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One World with Zain Asher
Russia: Ukraine Drone Attack Targeted one of Putin's Residences; Helicopters Collide, Leaving One Person Dead & Another Injured; Zelenskyy Rejects Russian Claim that Ukrainian Drone Attack Targeted One of Putin's Residences, calls it a Lie; Trump & Netanyahu to Discuss Phase 2 Gaza Ceasefire; British Boxer Anthony Joshua Injured in Deadly Crash; New Yorkers Prepare for 2026 with "Good Riddance Day". Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired December 29, 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, coming to you live from New York. I'm Zain Asher. My colleague Bianna Golodryga is off today. You are
watching "One World". I want to begin with breaking news and what could be a massive setback in U.S. President Donald Trump's efforts to negotiate an
end to Russia's war in Ukraine.
Russia's Foreign Minister is accusing Ukraine of trying to attack Vladimir Putin's residents in the Novgorod Region, and warning that Moscow's
negotiating position will now change. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy is calling those accusations lies. They come one day after Trump hosted
President Zelenskyy at his Mar-a-Lago resort for peace talks.
The Ukrainian President warns that Moscow is preparing to undermine the progress that was made, and he's urging the U.S. to react to Russian
threats accordingly. Meantime, we're learning that Trump just wrapped up a phone call with Putin his second in as many days, international diplomacy
take center stage again today in Palm Beach, Florida for the second day in a row.
Donald Trump is hosting a foreign leader at Mar-a-Lago, where he has been spending the holidays. In just a few hours, the Israeli Prime Minister will
meet the U.S. President to discuss the critical next phase of the U.S. brokered Gaza ceasefire. President, Prime Minister, rather, Netanyahu, is
also expected to bring up the danger that Iran, he believes poses to the region, the situation in Lebanon and his 2026 re-election bid.
Mr. Netanyahu met the U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, in the past hour. Let's go straight to our Alayna Treene, joining us live now from
Washington. So, Alayna just walk us through what we know about this phone call between Vladimir Putin and President Trump, especially in light of the
allegations that Moscow is saying that Ukraine has tried to attack, or rather attacks, one of Putin's residences. And what does that do to the
peace talks here?
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yeah. I mean, it already Zain puts these very fragile peace talks in a more precarious position. We don't have
much details from the call this morning between the President and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
All I was able to get from the White House, was White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told me that the president, just moments ago, wrapped up
that call with Putin and that essentially it was a positive call concerning Ukraine.
Now, of course, we know that the goal of this call was to walk Putin through what President Trump had discussed with the Ukrainian President
Volodymyr Zelenskyy yesterday during that more than three-hour long meeting at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida.
But look, this is very much a wait and see kind of process. This is what I'm continuing to hear in my conversations with people you know behind the
scenes who are working on this peace proposal. I will say we did hear kind of optimistic rhetoric from President Trump yesterday, after they emerged,
like I said, from that three-hours long meeting, him saying that he believes they are closer now to a deal than they have ever been.
We also heard from Zelenskyy. He said this prior to the meeting, but also after the meeting, that he believes that at least on the U.S. side, the
U.S. and the Ukrainians have agreed to roughly 90 percent of the terms in this proposed 20-point peace plan, but it really is that remaining 10
percent that is the thorniest.
In addition to what Russia is now accusing Ukraine of, we also know that there's a lot of questions over security guarantees. We heard Zelenskyy say
yesterday that he believes the U.S. is now agreeing, or going to agree, to a 15-year security guarantee for Ukraine in a potential deal, but also this
idea of land concessions.
Will they be willing both sides to remove troops from the Donbas region? It's very unclear. You know, Zelenskyy seemed to signal he might be open to
that, and then he said that yesterday, and then today, we've seen Zelenskyy actually posting repeatedly on social media, on X saying that he doesn't
believe that Russia is really willing to do that.
And then another big question as well is what will happen to a key Ukrainian nuclear facility. We'll have to see where these talks lead. All I
know as well is that more conversations are going to be happening over the next several weeks, the president said potentially, you could see more
talks happening in Washington, but there's still a long way to go after that meeting, Zain.
ASHER: Yeah, and we'll see what Russia's latest accusations about Ukraine potentially attacking one of Mr. Putin's residences, what that does for
peace talks as well? And how it has the potential to derail things? We know that Zelenskyy is calling those accusations lies at this point. Alayna
Treene live for us there. Thank you so much.
All right. Let's go straight now to CNN Military Analyst and Retired Air Force Colonel Cedric Leighton, joining us live now. So just in terms of
security guarantees, I mean, this is the main issue here for Ukraine. It looks as though, based on what President Trump has said, just based on
their discussions, Ukraine is likely going to get 15 years of security guarantees from the U.S. potentially.
[11:05:00]
They had been asking for 50 though, what's your take on that?
COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON RET., CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Yeah, well, you know, 15 years is better than zero, so that's at least a good start. And what it
does is it gives Ukraine a certain degree of security during this period in 15 years, of course, a lot can change.
It's basically only what eight years since, between the 2014 Russian invasion of Crimea and the attack the all-out invasion of the main part of
Ukraine in 2022. So, when you look at that time span, 15 years, definitely gives the Ukrainians time to regroup their military, to create an
organization that can potentially withstand Russian attacks.
But it also gives time for the Russians to move in a certain direction and potentially increase their lethal capacities against Ukraine, so it can
give both sides a bit of a breathing space if they choose to accept it.
ASHER: Cedric, stand by, because I'm going to go to our reporter in Berlin to talk more about these accusations from Russia. We'll go back to you in a
minute. So, Fred, the latest lines we're getting this morning here in the U.S. is that Vladimir Putin, or rather the Kremlin, is accusing Ukraine of
trying to attack, or rather attacking one of Mr. Putin's residences.
Zelenskyy is saying this is simply not true, and obviously pointing to the fact that he believes that Russia is trying to derail peace talks here.
What do we know for certain at this point, Fred?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, what the Russians said that all this happened overnight in the middle of night until this morning, and that 91 UAWs, drones, were involved in the
strike. It happened apparently, in the Novgorod region of Russia, where there is a residence of the Russian President, Vladimir Putin.
The Russians are claiming that of these 91 drones that were used in all of this, they say all of them were shot down, and at this point in time, there
are no reports of casualties. But you're absolutely right to point out that the Russians are saying that they're obviously quite angered by all of
this.
They say that, on the one hand, they are not going to withdraw, and this comes in the form of Sergei Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister. They are
not going to withdraw from the negotiations process with the United States, but they do say that they are going to rethink their position on
negotiations with Ukraine in light of all of this accusing the Ukrainians, essentially of terrorism because of this alleged drone strike.
On the one hand, though, the Russians are also saying that they are going to keep going, speaking with the American side. But you're absolutely right
that the Ukrainians did deny all of this. In fact, Volodymyr Zelenskyy himself is accusing the Russians of trying to use this to not only sow
discord between the United States and Ukraine, but at the same time to also use this as a pretense for massive strikes, he believes, possibly on the
Kyiv region.
And one of the things that the Russians have said is that there is going to be retaliation for all this. So, possibly a major incident that happened
there however, the Ukrainians unequivocally denying that they attacked a resident, so the Russian President Zain.
ASHER: All right, Fred Pleitgen, live for us there. Thank you so much. I want to go back to Colonel Cedric Leighton now to talk a bit more about
this and a few other -- few other aspects of some of the key issues that are coming up in terms of this peace plan.
I want to just get your take on something that Fred Pleitgen, our reporter on the ground there in Berlin mentioned this idea that the Ukrainians
believe that this is Russia's attempt to sow discord between the U.S. and Ukraine. Also, they're using it as a pretense, potentially for more
attacks.
And then also another pretense to get out of this potential peace plan. What's your take on that? Is this sort of a ruse, an excuse by Russia to
try to wriggle out of this peace deal?
LEIGHTON: I think that's very possible Zain. And I think Fred is exactly right. These are certain ways in which Russia has done this in the past.
They try to create a situation where they will take an incident that may or may not have been a direct attack on the residents of Vladimir Putin, one
of the residences of Vladimir Putin, in the Novgorod region, and make it a bigger thing than it actually is.
It could be that there was an Iran drone that went there instead of to its intended target. That's one possibility. The other possibility is that it
was a false flag operation, at least that part of it that the Russians were using that, and they may have decided to go after, you know, make it seem
as if there was a Ukrainian drone, but it was really one of their own that they then shot down conveniently.
But there are a lot of different things that we don't know yet. So, there's obviously some degree of speculation here Zain. But I would definitely say
that the Russians have had the tendency in the past to try to wiggle out of these negotiations. They believe they have the military advantage right
now.
[11:10:00]
And they're going to do whatever they can to prosecute that advantage to, in essence, gain more territory in Ukraine, to gain a more advantageous
negotiating position. Those are the kinds of things that they're seeking, and they think that they can do that, especially during these winter
months.
ASHER: Assuming that this peace plan hasn't completely derailed, based on these latest lines that we're just getting here. Zelenskyy is talking about
the fact that he's actually willing to bring up this plan for a referendum, assuming that there can be some kind of 60-day temporary ceasefire.
If he puts forward a proposal to the Ukrainian people about potentially giving up land, land concessions to Russia, which way is that likely to go?
LEIGHTON: Yeah, that's a really interesting question. I haven't seen any polling figures, but I know that a lot of Ukrainians are looking at this as
they don't want to exchange land for peace now some do so this may be a fairly close-run thing if they think that they can get peace and that they
think they have adequate security guarantees to make that happen.
But if they think that they don't have adequate security guarantees, if the Russians, let's say, attack in the middle of the election process, then it
would probably tip the scales to a rejection of a plan like that. And so, what President Zelenskyy can do if, let's say this plan is rejected, he can
say, well, I gave it to my people. I gave it as a referendum, provided it to them.
I put it, you know, for their forward, for their consideration, and they rejected it. He is basically not a loser either way, whether he -- if he
wins that referendum, or if the referendum is approved, he gets to win. If he -- if that referendum is on the losing side, he also says, well, I
tried. I followed the constitution of Ukraine, and this is where we are right now.
But there are certain consequences, of course, to each of those actions, and especially if the referendum were to be rejected, then what that would
mean Zain is that it would be, you know, probably a continuation of the conflict as we know it right now. So, more war of attrition, more, you
know, stalemates on the front basically.
ASHER: We're being told that both sides are closer to peace than they've ever been. But there are still a lot of headwinds that remain, not to
mention, obviously, the issue with land concessions if there is some kind of referendum, but also what happens with the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant.
And then on top of that, you throw into mix the latest accusations by Russia about Ukraine potentially attacking one of Putin's residences. We'll
see what happens Colonel Cedric Leighton live for us there. Thank you so much. We appreciate it.
All right. Tragedy in the skies above New Jersey. Investigators want to know why two helicopters collided mid-air. Well, look exactly -- we'll look
at exactly what took place? Plus, weather in parts of the U.S. have gone from mild to wild. Look at how it's affecting travel on this very busy
holiday week too.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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ASHER: Investigators at this hour are trying to figure out why two helicopters collided shortly after taking off in New Jersey? Sunday's
collision killed one pilot and injured the other. Someone nearby captured this video of one of the helicopters spinning out of control. There you see
it as it went down. A restaurant owner at the airport says the two pilots were regulars and had eaten breakfast just before taking off.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SAL SILIPINO, OWNER, APRON CAFE AT HAMMONTON AIRPORT: Shout it out to my wife. I think there's two guys just crashed. And it's a little bit of a
disbelief. Was with the kids watching and take off. And because we're pretty close to when they take off and they, you know, you can see them in
there, they look fine. They really looked good. So, it's -- it's -- it's hard to believe.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: Rafael Romo joins us live now with an update. I mean, the video is devastating. You know, I can't even imagine what it must be like for the
family members of those victims. But we know that only the pilots were on board these helicopters.
One of them was killed, died on scene. The other one was severely injured. Walk us through what we know about the status of the pilot who was injured
and what exactly took place? What was the cause of this crash Rafael?
RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, hi Zain. Well, we do not have the status of the pilot who survived. What I can tell you is that the
helicopters came down in a field in Hamilton, New Jersey, and both pilots were air lifted to a trauma center. This is according to Hamilton Fire
Department Chief Sean McCarthy (ph), who confirmed to CNN that one person died while the condition of the other one was unconfirmed.
Hamilton Zain, located in Atlantic County, is about 35 miles Southeast of Philadelphia, and sits near the New Jersey Pine Barrens, a vast area of
forest, ted wilderness. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the crash happened around 11:25, in the morning, Eastern Time.
The FAA said in a statement that the two helicopters collided in mid-air near Hamilton Municipal Airport in New Jersey. CNN has obtained the video
showing the moment one of the helicopters went down, and what you can see there is a helicopter spinning out of control.
Officials also say that only the pilots were on board each helicopter, no passengers. Both the Federal Aviation Administration and the National
Transportation Safety Board will investigate the accident. But the NTSB will be in charge.
Fire Chief McCarthy described the crash scene as, quote, a pile of mangled metal that was on fire. That's all it looked like. He said it was hard to
even tell it was a helicopter. A restaurant owner of the Hamilton Municipal Airport says he had just seen both pilots at his establishment prior to the
crash, let's take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SILIPINO: They were just at our cafe having breakfast. They're regulars. They come in every week or every other week. I don't know personally, just
that they seem to come in all the time together. They fly in together, and they seem to be close. They sit together, and they seem to be good friends
or relatives.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMO: And Zain, later post on Facebook by the Hamilton Fire Department Official said that there are AI generated images and photos and videos from
prior incidents circulating on social media that are being falsely depicted as coming from this incident.
These images and videos are not they say, from the scene. The fire department also asked people to think before sharing content, calling what
happened a tragic incident and an ongoing investigation, Zain.
ASHER: All right. Rafael Romo, live for us there. Thank you so much. All right, after a relatively warm Christmas in much of the U.S. this week
promises to be quite different. At the moment, more than 30 million people are under winter weather alerts across the Midwest and the Northeast.
Making matters worse, another storm is threatening to append travelers plans on what is expected to be one of the busiest travel days of this
holiday season. In the mid-west, there are Blizzard warnings, with meteorologists saying that wind gusts could reduce visibility for those who
have to drive in bad weather.
Derek Van Dam is tracking the winter weather for us. I experienced a bit of a snow storm. I live in New Jersey, and really beautiful, but not much fun,
just in terms of driving in those conditions. What's in store for people across the Northeast and also the Midwest in the coming days Derek?
DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: No. Yeah Zain, no fun when you're driving in weather like this. This is zero visibility.
[11:20:00]
And state troopers, they're responding to a 14-car-pile-up yesterday. This is coming out of Central Iowa, but you can see how quickly conditions can
go down-hill. And unfortunately, you can't see anything in front of you. That's the dangers of these white out conditions, the blizzard conditions
that are all associated with this large system.
We've had blizzard highway closures, power outages, we've had tornado reports, and it's all thanks to this. This is a very powerful cold front
that has brought a dramatic temperature change over the Central and Eastern portions of the United States. We're talking 52 degrees fahrenheit, cooler
than it was yesterday at this time in St. Louis, Missouri.
There was one place called Columbia, Missouri that set a record high, or rather reached or tied their record high, and then four hours later, it was
snowing in that same location. So, this cold front means business. It's razor thin and it's racing eastward. Here's a broader picture of the
current radar and thunderstorms and strong winds extend as far South as Atlanta, Georgia here as well.
But look, we're going to focus in on the Great Lakes in Northern New England, where full-fledged blizzard is unfolding. Reduced visibilities
under a quarter of a mile in many of these locations Traverse City, Alpena into Grand Rapids. This is difficult travel conditions, and once that cold
air sweeps across Lake Ontario and Lake Erie, these locations will pick up several feet of snow.
This is the favored Lake enhanced snow bands that we talk about so often this time of year. But that shading of pink that's a full-fledged ice storm
that's unfolding across Northern New England. Already a quarter of an inch of ice starting to cake on top of power lines trees, making it very
hazardous across Northern Vermont into upstate New York, but this is the snow fall that will follow directly behind this surge of cold arctic air.
Look at those colors. That means we will see feet of snow behind it. So, we've got the wind alerts that are in place as well millions of Americans
impacted by this powerful surge of arctic air, but the winds gusting over 60 kilometers at times, 60 kilometers per hour at times, would mean that
travel conditions will be difficult, not only on the road and high-profile vehicles, but at the airport.
So double check your flight in and out of the East Coast. This is a busy travel period of course, just after the Christmas holidays, we still have
New Years coming up. But the sharp contrast between these temperatures behind the cold front and in front of the cold front Zain, this is coming
to New York, so be prepared. Temperatures will drop like a rock coming forward.
ASHER: Here we go again. Derek Van Dam live for us. Thank you so much.
DAM: Yeah, exactly.
ASHER: All right, still to come, new reaction following a U.S. air strike in Nigeria on Christmas Day. Hear why Nigerian presidential advisor says
both countries are quote on the same page after we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:25:00]
ASHER: Welcome back to "One World". I'm Zain Asher in New York. Here are some headlines we are watching for you today. In a few hours, President
Donald Trump will host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Florida. Washington is hoping to create fresh momentum for the U.S.
brokered Gaza peace plan.
Both Israel and Hamas accuse each other of violating the deal. Talks will also include Israel's concerns over Iran as well as Hezbollah in Lebanon.
U.S. President Donald Trump also wrapped up his phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin a short time ago, his second in as many days.
It comes one day after Trump hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at his Mar-a-Lago resort for peace talks. And as Moscow warns, its
negotiating position will now change, after accusing Kyiv of trying to attack Putin's residents in the Novgorod region, something Ukraine
vehemently denies.
At least 13 people have died and 98 others were injured after a trail derailment, train derailment rather in Mexico on Sunday. There were 250
people on board. That's according to the Mexican Navy. It happened on a main line between Vera Cruz and Salina Cruz. An investigation is underway
to determine what exactly happened.
China's military says it plans to mobilize Army, Navy, Air and rocket units around Taiwan. These drills meant to send a quote serious warning against
any push for Taiwanese independence. China's Eastern Theater Command says the exercises will test precision strikes and combat readiness. Taiwan now
accusing China of military intimidation.
War and Peace on the president's mind today as he hosts a world leader at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida for a second day in a row. In a few hours,
Donald Trump welcomes the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who is under increasing pressure to move on to the second phase of the Gaza
ceasefire plan.
And after talks with Ukraine's President on Sunday, President Trump says a peace deal was close, but that may have changed in the past few minutes.
Russia's Foreign Minister is now accusing Ukraine of trying to attack one of Vladimir Putin's residences, a charge denied by Ukrainian president
Zelenskyy.
Meantime, we're learning that Trump just wrapped up a phone call with Putin as well. In an article titled, "Trump doubles down on big foreign policy
bets in the end of year flurry" Stephen Collison writes about the president's moves, and he joins us live now from Washington with more.
So, Stephen, just in terms of what President Trump's goal is here. I mean, aside from obviously trying to -- trying to get over peace, or get or win
peace in both of these regions, his main goal is, of course, the Nobel Peace Prize. Why, of all the things, has this been the president's focus
this year do you think?
STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN POLITICS SENIOR WRITER: Well, I think you can see, by the way the president tends to name things after himself, that he's got
a very highly developed sense of a need for recognition and for trophies. So, I think that helps explain one reason why he wants the Nobel Peace
Prize.
The other is that his great political rival Barack Obama, got the Nobel Peace Prize, arguably for not doing a great deal early in his first term.
And I think that has rankled Trump as well. You know, sometimes in politics, people do the right thing just because it's the right thing.
So, I don't think we should completely rule out the fact that while Trump may have recognition on his mind if he were able to solve the war in
Ukraine, to maintain peace between Israel and Hamas, and try to set Gaza on some sort of sustainable path, which is the aim of his 20-point peace plan
in both places.
[11:30:00]
You know, that might actually save thousands of lives. So, there is, I think, part of this that Trump is doing the right thing. You can question
whether his motives and his tactics are correct? He does seem to be trying to pursue a peace that favors Russia in Ukraine, for example.
And some of the plans for post war Gaza seem to pay absolutely no attention whatsoever to what the Palestinians who live there might want. But at the
same time, the upshot of a successful peace drive in both countries could be beneficial.
ASHER: Obviously, we haven't seen full-fledged peace deal between Ukraine and Russia at all, but we are arguably closer than we've ever been. Just in
terms of the perspective from Donald Trump's critics. I mean, is it fair to say, you know, even for his critics to admit that we would not be here had
it not been for this, particularly U.S. President.
And him intervening personally on both fronts, both when it comes to Russia and Ukraine, and also Israel and Gaza. I mean, we do have to get to the
second phase of that deal there, but still, there has been a lot achieved on the peace front in both areas.
COLLINSON: I think on the issue of Ukraine, that's true. I don't think there is. It's hard to think of another president with a different
political profile that could trade on a relationship with President Putin, that Trump, at least, believes that he has and could try to get these two
countries together.
The converse of that, however, is that Trump, as I said, appears often to be pursuing a peace process that favors Russia, and that in itself, may be
unsustainable for Ukraine. You know, there aren't many wars I can think of in which an invaded country was forced to give up territory that it still
holds to the invader in order to secure peace for itself.
That is basically what the administration has been pursuing in terms of the Eastern region of Donbas in Ukraine, and that's what President Putin wants
that land as a price for peace. So, you could argue that Trump is not acting as an honest broker in this kind of peace. And if there is a peace,
it will be a peace without justice.
That said, at some point, Ukraine is going to get exhausted, and it's fair to ask the question I think that Trump is asking, and that's what will
another 1, 2, 3, years of death and destruction and misery actually get Ukraine. Is this the point now to say they fold their cards and say, OK, at
least stop the fighting and try to get some kind of peace that lasts and that can be guaranteed.
So, I think yes, Trump does have some unique characteristics here, but at the same time, the fact that what is happening is Trump and Ukraine and the
Europeans are agreeing to bring their own positions closer. There's very little evidence so far that the Russians have changed their position at
all, and that in the end, is the riddle that would have changed to unlock a peace deal.
ASHER: And just pivoting to Israel, Trump is meeting Netanyahu this week. I mean, the hardest, or the most difficult hurdle in terms of the peace deal
is really the second phase. What does Trump need to say and do to really get this over the finish line, to move from the first phase of this deal to
the second phase?
COLLINSON: Yeah, he's been more willing, in fact, to impose pressure on Benjamin Netanyahu than he has on Vladimir Putin. I think you could argue
that is the reason why we got to the ceasefire in October between Israel and Hamas.
In some ways, Trump is again, I think pushing Netanyahu to go to places in the implementation of the second phase of that peace deal, where he doesn't
want to go, or perhaps doesn't believe he politically can go, given the pressure from his right-wing coalition.
I think Trump does have that leverage, not just because of the characteristic relationship between the United States and Israel. He is in
the stronger position, ultimately, but Trump is also quite popular in Israel, and Benjamin Netanyahu is facing a re-election race next year, and
if you look at some of the polls in Israel, it seems like he might struggle, at least at this point, and it's early to reframe that coalition
after another election.
So, he's under some political pressure. He may be forced to give some concessions to Trump that would be perhaps a quicker implementation of this
phase two, the move towards reconstruction in Gaza, the Constitution of an international peace force, and ultimately the handing over by Hamas, of its
arms of which Israel is quite skeptical at the moment.
ASHER: All right, Stephen Collinson, live for us there. Thank you so much. [11:35:00]
All right, we are tracking the aftermath from a Christmas Day air strike in Nigeria. Nigerian officials say that President Tinubu gave the go ahead for
the U.S. to order this deadly strike. And U.S. President Donald Trump say the attack is in response to violence against Christians by quote, Islamic
state terrorists.
For years, Nigeria has grappled with security issues, including religiously motivated attacks, while some Nigerians support Trump's involvement, others
say that the U.S. should stay out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My message for President Donald Trump is he shouldn't stop now. Should keep going. Keep going, see he gets them.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you are coming to assist Nigeria in fighting insecurities, let it be insecurities you are fighting and do it in a proper
way without causing more harm than trying to do good.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you want spread peace among the people, don't go fight here and there and there and there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: My next guest is Nigerian Presidential Adviser Daniel Bwala, joining us live now from London. Thank you so much for being with us. I'll get to
the sort of bigger issue in a moment, this idea of whether or not there is a Christian genocide happening in Nigeria in the first place, that's almost
a separate issue.
But I do want to focus on what these strikes actually achieved immediately? I think it took a lot of people by surprise the fact that there was
actually U.S. strikes that took place in Nigeria on Christmas Day despite what President Trump had been threatening.
And then also, on top of that, I want to talk to you about the level of coordination that took place between the Nigerian government, Nigerian
intelligence officials and also the Americans as well. Just talk to us about what happened in the preceding hours? The level of coordination
between the U.S. and Nigeria and what these strikes actually achieved?
DANIEL BWALA, SPECIAL ADVISER TO NIGERIAN PRESIDENT TINUBU: Thank you for having me. The strike actually was a coordinated one, in the sense that for
some days before now, there have been sharing of intelligence between the government of the United States and the Government of Nigeria.
You recall that a few days before this strike, there were some reconnaissance around Sambisa, and then when this project kind of came,
they discussed among themselves over a period of time, planning on how best to strike and then strike in such a manner that there will be no civilian
casualty, and that has actually resulted in the execution of that precise strike where the report is that there is no civilian casualty.
So, intelligence sharing from the Nigerian government and the U.S., and then the final execution of the strike against ISIS lack our mandate and
all terrorist organization in that axis.
ASHER: Trump Administration officials and Donald Trump himself have been accusing Nigeria for months for not doing enough to basically limit this
sort of Christian genocide that the U.S. believes is taking place in Nigeria. Obviously, the Nigerian government has denied it.
We do know that there are security issues in Nigeria in various parts of the country, particularly the north, but the Nigerian officials have often
said there is no Christian genocide taking place. But when the U.S. and Nigeria work together in terms of conducting this particular strike doesn't
that fuel the narrative that there is perhaps some truth, just the optics of it. There is perhaps some truth to what the U.S. is saying, which
Nigeria vehemently denies.
BWALA: Not at all. Because if you recall that for many months before our engagement with the United States started, the Nigerian government, of
course, the military forces in Nigeria have been consistently pouncing on these terrorists, decimating the terrorists in the North Central in the
North West and the North East.
In fact, we went ahead and arrested some leaders of the Ansaru Terrorist Organization (ph), some of whom were actually in the U.S. terror list. We
were applauded by the U.S. government through their embassies in Nigeria, right?
We have also been intensifying the fight which the American government has been applauding us. But I think the idea of the Christian genocide came
when some congressmen fed off of, you know, a report which has since been debunked, you know, suggesting that there is a Christian genocide.
And that was what led me to the United States, on the orders of the president, to engage with the Western media. We have made the success so
far, because data has shown that there is no Christian genocide. And it is OK sometimes to disagree to agree. So, we disagree on this point that the
American belief, the American people believe that there is a Christian genocide.
On our side, we know that there is a security problem, just like you said, but it's the killings in Nigeria were not targeted at any specific
religion. Various data have shown that. But where we agree, which is the most important thing, is that we both have shared interest in the fight
against terrorism, and this is where we are narrowing the collaboration along this line.
And you have seen the first state, which is a successful strike that took place. Hopefully this will continue as long as we identify the terrorists
and their sale and the hideouts, and then we will be able to achieve marked results.
[11:40:00]
Because terrorism is a global project. After 9/11 the United Nations empowered the United States to lead this endeavor, and you discover that
where you find terrorist activities in any part of the world, the whole world must show concern, and that is the only way by which you can deal
with them.
And we are happy and excited with the way the American government have agreed with us in this endeavor, and they are helping us tremendously in
this regard.
ASHER: Right. So, to your point about the U.S. and Americans, or rather, the Americans and Nigerians agreeing to disagree, essentially, even though
the U.S. thinks that there's a Christian genocide taking place in Nigeria the Nigerians are saying, well, no, it's not necessarily Christian
genocide. We do have a massive security issue.
We do have issues when it comes to terrorism. It's not Christians being targeted, but hey, we could use your help, and that's why there was this, I
guess, coordination in terms of an attack on Christmas Day. When it comes to Sokoto being targeted specifically, there are some analysts who say,
listen, if it was the Sambisa Forest, for example, they would understand.
When it comes to the terrorists that exist and operate in Sokoto, a lot of them are targeting other Muslims. And if you're looking for ISIS link
terrorists, a lot of them, are actually in Northeastern Nigeria instead. So, talk to us about the specifics in terms of this location.
BWALA: So, when it comes to warfare and especially counter terrorism, people need to understand that the terrorists are not dumb. The where they
attack is usually different from where they put their cell, where they gather, where they do their training. And so, to assume that people, they
will be in Sambisa doing their training here, will be foolhardy.
They have since, and they are nomadic in nature. If you look at that axis, the Sokoto axis, that is the corridor where you have that leads to the
Sahel, you have Mali Burkina Paso, Nigeria, and the rest. And this is how the ISIS have been coming into Nigeria.
And like the Foreign Affairs Minister said, I think few days ago, it is a regional thing. It is not like specifically, you know, targeting a Nigeria.
You look at the way they operate from along that that axis. So, the fact that there was a strike in Sokoto and not in Sambisa, it's not a conclusive
proof that there is a misdirection.
Why? Because these people have been decimated. The local news we got from the people on ground and from the local media is that a lot of terrorists
were killed in that strike. One, two, there was no civilian casualty. And the third and most important one is that life is coming into those
environments because people are showing excitement.
How that now, the collaboration between Nigeria and the U.S. government is bringing life back to them in that part of the country. So, it's a
successful one. And for strategic reason, you can, you won't announce where you are striking. It is intelligence that leads strike. That leads to
strike.
You don't just assume and then go, if the intelligence leads you to a location where you find their sale and enclave, like in this case, you will
strike at that place. It doesn't matter if, historically, they've been in Sambisa or not.
ASHER: Daniel, I have literally 30 seconds. But will there be more U.S. coordinated air strikes in Nigeria?
BWALA: Definitely, there will be more collaboration. There will be more effort in this regard. And if it calls for strike, there will be more
strike, because our president is committed to the Nigerian people that will protect the life and the welfare of the Nigerian people. And he will
collaborate with anybody, not just the United States, but will collaborate with the global partners in order to put an end to this terrorism.
ASHER: All right. Daniel Bwala, thank you. Thank you so much. Appreciate it. Nigerian police say British Boxing Star Anthony Joshua was injured in a
car crash that killed two people in the State of Ogun. The crash happened Monday morning on the busy Lagos Ibadan Expressway.
Joshua suffered only minor bruising and is receiving treatment. Social media shows him being rescued from the wreckage. Born in England to
Nigerian parents, Joshua has close ties to the area, close family ties to the area. Authorities did not identify the other individuals who were
involved in the accident. Larry Madowo joins us live now from London. Larry, what more do we know about what took place here?
LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We know that Anthony Joshua was traveling in Alexis SUV on the Lagos Ibadan Expressway and the federal road service
corps, that is the public roads agency in Nigeria, saying that they were driving beyond the speed limit and lost control during an overtaking
maneuver and rammed into the stationary truck that was well parked on the side of the road.
And they've also put out the statement, which is raising eyebrows. They said the primary causes of the crash being excessive speed and wrongful
overtaking, which constitutes serious traffic violations and remain among the leading causes of fatal road crashes on Nigerian highways.
You've seen this harrowing social media video of Anthony Joshua in the back of the car. He's being pulled out of the car, he's obviously in pain, and
then put into another car and driven away where he's believed to be receiving treatment. Lots of people gathered at the scene making sense of
what happened yet.
The Ogun state government said two foreigners were killed in this crash. We don't know the identities of those who were killed in the crash.
[11:45:00]
And we haven't had any statement from Anthony Joshua from his management so far. But the scene does not look good. The car is badly mangled, and you
can see the effect or the aftermath of that crash if the two people were killed were sitting in the front of it, it's likely that's why they suffer
the worst the impact and could have been killed in that accident Zain.
I've driven down this road in the Lagos Ibadan Expressway. It's very busy. There's lots of trucks parked on the side of the way. Sometimes there's a
lot of dangerous driving on that highway as well. But the crash like this really shocking a lot of people in the country.
ASHER: Absolutely. Larry Madowo, live for us there in London. Thank you so much. All right, still ahead here, Myanmar just wrapped up the first phase
of voting in parliamentary elections, but critics say the vote will not bring the country closer to democratic rule. We'll find out why just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: All right, the first round of Myanmar's controversial election is over. The next two rounds will take place in January. The country's
military junta seized power from the elected government nearly five years ago. The group's leaders say the vote will restore democratic rule, but
critics and human rights groups say that that is highly unlikely.
Entire sections of the country will not get to vote because of the Civil War sparked by the coup. CNN's Ivan Watson brings to the latest from
Yangon, Myanmar.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At polling stations across Myanmar's largest city, this song played on a
constant loop, an anthem urging citizens to vote. Myanmar's military is holding an election in the midst of a brutal civil war.
The conflict triggered nearly five years ago when the military staged a coup, overthrowing an elected government and violently crushing subsequent
protests. This voter told me he hopes the election would help Myanmar chart a way out of its difficult situation.
My family live in the countryside where it's not safe he says. I want the fighting to stop, and wish for peace. The situation in this Southeast Asian
country is dire. The U.N. predicts more than 12 million people will suffer from acute hunger in 2026. With some 4 million people displaced by the war.
[11:50:00]
Meanwhile, the U.N. Special Rapporteur for Human Rights calls the election a sham.
TOM ANDREWS, U.N. SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR FOR HUMAN RIGHTS IN MYANMAR: There has been an escalation of the use of sophisticated weapons of war, helicopter
gunships, jet fighters, attacking civilian targets in the run up to this election. If the junta is successful in getting the international community
to in any way, recognize this as legitimate, then it will be able to entrench its brutality, and things in Myanmar are going to get much, much,
much worse.
WATSON (voice-over): The military government concedes it can't hold the election in large parts of the country now controlled by armed opposition
groups.
WATSON: Is it difficult to have an election when there's a civil war?
WATSON (voice-over): In Yangon, it's safe says Mitten (ph). No problem. No problem. He's running for office with the military aligned union solidarity
and development party.
WATSON: You lost in the last two elections.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah.
WATSON: Do you think you have a better chance in this election?
WATSON (voice-over): He has reason for optimism. The party whose candidates beat him twice can't compete in this election.
WATSON: These are the offices of the National League for Democracy, or NLD Party. Now it won conclusively in national elections that were held in 2015
and 2020. But since the coup, many of its leaders have been arrested and thrown in jail.
WATSON (voice-over): The UK and European Union say this election is neither free nor fair, but a Myanmar military government spokesman calls their
criticism irrelevant. The junta trying to generate excitement for this controversial process, two more phases of the election are scheduled to
take place in other parts of the country next month. Ivan Watson, CNN, Yangon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: We'll be right back with more after the short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: All right, this is one of those moments that's both terrifying and impossible to look away from. Aerial video in Italy shows a lone skier
making their way down Mount Etna in Eastern Sicily as the volcano erupts, shooting ash clouds and jets of lava into the sky. Etna had been rumbling
for days before Saturday's eruption triggering the highest aviation warning.
[11:55:00]
Mount Aetna rises more than 3000 meters Europe's tallest active volcano. What a scene? All right, 2026 is just days away, and New Yorkers are ready
to leave some things behind in 2025. The Times Square Alliance put on a Good Riddance Day Celebration on Sunday. Attendees shared some of their
worst moments of the year with Actor Jonathan Bennett, and looked forward to what they want to bring in the New Year.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JONATHAN BENNETT, ACTOR: Tom I have to know, what are you saying goodbye to and closing the curtain on in 2025?
TOM HARRIS, PRESIDENT, TIMES SQUARE ALLIANCE: I am closing the curtain on negativity in 2025. I want us to focus on what unites us and not what
divides us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: That's a good one. And before we go, the countdown is on to 2026, join us for New Year's Eve around the world, as we bring you celebrations
from across the globe. The party starts December 31st at 11:00 p.m. in Sydney, 08:00 p.m. in Hong Kong and noon in London. Stay with us. I'll have
much more "One World" after this quick break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
