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Soon, CDC Advisers to Vote on Hepatitis B Vaccine Schedule; Sources Say, D.C. Pipe Bomb Suspect Told FBI He Thought 2020 Election was Stolen; Netflix Announces Deal With Warner Bros. Discovery. Aired 10-10:30a ET

Aired December 05, 2025 - 10:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

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PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now, vaccine schedule vote. After conflict and confusion, the CDC's vaccine advisers are expected to vote this hour to dramatically change hepatitis B vaccinations in the United States. We are standing by at that meeting.

Plus, a new strike on a suspected drug boat in the Pacific.

And later, soccer's biggest competition is coming to North America. Who will play in the largest World Cup ever? The drawing is just ahead.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: And, quote, a very dangerous person. That's what the U.S. attorney general, Pam Bondi, is now saying this morning about the suspect in the Washington, D.C., pipe bomb case, as more charges could be coming and new information just in about a possible motive.

Plus, a big win for Republicans in Texas, huge. What newly approved Congressional maps could mean for the midterms.

And multi-billion dollar deal. Netflix announces plan to buy parts of Warner Brothers, Discovery, including HBO, but will regulators approve it?

Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer with Pamela Brown, and you're in The Situation Room.

And we begin with the breaking news. Any moment now, Robert Kennedy Jr.'s handpicked Vaccine Advisory Committee is set to vote on a change to when newborns get the hepatitis B shot. Day two of that meeting is underway at the CDC headquarters in Atlanta right now. That vote was expected yesterday, but was delayed due to confusion and some very tense moments among committee members. That continued this morning. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. ROBERT MALONE, VICE CHAIR, CDC'S ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON IMMUNIZATION PRACTICES: I have to return to my role as chairperson and stop editorializing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I would like to jump into --

MALONE: No, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. You're on the queue. You're on the queue.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) have long --

MALONE: Okay. The next person can -- okay --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And you have not cut off other people in their comments.

MALONE: The next person is Retsef Levi. You are on the list.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Wow. CNN Medical Correspondent Meg Tirrell is following all these latest developments on the vote for us. She's over at the CDC headquarters in Atlanta where this is taking place. Meg, what are we going to see in the course of the day?

MEG TIRRELL, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Well, so we are expecting to be minutes away from that vote if it actually happens. But that clip you played there, that was a disagreement among two of the members on the committee. And so there is still a lot of disagreement among even the internal members on this committee of what the language should be that they're voting on. And that's in addition to the implorings of outside medical groups that we just heard a number of.

So, these are outside doctor groups, like the American College of Physicians and other medical societies, essentially asking this committee, begging this committee to not take this vote. They say there are no new data that support removing this universal recommendation for a lifesaving newborn dose of the hepatitis B vaccine and they don't understand why they are taking this vote.

And so this, of course, as you noted, had already been delayed from yesterday as they fought over the language. That same adviser, Dr. Hibbeln, pointed out now we've seen the fourth iteration in four days of this voting language. So, right now, I think that they're deliberating over what the language will be or over whether to take that vote.

But this was delayed from September as well. And this is an incredibly controversial issue because experts point out this has a three-decade track record of safety and of bringing down infections from hepatitis B by orders of magnitude each year.

Hepatitis B can cause chronic liver disease, cancer and can be fatal, and it's especially dangerous to newborns. They can catch it from their moms if the moms are positive. But also even if they're negative, they can be exposed by other people in their life. And this is such a contagious virus. Often people don't know they have it and they can still spread it. So, guys, a lot to come here and we'll let you know if they take this vote, and, of course, what the results are.

BLITZER: Yes. It's a big issue, indeed. All right, Meg Tirrell, thank you very, very much. Pamela?

BROWN: All right, Wolf. Also, let's look at our other breaking news this morning. We're getting some more details on the man accused of planting pipe bombs right near the U.S. Capitol on the eve of January 6th.

[10:05:03]

Sources tell CNN the 30-year-old suspect in this case, Brian Cole Jr., told investigator after his arrest, he believed the 2020 election was stolen, providing the first indication into a possible motive.

BLITZER: Let's go live to our Senior Justice Correspondent Evan Perez. He's here with us in The Situation Room. What else are we learning as this investigation unfolds?

EVAN PEREZ, CNN SENIOR JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brian Cole, the suspect in this case, Wolf, sat for interviews, hours of interviews yesterday with the FBI. And among the statements that he made was that he believed the 2020 election was stolen.

Now, that is a significant piece of information simply because there's been so much conspiracy, there's been a lot of speculation as to exactly what the motivation could be. Certainly, because if you remember, those bombs were planted on January 5th, 2021, the day before the Capitol riot, they were discovered that afternoon of January 6th, 2021, just as the mob of MAGA supporters was breaking through the first cordon of police lines, and then, of course, ransacking the Capitol. So, the FBI investigators, for a long time, were trying to figure out whether the two things were connected.

Now, there's certainly a lot more to learn about what his motivation was and whether this really explains everything. But, certainly, that statement that he provided to investigators in the last 24 hours is the beginning of the story here.

Now, we know that the FBI did a lot of work over the last five years. You heard from the attorney general and the deputy FBI director in the last 24 hours describing certainly a lot of the investigative work that is still to be done. But one of the key things that happened here was figuring out that cell phone location for this suspect that matched some of the other evidence. That only happened, Wolf, in the last few weeks, I'm told, as part of this investigation.

And that is really remarkable when you think about an investigation that has cost millions of dollars, that has included dozens, perhaps even more than a hundred agents that have been working on this case since this happened back in 2021.

BLITZER: And as you know, the deputy FBI director, Dan Bongino, is now distancing himself from various conspiracy theories. He actually helped push about this case when he was a podcaster. What's he saying?

PEREZ: Right. Well, when he was a podcaster, just 11 months ago that he was on his podcast, and one of the things he said was that he believed the FBI had not revealed who the bomber was because it was an inside job. Do we have a clip of that to play?

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SEAN HANNITY, FOX NEWS HOST: You put a post on X right after this happened, and you said there's a massive cover-up because the person that planted those pipe bombs, they don't want you to know who it is because it's either a connected anti-Trump insider or an inside job.

DAN BONGINO, FBI DEPUTY DIRECTOR: I was paid in the past, Sean, for my opinions. That's clear. And one day I'll be back in that space, but that's not what I'm paid for now. I'm paid to be your deputy director and we base investigations on facts.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PEREZ: And, look, you know, I was at that press conference yesterday and I raised my hand repeatedly. I did not get called on, but that is actually Hannity asked a question that I wanted to ask, which was, essentially, do you still believe that this was an inside job? Because, you know, the deputy FBI director, since he arrived at the FBI, has been very fixated on this case. He has been pushing people to try to solve it.

And so the solution appears to be that they've now made an arrest. They've resolved the case, according to the FBI, and some of the answers that we're getting now as part of the interviews appear to show not the narrative that the FBI and the former FBI -- I'm sorry, the deputy FBI director was pushing for so long.

BLITZER: Deputy FBI, the number two FBI --

PEREZ: The number two FBI, for sure.

BLITZER: All right. Evan Perez, thanks very, very much. Pam?

BROWN: He has said a lot. He's paid for his opinions. Everyone remember that, you know?

BLITZER: Yes.

BROWN: All right. Well, new this morning, the U.S. military is carrying out another deadly strike on a suspected drug boat in the Eastern Pacific. Here, you can see the boat being hit on a video posted to social media by U.S. Southern Command. Southern Command says four people were killed in the attack.

And this comes as lawmakers pushed for more answers about a previous strike the US carried out on an alleged -- another alleged drug vessel in September. In that incident, the US military fired a follow-up strike, killing surviving crew members. That has been under a lot of scrutiny. Let's go live now to CNN Correspondent Arlette Saenz. A couple things here, it's notable that this video was just released, but the video of the follow-up strike that the president said would be released, that hasn't come out yet, but lawmakers haven't briefed on it by the admiral who apparently ordered that strike. And the reaction to it has been very divided along party lines.

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It really has. And Admiral Frank Mitch Bradley spent hours on Capitol Hill briefing senior lawmakers in this classified setting, really offering them a fuller picture of how that follow-up strike played out.

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And sources who with direct knowledge of these briefings said that one of the key items he told them was that these survivors on that boat that they did not have radio or communications equipment to try to reach out to others for help. That is something that lawmakers will be examining very closely as they're trying to decide whether the Trump administration actually had the legal authority to launch this follow- up strike.

Another point is these lawmakers were shown the full video of these strikes that showed these survivors clinging to this boat, and lawmakers have emerged from these briefings with vastly different reactions and conclusions of what this strike entailed. Take a listen to a Republican and a Democrat on this matter.

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SEN. TOM COTTON (R-AR): They were trying to get the boat back up and to continue their mission of spreading these drugs all across America.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Did they get the boat back up?

COTTON: That's what they were doing. And that's why Admiral Bradley ordered the second strike. Well, no, they didn't because we killed them and we were right to kill them. And Admiral Bradley was totally justified in a decision he made.

REP. ADAM SMITH (D-WA): I have big questions of about whether or not it was justified. I'm not willing to say, yes, that was unjustified, this is a war crime. But what I will tell you is this demands much more investigation, much more transparency to get those answers, to get greater clarity on what the rules of engagement were and how they applied in this particular circumstance.

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SAENZ: Now, one of the senior Republican lawmakers who we haven't heard from that received this briefing is Senator Roger Wicker. He's the chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee. He has vowed oversight. It'll be interesting to see what he wants to do after receiving these briefings. But Democrats are pushing for this full video to be released, something that Trump has expressed some openness to. BROWN: Yes. All right, Arlette Saenz, thank you so much. Wolf?

BLITZER: All right, good work.

Still ahead, changing the streaming landscape. What we're now learning about Netflix's multi-billion dollar deal to buy parts of Warner Brothers discovery.

Stay with us. You're in The Situation Room.

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BLITZER: New this morning, Netflix has inked a deal with Warner Brothers Discovery to buy the iconic T.V. and movie studio and its streaming assets, including HBO. We should mention, Warner Brothers Discovery is CNN's parent company.

BROWN: Netflix announced the multi-billion dollar deal this morning after a weeks-long bidding process. If the deal goes through, it will likely have major implications for Hollywood combining two of the biggest streaming companies with one of the largest traditional movie studios.

Let's bring in CNN Chief Media Analyst Brian Stelter, who has been following this every step of the way. Here we are now, Brian, big picture, what would this look like and how could this reshape the entertainment industry?

BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: This is something that could affect hundreds of millions of television viewers all around the world because everybody now is a streamer in one way or another, and most people are glued to Netflix already. HBO MAX, one of the other big streaming platforms, would be coming together with Netflix if this deal is consummated. And right now, that is a very big if, because this deal is heading into an uncertain regulatory environment.

But let's get into that in just a minute. First, let's talk about how we're ended up at this point today. This deal this morning is a result of a weeks-long bidding war for Warner Brothers Discovery. That's the parent company of CNN, as well as Warner Brothers Movie Studio and HBO and TNT and other assets. Netflix, Paramount, Comcast have all been circling WBD making various bids for either all or part of the company.

Paramount has been trying to buy the entire thing and it believed it had an advantage by having a mutually beneficial relationship with the Trump administration. But Netflix swooped in in recent days with superior bids, I'm told, with higher bids than Paramount was willing to make for the Warner Brothers movie studio and HBO for basically the entertainment side of the house.

Now, Warner Brothers Discovery is still moving forward with a breakup, taking one company and turning it into two pieces. That's going to happen, and then Netflix will intend to buy Warner Brothers. And if it goes through, if regulators do approve this, it would bring together two big streaming platforms and it would give Netflix access to some of the most valuable intellectual property on the planet, you know, brands like Batman and Game of Thrones and Harry Potter.

So, this is a deal that will ultimately affect many consumers, but it's a long way from actually taking effect.

BLITZER: Very personal question for people who are watching us on CNN right now, Brian, and who love our news network, like we do, of course, how will this deal affect CNN and its future?

STELTER: This has been a topic of real uncertainty and folks inside CNN and outside. I've been wondering about this for a number of weeks. Paramount has been trying to buy all of WBD and Paramount executives have indicated to me they really would like to own CNN and bring it together with CBS news.

Paramount may not go away quietly even though Netflix has won this bidding war as of today. It is quite possible that Paramount will continue to try to buy these assets and merge them all together. But at least for now, Netflix has triumphed and is moving forward with this deal to buy the entertainment assets, which means that for CNN viewers and CNN fans, Discovery Global will be the owner of CNN next year. So, that's because of this breakup of Warner Brothers Discovery into two publicly traded halves.

Now, this is a little bit similar to what Comcast has been doing, spinning off its cable channels into a new company. So, this breakup will take effect now in the summer of 2026 and CNN, TNT, a lot of sports programming, other cable assets will all be a part of a new company called Discovery Global.

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Will there be bids or will there be suitors, buyers for that Discovery Global Company in the future? Possibly. But today's news is really about the entertainment side of the house, about Netflix, the streaming king, trying to get even bigger.

And it's really notable that Netflix says it will -- this is a deal about the future decades of the company, as co-CEO Ted Sarandos telling investors this morning, this is a rare opportunity. And that's going to help us achieve our mission, to entertain the world and to bring people together through great stories.

So, Netflix is going to say this is pro-consumer, it's pro-Hollywood. But I'll tell you, a lot of folks in Hollywood very anxious about the prospect of Netflix taking over the Warner Brothers Movie Studio. We've already heard, for example, from movie theater owners, from the trade group representing movie theater operators that don't want this deal to go through, because they believe Netflix is opposed to theatrical releases of movies.

Netflix, for what it's worth, says it will continue to release Warner Brothers movies in theaters. But we are living in the streaming era and this morning's announcement really proves that. BLITZER: So those of us at CNN will be working for Discovery Global, no longer Warner Brothers, which will be a significant development, indeed.

Brian Stelter, thank you very, very much. Pamela?

BROWN: All right. Coming up here in the situation room Robert f Kennedy's handpicked Vaccine Advisory Committee is set to vote on a change to when newborns get that hepatitis B shot. Up next, we'll speak to a doctor who was invited to present at today's meeting but declined.

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BROWN: Well, we are monitoring a CDC Vaccine Advisory Committee meeting happening now in Atlanta, and it's expected to vote on possible changes to the schedule for the hepatitis B shots for newborn babies.

Joining us now to discuss is Dr. Paul Offit, the director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, and we should note a former member of the FDA Vaccine Advisory Committee. Nice to see you, Dr. Offit.

So, you were invited to present at today's meeting, but you declined. Why?

DR. PAUL OFFIT, FORMER MEMBER, FDA VACCINE ADVISORY COMMITTEE: Right. Well, I actually wasn't invited to present at today's meeting. I was invited back in October to come speak about vaccines to this group. But in any case, this group is not a federal advisory committee that we used to have. It is an anti-vaccine advisory committee that has consistently made bad recommendations about vaccines.

At the last meeting, they didn't recommend the COVID vaccine for young children, where clearly young children benefit from a COVID vaccine. So, why would anybody want to be part of a committee that's giving out bad information and making bad decisions that putting children in harm's way? No, not me.

BROWN: All right. So, just to be clear, so you were invited back in October to speak and you declined that.

OFFIT: Right. It was a vague recommend, come speak to us. They the way that it was framed today that I was asked to come speak today about this subject, that's not true.

BROWN: All right. So, there's been some strong pushback from members this morning about the proposal to push the vaccine to two months. Here's what one of the panelists had to say. And I should note he's one of those recently handpicked advisers by the HHS secretary, RFK Jr., after he cleaned house of the prior advisory panel. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DR. JOSEPH HIBBELN, CDC ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON IMMUNIZATION PRACTICES MEMBER: This is unconscionable. How can we go forward when this is a specific issue that was supposed to be identified? It's unconscionable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: Some strong words there. What is your reaction to that?

OFFIT: It is a clown show. Honestly, it is a parody of what this committee used to be. These people don't have an expertise in the subject. They have a history of being anti-vaccine activists. It's hard to watch. And I think for those of us who care about children, it's especially hard to watch.

BROWN: So, as of this warning, Dr. Offit, the CDC's website says, quote, the best way to prevent hepatitis B is by getting vaccinated and the hepatitis B vaccine is safe and effective. But if a concerned parent listened to that meeting, here is some of what they heard from one of the witnesses.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. CYNTHIA NEVISON, PRESENTER: There's very little evidence that horizontal transmission has ever been a significant threat to the average American child, and the risk probably has been overstated.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: What do you tell people who hear that and they get these conflicting messages?

OFFIT: It is wrong. In 1991 when we had a birth dose recommendation for all newborns in this country, there were 30,000 cases of hepatitis B in children less than ten years of age, 30,000 cases. Half of those children, 15,000, got it from their mother passing through a birth canal that had hepatitis B virus in it, but the other half didn't. The other 15,000 children didn't get it from their mother. They got it from relatively casual contact with somebody who had chronic hepatitis B of whom there are millions of people in this country and 50 percent of whom don't know they have chronic hepatitis B.

This is not AIDS. I mean, AIDS is not casually contracted. This virus is casually contracted by sharing household items, like towels, washcloths, toothbrushes, nail clippers. That's where those 15,000 children, less than ten got it from. They didn't get it because they were sex workers. They didn't get it because they were intravenous drug users. They got it from relatively casual contact with people who had chronic hepatitis B, and I don't think this committee understands that.

BROWN: Overall, where do you think this country is with public health and how concerned are you about the lack of trust right now?

OFFIT: No, it's painful.

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You have the biggest measles epidemic this year that we've had in more than three decades. You've had three people die, two healthy young children die of measles. That's the first measles death since.