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One World with Zain Asher
New Videos Released Amid Manhunt for Brown University Shooter; Zelenskyy Meeting with European Leaders in the Netherlands; Bobi Wine Looking to Unseat Incumbent President Museveni; Rubio and Hegseth on Capitol Hill to Talk About Boat Strikes; Reiner Double-Homicide Case to be Turned Over to D.A.; Unemployment Hits Four-Year High of 4.6 Percent in November. Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired December 16, 2025 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ZAIN ASHER, CNN HOST, ONE WORLD: All right, tributes pouring in for Rob and Michele Reiner, as prosecutors are set to weigh charges in the double
homicide. "One World" starts right now. Authorities say the couple's son, Nick Reiner, is responsible for their death.
We are live for you in Los Angeles for the latest on that investigation. And Marco Rubio, Pete Hegseth are on Capitol Hill to answer lawmakers as
U.S. strikes on so called narco-terrorist boats kill another eight in the Pacific. Plus, the latest U.S. jobs report is out, and it is a mixed bag.
So, what does it tell us about the chances of more rate cuts? We'll sort through the numbers for you on that as well. All right, coming to you live
from New York, I'm Zain Asher, and this is "One World". This hour U.S. authorities are still searching for the shooter who opened fire at Brown
University.
They are pursuing a new lead based on photos, including this image right here, taken Saturday afternoon before the attack. It shows a masked person,
the FBI is calling a suspect now it says the individual is about five foot eight, and he has a stocky build. Two teenage students were killed in
Saturday's attack, and nine others were injured as the man hunt continues.
Rhode Island's Attorney General insists, authorities are making progress.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PETER NERONHA, RHODE ISLAND ATTORNEY GENERAL: Prosecutors today have been working with the law enforcement agents and police officers to advance this
investigation, and I would describe today's work as making steady progress to identifying the person that we saw in the video that was released
yesterday.
And the sooner we can identify that person, the sooner we can, I think, blow this case open. But that's work that has to happen in the next 24 to
36 hours.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: Leigh Waldman is tracking this development. She's joining us live now from Providence. Just in terms what we see in the video, you see
essentially the side profile of this person, but he is wearing a mask. He is wearing dark clothes. I mean, they can it can sort of ascertain what his
rough height is.
They're saying that he is five foot eight. He has a stocky build. But based on this video, and obviously the one we saw yesterday with the back of his
head. How hard is it going to be for authorities to track down this individual?
LEIGH WALDMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Zain, when we asked this to the attorney general, he said that this kind of a video is key, that they are going to
continue to gather these videos to try and piece together who this person is. Well to you and me, we don't know who this man is seeing, just the part
of his eyes there, seeing that distinctive gait that he has.
We've heard other law enforcement people weighing in on that gate itself, while we don't know him, someone who knows this person that might actually
ring a bell spark a call to the tip line that's been established by the FBI and by local leaders here. We know that they are continuing to canvas the
neighborhood that's around Brown University, which is just behind us.
You see the building there. That's where the shooting actually happened. So, we know that they're continuing to knock on doors. When the attorney
general was pressed on this further, he says they're expecting more and more video to keep coming in, ramping up over the next 36 hours, because
people are returning from the weekend.
Businesses are opening up. They're maybe looking through their surveillance video. Maybe they recognize this person from the videos that were released
before, and they can keep adding to the list here. So, we're waiting for that information. Inside of that building, FBI agents are working to
reconstruct the scene.
There's still active crime scene tape up. We see down the street there. There's almost a command center set up there. But what's breaking our
hearts that we're seeing is a memorial that's starting to grow on this side and on the other side of that campus building.
We're seeing, at one point, someone wrote, enough is enough there. We're speaking to neighbors who live around this campus, and they're saying
they're scared while there's an active manhunt happening. This person described as armed and dangerous. Take a listen to part of the conversation
we had with a man named Alex.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WALDMAN: How do you have a sense of safety with this person who committed this act just still out there.
ALEX BROWN, MANAGER AT CEREMONY TEA HOUSE: It's -- I mean, there is no real sense of safety, you know, kind of just have to, almost like, just hope
that it doesn't happen again, that they're, you know, that they've done what they wanted to do, and that's it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[11:05:00]
WALDMAN: And we know, hearing from the police chief in this community, he said that this is a targeted attack against Brown University, revealed that
a nine-millimeter handgun, or nine-millimeter firearm was used to commit this horrendous act. We're waiting to see if they reveal any more about
this investigation.
But it's not just us waiting. It's people who live here, who have nowhere else to go, who are living in fear, currently, Zain.
ASHER: Leigh Waldman, live for us there. Thank you so much. Right. More stories of heroism are emerging in the wake of Sunday shooting in Sydney
that killed 15 people during the Hanukkah celebration. Newly released dash cam video shows two bystanders trying to disarm one of the suspects before
the attack took place.
Australian media say the man and woman were fatally shot, becoming the first victims of the rampage. Ahmed al Ahmed, the man who wrestled a gun
away from one of the attackers before also being shot is undergoing more surgery for his injuries right now.
Meantime, memorial is growing at Bondi Beach. Hundreds of mourners laid out flowers in memory of those who were killed in this horrific attack.
Meantime, we're learning new details about the suspect. Australia's Prime Minister says that two alleged shooters, father and son, were motivated by
ISIS, or Islamic state ideology.
Police say a vehicle belonging to one of the suspects contained improvised explosive devices and homemade ISIS flags. Were also learning the father
and son had actually traveled last month to a Philippine island that's home to Islamist insurgent groups. Australia's Prime Minister had this to say
about the attacker's motivations.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANTHONY ALBANESE, AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER: Radical perversion of Islam is absolutely a problem. It is something that has been identified globally as
a problem as well. ISIS is created by an evil ideology that has been called out, not just by the Australian government, but globally as well.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: CNN's Will Ripley is in Sydney for us with the very latest on the investigation.
WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: New dash cam video may be giving investigators their clearest picture yet as to how this attack
may have unfolded. Investigators found what appears to be an ISIS flag inside the suspect's car, like the one visible on the windshield in that
footage that showed the couple fighting off the gunman and taking his rifle away briefly.
They also say this attack may have been inspired by Islamic state ideology, and now investigators are looking beyond Australia, the father and son
traveled to the Southern Philippines, a region long plagued by ISIS inspired violence. The pair arrived on November 1 for what they describe as
military style training, staying nearly four weeks before returning to Australia, just over two weeks before the attack.
Authorities stress the purpose of that trip remains under investigation. Here at Bondi Beach, the grief remains raw. The prime minister visited on
Tuesday, meeting with families of victims and also Ahmed al Ahmed the man being widely hailed as a hero for running toward gun fire and wrestling a
rifle away from the attacker.
And act authorities say likely save lives. Ahmed remains hospitalized needing multiple surgeries for gunshot wounds. His parents are Syrian
refugees. They say his actions were driven by instinct and duty.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MOHAMED FATEH AL AHMED, FATHER OF MAN WHO TACKLED BONDI BEACH SHOOTER: My son is a hero. He served with the police, and he has the impulse to protect
people, when he saw those people on the ground covered in blood, his conscience and morals compelled him to attack one of the terrorists and
take away his weapon.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RIPLEY: Right now, authorities emphasize the investigation remains active. There's no evidence at this stage of additional suspects, but investigators
continue reviewing travel records, communications and online activity as they work to determine how and when the suspects may have been radicalized.
Meanwhile, the crowds and candlelight vigils here at Bondi Beach continue to grow, and funerals are getting underway for some of the victims,
including an 87-year-old Holocaust survivor and a 10-year-old girl. Will Ripley, CNN, Bondi Beach, Australia.
ASHER: Right, still to come, the White House says it has evidence that justifies those deadly strikes in the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean.
Congress wants to see it, ahead officials from the Trump Administration brief lawmakers on Capitol Hill today. Plus, Ugandans head to the poll next
month to cast their ballots with the president poised to secure a seventh consecutive term.
But the opposition is accusing the authorities of a politically motivated crack down. Details ahead as well.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:10:00]
ASHER: As Russia's war in Ukraine nears the four-year mark, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is meeting with European allies today. He's
in the Netherlands seeking potential compensation for Ukraine for hundreds of billions of dollars in damages from the war.
European leaders formally launched a commission to look into possible future payouts. On Monday, Zelenskyy met with a U.S. delegation in Berlin,
and says they worked, quote, in great detail, an agreement to stop the war and guarantee Ukraine security. He also hinted at a small but real chance
for a ceasefire next week.
In response, Russia shot down the idea of a short-term ceasefire over Christmas, saying it could give Ukraine's military time to regroup. Right,
there is just one month to go before Uganda's general election, and the results are all but inevitable. President Museveni is expected to win
again, giving him a seventh term in power.
But the political climate is changing, and a crackdown on the opposition is sparking outrage. CNN's Larry Madowo explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is the man seeking to remove President Museveni from power after 40 years. He has incredible support
among the young people. As Bobi Wine arrives, so goes a crowd. There is nothing like it.
MADOWO (voice-over): Bobi Wine wants Ugandans to sing a new tune. The musician turned politician is running for president for a second time.
Nearly twice his age, President Yoweri Museveni is also running for a seventh term. When the former general came to power after a civil war in
1986 Bobi Wine was just four years old.
ROBERT "BOBI WINE" KYAGULANYI, UGANDAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I believe that General Museveni largely views Uganda as his personal property, as his
family property, and he views us as slaves.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is our time to change our future.
MADOWO (voice-over): Bobi Wine accuses security forces of using violence to stop him from campaigning. At the stop in Northern Uganda, supporters
formed a protective shield around the candidate as military officers whipped them. One of his closest aides was wounded.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Look at what the police and the military are doing to us for no crime whatsoever.
MADOWO (voice-over): The Electoral Commission condemned the incident that is now under investigation. He says more than 450 members of his party and
supporters have been imprisoned during the campaign, others tortured or disappeared.
[11:15:00]
KYAGULANYI: For some people have been shot dead at my rally, and I know the regime has me as the main target.
MADOWO: Why won't you be allowed to campaign freely?
KYAGULANYI: Well, I believe it is fear. It is fear the General Museveni knows that he has no support. Every time I go out to campaign, I know that
somebody is going to be beaten, somebody is going to be killed, run over by the police, shot with live bullets, and all that.
MADOWO (voice-over): The U.N. Human Rights Chief has condemned widespread arbitrary arrests, detentions and the use of unnecessary or
disproportionate force against the opposition. CNN filmed hundreds of police, military and special forces at Bobi Wine's rallies in the capital
Kampala. They blocked him from using some roads, beat up some supporters and tear gas bystanders.
MADOWO: Everywhere Bobi Wine goes, there are dozens of police officers, soldiers. It always ends up in a scuffle. Right now, they're blocking his
way from coming into a rally venue. And that's tear gas. Before he's even inside, we're hearing that sound like live shots, tear gas in every
direction. Tear gas in every direction.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: All right, we're interrupting that report to go straight to Capitol Hill, where Marco Rubio is speaking about the recent strikes in Venezuela.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Make a hole for the pool camera wide now.
MARCO RUBIO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: Thank you, guys. Obviously, we had a classified hearing, so the details of which we can't discuss, it's, I
believe, our 22nd or 23rd bipartisan engagement. We'll continue to engage with Congress on this.
We're headed to the house now to do a similar briefing and provide updates on this counter drug mission, which is focused on dismantling the
infrastructure of these terrorist organizations that are operating in our hemisphere, undermining the security of Americans, threat killing
Americans, poisoning Americans.
And this has been a highly successful mission that's ongoing and continued, and we're pleased to be here today to update Congress on how that's
developing and how that's moving forward. As I said, I believe it's our 22nd, 23rd such engagement certainly been at least the fourth or fifth that
I've been involved in, and those will remain and be ongoing.
PETE HEGSETH, U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY: I would just echo that. It's the 22nd bipartisan briefing we've had on a highly successful mission to counter
designated terrorist organizations, cartels, bringing weapons, weapons eating drugs to the American people and poisoning the American people for
far too long.
So, we're proud of what we're doing, able to lay it out very directly to the senators and soon to the House, but it's all classified. We can't talk
about it now. We're also going to, tomorrow allow the HASC and SASC to see the unedited video of the September 2nd alongside with Admiral Bradley, who
has done a fantastic job, has made all the right calls, and we're glad he'll be there to do it.
But in keeping with long standing Department of War Policy, Department of Defense Policy, of course, we're not going to release a top secret, full
unedited video of that to the general public. HASC and SASC appropriate committees will see it, but not the general.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: All right, you've just been listening to very quick press briefing with U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio and also Defense Secretary Pete
Hegseth. They're talking about the continued drug boat strikes in the Pacific and around the Caribbean. There was a recent one where three more
drug boats were targeted, killing eight people.
Pete Hegseth described these missions as highly successful, saying that they are designed to stop people from funneling drugs into the U.S.
Obviously, there's been so much -- so many questions about the legality of these strikes. But he also mentioned, and this is really key, that they
would release video of the more controversial September 2nd strike, in which there was a double strike.
So, two people who weren't killed and were no longer a threat to the U.S. were then killed again in a second strike. So, he said that there's going
to be video released of that, not to the general public, but to Congress. I want to bring in Eric Farnsworth, who's a Senior Associate with the
Americas Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
He joins me live now in Washington. So, Eric, one of the things I think that's really key here is despite the controversy swirling around these
drug boat strikes that continue to happen, especially after there was a lot of interest in the September 2nd drug boat strike that we saw Pete Hegseth
mentioning there.
These strikes continue to happen, and there has been so much -- so many questions about the legality of them, that the fact that they're
essentially extrajudicial killings. You know, your take on the fact that there really isn't that much either Congress at this point or Venezuela can
actually do to stop the strikes from happening, or is there?
[11:20:00]
ERIC FARNSWORTH, SENIOR ASSOCIATE AT THE CENTER FOR STRATEGIC AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES: Hi Zain. It's great to join you again. You know, I
completely agree that this is a priority for the administration they've shown, that they're committed to continuing forward, and they're committed
to indeed amplifying the issues you heard the secretary just now talk about the national security threat to the United States that he believes is part
of this and the rationale for it.
You know, the political support here is going to be key going forward, though, and I think that having two secretaries, Secretary of State,
Secretary of Defense, Secretary of War, being up on the hill and briefing all of the senators, as well as going to the House, I think it does show
that they recognize the need to bring the Congress more fully into the decision making.
And frankly, give the justifications that Congress is looking for if they want the campaign to continue, and frankly to succeed.
ASHER: You've got the drug boat strikes, you've got the seizure of oil tankers, you've got the buildup of troops. What do you think the
administration is really trying to accomplish here?
FARNSWORTH: Well, I think we have to divide it. I mean, the two are certainly related, the drug boat strikes and the issue in Venezuela. Now,
as I say, they're related, but they are two separate issues, and the idea that you can do one without the other, I think, is absolutely right.
I mean, you could continue on a counternarcotics mission, continue to go after drug boats. And frankly, leave Mr. Maduro in place and leave the
situation on the ground in Venezuela essentially unchanged. I do think, though, that the administration has clearly discussed its desire to find a
way for Mr. Maduro to leave.
He lost elections clearly in July of 2024, there is a president elect, democratically elected. And we've seen over the last several days in Oslo,
Norway, the outpouring of support from Venezuela, and in fact, the global community for Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado, who clearly
has unified the opposition in a way that hadn't been done before.
So, there is a basis here for moving forward on the Venezuela political issues, in support of Venezuela elections that took place a year and a half
ago.
ASHER: And if the U.S., if the Trump Administration continues to seize oil tankers, for example. I mean, we know that Venezuela, its economy, is
inextricably linked to the sale of oil. I mean, the economy would basically collapse without it. They use the money to import food, to import medicine,
basic necessities for ordinary Venezuelans.
If that continues to happen, and people around the world or rather different countries become a bit more wary, namely, China, for example, of
exporting oil out of Venezuela, because, of course, the oil tankers could get seized by the United States. How much would that materially affect
Maduro's grip on power, do you think?
FARNSWORTH: I think it would materially affect it significantly. As you say, he depends on those resources. He actually doesn't depend it so much
on resources for the people of Venezuela. His main concern is remaining in power. And so those resources go to the security services.
They go to buy loyalty for his regime and support for what he's doing. And so that's really what he needs, that that income stream for. The idea,
though, that the administration is finding new ways to bring pressure on the regime by seizing a sanctioned oil tank is, I think, is a definite
escalation, and it's real, and it is putting real pressure on the Maduro regime.
And frankly, just as you've indicated, we've seen tankers reverse course outside of Venezuelan waters, and some try to leave Venezuelan waters on
the idea that they could be the next target. So, this is, I think, an effective new way to pressure the regime. Will it get the regime to
actually leave power?
I mean, I think that's the $64,000 question, and the continued pressuring is certainly moving in that direction, but it's going to be up to Maduro
himself as to whether he'll quit and leave, or try to stay and remain. But know, you're absolutely right. This is an escalation, and it's something
that hadn't been tried before, and we'll have to see what happens.
ASHER: You mentioned that there are probably, you know two different -- at least two different goals that the U.S. has here. You've got, obviously
weakening Maduro's grip on power, but also limiting the stem of drugs flowing into the United States. When you think about the way that the U.S.
is going about it.
I mean, obviously, whether or not this is legal, putting that aside for one second. The fact that it is killing a lot of individuals who are perhaps
employees, low level employees of cartels who are transporting these drugs, a lot of these drugs, by the way, are destined for Europe, not necessarily
the United States.
[11:25:00]
The fact that these people are being killed instead of being questioned, many people have said that it would be more useful to the U.S. to actually
detain these individuals and find out who is employing them, you know, information about these drug cartels. Even if the U.S. is goal here is to
stem the flow of tide of drugs into the U.S., this isn't necessarily the most efficient way to go about it.
FARNSWORTH: Well, I think you can absolutely make that case and make that argument. And you know, what we've tried in the past hasn't necessarily
worked, but I think you can make the case as you've just done that this isn't the most efficient way to do it. But those are absolutely the
questions that I think the senators and the Congress people will be asking the two secretaries today on the Hill.
And they should ask those questions, because those aren't just hard questions, but they also go to the heart of, should this be done? You know,
as you say, putting the legalities aside from a policy perspective. Is this what should be done to try to achieve the goals that the administration
itself has articulated?
I think those are fair questions, and I think that those are exactly the ones that Congress should be asking today.
ASHER: Right. Eric Farnsworth, live for us. Thank you so much. Let's go straight to Arlette Saenz joining us live now from Capitol Hill. So,
Arlette, just a few moments ago, we heard from Pete Hegseth speaking to reporters, essentially intimating that the video of the September 2nd
strike could be released, but it would only be released to lawmakers.
It's not something they intend to release to the general public. When lawmakers watch this video, what exactly are they going to be looking for,
Arlette?
ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, lawmakers are looking for more details about how exactly this strike played out. This video has
been showed it to a very select group of senators and members of the House. You remember just a little over a week ago, Admiral Bradley, the admiral
who ordered that double tap strike on an alleged drug trafficking vessel back in September.
He came up to Capitol Hill to brief various leaders of relevant committees, like the Arbor Services Committees, Intelligence Committees. And emerging
from those briefings, we heard from many Democratic lawmakers who said that they were very concerned about this video and really were withholding
judgment about whether they believe the Trump Administration actually had the legal authority to carry out this strike.
Emerging from this classified briefing with Hegseth and Rubio today, Democratic lawmakers are once again, very frustrated that they have yet to
show the video to the full group of senators. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said that, that is something that he pressed Hegseth and Rubio on
in their briefing.
In his belief that they showed up empty handed to talk to lawmakers today. Now so far, what we have heard from other Republican Senators is that the
administration will make this video available to senators who are on relevant committees. It's unclear what committees that will entail, but it
could be the Senate Armed Services Committee, Senate Intelligence Committee, as they are looking into conducting oversight of these strikes.
What it does not appear that they will be doing immediately is showing this to all senators, and that is something that's very frustrating for many
Democrats on this committee. But remember, we've also heard from Republicans who have said that they believe that this video should be made
public for all to seize, so that the administration can be transparent with their works.
But Democrats really emerged from this briefing unsatisfied, while Republicans have said that they still believe that the Trump Administration
did have the legal basis to conduct these strikes. Now Hegseth and Rubio brief senators for about an hour, they now are heading to be brief members
of the house at a time when there are still questions from members of both parties about how these strikes were carried out in the Caribbean, but also
what the administration's broader plans might be as it relates to Venezuela.
ASHER: Arlette Saenz live for us. Thank you so much. Right, still to come, crucial new information about the state of the U.S. economy, after a delay
caused by the government shutdown. We will punch the numbers for you after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:30:00]
ASHER: Right. Welcome back to "One World". I'm Zain Asher from New York. Here's on the international headlines we are watching for you today. In the
coming hours, we may learn what specific charges Nick Reiner will face this after he was arrested in connection with the murder of his parents Rob and
Michele Reiner.
Police are expected to turn over the case to prosecute us later. Sources tell CNN, Nick and Rob Reiner had a heated argument at a holiday party the
night before the couple was killed. And U.S. authorities are still searching for the shooter who opened fire at Brown University.
They're pursuing a new lead based on photos, including this image taken Saturday afternoon before the attack. It shows a masked person. The FBI is
calling a suspect. They say the individual is about five foot eight, with a stocky build. And the father and son suspected of carrying out the Hanukkah
attack in Sydney were motivated by ISIS ideology, that's according to the Australian Prime Minister.
Police say the suspects had recently traveled to the Philippines, visiting an island that's long been a hotbed of extremism and insurgent groups. U.S.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are briefing lawmakers on Capitol Hill right now about controversial strikes on
alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and the Pacific Ocean.
It comes as the Pentagon says that eight more people were killed in an attack in the Pacific on Monday, bringing the total number of deaths to at
least 95. All right, in the coming hours, the L.A. District Attorney could formally bring charges against Nick Reiner. He's the son of the legendary
director and actor Rob Reiner and his wife, producer Michele Singer Reiner.
Police say 32-year-old Nick Reiner is responsible for the deaths of his parents. The Reiners were found dead in their L.A. home on Sunday. The
night before, a source tells CNN that Nick Reiner, who's being held without bail, was arguing with his father at a holiday party at Conan O'Brien's
home.
Stephanie Elam is joining us live now with the very latest. What more are we learning, Stephanie?
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, there's a little bit more of the timeline saying that we're getting here. We know about that argument that
reportedly happened Saturday night. We know that the police responded to a call at the house in the 03:00 p.m. hour on Sunday.
[11:35:00]
We also now know, according to a source, that it was their daughter that discovered her parents in that horrific way. And then we also know that
they went to go get a search warrant the Los Angeles Police Department did, and then that Nick Reiner was arrested in the 09:00 p.m. hour and then
booked into jail early Monday morning.
That's all we have, we do not know what would be the motive in this case. We do not know how the Reiners were killed. So, there's a lot of
outstanding questions here, but it is interesting that the Los Angeles Police Department used the word responsible. They said they believe that
the 32-year-old was responsible for the deaths of his parents.
So, what we're waiting for now here at the courthouse is for the Los Angeles Police Department to take this case to the District Attorney's
office, and in which case they could begin the process of charging Nick Reiner in these deaths, if that's what they deem they would like to do.
And at that point, we may learn more about what how the Reiners were killed. And what a motive potentially could have been some of those details
could come out once the D.A. has this case and if Nick Reiner appears in court. So that's why we're here outside this courthouse right now to find
out more, hopefully, about what happened here, what transpired.
One thing I will say, though none of it will actually make anything better for the people who are mourning the loss of Michele and Rob Reiner. There
are so many people who are devastated and in shock and heart broken. Those are some of the words that we've seen used over the loss of this couple
that in Hollywood, for sure, there was a lot of love for them, Zain.
ASHER: Absolutely. I mean, they are -- Rob Reiner and his wife, they were so politically active. They were, you know, obviously extremely talented in
their own right. And yeah, they will be missed. Stephanie Elam, such a tragic and painful story to read about. Thank you so much.
Former First Lady Michelle Obama says she and President Barack Obama were actually supposed to see the Reiners on the night that they were killed.
Monday night, she told Jimmy Kimmel on his show that Rob and Michele Reiner were actually longtime friends. In the wake of President Trump's derisive
post on the Reiner's death, Mrs. Obama honored their activism.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHELLE OBAMA, FORMER U.S. FIRST LADY: Let me just say this, unlike some people, Rob and Michele Reiner are some of the most decent, courageous
people you ever want to know. They are not de ranged or praised. What they have always been, are passionate people in a time when they're not --
there's not a lot of courage going on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: After unprecedented delay because of the government shutdown, new data is revealing the state of the U.S. jobs market. The unemployment rate
hit 4.6 percent last month, a four year high, and only 64,000 jobs were created. We also got a limited amount of data on October, when the shutdown
meant that no employment report was published.
It showed the job market shrank by an estimated 105,000 jobs, all of it because of layoffs of federal workers by the Trump Administration. Let's
break down the significance of these numbers. Justin Wolfers is a Professor of Economics and Public Policy at the University of Michigan joins us live
now.
Justin, so good. It's been a while, my friend, so good to see you. Just in terms of these latest jobs report, 64,000 jobs added, an unemployment rate
taking up to 4.6 percent. I mean, obviously there's a sign here, a clear sign, that the labor market is cooling. But you know, the numbers are a
little bit skewed.
I mean, there's so much that is missing because of the government shutdown. This jobs report, in of itself, was pretty late. Just give us your take on
these numbers, Justin.
JUSTIN WOLFERS, PROFESSOR OF ECONOMICS AND PUBLIC POLICY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN: So, there's two issues here. One is, it's a bit of a tricky
jobs report. It got caught up in the whole government shutdown and all of that. But I don't want you to miss the more important thing, this is
actually a really, really big deal.
What we got today was confirmation just how badly the economy slowed, and I think it's going to, over the next few weeks, lead people to fundamentally
change how optimistic, in fact, become more pessimistic about where the economy is and where it's going. Let's run through a few numbers.
The unemployment rate, it was 4 percent back in January. It's now up to 4.6 percent so that's hundreds of thousands of people without work. The rate at
which we've been creating jobs since April. April, by the way, was Liberation Day, has slowed virtually to a halt. By the official numbers,
we've been creating 17,000 jobs a month.
Very, very few. But if you talk to the folks at the fed, they believe these numbers overstate the true strength that in fact, employment may have been
declining overall over the last several months. We've seen a big hit to government jobs. But it's not just government jobs, private sector job
growth has slowed virtually to a halt as well.
[11:40:00]
It is time to start asking whether we're in a recession. I'm not going to chime in on that debate, but I am going to give it a name. I'm going to
call it an economic slump.
ASHER: So, in terms of the reasons why, I mean how much of this is to do with federal workers being laid off, versus tariffs, for example, versus
Trump's crackdown on legal and illegal immigration, and also baby boomers essentially aging out of the workforce?
WOLFERS: Your question is part of the answer, which is, there's so many things going on, and not many of them are good, and that doesn't bode well
for hiring. So, let's go through a few of those. So, one what we saw, if you remember back six months ago, Elon Musk sent hundreds of thousands of
public sector workers, an email that says, we've come to a fork in the road.
You can resign and get boot. You can go on a gradual resignation path. Well, those resignations hit in October. That was 150,000 government jobs
lost, but that's just October's number. If you want to focus on other months, instead, we still see slower job growth. If you want to focus on
the private sector, instead, we still see slower job growth.
Immigration is a really big issue because it changes how many jobs, we have to create in order to keep just the unemployment rate stable. Well, there's
less immigration, so we don't need to create as many jobs, but no one knows exactly how many. That's why I focus instead on the unemployment rate.
It sort of tells you, if the folks who are here, how many are struggling to find work? And it's that number that's gone up really, quite a worrying
amount over recent months.
ASHER: Well in terms of what the fed actually does with this particular report. I mean, obviously, you know, it is an important data point. They
might want the December jobs report that might be more -- that might give them more clarity in terms of the bigger picture.
They obviously have to focus on two different things, the state of the U.S. economy, how healthy the jobs market is, but also inflation. What do they
do with these numbers, Justin?
WOLFERS: I think you saw a hint that actually the feds, ahead of the curve of this in the last press conference, Fed Chair Jay Powell, looked very,
very worried. He was talking at length about deterioration in the labor market. He's worried that we've been losing jobs for months.
And what we saw in today's report is that Powell's intuitions, or his very clever and deep parsing of the data, looks like it was correct, and we're
going to continue to see numbers like that over the next few months. Look, we are at a point where it's totally legitimated for people to ask and to
wonder, are we in a recession?
That's a moment where the fed wants to move from being in neutral to maybe tapping its foot on the accelerator a bit, seeing if we can get the economy
going. The fed did cut rates in December, but it said that it understood itself as taking its foot off the brake and putting the car into neutral.
If these numbers hold and it looks like, you know, really, things have slowed down. There's going to be an increasingly strong case for the fed to
cut rates further, to actually try and speed things along.
ASHER: And in terms of your crystal ball looking into what we can expect for 2026. I mean, we saw three rate cuts in 2025 all things being equal,
what are we going to expect next year? More rate cuts, deeper rate cuts. Your thoughts, Justin?
WOLFERS: Let me pivot your question a little bit. I'm happy to answer it, Zain, but rate cuts and bond markets and stuff that's a lot of interest to
the financial sector, but for the folks at home, what really matters is, are they able to find work? Are their jobs stable? Are they able to get pay
rises?
And what we see is that the labor market has slowed quite substantially that the next batch of kids who graduate are going to find it a lot harder
to find work, that the folks are in jobs that they don't really like right now are finding it harder to switch, and the folks who are looking for a
pay rise in order to catch up with inflation are finding it harder to get those pay rises.
These numbers really are quite pessimistic about where we are, the lack of progress, and in fact, the steps back we've made over the last few months.
Zain, if I'm sounding more worried to you than I've sounded in months, it's because I am.
ASHER: You're always worried, though, Justin -- never super optimistic -- being super optimistic, but you're worried, this time certainly has cause.
When you look at these job numbers, they are troubling, especially when you consider that the unemployment rate is the highest it's been in about four
years or so.
So, you're worried this time is certainly not without cause. Justin Wolfers, live for us. Thank you. Thank you so much. All right, the BBC says
it will fight back against a $10 billion lawsuit filed by Donald Trump. The U.S. President, is seeking damages over a documentary that contain clips of
the speech he made on January 6, 2021.
The edited clips made it appear that Trump had directed his supporters to storm the U.S. capital. President Trump alleges that the BBC defamed him
and broke trade practices. The filing was made in a Florida court. BBC has since apologized, but says there is no legal basis to sue. Much more to
come on the show. We'll be right back with more.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:45:00]
ASHER: Increasingly, cryptocurrency is becoming an important part of how people move money, invest and imagine the future of finance. More than 500
million people around the world now use crypto, and the number keeps growing, as Eleni Giokos reports, Dubai wants to be at the center of it.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELENI GIOKOS, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Digital money is becoming more real than ever, from decentralized forms of cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin to
governments launching their own digital currencies. And that's exactly what the UAE is doing, building a dirham backed stable coin within a regulated
ecosystem.
RONIT GHOSE, HEAD OF FUTURE OF FINANCE, CITI GLOBAL INSIGHTS: Sitting here in the UAE, and the center of gravity doesn't have to be London or
Frankfurt or Paris. We have a very thriving crypto and blockchain ecosystem growing up in Dubai, in Abu Dhabi.
GIOKOS (voice-over): This isn't a fun park. It's Binance week in Dubai, where investors are talking about currencies of the future, and the mood
here is electric.
GHOSE: The volatility.
GIOKOS: This is the volatility --
GIOKOS (voice-over): I spoke with leading voices to understand this shift.
GHOSE: Stable coins are a financial instrument that sits on a blockchain and is backed by currency like $1.
GIOKOS (voice-over): So, what makes a stable coin different from everything else? Let's break it down. This is $1 steady, reliable, but slow to move
across borders. This is crypto fast, but the price jumps all over the place. And this is a stable coin. It's digital money you can send
instantly, but its value is designed to track the dollar, because it's backed by real assets.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The bill is passed without objection --
GIOKOS (voice-over): Stable coins are gaining momentum after the U.S. passed the GENIUS Act, a landmark rule that opened the door to fully
regulated stable coins.
GHOSE: Our numbers are 2 trillion by 2030 is our base case, and 4 trillion is our bull case.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Gaming industry today is roughly 3 billion players --
GIOKOS (voice-over): IMF data shows people are using stable coins far more than ever before, with a total value being traded nearly doubling to $23
trillion last year.
PETER SCHIFF, CEO OF EURO PACIFIC PRECIOUS METALS: Bitcoins aren't backed by anything --
GIOKOS (voice-over): But not everyone agrees with the direction digital currencies are moving.
SCHIFF: They talk about Bitcoin, they say it's digital gold, but it's not. It's got no, nothing in common with gold.
GIOKOS (voice-over): And it's not just a battle of currencies. It's a battle of views. A longtime critic of crypto, Peter Schiff, says stable
coins tied to the dollar don't solve the underlying problem.
[11:50:00]
SCHIFF: What's the point of a token that's tied to the dollar when the dollar is losing so much value? But if you can tokenize gold, and you have
a crypto that's backed by gold, now you have something real.
GIOKOS (voice-over): Schiff believes crypto is going one way.
SCHIFF: -- collapse --
GIOKOS: It's going one way. Down, OK.
SCHIFF: -- completely collapse.
MICHAEL SAYLOR, FOUNDER OF MICROSTRATEGY: The volatility is a sign of the vitality.
GIOKOS (voice-over): And on the other end of the spectrum, Bitcoin supporters like Michael Saylor argue volatility isn't a flaw, it's the cost
of innovation.
SAYLOR: The fact that you can send a billion dollars from here to anywhere in the world in a few minutes on Saturday is clearly the most useful
capital asset in the world --
GIOKOS (voice-over): And he sees far more upside ahead.
SAYLOR: It's going to grow and into the 10 trillion and $100 trillion range.
GIOKOS (voice-over): Crypto is one of the most debated areas in global finance, praise for innovation, question for risk. But in the Gulf,
momentum is building. The region isn't just talking about crypto. It's regulating it and shaping what comes next. Eleni Giokos, CNN, Dubai.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: All right, still to come here. All I want for Christmas is Zoo. How the animals at London Zoo are getting into the holiday spirit, that story
next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: Right, the Obama Presidential Center is expected to open on Chicago's south side in the spring and when it does work by some America's
most important living artists will be featured. The latest one announced is artist Theaster Gates, who will create what's described as a "monumental
portrait of black life" and an ode to black women in particular.
Gates will design a massive collage printed in aluminum. The images were drawn from the archives of Ebony and Jet magazines. And if you're thinking
about becoming a billionaire, and let's be honest, who isn't? You have another chance tomorrow night. No one picked all the right numbers in last
night's powerful power ball drawing.
That means Wednesday nights jackpot, right, jackpot, rather, rises to one and a quarter billion dollars, the second largest of the year. That's the
value if the winner opts for annual installments, which I highly recommend if you do win. At any rate, if you win and choose to take it as an
immediate lump sum, you take home a mere you know, $572 million only.
[11:55:00]
Still quite the gift before Christmas. And speaking of Christmas, Christmas has come early for some of the animals at the London Zoo. Saki monkeys and
gorillas got a taste of some of their favorite treats in these stockings gifted by zookeepers. As you can see, the gifts were certainly much
appreciated, with the animals sleeping from stocking to stocking to dig out the delights, which included the sweet corn.
It was part of London Zoo's Magic of Christmas event so adorable which one's until early next month. And finally, this hour, a Christmas sand
sculpture of massive proportions, admirers gathered at Las Canteras Beach on the Canary Islands to get a glimpse of the stunning 20th anniversary
edition of the sand nativity scene.
10 sculptors from around the world worked together for several weeks to complete the monumental sand scenes. The nativity sculpture has brought in
nearly 260,000 visitors in just about 40 days. Right, stay with CNN. I'll have much more "One World" after the short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
