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Trump DOJ Released Epstein Files, Including Photos and Court Documents; Epstein Survivor Says She Wants Transparency; U.S. Strikes Targets inside Syria Tied to ISIS; Palestinians in Gaza Living in Collapsed Buildings; Putin Talks Ukraine in End of Year News Conference; Border Crossings Extend Hours for Holiday Rush. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired December 20, 2025 - 03:00   ET

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

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POLO SANDOVAL, CNN ANCHOR AND NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It is wonderful to be starting the weekend with you. I'm Polo Sandoval live in New York. Wherever you may be watching us from, this is the CNN NEWSROOM and this is what's coming your way.

The U.S. Justice Department releases a trove of unseen documents, although many more are still unseen and redacted.

Fulfilling his pledge to retaliate for the deaths of American service members, president Donald Trump launches strikes on ISIS targets in Syria.

And while the fighting drags on, a Russian envoy heads to Miami to meet with Trump officials on ending the war in Ukraine.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from New York, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Polo Sandoval.

SANDOVAL: Great to have you with us.

Donald Trump's Department of Justice has released thousands of documents from the Jeffrey Epstein files. The batch of documents appears, at least after an early review, to include no smoking guns and relatively few major revelations. But there are many more files that are yet to be released.

Democrats and some Republicans, they are slamming the Department of Justice for not releasing all of the files as they were required to do so

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REP. RO KHANNA (D-CA): Massie and I were actually in this morning talking and we said, look, we're willing to give them some benefit of the doubt as long as the quality of the release is substantive. But what we found out is the most important documents are missing.

They've had excessive redactions and the central question that Americans want to know - who are the other rich and powerful men on the island, raping these young girls or covering up - has not been answered.

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SANDOVAL: And in many of the cases, as you see here, the documents have been completely redacted. They have this big black mark covering from top to bottom, left to right, covering the information that the Justice Department decided should not be revealed for several reasons.

The department, for example, says that it's trying to protect innocent people mentioned in the files. But as you may have heard in the last hour of my conversation with a legal expert that there's a lot of information that should still be fair game, that wouldn't jeopardize these victims.

And there's also not much in the release files about president Donald Trump, despite his longtime friendship with Epstein. The deputy attorney general says that there is no coverup to protect the president or anyone else. Here's CNN's senior U.S. Justice correspondent, Evan Perez, with the story.

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EVAN PEREZ, CNN SR. 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 1,200 victims and their relatives redacted.

The Justice Department says it at least partially complied with the 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 website 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.

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ROBERT GARCIA, RANKING MEMBER, HOUSE OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE: 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 of the documents we're reviewing right now have already been released that already does not count for new information.

Then we have of what is 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 are what we're seeing is not transparency.

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PEREZ: Blanche, in his letter, says that the law passed by Congress last month, forcing the release of the Epstein documents, quote, "does not include language expressly requiring the department to produce privileged materials."

Blanche also says that the department is going to continue producing more documents in the coming weeks -- Evan Perez, CNN, Washington

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SANDOVAL: And one Epstein survivor says she is disappointed by the number of redactions in the files that were released on Friday. Alicia Arden spoke with CNN just a short time ago. And she says Epstein assaulted her in 1997. She went to police not once but twice.

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ALICIA ARDEN, EPSTEIN SURVIVOR: I wanted all the files to come out like they said that they were going to.

And the redaction is a little bit puzzling to me, because my police report was heavily redacted also in 1997.

And I thought, is that allowed?

Is that legal for them to do that?

Why can't I see what was redacted as to what I said in my police report in 1997?

And I feel that they should have followed him, then went to Shutters to see what was going on, what this person, Jeffrey Epstein, was doing at the hotel.

And I have always said to this day, if they would have followed him, I could have perhaps saved the girls from going through what they did, if they just would have taken me seriously in 1997 and taken us all more seriously today and released all the files today, December the 19th, like they said they were going to.

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SANDOVAL: To Syria now, where the U.S. has struck a number of targets linked to ISIS. One official telling CNN that the strikes hit dozens of targets and that includes infrastructure and also weapons facilities.

U.S. President Donald Trump says that the strike and retaliation -- or that the strikes are retaliation for two Americans who were killed, as well as a civilian interpreter back on December 13th.

The gunman who killed those two U.S. service members was part of Syria's internal security service. Syria says that it is steadfast in its commitment to fight ISIS. The gunman's connections to ISIS, those are still not clear. And also that group, it hasn't claimed responsibility for that attack as it has in previous ones.

Joining me now is Cedric Leighton. He's a CNN military analyst and also retired U.S. Air Force colonel.

Colonel Leighton, good to see you again.

COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Good to see you, too. Polo.

SANDOVAL: So I'm wondering if you could just bring us up to speed on what we know about Operation Hawkeye. That obviously a clear reference to the two fallen Iowa National Guard members.

And then also, if ISIS still hasn't claimed responsibility for last week's attack, I mean, why launch these retaliatory strikes?

LEIGHTON: Well, that's a great question, actually. We know that, you know, with the fact that ISIS has not claimed responsibility, that's somewhat unusual for that organization. But it's not completely unheard of.

So one can assume that there is some intelligence that ISIS was perhaps behind this but sometimes that intelligence can also be wrong. So when it comes to Operation Hawkeye Strike, we hope that not only are they targeting the right elements, in this case ISIS, but that ISIS actually had something to do with this.

In some ways, this particular attack that killed the two Army sergeants and the one interpreter, in some ways, that strike is very similar to the green-on-blue strikes that we saw in Afghanistan and Iraq during those conflicts.

So the way in which this operation was designed to work is basically an operation of retribution for that strike, even though it was one person who perpetrated the strike on the U.S. soldiers and the interpreter.

The idea was that it would -- we would go after all of the elements of ISIS that we could find in Syria. So that meant that about 70 targets have been hit as part of Operation Hawkeye Strike.

And what they did was they took basically a package of air assets, including F-15s and A-10 fighters, as well as probably F-16s from Jordan. And combined that with helicopter gunships, Apache helicopter gunships, as well as artillery through the HIMARS system.

And these strikes were designed to basically go after the infrastructure of ISIS, go after ISIS personnel and basically clear out those target areas that -- where we think ISIS is located and still operating in Syria.

SANDOVAL: And considering that we're still getting initial information, this is still relatively fresh here. You mentioned the main targets, which are the infrastructure, personnel, perhaps the weapons stockpiles.

How damaging could these strikes have been when it comes to further debilitating ISIS' infrastructure?

LEIGHTON: So if they hit the intended targets -- and they usually do nowadays -- it's -- could be pretty damaging to an organization like ISIS if weapons caches were hit, if personnel were eliminated, that could really decimate ISIS.

ISIS has basically been really whittled down from a previous estimated strength that could be as high as 200,000.

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Other estimates were around 30,000 when it was at the height of its power, now down to somewhere between 1,500 and 3,000 fighters in Syria itself. That -- if that is the case, then any loss that ISIS experiences now would be even more profound and more impactful on the organization.

So that particular element, you know, could very well be considerable for ISIS. But ISIS is a very flexible organization. So we can't bank on these strikes as numerous as they were, as many targets as they hit, to totally eliminate that organization. I don't think it did that.

SANDOVAL: And then I assume there's also the messaging aspect of all this.

Do you think that these strikes perhaps send a message of perhaps of deterrence to that group, as we know that there are still hundreds of U.S. service members that continue with their deployments in Syria?

LEIGHTON: Yes, absolutely. There's somewhere around 1,000 U.S. troops that are currently stationed in Syria and some others that are stationed in places like Jordan and other parts of the Middle East.

So there is, you know, a considerable effort there to do this. But yes, these were deterrence strikes. They were designed to really send a message to ISIS that they cannot attack U.S. forces with impunity. And that is the basic message that this administration has tried to

send, not only through the president but also through the Secretary of Defense.

SANDOVAL: On the on the topic of messaging, in his post on social media, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, he wrote that the strikes were, quote, "a declaration of vengeance" and not, as he put it, "the beginning of a war."

If you could just remind our viewers around the world just the importance of the administration making that distinction, especially for administration, that had essentially campaigned on pulling U.S. forces out of conflict zones.

LEIGHTON: Yes, that's an excellent point, Polo. One of the things that this administration is saying that they're trying to do, at least, is to prevent us from getting into long-term wars, long-term troop commitments in areas like the Middle East.

And so the message that they're trying to send is, one, that this is a, in essence, a one-and-done type situation, where they take care of the target set that they believe is a threat and then they eliminate that.

But it is not designed to -- their desire is that it doesn't drag us into further conflict. Of course, the other side of this is that the adversary in this case, ISIS, gets a vote in this, too. And now it remains to be seen exactly what ISIS will do in response, if anything.

SANDOVAL: Colonel Cedric Leighton, as always, really appreciate your military perspective and your analysis.

LEIGHTON: You bet. Any time. Thanks so much for having me

SANDOVAL: Well, a U.N.-backed monitoring group says that Gaza is no longer experiencing a manmade famine due to an influx of humanitarian aid following the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.

However, the organization noted that, despite the improvements, most people are still facing high levels of acute food insecurity. The U.N. secretary general says that the situation in Gaza is slowly improving but the challenges are dire, deep and ongoing and all the while people are suffering.

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ANTONIO GUTERRES, SECRETARY-GENERAL OF THE UNITED NATIONS: But the gains are fragile, perilously so. And 1.6 million people in Gaza, more than 75 percent of the population, are projected to face extreme levels of acute food insecurity and critical malnutrition risks.

It breaks my heart to see the ongoing scale of human suffering in Gaza. Families are enduring the unendurable. Children are forced to sleep in flooded tents. Buildings already battered by bombardment are collapsing under the weight of rain and wind, claiming more civilian lives. (END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: And precisely because they have nowhere safer to stay, many Palestinians are currently forced to live in ruined buildings, despite the constant danger. CNN's Paula Hancocks shows us.

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PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): These buildings defy gravity. Top floors collapsed, vast slabs of concrete are tenuously

balanced, potholed walls that do not look strong enough to hold the ruins together. Yet countless families across Gaza have no choice but to live

inside this wreckage. Buildings exposed to the elements, no protection against winter storms.

(INAUDIBLE) says her family cannot move back to their home in Shejaiya, as the Israeli military occupies the area. On the first day of the storm, she

says, "We could hear stones cracking above our heads. Sand was falling into our eyes. We covered our heads to protect us from the water."

While the cease fire appears to be holding, the United Nations says two years of Israeli strikes have left more than 80 percent of buildings destroyed or damaged.

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Of those buildings still standing, almost none would be considered habitable elsewhere in the world. Awan al-Haj (ph) says every

building in this area of Khan Younis is the same. Gaza's Civil Defense recommends the displaced should leave damaged buildings during the rains,

but for most there is no other option.

He says the storm comes then sand, water, rubble comes down just like this. Every building has collapses. But what is the alternative?

Is the

alternative to go and sit by the sea or in a tent in the freezing cold or in the water?

This woman agrees. Her granddaughter was born just days ago. She says their tent flooded and collapsed during the last storm. They now shelter in

wreckage she knows could become their tomb.

"If we do not die because of the Israeli," she says, "we will die when the house collapses on us. Because this roof, this entire living room roof is

going to fall."

And they do fall frequently. When this building in al-Shati camp collapsed Tuesday, it killed the owner and injured two others. One of the neighbors

says, "Houses keep collapsing. Someone do something about how we are living. Day after day a house falls. Day after day, people die."

The United Nations says it's blocked by Israel from directly bringing aid into Gaza. It says 1.3 million Palestinians need urgent shelter this

winter. Israel says close to 310,000 tents and tarpaulins have entered Gaza recently.

It is an impossible choice for Palestinians who survived the war. A limited number of tents that can flood or be swept away or a ruined building that

could collapse at any time.

Paula Hancocks, CNN, Abu Dhabi.

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SANDOVAL: Police say three people were killed and at least 11 injured in a knife attack in the Taiwanese capital city of Taipei on Friday. The premier says that a man let off some smoke bombs at a train station and then he attacked, as he ran to a subway station.

Some of this local news video showing him throwing canisters on a busy street before walking toward a shopping mall, carrying -- you see that large knife in his right hand. A motive in this case still unclear but the suspect did have an outstanding warrant for evasion of Taiwan's compulsory military service.

Police say that he acted alone and he also died when he fell from a building during a chase after the attack.

And we'll be right back with more of your headlines right here on CNN NEWSROOM.

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SANDOVAL: A special envoy for Russian president Vladimir Putin is expected in Miami for more talks with the U.S. on Ukraine. A Russian source telling CNN on Friday that Kirill Dmitriev was on his way to the U.S. to be briefed on revised proposals to end the war. A Ukrainian delegation wrapped up its own talks with the U.S. and

European negotiators in Miami on Friday. They've agreed to continue diplomatic work. And the sticking points in the peace proposal include security guarantees for Ukraine and potential territorial concessions to Russia.

The U.S.-Russian talks will be coming on the heels of president Vladimir Putin's end-of-the-war -- I should say end-of-the-year news conference that happened on Friday. This is an annual event where he takes questions from the media and also the members of the Russian public.

Mr. Putin said that Russia wants a peaceful solution in Ukraine amid this ongoing war. But as Fred Pleitgen reports, he also spelled out his vision of an alternative.

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FRED PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Vladimir Putin's big year-end press conference lasted well over four hours and he addressed questions from people around Russia on various topics but also international questions as well, of course, many of them pertaining to the conflict in Ukraine.

The Russian leader saying that Russia remains committed to diplomacy and wants a peaceful solution to the conflict in Ukraine. At the same time, the Russian leader also very bullish, saying that, if there is no peaceful solution, that Russia is willing to continue what it calls its special military operation for an extended period of time.

VLADIMIR PUTIN, PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA (through translator): There won't be any operations if you will be respecting us, treating us with respect, observing our interests, just as we constantly tried observing your interests.

If you won't be tricking us, defrauding us, as you did with NATO expansion to the east. You said that there won't be eastwards expansion of NATO, not for an inch. That is almost a direct quote.

PLEITGEN: The Russian leader also praised the Trump administration and said the diplomatic efforts that the Trump administration has undertaken, to end the conflict in Ukraine but also to improve relations with Russia, have been immense.

At the same time, he also said that right now it's still very much up in the air whether or not there are going to be improved relations between Russia and Western nations.

Of course, one of the things that the Russians have been doing is they've been ripping into European countries, into America's European allies, and saying that these countries are not interested in a peaceful solution to the Ukraine question -- Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Moscow.

(END VIDEOTAPE) SANDOVAL: Ukraine claims that it can now go after Russia's so-called

shadow fleet in a region where it's been relatively safe. A security source telling CNN a Ukrainian drone struck a tanker in the Mediterranean Sea for the first time. This vessel reportedly helped Moscow evade international sanctions on oil exports.

The ship appeared to continue sailing but the Ukrainian source says that it did suffer critical damage. Ukraine also says at least seven people are dead after a Russian missile strike on Odessa on Friday; 15 others were injured there.

With the holidays upon us, many people living in the U.S. are heading across the border into Mexico to visit some of their family members.

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And because of the rush, some border crossings are extending their hours just to deal with this travel rush. CNN's Gustavo Valdez reports from Eagle Pass, Texas.

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GUSTAVO VALDES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is the line of people going from the United States to Mexico on the International Bridge. There are people who spend the day here. Maybe they work here. They go to school, they came shopping.

But this time of year, you see a lot of people, trucks loaded like that and some other vehicles. They are people who live in the United States and they come from all over the United States to go back and visit relatives in Mexico for the holidays, especially Christmas.

This is one of the busiest weekends along the Mexican border for people to go into Mexico, from California all the way to the Gulf of America, the Gulf of Mexico, as they call it in Mexico.

All these crossing points are having this rush of people that want to go and spend the holidays in Mexico.

A year ago, I did the journey; took me five hours to advance about a mile, 1.5 miles to get to the bridge. But this time the cities are doing something differently.

Here in Eagle Pass, they are extending the hours of operations. This bridge, there are two bridges here in Eagle Pass, is going to be open 24 hours for the next three days to accommodate the rush of people.

And on the Mexican side, the government is organizing caravans so they can get people from a certain location, certain state to go together and avoid any problems along the way.

This is an improvement that they hope, that they're trying to help these people they call paisanos, so they feel safe going back, spending the holidays with their relatives in Mexico -- Gustavo Valdez, CNN, Eagle Pass, Texas.

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SANDOVAL: I know those lines all too well.

Thank you so much for joining us for the last 30 minutes of news. I'm Polo Sandoval. "More than a Game" is next. Then my colleague, Kim Brunhuber, picks things up from Atlanta.