Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Syria Marks One Year Since Assad Ouster, Regime Change; Controversies May Pose Threat To GOP In 2026 Midterms; Marjorie Taylor Greene Speaks Out After Trump Falling Out; Trump Calls Affordability A "Scam" Created By Democrats; Two U.K. Women's Groups Bar Trans Women and Girls from Joining; Australia Banning Social Media for Kids; Trump Hosts Kennedy Center Honors, Says Changes "Saved" Building; 2025 Golden Globes Nominations to be Announced. Aired 1-2a ET

Aired December 08, 2025 - 01:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:00:37]

BEN HUNTE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello wherever you are in the world, you are now in the CNN NEWSROOM with me, Ben Hunte in Atlanta. And it is so good to have you with me.

Coming up on the show, President Zelenskyy is set to huddle with European leaders in London after calling recent peace discussions with U.S. leaders constructive but not easy. More than a month after putting ink to paper on a peace agreement, Thailand launching airstrikes on Cambodia as fresh border clashes flare up. And two major U.K. women's organizations banning transgender women and girls. And they say it's a Supreme Court forcing their hand.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from Atlanta, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Ben Hunte.

HUNTE: Welcome. Ukraine's president is heading to London to meet with British, French and German leaders after days of difficult peace talks of Trump administration officials. Ukrainian negotiators spent the weekend in Miami hashing out details of the U. S backed plan to end Russia's war in Ukraine. Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Ukraine is committed to diplomacy no matter how tricky it is.

(BEGIN VT)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Yesterday we spoke with Steven Witkoff and Jared Kushner. I thank them for their readiness to work together 24/7. The American representatives know the basic Ukrainian positions. The conversation was constructive, although not easy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump is expressing frustration over the lack of a breakthrough and he accuses President Zelenskyy of not having read the deal without explaining what he means.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: So we've been speaking to President Putin and we've been speaking to Ukrainian leaders, including Zelenskyy, President Zelenskyy and I have to say that I'm a little bit disappointed that President Zelenskyy hasn't yet read the proposal. That was as of a few hours ago. His people love it, but he has --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: Paula Hancocks brings us the latest on the peace talks.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Three days of discussions, negotiations between the U.S. And Ukrainian delegation in Miami, Florida have ended and both sides have referred to them as constructive. Now we have heard from the Ukrainian ambassador to the United States saying that, quote, "difficult issues remain," saying that both sides are going to continue to try and secure realistic and acceptable solutions.

Now we understand that two of the outstanding issues are territory and guarantees. These have been the long standing sticking points when it comes to these negotiations. Ukraine has insisted that it needs strong security guarantees to ensure it is not having to surrender further territory to Russia in the future. And what we have heard from the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, in recent days when he was India is that he intends to seize the eastern Donbas region by any means. So really highlighting Ukraine's insistence on having those steadfast, strong security guarantees.

So those discussions have ended. We know that Ukraine's President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has spoken by phone to the two U.S. mediators that -- Steve Wyckoff, the special envoy for the Trump administration and also President Trump's son in law, Jared Kushner. Those conversations, according to the Ukrainian side, were also constructive. We understand and we have heard from the U.S. ambassador to NATO who has suggested that progress is being made.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MATTHEW WHITAKER, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO NATO: You know, we're close -- we're closer than we've ever been to peace. And this is, you know, as President Trump has said, this is -- this is a tough situation to get to the right spot. And you know, ultimately it's -- this war needs to end. It's been going on for almost four years with millions of casualties.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANCOCKS: So looking forward to this coming week. We know that President Zelenskyy will be in London on Monday. He will be meeting with the leaders of the U.K., of Germany, of France. These discussions will continue. The diplomacy is ongoing on a number of different tracks at this point, but as of now, no breakthrough. Paula Hancock, CNN, Abu Dhabi.

[01:05:00]

HUNTE: Earlier, CNN national security analyst and former U.S. deputy director of National Intelligence, Beth Saner, said that she believes the talks are currently blocked. Here's why.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BETH SANNER, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: We are a bit at a stalemate, but I think it's good actually to be talking to Russia, to be trying to push them. But I think that that's the part that is lacking and what we're seeing is Putin's response to all of this isn't, oh, I'll give a little bit more here, which is what I think the Ukrainian side is doing. They're instead saying, no, we insist, we insist on the same demands that we've had, you know, for quite some time. And so that doubling down on kind of these maximalist ideas is I think the key problem here.

I don't think that Russia is ready yet. I think Putin thinks that he can make more gains and push Ukraine into a worse deal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: Thailand has launched airstrikes against Cambodia as a new wave of fighting erupted along their disputed border. Thailand says the strikes are retaliation for an attack that killed one soldier and wounded others on Monday. The action sparks a major explanation in long running tensions between the two countries.

And it calls into question a peace plan brokered by U.S. President Donald Trump just two months ago. In July, conflicts over the border led to five days of fighting that killed dozens and displaced 200,000 people. Civilian evacuations of both countries border regions are currently underway.

Israel's prime minister says his country is very close to advancing to the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire plan. Benjamin Netanyahu made the remarks during a joint news conference with the German chancellor on Sunday. It marks the first time that he's spoken publicly since requesting a presidential pardon from his ongoing corruption trial. Netanyahu also said he would not step down in exchange for that pardon. The prime minister emphasized Israel's priority in the next phase of the ceasefire is to, quote, "disarm Hamas and demilitarize Gaza."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: We finished the first part as you know, phase one, we're almost there. We have one more hostage deceased, Hanikville (ph), a hero of Israel, to return here. And then we, very shortly, expect to move into the second phase, which is more difficult.

(END VIDEO CLIP) HUNTE: Meanwhile, a senior Hamas official told the Associated Press that the group is, quote, "Very open minded about what to do with its remaining weaponry."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BASSEM NAIM, SENIOR HAMAS OFFICIAL: Hamas is open to discuss such ideas. Within the context of a long term ceasefire or truce within the context of a track, political track, which have to lead to a Palestinian state. But if not, OK, we are ready to discuss. The idea of storing or freezing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: Israel's military chief says the current withdrawal line inside Gaza will now serve as a new border known as a yellow line. It marks the first formal withdrawal point for Israeli forces inside Gaza. That is, according to the U.S. brokered cease fire agreement between Israel and Hamas. The line separates areas still occupied by Israel from the rest of the territory from which the IDF has pulled back. Israeli forces hold more than half of Gaza's land area.

A local news broadcaster in Nigeria is reporting that the government has secured the release of 100 school children abducted last month from a Catholic boarding school. More than 300 students and school staff were taken in the attack, including children as young as six years old. It's one of the country's worst mass kidnappings, even surpassing the infamous Chibok abductions by Boko Haram in 2014. This latest incident followed several other attacks and abductions in northern Nigeria last month in the span of just days. Data from a crisis monitoring group shows there have been more than 1,900 attacks against civilians in Nigeria this which have killed more than 3,000 people.

At least 13 soldiers have been arrested in a failed coup attempt in Benin, according to local reports, but it's unclear if the group's leader has been caught. The group, who called themselves the Military Committee for Refoundation, appeared on state T.V. early on Sunday declaring that the government had been dissolved and the president removed from office. But the president later appeared saying that the coup had been foiled. He praised the military's response and condemned those who planned the attempt.

[01:10:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PATRICE TALON, BENIN PRESIDENT (through translator): A small group of soldiers, under the pretext of false claims, began a mutiny with the aim of attacking the institutions of the republic and destabilizing our nation. I have taken the necessary actions to maintain peace to ensure the security and tranquility of all throughout the national territory.

(END VIDEO CLIP) HUNTE: This is just the latest in a string of coup attempts of plagued West Africa. Neighboring countries are now sending troops to assist Benin's army in restoring order.

A moment of celebration and uncertainty in Syria as the country marks the first anniversary of the fall of the Assad regime. Millions of Syrians fled during a 13-year civil war that ultimately led to the collapse of Bashar al-Assad's brutal rule. Over the past year, more than a million Syrian refugees and nearly 2 million internally displaced people have returned home, according to the U.N. refugee agency. But it warns that there is a risk of reversals amid major cuts to foreign aid. The World Health Organization in Syria says returnees are coming back to areas where medicines, staff and infrastructure are limited, adding pressure to already thin services.

Let's bring in Sahar Razavi, director of the Iranian and Middle Eastern Studies Center at California State University, Sacramento. Thank you so much for being with me. How are you doing?

SAHAR RAZAVI, DIR. IRANIAN & MIDDLE EAST STUDIES CTR., CAL STATE UNIVERSITY, SACRAMENTO: Thank you. I'm well. Thanks for having me.

HUNTE: It is good to see you. Thank you for being here. Let's get into this. It has been a year since the fall of Bashar Al-Assad. How would you describe the overall mood in Syria today, especially in cities that suffered the worst of the regime's violence?

RAZAVI: It is overall still very celebratory. People are very well aware of the fragility of the peace. They are well aware of how long it is taking to rebuild. But the Assad dynasty was in power for more than 50 years and it was a very, very difficult situation. So at this point, aware of the domestic constraints and the international politics that are playing on the outcome of the rebuilding, people are generally very hopeful.

Generally, the mood is positive. That said, there is still some sectarian tension. There are, there are skeptics, certainly largely from the Kurdish minority there. There are, there are still unresolved questions.

HUNTE: Well, speaking about some of those unresolved questions, there's quite a dire economic situation over there at the moment, with high unemployment, shortages of electricity and drinking water, slow rebuilding. What do you think are the biggest obstacles that Syrians are facing day to day?

RAZAVI: Right now the economic situation is extremely dire. There is recognition on the part of the interim government that the international legitimacy that they are seeking is not only symbolic, it is quite material. They need that international legitimacy in order to be able to build economic and commercial relationships that will allow Syria to pull itself out of this economic situation. Before the Assad regime fell, some 80 percent plus of Syrians were experiencing food insecurity. According to the world food program, 90 percent were living in poverty. That is, of course, improving. And there is a sense that each month there are improvements being made, there are changes that are being seen, people are seeing material changes, but again, it is slow. And the primary concerns now are political and economic, which are irrevocably and intimately tied.

HUNTE: More than 1 million refugees have returned since last December, along with millions of internally displaced people going back home. What is driving those returns and what still remains too dangerous or unstable for other people to go back?

RAZAVI: I think that the easy answer or the short answer to the question of what's driving the return is that no one really leaves home unless they feel they have to. I mean, it's very rare for people to not want to return once they've been displaced, either forcibly or out of violence and insecurity. There have been many who have returned, as you said, but this still represents a relatively small proportion of the internally and externally displaced people. Syria was more than 20 million population prior to the civil war, and over half were displaced. So as you're saying, a million people returning, it's encouraging to the extent that it shows that there is stability that is returning and therefore people can come home.

But it is still relatively small. So what remains is there is still, as I mentioned before, the widespread economic insecurity, the widespread security uncertainty owing to sectarian tensions. These are things that still remain, you know, sources of a real sense of questioning overall of is this the right time to return? Can I return? Is it worth the risk to return?

[01:15:12]

HUNTE: The U.N. says that Syria is making fragile but meaningful progress, restoring basic services, expanding humanitarian access. From your perspective, what parts of this transition are working and what parts are at real risk of stalling?

RAZAVI: I think that there is a lot of infrastructure on the ground that is -- that is working. I mean, infrastructural projects are working. There has been a lot of -- there have been a lot of commercial relationships that have been reestablished that were under Assad broken and some internal cohesiveness that is starting to rebuild that was fractured under Assad, who systematically used sectarianism to keep himself in power for himself for decades and his father before that. So social cohesion is improving. The ties, the community ties, the social fabric that returns with that is also improving, and that brings with it improvements of all sorts of other aspects of life, right.

But the challenges that remain, I think, largely stem from the regional politics and the enduring tensions with the neighbors. There are -- there is a long history there between Syria and Iran that now Ahmed al-Sharaa is trying to -- al-Sharaa is trying to navigate at this point. He really needs to maintain credibility among Syrians, but he also needs to make concessions where necessary to regional and international powers, especially the United States. So these are challenges that I think are going to be quite durable as the country moves forward, and it's going to be a very delicate line for the government to walk.

HUNTE: OK, we'll see what happens next. We'll leave it there for now. Sahar Razavi, thank you so much. Appreciate it.

RAZAVI: Thank you.

HUNTE: Still to come, the growing criticism surrounding U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and his role in the controversial strike on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:21:10]

HUNTE: Welcome back. Top bipartisan lawmakers in the U.S. say they support the release of a video from a controversial double tap strike on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean that killed two survivors in September. The Trump administration says that strike is part of a campaign to end drug trafficking. U.S. Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth, defended a decision to carry out that double tap strike while speaking at an event on Saturday. But some lawmakers are raising concerns amid mounting criticism of Hegseth.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MARK KELLY (D-AZ): He doesn't look out for anybody. It's not leadership to throw your people under the bus. I mean, he turned around and ran away from this as fast as he could.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pete Hegseth, would you vote the same way today to confirm?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm not going to answer it in front of all these good people.

DANA BASH, CNN ANCHOR: If you to take the confirmation vote again today, would you vote to make Pete Hegseth Defense secretary?

SEN. JOHN CURTIS (R-UT): That's a question I can't answer without as much thoughtful research as I did the first time I did that vote.

SEN. TAMMY DUCKWORTH (D-IL): I've been shot down behind enemy lines. Under the laws of war. If a pilot bails out, he gets shot down, he bails out. He's in a rubber dinghy in the middle of the ocean. Under all the international laws of warfare, you are supposed to help render aid to that individual. Everything that they did here was really good.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: Joining us now is Larry Sabato, director of the center for Politics at the University of Virginia.

Thank you so much for being with me again, Larry. How are you doing?

LARRY SABATO, DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR POLITICS, UNIV. OF VIRGINIA: Thank you, Ben. I'm doing real well.

HUNTE: Amazing. Good to see you.

The Hegseth controversies have expanded over the weekend. The spotlight is also on the Health secretary, RFK Jr., after confusing and controversial new guidance on vaccines this past week, how are Republicans weighing the political cost of continuing to defend these controversial figures against just distancing themselves?

SABATO: Well, we've got less than a year to go before the midterm elections, and all members of the House of Representatives and a third of the U.S. Senate and of course, a bunch of governors and other people are on the ballot. And I've noticed that Republicans are getting a little bit more irritable with each day's passing because Hegseth really is a major problem for them. He projects himself as someone who is clearly unqualified for the very complicated job he has. And RFK Jr. is nothing short of, well, I was going to say unusual, but the word nutty comes to mind as well. The entire medical community, except for this tiny group of people who are obsessed with vaccines, the entire medical community is very upset with what is going on because it is changing the entire superstructure of the vaccine schedule for children and others.

And, you know, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. That's what they all say. Why are we trying to fix something that ain't broke?

HUNTE: Wow. You never hold back. I love it.

Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene just gave her first interview since announcing her resignation from Congress and says her Republican colleagues are terrified to step out of line with Trump. Have a listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE (R-GA): I think they're terrified to step out of line and get a nasty Truth Social post on them. Yes.

LESLEY STAHL, CBS NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Behind the scenes, do they talk differently?

GREENE: Yes.

STAHL: How?

GREENE: Oh, it's -- it would shock people.

STAHL: Well, let's shock people.

GREENE: OK. I watched many of my colleagues go from making fun of him, making fun of how he talks, making fun of me constantly for supporting him, to when he won the primary in 2024, they all started, excuse my language, Leslie, kissing his ass and decided to put on a MAGA hat for the first time.

(END VIDEO CLIP) [01:25:02]

HUNTE: Let's talk about it. Is she right? Can any Republican ever speak out without fear?

SABATO: She is correct. I've got to tell you, I'm still stunned to watch this Marjorie Taylor Greene. She is the last person, much more so than Elon Musk, that I ever expected to drift away from Donald Trump. And she's broken with him entirely. But from my own personal experience, I can tell you she is absolutely correct.

You will talk with one or even a small group of Republican members of the House and Senate, and it will be in private, and it will be either off the record or on background, and they will tell you how horrible it is to deal with the White House. They roll their eyes every time Donald Trump's name is mentioned. They talk about how difficult he's making their reelections. Then you watch them go around the corner, see the cameras, and go over and praise Trump and support every little thing he's doing. So they are still afraid.

But Marjorie Taylor Greene is a good example of what's happening. There are cracks and fissures occurring in MAGA, his base, and that's going to have an impact on his presidency. After all, nearly 80 percent of it is still to run. That's a long time to go. And he's losing support early on.

HUNTE: Wow. OK, keep going. Last week, we saw President Trump mocking the issue of affordability. Now we're starting to hear from Republican lawmakers who say their party isn't making enough of a focus around this, that doing nothing is not an option anymore. Where does the party go from here?

SABATO: Well, they have to get Trump to stop saying what he's saying, which is that affordability is somehow a con job of the Democratic Party. Hey, that's how he got elected president. He used the affordability issue, and it had tremendous power. And it caused many Democrats either not to vote or even to turn away from their party.

Well, the same thing's going to happen in the midterm elections because people are very unhappy with the increased prices. Sure, on some items, like eggs, the price has declined, but on a much greater variety of items, the price has increased. Inflation is still a problem. And certainly what Trump said during the campaign, that on day one, he would bring the prices down, hasn't happened. And I don't think it's going to happen before next November either.

HUNTE: Larry Sabato, thank you so much. Appreciate it.

SABATO: Thank you, Ben. Enjoyed it.

HUNTE: OK, still to come, two of the largest groups for women and girls in the U.K. stop accepting transgender members. What they're saying is the reason for that change in policy just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:31:37]

BEN HUNTE, CNN ANCHOR: You are watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Ben Hunte.

Two of the largest British women's groups are no longer accepting transgender members as of last week. It comes months after the U.K. Supreme Court ruled the legal definition of a woman is defined by biological sex.

Girlguiding, a group for girls and young women, issued a brief statement saying trans individuals will quote, "no longer be able to join".

In a lengthy message, the Women's Institute said beginning in April, they can, quote, "no longer offer formal membership to transgender women".

Both groups have said they do not want to make the change, but face legal threats in the wake of the Supreme Court's decision, which greatly diminished protections for trans women.

Let's keep talking about it. Joining me to discuss this is Jess O'Thompson, trans rights lead at the Good Law Project. Thank you so much for getting up early for me, Jess. How are you doing this morning?

JESS O'THOMPSON, GOOD LAW PROJECT: It's a little early but I'm doing all right.

HUNTE: Good. It's good to see you. Thank you for making the effort.

Last week, we saw trans girls and trans women blocked from Girlguiding and then from the Women's Institute, two huge and influential organizations. What impact have those announcements had so far in the U.K.?

O'THOMPSON: Well, I mean, it's caused immense distress to a number of trans people, as I'm sure you can imagine. Not least because, as far as we understand it, the law doesn't require organizations to exclude trans people in this way.

And people are now afraid that these two obviously very large organizations taking this decision is going to cause a domino effect and mean that trans people are going to be excluded even more from public life.

HUNTE: Can you break down for us why the U.K.'s Supreme Court ruling is triggering so many of these sudden and huge changes?

O'THOMPSON: See, that's the thing. I don't think it is the Supreme Court ruling that is triggering these changes. The Supreme Court ruling defined sex as biological sex for the purpose of one specific piece of legislation in the U.K., something called Equality Act. It's our main piece of discrimination legislation.

But it didn't do so for the vast majority of other purposes. And we don't think it did so in a way, that means that trans people have to be excluded from women's organizations, women's toilets, things like that.

We think it's a misunderstanding of the law, but perhaps even further, it's been a misrepresentation of the law that's deliberately been taken up by anti-trans campaign groups trying to kind of maximize -- like maximize what was actually quite a narrow ruling into this big, sweeping moral victory that effectively excludes trans people in this country from everything they've been accessing for decades.

HUNTE: What do you think the motivation would be behind that misrepresentation of the law then.

O'THOMPSON: Well, I mean, it's something that these groups have been campaigning on for years. Before we had the Supreme Court ruling, these groups were actively campaigning for a change in the law to mandate this and make this happen.

[01:34:51]

O'THOMPSON: And yes, so what they've done is they've taken the narrow victory they've gotten they've tried to make it into the ultimate victory that they've been going after for years.

HUNTE: Can you explain to our viewers what it's like to be trans in the U.K. right now, and what people are saying to you about their day to day lives and how they've changed over the past few months.

O'THOMPSON: Yes. So it's pretty bad because we've had a lot of people who have, as I say, kind of gone ahead of the forthcoming code of practice that were expected have gone ahead of what we think the law actually says and rushed into these decisions that are leading to a really negative and detrimental impact on trans people's lives.

I hear from people who are now being told by their employers that the women's toilet's they've been using at work for so long, they're no longer allowed to use they've gone on sick leave due to the stress.

I talked to people who could no longer use the changing room at the gym. Trans men especially, who are being told that they can't use the men's changing room and have to use the women's and obviously terrified of the impact that that could have on the other women users of the gym. And then walking in and actually making women more afraid.

So it's a really serious situation. And today 15 of the most respected mental health charities in this country have written to the government warning that they think that if the code of practice, when it's laid, mandates this kind of exclusion across society, they think it will have an incredibly serious impact on trans people's mental health and effectively reverse equality in this country.

HUNTE: My goodness.

Well, thank you so much for your work and for updating us on that. We appreciate it. Jess O'Thompson, thank you so much.

O'THOMPSON: Thank you, Ben. Ok, a new social media ban in Australia will go into effect for many

teenagers this week. Ahead, the reason behind it and how young people are reacting.

[01:36:56]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HUNTE: Welcome back.

This week, many kids in Australia will be forced off of popular social media apps like TikTok and Instagram. The new online safety amendment bans anyone under 16 from using any social media platform.

Lawmakers say the goal is to protect children's well-being backed by research showing that too much screen time causes more harm than good. But some teenagers strongly disagree.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RAINE OSBORNE, 16-YEAR-OLD SOCIAL MEDIA USER: For me, it was my community and my lifeline. Social media was the place that I went to when I needed people to talk to who understood me.

Obviously, being a young queer person in a pretty small school with less than 600, it was difficult to find people who understood what I was going through, but could also relate and help me in those situations.

And I was so fortunate to find a community of people online who not only understood my struggles, but could help me through them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: The timing of the ban has some worried about isolation from their friends. It begins on Wednesday, right before kids begin their summer break.

A small German town became a sea of red, thanks to visits from more than a thousand Santas. The 17th annual Santa run took place in Michendorf on Sunday. Anyone dressed up as Father Christmas could participate in races with distances ranging from two-and-a-half to ten kilometers, or more than six miles.

Participants of the run earned a chocolate Santa.

Ok, let's take a quick break. For our viewers in North America, I'll have more news for you in just a moment. For our international viewers, WORLDSPORT is next. See you in a bit.

[01:41:32]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HUNTE: Welcome back to our viewers in North America. I'm Ben Hunte.

President Trump hosted the Kennedy Center Honors on Sunday amid a year of massive restructuring of the inner workings of the arts center.

CNN's Julia Benbrook has more details on how he prepared for the night and how he's pushing back against criticism of these changes.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The Kennedy Center Honors is, of course, a longtime tradition spanning decades, but the event looked quite different Sunday night.

Donald Trump was there as the sitting president of the United States, but also as the Kennedy Center chairman of the board and the host.

As he walked the red carpet on the way in, he was asked how he prepared for the night. He said, maybe I didn't prepare. Sometimes it's good to be a little loose that he didn't think he needed to prepare much.

Now, during his second term, he has had an intense focus on this performing arts center.

Back in February, he dismissed a slew of Democratic appointees to the board of trustees and replaced them with aides and allies, including chief of staff Susie Wiles, as well as second lady Usha Vance. He was subsequently elected chairman of the board.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, it's very exciting being chairman, but maybe more importantly, saving this incredible structure and building and concept.

And it's done so well. You know, we've raised a tremendous amount of money tonight for the building itself and for the charity overall, and we're really happy.

It's been a -- I mean, you see the way it's been received, it's been like it's never been before.

And this building, this beautiful building is going to be brought back to life. We've already started and it will be better than it was from day one.

BENBROOK: This comes as Trump has really been putting an emphasis on trying to reshape Washington to fit his ideal. In the so-called One Big, Beautiful Bill, more than $250 million was allotted for restoration and repairs around the Kennedy Center building.

And Trump has touted changes to the exterior marble, as well as the interior chairs and stages. He said that he was 98 percent involved in selecting the winners this year.

So let's take a closer look at that. They include country music star George Strait, actor and Broadway alum Michael Crawford, actor Sylvester Stallone, members of the rock band Kiss and singer Gloria Gaynor.

In remarks just a few days ago now, Trump referred to it as the Trump Kennedy Center. Now, he did push that off as a joke on the red carpet. He was asked if that was a possibility. He said its ultimately up to the board, but added, I don't know. I heard that.

Julia Benbrook, CNN -- the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: President Trump is also weighing in on one of the biggest Hollywood deals made this year, Netflix's bid to buy Warner Brothers and HBO for more than $72 billion.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Well, that's got to go through a process and we'll see what happens. It's a Netflix, a great company. They've done a phenomenal job.

Ted is a fantastic man. I have a lot of respect for him, but it's a -- it's a lot of market share. So we'll have to see what happens.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: There are still details to work out concerning the deal with CNN's parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery. And President Trump said he'll be involved in the scrutiny of the merger. Netflix bested both Paramount and Comcast in the deal, which now faces regulatory approval.

A recent Bank of America analyst report said, quote, if Netflix acquires Warner Brothers, the streaming wars are effectively over.

Hollywood is spotlighting the best of film and TV this week. actors Marlon Wayans and Skye P. Marshall will announce nominations for the 83rd annual Golden Globes in the coming hours.

The Golden Globes is the first major award show of the season. Nominations stretch across 28 film and TV categories and are expected to include movies like "One Battle After Another", "Sinners" and "Wicked for Good". As well as TV shows such as "Severance", "The White Lotus" and "Only Murders in the Building".

And we'll find out who won when the awards take place on January 11th.

Joining us now is Segun Oduolowu. He's an entertainment journalist and media personality, and joining us from fabulous L.A.

Thank you so much for being with me, Segun. How are you doing?

SEGUN ODUOLOWO, ENTERTAINMENT JOURNALIST: I'm good Ben. It's Christmas time here in the -- in L.A. and especially in the Oduolowu house as you can see.

[01:49:50]

ODUOLOWU: I got the tree up. All of that. We're ready to go.

(CROSSTALKING)

ODUOLOWU: And the Golden Globes are around the corner.

HUNTE: It looks absolutely beautiful where you are. I love that. We need some more Christmas vibes here. What's going on, CNN?

Let's get into this. We are just hours away from the Golden Globe nominations. To me, this year feels a bit like a year defined by sequels and remakes, but also some massive media moments in film and TV. What stood out to you the most this year?

ODUOLOWU: Well, exactly what you said. I mean, everything seems to be a remake, a retread or a sequel. In fact, the host, Nikki Glaser, is coming back for a second time to do it in 2026. She did it earlier this year in 2025 in January.

And then the movies and the names that you're hearing right. "Wicked for Good", I've been saying it's called "Wicked for Mid" is in there in musical comedy, but you're hearing the usual names like Julia Roberts, Laura Dern, you know, Leonardo DiCaprio, Ryan Coogler, Michael B. Jordan, names we're familiar with.

A lot of the films that they're attached to outside of "Sinners", which, again, if "Sinners" don't win, you and I are on that black phone. We march at dawn, right?

If Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan is not walking away with hardware, you call -- at the secret meetings, we march at dawn.

H5; I mean, Warner Brothers will be happy to hear you say that. So I suppose that's a good thing.

Let's talk about what we're expecting in the movie categories, best drama and best musical or comedy. I kind of get the vibe of what you're hoping to see, but break it down for me. What else is there going to be?

ODUOLOWU: Well, Paul Thomas Anderson you know, the Paul Thomas Anderson-led flick with Leonardo DiCaprio at the helm, with, you know, "Another Battle" is the juggernaut, and its winning every battle, right?

It is. It is the kind of movie that the Golden Globes and award shows love. Paul Thomas Anderson is a director with a lot of heft. He's a name that they know again. Chloe Zhao and Hamnet, which is arguably one of the worst names. It sounds like Spam-a-lot, but -- it's up there. It's a newcomer that people are talking about.

But again, it's really Ryan Coogler for the technical aspect of "Sinners" and the drama behind it. That's a really big movie.

But the carryover also to the directors is some of what you're also seeing in drama. Again, Ryan Coogler, Paul Thomas Anderson, Chloe Zhao and Benicio Del Toro Guillermo -- that's what I was going for.

Director of "Frankenstein" is another name that is bubbling up. Wasn't in the theaters. It was really a Netflix movie. But as we've seen, Netflix is so powerful. They can do whatever they want. They might just buy the Golden Globes.

HUNTE: We shall see.

Let's talk about the best actress categories, because they could also be ones to watch. Do you expect the Golden Globes to lean towards star power, or could we see some surprises in the nominees as well?

ODUOLOWU: I think it's going to lead to star power because this has been such a lackluster box office, so no one really saw those smaller movies, right? Did anyone really see "Begonia"? No. Not really.

Did anyone see, you know, the Julia Roberts, the Julia Roberts-led "The Hunt"? No. But you know Julia Roberts. What people know is Cynthia Erivo in "Wicked". What people know is Ariana Grande in "Wicked". They're both nominated for best -- I'm expecting them to be nominated in best lead and best supporting.

So I think you're going to hear names that people know, because that's all people really went to see. The October box office was the worst it had been in 30 years, and "Wicked" is what ushered in that money in November.

And that plays well when you're thinking about what's going to draw eyeballs, because let's never forget that this is a TV show. The Golden Globes is a TV show. And to bring eyeballs, you need names that people know. And I think that's what's going to do it.

HUNTE: That's really interesting, actually. I thought when you were talking, I thought you might have had like the inside scoop on who was getting nominated. I was like, oh, Segun.

But the best actor race is.

ODUOLOWU: Well, I mean, I could if you -- if you want me to drop some insight, you know, little inside baseball or inside cricket on your behalf, I would say, that "Wicked" is not going to do as well as people think. I think it's going to have nominations, but I don't see it walking away with any hardware.

I really do believe that the shock is going to be the names that the people that walk up might be names that you've never heard, because the Hollywood foreign press, even as the globes have revamped their entire system, is still about as secretive as the Illuminati.

In fact, we know more about the Illuminati than we know about the Hollywood foreign press. We don't really know what they like, what they don't like, but we know that they do lean towards prestige.

[01:54:42]

ODUOLOWU: One dark horse that I would say that would bring me some joy is to see arguably the greatest living actor, Daniel Day Lewis, in "Anemone", a movie that was directed by his son. I'd love to see him be nominated. Again, because he took time off and

said he was done acting, and his son brought him back in like the godfather. That would be a name that I would really love to see up there given a chance to win some hardware.

HUNTE: Of course, we can't forget the TV categories as well. Has anything jumped out at you this year? What have you been loving?

ODUOLOWU: Ok, so Apple TV for me is doing incredible prestige television. "Pluribus" is an interesting take on, you know, why is everybody happy? What's going on there? I love how that's written.

"The Task" on HBO Max. But what really mimics what you and I do, Ben, "The Morning Show" --

HUNTE: Yes.

ODUOLOWU: -- on Apple TV is something that I feel needs to be recognized for being such great TV.

So there are a lot. There's a lot of TV out there, actually, that should be recognized. You'll probably see "The Bear" again, even though it doesn't deserve to be there. This last season wasn't that good.

but Apple TV has absolutely knocked it out of the park. And again, you're going to you're going to see it. You're going to see a lot of the nominees. A lot of the names come from the Apple stable.

HUNTE: Loved it as always. Let's see what happens next. Segun Oduolowu, thank you so much for being with me. Appreciate it.

ODUOLOWU: Thank you, Ben

HUNTE: In the NFL, it was a defensive battle between the Kansas City Chiefs and the visiting Houston Texans on Sunday night football. and Houston made a major statement in this one, holding Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes to just 160 yards passing with three interceptions.

The Texans win it 20 to 10 for their eighth win of the season. And Kansas City, the defending AFC champs, now face some pretty long odds to even make the playoffs.

That's all I've got for you. Thanks for joining me and the team. I'm Ben Hunte. I will see you at the weekend.

CNN NEWSROOM continues after this short break. Rosemary, over to you. See you later.

[01:56:51]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)