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New Epstein Photos Show Trump, Clinton, Gates & Others; Ex- Michigan Coach Faces Felony Home Invasion Charge, Misdemeanor Stalking & Break-in Charges; Bond Set At $25K; White House Responds To Latest Release Of Epstein Photos; Days Of Rain & Surging Rivers Leave WA Communities Under Water; King Charles: Cancer Treatment Going Well, Will Be Reduced Soon. Aired 3-3:30p ET

Aired December 12, 2025 - 15:00   ET

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

ALEXANDER SKARSGARD, ACTOR: And so that's kind of a challenge in a way, mentally and physically. But then looking back on it, maybe it was a bit of -- a bit of (expletive) you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Wanting to fit in, the guy in aquamarine shorts says. New episodes of Variety's "Actors on Actors" are now streaming exclusively on the CNN app.

A new hour of CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts right now.

A trove of new photos unveiled by House Democrats from Jeffrey Epstein's estate. Some of the images showing high profile and powerful men, including former presidents, Trump and Clinton, and many more. And we have new reaction from the White House.

Plus, fired Michigan football coach, Sherrone Moore, making his first appearance in court. We're going to break down the charges that he's now facing.

And rescues underway as parts of Washington state are under some 15 feet of water. Officials say for the first time ever, a drone has been used to deliver a life jacket to a victim. A powerful video and really harrowing story as we follow these major developing stories and many more all coming your way right here on CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

Democrats on the House Oversight Committee have released 19 images that show the major power players often associated with late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. President Trump and President Clinton are in some of them. One picture shows President Trump posing with women whose faces are redacted. Another photo shows Trump with Epstein and another woman whose face is not covered. None of the released images depict any sexual misconduct nor are believed to show underage girls. And neither Trump nor Clinton has been accused of wrongdoing in this matter.

Along with former President Bill Clinton, other VIPs seen include billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates and former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers. Gates has repeatedly denied that Epstein ever worked for him and regretted their meeting. Summers also expressed regret over his personal relationship with Epstein.

Congressman Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the Oversight Committee, says the Epstein estate handed over some 95,000 images, including some he described as, quote, "incredibly disturbing."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. ROBERT GARCIA (D-CA): Our committee, Oversight Democrats, have gone through maybe about 25,000 of them so far. We will continue to put out more photos in the days and weeks ahead, but I just caution folks that the redaction process and ensuring that we are protecting the survivors and the women who were abused.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: The White House put out a statement earlier suggesting that Democrats were cherry-picking these photos and attempting to carve out a narrative. We're going to have an update for you from the White House just momentarily.

But we also want to bring you some news regarding the fired University of Michigan football coach, Sherrone Moore. He's now facing charges of felony home invasion and multiple misdemeanors related to his arrest on Wednesday. Today's court appearance by the 39-year-old capping off just a stunning few days for the storied football program and its coach.

On Wednesday, Moore was fired for what school officials say was credible evidence that he was engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a staff member. Then, just a few hours after his firing, Moore was arrested after prosecutors say he entered the home of the woman he had been in a relationship with, grabbed butter knives and scissors, and threatened to take his own life.

We're joined now by Austin Meek, a Michigan staff writer at The Athletic.

Austin, thank you so much for being with us.

We spoke yesterday about what you were anticipating we would learn today. I wonder what you made of the arraignment. I understand you were inside the room.

AUSTIN MEEK, STAFF WRITER, MICHIGAN, THE ATHLETIC: I was, I was in the courtroom in Washtenaw County when Sherrone Moore was arraigned today. He appeared on a video feed in a white jumpsuit and the prosecutor provided some pretty dramatic details of the events that led up to Sherrone Moore being detained and ultimately charged today, including the -- the incident that occurred between Sherrone Moore and the female staffer that he had been in a relationship with.

SANCHEZ: And the prosecution laid out some details about what they alleged transpired, saying that Moore went to the home of the woman after being notified that he was being fired. They had apparently broken up on Monday, and then that she had gone to the university to reveal the relationship. For those of us that have been following the story, that certainly answers some questions, but it -- it raises others. I wonder what questions you still have.

MEEK: Well, I -- I think that there's a lot that we need to find out about what Michigan knew about this relationship when this relationship began.

[15:05:00]

The prosecutor said today that this was a lengthy relationship that ended on Monday. We know that Michigan had been investigating this relationship prior to Monday. But things really changed after the -- the woman ended the relationship, disclosed the relationship to the university. And it -- it appears that after ending the relationship, according to prosecutors, Sherrone Moore was still in contact with this woman, sending her text messages, unwanted phone calls, and that appears to be part of the stalking charge that was included in -- in the charges that were issued today.

And the allegation is that this investigation was prompted by an anonymous tip back in October. A source tells CNN also that the university is using an outside law firm to investigate this inappropriate relationship. I wonder what you make of -- of the timeline here.

MEEK: Well, it -- it certainly does appear that this was something that was under investigation for quite a long time. And the initial investigation does not appear to have produced conclusive evidence that this relationship was happening. And it was only this week that that evidence came to light.

And the combination of -- of the woman coming forward and disclosing this relationship to the university, and it appears Sherrone Moore's behavior after she ended the relationship, that -- that appears to be what brought everything to a head this week and resulted in Sherrone Moore being fired on Wednesday.

SANCHEZ: There's also been some conflicting reporting about the school's athletic director, because this comes as the men's basketball team and the men's hockey team have seen controversial firings in recent years. Can you tell us what that is about?

MEEK: It's certainly true that Michigan has had a number of -- of off- field incidents over the last few years, not just in football, although prominently in football with NCAA investigations, but also in some other sports, as you mentioned. The athletic director at the University of Michigan, Warde Manuel, has been there for a decade. My understanding is that there's not been any -- any decisions made about his -- his future. He has not been fired at this point. He continues to be the athletic director and Michigan is also in the process of hiring a new football coach to replace Sherrone Moore.

SANCHEZ: Austin Meek, thank you so much for watching this for us and -- and bringing us your perspective.

MEEK: Thank you.

SANCHEZ: We want to go back now to that developing story on the Epstein photos released by House Democrats. CNN's Kristen Holmes is at the White House. And Kristen, the Trump administration responding to this by saying that Democrats are essentially trying to accuse him and others of guilt by association.

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right. And when you look at anyone who is associated with Jeffrey Epstein, there is somewhat of a level of guilt that gets applied to them in the sphere of public opinion. But they are also accusing the committee of cherry-picking these photos. I want to read you exactly what they said.

They said, "House Democrats are selectively releasing cherry-picked photos with random redactions to try and create a false narrative."

One thing should be noted, they did only release 19 photos. We saw who was in those photos and there were 95,000. You heard the head of the Oversight Committee there saying that they've been through 25,000. So, there are going to be a lot of questions as to why they only released these 19 photos. And one thing to keep in mind about these specific 19 photos is, as you mentioned, every person who was in those photos is somebody that has already publicly been associated with Jeffrey Epstein in some way. Again, not people who are accused of illegal wrongdoing in regards to Jeffrey Epstein, but the relationship with Epstein is not something that was somewhat of a secret.

What people are already starting to ask is what more is in these photos that will further the narrative. Remember, what people want is answers as to who else Jeffrey Epstein might have been associating with. And again, the people we saw in this photo here -- or photos here are people that we already knew had this relationship with Epstein.

But one thing about the White House, in talking to our sources here, they don't want to be having this conversation. They don't want to be talking about Epstein. The President has made that incredibly clear. But in addition to that, they really don't want the way that this is being released, which is this kind of drip, drip of information. First it was the emails, and they say they're going to release more emails. Now, it's these photos. They say they're going to release more photos. And for them, this is a story that will never end.

SANCHEZ: And Kristen, is it clear that DOJ will release the full Epstein files next week as law stipulates?

HOLMES: We still have been asking that every day. If they're going to release them, are they going to release them before the deadline? What is that going to look like? The White House had told me repeatedly that the DOJ was going to release these documents. But so far, we've seen nothing of that and been given no timeline on what that might look like.

[15:10:04]

SANCHEZ: Kristen Holmes live for us at the White House. Thank you so much for the reporting. Still to come, homes completely submerged in floodwaters as emergency

crews rush to help residents stranded in parts of Washington State. We'll take you there.

Plus, sources telling CNN the FDA is working to include its most severe warning label on the COVID vaccine. What this could mean for you and your family?

And later, world-famous pop star Taylor Swift bursting into tears, meeting the families of three young victims stabbed and killed during a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in the U.K. last year.

That and much more coming your way in just moments.

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[15:15:02]

SANCHEZ: Happening now, the evacuation order issued after floodwaters spilled into homes in hard-hit Burlington, Washington has been partially lifted. Some good news after record rainfall pushed rivers out of their banks across the western part of the state. The widespread flooding has closed more than 20 highways in multiple counties, bringing travel to a halt. Crews are using boats and helicopters to rescue people from rooftops, homes and cars. With the water reaching higher than 15 feet in some areas.

They even used a drone to drop a life jacket to a man stranded by the floodwaters. You see the footage here as he's reaching for it. Officials say this is the first time this has been done. The man was eventually rescued from the top of that car by a helicopter.

CNN Meteorologist Derek Van Dam joins us now.

Derek, many of the rivers there have crested. A new round of rain, though, is in the forecast.

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Boris, what a devastating week of flooding. We have about a hundred thousand people evacuated or forced for evacuation warnings. We saw the rivers spill over their banks. We saw the dramatic rescues, that first-ever attempt to drop a -- a life jacket from a drone onto a -- a person stranded on a vehicle.

I mean, this is just all astounding. But this is what people are dealing with. Because now this water has entered homes, it's entered businesses, and that's just truly devastating. We get at least 36 hours of a reprieve from the rain. That's good news. But it's going to be very short-lived.

So, we've got to face the realities of what's coming because we're going to see the potential for additional rapid rises in -- in rivers, flash flooding, as well as landslides. And it's all thanks to another atmospheric river that is aiming itself at the Pacific Northwest late Sunday into Monday.

So, let's talk about the forecast here because there are four major flood gauges expected -- or gauges across rivers over the western Washington area that will reach record or rather major flood stage status. There were records set. Here's the Skagit River near Mount Vernon, for instance, broke a record. You can see how the water levels are dropping. But there's the surge of additional water that will stream into this area because of the incoming atmospheric river.

So, things are generally quiet now. The radar, a far cry from what we've experienced all week. Not much really going on out there. But look at what happens into Sunday evening and Monday morning. And even if we broaden it out, you can see just this continuous surge of moisture that lasts through the middle parts of next week. Not what we want to see considering the ground here is very saturated.

There's going to be a lot of wind associated with this as well. So, it won't take much to topple trees, allow for landslides to occur. And the high elevation snowfall will be a factor. But this will generally fall as rain and we're expecting anywhere from two to four inches. And already four days out, the Weather Prediction Center has a level two of four for excessive rain that could lead to flash flooding.

In those areas highlighted in yellow, you can see the Western Cascades into the Olympic Peninsula, inclusive of Seattle. So, that's something to keep in mind, a marginal risk for Portland. And that extends all the way as far south as northwestern California. So, that just gives you an example of how widespread this rainfall will be.

So, we're anticipating yet another round of atmospheric river moisture streaming into the northwest Wednesday and Thursday of next week. And, yes, we just need to be prepared for the potential of more flooding, not what we want to hear, Boris.

SANCHEZ: Derek Van Dam, thank you so much for bringing us that forecast.

Still to come, Britain's King Charles opens up about his battle with cancer, including how his recovery is going. We have new details in the King's video message next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:23:15]

SANCHEZ: We have some breaking news to CNN. Britain's King Charles just gave a rare update on his cancer recovery in a televised message saying that he is responding well to treatment. The 77-year-old monarch was diagnosed back in February but hasn't revealed the kind of cancer that he has. CNN's Richard Quest joins us now.

Richard, I want to play the sound bite of King Charles in this televised message and then have you react to it on the other side. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KING CHARLES: Indeed, today I am able to share with you the good news that thanks to early diagnosis, effective intervention and adherence to "doctors' orders," my own schedule of cancer treatment can be reduced in the new year.

This milestone is both a personal blessing and a testimony to the remarkable advances that have been made in cancer care in recent years; testimony that I hope may give encouragement to the 50 percent of us who will be diagnosed with the illness at some point in our lives.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Richard, your reaction to this message?

RICHARD QUEST, CNN BUSINESS ANCHOR & EDITOR-AT-LARGE: Well, first of all, extremely good news that the King's treatment would appear to be going well enough that they can reduce the amount of treatment. But this really was a message and frankly, we could play this message in any country in the world, United States, anywhere, because this was really a clarion call for people to get tested.

This was a call about telling people that the opportunities for testing, early detection greatly improve the abilities of the -- of -- of longer life.

[15:25:01]

He said, "I'm told people avoid screening because they imagine it's frightening. Compassion must be paired with action," he said.

And so, when we look at the King, I mean, I've obviously seen and heard him a million times. This was the King at the best. He was forthright, practical, compassionate, and at the same time, giving us an update on his private medical condition, where frankly, we know very few details.

SANCHEZ: It is rare for the crown -- for any member of the royalty to put forward details about their health. And specifically, we still don't know what kind of cancer he underwent treatment for, right?

QUEST: Yes, and I'm just about to read you the reason why they say that. Are you all willing to share details of what form of cancer he's recovering from? No, they say. That will remain private. But this is the core part. The advice from cancer experts is that it is preferable he does not address his specific condition rather than speak to those who generally suffer from it, because that brings everybody in rather than, oh, well, I haven't got that cancer. Oh, well, I'm suffering from this one. That's why they're not revealing, they say, what cancer he has.

SANCHEZ: It is a fair point. Richard Quest, thanks so much for that analysis.

Let's speak to a health expert now. We're joined by Dr. Elizabeth Comen, a medical oncologist at NYU Langone.

Thanks so much for being with us, Doctor.

Talk to us about what you're gathering from the King's message here, the importance of cancer screening programs and why early detection is so critical.

DR. ELIZABETH COMEN, MEDICAL ONCOLOGIST, NYU LANGONE: You know, this is an extraordinary message, and I couldn't agree more with Richard. This is royalty opening up what is historically a very private conversation and recognizing that cancer is not a private weakness but a very shared human experience. And to use his incredible power for empathy and responsibility and the importance of investing in medical science is something, as an oncologist in the medical community, I am so incredibly heartened by.

SANCHEZ: He spoke about remarkable advances in cancer care. Can you walk us through what some of those advances are?

COMEN: Yes. I mean, I'm a breast oncologist, and I can tell you in my career the landscape of how we treat breast cancer has dramatically improved, not only because of access to care but the investment in medical science. And that's really what he's speaking on, that when we invest not just simply in hope but collaboration across the globe, this is when you see incredible advances in not just improving mortality from cancer but scaling back cancer treatment, as he discussed, which is huge in terms of how patients can live and survive.

SANCHEZ: Yes, and it's certainly good news that it's going to soon be reduced in -- in the coming year for the King. When you think about a patient like him, 77 years old, with a very public-facing and demanding at times job, I'm curious about what you think some of the challenges might be for him.

COMEN: Well, I think there are challenges, but it also speaks to the fact that cancer -- the risk of cancer increases as we get older. And in many instances, historically, there's been ageism about how we can treat older patients, but this really reflects the idea that at any stage we can address cancer needs and ideally optimize outcomes. And so, I'm -- I'm thrilled to see that he's not only doing well but able to scale back his treatment.

SANCHEZ: Can you tell us what it's like to talk to patients or -- or folks that are scared about getting screened and finding out that they have a cancer diagnosis? Because as we just heard from the King, a lot of this hesitation to get screened simply comes down to fear.

COMEN: I think that's an entirely normal human experience. I'm scared when I go get my mammogram, and I treat breast cancer patients each and every day, and I know that outcomes are excellent. And I think when we share in that message and we're able to say, look, we're all -- almost all of us are afraid of a colonoscopy, a mammogram, but when you find information early, you can treat it earlier and you can improve your outcome. So, we have to encourage people to try to overcome that fear, do whatever it takes, go with a family member, go with a friend, go together so that you can get that earlier cancer screening and potentially save your own life or your loved one's life.

SANCHEZ: Dr. Elizabeth Comen, thank you so much for the expertise and for spreading the message.

COMEN: Thank you for having me.

SANCHEZ: Of course. Sources tell CNN that the FDA is planning to put a black box warning on COVID vaccines. Shocking experts. Stay with us. We'll discuss.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)