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Top 10 Media Stories of 2025; The Nature of Change. Aired 11:30a-12p ET

Aired December 24, 2025 - 11:30   ET

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

[11:30:00]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RENE MARSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I mean, so this book, "The Nature of Change" -- and I'll hold it up so that we can see it here -- you know, it was born out of this space of my journey with grief after -- you know the story publicly shared about the loss of my son, Blake, to pediatric cancer.

And when I think about grief and my experience with it, it really is two things. Number one, it can really torment you. In its most acute phase, grief absolutely torments. But it also transforms.

And I will have to say, besides motherhood, my grief is probably one of the most transformative experiences that I have had in my life. I mean, I didn't have it on my bingo card to write children's books. But, again, this book and my first book, "The Miracle Workers," that was all born out of that very difficult time in my life.

And the inspiration behind "The Nature of Change" is -- and I have shared this story with you -- I would sit just in my backyard and just -- I was in zombie mode and I would just sit amongst nature and the trees and I was trying to understand the world that I felt like I no longer understood.

And in those moments of just sitting there, I would get these profound messages just from observing the nature around me. My biggest teachers were -- and this is going to sound so crazy, but it was the trees surrounding me, the trees, the way they stood there, whether it was in the fall and they were losing it all, but they still stood there, knowing that that was not the end of their story.

Whether it was the tree in my backyard where the branch was kind of hanging on just by a thread, a shred of a limb after a big snowstorm, and that spring, it was able to bloom again. Like, all of these messages, I received them. I wasn't just looking at a tree with a broken branch, but I was receiving that message.

And so it was in those moments that the seed for this book was born.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: Seed, no pun intended.

MARSH: No pun -- well, pun intended.

But it was born. And I would also say, and I hate to give grief credit for anything, because I hate the circumstances that led to it.

BROWN: Yes.

MARSH: But I would say that I always appreciated nature, but I never learned from nature. I never received lessons and messages and the wisdom that I have recently from nature ever before.

And it wasn't until my grief that I think perhaps my mind and my heart opened up to receive those messages.

BROWN: So I want you to read a couple of excerpts from your book. I was reading it last night and it's so good. My kids, by the way, love "The Miracle Workers." I know they're going to love this too.

MARSH: OK.

So I want to start with the trees because, like I said, they have been my biggest teachers. So I will do the setup here.

BROWN: And just for the audience to understand, basically, it's these two kids and they move to a new place, right?

MARSH: Right.

BROWN: And they don't know what to think about this new place and all the change. And then they go outside and they have a little adventure.

MARSH: So they're walking. They have left their new house, which they hate. They don't like it. They want to go back to the old house, but now they're exploring their new backyard.

So they head outside and the first thing they see is the tree with this broken limb, this huge tree. And so Amal, who's the little girl, says: "'I bet it hurt when that branch broke off,' Amal said, pointing at the scar. 'Maybe, but the tree is still standing, determined to keep growing tall,' Kit added." That's her brother.

So they continue on walking through this woods in their backyard when the brother, Kit, walks into this spider web. Totally has it all over his head, knocks it down. Amal is taken aback because now she sees that the spider's work is all wiped out. So she crouches down to see what the spider is going to do next.

And she says: "Maybe it'll try to bite me." That's what Kit said. Then Amal says: "Or will it just give up?" What will this spider do that just lost its spider web? So they stood there and they watched and they say: "But the spider crept back out and began to weave. One strand appeared, then another. It carefully joined them together. 'It's building again,' Amal said in relief. 'I bet it's hard -- I bet it's had to rebuild before,' Kit said. 'That must take a lot of resilience,' said Amal."

BROWN: I love that.

MARSH: So it's -- these are just examples, whether it's the tree that has this broken limb, but it still stands there. It keeps growing and it doesn't shrivel up and die. It just continues on with its story, continues to live.

BROWN: It might be a little changed, but it continues to live.

MARSH: Right. Correct.

BROWN: Just as we have been changed.

And you have gone on since your loss of sweet Blake by honoring his legacy with this work you're doing out of grief. And you have also gone on to have another child, and who I'm sure is teaching you all kinds of things in life.

[11:35:02]

MARSH: And really at the core of this is, it's for our children, right? We know that life's not going to be all daisies and rainbows.

And so we really want to be in a space and I hope that we can prepare our kids -- I know you want to do the same as a mom -- to face these life challenges with a strong mind, because if you don't have the strong mind, every single thing is going to just break you and destroy you. And that's what I don't want.

And when I was going through what I went through, especially in my grief, I could have easily been destroyed. But it was that morsel of just hope. But I had to fight for that hope. And so my hope is that we can teach and strengthen that muscle of that strong mind early enough that it's not so hard to access it when things get really rough.

And you don't have to do much other than go outside and be inspired.

BROWN: I love that, yes.

MARSH: Yes. Yes.

BROWN: I was just talking to my son last night. He said: "This is the worst night ever. I'm so bored."

And I said: "Well, guess what? Boredom is part of life."

MARSH: Yes.

BROWN: "But you can use your imagination and maybe find something to do."

And I have always thought that just getting outside and being part of nature is a good way to -- for kids to just to grow and to learn. And this book encapsulates that perfectly. And I love what you said about the parallel of how nature is sort of a parallel to the lives we lead. There's some constants, but there's a lot of change.

And, sometimes, you don't have a choice in that change. And you can never foresee where it will lead you in life, but it has clearly led you into this place of writing incredible books like this and just doing so much work, raising money for pediatric cancer research. I mean, you have done so much to honor Blake's legacy. So I do think this time of year it can be a really tough year. It's a

reminder for people who have lost a loved one that empty seat at the table. And I think your book can help a lot of people. So where can they get it?

MARSH: You can get all information about retailers at ReneMarsh.com, ReneMarsh.com. And all the details are there.

BROWN: All right, everyone, go grab your copy.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: From natural disaster to international invasions, my time at CNN so far has been eventful, to say the least.

Next, we're taking a look back at my 35 years keeping you informed.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:41:48]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SENIOR MASTER SGT. DEBORAH SIMPSON, U.S. AIR FORCE: I am Senior Master Sergeant Dee Simpson, deployed to the Middle East. And I would like to say merry Christmas and happy holidays to my family and a special shout-out to my husband, Mark (ph). Go, Lions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: As we close the book on this year and look ahead to 2026, we're also taking a closer look back at what's been an incredible 35 years for me so far here at CNN,from covering hurricanes, calling presidential elections, reporting from war zones, and even appearing in blockbuster movies.

Here are a few of my favorite moments over these many years.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FRANK SESNO, FORMER CNN ANCHOR: CNN military affairs correspondent Wolf Blitzer joins us now live from the Pentagon with the very latest -- Wolf.

BLITZER: The president said this was strictly an air operation for the time being. When does the U.S. decide to send in the ground forces?

JOHNNY CARSON, FORMER HOST, "THE TONIGHT SHOW": Probably nobody in the country who doesn't know who is now. Would you welcome please Mr. Wolf Blitzer?

(APPLAUSE)

BLITZER: We're here in Oklahoma City, where, later today, the president and first lady will be attending a memorial service. It must be so amazing for you to see where you are right now.

NELSON MANDELA, FORMER SOUTH AFRICAN PRESIDENT: The fact that I spent so many years in prison is part of my life.

BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This is your last trip with me, so I want to thank you for 6. 5 good years.

BLITZER: I'm Wolf Blitzer, and you're in THE SITUATION ROOM, where news and information from around the world arrive in one place simultaneously.

One quick question. Do you want to be president of the United States?

BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I want to be the best U.S. senator for the state of Illinois that I can be.

BLITZER: You know there's people talking about that.

OBAMA: Well, that's silly talk. BLITZER: CNN can now project that Barack Obama, 47 years old, will become the president-elect of the United States.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who the hell is Wolf?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can get into it. You know what I'm saying? See, there's a lot of this. (INAUDIBLE) Now, now, now, now.

BLITZER: This is Kim Il-Sung Square. As you can see, it's really huge. This is a brisk, cold day on this Friday here in Pyongyang.

How are you going to make them pay for the wall?

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I will, and the wall just got 10 feet taller, believe me.

Did we get it?

TOM CRUISE, ACTOR: Of course we got it.

BLITZER: Told you we would get it.

Let's go to our senior White House correspondent, Pamela Brown.

Pamela, another shakeup in the Trump administration.

BROWN: It's very exciting.

BLITZER: We're going to have fun here in THE SITUATION ROOM.

BROWN: Yes, we are.

And we thank you for all for joining us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:48:30]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAPT. ARIC MORA, U.S. AIR FORCE: I'm Captain Aric Mora.

TECHNICAL SGT. RACHEL BROCK, U.S. AIR FORCE: I'm Technical Sergeant Rachel Brock, and we're deployed to the Middle East.

MORA: Just want to give a quick shout-out to the family. Hope you're watching, Mom

And go, Vikings.

BROCK: Go, Vikings.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: Coming in at number 10 on the list of the top 10 media stories of 2025:

(voice-over): Big media mergers with political overtones. David Ellison's Skydance finally won approval to take over Paramount, but only after Paramount's previous owners agreed to settle a lawsuit filed by President Trump against CBS.

Then, Ellison offered to buy something much bigger, CNN's parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery, leading to a bidding war and deal for Netflix to buy Warner Bros. and HBO. Paramount launched a hostile takeover bid, arguing a Netflix-Warner combo would be worse for shareholders and for Hollywood. CNN's future ownership hangs in the balance.

Number nine, remodeling the press room. The White House banned the Associated Press from events, tried to bully other news outlets, and invited Trump promoters into the press pool.

QUESTION: Will you guys also consider releasing the president's fitness plan? He actually looks healthier than ever before.

KAROLINE LEAVITT, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: I can confirm the president is in every good shape.

STELTER: Trump loyalists, like Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, followed along by severely restricting press access at the Pentagon, leading beat reporters to surrender their press passes instead of agreeing to his terms. Hegseth tried to crack down on leaks, even as he was scrutinized for leaking secret war plans by the Signal app.

[11:50:02]

PETE HEGSETH, U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY: Those folks who were leaking, who have been pushed out of the building, are not attempting to leak and sabotage the president's agenda.

STELTER: And while Trump tries to shape the news to his liking ...

QUESTION: If there's nothing incriminating in the files, sir, why not act...

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Quiet. Quiet, piggy.

QUESTION: Why do you blame the Biden administration for what this man did?

TRUMP: Because they let him in. Are you stupid?

STELTER: ... reporters just keep on reporting.

Number eight, the TikTok ban that was and then wasn't. In January, the Supreme Court upheld the Biden era law pressuring TikTok's Chinese parent company to sell the app's U.S. operations to American owners.

PAULA REID, CNN CHIEF LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Huge news out of the Supreme Court as the justices uphold a controversial ban on the social media app TikTok.

STELTER: But then Trump granted an extension, and then another, and then another, even though legal experts doubted his ability to do so.

In late December, TikTok said it has signed a deal to spin off its U.S. entity to American investors like Larry Ellison, though the deal is still expected to need approval from the Chinese government before closing.

Number seven.

ANDREW SCHULZ, HOST, "FLAGRANT" PODCAST: What's up, guys? Today, we are joined by the Democrat's secret weapon. Give it up for Pete Buttigieg.

TUCKER CARLSON, CONSERVATIVE COMMENTATOR: Senator, thank you very much for spending the time to have this conversation.

SEN. TED CRUZ (R-TX): It's good to be with you.

QUESTION: Is there a Zohran Mamdani Reddit?

ZOHRAN MAMDANI (D), NEW YORK CITY MAYOR-ELECT: I don't know. Is there?

QUESTION: Probably. Don't check it, though.

STELTER: The influencer boom. More and more newsworthy moments are happening on Substack accounts and podcast streams.

TAYLOR SWIFT, SINGER-SONGWRITER: So I wanted to show you something -- yes.

JASON KELCE, CO-HOST, "NEW HEIGHTS" PODCAST: What's in it?

SWIFT: This is my brand new album, "The Life of a Showgirl."

TRAVIS KELCE, CO-HOST, "NEW HEIGHTS" PODCAST: TS-12!

SWIFT: Yes.

STELTER: That's Taylor Swift on her fiance's podcast "New Heights" announcing the release of her 12th album.

NARRATOR: "This Is Gavin Newsom."

STELTER: Politicians like Gavin Newsom are launching chat shows, trying to foster more personal connections with voters. And, nowadays, it feels like every audio podcast is on camera too, creating a new form of TV.

Number six, a struggle over publicly funded media. Public broadcasters are under pressure around the world. And in the U.S., Trump targeted PBS and NPR.

TRUMP: The kind of money that's being wasted -- and it's a very biased view. And I would be honored to see it end.

STELTER: The president urged Congress to strip away the funding they had already approved for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. And Republicans did just that, defunding PBS and NPR stations across the country.

WEST DOSS, FORMER CHAIR, ARKANSAS PBS COMMISSION: There's not going to be any other entity that broadcasts the legislature, the meetings, and providing the transparency in government that Arkansas PBS does.

STELTER: Stations are still on the air, but they say they need viewer donations now more than ever.

Number five, a sports fan's dream come true or worst nightmare? In the streaming era, it's getting harder to watch your favorite teams. YouTube kicked off the NFL season with its first live global stream, and Netflix signaled it's going to spend more on sports rights.

But with rights being sold to the highest big-tech bidders, games are showing up on different apps and different sites, frustrating fans who just want to flip on the TV and watch.

Number four: Fight or fold? Trump's pressure campaign against the media caused some outlets to cave and others to combat his threats in court. As Paramount tried to get the Trump administration to approve its merger, Stephen Colbert found out that his late-night show was canceled.

STEPHEN COLBERT, HOST, "THE LATE SHOW WITH STEPHEN COLBERT": Next year will be our last season. The network will be ending "The Late Show" in May.

STELTER: CBS said the decision was financial, not political, but Colbert's fans did not buy that.

As some media owners stand accused of capitulating to Trump, other outlets want to be seen as doing the opposite. "The New York Times" and "The Wall Street Journal" both vowed to fight Trump's lawsuits against their publications.

Number three, free speech battles taking center stage. The assassination of Charlie Kirk horrified America and drew even more attention to Kirk's campus debate crusade.

KASIE HUNT, CNN HOST: We are hearing from President Trump. He is on his TRUTH Social platform saying that Charlie Kirk has passed away.

STELTER: When Jimmy Kimmel referenced the political arguments about Kirk's alleged killer...

JIMMY KIMMEL, HOST, "JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE!": We had some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it.

STELTER: ... Trump's SEC chairman, Brendan Carr, cried foul and threatened ABC and its local affiliates. Two big station owners said they would preempt Kimmel's show, leaving ABC to yank it off the air altogether and sparking outrage in Hollywood over government censorship. Nearly a week later, Kimmel returned to the airwaves.

(CHEERING)

KIMMEL: Anyway, as I was saying before I was interrupted...

(LAUGHTER)

STELTER: Number two, the generative A.I. race gets costlier and even more competitive. Tech giants keep one-upping each other with new chatbots and new upgrades. OpenAI's Sora 2 model stunned users and scared Hollywood studios by generating artificial mini movies that sure looked real.

[11:55:08]

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: Societal understanding of A.I. trails far behind where the technology is. People around the world are going to be confused as to what's real and what's not.

STELTER: Companies like Meta are doubling down on their bets, and Trump is taking a light touch, low-regulation approach, hoping rapid A.I. expansion keeps fueling the U.S.

And the number one media story of 2025, it's the power of the people, real people, not chatbots, from folks in their cars making selfie videos talking about the high cost of living to dramatic recordings of ICE arrests gone wrong.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can't do that! You can't do that!

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get out of the car.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, you can't do that! You can't do that!

STELTER: To videos of MAGA media influencers criticizing Trump over the Epstein files.

REP. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE (R-GA): I will tell you right now, this has been one of the most destructive things to MAGA.

LAURA INGRAHAM, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: How many of you are satisfied with the results of the Epstein investigation? Clap.

(BOOING)

STELTER: We're seeing people power all over the place. While media moguls fight and political hacks try to twist the news, normal, everyday people are telling their own stories, making their own media, and sometimes forcing those in power to pay attention.

(END VIDEOTAPE)