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What We Know with Max Foster
U.S. In "Active Pursuit" Of Oil Tanker Off Venezuela; Next Hour: Trump To Make Announcement Alongside Hegseth; Zelenskyy: Ukraine On Alert For Russian Attacks Near Christmas; U.S. Justice Department Defends Partial Release Of Epstein Files; Court Docs: Bondi Beach Attack Suspects Threw Unexploded Bombs At Victims; CNN Poll: California Governor Newsom Leads Among Democrats. Aired 3-4p ET
Aired December 22, 2025 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[15:00:25]
CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN HOST: The U.S. president and defense secretary are set to speak as the chase continues at sea.
This is WHAT WE KNOW.
Right now, the U.S. is going after an oil tanker called Bella 1, which was sailing towards Venezuela to pick up oil. American officials believe it is
part of a shadow fleet that transports oil from sanctioned nations. Next hour, U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to make an announcement about
U.S. shipbuilding alongside Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the secretary of the Navy.
We're joined by CNN military analyst, Colonel Cedric Leighton.
Colonel, great to have you with us. So, let's talk about what's happening right now. Colonel, the U.S. is currently in pursuit of its third oil
tanker in less than two weeks. The coast guard, we understand, is leading the charge. But behind them is a huge fleet of U.S. Navy.
So, what is your read on on what has been happening with these oil tankers here and and how much of a provocation this is by the United States.
COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Yeah. Christina, these are all great questions. So right now, when we're looking at the Bella 1,
which is the tanker that is being pursued this is a tanker that is on the sanctions list. The U.S. Treasury Department sanctions list, and it has
purported links to Iran, to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps. And as you reported, its was in route to Venezuela, apparently to pick up oil, we
believe.
But that specific mission that it had was thwarted by the Coast Guard's effort to board the vessel. Now, with that flotilla that's behind the coast
guard, that is basically in support of these operations, we're talking 15,000 U.S. Navy sailors and U.S. Marines that are stationed throughout
various points in the Caribbean, just north of Venezuela.
So, this vessel you know, so far, at least as far as we can understand, has eluded capture. It did transmit distress calls as it was, as the coaster
was attempting to board it. But we really don't know the reason for it. First of all, not to accept the boarding by the U.S. Coast Guard. And then
also what exactly it was, you know, it was doing and why it turned around, in this particular case.
So it's -- you know, at the moment, a bit of a mystery, but it seems that this is part of the U.S. administrations effort to not only tighten the
noose around Venezuela, but specifically to go after it in an economic sense.
MACFARLANE: And, Colonel, has it eluded capture for some 24 hours now simply because it has been able not to permit coast guard to board the
vessel? I mean, why is this taking so long?
LEIGHTON: Yeah, it's really interesting because normally when there is an effort by the coast guard to board a vessel, there's an element of surprise
associated with that. So, you know, do we know right now whether or not the Bella crew, Bella 1 one crew was tipped off? That's, you know, that's a
possibility. There's also the possibility that the crew was actually armed and that it was a bit more dangerous for the Coast Guard to go in there as
opposed to the other tankers that had that it was able to basically take control of.
So this is a bit unusual. The other two, captures made it seem easy. It is not an easy operation to conduct by the Coast Guard, even though they're
very good at it. But this particular tanker, you know, should be, fairly easy for the Coast Guard or the navy, at least to intercept, just based on
the speed of the vessel, the relative speed of the vessels. But apparently, that's not happened, and we're not quite sure why at this point.
MACFARLANE: Yeah. I mean, the United States, Donald Trump has said that this amounts to or what they're trying to do here is implement a blockade
on Venezuelan oil. And that in itself could amount to a near-total shutdown of its crude exports.
What sort of response are you expecting to see here from Venezuela? Could it be a military response? And how -- how restrictive could the fact that
all of this is playing out in international waters be to that response?
LEIGHTON: Yeah. So, the Venezuelan navy does not have the capability to go very far beyond its shores. There is certainly a maritime capability there.
I basically -- what the Venezuelans have decided to do is to escort the tankers within Venezuelan territorial waters. So that gives them the
opportunity to manage what happens, or at least try to manage what happens close to their shoreline.
But it makes it more difficult for them to exercise that kind of control outside of their territorial waters. And that could, of course, result in
an in a situation where the U.S. Navy or the Coast Guard get involved in a standoff, or worse, with the Venezuelan navy. So far, that has not
happened, but the possibility of a miscalculation is certainly there, given that the fact that the Venezuelans are trying to protect the tanker fleet
that is coming to take their crude oil exports to other countries like Cuba, China and Iran.
MACFARLANE: Yeah, well, the pursuit is still ongoing. We'll keep close eyes on this. And, Colonel, we appreciate your thoughts as always. Thank
you.
LEIGHTON: You bet, Christina.
MACFARLANE: Now, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the military is on alert for potential Russian attacks around Christmas. He's calling on
Ukraine's intelligence services to significantly step up their work.
That comes after a senior Russian general was killed in a car bombing in Moscow. Images from the scene show damage to multiple vehicles.
Investigators say the general ran the armed forces operational training department. They've now opened a criminal case and believe Ukraine's
special services may be behind the attack.
As Clare Sebastian reports, this is just the latest in a series of targeted attacks on Russian military officials since the war began in Ukraine.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This unassuming white car, Russian officials say, is where Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, the
Russian general in charge of operational training, spent some of his final moments.
A bomb planted under the vehicle's chassis.
SVETLANA PETRENKO, RUSSIAN INVESTIGATIVE COMMITTEE SPOKESPERSON (through translator): One of the theories is that the crime was organized by
Ukrainian special services.
SEBASTIAN (voice-over): Ukraine hasn't yet commented. It was frightening, says this local resident. At first, they thought a Shahed or some other
Ukrainian drone had been shot down.
Frightening, yet not as unusual a death as you might think for a high-level Russian military commander. Savarov, at least the sixth Russian military
official have died in targeted attacks on Russian or occupied Ukrainian soil since February 2022.
At least four of the incidents happened in or close to the Russian capital. Car bombs are the most common method. This was the blast that killed
Lieutenant General Yaroslav Moskalik in April, just east of Moscow. The wreckage of another unassuming white car on the scene.
But there have been other more unusual approaches. This footage obtained by CNN shows the moments before a remotely detonated bomb planted in a scooter
killed Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, the head of Russia's nuclear and chemical weapons forces outside his Moscow apartment block last December. A
source with knowledge of the operation told CNN the Ukrainian security services were responsible.
And in the summer of 2023, Stanislav Rzhitsky, a former commander with Russia's Black Sea Fleet, was shot dead while out running. Russian media
reported he may have been tracked using the popular fitness app, Strava.
Ukraine doesn't usually take direct responsibility.
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: It's so important not to relax or rely on diplomacy alone.
SEBASTIAN (voice-over): But as a fourth winter of constant Russian attacks grinds on with no sign of compromising talks, this invisible war is testing
Russia's defenses at home and exposing clear gaps.
Clare Sebastian, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MACFARLANE: The U.S. Department of Justice is defending the release of heavily redacted files pertaining to the investigation of sex trafficker
Jeffrey Epstein. Officials say it's to ensure the privacy of victims. Some members of Congress say it's a cover up for those who perpetrated the
crimes. Earlier today, survivors issued a statement against the partial release and inconsistent approach to the redactions. Congress passed a law
demanding the full release of the documents in the Epstein investigation, and now some lawmakers are threatening to start contempt proceedings
against Attorney General Pam Bondi for not complying.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAMIE RASKIN, U.S. HOUSE DEMOCRAT: They've not shown any deference or respect for the victims at all. For the survivors of this nightmare, and
it's all about covering up things that, for whatever reason, Donald Trump doesn't want to go public either about himself, other members of his
family, friends, Jeffrey Epstein, or just the social business cultural network that he was involved in for at least a decade, if not longer.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACFARLANE: CNN's Katelyn Polantz has all the latest developments from Washington.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: The Justice Department is saying that it may have even been an over redaction of the
Epstein files that were released on Friday over redaction. That's the word that they used in a court filing recently explaining how they were going
about protecting victims.
Basically, in a way that made all kinds of caution to make sure that victim names and images weren't released.
[15:10:04]
Ultimately, the Justice Department redacted any women in photographs with Jeffrey Epstein. And also, they redacted things that would have been
executive branch or attorney privileges.
So internal deliberations within the Justice Department or other agencies, as well as attorney work products, so drafts, perhaps, of documents and
then attorney client communications. A lot more redactions than what the law allowed.
The Southern District of New York's U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton, he said in that court filing on Friday night that not only was it an over redaction,
there was just so much information and such a time crunch that the Justice Department was going to err on the side of caution to make sure they were
protecting victims. Now this played out with that photograph of Donald Trump that was on the website released among many new photographs taken
from the Jeffrey Epstein files that the FBI the Justice Department had held in their possession for years.
That photograph of Donald Trump, it was of Trump, among many others. There's a bunch of photographs string out on the desk, and then someone
took a photo of that. In that way, the Southern District of New York after that photo was up on the website of the Justice Department's release,
lawyers said that they might need to take potential further action to protect victims.
That image was pulled down on Saturday. And then once the department determined that there was no evidence of victims anywhere in that
photograph, that they reposted it without any alteration or redaction. So, the Justice Department does have the photo of Donald Trump up again.
Same thing happened, apparently, with grand jury transcripts from the 2021 indictment of Ghislaine Maxwell in the Southern District of New York as
well the initially that grand jury transcript, it was fully blacked out, and then the Justice Department went through and redacted only certain
things, certain discussions or names in that document a grand jury transcript something we had never seen before.
But the law is only allowing for so much redaction, so there is going to be a question on what happens next. Will a court intervene, or even
potentially members of Congress unhappy with how the Justice Department complied with this law or did not?
Back to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MACFARLANE: Thanks to Katelyn.
Now we are learning new details about the man accused of carrying out that deadly attack on a Hanukkah celebration in Australia. New court documents
say the father and son threw improvised explosive devices at the crowd on Bondi Beach, though none of them detonated.
CNN's Mike Valerio has more on how the massacre unfolded.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Police say the accused attackers had three pipe bombs and one tennis ball bomb thrown into the crowd before the
accused father and son started shooting.
Key here, according to investigators, all those bombs, all those explosive devices were viable, but none of them detonated.
So, in addition to those four, we have the three pipe bombs, the tennis ball bomb. There was also another larger IED that was found in the trunk of
the father and son's car, bringing the total to five explosives.
And then there's the level of alleged preparation. Investigators looked at videos found on the cell phones of the father and son.
And in October, police say both appear to be practicing firing shotguns in the countryside of New South Wales, trying to move tactically. And as we
move closer to the attack on Friday, December 12, there is a still from CCTV during the 9:00 p.m. hour in Sydney that appears to show both of the
accused going to the same foot bridge where the attack started.
And on the day of the attack in the 02:00 a.m. hour, police say the father and the son are seen moving large, long items believed to be the weapons
and explosives brought to the attack, and they're wrapped in blankets, putting them in their car.
Also, police shared a photo of an ISIS flag that they say the father and son made.
And they added that in another October video, the father and son made, quote, a number of statements regarding their motivation for the Bondi
attack and condemned, quote, the acts of Zionists.
Furthermore, worth noting, the surviving son was moved from his hospital bed today where he was receiving treatment escorted by a police riot squad
to a penitentiary facility.
Mike Valerio, CNN, Beijing.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MACFARLANE: All right, coming up, a new CNN poll looks ahead to 2028 and the race to replace U.S. President Donald Trump. So, who's getting some
early attention? We'll take a look.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:17:57]
MACFARLANE: Welcome back.
Now, the next U.S. presidential election is still about three years away. It will be the first time in 12 years without a sitting president seeking
his party's nomination. And many voters are already thinking about who they want to see run.
A new CNN poll shows among Democrats or left leaning independents, California Governor Gavin Newsom's name was mentioned the most. He was
followed by former vice president and presidential candidate Kamala Harris. And on the Republican side, Vice President J.D. Vance is the early leader
right now, followed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Although most Democrats and Republicans say they have no specific candidate in mind.
Well, there's a potential early frontrunner in the 2028 presidential election. J.D. Vance looks to position himself as a figurehead of the
Republican Party. The vice president acknowledged the divisions within the party at the right-wing Turning Point USA conference over the weekend.
Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
J.D. VANCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: President Trump did not build the greatest coalition in politics by running his supporters through
endless, self-defeating purity tests, he says Make America Great Again because every American is invited.
I know some of you are discouraged by the infighting over any number of issues. Don't be discouraged. Wouldn't you rather lead a movement of free
thinkers who sometimes disagree, than a bunch of drones who take their orders from George Soros?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACFARLANE: Well, earlier in the conference, Erika Kirk backed J.D. Vance to win the next election. She took over leadership of Turning Point USA
after the assassination of her husband, Charlie Kirk.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ERIKA KIRK, TURNING POINT USA: Your head. Vance elected for 48 and the most resounding way possible.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACFARLANE: So, what we want to know is who is in pole position for the 2028 election?
Stephen Collinson is rejoining us.
So, Stephen, is the Republican nomination J.D. Vance to lose really here if we believe this data?
[15:20:02]
STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN POLITICS SENIOR REPORTER: Yeah. If you talk to any Republicans around Washington and around the country, most of them have
already concluded that Vance is the front runner. First of all, because he's in pole position as the vice president, and he seems the most
compatible candidate with the evolving nature of the Republican base that was on show at that conference. Ultra right wing, socially, increasingly
Christian nationalist. Vance is moving to consolidate. I think the movement after Trump behind him.
He does have a very complex road, though I think not only does he have to try to mitigate some of these emerging splits in the MAGA coalition and the
Republican Party itself, as Donald Trump's control and even interest over the Republican base starts to wane. His fate nationally, if he is the
nominee, may well depend on the success or otherwise of the Trump administration.
If the president continues his slump into a classic second term in which presidents often have a very tough time, Vance may have a much more
difficult case to make to the American people that, yes, what we want is four more years of somebody who will be seen as an heir to Donald Trump.
MACFARLANE: Yeah, I mean, Trump ultimately looms large over both these parties, doesn't he? I mean. Will ultimately be up to Donald Trump, who
runs on on either side here?
COLLINSON: I don't think so because, first of all, you've got, as I was saying, the question of Trump's fate, even in the Republican Party under
Donald Trump, people don't necessarily always go for the establishment person. Trump, of course, was always seen as an outsider in both his races.
There was an attempt early on in the 2020 race to try and find a candidate who wasn't Donald Trump. Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida, was widely
seen as that person, and he didn't end up doing very well. So, I don't think a coronation will necessarily be popular in a party that is starting
to show all sorts of insubordination.
Obviously, the Democratic race will be shaped by what happens in the Trump presidency. Will voters in three years time be looking for a Democrat who
defined themselves as a fighter against Trump, or will they be looking to move forward to find someone that can redefine the American narrative to
offer a softer, more hopeful kind of leadership to try to repair the splits that were opened up in the Trump presidency.
So, on the Democratic side, I think its still very unclear what the party and what voters will want from a Democrat in 2028.
MACFARLANE: And on that, then, Stephen, how worried should Democrats be that there doesn't appear to be a clear head of the party at this stage?
COLLINSON: I don't think they should be too worried, firstly, because they've spent almost all of this year trying to get over the shock of the
loss to Donald Trump in 2024. They got a boost with two big wins in governors' races in Virginia and New Jersey earlier this year in November.
And that has really started the clock, I think, to Democrats thinking about, okay, how do we appeal to the American people?
The loss in 2024 is now in the rear window. So far, people like California Governor Gavin Newsom are at the top of the list of potential candidates
simply because they've been seen to be leading the resistance against Donald Trump. But at this point, I don't think there is a accepted leader
in the Democratic Party.
Indeed, you know, politically, it probably makes sense right now if you're a Democrat who wants to run for president, perhaps Josh Shapiro, for
example, the Democratic governor of Pennsylvania, you don't really want to be out in front and taking all the heat right now.
So, I think this race will evolve throughout the midterm election year. Next year, you'll see all of the big potential candidates out campaigning
for congressional candidates. They'll start to find their voice. And as soon as that election is over in November, I think the race for the
Democratic nomination in 2028 will start in earnest.
MACFARLANE: Yeah, certainly all eyes on the midterms and how that will change the dial.
Stephen, really appreciate having you, as ever. Thank you.
Still to come, controversy at CBS News. Why a correspondent at "60 Minutes" is threatening to resign after a segment was shelved at the last minute.
Details ahead
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:27:49]
MACFARLANE: Next hour, President Donald Trump is expected to make an announcement about U.S. shipbuilding. That's as the U.S. military actively
pursues a third oil tanker near Venezuela. The chase began after Coast Guard personnel tried to board the Bella 1, but the vessel kept sailing.
American officials say the tanker has links to Iran.
Over the weekend, the U.S. Coast Guard intercepted the Centuries tanker in international waters.
The head of CBS News is defending the decision to shelve a "60 Minutes" segment on U.S. President Donald Trump's deportations. The story features
the accounts of Venezuelan men deported to a notorious maximum security prison in El Salvador, but it was pulled at the last minute, a CBS
correspondent says they fear the program is being dismantled and employees are threatening to quit.
In a statement, CBS News chief Bari Weiss told "The New York Times" my job is to make sure that all stories we publish are the best they can be,
holding stories that aren't ready for whatever reason that they lack sufficient context, say, or that they are missing critical voices happens
every day in every newsroom. I look forward to airing this important piece when it's ready.
Let's bring in CNN's media -- chief media analyst Brian Stelter has been across this all day.
And, Brian, it's interesting there to hear Bari Weiss say that this piece will air when its ready because many believed that it was. The CBS
correspondent responsible for this piece, Sharyn Afonsi, said that it was screened five times and cleared by standards and practices.
So, what do you make of the timing of this?
BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: Yeah, "60 Minutes" lingo revolves around the word screenings. It's a little bit of the tradition or the
custom inside this news magazine. Normally pieces are screened two or three times ahead of the premiere date. Lawyers, newsroom lawyers, editors,
producers, fact checkers all review the reports, and they give their thumbs up.
This screening process went on for an unusually long time in the case of Sharyn Alfonsi's report about this prison in El Salvador, there were five
screenings, she says. And I've spoken with former "60 Minutes" correspondents who say that is highly unusual. It's a lot more than usual.
[15:30:01]
The point is that this piece was vigorously and rigorously reviewed ahead of time, and it was okayed. It was greenlit as of last Friday. That's when
it was publicized. That's when a clip was released on social media. And this timeline is important because it was only on Saturday that CBS News
editor in chief Bari Weiss put up the blockade, essentially by raising a number of other questions about the piece. And according to Alfonsi,
spiking the story.
Now, Bari Weiss said to staff today that she looks forward to airing the piece in the future. She said it just wasn't ready yet. But as you laid out
and as I'm laying out here, pretty much everybody else involved in the process believed it was ready. And that is raising this question about
whether there is corporate interference or political interference actually happening behind the scenes.
Paramount is the parent company of CBS. The company recently changed hands, and the new owners have been trying to cozy up to the Trump administration
in order to get deals approved. This has been an ongoing source of concern and speculation both inside and outside CBS. And now we see the first
really big test for Bari Weiss in her new role as editor in chief, as she tries to -- tries to calm what is a self-induced, a self-inflicted crisis
inside CBS.
MACFARLANE: Yeah, and it was interesting to read that one of the main issues Weiss raised for pulling the piece was a lack of response from the
Trump administration to the reporting. I mean, Brian, if that's the yardstick by which stories can or cannot go to air or be published, I mean,
that's a troubling precedent, isn't it?
STELTER: Yeah. I'm pulling up the comments from Alfonsi in her memo because, look, this reporter was savvy. She knew what she was doing. She
memorialized what happened in an internal memo that was bound to be leaked to the public. And Alfonsi described this approach as a kill switch. She
said, if you wait for the administration to respond, if you insist on having an interview and you say the piece cannot air without an interview,
then you're giving the government a kill switch in order to stop inconvenient reporting.
That is a powerful way to describe it, and it's an accurate way to describe the situation, because Alfonsi knows, as a veteran reporter, sometimes the
subject of your story is going to avoid responding to your request for comment. Sometimes they're going to avoid giving you an interview in order
to try to slow the process down or stop it altogether.
And Alfonsi's point is, you can't do that. You can't give the source or the subject a veto over the story. In this case, she interviewed some of the
men who were deported to the prison in El Salvador who have alleged torture. So, the point of her story was to focus on the consequences of the
Trump administration's deportation program.
But Bari Weiss says it's critical. She says it's necessary to hear from the Trump administration, to have someone like Stephen Miller on the record, on
camera for this story. Whether that's going to happen now is an open question, right? Weiss says the piece will air in the future, but is the
Trump administration going go ahead and respond now? They seem to have a lot of leverage in this situation. They can now kill the story by refusing
to give an interview.
So those are the kinds of questions inside CBS that are creating so much turmoil. And this raises issues, I think, for viewers, for audience members
well beyond the U.S. or well outside CBS, because Paramount is trying to buy Warner Bros. Discovery, the CNN parent company.
That's an ongoing tug of war between these companies. Earlier today, Paramount put a revised offer on the table, and now WBD is waiting -- is
perhaps evaluating it and judging whether to respond.
MACFARLANE: Yeah, this certainly has consequences beyond just journalism.
Brian, we appreciate it. Thank you.
And we'll have more from Brian in a minute.
It's the final moments of trade on Wall Street. And stocks are higher. The Dow Jones up half a percent today more than 200 points. This is our
business breakout.
All large offshore wind projects in the United States have been suspended after the Trump administration claimed they were risks to national
security. Five major projects in the Atlantic Ocean will be affected despite billions of dollars already being spent on them. The Interior
Department said the Pentagon had identified security risks but didn't say what they were.
Gold is trading at record highs. Prices jumped more than 2 percent on Monday to more than $4,400 an ounce. Gold is considered a safe haven asset
during uncertain economic times.
Paramount has upped the ante, as Brian was saying there, in its hostile takeover bid for the Warner Bros. Discovery. The company has announced that
owner Larry Ellison will personally guarantee $40 billion of the almost $80 billion offer. Paramount is in a bidding war with Netflix for Warner Bros.
Discovery, which is CNN's parent company.
And the Warner Bros. sale has been one of the biggest media stories of the year.
Our Brian Stelter ticks through his top 10 media moments of 2025.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: Coming in at number 10 on the list of the top 10 media stories of 2025 -- big media mergers with political
overtones.
[15:35:00]
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.
REPORTER: 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.
PETE HEGSETH, 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 --
REPORTER: If there's nothing incriminating in the files, sir, why not act --
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Quiet. Quiet, piggy.
REPORTER: 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, HOST, X "TUCKER": 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.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is there a Zohran Mamdani Reddit?
ZOHRAN MAMDANI, NEW YORK CITY MAYOR-ELECT: I don't know, is there?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 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 -- yep.
JASON KELCE, CO-HOST, "NEW HEIGHTS" PODCAST: What's in it?
SWIFT: This is my brand new album, "The Life of a Showgirl."
J. KELCE: Aaagghh!
TRAVIS KELCE, CO-HOST, "NEW HEIGHTS" PODCAST: TS 12!
SWIFT: Yeah.
STELTER: That's Taylor Swift on her fiance's podcast "New Heights" announcing the release of her 12th album.
GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM (D), CALIFORNIA: 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'd 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.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 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 "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.
[15:40:02]
KASIE HUNT, CNN ANCHOR: 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.
KIMMEL: Anyway, as I was saying before I was interrupted --
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.
JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: 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! You can't do that!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get out of the car.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, you can do that. You can do it.
STELTER: -- to videos of MAGA media influencers criticizing Trump over the Epstein file.
REP. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREEN (R-GA): I'll tell you right now, this has been one of the most destructive things to MAGA.
LAURA INGRAHAM, FOX NEWS HOST: How many of you are satisfied with the results of the Epstein investigation? Clap.
(BOOS)
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)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:45:30]
MACFARLANE: Now, if you're flying through the United States this Christmas, get prepared to have some company. Holiday travel is projected
to be at a record high in U.S. airports this year, with more than 8 million passengers taking domestic flights. That's according to AAA. And if that
wasn't enough, those flights are even more expensive on average, too.
Pete Muntean is at Reagan National Airport near Washington.
So, Pete, three days before Christmas, have we reached peak pandemonium levels yet? It's pretty calm.
PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: The peak actually may have already happened, at least leading up to the holiday. The TSA here in the
U.S. screened about 2.8 million people on Friday, 2.8 million people on Saturday, 2.8 million people again on Sunday. Today not anticipated to
break any records.
But what happens is because of the way the holidays fall, they say that it's kind of big all the time. No real big peaks, no real condensed holiday
like Thanksgiving here in the U.S.
Take a look at the baggage drop off line here at terminal two at Reagan National Airport. We are fully in the evening rush now, and a lot of people
getting off of work trying to get to where they can make it to grandma and grandpas, to the in-laws, a lot of people trying to make connections is a
huge hub for American Airlines. So, of course, this is going to be really busy.
The Federal Aviation Administration has warned of possible delays on the East Coast and the West Coast. Some pretty big hubs here on the East Coast.
New York was on the list of concern for the Federal Aviation Administration because of high winds. Also in Boston on the West Coast, L.A., San
Francisco was on the list of concerns.
And I want you to listen now to travelers. I've been talking to them today. And they say they're really sort of taking all of the snags in stride.
Listen
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DREW GAGNON, FROM BALTIMORE: It's pretty easy.
MUNTEAN: It was easy.
GAGNON: All things -- yeah. All things considered. I mean, pretty fast, pretty easy.
MUNTEAN: No one ever says that.
GAGNON: I know.
MILDRED JONES COLLINS, FROM MEMPHIS: I think everybody is in a joyful spirit and traveling is going smoothly. They really doing the
rearrangements to make sure everything transpired very smoothly. So, I think it went well.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MUNTEAN: Here's the departures board. Not all that many delays today here in the United States because of relatively good weather on the East Coast.
That's sort of driving the good state of affairs that we have seen for air travel today.
We're not totally out of the woods yet, and the TSA says because of the way Christmas falls, because of where New Year's falls, Saturday and Sunday
could be huge days for air travel. So, we're through the peak before the holiday, the peak after the holiday. Still to come.
MACFARLANE: I knew there had to be a catch. Everyone looks far too serene and chilled out for this time of year.
MUNTEAN: Yeah.
MACFARLANE: Pete, thank you so much. Happy Christmas to you.
All right. Still to come, he's made the list. He's checked it twice now.
Richard Quest goes to Norway to help Santa find out who's been naughty or nice.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MACFARLANE: Now things may be winding down for Christmas at your workplace, but at one office in Norway, things are heating up.
At the official address for Santa Claus, thousands of letters are arriving from around the world, and the locals who live and work there take their
jobs as Santa's helpers very seriously indeed.
CNN's Richard Quest went to take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICHARD QUEST, CNN BUSINESS EDITOR AT LARGE (voice-over): In Norway, this is the official address of Santa. Located in the charming little town of
Drobak, it is a Christmas themed shop and post office which receives thousands of letters each year from around the world.
EVAN JOHANSEN, CO-FOUNDER, TREGAARDENS CHRISTMAS HOUSE: From Taiwan.
QUEST (voice-over): And all of them are addressed to Santa.
JOHANSEN: Ten to 15,000 letters.
QUEST: Ten to 15,000 letters?
JOHANSEN: Yes.
QUEST: Right now, here we go.
JOHANSEN: Yes.
QUEST: We've got -- all right.
JOHANSEN: Oh.
QUEST: So these -- oh, good Lord, they've come from everywhere.
JOHANSEN: Oh, he's from Taiwan.
QUEST: Taiwan? Yes.
QUEST (voice-over): The shop is run by Eva Johansen, who is part postmistress and part elf. I guess not. The Santa in this part of Norway is
a little bit different to the one with which we're all familiar.
QUEST: Santa Claus is a big, fat, jolly man or woman these days. Yours is small, short, and with a weird face.
JOHANSEN: He's different from all you see. She knitted sweaters, knickers, boots and looks different.
QUEST: Why?
JOHANSEN: Because this belongs to our culture, our history from all time.
QUEST: Boy, this is --
QUEST (voice-over): Eva the elf agreed to let me open and read a few of the letters that had been sent to Santa.
QUEST: Wants an MP3 player.
QUEST (voice-over): And some of the content is a little surprising, but more of that in a moment.
In Norway, they take Christmas very seriously. After all, so many Christmas trees are grown here, and in December, everywhere is filled with twinkly
lights, trees and markets. This is one of the biggest, and it's run by one of the country's most successful business leaders.
CARL OTTO LEVENSKIOLD, OWNER, BAERUMS VERK: We like the summers with the long, light and bright days, but then we had the pressure, also enjoying
the four seasons strong season, a wonderful fall. The winter is now coming where we can go skiing and live a completely different lifestyle before
summer comes again. We adjust to the -- to the seasons and enjoy them.
QUEST: Enjoy them.
LEVENSKIOLD: That is very important, right?
QUEST: Let's go and have a look.
QUEST (voice-over): Browsing for this.
QUEST: Look at that.
QUEST (voice-over): Looking for that. Enjoying the other. I could have spent many hours here filling stockings, but back in Drobak, there were
still letters to Santa.
QUEST: Oh, look at this.
QUEST (voice-over): It had to be opened and read. Heartwarming messages. The lot.
QUEST: Dear Santa Claus, my favorite holiday, Christmas, is coming soon. Oh, look at that nice little hat.
Oh, Uzbekistan.
Dear Santa Claus. Merry Christmas. Can I have a froggy toy from Kong Hong? My daughter will turn five in December. She's kind to friends. She loves
practicing K-pop dancing.
QUEST (voice-over): Before I left, there was one last letter thrust in front of me, and I was in for a shock.
QUEST: This year, our brother has been a very good boy. Much like you. He's been traveling the world. It's highly likely he'll be working on
December.
Is there any chance you could give him a small present in advance?
[15:55:02]
Anything chocolate related would, in our experience, work well. Thank you very much, Beverly, Lorie, and Caroline. My three sisters.
JOHANSEN: What?
QUEST: Yes. What a coincidence. Well done. Thank you. I'll take that. Sorry. I'm taking this one with me.
QUEST (voice-over): Now, I just have to wait and see whether Santa thinks I deserve that gold chocolate bar.
Richard Quest, CNN, at Santa's Village in Norway.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MACFARLANE: Give Richard all the chocolate. He deserves it. Now, finally, tonight in the warm water of Florida, Santa swapped his sleigh for scuba
gear for a holiday appearance on Sunday. Local dive operators spent a slate put a red suit on over his wetsuit to portray Father Christmas and leader
dive off in Key Largo, and he wasn't alone. Along with the curious fish and a moray eel, Santa swam with the elves in costume and a festively dressed
mermaid.
No comment from Mrs. Claus. And why not?
And that is it for me, Christina Macfarlane. That is WHAT WE KNOW.
And stay tuned for Richard, who is primed and ready after this break.
END
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