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The Situation Room

Best Year Ever For Taylor Swift?; Powerball Jackpot; Powerful Storm System Batters California. Aired 11-11:30a ET

Aired December 25, 2025 - 11:00   ET

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

[11:00:03]

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN HOST: Good morning, and thank you so much for joining us for this special edition of THE SITUATION ROOM. I'm Kate Bolduan in for Wolf and Pamela today. A very merry Christmas to everyone out there.

Let's start out West this hour, because we must because it is developing. A powerful storm system is battering California with widespread flooding, and it is also prompting a state of emergency and mandatory evacuations.

And a lot more rain is on the way today after the city of Los Angeles picked up a typical December's worth of rain really just on Christmas Eve. It's all leading to dangerous situations like this in San Bernardino County. Just look at this video of Highway 2 north of L.A. just being washed out completely.

CNN's Allison Chinchar keeping a very close eye on this for everyone.

Allison, what is the latest that you're seeing?

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, so we have still got two more rounds of rain to go through. The first is ongoing so far this morning.

You can see a lot of that rain coming in across portions of Northern and Central California. And then the next round will arrive later on this evening. And that's what's going to continue through the day on Friday. But you look at some of these numbers here,again, several areas have already picked up more than half-a-foot of rain and we're still going to get even more as we go through the next 24 to 36 hours.

So those numbers are likely going to jump up here. Here's a look at the radar. Again, you can see this line of very heavy rain that moved through San Francisco, now starting to slide its way east of Sacramento. And now you're really focusing on getting a lot of the heavy snow up into the Sierras.

But we're also starting to see some heavier rain bands move into portions of Southern California, the concern here, those burn scar locations where we had the previous wildfires, because the ground in a burn scar area doesn't really absorb the rain like a normal ground would, say, that's covered in grass or shrubs, things like that. So the water just all runs right off, making it much easier to trigger

flooding. And we have both a risk for excessive rainfall today, as well as into Friday. And you will notice both of them are focused across Southern California and even into areas of Central California.

So that first wave is already ongoing. Here's a look at the second wave as we head into the evening hours tonight. That's going to be focused mainly for Northern and Central California. Then, as we go through the latter part of the day on Sunday, the concern starts to move southward into Southern California.

But then the good news comes, and that's once we get to the weekend. You will notice here, take a look at this, finally some much drier weather, much-needed drier weather for areas of California. But until we get to that drier point, you're still looking at additional rainfall, most areas another one to three inches, but you could have some isolated spots that pick up, maybe four or even six inches of additional rainfall.

Then we talk about the snow. Take a look at this. At least another three feet of snow is expected for the highest elevations of portions of the Sierras. This is going to make travel very difficult, say, from San Francisco all the way over towards Tahoe and the Reno area.

BOLDUAN: Yes, a lot to be tracking out West right now and everyone needs to just hold on to try to get to this weekend safely.

Allison, thank you very, very much.

Let's turn to this now. More than a million, that is the latest word from the Justice Department revealing that even more documents exist related to the Jeffrey Epstein investigation than first known. The department says that it's uncovered more than a million additional documents potentially connected to this case against the accused sex trafficker.

This came to light in a social media post overnight, the document -- the department, rather, saying that it's -- quote -- "working around the clock" to review the new batch of files that received from the FBI and the federal prosecutors with the Southern District of New York.

The Justice Department also says this new find could mean it's going to take even more time to publicly release. The top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, Robert Garcia, calling this outrageous.

So, someone in Arkansas is waking up to a major gift this Christmas morning. Why? There is a single winning ticket from last night's Christmas Eve Powerball drawing, winning the 1.8 billion dollar jackpot. Powerball reports it was the second largest U.S. lottery jackpot ever.

CNN's Randi Kaye joining us now.

Randi, is there any word yet from the lottery who has this winning ticket? RANDI KAYE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Not yet, Kate, but you can

bet that they have a little extra cash on hand to buy that Christmas dinner for everybody, right?

BOLDUAN: Yes.

KAYE: Certainly a very merry Christmas for that person.

The winning ticket, of course, as you said, sold in Arkansas, $1.8 billion. We don't know yet who the winner is. We have been looking. And we don't even have any information yet on where this ticket was sold. But we did look into whether or not Arkansas is one of those states where you actually have to come forward.

And it turns out that they can remain anonymous in Arkansas, so we may not know who won. But here are the winning numbers just in case. It is four, 25, 31, 52, 59, with the red Powerball of 19. Now, the drawing got pushed even higher because of all the last-minute ticket sales. Everybody wanted in on this jackpot.

The odds of winning, according to Powerball, something like one in 292 million. Now, it has been won before on Christmas Eve, also on Christmas, but they have just never reached a billion dollars, so this is a big deal.

[11:05:10]

Now, the winner, of course, has some options here. The cash option is a lump sum payment of $834.9 million, or they can take 29 annual payments. Most winners, of course, do take that lump sum. There was one big winner yesterday, but eight tickets also won $1 million.

Now, that's a little extra cash for those stocking stuffers. Those were sold in California, Indiana, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. Nationwide, 114 tickets won a $50,000 prize, and 31 tickets won $100,000 Powerball. That was not us, I take it, Kate.

I didn't -- I haven't checked my ticket yet. I like to think -- I like to wait and see. That's part of the joy of playing the jackpot.

BOLDUAN: Oh, I like it. You were also like, I do need to show up to work, or Kate's going to call me. So, I will just wait.

KAYE: Yes. If I don't show up tomorrow, then you will know.

BOLDUAN: We will know. That will be an indication is what you're telling me?

I like -- I completely forgot to buy a ticket, and I promised myself I was going to, and I didn't. So there's always next time, because I know my chances are so good at winning any of these. It's good.

(LAUGHTER)

KAYE: Exactly. Exactly. BOLDUAN: Thanks, Randi.

KAYE: OK.

BOLDUAN: Let's turn now to this, someone who likely did not win the lottery last night, all captured on surveillance video and just released by authorities in Texas. Take a look at this. Early yesterday morning, suspects literally ripped an ATM out of a convenience store by attaching a metal cable to it, and then you will see, as this plays out, driving off.

The machine tore through the store, causing a total mess, and also, look at that, extensive damage. Police say, as the suspects fled the scene, the ATM eventually detached. Law enforcement was able to recover the safe inside, but now, they are still searching for these suspects.

If you're looking for something to do after all of the presents are unwrapped this Christmas, there is plenty of football to fill your day, basically fill your entire day, no joke. Three NFL matchups will air on streaming platforms today.

The Detroit Lions will be facing off against the Minnesota Vikings at 4:30 p.m. Eastern for a chance at the playoffs, but, first up, the Dallas Cowboys will be playing the Washington Commanders at 1:00 p.m. Both of those games will be airing on Netflix, and the Denver Broncos will take on the Kansas City Chiefs starting at 8:15 p.m. Eastern on Prime Video.

Still to come, "The Fate of Ophelia," "Elizabeth Taylor," "Opalite," whichever track is your favorite track of the new album, 2025 was definitely the year of Tay-Tay, of Taylor Swift.

This Christmas edition of THE SITUATION ROOM continues right after this break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:12:06]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CMDR. ADRIENNE BENTON, U.S. NAVY: Hi. My name is Commander Adrienne Benton, and I'm currently stationed at Navy Region EURAFCENT in Naples, Italy.

I want to say hello to my amazing family in New York. Go, Bills.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: It's a place known for its wings, its snow and its Bills.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: But, for me, Buffalo, New York is not only my hometown, but also my happy place. And here's why.

(voice-over): Buffalo, New York, birthplace of the Buffalo chicken wing and home to my favorite football team, the Buffalo Bills.

I was thrilled that the Bills invited me to visit the stadium recently after the season, and I immediately accepted that invitation. I walked around the field and was even allowed into the Bills locker room, where I had a chance to see Bills quarterback Josh Allen's locker.

(on camera): Josh Allen, MVP.

JEFF WARE, OWNER AND PRESIDENT, RESURGENCE BREWING COMPANY: It's a good time to be a Bills fan, and we're certainly basking in it. It's kind of put us on a national spotlight in a lot of ways that we haven't had in a long time.

BLITZER (voice-over): That's Jeff Ware, a local Buffalonian who opened his brewery, Resurgence, in the hopes of bringing new life to a city that has seen its population decline by a lot since 1950.

My Polish-Jewish parents, both Holocaust survivors, moved to Buffalo from Germany as immigrants after World War II. The people of Buffalo welcomed them and helped them. I grew up here. I went to school here, including Kenmore West High School and the State University of New York at Buffalo.

(on camera): So there's my Kenmore West Corridor of Honor. You got my yearbook? I can show my yearbook picture. That was when I graduated from high school.

(voice-over): Buffalo clearly holds a special place in my heart, and I love to come back to visit. Buffalo has been called the City of Good Neighbors, and it certainly is. I love my fellow Buffalonians. It's my happy place.

One of the most unique things is that Buffalo sits on the border with Canada.

WARE: It's funny. It's probably one of the only places in the United States where our kids know the national anthem and the Canadian national anthem.

BLITZER (on camera): Right.

(voice-over): But Buffalo is now making a dramatic comeback. Jeff Ware says that's possible with the help of Canadian tourists.

WARE: We very much count on Canadian tourism coming down. We're right down the street from the hockey arena. People come to watch hockey games, and they're going to have a beer or two before or after or want to grab something to eat. So, yes, Canada is a big economic push from a tourism perspective.

BLITZER: And despite current political tensions between our nations, in Buffalo, the two countries coexist harmoniously. (on camera): We're in Buffalo, which, of course, is the United

States, but, if you look behind me, this is the Niagara River. On the other side is Canada. So many of us who grew up in Buffalo spent a lot of time over the years in Canada going to the beach at Crystal Beach, driving up to Toronto or St. Catharines.

And it's nice to see the U.S. flag flying right next to the Canadian flag here in Buffalo.

[11:15:02]

(voice-over): Just 20 miles outside of Buffalo is arguably the most famous attraction shared between the U.S. and our northern neighbor, Niagara Falls.

(on camera): When I was growing up, every time we had guests, family or friends visiting us, we would always have to bring them to Niagara Falls.

(voice-over): And, if you come here, bring your passport so you can check out Niagara Falls from both sides of the border. The American side lets you get up close and personal with the falls, while the Canadian side, in my opinion, offers the best view. Not only that, but there are plenty of fun things on the Canadian side for the whole family to enjoy.

And back in Buffalo, if you're feeling a bit hungry, head over to the Anchor Bar to get a taste of the original Buffalo chicken wing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Teresa (ph), one of the founders, created a concoction of hot sauce and chicken wings. And now it's a Buffalo wing and served all across the country, all across the world.

BLITZER (on camera): It's been a while, but I love Buffalo chicken wings. It makes me happy.

(voice-over): And, yes, I know what you're thinking, but that's just how I like to eat them.

Buffalo has so much to offer, and it's working to rebrand itself as a place that is much more than just a city with cold weather.

(on camera): People hear about Buffalo, they think about snow and bad weather.

WARE: Yes, well, we're in the Northeast. We're going to get some snow.

And we certainly make the best of it and the weather, but it's great for skiing, hiking, tubing, ice skating, which we have all those amenities around town, but then you have this three-quarters a year that are absolutely wonderful months to get outside, be active, and then come back to the brewery and have a pint.

BLITZER: Give me five. The best part of Buffalo, in my opinion, has always been the people of

Buffalo, friendly, nice, energetic, hardworking. And they try to help each other.

WARE: A hundred percent. Chicken wings, beer, and good company, you know, you're in a good spot.

BLITZER: And the Buffalo Bills.

WARE: And the Buffalo Bills.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BOLDUAN: Coming up: the best year ever for Taylor Swift? From winning her music masters to a dream engagement, a new album and more, we will take a closer look at Taylor Swift's fairy tale year.

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[11:22:51]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COL. DANIEL MEYERS, U.S. MILITARY: Hi. I'm Colonel Daniel Joseph Meyers, Oceanside class of 1994. I want to wish all my friends and family back home happy Hanukkah, a merry Christmas, and a great start to the year 2026.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: An engagement, a new album, a box office hit, and a brand- new docuseries.

BROWN: You could call 2025 Taylor Swift's year.

Joining us now, our CNN entertainment reporter Lisa Respers France and Emmy-winning journalist and media personality Segun Oduolowu.

Segun Oduolowu, great to see you.

SEGUN ODUOLOWU, JOURNALIST AND MEDIA PERSONALITY: Thank you.

BROWN: Lisa, thanks for being here.

A lot to talk about when it comes to Taylor Swift. Let's go back to very early on in the year. She had this huge win, getting back the rights to her entire music catalog. Tell us just how big of a deal that was.

ODUOLOWU: Oh, it was emotional and it was huge.

I mean, your masters are basically your children in the music industry. These are your creations. And, unfortunately, too often, artists don't get to that. Her getting back her masters and then releasing -- the whole fight to get them back and releasing music along those lines, so that you -- if she didn't win them back, at least you had versions that she wanted you to hear.

But the financial windfall and then just the emotional calm of, these are my creations. This is what I wrote. These are my songs. No one else can profit off them. I get to do with them what I want. It was huge. And it just started the year that became Taylor Swift.

BLITZER: Huge, indeed.

Segun, stand by.

Lisa, the engagement that nearly broke the Internet back in August, talk about how fans lost their minds when Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce posted those engagement photos.

LISA RESPERS FRANCE, CNN ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER: I mean, it was the engagement that we all, including Taylor, have been waiting for.

I mean, she -- as she said, she's literally been writing her whole entire life, just about her whole entire career, at the very least, about finding a man like Travis Kelce. And now they're together. And they did it in such a Taylor-coded way. It was just beautiful imagery, that gorgeous rock that we're seeing right there.

And it was just so sweet and so romantic. And the Swifties, they were over the moon about it. They have just been waiting for Taylor to find her forever, and it appears that she has.

[11:25:05]

BROWN: Well, and I think we got some hints that this was coming when that podcast came out, right?

RESPERS FRANCE: Right.

BROWN: That podcast with the Kelce brothers that Taylor Swift was on, which was unusual for her, and that's when she announced her new album. So let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(CHEERING)

TRAVIS KELCE, CO-HOST, "NEW HEIGHTS" PODCAST: We got TS-12, baby.

TAYLOR SWIFT, MUSICIAN: This is my brand-new album. It's called "The Life of a Showgirl."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: Very big moment there.

Segun, how was this album received by the Swifties?

ODUOLOWU: OK, so this is where I'm going to be Grinchy and probably throw a wet blanket, because everything Taylor touched was fantastic, but all of that happiness didn't necessarily translate into the writing for this album.

It was huge. It broke the Internet. Taylor Swift, anything she does is enormous. But the songs on this album "Life of a Showgirl" weren't up to -- they weren't up to what we have expected from her. And I think happy -- you need pain to write good music, right?

Taylor wrote great songs when she was going through breakups. All of this joy from Travis and getting her masters back, the songs were just OK. So, I know Lisa will probably come at me and say, no, the Swifties loved it, but I'm just like it was just -- it was mid. It was mid for Taylor. It was mid. She's done so many better songs.

BROWN: Mid for Taylor, though, is still pretty good, right, I mean, for the layperson.

ODUOLOWU: Yes, mid for Taylor breaks the Internet.

BROWN: All right, Lisa, how do you weigh in on this?

RESPERS FRANCE: I have to say that he's not incorrect in that I won't say that I felt that her music was mid. I will say that some of the Swifties felt that her music was mid.

And it very much gives what I like to call the Mary J. Blige, effect, whereas, when Mary J. Blige was in a bunch of pain, she was hailed for her music. Taylor is happy. She's in love. She's writing as such. And some people just felt like it did not land the way her music had in the past.

It was not as impactful. Now, was that because she's happy and in love? I don't know. Was it because she also was doing this album at the same time she was doing a tour which made billions of dollars? That could be it as well. People felt like maybe she stretched herself a little thin there in having to do both things.

I mean, doing a world tour and also recording an album, that's pretty hectic.

ODUOLOWU: Come on, Lisa, to my side. You can say it's mid. Come on, Lisa.

(CROSSTALK)

RESPERS FRANCE: No, Segun, I'm new Swiftie. I'm a newly minted Swiftie. I'm not ready to join you there yet.

But I will say that I see what you're saying. We can agree to disagree.

ODUOLOWU: There we go.

BROWN: Let me ask you about something else. And now there is this brand-new docuseries "End of an Era" that debuted on Disney+. Let's watch a little bit of it. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SWIFT: I wanted to over serve the fans in terms of the amount of songs they were going to hear and how far I was going to push myself.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: So this series takes a deep dive behind the scenes of the Eras Tour. How impactful has it been?

ODUOLOWU: I will say this. And Lisa actually touched on it.

I'm not a Swiftie, but I watch that docuseries, I respect how hard she works. I respect the totality that goes into what she puts on, on a regular basis. And this docuseries has got the behind the scenes. Like, you get an idea of the sheer scope of what it is to do what she does. It is incredible.

Like I said, everything she touches seems to turn to gold, even if it's -- like, her standard is so high that, even when she misses the mark, it's better than most any artist could hope for. This is a worthwhile watch.

BLITZER: It certainly is.

Lisa, what does the new year hold for what we call the super couple?

(LAUGHTER)

RESPERS FRANCE: Yes.

Well, we're waiting on that wedding. There have been reports. They have not confirmed when their actual wedding date is. But people are very invested. They want to know what the gown is going to look like. They want to know about the flower situation. They want to know where it's going to be.

So there's a ton of interest, especially because of the docuseries. We got to see how supportive Travis Kelce is even when he's not there. Their intimate phone conversations just gave us a glimpse into their relationship that took us further than even seeing them interact together on the podcast.

So, at this point, I got to say, Wolf and Pamela, it's all about that wedding. We want wedding details.

BLITZER: We certainly do.

All right, Lisa and Segun ..

BROWN: And I know Wolf is a Swiftie, so he really can't wait.

BLITZER: I'm going to be reading all that stuff, watching it as well.

(LAUGHTER)

BLITZER: You're laughing.

ODUOLOWU: No, I'm only laughing because I can see the three of us, the four of us going to a Swift concert and having a good time.

BLITZER: And enjoying it.

ODUOLOWU: And enjoying it.

BROWN: Yes, exactly.

ODUOLOWU: Kudos to her.

BLITZER: All right, Lisa and Segun, excellent work. Thank you very, very much.

RESPERS FRANCE: Thank you.

BROWN: Up next: a religious resurgence led by Gen Z's young men. I sit down with the premier social scientists studying this trend.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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