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U.S. Seizes Another Vessel Off Coast of Venezuela; NTSB Conducting Investigation into Greg Biffle Plane Crash; Trump DOJ Releases Trove of Heavily Redacted Epstein Files; Officials Search for Motive in Brown and MIT Professor Shootings; U.S. Conducts Retaliatory Strikes on Alleged ISIS Targets in Syria; Helping Mom Prepare to Celebrate the Holidays. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired December 20, 2025 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:00:00]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: It's the second known instance of the U.S. interdicting a vessel near Venezuela in the last two weeks. Back in December on the 10th, earlier this month, the U.S. Military seized a large oil tanker called the Skipper, which had been under sanctions for its ties to Iran.

CNN's Kevin Liptak is joining us now from near where the president is vacationing in Florida and spending the rest of the holidays.

So, Kevin, what more can you tell us about this latest ship seizure?

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, and I'm told by an official familiar with the matter that this occurred in international waters off the coast of Venezuela, that it was an operation led by the U.S. Coast Guard with support from the military.

And you're right that this is the second vessel that the U.S. has seized just in the last couple of weeks, the first instance being the Skipper, that Venezuela or that oil tanker carrying Venezuelan oil that the U.S. seized as part of this pressure campaign on the dictator Nicolas Maduro.

Now, President Trump, just within the last few days, said that he was announcing a, quote, "total and complete blockade of sanctioned tankers carrying Venezuelan oil." It's not clear that the vessel that was seized today is under U.S. sanctions, but certainly it does illustrate this pressure campaign that is growing from Washington on Caracas, as the president and senior officials work to apply more and more pressure on Maduro.

You've seen this massive buildup of U.S. Military assets in the region, including 15,000 U.S. personnel. Many, many U.S. warships in the Caribbean Sea. You've seen those continued strikes on alleged drug boats, 27 of those strikes so far, killing more than 100 people. And now this increasing pressure on the main economic lifeline of Venezuela, its oil industry.

And you've heard President Trump say that the U.S. wants to reclaim some of the oil fields that Venezuela controls, that the U.S. companies have been drilling on in the 1970s before they came under state control. All of it meant to cut off the most important financial lifeline to Venezuela. Most of its oil heading to China.

And I think the rationale and the objective, when you talk to American officials is to keep tightening the noose essentially on Maduro. And we heard explicitly from the president's chief of staff, Susie Wiles, in that "Vanity Fair" interview that the goal ultimately is regime change. And so the question, of course, is where this all heads next.

Certainly, President Trump has made clear that further seizures of these tankers are possible. He's also been threatening U.S. airstrikes on land in Venezuela for the last several weeks, saying that those would happen soon. But so far stopping short of giving the ultimate go ahead -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Kevin Liptak, keep us posted. Thanks so much.

All right. Turning now to that plane crash that killed retired NASCAR driver Greg Biffle, his family and three others. We're getting new images of federal investigators from the NTSB at the crash scene. And while they still cannot confirm who was piloting the small private jet at the time of the crash, they say they have obtained the maintenance logs and will relocate the engines for further examination.

CNN's Rafael Romo is joining me now with more.

What more can you tell us?

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It is a very early, early stages in the investigation. They have to go through a lot of evidence before we can really hear what happened here and get finality as to what might have caused the accident. But what we know, according to the National Transportation Safety Board, Fred, is that the airplane was airborne for approximately 10 minutes after taking off before turning back and crashing on a different runway from the one used for departing.

Former NASCAR driver Greg Biffle, his wife Christina, and two children, Ryder and Emma, were among those killed. According to a statement from family members, three other passengers, in addition to Biffle and his family, were aboard the Cessna C-550 when it crashed in Statesville, North Carolina, on Thursday shortly after 10:15 in the morning.

In their latest update this morning, the NTSB member, Michael Graham, said the investigating team has done multiple things as they proceed with their investigation and also in the last hour, the NTSB released video pertaining to the investigation, showing, among other things, investigators analyzing the wreckage, recovering the cockpit voice recorder, taking pictures of an engine and the field of debris left after the crash.

There have also been reports regarding possible communication between a passenger on the airplane and someone on land, something Graham confirmed today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL GRAHAM, BOARD MEMBER, NTSB: This morning, I can confirm that the NTSB is aware of one brief text from a passenger on board the aircraft to a family member that read, and I quote, "Emergency landing." Again, that's, "emergency landing."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[15:05:11]

ROMO: Graham did not specify who sent the message or the person it was sent to, and also said that they have been unable to determine who was piloting the aircraft. As for possible cause, this is only the preliminary stages in the investigation as mentioned before, but NTSB Board Member Graham said the plane's altitude on approach was not optimal for landing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GRAHAM: Early indications from multiple sources indicate that the airplane was stable on approach, configured for landing, with the landing lights on, but the aircraft was coming in low.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: The NTSB board member also said that information is consistent with the debris field, as well as points of impact for the crash on the airport runway. The preliminary report on the crash, the NTSB board member said, will be published within 30 days, but the final report may take anywhere from 12 to 18 months.

So, again, a lot of questions there. Who was in charge of the plane? And also if there was any sort of mechanical failure that they still have to find out.

WHITFIELD: It will be a painstaking investigation.

ROMO: Right.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks so much, Rafael.

All right. Still to come, thousands of files have been released in the Jeffrey Epstein case, but many are heavily redacted. And there are still many more the DOJ has not released. What CNN has learned from the documents so far.

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WHITFIELD: All right, more fallout from the latest release of files related to the Jeffrey Epstein investigation. The Department of Justice was required under a bipartisan law to release everything it had by yesterday. But not all of the files were put on the department's Web site, and some were heavily redacted. One Epstein survivor who spoke to CNN expressed frustration. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JENA LISA JONES, EPSTEIN SURVIVOR: Good to see that a lot of the files have been heavily redacted in a sense that gives no clarity in any description way. And some of these photos being completely blacked out with no rhyme or reason or any I would say telling signs of why they were redacted. Right? Giving us an idea of a little bit of the picture of why they might be redacted. So I feel like this was kind of another joke to string it along a little bit. I'm pretty disappointed at what has been released.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: CNN senior justice correspondent Evan Perez takes us through the release.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

EVAN PEREZ, CNN SENIOR JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Hundreds of thousands of pages of documents from the Justice Department's investigation of sex predator Jeffrey Epstein. More than 200 Justice Department lawyers spending weeks reviewing them, and the names of more than 1200 victims and their relatives redacted. The Justice Department says it at least partially complied with a deadline set by Congress to produce a trove of so-called Epstein files.

What's not in the files might be a bigger deal than what's in this massive trove posted on the Justice Department's Web site on Friday. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche sent a letter to Congress saying that there were several categories of documents that the department is withholding. In addition to the sex abuse materials and the personal data on Epstein survivors, Blanche says that the department is withholding material covered by various privileges, including deliberative process privilege, work product privilege, and attorney- client privilege.

Democrats are accusing the department of violating the law. Here's Robert Garcia, the ranking Democrat on the House Oversight Committee.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. ROBERT GARCIA (D-CA): This is absolutely breaking the law. I mean, they have not produced actually what they were required to do, which was all the files by today in a way that was searchable for the public. And that is not what's the case. What we have essentially is, one, we have a group of documents that have already been released to the public. And so there's could be even more than half the documents we're reviewing right now have already been released. That already does not count for new information.

Then we have of what appears to be new, including some photos and other documents. Those are highly redacted and we don't really have any explanation as to why they've been redacted or what is actually there in those documents. And so we have right now, what we're seeing is not transparency.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PEREZ: Blanche in his letter says that the law passed by Congress last month forcing the release of documents, quote, "does not include language expressly requiring the department to produce privileged materials." Now Blanche also says that the department is going to continue producing more documents in the coming weeks.

Evan Perez, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, let's continue this discussion now with former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani.

Great to see you, Neama. So what's the most revealing to you about this release?

NEAMA RAHMANI, FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: Fred, what's revealing is what was not released. And it's really those investigative files. And we've been talking about the Epstein files for months, and I've said that it's the Department of Justice that has these privileges, that Evan talked about. The executive privilege, the deliberative process privilege, the law enforcement privilege. We always hear it's a pending investigation. But the DOJ at any time can waive those privileges.

[15:15:02]

And that's what the Epstein Files Transparency Act mandated, that everything should be produced except for information identifying victims of sex abuse. That's it. So the DOJ not producing everything and redacting significant portions of what they released, I think it's a problem. I expect a lawsuit this week and a federal judge is going to have to wade through this and decide what's privilege and what's not.

WHITFIELD: Oh, really? And then I'm wondering, was it your expectation that there would be more, or did you expect that the DOJ would redact a lot as it did?

RAHMANI: Fred, I'm a skeptic. I was surprised that we got anything, frankly, because we've been promised the Epstein files for so many months by folks like, you know, Pam Bondi, Kash Patel, even the president of the United States. So, again, I was surprised we got anything. Better late than never.

But this is not the Epstein files. I mean, let's be very clear. Pictures of Jeffrey Epstein with rich and powerful men is not the investigative files that the public and Congress demanded. So I think we're going to have to litigate this issue to really get the files because this isn't it.

WHITFIELD: So Congressman Ro Khanna says he's considering impeachment proceedings against U.S. attorney Pam Bondi over, you know, this kind of release. But when you talk about now a legal recourse here outside of that, you know, possible impeachment process, what do you mean exactly? And who would actually be pushing for any kind of legal challenge?

RAHMANI: So, and Ro is one of the best. And he's a lawyer, too. Obviously impeachment is a possibility. But we know politically it's not going to go anywhere in the Republican controlled House and certainly not in the Senate, where you need a two-thirds majority.

So what I expect is a civil lawsuit by members of Congress where a judge would have to step in and review the documents in camera. So that's Latin term, it means outside the presence of the public. And the judge would have to decide whether these materials are privileged or not, whether these redactions are appropriate.

Now typically when there's a production like this and documents are withheld or they're redacted, what happens is you're supplied a log that identifies the legal reason for the redaction. So that's something that Congress and the American people deserve as well.

WHITFIELD: So if the DOJ's release the way in which it did it, if the hope was to end the public's or even lawmakers' curiosities, it seems as though it has done the complete opposite. People are even far more interested now of what's behind the redactions.

RAHMANI: I think that's right. And this is just going to play into the conspiracy that this is all a big cover-up, and it doesn't matter what side of the political aisle you're on, right? It's clear that Jeffrey Epstein rubbed shoulders with many powerful people worldwide. So why haven't these files been made public? That's what Congress demanded. What is the Department of Justice hiding? Who are they protecting?

These are all questions that people that are watching and are on social media are asking. This is about transparency and public trust in what has been released so far undermines it. It's very disappointing in my opinion.

WHITFIELD: All right, Neama Rahmani, great to see you. Thanks so much. Happy holidays.

RAHMANI: Great to see you, too, Fred. You too, happy holidays.

WHITFIELD: Straight ahead, the latest in the search for answers after the deadly mass shooting at Brown University and separately the killing of an MIT professor. How investigators are trying to determine a motive.

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[15:23:05]

WHITFIELD: All right. Welcome back.

With a manhunt finally over in the Brown University and MIT professor shootings, many questions still remain as to a clear motive in the killings. Former classmates described the suspected gunman, Claudio Neves Valente, who was a Portuguese national and former Brown University student, as a brilliant but arrogant fellow student. The 48-year-old was found dead in a storage facility from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

CNN correspondent Michael Yoshida is joining me now from Providence, Rhode Island.

Michael, are investigators any closer to finding a motive in these shootings?

MICHAEL YOSHIDA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Fredricka. You can see memorials continue to grow here on the Brown University campus as that question of motive continues to linger over this community and the investigation, an effort obviously made more difficult by the fact that the suspected shooter is dead. Still, we know investigators diving into his history.

This is what we know right now and what they're looking at. You mentioned 48-year-old Claudio Neves Valente was a Portuguese national, did have a connection to Brown University, a former graduate student here in the early 2000, only stayed for several semesters before getting out of the program.

We also know he had a connection to that MIT professor who was also shot and killed. They were in the same academic program back in the late '90s in Portugal. Those details obviously key to investigators, as they're also going through the timeline of events leading up to the shootings. We know in November, the suspected shooter rented a storage facility in Salem, New Hampshire, then was in the Boston area where he rented a car that he drove to the Brown University campus.

That vehicle seen around this campus in the weeks leading up to the shooting. Of course, last Saturday, we had that deadly mass shooting here at Brown. Two students killed, nine others injured.

[15:25:02]

And then just days later, that MIT professor in a suburb of Boston was shot and killed near his home. We're told this gunman then went back to that storage facility where he was later found dead, obviously ending the manhunt. But still, so many questions linger. A lot of emotion and frustration for those impacted here on the Brown University campus.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ERIC DRAY, BROWN UNIVERSITY GRADUATE, CLASS OF 1984: I wanted to honor what happened and honor that it's over. But I wasn't anticipating how emotional it is to be here in person.

ALEX BROWN, MANAGER, CEREMONY CAFE: It seems like security was a lot more lax than it should have been. The fact that he had essentially gotten away and was really, you know, wasn't ever actually caught, just found after the fact, that feels unacceptable to me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

YOSHIDA: And the premeditation and sophistication of all this violence key as well, using untraceable phones, credit cards not linked to his name. Also switching license plates as he was driving through the various states involved in this investigation, a big focus. As for those here on the Brown campus, those here telling us they are again happy this manhunt is over, but just so anxious to learn why this deadly violence happened -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Yes. Why were they targeted? All right, Michael Yoshida in Providence, Rhode Island, thanks so much.

All right. The U.S. Marshal Service, along with other law officials, law enforcement officials, led an operation that resulted in the recovery and location of more than 40 missing children, ages 1 through 17. It happened across the southeast of this country. The so-called "Operation Northern Lights" pulled together a task force of federal, state and local agencies, along with social and medical personnel for the two-week initiative.

And officials say the operation led to nine arrests and included recoveries that could potentially lead to future charges, such as human trafficking and child endangerment.

For more insight into that operation by the U.S. Marshals, along with the Brown University shooting investigation, I'm joined now by retired FBI supervisory special agent Jason Pack.

Jason, great to see you. You've actually worked a number of similar cases to those missing children over the years. How do investigators try to coalesce and be able to ultimately net as many arrests as they did and apprehensions, or at least collection of so many missing kids, like we just learned?

JASON PACK, RETIRED FBI SUPERVISORY SPECIAL AGENT: Yes. First, kudos to the Marshal Service and HSI and their partners there in Florida and around the southeast. These are vulnerable, innocent children that are involved in custodial issues. Non-parental kidnappings. Some of them are missing from the foster system. Some of them are being exploited online or some of them are posting themselves online and could be -- could have been reported missing, runaways. All these types of things.

I know this operation is kind of akin to the FBI's "Operation Cross Country" we did for decades when I was a child abduction team member. Some very important work and kudos to any law enforcement agency that's out there.

WHITFIELD: Yes, it is incredible to hear these numbers.

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: Go ahead.

PACK: It doesn't mean there's a lot of strange abductions going on. I'm sorry. I just -- it's important to clear up that this doesn't mean there's a lot of stranger abductions going on out there. These are just vulnerable kids who have some problems and are, you know, at risk for that.

WHITFIELD: Wow. OK. A great point to make. All right. Let me pivot now to the deadly shooting at Brown University, how authorities, you know, got to the suspect. They certainly were relying on the public's assistance and come to find out, at least someone's tip did help lead them to that suspect. So how did you see the sequence of events here?

PACK: Well, it plays out like a lot of other ones I've been involved with, too, with the Boston and some other high profile cases. You put enough information out there to make the public have enough information to be able to identify that person. And in this case, it worked. We actually appears that, John, the person that came forward there in the affidavit that you read, was one of the persons in the video.

And I don't think the suspect was expecting him to be so attentive to detail, actually following him out of that building at Brown University and catching that license plate. So a really important point that the public always helps law enforcement. And they're really a powerful force multiplier in these types of investigations.

WHITFIELD: So talk to me about how investigators might be able to get to the core of motive and whether the motive is similar in both of these shootings that this suspect is being linked to.

PACK: Well, we've seen in the Brown shooting, it doesn't appear that the people were targeted, in my view. Personally, it seems like that's more of an institutional targeting.

[15:30:02]

And then we see specifically with the professor at MIT, it does seem to be a very targeted thing. So I think when investigators go back to try to find answers for the family of the victims you see on the screen there and the other victims who were shot, as well as the professor, they're going to ask the questions about how did these folks come to know each other, what happened even in Portugal, back in the mid-'90s, they may actually hook up with the Portuguese authorities through the FBI's legal attache office. Get some answers there. You have the FBI offices in Miami, and then you still have the investigation there in Brown and other locations throughout New England.

WHITFIELD: So then talk to me, too, about the earlier days in the investigation when a person of interest was detained, later released. I mean, those developments on Sunday changed the atmosphere around campus. So how do you or how does anyone kind of explain how that happens?

PACK: Yes, I really hate the term person of interest. It's such a term that's grown so much, but it really has no legal binding. You're either witness or suspect, but that can sometimes lead investigators down one path. But I think what we've seen here, even though we might not have seen it publicly in these command posts that I've worked, we have other teams working other contingencies.

So just because a few people went in the way of that first person of interest, there are other teams out there looking at other pieces of video and developing other probabilities, and it seems like that happened even though we didn't see that publicly.

WHITFIELD: All right. Special agent Jason Pack, always good to see you. Thank you so much.

PACK: Thanks, Fred. Happy holidays.

WHITFIELD: Happy holidays.

All right. Coming up in the next hour, we'll dig deep into President Trump's economic policies and how they're impacting American families. We're answering questions that you have about a wide range of topics, including inflation, health care, job prospects for graduating seniors. A discussion with a panel of experts coming up in the next hour right here in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:36:35]

WHITFIELD: All right. New video shows the U.S. strikes against dozens of alleged ISIS targets in Syria on Friday. Officials say the U.S. was retaliating for the recent attack that killed two Americans -- American service members and a civilian interpreter.

CNN's Barbie Latza Nadeau has the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARBIE LATZA NADEAU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The United States says it hit at least 70 targets in Syria in multiple strikes on Friday in retaliation for the killing of two U.S. service members and an interpreter by a gunman who had been part of Syria's internal security service. Possible links between the gunman and ISIS remain unclear.

The overnight strikes, which also involved Jordanian warplanes, hit ISIS infrastructure and weapons stores, the U.S. Defense Department said. But the strikes were not an act of war. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posted on social media. They were, he said, "an act of vengeance." U.S. President Donald Trump called the strikes, dubbed "Operation Hawkeye," to honor the fallen soldiers' home state of Iowa, a success.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I ordered a massive strike on the terrorists that killed our three great patriots last week. Two soldiers, one interpreter. All great people. And it was very successful. It was precision. We hit every site flawlessly, and we are restoring peace through strength all over the world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LATZA NADEAU: The killing of the service members and the retaliation come just weeks after the new Syrian president visited the White House with Syria joining the U.S. led coalition against ISIS.

Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN, Rome.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right. And happening now, a Kremlin envoy is in Miami to meet with President Trump's team on peace proposals, Russian sources confirmed to CNN. Ukrainian representatives are also in Miami, but a source told CNN that direct talks between Ukrainian and Russian negotiators are not expected. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the Trump administration proposed this new format of peace talks, but Zelenskyy wants to make sure these talks are fair.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Peace is better than war, but not at any price because we've already paid a high price. For us, it is important that peace is fair and strong so that it cannot be violated by another desire of Putin or by another Putin.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And he did not offer further details over what kind of meeting format Trump proposed.

All right. Still to come, the holiday season can become a hassle for moms in particular. Traditionally, they are the ones tasked with taking care of the bulk of the planning, shopping, decking the halls, all that stuff. Fa-la-la-la-la. Up next, we look at the importance of sharing the work behind the holiday spirit.

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[15:44:06]

WHITFIELD: The Health and Human Services Department is planning to overhaul the recommended schedule for childhood vaccines. That's according to a person familiar with the plans. The proposed new protocol would recommend fewer shots, bringing the U.S. in line with what's recommended in some other developed countries like Denmark. Infectious disease experts say that what makes sense for Denmark does not apply to the United States. The proposed plan is not a done deal, and there could still be some changes.

All right. In his newest push to lower drug costs, President Donald Trump unveiled most favored nation pricing deals with nine pharmaceutical companies. The agreement calls for the companies to sell their products to Medicaid at special prices, and to launch new medications in the U.S. at those costs. Many experts say they're skeptical about how much consumers will actually benefit.

[15:45:02]

And with Christmas now just days away, moms across the country, God bless you, are once again being asked to pull off other holiday miracle. A new article on CNN Health looks at how moms are expected to pull together a magical Christmas every year. And a lot of times that includes filling her own stocking. In one social media video, a father and husband urges other husbands to make sure that they help their wife or partner get the stockings filled. This is how one working mom added her own take to that video. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAIGE CONNELL, WORKING MOM: I have to imagine most grown men know they should be filling their wives' stockings, right? They've woken up every year of their life with a full stocking, and yet they don't because they've never viewed that as their work. Right? The holidays are her work to do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Oh, boy. OK, so that was Paige Connell there on tape. And now here she is live. She was on Instagram and now she's letting us know how she really feels.

So there's a lot to get to, Paige. But I do want to start with, you know why that original video kind of struck a chord with you, and you felt like I got to -- I got to school him and others.

CONNELL: First and foremost, I actually think the video is great. I think we need more and more men encouraging others to participate in the magic of the holidays. However, what I called out here is that there was likely a point in time that his wife came to him and said, hey, what about me? I'm filling everyone's stockings. I'm making this magical for everyone and no one is thinking about me. And he admitted in the caption that for a long time he didn't fill her stocking.

WHITFIELD: Yes. So what do you think is -- what is behind that? Because, I mean, that is not I mean, that's not a rarity. That's probably the commonplace perhaps. Right? I mean, when I talk to my girlfriends, I feel like everyone is in the same boat that you're talking about. I mean, we're all expressing the same thing. So what's up with that?

CONNELL: Yes, it's sad because I think for a lot of women, the holidays are something they try to make very magical, not just for their kids, but for their partner as well. And the stocking really symbolizes something small, right? Essentially the bare minimum that they're looking for from their partner. And so when it's empty, it feels really bad for them. And oftentimes they end up filling it themselves because their kids have said, hey, mom, why is your stocking empty? Did Santa forget you? Right? And so they fill it themselves. And I think it represents what --

WHITFIELD: Those kids notice, don't they?

CONNELL: They do notice, for sure. Yes. And it represents more than stocking.

WHITFIELD: Right. And really the stocking is just kind of emblematic of a bigger picture. Right? So, you know, recommendation to households everywhere, you got some tips for people? CONNELL: I think first and foremost, sharing the work of the holidays

is really important. So when you're able to, sharing the work of coming up with holiday lists and wrapping presents and shopping is work we can all be doing together. I don't think any one person should own that because it's a lot of work. It takes a lot of time and effort, and also it's how we show people we care about them.

We put time and consideration into thinking about them and getting them a gift we think they'll like. And so I think it's not just about the stocking, it's about the holiday season, and how we can look at that work is something families can do together, and that moms don't have to carry alone.

WHITFIELD: Yes, yes. From putting the decorations up, the grocery shopping. What are we, you know, the meal planning, all that good stuff. OK, so then on to the gift thing, because a lot of times people think it is really about the gifts. You know, the struggle with, you know, what to get. You know, mom, wifey-poo. You know, what are we going to do? You actually reveal that your favorite gift is just a pair of socks.

For me, really it's rest. I just need to rest. That's the best thing, I mean, you know, nothing else is going to compare to that. But then tell us about, you know, how you conveyed socks is what does it for you?

CONNELL: So for me, the question was, what did I love in my stocking? And it was socks. I also love a massage, I won't lie, but the socks for me were a really nice pair of socks. Socks I had mentioned wanting, but I wasn't going to buy, right? They were expensive. They were kind of luxurious socks, and I did not want to buy them for myself.

WHITFIELD: Yes. Yes.

CONNELL: Exactly. And my husband paid attention to that. He heard me say that, and then he put them in my stocking. And so it wasn't about socks. It was about the thought and effort that went into it.

WHITFIELD: That's so nice. That's nice. Well, he heard you. That's big.

CONNELL: Yes.

WHITFIELD: All right. Paige Connell, well, everybody heard you in your response to that video posting. So thank you for that. I know you're getting applause everywhere. We appreciate it. And happy holidays and wear those socks.

CONNELL: Thank you. You too. They're my thing.

WHITFIELD: OK. Very good. All right. Well, enjoy.

And of course e you can see the full article on CNN.com. Happy holidays to all moms and the ladies who are doing it all, all the time. All right. Tonight CNN is getting into the holiday spirit in a

different way with our very first holiday special with live musical performances, comedic acts and special guests in what's called, oh, yes, he's pumping his fist, "Roy Wood Jr.'s Very, Very, Very Merry Holiday Special."

[15:50:17]

Hello, Roy. What's up, what's up, what's up? Well, congrats.

ROY WOOD JUNIOR, HOST, "ROY WOOD JR.'S VERY, VERY, VERY MERRY HOLIDAY SPECIA": I have one caveat.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

WOOD: To the men from Paige's advice about the gift giving. Listen to your woman and get the stuff that she wants. Unless it's exercise equipment.

WHITFIELD: Yes, that's a tough one. Even if you say you want, yes, because the messaging, it could go -- it could fall flat. Are you speaking from experience? Did this happen?

WOOD: If she says she wants a treadmill, don't do it. 2004 I bought my girlfriend at the time, the Billy Blanks VHS Tae-Bo set, all 20 tapes.

WHITFIELD: Oh, that was hot.

WOOD: Plus the resistance bands, and we broke up on December 27th.

WHITFIELD: Oh, no.

WOOD: And that was that.

WHITFIELD: OK.

WOOD: She looks great, though. She's in shape. Can't say that I didn't contribute.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness.

WOOD: But, yes, I'm here to promote the special. I'm just saying (INAUDIBLE).

WHITFIELD: Oh, yes, that's right. We digress. I was really getting into this for a second. Oh, yes. Back to the special. "Very, Very, Very Merry Christmas Holiday Special." Very nice. OK, so you're excited about this as are we. I mean, Roy Wood.

WOOD: Very much so.

WHITFIELD: You're -- you know, you're knocking it out of the park on "HAVE I GOT NEWS FOR YOU." But now it's about the holiday season. We're going to make this a little different. You got some live performances. I mean, what are you looking forward to? WOOD: Yes, it was a beautiful night of just holiday cheer. The United

States Air Force Band, Jessie James Decker is out there singing. My man Craig Robinson, Dulce Sloan, Michael Ian Black from "HAVE I GOT NEWS," like it was just a beautiful night and it's festive. We're not talking politics. It's a beautiful hour of just turning on the TV. There was 3-year-olds in the crowd. There's 80-year-olds in the crowd. And might even get Santa Claus to come out. You never know.

WHITFIELD: Oh, you got some surprises. I mean, this is really about the family being able to enjoy this and reminding us all what the holiday season is all about, right?

WOOD: Yes. And I think that we have to remember that for everything else that goes on in the year we have this week or two to kind of decompress and defrag and be able even on this very network, to take a second to step away and appreciate the people that are around you, and then quietly resent them after dinner when they didn't get you the gift you asked for. That's what the holidays are about.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my god. Anything on your wish list? OK, not athletic equipment, workout stuff. Nobody do that. What's on your list?

WOOD: You know what? I'm going to show you what I got because I'm such a nerd. I bought a diecast F-18 Hornet. Like, I'm the guy, I get the stuff I want for myself because I just don't trust the people who claim to love me to do right by me.

WHITFIELD: OK.

WOOD: I like gift cards.

WHITFIELD: OK. We need to book you for another segment. We'll talk about that, too.

WOOD: Give me a gift card. I got that. And look, look what else I got. I got the F-14, too. Look, we're not playing around.

WHITFIELD: You're into the aircraft. You're going places.

WOOD: Yes.

WHITFIELD: That's what I'm seeing here.

WOOD: I gained too much weight to be in a fighter jet. That's what the (INAUDIBLE).

WHITFIELD: OK. Oh, OK. Well, we're going to be tuning in tonight because, you know, this hour is wrapping up. Roy Wood, Jr., can't get enough of you. Thank you so much.

WOOD: Thank you. I love you.

WHITFIELD: Tune in to Roy Wood, Jr.'s "Very, Very, Very Merry Holiday Special" tonight, 8:00 p.m. right here on CNN. And then you'll get to see it again on the CNN app.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:58:11]

WHITFIELD: All right. The college football playoffs are underway. Two showdowns have already been decided, and several more big games are set to kick off in the coming hours.

CNN's Patrick Snell is here with all the excitement.

I did watch that one game last night. Alabama-Oklahoma. That was a nail biter.

PATRICK SNELL, CNN SPORT ANCHOR: Yes. Drama and drama. And the one that just ended as well within the last few minutes. We'll get to that in a moment.

WHITFIELD: OK.

SNELL: But let's start with last night. Yes, college football playoffs, boy, what a night on Friday. And what a night of emotions, too, Fred, for both Alabama and Oklahoma fans. This one had it all. It started with the Crimson Tide fans throwing things at their TV sets, but ended with them celebrating. The sooners pouncing Alabama at the start. They were 17-nothing up after that touchdown in the second quarter. But then everything changes.

Alabama's defense and special teams making big plays. They got a blocked punt and a 50-yard pick six from Zabian Brown. Look at this, Fred. Alabama scoring 27 unanswered points. Fourth quarter. Now check out the catch from Jeremy Bernard leaping.

WHITFIELD: Yes, that was insane moment.

SNELL: Yes, that's the one. And catching it behind the defender's helmet.

WHITFIELD: I love that.

SNELL: Incredible stuff. It's ruled as a catch. It's legit. Alabama go on to win 34 to 20. The biggest comeback ever in a college football playoff game.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KALEN DEBOER, ALABAMA HEAD COACH: We always talk about the game is going to come back to us. We have too many good players and if you just keep fighting, you're going to -- you're going to force them to make a mistake. Something is going to happen, and just keep coming after them play after play. And, you know, the game is going to come back to you. And that's what happened tonight. The game came back to us, and all of a sudden we found opportunities where we could attack and go take advantage. And then more, more plays being made. And so this was, you know, hopefully something we can really build off of.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: How does it feel to silence the doubters and do it, coming back from down 17 to nothing like you guys did today? TY SIMPSON, ALABAMA QUARTERBACK: What did Kobe say? We're not -- we're

not done yet?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SNELL: They're not done yet indeed, right?

WHITFIELD: OK.