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Zelenskyy to Discuss Peace Plan with European Leaders; Thailand Launches Air Strikes Against Cambodia; Tom Homan Defends Immigration Crackdown in Minnesota; Report: Nigerian Government Secures Release of 100 Students; Trump On Netflix-Warner Bros. Deal: We'll See What Happens; Female Fan Base Rapidly Growing For Auto Racing; TikTok Users Help Provide Gifts For Texas School Kids. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired December 08, 2025 - 02:00   ET

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

[02:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the United States and all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church.

Just ahead on "CNN Newsroom," Ukraine's president says he's committed to diplomacy no matter how tricky it is as he prepares to meet with European leaders for the next round of peace talks. President Trump shared his disappointment with the talks as he hosted the Kennedy Center awards, pointing the finger of blame at Ukraine's president. A ceasefire between Thailand and Cambodia threatens to unravel as new fighting erupts along the disputed border. And how one teacher used TikTok to save Christmas for 400 elementary school students in Texas.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from Atlanta, this is "CNN Newsroom with Rosemary Church."

CHURCH: Thanks for joining us. Ukraine's president is heading to London to meet with British, French, and German leaders after days of difficult peace talks with 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 VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE: 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 position. The conversation was constructive, although not easy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: 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 OF AMERICA: 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 hasn't.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

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 longstanding 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 in India, is that he intends to seize the eastern Donbass 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's Steve Witkoff, 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 a -- this is a tough situation to get to the right spot. And, you know, ultimately, this war needs to end. It has 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.

[02:05:00]

Paula Hancock, CNN, Abu Dhabi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Oleksandr Merezhko is the chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee in Ukraine's Parliament. He joins me now from Kyiv. Appreciate you being with us.

OLEKSANDR MEREZHKO, CHAIRMAN OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE, UKRAINIAN PARLIAMENT: Thank you for having me.

CHURCH: So, after three days of talks in Miami between U.S. and Ukrainian delegations, the sticky issues of territory and security guarantees remain unresolved. And now, President Zelenskyy will meet today in London with leaders of the U.K., Germany, and France. So, what needs to come out of these meetings?

MEREZHKO: Well, hopefully, it will be expression of solidarity between Ukraine and our European partners and allies. We need a consolidated position of not only of Ukraine, but also of the leaders of Europe, like Chancellor Friedrich Merz, prime minister of the United Kingdom, and French president because Europe deserves to be also at the table of negotiations. They provide now more assistance to Ukraine, more aid to Ukraine than the United States.

And it's better to have one single consolidated position, which will be guarantee for Ukraine in terms of not violating our red lines, in terms of providing guaranteeing our security, and also a guarantee of territorial integrity of Ukraine.

CHURCH: And Russia's President Putin has said that he intends to seize the eastern Donbass region by any means possible. And yet President Trump is attacking Ukraine's leader, saying he's disappointed with President Zelenskyy, saying he had not read the latest peace proposal. What's your response to Donald Trump's comments, and what do they signal to you when it comes to trying to end this war?

MEREZHKO: Well, first of all, I am absolutely certain that president of Ukraine had read any kind of peace plans or deals proposed by President Trump. I haven't read it yet. And members of Ukrainian Parliament, even though we are representative of Ukrainian people, we also haven't read this peace plan. I know only one peace plan, ceasefire, unconditional ceasefire proposal put forward by President Trump in the very beginning, and I think it's realistic and plausible peace plan. And I believe that President Trump should also come back to this, to his initial proposal. But, of course, we need to see this document because there are certain red lines for us. For example, we cannot agree to withdraw our troops from the territory which Putin claims because Putin, he has suffered strategic defeat when he is asking to give to him the territory which hasn't been occupied by Russian troops.

From my perspective, at least, it's a very clear signal of weakness. He understands that he is not capable to take this by military force. That's why he is trying to do it through diplomatic political means. And unfortunately, he might be using to reach his goal our American friends.

CHURCH: And how likely is it, do you think, that we will see a fair and equitable peace deal in the end? And do you expect to see a breakthrough on territory and security guarantees any time soon?

MEREZHKO: Unfortunately, we have to be realistic about this. While Putin stays in power, he continues to be obsessed with destruction of Ukraine, and he will never agree to any peace plan which gives Ukraine a chance to survive as an independent, as a sovereign state. We should be clear-eyed about his goal.

And the only way to deal with him, not through negotiations. It's absolutely hopeless. It doesn't make any sense to negotiate or to reach a compromise or a deal with someone who had previously violated all possible agreements and international treaties. The only way to deal with Putin, and I keep emphasizing this all the time, is from the position of strength by Putin, maximum pressure on Putin and on Russia, by supplying Ukraine with contemporary advanced weaponry, and by imposing sanctions on Russia and on Russian allies which provide lifeline to Russian war machines.

CHURCH: How worried are you that President Trump will make a peace deal with Russia's Putin at the expense of Ukraine's sovereignty?

MEREZHKO: Unfortunately, at least from my perspective, there is such a temptation for President Trump to reach a deal at the expense of someone whom he considers to be weaker side.

[02:09:55]

But I don't believe that he will agree in the final analysis to that because it might cause serious concerns not only in Ukraine, but also in the United States and in Europe.

I believe that President Trump should -- it's interesting and symbolic that he made this statement at the Kennedy Center. There are famous words by President Kennedy who said that we're not going to negotiate with people who say what is ours is ours and let's talk about yours. So, I think it's a very good phrase which means that President Trump should be realistic, that he cannot make any deal, any fair deal with Putin. He should apply more force to make Putin to do -- to negotiate in earnest and to agree to unconditional ceasefire.

CHURCH: Oleksandr Merezhko, thank you so much for joining us. Appreciate it.

President Trump may need to return to another conflict he claims to have settled. CNN's Ivan Watson has more on the escalation between two Southeast Asian neighbors.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This latest round of fighting between Thailand and Cambodia marks the potential unraveling of a peace plan presided over by U.S. President Donald Trump less than two months ago.

Both Thailand and Cambodia have accused each other of strikes along their disputed border Monday morning and of spreading fake news about the conflict.

A Thai military official says that their air strikes were retaliation for a Cambodian attack earlier on Monday that killed a Thai soldier. Thailand says it only targeted military infrastructure. Cambodia's Ministry of National Defense has denied those allegations, calling them false information in a statement on X.

The Royal Thai Air Force says around 70% of Thai civilians have been evacuated from border towns. One civilian is reported to have died during the evacuation due to a pre-existing medical condition.

Winding back the clock a little, Thailand and Cambodia fought a five- day border conflict in July that killed dozens of people and displaced about 200,000. It was the deadliest violence in recent years, stemming from a border dispute that goes back generations.

The two countries agreed to an initial ceasefire in July after both the Thai and Cambodian leaders held calls with U.S. President Trump. An extended ceasefire declaration was signed in late October on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit. It was witnessed by Trump and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. President Trump saw this as a major diplomatic victory.

But on the ground, tensions began to rise again within just a couple of weeks. And now, with the ceasefire on the verge of collapse, it's unclear whether the U.S. president will again personally involve himself in this conflict.

Ivan Watson, CNN, Hong Kong.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: The Trump administration's top border official, Tom Homan, is defending the immigration crackdown in Minnesota over the weekend. The raids focused on Minnesota's large Somali population. While speaking to CNN, Homan pushed back on claims from local officials that the Somali community there includes few undocumented immigrants.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM HOMAN, BORDER CZAR: Even we don't know how many illegal Somalis there are because, remember, under the last four years and Joe Biden, there was over two million gotaways, known got-aways, people caught on video, drone traffic or sensor traffic, that crossed the border illegally and weren't apprehended and weren't vetted.

And so, you know, what President Trump is doing is fixing the last four years of the open border, where millions of people were released in this country, many we don't know who they are.

So, we're going to do the same thing in the Twin Cities. We have done across the nation. We're going to focus on those illegal alien public safety threats in these cities.

And if they weren't a sanctuary city, I mean, many of these people would be apprehended in the safety and security of the county jail. But because they're a sanctuary city, we got to send more resources there to flood the zone, because it takes a whole team to find somebody in the community, where it would take one agent arrest one bad guy in a county jail.

So, this is exactly what President Trump promised American people were going to do, and that's what we're doing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Somali migrants are reacting to the crackdown and to President Donald Trump's hateful words about them. CNN's Whitney Wild has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MOHAMED AHMED, PRESIDENT, MINNESOTA REPUBLICAN PEOPLE OF COLOR: This is the Somali mall. This is the heart of the community in terms of enterprises.

WHITNEY WILD, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At Karmel Somali mall in Minneapolis, halls lined with cafes and shops are normally bustling. Today, they are quiet.

WILD: And with the news of ICE coming into Minneapolis, has that shifted? Has the energy changed in here? Are there fewer people?

AHMED: Yes, there is a certain amount of fear.

WILD (voice-over): Mohamed Ahmed is a Somali-born U.S. citizen.

[02:15:00]

Now, President Trump is harshly condemning Ahmed's community, citing a three-year sprawling $300 million fraud case in which dozens of Somalis were charged.

TRUMP: I don't want them in our country. We're going to go the wrong way if we keep taking in garbage into our country.

WILD (voice-over): Those words are especially hurtful. Ahmed voted for President Trump in 2024. AHMED: I've been a Republican for over 25 years. I'm not going to stop being a Republican. And now, we are being called garbage.

WILD: How did it make you feel when you heard the president say that?

AHMED: I got five children. My children are no garbage.

WILD (voice-over): The Minneapolis mayor says there are more than 80,000 Somalis in the Twin Cities area. Throughout Minnesota, 87% of foreign-born Somalis are naturalized U.S. citizens and nearly 58% of the community were born in the U.S., like this woman who asked us not to share her name.

UNKNOWN: I got my passport right here. I'm not going to lie to you.

WILD (voice-over): You have a right on you?

UNKNOWN: I have a right on me. I don't even carry an I.D, with me. So, to carry a passport now for my own safety is, I think, not right.

UNKNOWN: You're not welcome. We know who you are.

WILD (voice-over): The Department of Homeland Security says they are conducting a very targeted operation. Throughout Minneapolis, social media videos captured stepped up immigration enforcement in recent days. CNN reporter Rob Kuznia captured the moment armed federal agents questioned a man outside a Somali mall, then quickly left.

As we walk through this mall, the people here are suspicious, asking why we're taping or hiding their faces. Then one woman speaks candidly.

UNKNOWN: Every moment, some people bad, some people good.

AHMED: We understand.

UNKNOWN: Right? Not all. The Somali people, it's big name.

WILD: What would you say to the president if he were standing here right now?

AHMED: Mr. President, we campaigned for you. We have hope in you. We see hope in you. Please differentiate between good, bad, and evil.

WILD (voice-over): Whitney Wild, CNN, Minneapolis.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Marjorie Taylor Greene is opening up about her split with Donald Trump and her decision to resign from Congress. The outspoken House Republican, once a fierce supporter of the president, told CBS's "60 Minutes" that Trump was extremely angry with her for backing the release of the Epstein files. And she was candid about what some of her Republican colleagues really think of the president behind closed doors.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE (R-GA): 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)

CHURCH: Also said once she retires from Congress, she's done running for office. Coming up next, Israel says the Gaza ceasefire plan could soon be entering its next phase. We'll have the details on that and hear what Hamas is saying about its remaining weapons. Back in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:20:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: 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 he has 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 remilitarize Gaza."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, PRIME MINISTER OF ISRAEL: We finished the first part, as you know. Phase one, we're almost there. We have one more hostage, deceased, Hanikvili, 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)

CHURCH: Meanwhile, a senior Hamas official told the Associated Press 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 political track, which has to lead to a Palestinian state. But if not, OK, we are ready to discuss the idea of storing or freezing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Israel's military chief says the current withdrawal line inside Gaza will now serve as a new border known as the Yellow Line. It marks the first formal withdrawal point for Israeli forces inside Gaza. That's according to the U.S.-brokered ceasefire 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.

We're now to 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 the 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 two million internally-displaced people have returned home, according to the U.N. refugee agency.

Meanwhile, across the country, haunting remains of the Assad regime are being transformed into inspiring community spaces. This cafe, for instance, was once a former security center. One of the cafe's regulars says he had been detained in that very building several times during Assad's rule.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

YASSINE SHEIKHMOUS, FORMER ASSAD REGIME PRISONER (through translator): When you go downwards, it's as if you're heading toward a grave.

[02:25:01]

There are no windows. Nothing at all. These solitary cells, they used to imprison people here alone without light, without windows, and without food. They would lock people up here without anyone knowing their fate, and they were tortured here.

But now, we come here and see that the place is beautiful. It has become a cafe and a place for culture and knowledge. And there is calm and safety. It is wonderful that this place has transformed from a place of oppression into a place of comfort and security.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Syria's president says Israel is fighting ghosts with persistent incursions and airstrikes being conducted by the Israel Defense Forces. The IDF crossed into southern Syria a year ago as the Assad regime fell. And Israeli officials say those forces will be staying indefinitely in the places they've occupied. Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa spoke with CNN's Christiane Amanpour at the Doha Forum in Qatar over the weekend.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AHMED AL-SHARAA, PRESIDENT, SYRIA (Through translator): We demand Israel to go back to the pre-December 8th lines. We have also been very adamant about respecting the 1974 agreement. This agreement has held on for over 50 years. So, one way or another, we can call it a successful agreement, and messing with this agreement even though it has received international unanimity and Security Council approval, and attempting to seek other agreements such as a buffer zone or something similar. I believe these attempts will send us into a serious and dangerous place. We don't know what the result may be. They could be successful or not.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Our international viewers can see Christiane Amanpour's full interview with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on Monday at 6 p.m. in London, 9 p.m. in Doha.

Just ahead, a reported breakthrough in rescue efforts after hundreds of students were kidnapped from their Catholic boarding school in Nigeria. We'll have the latest.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:30:50]

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: A local news broadcaster in Nigeria is reporting that the government has secured the release of 100 schoolchildren abducted last month from a Catholic boarding school. More than 300 students and school staff were taken in the attack. It's one of the country's worst mass kidnappings.

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 year, 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 call themselves the Military Committee for Refoundation, appeared on state TV early 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

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PATRICE TALON, BENIN PRESIDENT: 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)

CHURCH: This is just the latest in a string of coup attempts that have plagued West Africa, neighboring countries are now sending troops to assist Benin's army in restoring order.

At least 50 people have been killed, including 33 children, after a drone attack by paramilitary forces hit a kindergarten in Sudan's South Kordofan region Thursday. The Sudan Doctors Network says paramedics were targeted in a second attack. The strike is the latest in fighting between the rebels of the Rapid Support Forces and the Sudanese military.

CNN's Larry Madowo has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Some have called it the world's forgotten conflict. For nearly three years, Sudan's brutal civil war has raged, leaving at least 150,000 dead, forcing millions more to flee their homes in an attempt to escape the worst of the violence and sparking one of the worst humanitarian crises this century. Now, the United Nations and other groups are calling out an alarming escalation in the conflict by rebel group Rapid Support Forces.

The U.N. humanitarian aid chief visited the western Sudan area, where civilians have reported widespread abuse occurred.

TOM FLETCHER, UNITED NATIONS AID CHIEF: El Fasher, based on the testimonies I heard from many survivors, is basically a crime scene right now. Horror show, absolute horror show.

There have been mass atrocities, mass executions, mass torture, sexual violence on a horrific scale. And of course, the people escaping are then attacked on the roads as well.

MADOWO (voice-over): Rebels from the Rapid Support Forces, or RSF, seized control of El-Fasher in late October after 18 months of fighting with the Sudanese military. Witnesses who managed to escape the violence described a bloodbath and accused RSF fighters of mass killings in the city.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fifty or 60 people in a single street, or 10 or 20 people. They kill them. Bang, bang, bang. Then they would go to the next street and again bang, bang, bang. That's the massacre I saw in front of me.

MADOWO (voice-over): Amnesty International has called for a war crimes investigation into an April attack on the Zamzam refugee camp outside the city, part of the RSF's push to take El-Fasher. And the RSF says it acknowledges what it calls violations in El-Fasher. Tens of thousands of people are unaccounted for, according to the U.N., after nearly 100,000 people fled the city. Many of those who managed to escape are women and children, and the treacherous journey out often means more violence.

ANNA MUTAVATI, U.N. WOMEN'S REGIONAL DIRECTOR FOR EAST AND SOUTHERN AFRICA: There is mounting evidence that rape is being deliberately and systematically used as a weapon of war.

[02:35:08]

Women's bodies, ladies and gentlemen, have just become a crime scene in Sudan. There are no safe spaces that are left.

MADOWO (voice-over): Even within the relative safety of a displacement camp, there's often too little to go around. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are very tired. There's no food or water. We

came here. Some kind people help us little by little. We thank them. And may God reward them for this. But we need more. We need more to be able to live.

MADOWO (voice-over): Last month, at the request of Saudi Arabia, U.S. President Donald Trump said he would work for peace in Sudan.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're going to start working in Sudan.

MADOWO (voice-over): But so far, despite some efforts at reaching a ceasefire deal, there is little evidence the war will end soon. With the RSF now pushing into the buffer zone between its strongholds in the west and eastern areas held by the Sudanese military. And without more aid, there's also little sign that life will improve for the millions impacted by the fighting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: President Trump is weighing in on one of the biggest Hollywood deals made this year. Netflix bid to buy Warner Bros. and HBO for more than $72 billion.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: That's got to go through a process and we'll see what happens. Netflix is 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)

CHURCH: Details are still to be worked out concerning the deal with CNN's parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery. And President Trump says he'll be involved in the scrutiny of the merger, which now faces regulatory approval. A recent analysis said, quote, "If Netflix acquires Warner Bros., the streaming wars are effectively over."

[02:40:00]

Well, President Trump hosted the Kennedy Center Honors on Sunday. It comes amid a year of massive restructuring of the inner workings of the art center.

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

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPNDENT: 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.

TRUMP: 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's 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 it's ultimately up to the board, but added, "I don't know. I heard that."

Julia Benbrook, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Drama on the track in Abu Dhabi with Formula One crowning a new world champion by the closest of margins. Lando Norris, the 26- year-old British driver for McLaren, took the title by two points after finishing third. It's his first driver's championship. Four-time champion Max Verstappen won the race but fell just short of a fifth consecutive title.

And Formula One is growing in popularity in the past seven years, the sport has reached a wider demographic, and women are now its fastest growing fan base. Leila Gharagozlou has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LEILA GHARAGOZLOU, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Women now make up three quarters of the new fans following Formula One and account for 42 percent of the sports total fan base.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: To, to, to, Max Verstappen.

GHARAGOZLOU (voice-over): That's according to a 2025 survey by F1.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's amazing. Thank you so much. Thank you so much. I really appreciate that. Can you take a photo? Yeah. All right. Let's do it.

GHARAGOZLOU (voice-over): Once a gatekept male dominated sport, the Netflix docuseries "Drive to Survive" has helped open up the world of motorsports and F1 to thousands of new fans and thousands of women.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I've seen every season of drive to survive. I started a few years ago and then went back and watched all the seasons. I'm wearing a Ferrari hat, but I am a George Russell fan through and through. I just think he's the nicest one.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I like George Russell. He's just gorgeous and he's talented, handsome.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm like, for Fernando Alonso, he's my favorite one. Like, I'm so, so, so excited. I have literally no words to explain how I feel myself here.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When I grow up. I want to be a Formula One journalist, and I think it's really important that there are more women in the Formula One industry. Formula One is becoming more inclusive, I think every year from like its expanded from Europe to America, lots of women are, interested in it now. And I just think the shift is really awesome to see.

GHARAGOZLOU (voice-over): Influencer Mikaela Kostaras is specifically focused on motorsport content.

[02:45:00]

Her love for motorsports began with American motorsports and then developed into a love for F1. Her 120,000 fans on TikTok watch her videos for breakdowns of races, discussions of strategy, news, memes and more. She says the growth of female fans and the rise of social media has changed how the sport has been marketed.

MIKAELA KOSTARAS, INFLUENCER: I think the growth of women fans in the sport is seeing more so in the -- in how the sport has been marketed, and portrayed online, specifically on social media. So, there has been a huge change in social media from both official team accounts, driver accounts and even news outlets, and the way that they're reporting and sharing information is completely different than it was even five years ago.

And I really think that is owed to a lot of, let's say, women content creators who are breaking down barriers and talking about the sport differently. And they're seeing that there's audiences that really resonate with that type of content and really enjoy it. And they're trying to get a piece of that pie.

I think some do it really effectively, and then you see other sides that have not been successful. Sky Sports recently launched something called Sky Sports Halo which was supposed to be marketed towards women, and it ended up failing completely, miserably. They totally missed the mark in terms of what it means to be a girl watching the sport. And so, I think its really interesting to watch, how that landscape has changed. And I think a lot of that is, is owed to women and the growing women fan base in this sport.

GHARAGOZLOU (voice-over): Big brands have also noticed the growing female fan base in F1, marketing products and merchandise towards the growing consumer base.,

KOSTARAS: And the sport itself is partnering with Hollister and Abercrombie and Pacsun and all of these big brands that have much more than a ill-fitting pink polo shirt, pink polyester polo. Oh my gosh.

GHARAGOZLOU (voice-over): Marisa Chen, another influencer with F1 fashion focused content, says brands are focused on targeting female fans even at Grand Prix, through collaborations with F1 teams and F1 influencers.

MARISA CHEN, INFLUENCER: I think a great example would probably be the activations that you see as a fan. At a race, one example being last year I went to the Vegas GP, that was the first one that I went to and there were honestly plenty of activations there that I think were focused on bringing in female fans.

One of the ones I can think of off the top of my head was Elemis, really premiere skincare brand, who is a partner of Aston Martin, and they did an incredible skincare activation. Last year at one of the fan zones and this year they took it a step further and had this incredible like beauty suite for fans to visit, at a Nordstrom close to the track. And so I think there's definitely brands who are you know, taking note of the female involvement and they know how to get women fans excited about the sport when they're at those events.

GHARAGOZLOU (voice-over): Women may be watching and working in formula one in greater numbers than ever, but what about participating. In the past 50 years, only five women have taken part in the official F1 practice sessions, and only one managed to start a race way back in 1976.

The Formula One Academy is a women only race series that aims to help young female drivers progress up the ladder to F1. Carmen Jorda, a former racing driver, is the head of the Alpine team F1 Academy Program.

CARMEN JORDA, HEAD OF ALPINE F1 ACADEMY: Well, we all drive right, all women, we drive. So, I will say that the women that like speed and adrenaline, I think that's the sport to join. F1 academy is a championship that women race against women and it's the best platform right now in motorsport to empower women and have them racing in their best categories.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Social media comes to the rescue of hundreds of kids just before Christmas. Ahead, we look at how many online were able to help a Texas school with a long-held holiday tradition.

Back in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:53:01]

CHURCH: Hollywood is spotlighting the best of film and television this week. Actors Marlon Wayans and Skye P. Marshall will announce nominations for the 83rd Annual Golden Globes in the coming hours. It is the first major award show of the season. Nominations stretch across 28 film and television 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. We'll find out the winners when the awards are handed out on January 11th.

Well, this week, many kids in Australia will be forced off 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, 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)

CHURCH: The ban begins Wednesday, right before kids start their summer break.

Well, social media is saving Christmas for hundreds of Texas school kids. A school employee realized they didn't have the money to keep up their tradition of providing a gift for each student, so she turned to TikTok for help.

Leigh Waldman has the story

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LEIGH WALDMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Four hundred kids were about to lose their Christmas gifts until a teacher with about 100 TikTok followers tried something desperate.

KYLE MURPHY, SCHOOL DATA ANALYST & TESTING COORDINATOR: Hi, my name is Kyle and I have 54 days to save Christmas.

WALDMAN (voice-over): Kyle Murphy is a data analyst and testing coordinator at an elementary school in Fort Worth, Texas, where roughly 90 percent of students come from low-income households.

[02:55:07]

For nearly 50 years. the school's parent teacher organization has bought gifts for every child before winter break. But this year, the money was gone.

MURPHY: And I panicked because I couldn't imagine a child not having a gift under the Christmas tree. And decided I was going to figure out how to make it happen.

WALDMAN (voice-over): So she turned to TikTok and posted. Despite having almost no followers. Forty-eight hours later, she had a toy for every student, and as the money kept pouring in, they were able to add a stuffed animal, too.

MURPHY: I had a donation for $1.80 with a note that said, I'm just a high school student. This is all that I can afford, but I want to step up.

WALDMAN (voice-over): Now, she's using the extra support to fill a stocking for every child with toys and hygiene supplies.

MURPHY: Everybody gets a hat, a toothbrush, some gloves, and a hairbrush.

WALDMAN (voice-over): She says many families at the school don't typically do stocking, so for a lot of kids, this will be their first one ever.

MURPHY: So being able to give some of those students a stocking for the first time is going to be very magical.

WALDMAN (voice-over): Santa is coming to the school on December 16th for the kids, but Kyle isn't stopping there. A donor purchased a cooler for every teacher, and now Kyle is trying to fill up each with goodies before they leave for break on the 19th.

MURPHY: Our students come from rough backgrounds, and our teachers don't just show up and teach our kids. They really are that consistency, that love, that warmth. I would just love to kind of have that Oprah moment where they open it up and they see that, you know, people around the country are thinking about them, too.

WALDMAN (voice-over): There's still time to help. Links are on her TikTok page and at kylesavesChristmas.com.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: A wonderful idea. Thanks so much for joining us. I'm Rosemary Church. I'll be back with more CNN NEWSROOM in just a moment.

Do stay with us.