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One World with Zain Asher
Today: DOJ Faces Deadline For Releasing Epstein Documents; Soon: Witkoff To Meet With Top Ukrainian Officials In Miami; Winter Storms Worsen Gaza's War-Torn Buildings; Suspect In Brown University, MIT Shootings Found Dead; U.S. To Pause Diversity Visa Program In Wake Of Shootings; Man Found Guilty Of Drugging, Raping Unconscious Wife; Embracing The Holiday Season Amidst Stressful Times; Aired 12-1p ET
Aired December 19, 2025 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:00:47]
ZAIN ASHER, CNN ANCHOR: Twelve hours in counting, the latest Epstein files are set to release any moment now.
BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR: The second hour of "One World" starts right now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. DICK DURBIN (D-IL): This administration has gone to the greatest possible political lengths to conceal this information from the American
people. There must be something awful in there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Today's the day. The deadline for the release of the Epstein files is almost upon us. And CNN has exclusive reporting about what's going
on behind closed doors.
ASHER: Plus, the Rhode Island manhunt has come to a close, and we're learning more about the suspect. Its connection to a university overseas as
well.
Also ahead.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAMES CAMERON, CANADIAN FILMMAKER: It's expensive. It's not like other filming. It's not like live action filmmaking. And so we have to know
people are going to the theater.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Movie legend, James Cameron, on the risk of Avatar, whether there will be a sequel and where Hollywood is going from here.
ASHER: And later, the reason for this season in this turbulent world, we're celebrating joy on today's edition of Time Out.
All right. Coming to you live from New York, I'm Zain Asher.
And I'm Bianna Golodryga. You're watching the second hour of "One World."
Well, the clock is ticking on a deadline now just 12 hours away for the U.S. Justice Department to release all unclassified files related to
convicted sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein.
But already, we're seeing signs the DOJ may not meet that midnight timeframe required by law. The Deputy Attorney General says the department
will release several hundred thousand documents today and that will continue in the coming weeks as well.
ASHER: Yes. Several sources tell CNN that frustration is mounting within the DOJ with some lawyers believing they aren't being given clear direction
on how to make most information available.
Thirty days ago, Donald Trump signed the law to force the release of the Epstein files. But for months before that, both the president and
Republican leadership fought hard to make sure that information was not made public. The Top House Democrat, warns that there will be consequences
if the DOJ does not comply.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-NY): Related to a full and complete disclosure of the Epstein files, we do expect compliance. But if the Department of
Justice does not comply with what is federal law at this point, there will be strong bipartisan pushback.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: Those who have been impacted the most by all of this have doubts that the DOJ will comply.
CNN recently spoke to Epstein survivors to get their thoughts on what they think could happen next.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you trust that the DOJ is going to release everything?
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, I didn't. The main answer is no. This all felt way too easy to pass it one day.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: CNN's Annie Grayer joins us now live on Capitol Hill. And then to pick up there what we heard from some of those survivors of Jeffrey
Epstein, they are indeed frustrated as they've expressed publicly now for months and years about wanting full transparency. You've been speaking with
some of them. What are they saying to you?
ANNIE GRAYER, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Well, there is a lot of emotion that survivors are feeling right now. Of course, they want the transparency.
That is what they have been pushing for, for years. They have not gotten the justice that some -- that they all deserve.
But there's also a personal toll that the waiting for the release is taking and even just seeing these intermittent releases. You know, some described
on a recent call with House Democratic women lawmakers that it's traumatizing to see these files coming out.
And they were concerned that they weren't necessarily getting a lot of heads up from Democrats on the Oversight Committee before these releases
were happening.
But sources tell me that that has changed, that Democrats are trying to accommodate the survivors because they want to prioritize their needs and
are always trying to listen more to them.
[12:05:05]
But we are all just waiting to see what the Department of Justice is going to release today. They are mandated by law to release all of the files that
they have. But the Deputy Attorney General said on air on Fox earlier today that there were still going to be more releases after today.
And that the Department of Justice is currently scrambling to go through all of the redactions necessary as they try and protect survivors and other
personal information. Of course, with hundreds of thousands of documents that they're going through, that is expected to take a long time, but they
only have until today. Congress made this deadline of December 19th.
There's a concern because the DOJ is trying to work fast to comply with that that they might make some mistakes and accidentally put out sensitive
or private information. So that's what's at stake and then we are continuing to wait to see what exactly the Department of Justice puts out,
what justification of any they give for any redactions they make and what are they going to withhold because they claim it's part of an ongoing
investigation.
GOLODRYGA: All right. Annie Grayer, thank you so much.
ASHER: All right. Let's dig a little deeper. David Weinstein is a former state and federal prosecutor and a partner at Jones Walker LLP. He joins us
live now from Miami, Florida.
I'll get to the questions about meeting the deadline in just a moment. But just in terms of what we can expect today. I mean, obviously, the reduction
is really important because we don't want sensitive information, especially the names and identities of the victims being put out there.
But what do you expect to learn from the trove of documents that we are likely to get some of today?
DAVID WEINSTEIN, FORMER STATE AND FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: Well, Zain, I think everyone's going to be a little disappointed in what we see today.
The redactions are going to be heavy because not only do they have to protect direct references to the identities of these victims, but they also
have to look (INAUDIBLE) statements that are made about the person that would allow someone quickly and easily to identify them.
I think we'll see a rolling production similar to what we've seen come out of Congress in terms of documents simply to comply with the deadline that's
been set. So we might see some more pictures. We might see some more pleadings in -- in the cases, but it's not going to be the complete trove
of documents that everyone had expected. There also has to be a certification with regards to the docket in the Maxwell case in New York.
So it's a complicated process. I don't think as much as going to come out today as everyone expects. And I also expect there'll be a request for an
extension, and that's why we're only going to see a little bit of the documents.
GOLODRYGA: You've also questioned how much we'll learn from the South Florida case as well. Why is that significant?
WEINSTEIN: Well, because when you look at this, the inception of the investigation that looked into the activities of Mr. Epstein and his
associates, started in South Florida.
Now, much of those documents were provided in discovery in the case in New York. And the judge in New York said, you're giving out all that
information.
And so how much of that information was actually provided in the New York case? How much of it is going to be redacted and come out? And then there's
also pending requests with regard to that information issues related to grand jury secrecy matters.
But the legislation that was passed with this deadline today is very broad. So that would encompass much of the information in the South Florida case.
And for as long as people have been looking at Mr. Epstein and his associates, they've been talking about what happened here.
So it'll be interesting to see just how much of the South Florida case is included either today or in any subsequent document releases.
ASHER: And just in terms of not -- the possibility of really not meeting this deadline. I mean obviously the Epstein Transparency Act was signed
into law about a month ago. The president, obviously, signed it himself.
If the deadline is not met to release all of the Epstein files by today, if only some of it is released? And what we're hearing is that we're going to
have a lot of it released today and then it will continue through the coming weeks.
What are the sort of legal and I guess political consequences of the deadline not being met?
WEINSTEIN: Well, Zain, I think the political consequences are greater than the legal consequences. I certainly think that whatever is not released
today will come with the caveat of, here's what we've got so far. Thousands of documents. We're doing our best. We have other things that we have to do
here at the Department of Justice. We're trying to ensure that all redactions are complete then nothing slips through both as to issues
related to identity of victims, personal information, national security information, if any exists, ongoing investigation. So we're airing on the
side of caution.
You can't really blame a department if they're airing on the side of caution. So they will say, here it is. We're giving you what we can and
we'll keep rolling it out.
[12:10:03]
So in terms of non-political repercussions, what's Congress going to do? They're going to set them for a contempt hearing? They're going to say,
you're in contempt of the orders. Please appear and tell us why we haven't complied? Well, they're telling them probably why they haven't complied. So
that's going to go nowhere.
But politically, I think people are going to say, where's the transparency that we asked for? This law was passed 30 days ago. You've had 30 days to
do this. What took you so long? Why are you waiting until the 99th hour?
That, I think, is where the loudest complaints will be heard if everything isn't released.
ASHER: David Weinstein, live for us there. Thank you so much.
GOLODRYGA: European leaders have agreed to fund Ukraine's economy and military with a $105 billion loan. At the same time, they are shelving a
plan to use frozen Russian assets.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
URSULA VON DER LEYEN, PRESIDENT, EUROPEAN COMMISSION: We gathered with a key objective to address Ukraine's pressing financing needs for the next
two years. And I'm very pleased to say we made it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: The E.U. was seeking to bridge the $160 billion gap after the U.S. cut funding to Ukraine earlier this year.
ASHER: Meantime, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned a severe consequences if Europe funneled frozen Kremlin assets to Ukraine. He made
the comments at his annual end-of-year news conference in Moscow today, where he added that he was willing to work on ending the conflict in
Ukraine peacefully.
GOLODRYGA: President Donald Trump's Special Envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to meet with top officials from Ukraine in Miami today. And that includes
national security advisor Rustem Umerov, who just -- to discuss a potential end to the war in Ukraine.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're getting close to something, but I hope Ukraine moves quickly. I hope Ukraine moves quickly,
because Russia is there.
And, you know, every time they take too much stand then Russia changes their mind. 27,000 soldiers were killed last month. Think of that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: Putin says that Russia has made compromises during Ukraine peace talks after Trump asked him to back at their summit in Alaska back in
August.
Today, at his Moscow conference, he said he believes the U.S. president is making sincere efforts to end the conflict.
GOLODRYGA: Joining us now from the White House, Alayna Treene. Alayna, we heard the president touch on this yesterday, but really, it's Steve Witkoff
again that's going to be handling these negotiations in Miami with his Ukrainian counterpart.
What, if anything, can we expect that's different from what we saw last week when Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met with Ukrainian officials in
Germany?
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes. Look, I mean, this is just another instance of them trying to get to the bottom of what they can do to
make sure, specifically Russia, will deliver some of the concessions that they believe is needed to get a deal firmly together here.
I mean, they have been having talks endlessly now for several months. Something that has really been frustrating, I know, to a lot of people in
that building behind me, specifically President Donald Trump.
Now, I will say, and you mentioned this, but the president did seem confident when he was asking about this earlier this week, that he believes
that they are closer than ever to making some sort of deal to try and end the war between Russia and Ukraine.
Now, this meeting today, it's actually going to be between Witkoff and one of the Russia's top economic advisors, Kirill Dmitriev. He's traveling to
Miami to get a briefing on some of the results from some of those talks in Berlin earlier this week between the U.S., the Ukrainians, and the
Europeans.
And so there's going to be a lot here. I think the -- the main part of this is going to see whether or not Witkoff can successfully try to convince
both sides that this is necessary and that they need to move forward with this, because, again, we are about to hit one year that President Trump has
been into office.
This has gone on, Bianna and Zain, far longer than he believed it would and far longer, of course, than he would like this.
And there has been a lot of discussion I know behind closed doors as well here that how long will they continue to make these efforts? We've seen the
president remark at times that, you know, he's done talking, even as Witkoff is continuing to make these trips, even as he continues to welcome
a lot of these different diplomats to Miami or elsewhere.
He -- there's a lot of frustration that perhaps they can't keep this going for much longer. And so it's going to be a big test, I think. But we'll
have to really see what these talks entail and whether or not they believe there's enough confidence to continue moving forward.
ASHER: Alayna Treene live for us there in Washington. Thank you so much.
All right. New developments in the Trump administration's pressure campaign against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. In an NBC interview released
on Friday, Trump said he has not ruled out going to war with Venezuela.
At least 104 people have now died in American strikes on alleged drug boats. That includes five people killed on Thursday in U.S. strikes against
two vessels.
[12:15:01]
GOLODRYGA: Trump also said that more tanker seizures were likely to come soon. He ordered a blockade of sanctioned oil tankers in and out of
Venezuela earlier this week and has accused the country of stealing U.S. oil and land.
Nicolas Maduro has made an appeal in English to the American people calling on them to reject warmongering and let others, quote, be happy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NICOLAS MADURO, VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT: And the people in the United States, Merry Christmas. The people in the United States, not war, Merry Christmas.
Don't worry, be happy. Be happy. Be happy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: As the first phase of the Gaza peace plan still holds, the U.N. says that more than a million Palestinians are in need of urgent shelter as
winter storms bear down.
GOLODRYGA: Heavy rains and winds are causing more damage to the war-torn buildings, most of which are close to collapse. CNN's Paula Hancocks
reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): These buildings defy gravity. Top floors collapsed. Vast slabs of concrete are tenuously
balanced, cackled walls that do not look strong enough to hold the ruins together.
Yet, countless families across Gaza have no choice but to live inside this wreckage. Buildings exposed to the elements, no protection against winter
storms.
Hiyam Abu Nabah says her family cannot move back to their home in Shejaiya as the Israeli military occupies the area.
On the first day of the storm, she says, we could hear stones cracking above our heads, sand was falling into our eyes. We covered our heads to
protect us from the water.
While the ceasefire appears to be holding, the United Nations says two years of Israeli strikes have left more than 80 percent of buildings
destroyed or damaged.
Of those buildings still standing, almost none would be considered habitable elsewhere in the world.
Awn Al Hajj says every building in this area of Khan Younis is the same. Gaza's civil defense recommends the displaced should leave damaged
buildings during the rains, but for most, there is no other option.
He says the storm comes, then sand water rubble comes down, just like this. Every building has collapses, but what is the alternative? Is the
alternative to go and sit by the sea or in a tent in the freezing cold or in the water?
This woman agrees. Her granddaughter was born just days ago. She says their tent flooded and collapsed during the last storm. They now shelter in
wreckage she knows could become their tomb.
If we do not die because of the Israeli, she says, we will die when the house collapses on us, because this roof, this entire living room roof is
going to fall.
And they do fall, frequently. When this building in Al-Shati camp collapsed Tuesday, it killed the owner and injured two others.
One of the neighbors says, houses keep collapsing. Someone do something about how we are living. Day after day, a house falls. Day after day,
people die.
The United Nations says it's blocked by Israel from directly bringing aid into Gaza. It says 1.3 million Palestinians need urgent shelter this
winter. Israel says close to 310,000 tents and tarpaulins have entered Gaza recently.
It is an impossible choice for Palestinians who survived the war, a limited number of tents that can flood or be swept away or a ruined building that
could collapse at any time.
Paula Hancocks, CNN, Abu Dhabi.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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[12:20:41]
GOLODRYGA: All right. You are looking at live pictures of the sign outside of the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. being changed right now. The
Board of Trustees at the National Museum and Cultural Center voted less than 24 hours ago to change the facility's name to the Trump Kennedy
Center.
ASHER: Yes, but there are some questions about whether or not the board actually has the authority to rename this iconic institution. In 1964,
Congress designated it as a memorial to President John F. Kennedy.
There are also questions about the vote itself. While the White House said the vote was unanimous, Democratic Representative Joyce Beatty, an ex-
official member of the board who was on that call, said that that was not the case. Noting that she was kept muted and unable to vote. Members of the
Kennedy family have also condemned the move as well.
GOLODRYGA: All right. And a shocking end to the days-long manhunt for the Brown University mass shooter. The suspect was found dead at a storage
facility. Police say Claudio Manuel Neves Valente took his own life in Salem, New Hampshire.
ASHER: Yes. They believe he is also responsible for killing an MIT professor just two days after killing two people at Brown University and
injuring nine others.
GOLODRYGA: Providence's mayor says that all six survivors of the Brown University shooting who remain in the hospital are now in stable condition.
At this time, the motives behind these attacks remain a mystery. Officials say a person in proximity to the suspect, seen here, helped provide
critical information to this investigation.
Here's what Providence's mayor told CNN a short time ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRETT SMILEY, MAYOR OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND: Within an hour, walked up to a Providence police officer and says, I think you're looking for me and
-- and came in and was fully forthcoming, provided key details that helped us.
We had -- we had disparate pieces of information and we had strong suspicions that -- that these pieces of information fit together, but it
hadn't been corroborated. And he was able to do that for us.
The tipster, with respect to the vehicle, is the same individual that was in the photo that we released two days ago, which is the same individual
who turned himself in there and shortly thereafter.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: John Miller has been tracking these developments for us from the beginning last weekend. He joins us live from New York.
And, John, how significant of a -- a detail and clue here was the evidence provided by this man they -- they referred to as John who went and spoke to
officials as we just heard from the Providence mayor and who posted on Reddit that he had seen the suspect, actually confronted him and had warned
that something looked off. This was before the shooting on the university campus at Brown.
JOHN MILLER, CNN CHIEF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: Very critical because it led them to an entity, in this case, the car, that
could lead them to structured data like the license plate, which went to a rent-a-car company and then the name.
So what happens is he actually runs into him, you know, on the campus and they have an encounter there. Then he sees him later walking around the
neighborhood very slowly. And, you know, he has been suspicious of this person.
[12:25:01]
And then he sees the suspect use a key fob to open a car. That's that Nissan Sentra that's parked in a building nearby. But when the suspect sees
him notice that, he locks the car again and takes a different direction. That's when the witness confronts him and says like what are you doing? And
the suspect says, like, I don't know you. And why are you harassing me?
After the shooting happens, the witness puts this together and, you know, does the Reddit post and police go out with the picture of the encounter
and say, who is this other guy? And he comes forward and basically says, there was this gray car.
They put that into their license plate reader and camera system called the Flock System. And they come up with similar car. That plate goes to the
rent-a-car company. The rent-a-car company comes with the rental agreement. And that is how they got on to the name of the suspect and first began
tracking him really for the first time yesterday while he was on the move.
ASHER: And just in terms of the priority here, which is to figure out what drove this individual to commit these crimes, I mean, you know, they don't
have the suspect to interview right now. So, how do they go about figuring out what the motive actually was?
MILLER: You know, Zain, they're going to peel back the layers of his life. They're going to look at his life story. They are going to look at his
encounters. They're going to look at what is his connection to Brown University where he was once a student and left within six months on a
leave of absence and ultimately withdrew.
And then what does that have to do with his connection to an MIT professor who he attended the same school with in the 1990s, but we don't know if
they actually knew each other. So a lot to learn there.
But we do know this, Zain. The results of the search warrant, which according to a law enforcement source, whose briefed on the matter
included, when they went through the storage area, they found two nine millimeter Glock pistols, one of which is equipped with a green laser
sight, which witnesses described during the shooting, it had a laser sight.
They found high-capacity magazines that take up to 30 rounds. They found a bulletproof vest, which he may have been wearing under those clothes. We
don't know that. They found the jacket that we see in those videos that the suspect is wearing.
What that indicates is he was using that storage area as kind of a base of operations, but that he had prepared. He had prepared well in advance with
all of that equipment, planning, thinking, geography.
We just don't know why he had done all that preparation. And that's what we will learn when they peel back, you know, the layers of his life. And that
could take a bit.
ASHER: All right. John Miller live for us there. Thank you so much.
All right. In the wake of these horrific shootings, U.S. immigration officials now plan to pause the diversity lottery immigrant visa program.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. The Homeland Security Secretary says the deceased suspect entered the United States through that program in 2017. Claudio Neves
Valente was a 48-year-old Portuguese national. And prior to the killings, he did not appear to have any criminal record in the U.S. according to a
U.S. attorney.
ASHER: Yes. Let's discuss all of this with Priscilla Alvarez live from Washington. So, Priscilla, the Diversity Visa program is also known as the
Green Card Lottery. And I know a number of people who have actually applied to this lottery program and actually won. And it completely changes your
life.
You know, you win a green card, essentially, to immigrate to the United States. And you cannot put a price tag on that kind of opportunity for a
lot of people. Not everyone can have an employer sponsor there. Not everyone has a parent that was born in the United States. Not everyone can
invest prior to the Trump Gold Card, at least half a million dollars in a U.S. company that employs at least five immigrant workers.
So, how does this change the path for immigrating to the United States for a lot of people who otherwise would never have this opportunity?
PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, frankly, it's still unclear. And let me explain that. Essentially, this is a program that is run by the
State Department. But the Secretary of Homeland Security is the one who made the announcement that this program was paused, which has fueled
confusion because it would be incumbent, or on the State Department, to be the ones to say that.
The Department of Homeland Security, for its part, is only charged with issuing the green cards. It's the State Department that does everything
else in terms of the review of the applications and issuing the visas to come to the United States, which, as you mentioned there, is an opportunity
for nationals of countries that don't typically migrate to the United States or have low levels of migration to the United States to arrive here.
In fact, this was a program that was started many decades ago. It's congressionally mandated to attract Irish immigrants. It has evolved over
time to now be primarily nationals from Africa, as well as Asia and Europe who have arrived through this lottery program.
And there is a big state of confusion right now because, again, the State Department, when we asked them for comment about this supposed pause, said
that it is, quote, working closely with the Department of Homeland Security to put in place all necessary measures to protect America from this threat.
[12:30:10]
But they come short of saying that there has been a pause or a suspension, whereas the Department of Homeland Security is suggesting otherwise, but
they have a small slice of the program, so you can see here why we've been working on our sources to try to understand what is the state of this
lottery program.
But we do know that the administration has used domestic incidents lately as a pretext to tighten the immigration system. We saw it, for example,
with the Afghan national who shot -- allegedly shot two National Guard members in Washington, D.C., that led to the holds of immigration
applications for 19 countries. Despite it being an Afghan national, they blew it to include multiple countries. And now we're seeing this with
diversity visa lottery.
So again, there are still a lot of questions here in terms of what this means for someone who may be applying today. But certainly, we're trying to
get to the bottom of that. We do know, however, that this is the way that the administration has been advancing its immigration agenda in relying or
leaning on these incidents to make the argument that it is necessary to tighten the screws for national security purposes.
GOLODRYGA: And remind us, Priscilla, of how many applicants this program actually allows in and gives green cards to each year.
ALVAREZ: Yes. So it's around 55,000, up to 55,000 immigrants each year as part of this program. We looked through the federal data. And in fiscal
year 2026, the overwhelming majority were from Africa, again, followed by nationals from Asia and Europe.
We call it a lottery to -- and it suggests that it's quite random. But there are security checks and vetting that are built into this. So if
someone is selected for this after applying, they would still have to go through rigorous checks before arriving to the United States.
Once they do, they would be issued that green card with them puts them on that path to U.S. citizenship. So again, this is a diversity visa lottery
as it's known. It has been mandated by Congress.
So again, it leaves a lot of questions here. I will also say, however, that in talking to attorneys this morning, they tell me there have been so many
restrictions already on some of these nationals as part of other policies that were -- we also don't quite know how many people this is going to
affect because again, they were already setting up travel restrictions over the last several weeks that we're targeting these same nationals.
So, unfortunately, a lot of what I have to report is that it is confusing right now. We don't have the clear answer, but the -- the department that
could give us that answer would be the State Department and we just haven't yet heard if they are suspending this.
ASHER: All right. So still a lot of confusion here.
GOLODRYGA: Yes.
ASHER: Priscilla Alvarez live for us. Thank you so much.
GOLODRYGA: All right. Coming up for us, hoping to turn fire and water into Hollywood gold. We speak to James Cameron about his new "Avatar" movie and
how film can compete in the era of streaming.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:35:39]
GOLODRYGA: All right. Welcome back to "One World." I'm Bianna Golodryga.
ASHER: And I'm Zain Asher.
A German judge has sentenced a school janitor to more than eight years in prison. A 61-year-old school janitor was found guilty of drugging and
raping his wife for more than a decade.
GOLODRYGA: It's a horrible story. He then filmed the acts and posted the videos online without her knowledge.
CNN's Saskya Vandoorne has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SASKYA VANDOORNE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's been dubbed the German Pelicot after the French case of a husband who drugged his wife
recruited dozens of men to rape her and filmed the abuse.
On Friday in Aachen, a German court found a 61-year-old school janitor identified as Fernando P guilty of secretly drugging and raping his wife
for years. He also filmed the abuse and shared it online. A judge sentenced him to eight years in prison but the ruling can be appealed.
VANDOORNE: The verdict comes exactly one year to the day after 46 men were found guilty of raping Gisele Pelicot. And I was in the courtroom that day
in Avignon. And I never thought that a year on I'd be covering a case with such striking similarities.
VANDOORNE (voice-over): Having followed both trials, there's generally a very much shared playbook seen in such cases, using the online world to
share and amplify this kind of abuse.
But unlike Gisele Pelicot, the victim in the Aachen case has chosen to remain anonymous. Shortly after the trial began, the public was excluded
from the courtroom to protect the victim's privacy.
According to local media reports, the defendant later confessed to most of the acts during closed-door hearings.
German campaigners say current consent laws don't protect women well enough from this kind of abuse, while this French lawmaker points towards a much
wider trend.
SANDRINE JOSSO, FRENCH LAWMAKER (through translator): During my government assignment, I travelled to quite a few countries and, in fact, these
operating methods are everywhere in every country. They're further activated by social networks, where communities come together and share
tips and tricks.
VANDOORNE (voice-over): This whole issue is sure to come under the microscope once again when Gisele Pelicot publishes her memoir in two
months time.
Saskya Vandoorne, CNN, Paris.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:40:29]
ASHER: All right. Let's take a quick look at how the U.S. markets are ending the week. Let's see all the indices here. The Dow up there, 300
points or so. Pretty much all the indices in the green. The NASDAQ and the tech stocks buoyed by good news from NVIDIA that they could end up selling
their H200 chips to China.
Also, cooling inflation as well leading to pretty much everything in the green right now. Four hours left until the trading day is over. This is
your "Business Breakout."
GOLODRYGA: TikTok has signed a deal to spin off more of its U.S. data and to a new U.S. entity within American investor group. The new joint venture
includes the tech giant Oracle, the private equity firm Silver Lake and the Abu Dhabi-based MGX. TikTok's parent Beijing-based, ByteDance, would retain
a stake.
ASHER: The head of the New York Federal Reserve says he doesn't see a need to cut interest rates anytime soon. In an interview with CNBC, John
Williams says the current rate is good for now. He adds new inflation data is distorted, thanks to the government shutdown we saw earlier this year.
GOLODRYGA: A Paris court ordered online retailer Shein to implement age verification measures for adult products sold online. It's a French
website, it's also -- they also said they find of more than $11,000 for any violations. The tougher restrictions come after an uproar over childlike
sex dolls that were sold on its marketplace.
ASHER: All right. Movie lovers are returning to Pandora for the third installment of the blockbuster "Avatar" franchise. "Fire and Ash" could be
on track to take in around $100 million at the U.S. box office this weekend.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. The film picks up after the events of the second film, "The Way of the Water," dealing with the aftermath of a conflict between the
Na'vi people and the villainous Resources Development Administration.
Speaking to CNN's Jason Carroll, Director James Cameron explained his creative process.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: When you were putting together the film, how present did you want that to be? And do you think audiences will pick
up on that?
CAMERON: Oh, I think they'll pick up on it. I mean, I think it's the risk of the film, right? You know, the goal was to ground this fantasy that
takes place in this world that we built from scratch. That's quite dreamlike and fantastical, but grounded in real world problems.
Problems that people could relate with anywhere, right? The thing about science fiction that I love is it transcends who we are right now in the
present as somebody in Canada or in the U.S. or in China or in Europe or whatever.
It takes us out of that world and we can look kind of objectively back at ourselves, right? And relate to it through a universals of -- of human
experience.
CARROLL: You were saying this can be the last one in terms of "Avatar." Could this be the last one or could we see another one?
CAMERON: We spend a lot of time and energy at a level of detail that's almost hyper-real. To put you into this kind of almost waking dream state,
this kind of lucid dream state. It's expensive. It's not like other filming. It's not like live-action filmmaking. And so we have to know
people are going to the theatre. We have to be able to justify the model.
If I get to do another "Avatar" film, it'll be because the business model still works. That I can't guarantee as I -- I sit here today. That'll play
out over the next month, really.
[12:45:05]
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And we will find another way.
CARROLL: With a world of -- of streaming, how does that make it more challenging for you as a storyteller to get people into those seats, to get
them in for that experience?
CAMERON: People want stories. They're consuming stories in a different way. That's OK. I'll adapt.
The theater is a sacred space for me as a -- as a -- a filmmaker. It's -- it's something that I think we all need. It's an art form that I think
we've collectively enjoyed for the last 130 years.
I think it's never going to go away, but I think that it can fall below a threshold where the kinds of movies that I like to make and that I like to
see, and where we're talking about some of them won't be sustainable. They -- they won't be economically viable. And that can happen. We're very close
to that right now.
CARROLL: I hope it doesn't.
CAMERON: Yes. I hope so too.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: "Avatar: Fire and Ash" is in movie theaters around the world right now.
GOLODRYGA: All right. Still to come, the last week before Christmas is already here. Can you believe that? Well, for many, it's the cause of
holiday cheer and holiday jeer. How to navigate one of the most stressful times of the year, that's just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: All right. It is the holiday season. Christmas week is next week. New York's famous window display sparkled to entice shoppers, looking for
that perfect gift.
In Lagos, large Christmas light displays spread across the city, giving it a warm glow. Onlookers embrace the cheerful scenes in a city that has been
plagued with rising costs and violence for quite a while.
GOLODRYGA: We're also in the final days of Hanukkah and what was supposed to be a season of celebration, which was marred by anti-Semitic violence in
Sydney. It's been a difficult week for many around the world from the Hanukkah massacre to the slaying of acclaimed film director Rob Reiner and
his wife to the mass shooting at Brown University. There's a lot to weigh on the heart, so we want to take some time out to step out of the darkness
and embrace the light of the holiday season.
There are so many things that can lower the spirit. So, what can we do to lift them up while keeping the reason for the season in mind?
Joining us to discuss is our good friend, Reverend Russ Levenson, author of Witness to Belief: Conversations about Faith and Meaning.
[12:50:00]
Reverend Levenson, it is so good to see you again. I know this is our annual tradition right around the holidays and Christmas to turn to you to
get some words of comfort and wisdom. It is a difficult time, especially this past week, given the heaviness in all of our hearts with the tragedies around the world.
And I know there was a personal connection for you as well as it relates to the shooting at Brown University. Sophomore Ella Cook was from Alabama. And
your wife is actually quite close with her family, so our condolences to you and the community.
But tell us about what your relationship was with Ella and how you handle that grief at a time when so many turn to you for comfort.
REV. RUSS LEVENSON, AUTHOR, " WITNESS TO BELIEF: CONVERSATIONS ON FAITH AND MEANING": Well, Zain and Bianna, it's great to be with you again. And --
and just say from the outset, whenever you turn to a person of faith, who's going to try to impart some wisdom, know that in the words of my friend Dr.
Francis Collins, we're all rusty cans, into which God pours his spirit.
So I'm -- I'm like everybody else. I have my moments of doubt and I can be grumpy and angry and get confused by the situation in the world. So I
impart what I can through that lens.
But I will say, we did -- we did not know Ella Cook providentially, I guess my wife happened to be at a luncheon with her mother and her grandmother,
just a few days before her killing at Brown University.
And she is from Mountain Brook. She's an Episcopalian as am I and my friend, Craig Smalley, who's the Dean of the Cathedral nearby, will
officiate at her funeral.
But we all feel that right here. And you really just went through those things. I mean, right now as I look at the season, I -- I -- I agree with
you that we are in a season of -- of suffering in all kinds of ways.
Here we are on the eighth day of Hanukkah, days away from Christmas. And we look back at what happened on Bondi Beach. We look back at what happened at
Brown. We look at the Reiners, which was shocking to all of us. I think the man he brought so much joy and laughter to so many people.
And we may ask, you know, how does God fit into this? Why would God allow this?
You know, years ago, Bianna, you and I may have talked about this. I was fortunate to spend some time with Rabbi Harold Kushner, just a great wise
man. He's going on to the next life now.
But, you know, he wrote that great book, "When Bad Things Happen to Good People." And he said, if you ask me to write a book on why bad things
happen to good people, it would have been four words. I do not know.
But his premise was we should ask the question when. And so when it does happen, because it does happen, and we look around the world at us at so
many things.
And in particular, I think we're -- we're all wrestling with the issues around poverty and hunger and homelessness, which frankly shouldn't be
political issues. Those are real issues.
So I think Rabbi Kushner and those in my faith tradition and other faith traditions would say, when we feel overwhelmed by these kinds of things,
what do we do?
Well, we are in your season of light and -- and Hanukkah here. And I think one of the things that we respond to this situation is -- is with hope.
Jane Goodall, who I interviewed for this book that you just mentioned, though she would look at the situation in the world and -- and found her
own despair, she would say, but we never lose our hope.
And the way we kind of crawl out of suffering and despair is by shedding light into the world. And I think that's -- that's where we are right now.
I mean, we could collapse in despair. We could give into the suffering. But as you just said, there are -- there are lots of things to look around and
find hope. There are lots of ways that we have the opportunity to share why.
And as people of faith, I hope we do that. I don't want to mono -- you may have another question. I'll -- I'll pause.
ASHER: Reverend, you know, one of the things that Bianna and I were speaking about in the commercial break was this idea that oftentimes, the
holidays do seem to be, and I'm not sure why, opportune moments for violence.
I mean, we've talked about the fact that we saw the Australian anti-Semitic shooting on the first day of Hanukkah on Sunday, and then obviously Rob
Reiner, his horrible murder this week as well. And on top of that, the Brown University shootings.
But last year, around this time, I was working. And I remember, I think it was New Year's Day. Early in the morning of New Year's Day, there was the
New Orleans truck attack that took place on New Year's Day last year.
If you go back to 2016, there was the Christmas market attack in Berlin. I mean, even the Charlie Hebdo killings were in early January in 2015. It
does seem that the holidays do become, for some strange reason, a ripe opportunity for violence across the world.
And I -- I think I want to ask you, you know, how do you hold space for sadness, fear, anxiety, grief, but also joy and gratitude at the same time?
How do you haul all of those emotions at once?
[12:55:13]
LEVENSON: Well, that's a good question. How long do we have? But, Zain, I guess I have a -- one of my mentors, a wonderful writer, Fleming Rutledge.
She's an Episcopal priest. She lived in Rye, York. She's written a lot of wonderful books and is retired from preaching and teaching.
But she and I have discussed this in the last few months, frankly. And -- and one of the -- she said in the responses to this. Again, we can become
people just follow and collapse into the -- those things that are really painful for us.
Well, we can continue to kind of offer those things back to what we believe to be our God and our faith traditions and the communities of faith in
which we live.
And -- and she just said to me, you know, in our suffering, there is mystery. In our blessings, there is gratitude. And both of those things are
to be offered to God, the suffering and the gratitude.
And our faith traditions, of course, I mean, in my faith tradition, we're about to have a discussion about God. You certainly could have remained
outside of this world, just making a decision to come into this world, incarnate himself into this world.
And I think we really do have the opportunity to kind of throw those things in God's hands with hope and trust that he will (INAUDIBLE). But not forget
that we are part of the answer by shining our own light and hope.
GOLODRYGA: Well, thank you for reminding us of that always every time we speak with you. It's a bit more comforting and reassuring.
(CROSSTALK)
ASHER: It's beautiful to listen to.
GOLODRYGA: Russ Levenson, author of "Witness to Belief" Conversations in Faith and Meaning." Thank you so much. Happy holidays to you.
And that does it for "One World" today. I'm Bianna Golodryga.
ASHER: I'm Zain Asher. Bianna will be back with "Amanpour" after a quick break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
