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Nigeria Confirms It Coordinated With U.S. In Strikes On ISIS; Winning $1.8B Powerball Ticket Sold At Arkansas Gas Station; More Retailers Charge Restocking Fees For Holiday Returns. Aired 11-11:30a ET

Aired December 26, 2025 - 11:00   ET

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

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: He says have been attacking Christians.

[11:00:02]

And push for peace. Ukraine's president says he plans to meet with President Trump this weekend as he signals he could be willing to back down on some of his previous red lines.

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

New this morning, we're learning more about the latest U.S. military strikes ordered by President Trump. Listen.

The President says the deadly strikes successfully targeted ISIS terrorists in Nigeria. He accuses the Islamic State of slaughtering Christians in the African nation. And he says there could be more U.S. strikes on the group.

CNN national security correspondent Kylie Atwood is here with me in The Situation Room. What have you learned this morning about this latest development, this serious stuff.

KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Serious stuff happening on Christmas Day. This occurred, as you said, in northwest Nigeria along the border with Niger. According to a U.S. official, there were two ISIS camps that were targeted. AFRICOM said that there were multiple terrorists who were killed. We don't know the exact figure on that.

But we should note that President Trump said this happened because there were Christians who were primarily being targeted by the ISIS terrorists in that area. And we should also note that the secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, said in a post on social media yesterday that there would be more to come. We don't know exactly what that means. But we should note that in recent days there was also a U.S. strike carried out in Syria against the Islamic State there after there were Americans that were killed in a terrorist incident there.

BLITZER: What is the Nigerian government saying about these latest U.S. airstrikes? ATWOOD: Well, they're saying that this occurred in coordination with the Nigerian government, that the secretary of state, Marco Rubio, had a phone call, according to the Nigerian foreign minister, with their president, in which their president gave the U.S. the go ahead for these strikes to be carried out. So they are portraying this as something that, you know, they gave the sign off on ahead of time.

But we should also note that, as I said, President Trump has been focused on the plight of Christians in Nigeria. He has agreed with many Republicans in the United States that they are the ones who are being primarily targeted by ISIS as this violence in northwest Syria, excuse me, northwest Nigeria has been going on for more than a decade now. But that's where the Nigerians don't actually agree.

They don't say that this is an issue that is only affecting Christians in the country. They say that these terrorist incidents that have occurred have also killed Muslims in the country. This is not just about Christians who are being killed as a result of this ongoing violence. However, they say that they will work with the United States to target terrorists, and they do agree that the ISIS terrorists are a continuing problem in that area.

BLITZER: So the U.S. is now targeting ISIS targets in Syria, in Nigeria, but there are ISIS targets elsewhere in the region, in Africa, in the Middle East as well. What are we hearing about expanding these targets into other countries?

ATWOOD: It's an interesting question because we haven't heard a whole lot about ISIS in recent years, but the U.S. is clearly pretty focused on the persistent threat that ISIS clearly poses to the region and of course, potentially to the United States. So the U.S. is going after these targets. We'll have to watch and see, number one, how effective those strikes continue to because as I said, you know, we've seen this violence from ISIS going on for a long time now.

So can these strikes that are just sort of one off here and there actually be effective? But also, is this an issue that continues to get worse or one that continues to potentially get better? We'll have to watch and see. Nigeria says they want to work with the United States on this problem. So there could be some momentum there.

BLITZER: Yes. And potentially there are ISIS targets where in Gaza, in Lebanon, elsewhere in the region.

ATWOOD: Yes, yes.

BLITZER: We'll see if some of those targets are implemented by the U.S.

ATWOOD: We will. And it's also a question of, you know, who the ISIS terrorists are targeting in the strikes that they've carried out. In Syria, we saw it was two Americans that were killed, and that's what triggered the United States to actually go ahead with those strikes. And in recent days there in Nigeria, there are Christians who are part of the people who are being targeted. And so that is what prompted the Trump administration to really focus in on this issue. So the actual people who are being targeted clearly matters to the Trump administration.

BLITZER: All right, Kylie, thank you very, very much for that update. Kylie Atwood reporting for us.

[11:04:58]

Also happening now, another major story unfolding here in the United States. Recovery efforts are underway in California after two major storms blasted parts of the state on Christmas Eve and Christmas. Houses and cars were buried in debris and mud from the storm. And more rain is expected today. CNN's Reid Binion has the very latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Everything was flooded. It was insane.

REID BINION, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Californians reeling from another day of brutal, deadly weather. Torrential rain triggering floodwaters that made roads treacherous and in many cases impassable. Thunderstorms and punishing winds causing damage across the state. In other areas, feet of snow also impacting travel. In Wrightwood, northeast of Los Angeles, authorities issued an evacuation warning Thursday due to mud and debris flows.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're approaching 10 inches from the Wrightwood area. Widespread flooding throughout the community.

BINION (voice-over): Emergency crews pulling people from flooded cars and homes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A number of rescues were performed throughout the day. Water rescues from vehicles traveling onto flooded roadways. We had people that were trapped in their houses.

BINION (voice-over): The massive scope of the flooding still visible hours after the water receded. Cars and homes encased in silt, mud and sand the floodwaters left behind. Some homes buried nearly up to the windows and rafters. Elsewhere in the state, authorities say a Sacramento sheriff's deputy was killed after crashing on a wet roadway while driving to work.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fortunately, in this line of work, we deal a lot with, you know, the dangers in the line of duty. This is a little more unique because it's one of those freak accidents simply on his way to work.

BINION (voice-over): I'm Reid Binion reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Thanks very much to Reid for that report.

Still ahead, President Trump is set to meet with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy as negotiators are trying to work to find peace in Ukraine after nearly four years of brutal, awful war.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:11:25]

BLITZER: Happening now, the search is on for a lottery ticket holder in Arkansas who had a very, very happy holiday after scoring the $1.8 billion Powerball jackpot on Christmas Eve. It was the only ticket to match every number and the second largest in U.S. lottery history. The lucky winner will have about six months to claim the prize and up to three years to remain anonymous. Let's go live right now to CNN correspondent Rafael Romo, who's joining U.S. from Arkansas. Rafael, what more can you tell us about this winning ticket?

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Wolf. Well, the lucky winner or winners, it could have been a group of people as well, bought their ticket at this Murphy USA gas station. We're in Cabot, Arkansas, population 27,000, located about 25 miles northeast of Little Rock. I've been talking to people here, Wolf, and what they tell me is that they used to feel like they never won anything.

Well, that has surely changed. The winning ticket was sold at this Murphy USA gas station behind me. According to Powerball, the jackpot on Christmas Eve was $1.8 billion with a cash option of. Listen to this, Wolf, almost 835 million, making it the second largest U.S. lottery jackpot ever. The winner or winners will have to go to the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery's downtown office to claim their prize within 180 days of the drawing.

What should the lucky winner be doing right now? That's what many people are asking, Wolf. This is what Sharon Strong, the executive director of the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery and an attorney herself told me about that. Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHARON STRONG, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ARKANSAS SCHOLARSHIP LOTTERY: I would be talking with my attorney. I would be talking with my financial advisor. I would probably get some accounts set up to invest that money and to, you know, maybe set up a trust. I would definitely lock the ticket away in a safe place.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: And, well, if the store that sells the winning ticket gets a 1 percent commission on the price. But that commission is capped at $50,000, which is the amount this Murphy USA gas station will get. Arkansas is one of a growing number of states that allow lottery winners to remain anonymous. Since 2021, the state has allowed winners to prices over half a million dollars to shield their identities, though those names become public after three years. So it may be a while before we know who won the prize. Wolf, now back to you.

BLITZER: All right, Rafael Romo in Arkansas for us, thank you very, very much.

[11:14:08] Up next, as the dust settles on Christmas, some gift recipients face the task of replacing presidents -- presents, I should say, presents that might have missed the mark, but the return process is going to look a lot different this year for a whole lot of people.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Right now, shoppers making returns on holiday gifts may be in for a major surprise as a slew of retailers are charging a restocking fee for many online purchases. Some experts say it's part of a larger effort to lower costs that are tied to reprocessing those items. The National Retail Federation estimates about 20 percent of online sales will be returned this year. Let's discuss this and more with consumer spending analyst Hitha Herzog. Hitha, thanks so much for joining us. Restocking fees aren't necessarily a new concept, but more companies are expanding their use. Explain how this helps stores save money and explain what it means for consumers.

HITHA HERZOG, CONSUMER SPENDING ANALYST: You know, Wolf, in the past, consumers really took advantage of the fact that we could get free shipping. That was kind of enticing us to spend at these stores. When you have free shipping on, you know, 15, 20 different packages you're sending to your house, that really makes a difference in your budget. And we really saw a difference between how the consumer spent prior to the pandemic versus after, because after were just shopping online, getting everything sent to our homes and having all of those products being sent to our homes, us trying them on and then having them sent back for free was really costing the retailers.

[11:20:07]

And I know you said about 20 percent of retailers see that return coming back to them. It's really more like 40 percent to the tune of hundreds of billions of dollars. Wolf, it is really getting into the -- really eating into the bottom line of retailers and costing them a ton. And so this is why we're seeing those fees being tacked on as we return those products.

BLITZER: What kind of fees should these consumers expect to have to pay if they return a product?

HERZOG: It's a good question. So when you're shopping it for electronics, for example, the restocking fee, or it's called a reboxing fee, that could range anywhere between 10 to 20 percent of what you paid for that item. So if you paid thousand dollars for a new T.V. expected spend about 20 percent returning that if it doesn't quite fit in your home. When you are returning things that you maybe bought online, a sweater, smaller things, those fees can range anywhere between $10 to send that back via USPS or UPS or FedEx, all the way up to 20 or $30 in some cases.

BLITZER: I know that some of these fees are waived by returning items in stores, actually going into a store and returning the item rather than doing so online or joining their rewards club. Is it worth it to shoppers to do that? HERZOG: Yes, absolutely. So if you are thinking of returning, you know, eight to 10 items and some of racking up the fees, you know, it costs even less for you just to get in the car and drive it over. If you could drive it over and return it, don't return it online. It's just -- if you're watching your budgets, it just doesn't make sense cost wise.

Another thing too is, you know, I tell people, make sure that you're taking pictures of your receipts. I don't know about anyone that's watching out there. My handbag is a mess. That's just, you know, piles of stuff and kids stuff. So if you're out there, take a picture of a receipt, make sure you have that when you go into the store and return that item.

Because also, you know, it could take up to a month for these returns to be processed. So you want to make sure that you're tracking that.

BLITZER: Good point. Thank you so much for the expertise. Let me ask you one final question before I let you go. What do shoppers need to look for before making any returns?

HERZOG: Certainly you got to make sure that you are within the return date, right? I've made that mistake before. I'm sure other people have. You let it sit in your office or your home, suddenly you're a month out and you want to return those items. You may missed the deadline. But I think in some cases a lot of these retailers have extended return policies. But you don't want to make the mistake of thinking, oh, I can return this in six months and, you know, not get to it.

So try to make sure that you know when to return things and make sure that you're on top of it. It's hard to motivate during this holiday season, but that's one thing that I think everyone should be on top of.

BLITZER: Certainly important information. Hitha Herzog thank you very, very much.

HERZOG: Thanks so much.

[11:23:02]

BLITZER: And just ahead we'll talk with Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass as her city and Southern California for matter, now preparing for one last round of very heavy rain and the dangerous flooding and mudslides it's expected to bring.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Happening now, the Trump administration is trying to beef up the U.S. presence along the southern border with Mexico using billions of dollars from what Trump called the big beautiful bill. And now CNN is getting rare access inside the process of training Border Patrol agents. Many of them are Latino. CNN's David Culver has more in this Situation Room special report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID CULVER, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: So this is the morning inspection and there's about 1,100 recruits.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You all are a tremendous part of national security and we sincerely appreciate that you've taken the first step and that you signed up.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: March forward.

CULVER (voice-over): After months of request, we're granted rare access inside the U.S. Border Patrol Academy. Where under President Donald Trump, the curriculum has changed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is the fastest I've ever seen government move.

CULVER (voice-over): One of the biggest changes, a new pursuit policy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our last pursuit policy. We would let them go so they knew that the Border Patrol would not pursue them. Execute.

CULVER (voice-over): But that's no longer the case.

CULVER: Oh, I feel that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh yes.

CULVER (voice-over): They're also rolling out new firearms technology for better aim.

AGENT JEREMY DAVID, FIREARMS INSTRUCTOR, U.S. BORDER PATROL ACADEMY: The new implementation is the MRDS, which is a miniature red dot site.

CULVER: Is it a game changer though for you?

DAVID: One hundred percent.

CULVER: Really?

DAVID: Yes.

CULVER (voice-over): Many of the changes paid for they say by President Trump's big beautiful bill which also allocates funding for 3,000 new border patrol agents on top of the more than 19,000 already on the job.

CHIEF JARED ASHBY, U.S. BORDER PATROL: We'll grow this year to about 17, 1,800 students at any given time here.

CULVER: And that's going to be a record high.

ASHBY: That will be a record high.

CULVER (voice-over): Keeping those numbers up requires a major recruiting push.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have an incentive right now that if you graduate the Academy you get $10,000.

CULVER (voice-over): Customs and Border Protection says applications are up nearly 70 percent from a year ago.

CULVER: How old are you now?

JUAN PERALTA, BORDER PATROL RECRUIT: I'm 20.

CULVER: You're 20?

PERALTA: Yes.

CULVER: Wouldn't you tell your friends back home like I'm joining Border Patrol or some like surprised.

PERALTA: Yes. They're kind of like wow, you're starting pretty young. Or how do you feel about arresting your own kind?

[11:30:01]

CULVER: How do you answer that when you hear that?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They didn't come in the right way. So they aren't my kind.

CULVER (voice-over): Juan's story may surprise you. Latino, the son of an immigrant --