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"60 Minutes" Report Pulled by News Chief Goes Viral; Trump Suspends All Large Offshore Wind Farms; How Christmas is Big Business in Norway. Aired 2:30-3p ET

Aired December 23, 2025 - 14:30   ET

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

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[14:30:00]

ERICA HILL, CNN HOST: A 60-minute segment pulled just hours before it was set to air on Sunday night, finding a wide audience now online. The story aired on a streaming platform in Canada and instantly went viral. A CBS News representative acknowledging that Canadian stream happened, quote, mistakenly.

It's a move, though, that has only continued to fuel interest in both that segment and the decision by the new head of CBS News, Bari Weiss, to shelve the story. That story focused on what Trump deportees at a notorious mega prison in El Salvador experienced. Weiss claiming in part that the piece was not ready because it lacked a response from the Trump administration.

Correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi says the network spiked the report for political, not editorial reasons.

Joining me now is former CBS News chief investigative correspondent Armen Keteyian, who of course was also a regular contributor to "60 Minutes." Armen, it's good to have you with us this afternoon.

I know you watched the piece. I watched it as well today. I'm curious, your reaction to Sharyn's story, especially in light of what you've heard about the changes that Bari Weiss is pushing for.

ARMEN KETEYIAN, FORMER CBS NEWS CHIEF INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think it was a classic "60 Minutes" piece. It was deeply reported. They had compelling characters, you know, giving firsthand accounts of the brutality and the conditions, the horrific conditions inside the prison.

So to me, it was an A-plus kind of a piece. And I know Sharyn, we worked together at 60 and also at "60 Minutes Sports," and she's a first rate television correspondent and a reporter. We spoke briefly through e-mail yesterday.

I told her I was very proud of her and I gave her my full support. And then she said, thank you very much on both of those accounts.

HILL: How is she weathering all of this?

KETEYIAN: Well, I don't really know. I mean, she's not talking beyond the memo that she wrote, the e-mail that she wrote, which I thought was incredibly courageous and putting her -- and I think putting her job on the line, no question. She's not in a safe space right now.

I'd be pretty sure about that. But, you know, having worked there for eight years, it's a special group of people. It's really not a job, it's your life.

You completely invested in these stories. And certainly in her case, to have, you know, five different screenings, most of the pieces that I did, some of them were investigative in nature, you would go through three screenings. To go five means that Tanya Simon, the executive producer and all the other people there that were responsible for this standards and practices, vetting, legal, they were meticulous in crossing all the T's and dotting all the I's.

So, you know, as I said, I watched it. I thought it was a classic 60 piece.

HILL: Yes, absolutely. You talk about the e-mail that she wrote and, you know, I've heard from a lot of people the courage that they see in that, the braver, as you point, her job very well, maybe on the line and being so public about it. A number of things that she wrote stood out to me, but this is one of them.

She talks about specifically this push for statements and it's important to note, she noted she did reach out to the White House. She reached out to DHS. She reached out to the State Department.

She writes in her e-mail, government silence is a statement, not a veto. Going on to say, if the administration's refusal to participate becomes a valid reason to spike a story, we have effectively handed them a kill switch for any reporting they find inconvenient.

That is especially poignant on the heels of recent comments from the president in which he posted online that he wasn't happy with the direction of "60 Minutes" and said, if these are friends, then who needs enemies?

[14:35:00]

Do you think Bari Weiss understands what she meant by a kill switch? Sorry, Armin.

KETEYIAN: No, that's OK. I mean, absolutely. I mean, when you are -- when you're doing these kinds of stories, you're obligated to go to the other side for comment. And oftentimes we would give them not specific questions, but obviously general directions in which these stories were going.

And we were vigilant in trying to get the other side to talk. But if the other side doesn't talk, it's your responsibility to say that in the story. And that's what Sharyn and the producer did, Oriana. So now I'm hearing and reading about, oh, there was comments back from the White House and DHS.

Well, the White House, if I'm reading things correctly, basically didn't respond directly to what Sharyn and Oriana were asking. They went off on a different tangent, as they're known to do. So my big issue here, if I could make this one point, is I don't know

Bari Weiss. I've never met her. But what I do know is this, is that if you're going to -- and she has every right as an editor-in-chief to raise questions and concerns about pieces -- but not in the 11th hour, not after not seeing five different screenings and coming in a day and a half before this piece is air, it's already been vetted. That's just not the way things work, not at a network I've ever worked for. And I think, frankly, she's out of her depth here right now.

And she should listen more than demand certain things or ask for certain things. And what I'm feeling in talking to people at 60 is there's just deep concern right now as to where the direction of the network is going.

HILL: Does that concern include a full loss, essentially, of editorial control?

KETEYIAN: I don't know. I mean, I don't want to go on that plank, but I think what you're seeing here is, and in the eight years I was there doing these pieces, I mean, there was a system in place. There was, those screenings were very, very important.

And there was a rhythm to how these pieces got on the air. And now to come in at the 11th hour and say, well, we should do more of this and why isn't this in the piece? That's understandable, but not at that point, not after you've missed five different screenings going back into December 12th.

HILL: And we should point out, that's also part of the process for stories, right? There may be some back and forth. Your editors may have different thoughts, but that is part of the journalistic process.

And Sharyn even noted that she and her producer asked for a call and they weren't granted one. Armen, it's really important to have your perspective, especially for the time that you spent there at CBS with your excellent work. Thank you.

Thanks for joining us.

KETEYIAN: Thank you.

HILL: Thousands of jobs and cheaper energy are now at risk after President Trump suspends all large offshore wind farms under construction, including one that is now just months away from completion. That's next.

[14:40:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: In the latest blow to clean energy, the Trump administration is immediately suspending federal leases for all large offshore wind projects currently under construction. This move impacts five projects that are currently being built in the Atlantic Ocean, including one that was supposed to start supplying electricity to more than half a million homes in Virginia next year. HILL: Really big projects. President Trump has, of course, long been a vocal critic of wind farms. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum offering up this reason for the suspension.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DUG BURGUM, SECRETARY, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR: Modern warfare is drone warfare. And the radar interference caused by these massive gargantuan projects. I mean, understanding that a single one of these towers can be one and a half times taller than the than the Washington Monument.

The blades themselves, the diameter of the blades is bigger than the Statue of Liberty. Two and a half football fields. These things are moving in 150 miles an hour.

Our ground-based radar is designed to pick up movement. If you wanted to attack a population center on the east coast of our country, you would send a swarm of drones right through one of these wind farms.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: CNN chief climate correspondent Bill Weir is with us. So, Bill, I think it's important we do a little fact check here of what we do know. Concerns about radar have long been known for decades, frankly, when it comes to wind farms and were known when a number of these were approved.

So it would seem -- if they seem if they're known that there must be sort of a way to work around them. I mean, how concerning is this issue in reality?

BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: Well, in reality, it's just the latest excuse for a president who just hates looking at wind turbines. We'll send you a refresher on that. But just to set some context here, these projects have been in the pipeline for decades.

And here's a list of who has to sign off. State and local authorities. You've got the Air Force, the Coast Guard, the Naval Undersea Warfare Center, North American Aerospace Defense Command, Army Corps of Engineers, the FAA.

Each of these had to sign off, which they did on these permitted projects. The Defense Department was in on that as well. And as a former commander in the U.S. Navy, Kirk Lippold points out, a lot of these -- ironically, these projects will benefit national security instead of taking it away. You heard Doug Burgum saying this might be a problem with radar and these sorts of things. Diversifying America's energy supplies, providing much needed reliable power for the grid, helping our economy, Commander Lippold says. The port investments and boost to shipbuilding already driven by offshore wind development have alone provided significant national security impact here as well.

[14:45:00]

And not to mention the incredible demand for energy right now domestically in the United States with AI data centers coming online, big tech scrambling to reopen nuclear power plants, every ounce of energy they can get. And this was going to be massive, enough to power over 2 million homes on the East Coast, a lot of them in Virginia, where those data centers are.

KEILAR: What does this mean for the future of wind energy here in the U.S.?

WEIR: Well, it's a great question. Just as a refresher, here's Donald Trump on wind energy over the years. He has a number of reasons he hates it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: If you have a windmill anywhere near you house, congratulations, you house just went down 75 percent in value. And they say the noise causes cancer.

The windmills are driving them crazy. They're driving. They're driving the whales, I think, a little batty. And they're washing up on shore at levels never seen before.

Wind is the worst. It's a big -- it's a big -- that's a scam. They ruin your valleys. They ruin your peaks.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WEIR: None of that is backed up by scientists when it comes to whales or birds or cancer, those sorts of things. And the top five wind states in the United States lean towards Republicans. You've got, you know, Texas at the very top there, Iowa, Kansas, Colorado at number five coming in there as well.

And so Republicans have long run on this all of the above energy strategy, which you can hear Democrats point to now as the affordability debate goes forward. Electricity bills are going up in these places, taking away a source of new electricity, especially just drives the price up for everybody else. It's basic economic.

This is a 90 day pause on these new projects. Expect to see a lot of pushback, including Senate Republicans who threaten to hold up any sort of transmission line reform until this stuff is taken out. Even oil and gas majors don't love this because they know the pendulum can swing and come for them in a different administration.

KEILAR: Yes, so interesting when you see where it's concentrated, that's essential to look at. Bill, thank you so much for taking us through that. We appreciate it.

Chevy Chase helped define a generation of comedy and became a widely recognized name from his early days on SNL to becoming a movie star and even the sometimes complicated moments in his private life. The CNN film "I'M CHEVY CHASE AND YOU'RE NOT" explores the man both on and off the screen.

HILL: Yes, there are candid interviews with Chevy himself, also those who know him best. The film boldly explores the life and career of someone who is arguably an unforgettable comedy icon. Here's a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Lorne Michaels, when he's given the job to develop a show for Saturday nights, he's got a blank slate.

LORNE MICHAELS, PRODUCER, SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE: I'd spent my 20s in a television studio, so I was comfortable in that environment. We were just filled with possibility of what we could do and what we couldn't do.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When I met with Lorne, he described this new show. It spun my head around. He said it would be live, be 11:30 to 1:00 on Saturday night.

I go, what? Who's going to watch that? You know, angry people, people who are not getting laid.

I got a call. Lorne said, do you want to start this show with me?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If you could try to look at me instead of looking directly at the camera unless you --

CHEVY CHASE, ACTOR, COMEDIAN: It's hard for me.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why?

CHASE: Because I invented weekend updates so I could look in the camera.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HILL: "I'M CHEVY CHASE AND YOU'RE NOT" premieres New Year's Day, 8 p.m. Eastern, right here on CNN. You can also catch it the next day on the CNN app.

KEILAR: And next, CNN's Richard Quest visits a small Norwegian village where thousands of letters addressed to Santa end up every year.

[14:50:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: Now to some of the other headlines that we're watching this hour. A new legal challenge to the renaming of the Kennedy Center. A lawsuit filed in federal court by Democratic Congresswoman Joyce Beatty of Ohio alleges the center's board of trustees went beyond its power in adding President Trump's name, as you see here, to the performing arts center.

Beatty, who is an ex-officio member of the center's board and says her link was muted during last week's vote, says only Congress has the authority to rename the center and calls the move illegal. CNN has reached out to the White House for comment. Also, the Kansas City Chiefs have announced they'll be leaving

Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. The team will be moving across the state line to a new domed stadium that is going to be built in Kansas City, Kansas. The announcement came shortly after Kansas state lawmakers approved a funding package that will cover up to 70 percent of the cost of the stadium along with a mixed-use district.

Fans will be able to enjoy Arrowhead a little longer, though. The new stadium isn't expected to be ready until 2031.

HILL: Police in Ohio arresting three children who learned a new trick online, apparently, how to steal a car. They also ended up crashing into a house.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: I want mommy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You should have thought about that before you got in the car.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: So the children, ages 8, 11, and 12, two of the kids are brothers, they told police they had watched YouTube videos on how to steal cars.

Dash cam video shows police chasing the car just before the crash. Thankfully, no one was injured here. Police say the kids were later released to their parents. The older boys are actually facing felony charges, but the youngest will likely not be charged.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: It's our first time and the car is (INAUDIBLE).

[14:55:00]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I could tell by the way that you drove. You suck at driving.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: Sort of a giveaway there.

KEILAR: Yes.

HILL: OK, in happier news, some of the letters that don't make it to Santa at the North Pole, they do sometimes find their way to a small town in Norway.

KEILAR: CNN's Richard Quest traveled there, of course he did, to see how Christmas is big business, and he received quite the surprise when he opened up one letter.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) RICHARD QUEST, CNN ANCHOR: 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.

EVA JOHANSEN, CO-FOUNDER, TREGAARDENS CHRISTMAS HOUSE: From Taiwan.

QUEST (voice over): And all of them addressed to Santa.

JOHANSEN: 10,000 to 15,000 letters.

QUEST: Right now, here we go.

JOHANSEN: Yes.

QUEST: Let's have a look at what we've got, all right.

JOHANSEN: Oh!

QUEST: So, these -- oh, good Lord, they've come from everywhere..

JOHANSEN: Oh, is from Taiwan.

QUEST: Taiwan, yes.

QUEST (voice over): The shop is run by Eva Johansen, who is part post mistress and part elf. I jest 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: It is different. From all -- you see, knitted sweaters, knickers, boots, and looks different.

QUEST: Why?

JOHANSEN: Because this belongs to our culture, our history from all time.

QUEST: Oi, oi, oi, this is --

QUEST (voice over): Eva the elf agreed to let me open and read a few of the letters that have been sent to Santa.

QUEST: Wants an MP3 player.

QUEST (voice over): 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 have 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 LOVENSKIOLD, 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, wonderful fall, the winter is now coming where we can go skiing and live a completely different lifestyle before summer comes again.

Yes, we have adjust to the -- to the seasons and enjoy them.

QUEST: Enjoy them.

LOVENSKIOLD: That is very important.

QUEST: Right, let's go 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. This had to be opened and read.

QUEST (voice-over): Heartwarming messages the lot.

QUEST: Dear Santa Claus, my favorite holiday Christmas is coming soon, which we --

Oh, look at that nice little hat. Oh, Uzbekistan.

Dear Santa Claus, Merry Christmas. Can I have a froggy toy?

From Hong Kong. My daughter, dear, will turn five in December. She is 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 is 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? Anything chocolate-related would, in our experience, work well.

Thank you very much. Beverly, Lorraine, 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)

KEILAR: Nice work, Richard.

HILL: Good stories.

KEILAR: Totally.

HILL: Well done, Richard.

KEILAR: Hours from now, one of the most important missions of the year will take flight. As the boss once said, Santa Claus is coming to town.

And thanks to the North American Aerospace Defense Command, we will know his exact route. We will be watching. Their tracking crew follows Santa as he brings joy and presence to families around the globe.

HILL: He moves so quickly. And I have realized because I follow the NORAD Santa tracker every year. This year is the 70th anniversary.

NORAD has actually been offering their services in some capacity since 1955. Back then, it was known as the Continental Air Defense Command. In years past, NORAD volunteers also manned the phone lines to help ...

END