heard him say, as
he was going in to that check-in, that he would be able to walk into that building with his head held high. We then saw him quickly leave afterward.
Now, his attorney said again that they have some time now to prepare, but they do expect this to be a continued fight. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SIMON SANDOVAL-MOSHENBERG, KILMAR ABREGO GARCIA'S ATTORNEY: The government has a lot of tools in their toolbox, but he also has a number of options
available to him. And now that he's got at least a brief reprieve and some assurances from the court that he can't be arrested today, he'll have time
to consider those options in terms of his immigration status, whether he chooses to apply for asylum or not. That'll be one of the many choices that
he has.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BENBROOK: And this has been a long battle. Abrego Garcia's story has become a flashpoint for the Trump administration's mass deportation efforts. He
was wrongly deported to El Salvador earlier this year. There were questions on if he would make it back to the United States. After he returned, they
have been looking for more countries, other countries that they could deport him to. They've considered several countries in Africa.
Some of them have rejected receiving him. One part of the conversation is Costa Rica specifically. They had said that they could be willing to accept
him, and his attorneys had said that he could be open to that as well. So as we see how all of these next steps play out, right now, both his legal
team and him are glad that he is able to be with family ahead of the holidays.
This is only his second time to spend time with them this entire year. The Trump administration, for their part, has made it clear that they will
likely appeal the judge's order.
ASHER: All right, Julia Benbrook, thank you. Thank you so much.
All right, still to come, no ceasefire yet. Thailand's prime minister confirms the country's border clashes with Cambodia will continue. Details
ahead on his call with U.S. President Donald Trump.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:31:17]
ASHER: All right, welcome back to One World. I'm Zain Asher in New York. Here are some of the headlines we are watching for you today.
The U.S. is once again escalating its pressure campaign against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. On Thursday, Washington announced it's
sanctioning three of Maduro's nephews and six shipping companies that allegedly move Venezuelan oil. It comes one day after the U.S. seized a
tanker off the Venezuelan coast.
Nobel Peace Laureate Narges Mohammadi has now been arrested by Iranian authorities. The news coming from Mohammadi's brother. The Nobel Laureate
was allegedly violently detained by security and police forces during a memorial ceremony for a lawyer recently found dead in his office.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is planning to put a black box warning on COVID-19 vaccines. That's its most serious warning to customers
about life-threatening risks and reactions to products. An internal memo claimed the FDA staff had found 10 child deaths related to the vaccine but
did not provide any additional information.
A historic situation is playing out in Washington State as the Snohomish River hit record levels this week. Ramped up rescue efforts are taking
place in the western part of the state where floodwaters reached as high as four meters or 15 feet in some places. About 100,000 people were advised to
evacuate ahead of the rainstorm.
All right. President Trump's push to redraw congressional maps in Indiana hit a brick wall on Thursday. In a defiant move, Indiana Senate Republicans
rejected the move which would have affected next year's midterm elections. Here's why.
The new district lines would have set up Republicans to sweep all nine of Indiana's U.S. House seats in the midterms. Here's how President Trump
reacted to the rebuke.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's funny because I won the -- I won Indiana all three times by a landslide. And I wasn't working on it
very hard. It would have been nice. I think we would have picked up two seats if we did that. It's a great place. I love the people there. They
love me. We won in a landslide all three times.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: CNN's Kevin Liptak joins us live now from the White House. And obviously this is quite a humbling moment for the President. You wouldn't
necessarily have expected that Republicans would have ended up siding with Democrats to block redistricting lines that would have essentially
benefited them. Explain why, Kevin.
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes, it's a massive rebuke for the President. I think it raises some real questions about his grip on
the Republican Party. After so long dominating that party's politics, it does appear as if his grip may be loosening somewhat at a very critical
moment as we make this turn towards the midterm elections next year. And there are a few reasons why this particular vote, I think, was so
remarkable.
One is that Republicans in the Indiana State Senate have a supermajority. They have a 40 to 10 majority in that body. And in fact, a majority of the
Republicans voted against this move, which I think gives you a sense of the sentiments there.
The other reason that I think it was so remarkable is that the President, despite what he said yesterday in the Oval Office, did in fact wage quite
an intensive pressure campaign to try and get these Republicans on board. You know, the Vice President, J.D. Vance, visited the state twice. You had
some of those lawmakers come here to the White House earlier this year for meetings with the President's political team to get them on board.
And I think you saw a number of threats coming from the President, including to wage primary campaigns against those Republicans who voted
against this. And none of that seemed to have the effect of getting them on board. And in fact, it could have had the effect of backfiring, of just
stiffening the spines of some of these Republicans who didn't want to create a precedent of interference from Washington on how the state was
conducting its political business.
[11:35:16]
And so it does come at a critical moment, you know, this redistricting push by the White House. It extends well beyond Indiana to a number of other
states. And it really does form the crux of their strategy for the midterms next year. There are allies of the President who acknowledge openly that
unless they can redistrict some of these states and sort of create districts that are more solidly Republican, then they really don't stand a
chance to maintain control of the House next year, which I think is sort of an existential problem for the President.
It would sort of eliminate his ability to pass any major pieces of legislation, but it would also, if Democrats take control of the House,
expose him to all manner of investigations and subpoenas and hearings of top administration officials, all sort of the problems that plagued the
second half of his first term in office, which he remembers quite vividly.
And so this is now quite a critical moment. It comes as there are other signs of the President's grasp slipping on the Republican Party. You see
people like Marjorie Taylor Greene, once a stalwart ally of the President, are really breaking with him quite dramatically.
You see it in polling, a number of polls showing that Republicans are souring on how the President is handling things like the economy, the
number one issue in the country. And so it all, I think, adds up to a precarious moment for the President just as this political season really
gets underway.
ASHER: Kevin Liptak live for us there, thank you.
All right. Thailand's prime minister says no ceasefire has been reached yet with Cambodia. His announcement came after a phone call with U.S. President
Donald Trump. More than a dozen people have been killed since the latest skirmishes began on Monday. This moment threatening to collapse a Trump-
backed peace deal.
About half a million people living along the border have been evacuated in the latest flare-up. This week, Thailand's foreign minister hinted to CNN
that the fighting could escalate. Let's discuss all this with my next guest, associate professor at Arizona State University, Sophal Ear. Sophal,
thank you so much for being with us.
So there has been a long-running border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia, I mean, dating back to when the French actually controlled
Cambodia. This has been going on for a really, really long time. We've seen multiple flare-ups since the 1950s, but these flare-ups are traditionally
sporadic. I mean, it happens now and again, these sort of low-level disputes.
However, interestingly, in 2025, we've seen sort of much more frequent, more intense disputes. Obviously, going back a few months ago when Donald
Trump helped sign that peace agreement. But why has 2025 seen such an uptick in violence between these two countries?
SOPHAL EAR, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY: Well, thank you, first of all, for inviting me. This is a border dispute layered on top of
domestic politics, and neither side wants to be the first to blink. But 2025 has been a political year for both Thailand and Cambodia in terms of
riling up domestic support, nationalism, and -- and causing essentially an inevitable sort of increase in the temperature, when in previous years it
was not the issue top of mind.
ASHER: And just in terms of what peace looks like or what de-escalation looks like, earlier this week, Donald Trump held a sort of campaign-style
rally event where he was supposed to touch -- supposed to focus on the economy, but he touched on multiple issues, including this issue between
Thailand and Cambodia. And one of the things he said earlier this week was, tomorrow I'm going to have to make a phone call.
Who else could say that? Who else could say that I'm going to make a phone call and I'm going to end a war that's happening between Thailand and
Cambodia? Explain what the U.S.'s role in this could actually be. We know that Donald Trump just today, I believe, spoke with the Thai prime minister
about this issue. I don't believe he's spoken to the Cambodian leader just yet.
But how might the U.S. actually intervene in a way that actually leads to peace? Because previously the U.S. has threatened -- sort of weaponizing
tariffs and -- and trade. This time it doesn't look like that's going to be Donald Trump's approach. So how is he going to push forward some kind of
peace agreement this time?
EAR: Well, the tool of tariffs has already been taken out of the toolbox since he used it already. A phone call can pause fighting, but it cannot
erase a century of territorial tension. And while you ask, you know, who else can make a phone call like this and get results, not a lot of people,
but obviously both sides don't want to aggravate matters with -- with Donald Trump.
[11:40:01]
And so the call that took place between the Thai prime minister and Donald Trump has not yet resulted in a secession of fighting. But he's got -- he's
call a next call, the prime minister of Cambodia, and see where that goes. But he doesn't have any carrots to offer, right? The carrots last time
were, hey, I'll, you know -- you're in the middle of negotiating tariffs with us and we're not going to -- we're not going to entertain that until
you stop fighting.
Now what, right? You can only use that but once and now it's been used. What more can you get out of a phone call? Let's see how -- how far he goes
with that.
ASHER: How wary are both sides? And obviously, as you point out, there isn't much left in the toolbox. You know, once you've exhausted tariffs
once, you can't really use it again. But how wary are both sides of U.S. involvement, especially this idea of externally imposed solutions?
EAR: I think Thailand is probably warier because it doesn't really want to involve the U.S. It's already more powerful militarily than Cambodia.
Cambodia, on the other hand, wants U.S. involvement insofar as they've even nominated Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, right? So they -- they're
the weaker power in terms of military.
And so they need to get an external power to kind of get involved in the dispute. And that's -- that's the asymmetry of the situation. The U.S. is
going to be, in Cambodia's eyes, more helpful towards Cambodia than it would be towards Thailand.
ASHER: Back in July, we saw a border dispute that lasted about five days with 200,000 people displaced. Now it's upwards of half a million. Explain
to us how the dispute this time compares to what we saw in July when Donald Trump intervened.
EAR: Well, so this time things have been -- the fighting has -- has been five days, which is exactly how long it lasted last time in terms of -- of
going kinetic. There are clashes that are ongoing across multiple frontline sectors, and neither side has agreed to a ceasefire. And so the -- the
displacement of people this time is about half a million, which is more than last time.
And the toll is about a dozen so far in terms of casualties. So it -- it's looking like another repeat or maybe even a bigger conflagration because
the Thais are saying they're not -- they're not seeing an end to it. So it's going to enter probably a longer phase than the previous July
fighting.
ASHER: And talk to us about the history of this conflict because it stems from when Cambodia was under French rule, so late 1800s, early 1900s. And
then there was a map drawn out in 1907, which was when Cambodia was under French rule. And the Thais maintain that this map is quite inaccurate. So
just give us context as to how this actually started.
EAR: Well, as -- as a lot of disputes these days take place, it's from something a century old, from colonial times. Thailand obviously was never
colonized, but Cambodia was a protectorate of France. And so maps were drawn by the French at a scale that today would be seen as, you know,
completely useless. I mean, it -- it's so -- it's so inaccurate that -- that it makes it very difficult to -- to figure out where the border post
should be. But that's one of the issues.
The -- the fact is that when one considers maps that are not to scale or not -- or the -- the level of scale is really -- really not appropriate for
today's day and age, you get into situations of where the actual border lies. And Cambodia, of course, maintains that it includes all kinds of
areas that are -- that have Khmer temples and so on, and -- and the Thais dispute that. But that is -- that is something that is a legacy of
colonialism.
It is a problem that continues not just between Thailand and Cambodia, but elsewhere as well. And so we can kind of see the -- the effects. A phone
call is not going to solve that. It's going to take way more than -- than any kind of ceasefire. It'll take more trust-building and really years and
-- and years of -- of decades of trying to -- to solve problems that have not been solved in over a century.
ASHER: All right, Sophal Ear, thank you. Thank you so much. Appreciate it.
All right, from refugee to role model, Somali-born boxer Ramla Ali brings her message of survival and hope to Kenya. Her story -- her story excuse
me, up next in today's African Voices.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:47:19]
ASHER: From fleeing war in Somalia to making Olympic history, Ramla Ali has fought her way from survivor to symbol of hope. She's not only the first
Somali to box at the Olympics, but also a global advocate for women and refugees. And she's using sport as her platform for change. She's this
month's African Voices Changemaker.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RAMLA ALI, BOXER: For everything that I do in the ring, what I want to be remembered for is for everything that I did outside of the ring, how I
helped others outside of the ring. I've been a part of UNICEF since 2018. And I've loved it.
It's a way of giving back because it was those NGOs that helped us survive. And this is me giving back and helping where I can. When we came to Kenya,
we didn't have money. So my mom, you know, she would queue up for aid with some NGOs. And it's because of that that we were able to survive. I was
once in Kenya.
And had I not left Kenya, this could have been me in this situation, in -- in a refugee camp like Dadaab. And for me, it was really important to see
and to connect with all of the -- the women and the children in the camps because it's like similar to today. I saw a lot of myself in a lot of these
women who just want help.
I've come today to the Waste Recycling Center to meet some of these incredible women who, in exchange for collecting waste, are given free
childcare between the ages of one and three. It kind of makes you think about what life could have been like if we didn't move to the U.K.
Because obviously we're spoilt in that we have free healthcare, we have free education, but you don't get that here. It makes you value what you
have. It's quite nice to know that me as a Somali have -- has had a positive impact amongst other Somalis here.
And it's just nice for me to connect with people that come from similar backgrounds to me, to show them that anything is possible if you just
believe it and dream it.
I think if something is truly important to you, you'll always advocate for it, you'll always want to talk about it, you'll always want to use your
platform to speak up about it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[11:50:06]
ASHER: All right, from friendship bracelets to Swiftonomics. A new documentary shows global powerhouse Taylor Swift is all about the fans.
Details ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: It seemed like a routine skydive over Queensland, Australia, but at 15,000 feet or 4,500 meters, things took a perilous turn. A video released
by Australia's Transport Safety Agency shows the terrifying moment that a skydiver's parachute got caught on the tail of the airplane as they were
getting ready to leap.
This was back in September. After several, can you imagine that, several agonizing minutes, the skydiver was able to break free using a special hook
knife to cut the lines on the chute. Amazingly, he landed safely with only minor injuries. The plane's tail, though, did sustain some damage, but the
skydiver ended up being OK. Thank goodness.
She's a recently minted billionaire who wears her heart on her sleeve. And now the first two episodes of Taylor Swift's new six-part documentary are
out. They pull the curtain back on the final days of her Eras Tour.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TAYLOR SWIFT, SINGER-SONGWRITER: I'm very aware of mysterious forces at play that I will never have any control. The show created a bonding
experience for like 70,000 people all at once.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: In the end of an era on Disney Plus, the superstar shares candid backstage moments and shows the massive effort behind staging her world-
conquering tour. Swift says her goal was to, in his words, over-serve, in her words rather, excuse me, over-serve her fans. Also out today, a concert
film of the tour's final performance. CNN's Lisa Respers France takes a closer look at why millions of Swifties are so excited about this.
LISA RESPERS FRANCE, CNN REPORTER: December 13th is famously Taylor Swift's birthday, but this year she had the gift to give. That's because the day
before she dropped the first two episodes of her eagerly awaited docuseries, "The End of an Era" on Disney Plus. This docuseries, which will
be six episodes in total, gives us a behind-the-scenes glimpse into everything that went into putting together the Eras Tour.
The first episode has some heavy moments, including Taylor Swift dealing with the aftermath of a thwarted terrorist attack on her Vienna concert.
But there's also plenty of joy and happiness. Not just from the fans, but also from Taylor herself, who says that she wants to make it look easy, but
she wants to give her fans a tour experience like they've never had before and one that they will never forget.
[11:55:15]
Plenty of Swifties will tell you that that's exactly what she did. And for those who weren't lucky enough to snag a ticket, we still get to see it,
thanks to this docuseries. Happy birthday, Taylor Swift.
Lisa Respers France, CNN, Atlanta.
ASHER: All right, finally this hour, a great reason to sing your lungs out. Swiss yodeling, the centuries-old Alpine tradition, has been added to
UNESCO's intangible cultural heritage list.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(YODELING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: The recognition was granted to Switzerland following a yodeling performance before the UNESCO committee in New Delhi on Thursday. The
eclectic singing style is traced back to the central Alps, where herders use the echoing calls to summon their flocks and send messages across
breathtaking mountain valleys.
Swiss yodeling joins Italian cuisine and India's valley on the list. We actually covered Italian cuisine being added to the UNESCO heritage list
earlier this week with a very famous Italian-American chef.
All right, stay with CNN. There is much more One World with my colleague and friend, Bianna Golodryga, after this short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
