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Trump Attacks Paramount's Ownership of CBS News as Company Mounts Hostile Takeover Bid for Warner Bros. Discovery; Senate May Not Vote This Week on Extending Obamacare Subsidies; Indiana Senate Considers Redrawing Congressional Maps Amid GOP Push; Manhunt Underway for Attempted Murder Suspect in Louisiana. Aired 1:30-2p ET

Aired December 08, 2025 - 13:30   ET

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

[13:30:00]

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": -- specifically and CBS. It was all over an interview with Marjorie Taylor Greene.

SARAH FISHER, CNN MEDIA ANALYST AND MEDIA CORRESPONDENT, AXIOS: Yes, he basically said, why did you give them a platform, going after the company. What this shows, Boris, is if you settle with the president, $16 million, you could have as many meetings with the White House. Nothing is guaranteed when it comes to sitting in Donald Trump's favor. And that's why, even though Donald Trump said, Ted Sarandos, the co-CEO of Netflix is a great guy, they actually had a meeting at the White House. You can never rely on one good comment to be in the president's graces forever. He can turn on you in a second.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": Yeah. He lives in the moment.

FISHER: Yes, he does.

KEILAR: He also holds grudges. These two things we can hold together and understand. Sarah Fisher, thank you so much. Really appreciate it.

And coming up, a critical week for the millions of Americans who rely on Obamacare subsidies, can lawmakers come up with a plan before the end of the year? We're following the latest.

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[13:35:00]

SANCHEZ: Congress is running out of time to act as tens of millions of Americans brace for healthcare premiums to skyrocket. A short time ago, two key Republican Senators unveiled a bill to extend enhanced Obamacare subsidies for two years. Subsidies are set to expire at the end of the year, giving lawmakers just a few more weeks to reach a deal. Democrats plan to extend subsidies for another three years, likely will get a vote in the Senate this week. In the House, Speaker Mike Johnson says he will put forward the Republican plan in the coming days, but there are still deep divisions in the Republican Party about how to move forward. Joining us now to discuss, Republican Congressman Marlin Stutzman of Indiana. Congressman, thank you so much for sharing part of your afternoon with us. Some 80 percent of Indiana residents in the ACA marketplace receive these subsidies according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. Without that help, on average, their health insurance would go up $430 a month. Is that really the best outcome for the people of your state?

REP. MARLIN STUTZMAN, (R-IN): First of all, thanks for having me. Great to be with you this afternoon. No, that's not the best outcome. And that's something that, I believe that our constituents and the American people are expecting that we have a healthcare system that is affordable. One of the things that we've realized is that the Affordable Care Act has not been affordable. We've been dealing with the Obamacare plans for 15 years now and we continue to see the cost of healthcare continue to go up and to skyrocket, which is now costing the American taxpayer more. And ultimately, it's costing the -- those who are paying their premiums more as well.

So I was actually just talking to a friend of mine this morning who's on the Obamacare Silver Plan, and he said he is seeing an increase and that if the subsidies go away, that it will increase the cost to him and his family. I believe Republicans, we do need to address this. This is something that I believe is important for us to find a solution sooner rather than later. I don't think it should be just a short-term fix. I'm open to that if that's what it takes in the interim. But in the long term, we really do need to address the fundamentals of how our healthcare system works.

Health care providers are making money. Health insurance companies are making money, and it's costing the American people more money. And that's not the system that we want.

SANCHEZ: Would you support something like the Republican Senator's plan between Collins and Moreno? Essentially, it would extend the subsidies for two years, but they would cap income and further, they would make it so that there would be no $0 premium. The base premium would be at least $25. Does that seem like something you would support?

STUTZMAN: I'm open to that sort of -- those sort of ideas. I think ultimately, what we should do is actually just direct the subsidy money directly to HSAs for these -- for the consumers that are seeing the increase, rather than sending the money to the insurance companies. I'm just not trusting of the insurance companies that they're not going to take money off the top and they're going to keep -- put money to their bottom line. I think the best outcome would be to send the money directly to the consumers, let them make the choices of who they want to use for their doctor, let them make the choice of which hospital they go to.

The insurance companies are the major problem here, along with big government. And so, I'm open to ideas and solutions to keep the cost down for Americans. But I think in the long run, it just can't be a temporary fix that is only taking out of one pocket and putting it into another. SANCHEZ: Where is the sticking point then for Republicans? I ask because a number of members of your party have expressed openness to potentially extending these subsidies. Some have not. And you've had the White House saying that they're going to put out some version of a plan. We've been waiting two weeks and we haven't seen it. You have Speaker Mike Johnson also saying --

STUTZMAN: Yeah.

SANCHEZ: -- that he's searching for consensus. What do you think is holding your party back from putting forward an alternative to the ACA?

STUTZMAN: Yeah. Well, it's going to be just, I mean, an alternative to the ACA. That's a big piece of legislation. It's more to it than just a one weekend, jotting it down on a napkin -- on the back of a napkin and taking it back to Washington for our members to consider. I mean, this is going to be a major -- a major overhaul would be needed. I believe that that's why these subsidies, those are available dollars, and instead of sending them directly to the insurance companies, let's send them directly to consumers and let them make the decisions if they want to use those dollars to pay directly to a physician or an outpatient facility, an outpatient clinic, let them decide rather than sending it to the insurance companies.

This is the frustration that Americans have. They go to the hospital, they go to their doctor, and then they turn in their insurance card. Then they have to let the doctor and the service provider go negotiate prices with the insurance company.

[13:40:00]

Well, we know the doctor and the healthcare provider, they're going to make a little bit of money. The insurance companies, they're going to make money --

SANCHEZ: Sure.

STUTZMAN: And the patient is the one at the end of the day, holding the bag. And I think that's the frustration we have to deal with. And I think a more direct route, directly sending those subsidies to consumers through HSAs is the better solution.

SANCHEZ: I guess the frustration even among members of your own party, including Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick, who spoke with Manu Raju just yesterday, is that it has been years that Republicans have been calling for a repeal of Obamacare. But the question is, what is it replaced with. Fitzpatrick told Raju, we are here eight years later still unable to put together an articulate plan that works for everyday Americans. Do you feel pressure going into midterms next year that according to polling and broadly, Americans do not have as much confidence in Republicans as they do in Democrats on the issue of healthcare?

STUTZMAN: Well, I don't know that the American people have confidence in either party, frankly. I think that their frustration was, you know what? We let the Democrats pass Obamacare. I mean, there was a large -- I mean, there was a political consequence to the Democrat Party for Obamacare back in 2010. Now that they're experiencing it, we're all experiencing that the cost has actually just gone up, and that there's more hands in the cookie jar. So here in Indiana, we did an HSA model that gives people those with disabilities, those with the higher difficult -- they're more difficult to insure, giving them a pool to be able to get their insurance through and then -- through an HSA plan. That has morphed over time. That's changed over time because of the Medicaid reimbursements from the federal government.

My belief again is that we try to keep this simple. Let's not make it more complicated. People don't trust insurance companies. They don't trust the government, including both Republicans and Democrats on this. The best thing we can do is to simplify it and just simply take those dollars. We're spending trillions of dollars on healthcare every year. It's the fastest growing expenditure the federal government has. Let's send those dollars directly back to the American consumer and let them make those choices. And I think that we'll see more competition in the marketplace when service providers have to go out and compete for those dollars coming from the consumer, rather than letting the government or insurance companies dictate what those prices will be.

SANCHEZ: Congressman, one last question on something unrelated, specifically on redistricting in your state with something that's become a contentious issue. The House passed a new map last week. It's now in the State Senate's hands. The leader of your State Senate effectively says that Republicans don't have the votes to redraw it. Something that President Trump and his team have wanted and have put out. Some lawmakers in your state would say pressure on them to pass this bill. One lawmaker in your state actually says that she's faced swatting attempts, even a bomb threat over this issue. Another lawmaker has come out saying that it is against the state constitution. I wonder what you make of this.

STUTZMAN: Yeah. First of all, it's not against the state constitution. I actually looked that up earlier today when I heard that comment being made. And it's not against the constitution unless they're trying to twist the words and say, well, it's up to the general assembly. The general assembly can redraw the maps at any point. And that's the -- I think that's the problem here, in the long run, is that each state has different rules and has different processes in order to draw the maps.

You look at California, they gave it to an independent commission and then, they draw maps that favor Democrats. Well, then they went back to the people of California and asked for permission to actually redraw the maps through the legislature, which the people gave them the chance to do that. So it's very inconsistent across the country as far as drawing maps. What has happened is, is that the census has manipulated the seat amounts per state. And also, states like Illinois, they have gerrymandered their districts or their states -- the state districts in order to give Democrats a huge advantage.

And so, that's why I support redistricting in Indiana. We need to have a level playing field across the country. We need to make sure that every citizen has an equal voice in Washington, and that it's not manipulated by states that have more illegals than those that don't. We need to ask the question on our census, whether you're a citizen or a non-citizen, and then apportion the districts according to that number rather than just any person that says they're a citizen or not.

SANCHEZ: Congressman Marlin Stutzman, we have to leave the conversation there. We do appreciate you sharing your point of view.

STUTZMAN: Thank you for having me. Great to be with you.

SANCHEZ: Thanks. Coming up, three inmates escaping from a Louisiana jail by removing concrete blocks from a wall. Now, the search is on for the last one on the loose. We have the latest.

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[13:49:31]

KEILAR: An attempted murder suspect in Louisiana has now been on the run for almost a week. Keith Eli is the last inmate still at large after a brazen jailbreak last Wednesday in St. Landry Parish. The sheriff says a total of three men escaped after they broke through a wall and used a makeshift rope, a bedding to climb down. The search for Eli is happening seven months after a mass jailbreak in New Orleans where 10 inmates got out and were later captured. CNN's Brynn Gingras has the latest.

[13:50:00]

BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The St. Landry Parish Sheriff actually says it was a deteriorating section of the jail where these inmates were able to escape. He actually showed pictures of it too, saying that they removed some mortar and basically pushed out a cinder block, and they were able to crawl through that opening in the wall, use bedsheets to get down to a roof area. And from there they were able to jump to the ground and escape. Three inmates in total were what authorities were first looking for. And they found one person with the help of tips from the public, were able to corner him in some sort of shed that was connected to a house. That person is now back in custody.

A second inmate actually took his own life before they were able to capture him. And this third person, 24-year-old Keith Eli, he is still on the loose. We're told that he was in jail on a second degree murder charge. So authorities are really stressing here to, of course, use caution to really call in tips, so that authorities can approach Eli if he is found in the public. But that is the person who is still on the loose. Now, there is some real discrepancy and sort of back and forth going on between the St. Landry Parish, which of course is another way to say county in Louisiana and also the Sheriff's Department. They're disagreeing on the conditions of this jail.

The sheriff says that it's because of these deteriorating conditions that these inmates were able to escape. Meanwhile, the Parish is saying that it's the understaffing that they're seeing inside these jails that is basically causing so many escapes. I mean, we knew of one that happened in New Orleans, which is about an hour away from this location. We remember those 10 inmates escaped using beard trimmers. And so, this is something that keeps on happening. Authorities say for this particular one, they are conducting an internal investigation to figure out what happened here. But the big news here is that there is one inmate that is still on the loose and authorities are asking for help in finding that person. Guys, back to you.

KEILAR: Thanks to Brynn Gingras for that update. In the meantime, some more trouble for the Louvre. A water leak at the museum damaged as many as 400 books that date from the end of the 19th century to the beginning of the 20th century. These are texts related to Egyptology and scientific documentation. The leak happened when a valve that forms part of a now defunct plumbing system was opened by mistake. The books will be returned to the shelves after they have dried out and have been repaired. While officials do not believe that there will be any permanent damage to the collection, the leak is further cause for concern after a recent heist highlighted security failings at the museum.

And ahead, want to look at the future? Don't we all? Turns out it could sit right on your nose.

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[13:57:28]

SANCHEZ: When you need to reschedule a meeting or video call a friend for the holidays or need help finding directions, chances are you reach for your phone. Well, Google wants to change all of that. It's one of many tech companies jumping into the world of A.I.-powered smart glasses. These glasses can take information from your phone and put it right before your eyes with the power of A.I. Last week, CNN got a look at their latest prototype and software. Our Tech Editor, Lisa Eadicicco got to test them out. She joins us now to tell us more about them. Lisa, how was your experience?

LISA EADICICCO, CNN TECH EDITOR: Yeah. So like you mentioned, these smart glasses, the goal behind them isn't necessarily to replace your phone, but to kind of do some of the things that you might reach for your phone for, but in a more easy and seamless way. And I think directions is one really great example of that. Nobody wants to be looking down at their phone every two minutes when they're navigating a new city, trying to figure out where to go. What these glasses can do is they can actually put that information right near your line of sight.

So for example, with an app like Google Maps, I was able to see turn by turn directions when I was looking straight ahead. And then when I glanced down, I was able to see the actual map itself. So this is part of a larger push, like you mentioned, among a bunch of tech companies to really invent what they hope will be the next iteration of the personal computer. Of course, smartphones became popular because we were using the internet all the time and wanted an easy way to take it with us. Now that people are using A.I. apps more often and maybe asking chatbots for information rather than searching for it themselves, glasses like these are meant to be a way to kind of provide a way to take that experience with you on the go without having to look down at your screen all the time. One thing I will say that I also thought was really interesting is the way you can take photos with these glasses and then edit them instantly with A.I. And of course that brings up a bunch of questions around privacy and how easy it is to alter photographs using A.I., which is already becoming a rising issue today.

But, what I will say is Google has sort of learned from its mistakes in the past. It tried to make smart glasses a thing about a decade ago with Google Glass. You might remember those glasses from around 2014, 2013. Those glasses didn't really take off for a variety of reasons. They were very expensive. They didn't really do all that much more than your phone could. But a lot of companies, including Meta, Google, Snap, really do think that this next wave of glasses that uses a combination of A.I. and augmented reality is going to change that and could potentially be the next --