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Rubio and Hegseth Brief Lawmakers; Dr. Jeff Gardere is Interviewed about the Providence Community Grieving; Numbers on Trump and the Reclassification of Marijuana; Getting Rid of Electronics; Colin Farrell and Jessie Buckley on "Actors on Actors." Aired 9:30-10a ET

Aired December 16, 2025 - 09:30   ET

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

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[09:30:09]

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: So, we're standing by right now for the defense secretary and the secretary of state to be back on Capitol Hill and briefing senators on the new strikes, new round of strikes on alleged drug trafficking boats. The U.S. military says it conducted these strikes on three boats that killed eight people -- that killed eight people. The attacks in the eastern Pacific bring the number of people killed during this military campaign by the president to at least 95 since it began in September.

And moments ago, we have just learned, that White House chief of staff, Susie Wiles, speaking out in a new interview with "Vanity Fair," about this very thing, about the president's military campaign in in the Caribbean and his overall strategy against Venezuela here, saying this, Susie Wiles says, quote, "he wants to keep on blowing boats up until Maduro cries uncle. And people way smarter than me on that say that he will."

CNN's Zach Cohen has the very latest on this.

Much to learn in what Susie Wiles' commentary is going to mean going forward. But what are you learning about these strikes and this briefing that's about to happen?

ZACHARY COHEN, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: Yes, absolutely. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth are almost certainly going to face questions about that interview done with Susie Wiles, where, as you mentioned, she made it explicitly clear on the record that this campaign in the eastern Pacific and in the Caribbean targeting alleged drug boats is not just about stopping the flow of drugs from Latin America into the U.S., but also has an element of regime change. And specifically is intended to try to push out Venezuelan Leader Nicolas Maduro. Now, that's something we've been reporting since September that Trump has been considering this as a sort of dual-hatted campaign, but one that the White House and the Trump administration has really not acknowledged publicly until now. So, expect a lot of questions from lawmakers today in these classified briefings on what Susie Wiles said. And more recently we're learning of yet another military strike in the

eastern Pacific. This time blowing up three alleged drug boats and killing eight more. We're rapidly approaching that 100 person killed mark for this campaign since September 2nd. And meanwhile, those questions about the legality of this operation and this campaign overall are still persisting. Lawmakers are taking issue not only with that September 2nd strike, the one where the U.S. military appeared to kill survivors of a first attempt to blow up an alleged drug boat, but really questioning the underlying legal rationale for this campaign writ large. Now, if you add in what Susie Wiles is acknowledging on the record here, even more legal questions ahead for the Trump administration.

BOLDUAN: No doubt, questions upon questions.

Zach, it's great to see you. Thank you so much for that.

Let's get back to John on the ground in Providence, Rhode Island.

John.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, this morning, Kate, authorities are hoping for new clues and new leads in the manhunt for the Brown University shooter. They released these new images and video of the person police are searching for. Three new angles of video. They say the individual appears to be five eight with a stocky build.

All around Providence, different schools are handling things differently. Here at Brown, students were basically told they could leave. Classes canceled. Finals canceled. Public schools have been open. University of Rhode Island canceled classes yesterday. It really varies place to place here as the community tries to navigate their emotions here. Obviously, the grief over what happened, but also the fear over the fact that there is a killer still on the loose.

With us now is clinical psychologist and professor of behavioral medicine at Touro University, Dr. Jeff Gardere.

Doc, great to see you this morning.

DR. JEFF GARDERE, PROFESSOR OF BEHAVIORAL MEDICINE, TOURO UNIVERSITY: Good to see you.

BERMAN: And what kind of a burden does this put on people? Yes, they're grieving right now. But, yes, they're also told that a killer is still on the loose.

GARDERE: That's right. So, what we're seeing is the trauma of this horrific shooting, laid on top of the grief for the people that they have lost. But now, as you've been talking about all morning, the fear that we would naturally see with this violent rupture of reality, now that fear has been intensified because there is still a shooter, a killer, still on the loose.

BERMAN: One of the things that we saw here at Brown was that they had this person of interest in custody, a person they said was a person of interest on Sunday. Then they cleared him and released him.

Students, on Sunday, were making plans to go home in a day, a few days, get an earlier flight or a train.

[09:35:01]

When it turned out that the person of interest wasn't a subject of this investigation and let him go, people got out of town. The students really, they almost fled as quickly as they could. We saw the streets filled with people with wheelie bags. How understandable is that kind of reaction?

GARDERE: Well, it's normally a perfect reaction for what it is that they are experiencing. Again, as I've said, that fear has been compounded because that person is still out there. But there's also an anger that we're seeing because when they thought that they had this individual, when it was announced that a person of interest had been caught, people started to let their guard down. They started to address the grief that they were starting to experience.

But now they feel like they are stuck in the moment. Stuck in this moment of time. And so now what we're seeing is this fear. But we're seeing anger. Anger at our -- the investigation not turning out as they thought that it would. And I think what we're also seeing is an anger at the institution that were calling America, simply because these sorts of shootings, these campus shootings are something that are affecting their generation more than anyone else, more than any other particular group of people.

BERMAN: Yes. The students who went through this here, I wouldn't say they're numb to it, but I think there's a sense that, here we go again. A lack of surprise that it's happening based on everything they've seen.

Dr. Jeff Gardere, we appreciate you being with us this morning. Thank you very much.

And, Kate, obviously, at this point here in Providence, people just waiting for anything new from authorities. The hope that maybe this video will shake something loose in the investigation.

BOLDUAN: Absolutely. Any new clue to try to crack this case and find the suspect.

We're going to get back to John on the ground in Providence for us.

We're also watching this ahead. President Trump is weighing in and considering a move to loosen federal restrictions on marijuana. We've got details on that one ahead.

And the opening bell on Wall Street ringing just moments ago. Markets opening this morning relatively flat after closing in the red yesterday. Tech stocks pulled back a bit after what had been a big rally for A.I. stocks. With just two weeks left in the year, the S&P 500 is up almost 16 percent this year. The benchmark index set a record high just last week. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:42:43]

BOLDUAN: So, President Trump is signaling a possible shift in federal policy on marijuana. The president now saying that he is very strongly considering an executive order that would put marijuana in a lower drug classification, effectively easing federal restrictions on it.

CNN's chief data analyst Harry Enten is here with some context and some interesting perspective on this, should it happen.

Harry, if this happens, how would Americans feel about it being rescheduled?

HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA ANALYST: Yes, this would be some of the best politics that Donald Trump has done in a long period of time if, in fact, the U.S. decides to reschedule marijuana.

Why do I say this? Take a look here. Say marijuana should be legal. Look at the time span and look at how much higher and higher and higher favoring Americans have in terms of legalizing marijuana. Look at this. In 1969 it was just 12 percent. In '85, 23 percent. Twenty years ago it was 36 percent. Look at this, nearly double from where we were just 20 years ago in terms of the percentage of Americans who say that marijuana should, in fact, be legalized in the country. Sixty- four percent, two in three Americans. You rarely get two and three Americans to agree on anything. But they do, in fact, agree that marijuana should be legal, Kate Bolduan.

BOLDUAN: This is how people feel about it and the popularity of this move. But over the years, if you put aside the popularity, how has usage changed and shift?

ENTEN: Yes, it's the same trend line. It turns out that Americans have increasingly been saying tootsie, tootsie, goodbye. Have ever used marijuana? Look at this. In 1969, four percent. 1985, 33 percent. 1999, 34 percent. Then you look in 2024, nearly half of Americans now have at least used marijuana one time. And the percentage who say they're using it right now is also near record highs.

And, Kate, I will note, when I said that tootsie, tootsie, goodbye, I don't think you quite got the reference. It's a reference to "Primary Colors," the film.

BOLDUAN: OK, thank you so much.

ENTEN: You're welcome.

BOLDUAN: If this is a political move, is it clear that the president would see a benefit, potentially, with any one particular group?

ENTEN: Yes, this is where I think it really comes in. Take a look at those under the age of 35, because they have been a real swing group, right? They swung wildly from the 2020 to 2024 election, going increasingly into the president's column. And then we've seen them actually shift back away from the president. This could be an issue that could help, among other issues, help bring them back into the president's camp.

[09:45:03]

Why do I say that? Because those under the age of 35, look at that, 72 percent want it legal. And then you see about half have ever used marijuana. So, for me, this could be a wedge issue that the president could use, in fact, against his Democratic opposition and say, hey, you know what, Democrats have talked the talk, but I'm actually going to walk the walk when it comes to legalizing marijuana.

BOLDUAN: OK. So, what are the prediction markets saying about the chances then here?

ENTEN: Yes. OK. So, what's the chance that this actually happens? I think there's a pretty gosh darn good chance it's going to happen, at least according to the prediction markets. So, the chance that the U.S. reschedules marijuana before the end of Trump's term. Look at this, 88 percent. I think that makes a lot of sense when the president of the United States says that he's strongly, or was it very strongly?

BOLDUAN: Very strongly.

ENTEN: Very strongly, very strong words from the president, but very strongly considering rescheduling marijuana. At this point it looks like about nine in ten of those who are putting their money where their mouth is say it will happen before the end of Trump's term. But, of course, Kate Bolduan, we'll just have to wait.

BOLDUAN: Well, yes. Very strongly considering is still a step short of actually changing federal policy. So, we will see.

ENTEN: We will see.

BOLDUAN: Thank you so much, Harry.

ENTEN: Thank you.

BOLDUAN: A lot of news, a lot of news we're following this morning.

We'll be right back.

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[09:50:46]

BOLDUAN: The holidays are upon us, friends, if you have not noticed everywhere, which also, of course, means many new gifts. And if you're lucky, it also means new tech. New phones, new laptops, new tablets are at the top of many holiday lists. So, what is the safest way to get rid of the old devices to make room for the new?

CNN's Clare Duffy is looking into it, here with a little bit of tech advice.

You're my tech support today.

CLARE DUFFY, CNN TECH REPORTER: Yes.

BOLDUAN: What do you do?

DUFFY: I mean, I know for many of us when we get new gadgets it either means throwing your old phone in a junk drawer full of old tech or --

BOLDUAN: Like, literally full.

DUFFY: Literally full.

BOLDUAN: Yes.

DUFFY: Trying to figure out how to dispose of it. And it's really important, actually, to responsibly recycle our old tech gadgets because they contain heavy metals that can leach into the environment. They're toxic to us, toxic to the earth if they get thrown into the landfill.

So, what devices can you recycle? Think about things like old phones, laptops, TVs, computer monitors, charging cables. And then it's really important to look at either -- there are local disposal centers. It's important that they are either e-stewards or R2 certified. That makes sure that your devices are disassembled and recycled properly. Or many of the big box stores like Staples, Office Depot, and Best Buy have e- waste recycling programs.

You can also look at buybacks at your local phone company or at Apple. If you're buying a new device, sometimes they'll take your old device back. And it's also really important to remember to wipe your data. To save your old photos, your old text messages, and then wipe that data off of your device before you recycle it.

BOLDUAN: That is critical, I would say, for a lot of people. So, this is how you can get rid and clean out the junk drawer and safely get rid of your old devices. But what's the advice and what are you hearing in terms of just having less e-waste in general?

DUFFY: Yes, I think it is really important for people to think about whether they really do need to upgrade. Every cycle we get -- here from the phone companies and from the device companies. They like to launch new gadgets every year.

BOLDUAN: Of course.

DUFFY: But do you really need a new one? Are the features worth that upgrade? And then if you are, in fact, looking for a new device, you can also look at these third party resellers that refurbish old devices and make them new again. So, that is another option if you're looking to pare down your e-waste footprint, look at buying a reused device rather than a brand new one.

BOLDUAN: I mean it -- what are the stats on like how much e-waste there really -- I mean it's got -- it's huge and going to get huger. DUFFY: It's a huge problem. Yes, it's really -- it's growing much

faster than the proper recycling of these devices is growing. And so, this is a really significant problem.

I talked on the podcast this week with Christine Datz-Romero. She's executive director of the Lower East Side Ecology Center here in New York City. And she said it really is incumbent on all of us and on the companies to sort of move away from this upgrade cycle every year where we're constantly getting new devices because we all need to lower this pile of e-waste that we're creating.

BOLDUAN: That is -- it is a really interesting -- I don't know if it's catch 22, but it is an interesting kind of self-fulfilling cycle that it has created.

It's great to see you. Thank you so much.

DUFFY: Thank you.

BOLDUAN: So, you can learn more about recycling e-waste on, as she mentioned, on this week's episode of the CNN podcast, "Terms of Service," hosted by the one and only Clare Duffy.

And also this, the newest episode of "Variety's" "Actors on Actors" is out today. This time featuring a conversation between Irish actors Colin Farrell and Jessie Buckley, including a chat about Buckley's standout role in "Hamnet."

CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister went behind the scenes with the stars.

ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.

So, for this episode, Jessie Buckley is paired with Colin Farrell. And one of my favorite parts of "Actors on Actors" and being on set is you see a lot of these actors meet for the first time, and you also see them really geek out over each other's work.

Now, Jessie Buckley, I have to tell you, she is the frontrunner to win the Oscar for best actress for her role in "Hamnet." And that's what she was there to talk about. Colin Farrell tells Jessie Buckley that he just watched it, and he was not only blown away, he was a bit scared to be in her presence. Take a look.

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COLIN FARRELL, ACTOR: This morning, when I woke up, I was like, oh, geez, do I -- do I have to see this one?

[09:55:03]

Do I have to see her now? Do I have to see her and sit down to her and talk to her a lot about anything.

But, no, delight to be here. But I was and I was, like, what is it? Is it intimidation? Is it --

what is it? Because -- but it's just like, honest to God, it's just all us, what you all went through. This is a moment already, we're only three minutes in, where anyone who watches this (EXPLETIVE DELETED) can go, ahhh. What you went through, actors, you know, all that kind of nonsense. But, which, I guess.

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WAGMEISTER: Now, after their conversation, I caught up with Colin Farrell and Jessie Buckley just off the set. And we joked that this was the first episode ever of Irish on Irish.

Now, they told me that they had only briefly met once before. They met for a few minutes at an industry event. So, "Actors on Actors" was really the first time that they came together. And it seems like a beautiful friendship started right there on the set. They were hugging. They were having the best time during our offset interview. And Colin Farrell, when I spoke to him, he told me that even after 25 years of being in this business, that he still feels like he doesn't know what he's doing. So, some really candid moments in this interview between Colin Farrell and Jessie Buckley.

Back to you guys.

BOLDUAN: Elizabeth, thank you so much. They've been fascinating looks into these conversations with these actors.

You can go to cnn.com to check out all of the episodes of "Actors on Actors," and you can see new episodes every weekday at 9:00 a.m. Eastern.

Thank you so much for joining us today. This is CNN NEWS CENTRAL. "THE SITUATION ROOM" is up next.

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