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Early Indications Shooting Inspired By Islamic State; Nick Reiner "Responsible" For Rob And Michele Reiner Deaths; New Videos Released Amid Manhunt For Brown University Shooter; U.S. Military Says Eight People Killed in Latest Strikes on Alleged Drug Boats in Eastern Pacific; Ukraine Says It Struck Russian Submarine in Black Sea Port; Progress Reported After Two Days of Peace Talks in Berlin; Trump Said He Asked Xi to Release Hong Kong Media Mogul; Australian PM Visits Hero Who Helped Stop Bondi Beach Shooting; Chile's President-Elect Kast Meets With President Boric; Protests as Hondurans Wait for Results of November 30 Election; Opposition Crackdown Sparks Outrage Ahead of Election in Uganda; Debate Turns to Fighting Among Lawmakers in Mexico City; U.S. Government Launches Tech Force Program; Roomba Maker Files for Bankruptcy; Thousands Don Red Suits for Annual Santa Runs. Aired 2-3a ET
Aired December 16, 2025 - 02:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[02:00:41]
ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church.
Just ahead here on CNN NEWSROOM, the shooters in the Bondi Beach attack were apparently inspired by ISIS. How the incident is impacting Australia's already strict gun laws.
New video of a person of interest in the Brown University shootings reveal distinct details. Will they help identify the individual?
And move over Space Force, the Trump administration is launching the U.S. tech force to bring more technology and A.I. employees into the public sector.
ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Rosemary Church.
CHURCH: Good to have you with us. Well, new details are emerging about the two suspects in the Bondi Beach massacre and their likely links to the Islamic State. Authorities confirm the father and son had traveled to the Philippines last month, visiting an island that's long been a hot bed of extremism and insurgent groups. Counter terrorism officials believe the pair underwent military style training while there, that's according to Australia's public broadcaster.
A vehicle belonging to one of the suspects contained improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, as they're also known, and two homemade ISIS flags. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KRISSY BARRETT, AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE COMMISSIONER: Early indications point to a terrorist attack inspired by Islamic State, allegedly committed by a father and son. There is no evidence to suggest other individuals were involved in this attack. However, we caution that this could change, given it is early in our investigation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: The Police Commissioner went on to say Jewish Australians had been hunted down among the 15 people ruthlessly killed that day. 10- year-old Matilda, who was enjoying the beach festivities with her family and friends, and 87-year-old Holocaust survivor Alex Kleytman who died while shielding his wife from the bullets, according to a Jewish organization.
Well, CNN's Angus Watson is covering this live from Sydney. So, Angus, what more are you learning about the two shooters who were apparently inspired by ISIS? And how is the Australian Government responding to all of this?
ANGUS WATSON, CNN PRODUCER: That's right, this was a father and son duo, 50-year-old, Sajid Akram and his son, 24-year-old, Naveed Akram. Now, the Australian Security Services were aware of Naveed Akram before he committed this attack. They were aware of him going back years because of a previous investigation which had linked him to ISIS inspired ideology.
Now, that has been confirmed today by police. Police have said that indeed, the attack on Sunday was inspired by that ideology, and that the pair in November traveled to the Philippines, specifically the island of Mindanao, where ISIS linked groups are still active.
Now, this is also reflected in one new video that has emerged on social media from right before the attack, when the two men are exiting their car right then near the bridge, which overlooked the Hanukkah festival where they took on -- went on their rampage.
Now before -- as they get it out of the car, they're confronted by a man and woman. The man is able to wrestle one of the alleged shooters to the ground and seize one of his weapons. In this extraordinary footage, we also see an ISIS flag in the car.
Now, we can't show you all of the footage, but we do later see that heroic man and woman killed by the attackers killed by gunshot wound.
Now, the Australian Government one of their responses to this has been to crack down on guns. It wants a National Firearms register digital so that it knows who has weapons, and it wants to make licenses subject to more checks, so that people have to renew their license more frequently, the government says that people do get inspired by ideologies such as ISIS. They can become radicalized online, and we don't want them to have a previous gun license, which entitles them to have a weapon like the attacker in Sunday's massacre did. Take a look at what Australia is doing.
[02:05:20]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WATSON (voice-over): The horrific violence against Sydney's Jewish community and crowds Bondi Beach on Sunday, the worst mass shooting in Australia since 1996, when 35 people were killed by a lone gunman at Port Arthur in Tasmania. That attack prompted the center right government of the time to enact some of the world's strictest gun laws. Rates of gun violence plummeted.
JOHN HOWARD, FORMER AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER: And the whole country just reeled for days afterwards, and the overwhelming feeling was, this is terrible. We had to do something about it.
WATSON (voice-over): A multimillion-dollar buyback scheme was put in place with a short amnesty period before guns were made illegal, except under license, with strict conditions.
Semi-automatic weapons like the one used at Port Arthur are completely banned. But the guns turned on children, families and the elderly as they celebrated Hanukkah on Sunday were owned legally. A 50-year-old suspect killed at the scene held permits to six long barreled guns. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese now says that one response to this tragedy must be to tighten gun laws further.
ANTHONY ALBANESE, AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER: The government is prepared to take whatever action is necessary. Included in that is the need for tougher gun laws.
WATSON (voice-over): The Australian government has shown it can legislate to curb gun violence. People here in Bondi are demanding an end to anti-Semitism along with it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WATSON (on camera): Rosemary, it's extremely difficult to legislate against individual terror attacks. What the government wants to do and what the public here is calling for is more effort to squash anti- Semitism, which did inspire these two attackers on Sunday, Rosemary.
CHURCH: All right. Our thanks to Angus Watson bringing us that live report from Sydney. I want to bring in Michael Zekulin now, senior lecturer in the School of Politics and International Relations at the Australian National University. He joins us live from Canberra. Appreciate you being with us.
MICHAEL ZEKULIN, SENIOR LECTURER, SCHOOL OF POLITICS AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS, AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY: Thanks for having me, Rosemary.
CHURCH: So, in the wake of this horrifying terror attack on Sydney's Bondi Beach targeting the Jewish community, the Australian government is now pushing for stricter gun laws despite already having pretty tough gun laws in place, what changes specifically do they plan to make and how broad is the support for this?
ZEKULIN: Well, as your report mentioned, we have some of the strictest gun controls in the world. But immediately following the event, there was a meeting of the national cabinet and an agreement that they would further look to tighten gun restrictions here.
So, some of the things they're talking about would be reexamining the types of weapons and banning some additional ones. And this in part, arises from the recognition that technology has changed. So, the initial ban some 30 years ago focused on automatic, semi-automatic pump action.
But of course, the ability technology has allowed sort of weapons to be, you know, faster in terms of their shooting and their loading, so they were going to look to tighten that. There's discussions about the number of guns an individual would be able to own. There are discussions about limiting weapons to Australian citizens only.
And then there is the idea that perhaps they're going to have sort of restricted licenses whereby individuals will be forced to reapply for a license, they haven't said a timeline, one year, two year, or anything like that. With the idea being that individuals would have to reapply and they would be rechecked prior to being reissued a gun license.
CHURCH: Right. And of course, the two shooters on Sunday used long arm rifles that are legal in Australia, but the government wants to clamp down on those weapons too. How do they plan to do that? And what would the response be to that?
ZEKULIN: Well, again, it would be an examination of what is sort of fits under recreational use. So, again, there are discussions about whether these types of rifles should be in the hands of sort of the average everyday citizen, or what type of scenarios you might whether this is sort of an urban versus rural setting, where you have individuals in the rural surroundings who might require a weapon like this, you know, fending off predators on farmland, as opposed to what is required in an urban setting. So, there's discussions about examining that further.
CHURCH: And the government is also being accused of not doing enough to stem the rise of anti-Semitism in Australia. How are leaders responding to those accusations, and what more do they need to be doing do you think?
[02:10:15]
ZEKULIN: Well, again, I mean, we recognize that government is often limited. This often flies directly in discussions related to free speech. Over the past two years, since October 7th, there has been an increase in incidents of anti-Semitism. This is not unlike most western democratic countries.
What the government has done already is they have tightened sort of hate speech laws. They've banned several hate symbols, including Nazi salute. But again, obviously, in light of what has happened, there are calls
to do more. They did create a special envoy to combat anti-Semitism approximately 18 months ago, and that individual did table a report with several suggestions, and of course, the community are asking why perhaps government did act on those suggestions. It looks to do things such as further limit and monitor what's going on in online spaces. It's looking to increase education about anti-Semitism. It is looking to strip funding from institutions that do not move towards anti- Semitism policies. They've created an ombudsperson for university campuses. There's talk of a means or value test for new individuals coming into the country, things of this nature.
CHURCH: Michael Zekulin, thank you so much for talking with us. We appreciate it.
The Los Angeles Police Department says Nick Reiner, the son of director Rob Reiner and his wife Michele, is responsible for the death of his parents. The 32-year-old is being held without bail following his arrest on Sunday night, his case will be presented to the L.A. County D.A. on Tuesday. CNN's Nick Watt has more on the tragic loss of the beloved Hollywood couple.
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NICK WATT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Rob and Michele Reiner met on the set of "When Harry Met Sally", they were married more than 35 years. They died together Sunday. Around 3:40 p.m., the LAPD and Fire Department responded to a medical emergency at the Reiner home in upscale Brentwood. They found an elderly man and woman dead.
Homicide detectives soon on the scene, 9:15 p.m. a suspect arrested the couple's son Nick Reiner, age 32.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He was subsequently booked for murder and is being held on $4 million bail.
WATT (voice-over): The D.A. is yet to file charges. Nick Reiner seen here with his parents at the "Spinal Tap II" premiere in September, has been open about his struggles with heroin addiction and homelessness. He co-wrote a movie being Charlie based on those experiences his dad directed.
They talked about it on AOL back in 2016.
ROB REINER, FILM DIRECTOR: But it is loosely based on, you know, things that Nick went through, and his relationship to me and his mother. And you can talk a little bit more about it, Nick, if you want.
NICK REINER, SCREENWRITER: I wasn't really that shy about including some of the bad stuff I did, because a lot of people do things that are pretty unsavory.
R. REINER: I like to take care of one foot at a time.
WATT (voice-over): Rob Reiner's big break was as a T.V. actor, playing Meathead on, "All In The Family" back in the '70s, later, as a movie director, he was prolific and versatile. "Princess Bride", "A Few Good Men", "Stand By Me", "Spinal Tap", "Misery", "When Harry Met Sally".
BRENT LANG, EXECUTIVE EDITOR, VARIETY: It's a seismic shock, because Rob Reiner is such an outsized presence in the entertainment community. I mean, he's almost the mayor of Hollywood. He's such an affable, genial person.
WATT (voice-over): Tributes laid today at his walk of fame star for this, actor, writer, director, producer, political activist and much loved avuncular industry figure.
Harry Shearer, one of the stars of "Spinal Tap" said, this is unspeakable, the stuff of Greek tragedy.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WATT (on camera): Now, investigators will be presenting the case against Nick Reiner to the D.A. Tuesday. We assume that charges will follow. A grim death to end a great life. Rob Reiner was lauded filmmaker, but also in this town, more famous for sharp elbows and big egos. Rob Reiner was universally liked by pretty much everybody he came in contact with.
Nick Watt, CNN, Los Angeles.
CHURCH: Coming up, a first of its kind attack by Ukraine. We will have the details of this strike at a port in Russia.
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[02:19:29]
CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. Well, authorities have released new details about the Brown University shooting suspect. Including the surveillance footage you're seeing on your screen right now. The FBI says he has a stocky build, about five foot eight. Law enforcement says he should be considered armed and dangerous. They believe he specifically targeted Brown University and does not pose a threat to the community at large.
The FBI has announced a $50,000 reward for information leading to the suspect's identification and arrest. On Monday, an FBI spokesperson said they would continue to assist local authorities in their investigation and directly address growing community concerns.
[02:20:15]
TED DOCKS, SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE, FBI BOSTON FIELD OFFICE: It's painstaking work, and we are asking the public to be patient as we continue to run down every lead so we can get victims, survivors and their families and all of you the answers you deserve.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: But now, more than two days after the shooting and with no arrests made, patience is running thin. President Trump was asked Monday why it's taking the FBI so long to identify the suspect, but the president chose to lay the blame elsewhere.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You really have to ask the school a little bit more about that, because this was a school problem. They had their own guards, they had their own police, they had their own everything. But you'd have to ask that question, really, to the school, not to the FBI. We came in after the fact.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Joining me now is CNN Law Enforcement Contributor Steve Moore. He's also a retired Supervisory Special Agent with the FBI. Appreciate you being with us.
STEVE MOORE, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CONTRIBUTOR: Thanks.
CHURCH: So, a lot to cover here. I want to start with the shooter, who's still at large after a person of interest was released, but investigators have released images now to the public of a suspect, those images are pretty grainy, and the suspect is wearing a mask, but this $50,000 award has been offered. How likely is it that this will be enough to track down the shooter?
MOORE: I don't think, Rosemary, that this in and of itself is going to be the key to finding him. I think it might help later on in prosecution, but there's really not enough there to help.
I mean, the FBI is going to go through that picture, the video, with a fine-tooth comb. They'll probably identify the clothes that he was wearing, where they were purchased, things like that, but it's going to take a lot more.
And frankly, I'm surprised that the evidence that he would have had to have left behind hasn't led to more -- to more progress, yet, at least more visible progress.
CHURCH: So, what do you think the problem is here? What's stalling the process and the investigation?
MOORE: I can only assume that what's going on is that they don't have a lot of physical evidence. And I'm also concerned about, say, the camera coverage in that hall.
I mean, think about it, the guy had to get into the building. We see him leaving the building, but he got in somehow. There has to be a point at which the cameras saw him prior to -- prior to the shooting, and so I'm concerned about why they haven't identified him going into the building.
CHURCH: Yes, that's what's frustrating so many people, isn't it? And of course, Steve, you and I spoke 24 hours ago about local authorities trying to calm nerves, but the FBI says this suspect should be considered armed and dangerous. If that's the case, how can they be so sure he doesn't pose a threat to the community at large?
MOORE: Well, there's no guarantee, obviously, but he did a highly targeted attack against students, and that situation, that target rich environment that he had, is not going to present itself again, at least with university students at Brown.
I think he had an intended target, and the random people in the community are not that target. And the fact that since the first attack, there hasn't been a second, indicates that he got what he wanted out of this, and his maybe gone to ground, return to where he came from, or is trying to blend into the world without calling attention to himself.
CHURCH: And Steve, when President Trump was asked why it's taking the FBI so long to identify the suspect, he blamed Brown University, saying that the FBI came in after the fact. What's your reaction to his comments?
MOORE: Well, he answered the wrong question. He answered, why did this happen? The question he was asked is, why is it taking so long to find it after it find the shooter after it happened? So, it was -- it was an answer to an incorrect question, and the answer to that question might not have been correct anyway. There's only a limited amount of things that a school can do without turning it into a prison camp.
CHURCH: Yes, and I mean, just back to this investigation and how it seems to be stalled. There seem to be mistakes that have been made. I mean, there was a situation with a person of interest being held for so many hours. And of course, while that was happening, the person who did perpetrate this crime got away.
[02:25:23]
MOORE: Yes, and that's what it appears. But excuse me, I wouldn't -- I wouldn't say that it is totally stalled, because we don't know what's going on. I mean, it could be, but I would suspect that right now, they are working dozens of leads, and have a lot more information than I know about, than we know about, and so we can't necessarily say that they're not making progress.
At the same time, there was a mistake, but there are going to be mistakes and investigations. It's best to just own it and proceed from there. Otherwise, people get frustrated, because two things unsettle people, number one is no results, and number two is people not taking responsibility for what's been done so far.
CHURCH: Yes, people want this to come to an end. Steve Moore, thank you so much for joining us. Appreciate it.
MOORE: Thank you.
CHURCH: Well, the donations are pouring in for a man who helped stop the Bondi Beach attack. We will speak with a social media influencer who is raising money for his recovery.
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[02:31:35]
CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. The U.S. Military says eight people are dead following a strike on three alleged drug trafficking boats in the Eastern Pacific on Monday. U.S. Southern Command says the attacks were ordered by Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth against three vessels being operated by designated terrorist organizations in international waters. At least 95 people have been killed over the past few months as part of the Trump administration's campaign to reduce narcotics trafficking.
Ukraine says it struck a Russian submarine using underwater drones in the first attacks of its kind. The country's domestic security service, SBU released this video showing the vessel docked at a Black Sea port in Russia before a large explosion. Ukraine says the submarine, which can fire cruise missiles, suffered critical damage and was effectively disabled. Well, that attack coming as Ukraine's top negotiator says real progress was made in Berlin during two days of peace talks aimed at reaching a deal to end the war. Volodymyr Zelenskyy also echoing that sentiment saying negotiators from Ukraine and the U.S. could meet as soon as this weekend.
CNN's Frederik Pleitgen has details.
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The U.S. delegation led by Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner said they spoke to the Ukrainians for about eight hours in total and also say that they made substantial headway on a lot of very contentious and difficult issues. Of course, part of that is reconstruction of Ukraine, but one of the things that, for instance, the German side and also the Ukrainian side confirmed is they say that a lot of headway was made as far as security guarantees are concerned. The Germans saying that they believe that the security guarantees are almost adequate as to being almost like NATO security guarantees. Here's what Friedrich Merz, the German Chancellor, and Ukraine's president had to say at a press conference.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FRIEDRICH MERZ, GERMAN CHANCELLOR (through translator): The legal and material guarantees that the U.S. has put on the table here in Berlin are truly remarkable. This is a very important step forward, which I very much welcome.
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Therefore, it is important that the U.S. views Article V like arrangements plus relevant security guarantees. We are currently working to have all this written out and we are making progress there. I see the details from the military that they have been working on. They look quite good, although this is only a first draft.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PLEITGEN: One of the thorniest issues on the table is, of course, that of territories, whether or not the Ukrainians are going to be willing to cede territory to the Russians and whether or not they do so officially or whether they simply say that right now, they don't have the strength to gain those territories back. That's something where the U.S. side says the Russians and the Ukrainians are going to have to come to some sort of agreement at some point in time. But certainly, that's been identified as a really big problem that remains.
And of course, the other big problem with that is whether or not the Russians are willing to sign onto any sort of deal that could be made here, any sort of agreements that could be made here. The U.S. says right now, all of this is going to go back into working groups in the United States to try and move things further. Of course, at some stage, they are also going to brief the Kremlin and see what Vladimir Putin has to say.
Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Berlin.
[02:35:00]
CHURCH: President Donald Trump said he asked Chinese President, Xi Jinping to consider releasing Hong Kong media tycoon, Jimmy Lai. On Monday, Lai was found guilty in a landmark trial under a national security law imposed by Beijing. It was widely seen as a test of Hong Kong's freedoms under Beijing's rule. 78-year-old Lai now faces possible life in prison. President Trump said he felt "so badly" for Lai. The verdict drew widespread condemnation from leaders around the world.
A former musician is hoping to unseat a seven-time president in Uganda, but the opposition politician is accusing the police of a crackdown. Still to come, we will show you the scene inside the country ahead of a key election.
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[02:40:26]
CHURCH: Australia's prime minister is hailing a Sydney man who helped stop the Bondi Beach shooting as a hero. Anthony Albanese met with Ahmed Al-Ahmed earlier. He is in the hospital recovering from gunshot wounds. The 43-year-old father of two charged at one of the alleged shooters on Sunday, wrenching the gun away from him. He then pointed the firearm at the attacker, forcing him to retreat. So we want to go live now to Sydney. Zachery Dereniowski is a social media influencer who promotes kindness and unconditional love. Thank you so much for being with us.
ZACHERY DERENIOWSKI, SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCER: Thank you for having me. I'm honored to be here.
CHURCH: It's great to have you with us. We are honored indeed too, because you helped set up a GoFundMe to raise money for the hero in that horrifying shooting on Bondi Beach. Ahmed Al-Ahmed is the hero. Why did you decide that you needed to do this?
DERENIOWSKI: I have a platform on social media where we help people who are kind and help strangers, and I don't think I've ever seen a video in which someone has been as kind, as heroic, and as courageous as Ahmed was that day at the horrific scene in Bondi. I was a former medical student. I live in Canada. I lived in Sydney for two years, so here in Australia for the first time actually on holidays and being at that beach the day before, I felt like I needed to do something. And my friends at actually Car Hub Australia, they initiated the crowdfund. And then I saw obviously, an opportunity to co-organize with them and to catalyze. And now, it's sitting at a little over $2.1 million for Ahmed and his family.
CHURCH: Unbelievable amount, as you say, just extraordinary, remarkable act of heroism there. But also, what you have done is extraordinary and now, more than a million dollars raised. How have Ahmed and his family responded to your efforts to raise this money for -- to help with his medical expenses and more, of course?
DERENIOWSKI: We actually haven't even spoke. We're going to speak to them later this evening. I'm not sure if they're aware of all the funds that have been raised for them. So, I look forward to chatting with them later this evening and finding out what their response is to this.
CHURCH: I'm sure they're very much aware of what you've done. And I wanted to ask you, what inspires you to spread this unconditional kindness when others turn away in situations like this?
DERENIOWSKI: I started doing this about four years ago. Like I said, I was in medical school at the University of Sydney and two women one night during the pandemic listened to me as a stranger. I was sitting there really questioning my life, struggling with my own mental health, and it was their small act of kindness making me feel seen and heard, that got me out of the depressive state that I was in and I wanted to be that for other people. So, I started giving away free hugs and it turned into doing this.
I have 50 million followers across social media and we've raised tens of millions of dollars for individuals, couples, families, small businesses. And to be here during this time and playing a small role in building this community that helps others, it is social proof that people want to do good and humans want to support humans no matter race, religion or anything.
CHURCH: It is --
DERENIOWSKI: We all want to help one another.
CHURCH: It is an extraordinary outreach. I wanted to get to just hear from you a message to others to do the same. What would you say to people to sort of try to reach their inner kindness if you like?
DERENIOWSKI: Love supersedes all. That would be my biggest piece of advice, is that love supersedes all. And in moments like this, we need to love one another more and that would be the biggest message I have. And my obviously thoughts, prayers, and condolences are with all the families and everyone that was touched during this really devastating time in Sydney and in the world.
CHURCH: You are bringing sunshine to a devastating situation. Zachery Dereniowski joining us live from Sydney, many thanks. Appreciate it.
DERENIOWSKI: Thank you.
CHURCH: Well, Chile's President-elect, Jose Antonio Kast has met with the current president to begin the transition of power. Kast's decisive victory marks the country's sharpest shift to the right since the end of military rule in 1990.
[02:45:00]
He and Gabriel Boric held talks at the presidential palace in Santiago, where the two pledged an orderly and cooperative transition.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GABRIEL BORIC, CHILEAN PRESIDENT (through translator): After the meeting with the teams, we had a long personal conversation in my office. We shared some of the experiences from these past four years and talked about the challenges of the campaigns and the day-to-day realities of governing. I also told him that after March 11, when it's my turn to be former president of the Republic, I will always be available to help for the good of Chile.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Kast defeated leftist candidate Jeannette Yara, who conceded the race. He ran his campaign on a right wing law-and-order platform winning with nearly 58 percent of the vote.
Well, more than two weeks after going to the polls, voters in Honduras are still waiting to learn who their next president will be. The country's National Electoral Council says nearly all of the votes have been counted, but the protests in the capital city are preventing a needed recount of several thousand ballots. Supporters of the ruling party in Honduras have taken to the streets, demanding that the will of the people be respected. The uncertainty is increasing tensions after an election fraught with accusations of fraud and system dysfunction.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAIME RODRIGUEZ, PROTESTER, LIBERTY AND REFOUNDATION PARTY (through translator): You can't call this, by any standard, an electoral process. There haven't been elections here. What there's been is a theft. What's happened here is the will of the Honduran people has been violated.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: There's just a month to go before Uganda's general election. A crack down on the opposition is sparking outrage in the country. CNN's Larry Madowo went to Uganda to show us the tensions rising there.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is the man seeking to remove President Museveni from power after 40 years. He has incredible support among the young people. As Bobi Wine arrives, so do the crowd. There is nothing like it.
MADOWO (voice-over): Bobi Wine wants Ugandans to sing a new tune. The musician turned politician is running for president for a second time. Nearly twice his age, President Yoweri Museveni is also running for a seventh term. When the former general came to power after a civil war in 1986, Bobi Wine was just four-years-old.
ROBERT "BOBI WINE" KYAGULANYI, UGANDAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I believe that General Museveni largely views Uganda as his personal property, as his family property, and he views us as slaves.
It is our time to change our future.
MADOWO (voice-over): Bobi Wine accuses security forces of using violence to stop him from campaigning. At this stop in Northern Uganda, supporters formed a protective shield around the candidate as military officers whipped them. One of his closest aides was wounded.
WINE: Look at what the police and the military are doing to us for no crime whatsoever.
MADOWO (voice-over): The electoral commission condemned the incident that is now under investigation. He says more than 450 members of his party and supporters have been imprisoned during the campaign, others tortured or disappeared.
WINE: Some people have been shot dead at my rally and I know the regime has me as the main target.
MADOWO: Why won't you be allowed to campaign freely?
WINE: Well, I believe it is fear. It is fear that General Museveni knows that he has no support. Every time I go out to campaign, I know that somebody is going to be beaten, somebody is going to be killed, run over by the police, shot with live bullets and all that.
MADOWO (voice-over): The U.N. Human Rights Chief has condemned widespread, arbitrary arrests, detentions, and the use of unnecessary or disproportionate force against the opposition. CNN filmed hundreds of police, military, and special forces at Bobi Wine's rallies in the capital, Kampala. They blocked him from using some roads, beat up some supporters, and teargased bystanders.
MADOWO: Everywhere Bobi Wine goes, there's dozens of police officers, soldiers. It always ends up in a scuffle. Right now, they're blocking his way from coming into a rally venue and that's tear gas. Before he's even inside, we're hearing -- that sounded like live shots, tear gas in every direction -- tear gas in every direction. It's really become a chaotic scene. And this happens at every Bobi Wine --
[02:50:00] MADOWO (voice-over): Police told CNN that they were forced to use teargas here to disperse people and clear busy intersection. They have repeatedly denied that they're specifically targeting Bobi Wine or his campaign.
RUSOKE KITUURNA, UGANDA POLICE SPOKESPERSON: We all benefit from coming out of this election with the most minimal damage on individuals and property.
MADOWO (voice-over): There are six other candidates running for Uganda's top job, but January's election is largely a rematch between the president and the pop star.
MADOWO: In a free and fair election, can you beat President Museveni?
WINE: If 2021 was a free and fair election, I would be president already.
MADOWO: Will this be a free and fair election?
WINE: This is not an election to begin with. This is War.
MADOWO (voice-over): Uganda's Electoral Commission has asked law enforcement agencies to exercise restraint and stick to the law while dealing with candidates.
Larry Madowo, CNN, Kampala.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: A debate turned physical among lawmakers in Mexico City. Video shows several lawmakers arguing and then elbowing, slapping and pulling at each other's hair. It happened during a debate over reforming the city government's transparency oversight agency. Members of the opposition party refused to leave the podium and lawmakers from the majority party attempted to physically remove them. Eventually, the session was suspended and moved to another venue.
Well, these days many companies are looking to hire experts on artificial intelligence and technology, but the Trump administration is hoping it can convince some of them to join the federal government. Details on the new U.S. Tech Force just ahead.
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CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. The maker of the popular Roomba vacuum has filed for bankruptcy, but iRobot says users don't have to worry about their devices, app or product support. The company has been having a tough time competing with similar products made in China. It's also being hit hard by new U.S. tariffs, which it says cost the company some $23 billion this year. Its products are made in Vietnam and are now subject to more than 40 percent tariffs. iRobot shares fell more than 70 percent on the news. The firm says it will be taken over by one of its suppliers, which is based in China.
Applications are now open for a new program aimed at luring more technology and A.I. talent into the U.S. government.
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As part of its efforts to stay ahead in the global tech race, the Trump administration is launching an early-career hiring and talent development program known as the U.S. Tech Force. Our Clare Duffy has details.
CLARE DUFFY, CNN TECH REPORTER: This early-career hiring and talent development program is aimed at bringing more tech and A.I. employees into the federal government at a time when the government is dealing with both a technical talent gap. It just doesn't have enough people with these skills working in the government and also, this broader A.I. talent war where we're seeing tech companies shelling out massive salaries and other perks to attract the top researchers and engineers. So, the goal here is to attract some of those folks to the federal government for at least temporary public sector roles.
The Office of Personnel Management plans to hire around a thousand people for the initial U.S. Tech Force cohort to work across various government agencies for a two-year term. And during that time, they'll also receive mentorship and career planning advice from Silicon Valley executives. There are about 25 companies that have signed on as initial partners of this program. They include companies like Meta, Amazon, Microsoft, xAI. And then at the end of this two-year term, members of this U.S. Tech Force will have access to a job fair with both public and private sector opportunities.
And just to give a few examples of the types of things that these folks might be working on, it could be modernizing drones and weapon systems with artificial intelligence at the Department of Defense, or building out the platform for the new Trump accounts program at the IRS. Now, Office of Personnel Management Director, Scott Kupor did acknowledge that this is a competitive space and that many of the top folks in this area could command higher salaries in the private sector.
But he said he hopes folks feel excited about the opportunity to work on some really thorny problems at the massive organization that is the U.S. federal government. And then if they wish, take those skills out into the private sector after this two-year program. Back to you.
CHURCH: Well, Santa arrived early in some cities, or at least runners dressed as Santa. Thousands of people in red suits flooded the streets of Kosovo on Sunday for the 10th annual Santa Run. It's not just a Christmas tradition. The event raises money for sick children and needy families.
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LORIK ZHITIA, PRISTINA RESIDENT: It is an extraordinary event for the children and mothers in Kosovo and for families. Every year, children, parents and businesses gather here with positive energy and it's a wonderful sight to see.
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CHURCH: A similar scene in Mexico City on Sunday, more than 3,000 people sprinted through the streets for that city's Santa Run. Some participants even brought their pets.
I want to thank you so much for joining us this hour. I'm Rosemary Church. I will be back with more "CNN Newsroom" after a short break. Stay with us.
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