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One World with Zain Asher
Christians Around the World Prepare to Celebrate Christmas; Pope Leo Preparing for his First Christmas as Pontiff; Santa Claus Flying Across the Globe to Deliver Gifts; Zelenskyy Offers Peace Concessions, Outlines 20- Point Plan. Aired 11-11:30a ET
Aired December 24, 2025 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN HOST, ONE WORLD: Hello, everyone. Live from New York, I'm Bianna Golodryga. You are watching a special edition of "One World". We
begin our coverage this Christmas Eve with a historic city emerging from the shadow of war to mark the season of hope.
And a new pope calling on the world to observe at least a day of peace. This is the scene in Bethlehem, the biblical birthplace of Jesus, where
celebrations are in full swing again for the first time in three years. Thousands of people flocked to the city's Manger Square as families
welcomed a boost of holiday spirit after the Gaza war.
And the Vatican is showcasing nativity scenes from around the world as Pope Leo calls for harmony. The first U.S. born pontiff is ringing in his first
Christmas since his election by calling for a ceasefire in Russia's war on Ukraine. CNN's Matthew Chance is in Bethlehem, but let's begin with
Christopher Lamb in Rome.
Christopher, this is Pope Leo's first Christmas message as pontiff. What did we hear from him?
CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Well Bianna, Pope Leo is saying he would like to see a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, saying
he's very distressed that Russia is not observing that. And I think we can expect over Christmas that Leo will use his message to emphasize the need
for peace, for countries to come together, to talk to each other.
That's been a consistent theme of his pontificate, and Leo has been trying to use the soft power of the papacy to bring about a more peaceful world.
And I think we can expect at Christmas, when you know, many people will be looking to him for a clear message that he will underline that importance
of coming together, of trying for countries that are at war with each other to lay down their arms.
Leo will be delivering his main Christmas message from the balcony of St. Peter's on Christmas Day. He's going to be presiding at a number of
services, and I think we can expect to hear from him about how the message of Christmas can be applied to the conflicts taking place across the world,
Bianna.
GOLODRYGA: We'll be anticipating that tomorrow we'll be covering it for all of our viewers. Thank you so much, Christopher. Let's go to Matthew Chance,
who's in Bethlehem. The last time we spoke, it was still daylight. It is now evening time there and the special holiday for those in Bethlehem in
particular, the first time that they have gathered to celebrate Christmas in three years. What have you seen and heard today, Matthew?
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Bianna. It's always pretty special being at the Church of the Nativity in Manger Square
in Bethlehem on Christmas Eve. As you mentioned, it's particularly special this year because the first time in three that they've had this Christmas
celebrations on.
They've lit up the Christmas tree right there in the center of Manger Square for the first time in three years. And as you mentioned, a lot of
people have come from around the West Bank in order to sort of take part in the ceremonies. It's a very close-knit sort of community of Christians and
Muslims as well.
You can hear the mosque in the distance behind me with the muezzin, sort of about to call the faithful to prayer, as the Christians in the square below
commemorate Christmas or celebrate Christmas. I spoke to the Mayor of Bethlehem earlier, and you know, he was so glad that Christmas is back,
because it has been such a difficult time for Palestinians living in the occupied West Bank because of what's been going on in Gaza.
They stopped the Christmas celebrations in solidarity with those people. It's been a very economically tough period as well. So, let's hear what the
Mayor of Bethlehem had to say to me earlier.
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MAHER NICOLA CANAWATI, BETHLEHEM MAYOR: It was very important for the resilience of the people of Pakistan, and because many people almost lost
hope. And you know, when you lose hope, it's the end, and we thought it was really crucial to reignite the spirit of Christmas, to reignite hope for
the locals, and to send the messages that everybody needs to hear from the Palestinian people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
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CHANCE: And so, Bianna, there is a sort of renewed sense of hope as well, in the sense that there's a ceasefire in Gaza now it's been in force since
October. It's very fragile, but at least it's sort of seen as a step forward. The festivities here behind me, it's a chance for people in
Bethlehem.
So heavily dependent on tourism and on pilgrims, to open up their shops, open up the hotels and restaurants, and try and sort of earn some money,
you know, which has been in very short supply over the past couple of years as well. And you know, in that sense, it is a hopeful time here, Christmas
Eve in Bethlehem, Bianna.
GOLODRYGA: All right, Matthew Chance, that tree does look beautiful. All lit up behind you. Thank you. And as thousands of families gather for
Christmas Eve, all good little girls and boys are waiting for Santa to come and deliver their presents. So, let's check in where Santa is right now.
He is actually over loves and has delivered get this nearly 1.8 million presents so far. The North American Aerospace Defense Command website, or
NORAD features updates on Santa's travels around the world. The tradition began in 1955 when a kid could phone the operations center asking for Santa
Claus.
Well, for more on Santa's journey across the world this Christmas Eve. Let's bring in NORAD's Major Jenny Derenzis, so good to see you. Thank you
so much, major, for taking the time. I know you are busy following and tracking Santa, so I won't take up too much of your time here.
But as we noted, NORAD has been tracked, tracking Santa's path over Christmas Eve for decades now. What's the very first sign that you look for
when you know that he's officially left the North Pole?
MAJOR JENNIFER DERENZIS, NORAD PUBLIC AFFAIRS SPECIALIST: Oh, well, first I'll say good morning and Merry Christmas, and thanks for having this
conversation with me. It's our pleasure to connect with you and tell you about the NORAD track Santa story.
So, what we've noticed over roughly seven decades is, although Santa doesn't file the exact same flight plan every year. We do notice trends
that, you know, so we can sort of make some predictions. So, in and around, like the old 400 mountain standard time here, dark and early in Colorado
Springs, that's typically where we start to, you know, make preparations, like we're ready.
We're expecting some traffic from the North Pole and -- that's the case. So that's what happened this morning. We started tracking at 04:00 a.m. here,
and we're what, five hours in at this point, and always very busy since that time.
GOLODRYGA: And always on Santa -- always on schedule. Good on Santa for that. Over the years, we've seen the development of technology from radars
to satellites, even social media tips from kids. How has Santa tracking technology evolved over the years from just what you yourself there have at
your disposal at NORAD?
DERENZIS: Yeah, so how NORAD tracks Santa, is this we use the same capability that we use 24/7 365, in the defense of North America. So, in
our daily mission of aerospace warning, Earth use control and maritime warning for North America. We have a suite of complementary multi domain
defense systems, radar satellites and even fighter aircraft -- for North America.
So, you know, the mission doesn't change for us very much on the 24th it just becomes one day of the year where we have one very special aviator who
we pay particular attention to, not because he needs our help, but because we're happy to escort and hopefully sneak a peek.
You know, some of our pilots are so lucky when they're airborne. So, you know that capability, yes, technology evolves, but that those three systems
of radar, satellite and aircraft is really the backbone of how NORAD conducts its mission, 24/7, 365. And the separate from that, in the call
center here, we have roughly 1000 people, headquarters personnel, both Canadian, American community members.
We partner with a lot of amazing contributors and local volunteers and who are just so excited to be part of what's happening here in this hangar
today, with all this activity behind me. This is where we help kiddos around the world connect, you know what NORAD is tracking, and so we can
tell children and update them in real time.
So that's what's happening here in this call center just over to my left here, it's about 100 or so volunteers per hour.
GOLODRYGA: Well, we know that Santa travels faster than anything that humans have built.
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What's the most impressive maneuver that you and your team watch for every year that Santa has displayed?
DERENZIS: I wish I was a pilot and I could tell you, you know, a first-hand experience. I -- you know, what I can say, you know, from, from everything
that I've heard, is that Santa is a very trustworthy, responsible aviator. He doesn't like to throw those sorts of last-minute surprises or any sort
of unsafe flying.
So, we have never really seen anything like that. We're not really surprised. He's very responsible. You know, takes very good care of his
reindeer. He has a long way to go. It's a long day for him. So, I don't think he's trying to look, to do anything crazy up there. Just get the job
done.
GOLODRYGA: Get the job done. Well, we know, and you've mentioned, kids around the world are tracking Santa. They've been doing this for so many
years. I'm just wondering, from your perspective, Major, how meaningful is having the opportunity you do? You serve our country, you defend our
country, and you also get to track Santa. That's pretty special.
DERENZIS: It's so nice. It's such a lovely program. It really, yeah, if I could just zap you here, just to get a feel for, like, the very jovial
spirit and sense of community and that extension of that across the world. It's just so nice to be a part of it. It's something that connects
everybody, you know, across the world, across the continent.
We all sort of have that joy and love of Christmas time and that connection at the root of everything. It's just bringing people together. So that is
just so nice.
GOLODRYGA: Well, we can feel that joy and love here. Major Jenny Derenzis, thank you for your service every day of the year, especially on this day
when you are helping all of us track Santa. Merry Christmas. Happy holidays to you.
DERENZIS: Right back at you. Thank you so much -- Merry Christmas.
GOLODRYGA: You too. And one last check on Santa's progress, he and the reindeer are now over China. They aren't messing around moving super-fast
here to make sure every child gets their gifts. All right, stay with "One World". There's more news coming up right after this short break.
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GOLODRYGA: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy seems to be willing to make some concessions to Russia and talks to bring the war to an end.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, he gave new details on the 20-point plan being negotiated. Zelenskyy laid out potential terms for the withdrawal of
Ukrainian forces from parts of the Donetsk region which are not currently occupied by Russia.
The eastern region has been a key sticking point in the negotiation so far. CNN's Nada Bashir is live in London for us this coming after another
massive attack on Ukraine by Russia just this week. What are we hearing from President Zelenskyy here? And Nada, is the Kremlin responding at all?
NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, this certainly has been quite a frank discussion with reporters by the Ukrainian President, as you mentioned,
following a wave of significant, large-scale attacks carried out by the Russian armed forces on Ukrainian territory.
But this also comes after a round of talks between a Ukrainian delegation and U.S. officials, as well as a Russian delegation separately with U.S.
officials in Miami, which wrapped up over the weekend. And it appears that there has been some progress in those mediation efforts, in trying to
hammer out the finer details of that 20-point peace plan.
And according to Zelenskyy, he has now moved the needle somewhat when it comes to those potential concessions on ceding territory in the Donetsk
region. Now we know that President Putin has long insisted on the seeding of territory by the Ukraine, the Ukrainian Armed Forces in order to push
forward with any sort of peace plan and negotiations.
It appears as though Zelenskyy, according to reporters who were speaking to the Ukrainian President, he is now open to potentially withdrawing
Ukrainian troops from parts of Donetsk, including Kramatorsk and Sloviansk. Now these are fortified cities which have long prevented or place an
obstruction from Russian Armed Forces advancing further and deeper into the heart of Ukraine.
So, this would be a significant concession made by Ukraine. In return, Zelenskyy has said that Russia would be expected to also withdraw its
troops from parts of Ukrainian territory to an equal amount of territory, essentially being ceded by both sides and essentially creating a de-
military zone as part of a ceasefire agreement.
Now, of course, this is a hugely significant part of that 20 point peace plan, but there are a number of other areas that have been focused on over
the course of these discussions, namely, of course, sovereignty for Ukraine, security guarantees when it comes to the backing of Ukraine coming
from its U.S. European and NATO allies, as well as a reconstruction plan, an economic reconstruction plan, so firm commitments from international
partners, including the United States.
So, this is a broad, ranging peace plan. It appears as though there has been, according to the Ukrainian side, some signs of progress there. On the
Russian front, we've heard from the Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov. He has said that it would be unconstructive to speak to reporters at this
stage about the details of that plan, but that they will be moving forward in those discussions and keeping communications open over the coming weeks,
Bianna.
GOLODRYGA: All right. Nada Bashir, thank you. Well, CNN has learned exclusively that the Department of Justice is now scrambling to find
prosecutors to volunteer over the holidays to help redact and review more files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
More of those files could be released over the next few days. The White House, meanwhile, is downplaying the latest disclosure of more than 30,000
files, including many that reference President Trump, even suggesting that some of them are false. President Trump has not been accused of any wrong
doing related to Epstein.
Now among the new revelations an apparent FBI email that mentions 10 possible coconspirators. Most of their names were fully redacted. CNN's
Katelyn Polantz joins me now live in Washington. So, a new wrinkle here those 10 coconspirators named by the FBI whose names have been redacted.
What more are we learning about that information, and how does the White House respond?
KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well Bianna, this is essentially a blip among many, many, many documents that the Justice
Department has released or re-released from their Epstein files. On this particular one, it is an FBI email talking -- detectives talking among one
another the day after Jeffrey Epstein's arrest in 2019.
And what they're talking about is the potential of needing to grand to subpoena different witnesses to the grand jury, or even the people that
they would potentially call 10 coconspirators. Now, at that point in time, it's not a legal term, and ultimately, a year later, there was a
coconspirator that was charged with a crime that is Ghislaine Maxwell, who ultimately went to trial and was convicted.
But this is just an illuminating document into the investigation around Epstein that was picked up by Manhattan federal prosecutors in 2019 or
around 2019, that led to the arrest of Jeffrey Epstein and then the criminal case also against Ghislaine Maxwell.
[11:20:00]
What we learned from that case at trial, it sort of creates a bookend to this time period of this investigation. The main takeaway from that trial
is that Jeffrey Epstein was often benefiting himself by sex trafficking minors or Ghislaine Maxwell. And that there may have been other high-
profile people in the circle, but no one else was ever accused of a crime.
This is the sort of thing that we're seeing other blips. I'm using that word in a very broad way, but there are other pieces of information about
the investigation coming out, including in 2020 when Donald Trump was president, internal discussion at the Justice Department about seeing
Donald Trump on flight logs.
Wanting to make sure that people were not surprised down the road that Donald Trump had flown on the private jet with Epstein. Trump, of course,
was also never charged with any crime and has not been accused of wrongdoing in this. And a subpoena in 2021 of Mar-a-Lago relating to the
employment records of someone there.
We know that an accuser of Ghislaine Maxwell in 2021 had said that she was working at Mar-a-Lago whenever she was recruited into this network and then
abused by Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. That would have been Virginia Giuffre, but this is a moment too where there's still work to be
done by the Justice Department.
They are calling for volunteers. They're trying to enlist attorneys over the holidays out of Florida, at very least, to come in and work on more
redactions of the Epstein files. And then they are also responding the Justice Department. There is the Deputy Attorney General out there now.
Todd Blanche, posting a statement. We produce documents, and sometimes this can result in releasing fake or false documents because they simply are in
our possession, because the law requires this. Blanche trying to put context around information that's coming out essentially with no context
around it at this time, Bianna.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, and who knows, we could see more documents released over the course of the next few days as well. Katelyn Polantz, thank you so much
for breaking it all down for us. Well, Southern California is dealing with a dangerous scenario unfolding as a powerful storm is slamming the region
around 120,000 homes and businesses are currently without power due to the intense weather, and it's not over yet.
The next round of rain is moving in, triggering flash flood warnings and mudslide risks. Overnight in Ventura County, heavy rain caused rocks to
slide onto a highway. Officials warned that this could be one of the wettest Christmas Eve's on record. Los Angeles could see anywhere from two
months' worth of rain to nearly half a year's worth in just one week.
CNN's Julia Vargas Jones joins us now from Altadena, California. Julia, when is this weather going to end? And how is it impacting those who have
been traveling or are just hoping to gather to celebrate the holidays?
JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's going to impact everybody here, Bianna. Look the officials are saying, yes, this is disappointing weather
for Christmas, for this holiday, but it is better to be safe than sorry. That's why there's so many different advisories, warnings and even
evacuation orders here in Altadena and as well as in the Palisades area.
Of course, the main concern is what happens in those burn scar areas right behind me here. These are the San Gabriel Mountains. That was what we saw
burn during the Eaton fire. All of the water, all of that water is bringing down debris. It's bringing down trees, and it could be strong enough gain
enough power as it comes down those mountains to move cars, to move boulders, to move trees.
You can see some of it already here in the background, in this Altadena area, this, of course, 6 million people across the Los Angeles area,
Southern California, I should say, under that high risk of flooding rain that could bring flooding. And now we are under a severe thunderstorm
warning that's for today, up until 08:00 p.m. Pacific time today, we're expecting winds of up to 70 miles an hour.
Those evacuation orders are only for some specific areas where homes are too close to those dangerous parts where the burn scar could bring flash
flooding there, Bianna. But officials now are going door to door in the areas that are evacuation or warnings. That means you don't have to leave
your house, but you should start considering and making plans to leave if that warning becomes an order.
And just explaining to people the kinds of danger that they could be facing if that does end up happening, and this will be in place at least until
Thursday. The worst of it is still to come in the coming hours, but we're expecting it to continue through Christmas Day. And those warnings, those
orders, are expected to be in place through Thursday evening.
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GOLODRYGA: So important for everyone there to heed those warnings. Julia Vargas Jones, stay safe. Thanks so much. And before we go, let's take a
check on the markets. U.S. markets close in about 30 minutes time for the holidays. Let's take a look at where things stand right now.
Green arrows across the board, the DOW about half a percentage point. S&P 500, about three tenths of a percentage point and NASDAQ ever up so
slightly. Hopefully all of you will have a great day, a great holiday. I'll be back with you tomorrow. In the meantime, that does it for "One World".
Stay with CNN. "By Night", Turkey is up next.
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