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The Brief with Jim Sciutto
Australian Teens Challenge Social Media Ban; Zelenskyy: Ukraine Lacks Strength To Retake Crimea; U.S. Set To Receive New Peace Plan Wednesday; Delta Air Lines Celebrates 100 Anniversary; Trump To Speak In Pennsylvania On Affordability; "Gang Of Eight" Briefing On Boat Strikes; U.S. Coast Guard Marks Record Year For Drug Seizures. Aired 6-7p ET
Aired December 09, 2025 - 18:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[18:00:00]
LYNDA KINKADE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers. Joining us from all around the world, I'm Lynda Kinkade in Atlanta. Jim Sciutto is
off. You're watching "The Brief."
Well, just ahead this hour. Australian teens challenged the country's social media crackdown that's now in effect banning children under the age
of 16 from 10 popular apps. President Zelenskyy rallies support in Rome but admits Ukraine lacks the strength to take Crimea back from Russian control.
And Delta's CEO answers the question. Is A.I. driving up the price of airline tickets? That story and much more coming up.
It is 10:00 a.m. in Sydney. And in a world first, children in Australia are spending the morning unable to access their social media accounts. The
country's ban on under 16s using some of the most popular platforms has now come into effect. It applies to 10 platforms including YouTube, TikTok and
Instagram. Some like WhatsApp, Pinterest and Roblox are exempt, at least for now.
Social media firms must introduce age verification checks and suspend accounts belonging to people under the age of 16. If they fail to comply,
they face fines of up to $32 million. Supporters say the ban will protect children.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JENNIFER JENNISON, PARENT: I think it's a great thing and I'm glad that the pressure is taken off the parents because there's so many mental health
implications and to take that off my hands and leave it to the government to decide, give my kids a break from after school and they can just rest
and hang out with the family.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: But critics argue the change in the law infringes on free speech and warn it may push children to riskier spaces online. Our Angus Watson
spoke with two teenagers fighting this ban in court.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANGUS WATSON, CNN PRODUCER (voice-over): Teenagers Noah and Macy are taking their government to court in a fight to stay on social media.
NOAH JONES, PLAINTIFF: Taking away how we communicate to the world, this is how we do it. It's a modern day. It's social media.
WATSON (voice-over): From Wednesday, Australia will enforce a world-first law banning children under 16 from many of the biggest platforms. Supported
by a freedom advocacy group, Macy and Noah's case asserts a right to political communication. The High Court has agreed to hear it next year.
WATSON: So, what will you lose when social media is taken away from you?
MACY NEYLAND, PLAINTIFF: Well, we will lose connections, but we will lose our democracy. This law is saying that democracy begins at 16, which is
condescending and it's incorrect.
JONES: Listen, there are definitely negatives on social media. I'm not denying that. I completely agree. We're saying that getting rid of the kids
is not the solution. We didn't do anything wrong.
WATSON (voice-over): The government says it is acted to protect children from potentially harmful content, harmful people and addictive algorithms.
JULIE INMAN GRANT, AUSTRALIAN E-SAFETY COMMISSIONER: And there are these powerful, harmful, deceptive design features that even adults are powerless
to fight against like autoplay and list scroll and snap streams. So, what chance do our children have?
WATSON (voice-over): Under the new law, young social media users won't be punished for being on age-restricted apps, nor will their parents. Instead,
Australia is requiring tech companies to take reasonable steps to keep under 16s off their platforms and threatening fines in the tens of millions
of dollars.
Tech companies say they are already building safer systems. A.I. face detectors will likely be employed to verify age, with tools provided by
third-party companies like Verifymy. Users may also be asked to upload their identity documents.
ANDY LULHAM, VERIFYMY CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER: Australia is certainly leading the way when it comes to requiring an age check for every user to
determine that they are over 16 or not.
WATSON: The government's ban is a catch-all. If you're under the age of 16, you're off social media. But children are all different. They've engaged
with social media differently and they feel differently about the ban.
WATSON (voice-over): The students at All Saints Anglican School on Australia's Gold Coast are learning from cyber safety advocate, Kirra
Pendergast, about how to best avoid danger on social media.
[18:05:00]
KIRRA PENDERGAST, CTRL+SHIFT CHIEF DIGITAL STRATEGIST: Because it is a delay. It's not a flat-out ban. They're not banning the internet. We're not
trying to boil the ocean. It's literally just a delay age. And so. they've got time to catch up to become more resilient and think more critically
about that how they use apps.
WATSON (voice-over): In their final year, Nicholas and Ruby wonder if maybe their school career would have been easier without the distraction of
social media.
RUBY PETTY, ALL SAINTS ANGLICAN SCHOOL CAPTAIN: Nick and I were talking before about how if we could we would delete Snapchat today. But it's more
the fact that because there's now so much reliability and connection based off one app, you don't want to delete it.
WATSON (voice-over): Perhaps for young Australians, the fear of missing out won't be so bad if everyone is forced to miss out together.
Angus Watson, CNN, Sydney, Australia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Well, for more on this, I want to welcome Dr. Jodi Gold, who joins us. She is a psychiatrist and the director of the Gold Centre for Mind,
Health and Wellness in New York. Great to have you with us.
DR. JODI GOLD, PSYCHIATRIST AND DIRECTOR, GOLD CENTER FOR MIND HEALTH AND WELLNESS: Thank you for having me.
KINKADE: So, I want to understand the psychological side of this. Because supporters of this ban point to cyber-bullying, addiction, even so-called
brain rot. How real are those risks? And what does research tell us about the dangers of social media for teenagers?
DR. GOLD: So, the risks of social media are real. We all sort of know that. We know that excessive use of social media can be very bad for your mental
health. And we know that people that are at risk for anxiety and depression, that social media can contribute to this. Having said that, I
think this ban or this delay that Australia is doing is quite interesting because there's really some pros and cons to it. I think every child is
different.
So, the pros to this is that we're having this conversation, right? That it's an international dialogue on whether when social media should be used.
I also think that it really is a delay, not a ban, which I like. I also like that the government's trying to help parents set limits because we do
know that kids need limits. And that it's been really hard for parents to set reasonable limits and find moderation. So, I think that's wonderful.
The challenges around this, though, are really about thinking about what the real cause is. Every child is different. I'm a little bit worried about
secrecy and about things being less transparent. So, I think it's really important. What we know about the research is that it's important to have a
collaborative discussion around social media. So, what I'm hoping that people are going to get out of this sort of delay is a discussion about how
kids are using social media. Because I think for many kids, it's bad for them. And for other kids, it can be connecting and positive.
So, I think that we're really all struggling with self-regulation. And it's critically important that we're all sort of having these discussions.
KINKADE: Yes, it's interesting. When you listen to teenagers, you definitely see various points of view. But certainly, when you look at the
surveys that have been done in Australia, more than 75 percent of the Australian public support this ban. What does that tell you about fears
that parents have?
DR. GOLD: Oh, I think the fears are reasonable. What I like about this is that I'm all about delay. I think that the idea -- I mean, I wish in some
ways we could get rid of social media. We know that we can't. The idea of delaying it is really wonderful. The idea of -- I mean, I think one of the
positives are that we're trying to stress, at least create a dialogue where people are -- where kids are trying to be offline and interacting more
offline.
I'm -- I don't know how successful this delay or ban is going to be. Because I do think that kids will find workarounds. And it'll be a little
bit more secretive. But I'm all for us setting limits. I think this is all about balance and moderation.
One of the things I'm a little concerned about is that I do think we need to be teaching kids about regulation and we need to be teaching kids how to
use this productively. And I want to make sure that we're continuing to have these conversations.
But honestly, I actually think this ban or this delay is a wonderful conversation starter for parents to be able to talk to their teenagers
about their relationship with social media. Because I think it's critically important if you're a parent out there to really understand how your
child's using social media. And it's not just about social media. It's about their entire digital lives, whether it's watching shows or connecting
or games.
Really and truly, parents have to talk to their kids about their relationship. And if they're using it in a negative way, helping them to
pull it back. And if they're using it in a positive way, cultivate it. But at the end of the day, it still needs to be used in moderation. So, I think
we're all craving this. So, I love that Australia is starting this international dialogue.
KINKADE: Yes. And speaking of creating this international dialogue, there are other countries and unions, representatives talking about also having a
ban similar to this for young people. Do you think that is potentially something that most countries should look at based on the metrics we see
when it comes to the success of this ban in Australia? Because they are saying that they're going to look at sleep and attention span. They're
going to assess how effective this ban is. What do you think we could learn from it?
DR. GOLD: Oh, I think we can learn a lot from it. What I want to be clear about though, is that things like sleep and mental health, we need to be
talking about anyway. Social media isn't the cause of mental health problems, nor is it the cause of sleep problems. I think it can worsen it.
[18:10:00]
I want to make sure that we have a dialogue on social media, but that we're also having a broader dialogue on sort of, because I think kids go to
social media when they're struggling with their mental health. I think that social media interferes with sleep, but a lot of things interfere with
sleep. So, I think that it'll be interesting to see the impact of this. I think a lot kids are going to stay on social media because I think they'll
find workarounds, but that's OK. Teenagers have always been doing that. I think it's sort of thinking about developmentally.
I mean, they're really shifting the conversation from being on social media and sort of middle school, middle years versus high school. And I do sort
of like the idea of pushing it. I don't know if we'll see sort of the impact in social media and sleep and mental health, but I also think it's
time for us to -- we've been like in this guinea pig generation for a while where we've been swinging back and forth, and I'm excited to see that we're
being thoughtful about how much social media people should be on and how they're using it.
So, I suspect that other countries will sort of follow the lead here, but I don't think this is the full-on solution. Like I think delaying entry into
social media is wonderful, but we really do need to teach kids how to use it. We need to be talking about mental health. We need to be talking about
positive body image and sleep. We need to be talking about all of these things, not just social media.
KINKADE: And it's just interesting when you see a couple of teenagers using their voice to take this case to the high court of Australia, they are
against this ban. They say that not only does it silence them, but also, it's not great for democracy. What happens when young people feel like
they're silenced or excluded?
DR. GOLD: Well, I mean, we can make an argument about democracy and at what age kids, you know, democracy is applied to. I do love that they're using
their voice. I love that they're advocating. I think what they point out to, which I really want to point out to all the parents around the world,
is that there are positive ways of using social media.
There are kids who use social media to connect, to get support for mental health. There's definitely that piece to it. And that is our goal. Our goal
is to use it in moderation and sort of help people to connect. I just love that they're advocating. I don't know that I agree with everything they're
saying, but I love that they're advocating.
Teenagers have always been finding workarounds. I don't necessarily think that this is going to result in people really getting on social media that
much later, but I think it opens up a dialogue on the dangers of social media and really opens up, I'm hoping, a dialogue on how to use social
media since we know it's not going away and we know that they're not even banning all of the social media platforms. They're just banning some of
them.
KINKADE: Yes.
DR. GOLD: Kids we'll still be able to be on social media. But I think -- I mean, we're not -- that's the truth. The truth is kids are still going to
be on it. They can be on other people. I'm a little bit worried about more secrecy, which is never good for teenagers, but I respect the teenagers
advocating for what they think is a good idea. And I do think that general bans don't always work, but I like it as like a first step to thinking
about how to use social media in moderation.
So, I'm proud of these kids for being advocates. I hope other countries will think about, you know, holding tech companies accountable for how we
use social media, but we all need to be having conversations. At the end of the day, it's about helping teenagers find self-regulation, find balance,
use social media appropriately. I mean, as adults, we're struggling with it, right?
KINKADE: Right. Exactly.
DR. GOLD: So, of course, kids with developing brains are struggling. So, I think it's important to say that it's not just kids that are struggling
with this. I mean, I struggle with it. I'm sure most of the people out there struggle with it. So, I think it's important for your kids to know
that you struggle with it.
And what I really want to come out of this is for parents to have something to talk about with their kids. Like it's not easy to talk to teenagers
about social media or to try to get them off their phones. Maybe this ban or delay will give people like -- you know, gives parents an opportunity to
say, hey, how do you use this? Do you think it's healthy for you? Are you comparing yourself too much? Or are you using it in this wonderful way?
So, I'm hoping it's a conversation starter. I don't know that I really agree with the democracy debate. I do agree that it doesn't really work to
push kids into secret. I mean, the kids will find work around.
KINKADE: Sure, sure. I do imagine other platforms may develop as a result of this ban, but we'll wait and see. Jodi Gold, I appreciate your time.
Thanks so much.
DR. GOLD: Thank you for having me.
KINKADE: Well, Ukraine's president says he expects his country to hand over an updated peace proposal as early as Wednesday. It follows another busy
day for President Zelenskyy on the diplomatic front. He met with Italy's prime minister earlier, hailing what he called substantive talks.
Donald Trump has been piling more pressure on Kyiv to strike a deal. And in an interview with Politico, the U.S. president said Russia has the upper
hand in negotiations and said that Ukraine needs to, quote, "start accepting things."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This deal of Zelenskyy rejects this deal. Is there a timeline? Is there a point at which you say?
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: Well, he's going to have to get on the ball and start accepting things. You know, when you're losing, you're losing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: President Zelenskyy also met with the pope in Italy, thanking him for his support and inviting him to Ukraine.
[18:15:00]
Pope Leo expressed concern that Donald Trump's recent peace plan could weaken the historic alliance between the U.S. and Europe.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
POPE LEO XIV: I think, unfortunately, some parts of it that I have seen make a huge change in what was for many, many years a true alliance between
Europe and the United States. The remarks that are made about Europe also in interviews recently I think are trying to break apart what I think needs
to be a very important alliance today and in the future.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Well, William Taylor is the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine and joins us now with more on what we can expect from the updated peace
proposal. Great to see you, Ambassador.
WILLIAM TAYLOR, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO UKRAINE AND DISTINGUISHED FELLOW, ATLANTIC COUNCIL: Thank you, Lynda. Good to be here.
KINKADE: So, there are three separate documents or broad elements of the discussion. There's the 20-point framework security guarantees, which --
the 20-point framework, which obviously is consolidated from the 28-point plan. There is a security guarantees and, of course, the recovery plan,
which is most urgent. And where do you think things will land when Ukraine delivers its revised version tomorrow?
TAYLOR: Lynda, I think the middle one you said, that is the security guarantee is really important for the Ukrainians. It's really important for
the Europeans. And therefore, it's important for the Americans. We have to be sure that after some kind of an agreement to stop the fighting, that the
Russians don't invade again. That's the real concern. The real concern is that they may agree to something and then do what they've done many times
in the past, invade again.
So, the security guarantee is designed to be sure that doesn't happen, to deter that from happening. And the Europeans are going to play a very big
role. And this means that Zelenskyy has to go talk to the Europeans about the security guarantee before he goes back to the Americans tomorrow with
critique of their plan.
KINKADE: Certainly, listening to President Trump, he's very frustrated by the pace of which this is all happening. He even said that Ukraine was
using war not to hold an election. In response, we heard from Ukraine's president, who says that Ukraine is ready for elections within 60 to 90
days if there are those security guarantees you mentioned. What do you see the risks if an election is held right now under wartime conditions?
TAYLOR: Well, first of all, and I just got back from Ukraine, I spent a week and gave and I talked to a lot of people every time I go. There's no
movement. There's no pressure for elections at this point. I talked to the opposition, civil society, the democracy reformers, there's no pressure for
an election right now because, exactly what you say, in order to have an election, you need to have security.
You cannot have bombs falling on polling places or cities while there's trying to be an election. You can't have an election while soldiers have to
be on the front line defending against the Russians. So, there's no pressure to do this.
And the only way you can do it is once the fighting stops, once the Russians stop fighting and stop bombing and stop attacking the Ukrainians
then you can have elections. And as Zelenskyy has said, he's ready for them. He's ready to go for them. He's probably very tired. He'd like to
have elections.
KINKADE: Yes, exactly. I mean, we've heard plenty of times that some call this an unwinnable war, echoing what Donald Trump is saying, who says that
Ukraine just has to accept that it's losing. You've argued that with Western resolve, Ukraine can win. What, in your assessment, would Ukrainian
victory look like?
TAYLOR: Ukrainian victory looks like a sovereign, democratic, European, prosperous and secure country. That's what they're after. That's not a big
demand. They want to be a normal European country. And they can get that. It is possible if we support them, Europeans support them.
The Ukrainians have demonstrated that they're going to fight until they get to that. So, they have indicated their determination. We have to support
them. And we can. We've got leverage. President Trump has leverage to put pressure on Putin to come to the table and get that security that President
Zelenskyy is talking about.
KINKADE: Certainly, Zelenskyy has admitted that Ukraine does not have the strength to take Crimea back. What does that admission mean for
negotiations?
TAYLOR: That means that President Zelenskyy is ready to acknowledge, just acknowledge the fact that the Russians are in Crimea and are in, indeed, 19
per cent of his country. He's willing to acknowledge that, not accept it, and certainly not accept it as legal.
It is clearly illegal for the Russians to be there. And it will remain illegal in any kind of agreement. That is, no one should recognize the
Russian claim to this 19 per cent that they're illegally occupied.
But President Zelenskyy has said he's not going to try to take it back militarily. He's not going to try to take Crimea back militarily. He's not
going to try to take the rest of Donbas back, which you're showing there in red, militarily.
[18:20:00]
But like West Germany finally got East Germany back, the Ukrainians think they will, in the end, in the long term, they hope it's not too long, we'll
get that back.
KINKADE: Certainly, from a Russian perspective, we are hearing increasingly aggressive rhetoric from including statements that Russia is at war with
Europe. How seriously do you take those sorts of statements?
TAYLOR: Well, you have to take it seriously if the Russians say they are at war with Europe. Now, the Russians have their hands full with Ukraine. So,
most people don't think that there is an imminent danger, a threat for the Russians to invade Europe or to undertake another aggressive action against
the Baltic states or others, because the Russians are struggling in Ukraine. The Russians are struggling with their hands full with Ukraine.
So, no imminent threat, but the Russians are clearly capable, after they have finished with Ukraine, one way or the other, to go after Europe. So,
the Europeans do need to be ready, do need to be concerned, and need to be prepared.
KINKADE: Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine, William Taylor, great to have you with us. Thank you.
TAYLOR: Thank you, Lynda.
KINKADE: Well, still ahead, the CEO of Delta Airlines responds to reports that A.I. is driving up the price of tickets. Richard Quest has that
interview with Ed Bastian next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KINKADE: Welcome back. I'm Lynda Kinkade. In today's Business Breakout, a mostly lowered down Wall Street. The Dow and the S&P pulled back but tech
stocks finished int eh green. And small cap stocks hit intraday record highs.
Well, investors cautious ahead of Wednesday's Federal Reserve interest rate decision. Another rate cut is likely. Officials will also weigh in on where
they see rates headed next year.
And checking some of today's other business headlines. Just released U.S. economic numbers paint a mixed picture of the U.S. jobs market. The new
data shows hiring activity weakening in October. Layoffs were on the rise, and the number of people quitting their jobs voluntarily fell to a five-
year low. On the plus side, the number of U.S. job openings rose to a five- month high.
Well, Microsoft has announced its largest ever business investment in Asia. The tech giant says it will sink an additional $17.5 billion in its Indian
operations over the next four years.
[18:25:00]
The money will go to upgrading its cloud and artificial intelligence units across the country. It's part of a $23 billion global investment in A.I.
announced by the firm.
A study by the U.N. says 2025 has been a strong year for global trade despite higher U.S. tariffs and geopolitical tensions. The U.N. says trade
is set to rise some 7 percent this year worldwide, and its value is set to exceed $35 trillion for the first time. The U.N. says East Asia and Africa
are among the areas where the growth has been the strongest.
Well, the U.S. airline industry is bouncing back from the chaos caused by last month's government shutdown. Delta has said the shutdown will cost it
some $200 million in profits. Looking forward, it sees strong demand heading into the new year. Delta has been celebrating its 100th anniversary
throughout 2025. And CEO Ed Bastian spoke with our Richard Quest about the major milestone and how A.I. could shape its corporate future.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ED BASTIAN, CEO DELTA: You think back even 50 years ago, what this business was then to what it is today, it's changed dramatically on a global scale,
of product, premium in terms of the volumes of people that we transport. And thinking about all of the turbulence this industry experiences over
that time frame, the ups and downs to be the first airline in the U.S. to get to 100, it's a hell of an achievement.
RICHARD QUEST, CNN ANCHOR, QUEST MEANS BUSINESS: Let's talk on the growth area with international. It's the big growth, but everybody's doing it. And
you're doing it with a combination of partnerships, JVs. How do you see that growing?
BASTIAN: Well, for us, it is the future. The first hundred years very much for Delta was about connecting the United States. And we are ubiquitous
throughout our country, ubiquitous throughout the major markets of the globe.
What we need to do next in our second century is to truly connect the globe. And I've been using this statistic for some time. When you realize
only one in five people in the world have ever stepped foot on an airplane, that tells you where the opportunity is to grow and expand. That's why
we're doing it with partners. When you take Delta combined with our partners, we're three times the size of just what Delta is. And so that's
our focus. And we're going to continue to lean into that heavily for the future.
QUEST: There is still a belief that you're A.I., not you, that the industry is going to somehow use A.I. to individually dynamically price, that they
spot Quest, they know what Quest will pay, and they're going to price accordingly.
BASTIAN: I wish we were that good because your prices would be really high. And no, the reality is it's not possible. We have 100 million price points
out there for sale at any point in time. The ability to go down to that level of detail -- first of all, you can't build -- the cost of doing that
to track you is not what we're interested in.
What we want to do with A.I. and pricing is very much how do we simplify the process to move faster for everybody. Machines have already -- always
run prices in our business, and they've run it for years. Right now, the machines are running it based on fairly simple algorithms, kind of matching
what's here, matching what's there, and trying to keep up.
We want the future to be a world where A.I. has the ability to understand our brand, understand who our customers, not individually, but in aggregate
are, what they're looking for, and how can we make certain we're getting not just the best pricing, but sometimes a lower price, and sometimes an
upper pricing.
QUEST: How does that work in reality then?
BASTIAN: In reality is that you've got machines that are running 24/7. OK. And so, today, while we say we have machines running pricing, they do it
but it's under the auspices of managers who watch and manage the machines.
In the future, we want those machines to be pricing many, many more itineraries than they currently do, giving them a lot more authority to be
able to be more flexible and more agile where we see opportunity, but at the same time, we can't keep up with that from a human standpoint.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Well, still to come, President Donald Trump is preparing to speak in Pennsylvania. That is a live shot of the swing state where he'll be
speaking. Of course, this is ahead of next year's midterm elections, why he's spotlighting his economic record and whether voters are buying it.
We'll have a live report from there coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:30:00]
KINKADE: Welcome back to "The Brief." I'm Lynda Kinkade. Great to have you with us. Here are the international headlines we're watching today.
A ban on major social media platforms for children under the age of 16 has taken effect in Australia. Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat and Facebook are
among the 10 platforms that will use age verification technology to stop young children from logging in. Existing accounts are also suspended.
Children will still be able to use WhatsApp, Discord and YouTube Kids.
The Trump Justice Department says it will push ahead with efforts to prosecute former FBI Director James Comey. That was confirmed in court
documents filed earlier today. It comes just two weeks after Comey's previous indictment was dismissed and after a judge put temporary limits on
the evidence prosecutors can use in future grand jury proceedings.
Around 400,000 people near the Thai-Cambodian border are under evacuation orders. It comes as armed clashes between the two sides spread further
along the disputed frontier. There are reports of rocket strikes and drone attacks in some areas and at least eight deaths. The renewed fighting comes
after Thai and Cambodian officials signed a U.S. back ceasefire deal with President Trump on hand back in October.
Well, U.S. President Trump is due to speak in Pennsylvania at any moment where he is expected to highlight his economic record. The president
already touting his accomplishments in an interview with Politico.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I do want to talk about the economy, sir, here at home. And I wonder what grade you would give your economy?
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: A plus.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A plus?
TRUMP: Yes. A plus, plus, plus, plus, plus. The word affordability. I inherited a mess. I inherited a total mess. Prices were at an all-time high
when I came in. Prices are coming down substantially.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Well, President Trump may be pleased, but most Americans are not. Recent polls by both Fox News and CNN show most Americans disapprove of his
handling of the economy. Mr. Trump has indeed lowered costs on some things like gas and pharmaceuticals, but his tariff war has raised the overall
cost for American households.
[18:35:00]
Alayna Treene is with the President in Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania. Good to have you with us, Alayna. So, Trump gives the economy a glowing report
card, a score I've never heard of before. Most voters do indeed disagree. So, talk to us about what is expected to say there in the swing state of
Pennsylvania.
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes, it is. It's also fascinating just what you said there at the end, Lynda, which is that this is a swing
state. The decision to come here to a district he won by less than a percentage point in last year's election is very notable. And of course,
this is one of many expected trips that the president is going to be taking on this exact issue, this issue of affordability, the high cost of living
here in the United States, issues with inflation, the economy, going to the gas tank and seeing the prices bigger. Those are all issues that this White
House believes that they need to work on.
When I've talked in several conversations with people at the White House, they've essentially told me they recognize that this is a problem. I think
the key question I have, Lynda, is how the president, what kind of tone he's going to strike, how he's going to approach this issue when he takes
the moment now to talk about this.
Now, you did play that clip of him giving A plus, plus, plus grade on the economy. I mean, it'll be interesting to see if he continues to argue that
all of the issues, all of the pain Americans are feeling as it relates to higher prices right now is because he inherited, in his words, a bad
economy from Joe Biden.
I actually was on the ground earlier today, Lynda, interviewing some local residents here in Pennsylvania as they went in and out of a grocery store.
I asked them that exact question. I actually showed many of them that interview. I said, do you agree with him? Do you think it's an A plus,
plus, plus economy? All of them said no. Even some of the Trump supporters I had spoken with, some of the Republicans had essentially said, look, he's
trying his best. Maybe I'd give it an A, but I would not give it an A plus, plus, plus.
We heard from folks on the other side saying that they absolutely disagreed, that they are all struggling right now to make ends meet, and
that they very much think that this is going to be an issue that drives them to the polls next year, and one that they believe will be the key
issue in that election cycle. All to say, the president has an opportunity here to try and see if he can salvage some of the low poll numbers he's
had, but also a lot of dissatisfaction, I'd argue, people have.
Because I'd remind you as well, this time last year, just weeks after he had won the general election to become president once again, one of his key
promises was to deliver this idea of economic prosperity. He called it a golden economic era that he would be ushering in.
So far, a lot of people are saying we have yet to see it. When will we see it? And also, at what point does -- can he kind of, you know, stop -- does
he have to stop saying this is no longer a Biden economy, but admit that this is a Trump economy? And so, all of that we'll be watching very closely
this evening, Lynda.
KINKADE: Yes, exactly. It's interesting to note on the one hand, he calls this whole affordability issue a hoax and says the economy is going great.
But as you say, on the other hand, he blames Joe Biden for the economic issues. Good to have you with us, Alayna Treene, from Mount Pocono in
Pennsylvania. We will chat again soon.
Still to come, the Trump administration briefs the gang of eight lawmakers on boat stripes against alleged drug traffickers. We're going to discuss
what we know about that meeting.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:40:00]
KINKADE: Welcome back to "The Brief." I'm Lynda Kinkade, where U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has given a rare briefing to the top eight
intelligence leaders in Congress. The Trump administration is facing questions about the decision to kill survivors of a strike on this alleged
drug boat. President Trump now says the second strike was necessary to stop the flow of drugs into the U.S. Natasha Bertrand has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Senior members of President Trump's national security team, including Secretary of Defense
Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine, and the CIA Director John Ratcliffe all traveled to
Capitol Hill on Tuesday in order to brief gang of eight lawmakers on operations around Latin America.
Now, we're told that this briefing was set to cover a range of different issues, and the administration's approach to Latin America is going to be
top of mind for senators and for lawmakers who have not gotten a fulsome briefing on the administration's approach to operations in the Caribbean
and the Eastern Pacific.
Now, we're told that senators are also going to be asking very pointed questions about the boat strike on September 2nd that killed survivors.
Chuck Schumer, the Senate minority leader, in particular said prior to the briefing that he was planning to press Secretary Hegseth on releasing the
full video of that September 2nd boat strike, something that President Trump had said he was open to just last week, but this week seemed to
change his mind on. And Secretary Hegseth has also said there could be some classification issues with releasing the full video of that boat strike
that has caused so much controversy and raised questions about the legality of the U.S. military campaign in the Caribbean and the Eastern Pacific.
Broadly, though, senators and representatives are going to be asking, we were told, pointed questions about the military's operations around Latin
America, including their approach to Venezuela, because President Trump has repeatedly alluded to the idea that he would be open to conducting land
strikes inside Venezuela itself. While he has not made a decision one way or another, CNN is also told that the Trump administration has been
planning for a day after President Maduro, for him stepping down if he was indeed removed from power, either via U.S. military action, CIA action, or
if he were to decide to step aside voluntarily.
So, the administration has been planning for that, something that senators and representatives undoubtedly asked about in this briefing as well. But
broadly, this is not something that happens every day. This kind of very high-level briefing for senior intelligence and other representatives and
senators on these very important committees, they are rare.
And so, this is really going to be a chance for senators and representatives to get a look at what the administration's actual approach
is to its massive military operation underway around Latin America.
Natasha Bertrand, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: As questions mount over the so-called drug boat strikes by the U.S. Defense Department, lawmakers press for more transparency. Another arm
of the government's drug-fighting effort seems to be making a noticeable impact, the U.S. Coast Guard. As CNN's Paula Newton reports, new funding
and deployment have helped drive a staggering surge in the seizure of drugs.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): You are watching U.S. Coast Guard video of a takedown mission of alleged cocaine traffickers. This just
won in a record-breaking year for the federal agency seizing more than three times the amount of cocaine this fiscal year to September 30th than
the annual average over the past few decades.
[18:45:00]
REAR ADMIRAL JEFF NOVAK, U.S. COAST GUARD: We had more ships in the transit zone, and then in August of this year, we further surged assets into the
eastern Pacific Ocean to increase our effectiveness against narco- traffickers and transnational criminal organizations.
NEWTON: Why a record-breaking year? What have you seen?
NOVAK: Collectively, we work to understand where the drug flows are, and then with an increase of resources, we can better align our assets to where
potential smuggling routes may be.
NEWTON (voice-over): The surge in resources since January means the Coast Guard has been responsible for some 80 percent of drug seizures at sea this
year. In fact, this recent offload in Florida was the most cocaine seized by a single cutter in one patrol in Coast Guard history.
TULSI GABBARD, U.S. DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE: This kind of investment is what has set the Coast Guard has unleashed the Coast Guard to
be able to deliver the kind of historic results, again, that these men and women signed up to do.
NEWTON (voice-over): The Coast Guard is the lead Federal Agency for maritime drug interdiction, while U.S. military involvement has been
controversial, it is the Coast Guard that has been most effective in seizing drugs.
Perhaps more importantly, are any of these missions reducing the amount of drugs on American streets. In San Francisco, where illicit drug use has
long challenged the city, the sheriff says anecdotally, he has seen a difference.
SHERIFF PAUL MIYAMOTO, SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA: Any effort, either at the federal, state or local level, to help with the infusion of drugs into our
communities is helpful and welcome assistance, regardless of politics, drugs affect everyone in the community, and by making sure that we don't
have a flow of drugs into our communities, it's very helpful.
NEWTON (voice-over): Sheriff Miyamoto stresses that a local, state and federal approach has been key in his city. It's been about collaboration.
He says, not only the surge in resources at sea.
And some human rights advocates contend the record-breaking drug trafficking operations will only serve as a band aid to what is an increase
in drug production, especially cocaine.
JOHN WALSH, DIRECTOR OF DRUG POLICY, WOLA: The starting point here is to realize that interdiction per se and supply overseas, supply control is
very limited and can result in sort of episodic supply reductions and disruptions, but those are almost always quickly overtaken because
traffickers adapt.
NEWTON (voice-over): But the Coast Guard says it's adapting too, using the surge of resources, technology and intelligence to disrupt drug traffickers
for the long haul.
Paula Newton, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Well, staying in the region, Honduras has issued an arrest warrant for its former president Juan Orlando Fernandez, who was accused of money
laundering and fraud. He was freed from U.S. federal prison last week after being pardoned by U.S. President Donald Trump in a move that was criticized
by both sides of the political aisle in the U.S. and in Honduras.
Fernandez was convicted and sentenced last year to 45 years in federal prison and given an $8 million fine by a U.S. judge for drug trafficking
offenses. He denies any wrongdoing.
Still to come on "The Brief," Liverpool scoring a crucial victory in the Champions League without their star player Mo Salah. We'll have the
highlights next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:50:00]
KINKADE: Welcome back. I'm Lynda Kinkade. Good to have you with us. Police in Argentina have raided the headquarters of the country's National
Football Association along with more than 30 clubs. That's according to a police source. It's part of an investigation into alleged money laundering
by a financial firm, which is one of the football association's main sponsors. The firm, Sur Finanzas, said last week that the accusations are
quote, "unfounded." CNN has reached out to the AFA for comment.
Well, Liverpool beating Inter Milan with a late penalty goal in the Champions League. The Reds Egyptian star Mohamed Salah was out of the squad
after he publicly criticized the manager. Patrick Snell has all the details. Patrick, great to see you.
So, the big question was, everyone was wondering whether Liverpool could actually get it across the line without their star player and it certainly
came down to the finish line. Lots of drama both on and off the pitch.
PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: Yes, you're absolutely right, Lynda. Yes, they're now unbeaten in four matches without Mo Salah. And I'll tell you
what, a big statement victory for the Reds, no question about that. It's been a very difficult week for them, I will say. Remember, they're the
reigning Premier League champs and Mo Salah, after the club played on Saturday night in the Premier League against Leeds United, making headlines
for all the wrong reasons.
He didn't even travel, Lynda, with the first-team squad to Italy, where they faced Internazionale at the San Siro on Tuesday night. Just the one
goal coming in this one. Remember, Salah had actually said, he told reporters that he felt the club had thrown him under the bus, that his
relationship with the club's Dutch head coach, Arne Slot, there had broken down.
Well, as a result, no Salah, but Liverpool going on to win the game. It was a disputed penalty there, Inter Milan not really feeling there was too much
contact there on the Liverpool player Florian Wirtz. The officials felt differently, though. They deemed that to be a tug on the shirt. Did the
player make a little bit of a meal of it? Well, I don't know. I think there's contact. I think if you do that, you're being risky and you risk
conceding a penalty. That's what happened.
It is converted by Dominik Szoboszlai. Too strong for the Inter keeper. Ball hits the back of the net. Big celebrations for Arne Slot and his team.
This win will mean so much to the men from Merseyside. Afterwards, the Mo Salah situation front and center once again for the Liverpool head coach.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ARNE SLOT, LIVERPOOL MANAGER: You say everyone makes mistakes in life. So, the first thing should be, does the player think he's made a mistake as
well?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But how are you going to know that if you don't talk with him? So, you're going to talk with him to understand that?
SLOT: I haven't said that I'm not going to talk to him. I know, I know. And then the next question is, should the initiative come from me or from him?
Now, that's another question to answer.
VIRGIL VAN DIJK, LIVERPOOL CAPTAIN: I don't think I'm the one to speak about if someone has apologized for anything. I think it's him airing his
feelings over the last couple of days. And that's something that the club has to deal with.
We speak. And those type of things will stay indoors like it should be. And we have to. And I mean, we as a team of players, we have to brace ourselves
only and be ready for -- be against the outside noise.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SNELL: Ah, the captain not giving too much away there. Six-time winners Bayern Munich fail. They actually fell behind in this one to Portugal
Sporting. But within about 11 minutes, they would level through Serge Gnabry, who restores parity at the home side there of the Allianz Arena.
How about this for a story? The teenager, the phenom, Lennart Karl, just 17 years of age. He can't stop scoring. He doubles the host tally. Stunning
piece of skill as well from the youngster at just 17 years, 291 days. He's now the youngest player in tournament history to score in three straight
appearances. Then just with 10 minutes to go, just over Jonathan Tah adding some gloss to the score line. As FC Bayern seal the win 3-1. The three
points putting them on to 15 now. They're right up there at the summit of the Champions League table. Three goals in 12 minutes for FC Bayern, their
fifth win so far as I say.
But, Lynda, going back to that Mo Salah situation, you can be sure there is plenty more to come on this story because will he play for the club again
now? That's the big question on everyone's lips. Back to you.
KINKADE: Exactly. And will he make the call first or will it come from the club?
SCIUTTO: Yes.
KINKADE: Patrick Snell, good to see you. Thanks so much.
[18:55:00]
Well, NASA has released new images of an interstellar object that it says is a comet, but it may be a spaceship. Comet 3I/Atlas has gotten the
attention of astronomers because it originated outside our solar system but is now getting relatively close to earth and our telescopes.
The fact that we have no idea what part of the universe it came from has led a Harvard astrophysicist to say it's possible 3I/Atlas could be an
alien spaceship. But NASA says they have not seen anything yet to indicate it is more than a fast-moving chunk of rock and ice.
Well, in today's Good Brief, the cry of good boy and good girl could be heard across Buenos Aires. Take a look at this. A sea of golden retrievers
as they attempted to break a world record for the largest gathering of the breed in one place. Almost 2,400 dogs took part, smashing a previous record
and more than 1,600 golden retrievers in Vancouver. The record was unofficial and the final number still needs to be verified. But what we can
confirm is that they all had a truly awesome time judging by these pictures.
That does it for this edition of "The Brief." I'm Lynda Kinkade. Thanks so much for your company. Stay with CNN. Much more news to come.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:00:00]
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