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Charlie Kirk Murder Suspect Makes First In-Person Court Appearance; Major Flooding for 8 Rivers and Creeks in Washington State; Ex-Michigan Coach Sherrone Moore Under Police Investigation; Group Sues Trump Administration to Prevent Change to National Park Passes. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired December 11, 2025 - 15:30   ET

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

[15:30:00]

NICK WATT, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT ... hearing. So they've gone back behind closed doors. They're going to be talking about security. They're going to be talking about stuff that they do not want the public to know.

Now, in court, lawyers for Robinson, obviously, lawyers for the state and also lawyers for the media. A lot of what they're going to be discussing today later in public will be about gag orders and media access. This is key.

Now, also, there's an issue of a camera. Are they going to allow cameras in court? Right now, the judges said yes.

But and Erika Kirk, Charlie Kirk's widow, has said we deserve to have cameras in there. There were cameras on my son -- on my on my husband when he died. There have been cameras on me ever since.

We deserve to have cameras in the court. Why not be transparent? We won't get a ruling on the cameras today, but we should get a ruling on some other issues of how much of this trial we in the media and you in the public will be able to see and hear -- guys.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: All right, Nick, thank you so much as you continue to track this.

Coming up, a flooding emergency in Washington state as torrential rain sends rivers rising toward historic levels. We'll talk to a lawmaker there whose county is being urged to evacuate immediately.

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BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Right now in Washington state, a flooding emergency is underway. Heavy rain from an atmospheric river has caused at least eight rivers and creeks to reach the most severe major flooding stage. This video was captured at a state park in North Bend. You can see water rushing through the area.

The intense rainfall has forced evacuations in many areas, with floodwaters reaching the roofs of some houses. State Governor Bob Ferguson activating the National Guard to respond.

We're joined now by Washington State Senator Ron Muzzall. He represents parts of Skagit County, where residents are being urged to evacuate immediately. Sir, thanks for being with us.

Do you know how many residents have evacuated?

RON MUZZALL, (R) WASHINGTON STATE SENATOR: They've asked all the residents within the 100-year flood zone to evacuate, which is somewhere in the neighborhood of 70,000.

SANCHEZ: Wow. And have you gotten any word of deaths or injuries caused by this flooding? Because the look really bad.

MUZZALL: At this point in time, these people are trained for this type of thing. They know when to get out. At this juncture, there is no loss of life.

SANCHEZ: We are relieved to hear that. I wonder what you think about when you see some of the images that we've been seeing, knowing that the forecasts have potentially more rain coming this weekend.

MUZZALL: Yes, at this point in time, the crest of the Skagit at Concrete has passed. It's beginning to recede there. It won't reach Mount Vernon, which is about the lowest city on the river, until tomorrow morning. And the forecasts are now they've dropped the peak about two feet.

It still makes it a historical flood, and two feet above what it was in 1990 when the levees failed and we flooded a large portion of the county.

SANCHEZ: Dozens of roads have also had to be shut down because of the water and the debris. I wonder if you can give us any estimate of what the cleanup is going to look like.

MUZZALL: If the levees hold, which at this point in time they're solid, not saturated, we'll be OK. If they let go, the losses can be in the hundreds of millions. They're moving people and livestock out currently and getting ready for the worst-case scenario.

SANCHEZ: Yes, I wonder generally in the aftermath of what appears to be historic flooding, if there are projects you would want to see the state and the federal government take up to try to avoid the worst of what we're seeing?

MUZZALL: We have been working. We've gotten state money. Our biggest problem has been permits to the National Marine Fisheries Service.

We've got outfalls and the like that they've held up permitting on for years. And this may be the straw that breaks the camel's backs on those projects. It's very frustrating the federal government hasn't been more receptive to what we've been working on.

SANCHEZ: Well, hopefully they hear that message and some progress is being made. I hate to see these images, but we hope you'll keep us posted and that things remain as they are in the sense that there's no loss of life. Washington State Senator Ron Muzzall, thank you so much for the time.

MUZZALL: Thank you, Boris.

SANCHEZ: Appreciate it -- Brianna.

KEILAR: Now to some of the other headlines that we're watching this hour. Times 2025 Person of the Year, the architects of AI. Times saying the full potential of artificial intelligence came into view this year, and it became clear that there will be no turning back or opting out.

The announcement came on a bad day for the industry, though. Oracle shares plummeting after the company reported large AI-related expenses and a worse than expected outlook.

In good news for the industry, Disney has announced it's taking a $1 billion equity stake in OpenAI. It will also license some of its most popular characters for use in Sora, OpenAI's video generation tool. The animated characters include Mickey Mouse and Disney Princesses, but not any talent likenesses or voices.

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Users will also be able to ask ChatGPT to create things -- create images, I should say, using the characters.

And Australia's social media ban for children under 16 could be expanded to include other apps. South Australia's premier, Peter Malinauskas, telling CNN under the new law, if other platforms meet the criteria, they could be added to the list.

Currently, these are the 10 apps that are included in the ban. You'll recognize a lot of them. They say they will comply using age verification technology to suspend accounts for those who are under 16.

But they say they don't believe it will make children safer, although advocates say they believe it will.

Still ahead, a shocking controversy surrounding University of Michigan's now former head football coach, the inappropriate relationship that he's alleged to have engaged in, and the police investigation that is now underway.

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KEILAR: The University of Michigan is dealing with the fallout of the firing and arrest of their now former head coach, Sherrone Moore. He's currently in jail and under police investigation.

SANCHEZ: Moore's arrest came shortly after he was fired from the Wolverine-storied Program for Cause, according to the school, because of an inappropriate relationship with a staff member. An administrative assistant with the Washtenaw County Prosecutor's Office said in a statement today that the incident involving Moore remains an active investigation. Police expect that he will be arraigned tomorrow.

Joining us now is Austin Meek, who covers Michigan football for The Athletic. Austin, thanks so much for sharing part of your afternoon with us. What has been the reaction in Ann Arbor, not only to the firing, but to Moore's arrest as well?

AUSTIN MEEK, STAFF WRITER, MICHIGAN, THE ATHLETIC: I think people are shocked. It was a surreal turn of events for Michigan to fire its head football coach for Cause, and then within hours to learn that he was in police custody at Washtenaw County Jail. You're talking about one of the most prominent college football programs in the country, one of the most prominent college football coaches in the country.

To have him be in this position, he woke up Wednesday morning as Michigan's head coach, and at the end of the day was in police custody. It was just really stunning.

KEILAR: Yes, and that's the draw, right? For some of these incoming freshman football players, certainly for the ones who were already there, and the ones who just signed onto the team last week, they did so thinking that Moore would be their coach. Do they have the option to decommit?

MEEK: They do. There's an option now for players to enter the transfer portal whenever there's a coaching change. So the players who signed with Michigan as part of the 2026 recruiting class will have the option to go to a different school if they want to.

But it was very surreal. I was interviewing Sherrone Moore on Monday to talk about the signing class and Michigan's upcoming bowl game. He was looking ahead to the future, and then two days later, we find out he's no longer the coach.

SANCHEZ: What has the school said about their investigation, either when it was launched or what led them to determine that he had to be fired for cause?

MEEK: The school has said very little about the investigation other than what was in the statement that they released, that they found credible evidence that Sherrone Moore had engaged in this inappropriate relationship with a staff member in violation of university policy. We've been trying to report out the details of when this investigation started, what ultimately transpired over the last 36 hours that led Michigan ultimately to fire him for cause. I believe this had been something that had been going on for some time, but the details in the timeline right now are not very clear.

KEILAR: And Austin, there are several college teams that have already made new head coach hires. I mean, who could replace Moore?

MEEK: Yes, we've heard several names just in the few hours since this happened. There have been several high-profile coaching jobs that have already been filled. LSU, Penn State have already hired coaches.

I think one name we'll hear a lot is Kalen DeBoer. He's the head coach at the University of Alabama, has been there two years. Previously was the coach at the University of Washington.

And Jedd Fisch, who now is the coach at Washington who replaced Kalen DeBoer, he was on the staff at Michigan previously, has done a good job both at Washington and the University of Arizona. I would imagine Michigan would have to work very quickly to fill this job because, as I mentioned, we're getting into the later part of the coaching cycle now. Teams are putting together their rosters and their coaching staff for next year.

So there's definitely some urgency for Michigan to make this hire.

SANCHEZ: And it is a highly coveted job, albeit one that I imagine the university would want sort of a clean slate with, given that Moore, I mean, he's been there for years during what's been a tumultuous time for the football program and one in which they also won a national championship.

MEEK: Yes, Sherrone Moore was a continuation of a very successful, but also a scandal-plagued era for Michigan football. Sherrone Moore was the offensive coordinator under Jim Harbaugh, who led Michigan to three consecutive Big Ten championships and the national championship in 2023. Sherrone Moore was also on the staff when Michigan had a lot of off-field scandals.

There were two NCAA investigations, including the investigation into the sign-stealing operation that really cast a cloud over Michigan's national championship season.

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Sherrone Moore was suspended for two games earlier this season as part of that investigation and was set to be suspended for another game next season. So this, I think, really does represent a clean break for Michigan from that era, both the good parts of that era and also the scandals.

SANCHEZ: Austin Meek, thanks so much for joining us.

MEEK: Thank you.

SANCHEZ: Still to come, a legal battle playing out over President Trump's face, an environmental group now suing the White House over new images featured on National Park annual passes.

And a look at this year's comedy wildlife winners when we return.

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SANCHEZ: What is in a name for President Trump? As we've seen through his career and his presidency, it seems, everything. Increasingly, the president's name and likeness are popping up just about everywhere in the federal government. And now an environmental group is suing the administration to prevent Trump's face from replacing images of America's national parks on some annual passes.

CNN's Tom Foreman joins us now. Tom, what do we know about these plans and the lawsuit?

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we know that they're stirring the waters the way a lot of things do with Donald Trump. This is what they are proposing for the America of the Beautiful Pass next year. This would be the pass that you get in this country if you get a resident annual pass for the whole year long.

George Washington, Donald Trump next to each other. Previously, and what this lawsuit is about is it's always been the winner of a photo contest taken on public lands, highlighting the very thing that people are here to see. So what they're saying is, look, that's the way it has to be by the rules.

It can't be this way. They just call this crass and ego-driven and everything that people don't want in national parks.

SANCHEZ: When you say by the rules, the lawsuit states that there's a law, right?

FOREMAN: Right, right. They're saying that this has to be on the pass. What is being said in response is, well, pictures of the national parks will be on the passes that are sold to people from other countries.

But in this country, this is what you're going to get. Obviously, there are going to be other challenges, I would think, over the question of whether or not this is a type of electioneering of sorts.

SANCHEZ: Well, I mean, throughout his career, as I said a moment ago, President Trump, back to when he was a real estate developer, just loved putting his name --

FOREMAN: Yes.

SANCHEZ: -- on buildings, on alcoholic drinks, on a university, on ties.

FOREMAN: Hasn't stopped. This is the new prescription program that he's running. The website was supposed to kick off in January.

It was supposed to be working by then. Theoretically, yep, there's Trump right on that. This is the Gold Visa Card, where people can pay a million dollars to get to the front of the line to get a visa in this country.

Look who's on there. There's Donald Trump again. The USDA had his picture hanging out there outside Abraham Lincoln. A lot of people said, boy, this is real North Korea stuff here, to have a giant image like that. I'll also point out, Trump always likes to mention himself in the same

breath as, like, Washington and Lincoln, two of the most respected by historians and most popular presidents ever. He's very much at the other end of the spectrum when you look at the polls and listen to historians.

There's the Trump coin that they want to put out. This would be a commemorative coin, a $1 coin. It's real currency, but it's mainly for commemorative purposes.

That's also been pitched out there. People over at The Mint say this is a real idea they're going to go forward with.

And the F-47. The F-47. Ooh, Trump is President 47. This doesn't come out until the 2030s. Will it become operative? He'll be out of office by then, so it'll be interesting to see if that holds up at that time.

But yes, he's putting his face over just about everything out there. And considering where he stands in the country right now, I'm not sure that's going to fly as well as consumers as he might want it to.

SANCHEZ: That is a good point. Trump steaks -- can't forget about Trump steaks. Ever try one of those?

FOREMAN: Trump water.

SANCHEZ: Yes.

FOREMAN: No, I never had a Trump steak. I never had any Trump water. I've had some good steaks.

SANCHEZ: Tom Foreman, appreciate it.

FOREMAN: Good water, too.

SANCHEZ: Thanks so much -- Brianna.

KEILAR: And finally, you were looking at some award-winning, truly award-winning aping around here. This beautiful picture, hilarious picture of a young gorilla two-stepping to his own tune. Just won first prize at the Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards.

And the funny photo beat out some serious competition. There were 10,000 entries from 109 countries. And other winners include this one here, this moment of amphibian aggression.

It came in first in the junior photographer category. That's the kid competition. I love that.

SANCHEZ: That is impressive. It's like Shakespearean, right? It's like drama.

It's called the Baptism of an Unwilling Convert. Some foxes getting extra frisky, entitled Hit the Dance Floor. You see that? It looks like a breakdancing competition. This one took the top spot in the young photographer section for those under 25. And for the portfolio category, which allows for a series of photos,

these images, known as digging for gold, came in first, showing a nose-picking chimp enjoying a little taste, some finger food.

KEILAR: So happy with himself. Oh, too much. We go back to the frogs.

SANCHEZ: Congrats.

KEILAR: Can we go back to the frogs? The name of this is just hilarious. Right, Tom?

SANCHEZ: Those foxes, not frogs, alas. I mean, maybe the frogs, definitely not the gorilla or the chimp, but these could be on the passes for the national.

FOREMAN: Yes, these would be great on the pass. The dancing chimp, by the way, because the photographer said, you know, oh, I got this one. He liked to show off his dance moves and he was tumbling and cartwheeling.

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That's me at every wedding.

SANCHEZ: Looking good.

KEILAR: I wish I danced that well.

FOREMAN: Yes, look at that. He's got the big high kick going.

SANCHEZ: Very coordinated. Brianna has been teasing dance on this show since it began almost three years ago.

FOREMAN: Yes, that's right.

SANCHEZ: And the only one we've ever done was the Tina Turner.

KEILAR: The Nutbush.

FOREMAN: There was some other dancer that you were going to jump into.

SANCHEZ: We've been having to toss for like a while now. They're yelling at us.

"THE ARENA" with Kasie Hunt starts right now.

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