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DOJ Released Redacted Epstein Files; Australia Acted Against Hate Crime; Prince George Cook for Homeless People. Aired 3-3:45a ET

Aired December 22, 2025 - 03:00   ET

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

[03:00:00]

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

Just ahead, growing outrage over the heavily redacted release of the Epstein files as lawmakers now consider holding the U.S. Attorney General in contempt of Congress.

One week on, lawmakers in Australia's state of New South Wales debate new laws to tighten gun control and ban hate speech as we learn more about how the deadly attack unfolded on Bondi Beach. And later, the legacy of Princess Diana passed from mother to son and grandson.

UNKNOWN: From Atlanta, this is CNN Newsroom with Rosemary Church.

CHURCH: Good to have you with us. Well, several lawmakers are accusing President Trump's Justice Department of flouting the law by releasing only some of the Epstein files. Since Friday the agency has released thousands more documents related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and the U.S. Justice Department says a photo that includes images of President Trump has been restored to the Epstein files online database. It was one of more than a dozen photos that disappeared from the website on Saturday.

Now there's a bipartisan charge on Capitol Hill demanding the DOJ release all the files in their entirety or else it will hold the U.S. Attorney General in contempt of Congress. One lawmaker says the administration's actions are an insult to Epstein survivors and to Americans demanding answers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. RO KHANNA (D-CA): I'll tell you why I've talked to the survivors, why this is such a slap in the face. One of the survivors said they released her name accidentally, but they still have not released the FBI file about the people who abused her at her request. And the problem here is that there are rich and powerful people, we all know this, there are 1,200 victims, they're rich and powerful people who either engaged in this abuse, covered it up, or were on this island. And what the American people want to know is who are these people? And instead of holding them accountable, Pam Bondi is breaking the law. And this is the corrupt system, the Epstein class that people are sick of.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: CNN's senior White House reporter Kevin Liptak has the latest.

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: The Trump administration is on the defensive over bipartisan criticism of its release of Jeffrey Epstein documents on Friday, criticism coming both from Republicans and Democrats who say that the Justice Department didn't follow the letter of the law by releasing all of those documents within that 30-day deadline, questions about why so much information was redacted, and questions from advocates and victims who wonder why so many of the documents that may have some of the revelations that they have been looking for were not included in this latest batch.

Now when it comes to this question of whether the Justice Department removed documents that it had previously released, we are getting more information about why they did that. For example, there was an image that included a photograph of President Trump that appeared on the Justice Department's website on Friday. On Saturday, it had disappeared.

But the Justice Department said Sunday is that the Southern district of New York flagged an image of President Trump for potential further action to protect victims. They say out of an abundance of caution, the Justice Department temporarily removed the image for further review and then quote, "after the review, it was determined there is no evidence that any Epstein victims are depicted in the photograph and it has been reposted without any alteration or redaction."

And that does echo what we heard from the number two at the Justice Department, the Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, who is out speaking on Sunday really trying to rebut some of this criticism saying that the Justice Department has hundreds of lawyers pouring through more than a million documents trying to ensure that victims' identities aren't exposed. And he shed some more light about why some of these images appeared on the website and then seemed to disappear. Listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TODD BLANCE, U.S. DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL: There were a number of photographs that were pulled down after being released on Friday, that's because a judge in New York has ordered us to listen to any victim or victim rights group if they have any concerns about the material that we're putting up.

[03:05:04]

And so, when we hear concerns, whether it's photographs of women that we do not believe are victims or we didn't have information to show that they were victims, but we learned that there are concerns, of course we're taking that photograph down and we're going to address it. If we need to redact faces or other information, we will, and then we'll put it back up. (END VIDEO CLIP)

LIPTAK: Now, Blanche was also clear that removing that image of President Trump had nothing to do with the president himself. He said, quote, "we are not redacting information around President Trump."

So very much trying to tamp down on some of the criticism here. Of course, criticism of how the Trump administration has handled all of this did not begin on Friday. It's been brewing for months and months, originating in a large part by Trump's own supporters who are animated by this issue of the Jeffrey Epstein files.

You have heard the administration admit that some of this has gone south. You heard the chief of staff, Susie Wiles, say in an interview released last week that the Attorney General, Pam Bondi, had whiffed the initial release of these Epstein documents. I think this release and the criticism around it only serves to underscore that President Trump will continue to be dogged by this matter. It doesn't seem to be dying down in the. foreseeable future.

Kevin Liptak, CNN, West Palm Beach.

CHURCH: The next U.S. presidential election is still about three years away. It will be the first time in 12 years without a sitting president seeking his party's nomination. And many voters are already thinking about who they want to see run.

New CNN polling finds 33 percent of Americans surveyed say they've got a possible candidate in mind. Among Democrats or left-leaning independents surveyed who could offer up a name, California governor Gavin Newsom earned the top spot, followed by former Vice President and presidential candidate Kamala Harris.

On the Republican side, Vice President J.D. Vance is the early leader right now, followed at a distant second by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, although most of those surveyed have no specific candidate in mind.

Well, less than a year into Donald Trump's second term, cracks are growing in the MAGA coalition, a gathering of conservative influencers and young Republicans at the Turning Point USA conference offered a look at some of the challenges J.D. Vance could face if he runs for president.

Speakers bad-mouthed one another from the stage and argued over who belongs in the party and in the United States. Vance did not just address the friction in the party. He encouraged people to embrace it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

J.D. VANCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I know that some of you are impatient at the pace of progress and my response to that is good. Be impatient. Use that desire for justice for your country as fuel to get involved in this movement in a bigger and better and more powerful way. I know some of you are discouraged by the infighting over any number

of issues. Don't be discouraged. Wouldn't you rather lead a movement of free thinkers who sometimes disagree than a bunch of drones who take their orders from George Soros?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Music star Nicki Minaj made a surprise appearance on stage with Erica Kirk, the widow of Turning Point founder Charlie Kirk, the rapper who spoke out against Trump's immigration programs during his first term in office, called the president and vice president role models for young men.

Ron Brownstein is a CNN senior political analyst. He joins us now. Thanks for being with us.

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Thanks for having me, Rosemary.

CHURCH: So, Ron, outrage is growing over the partial and heavily redacted release of the Epstein files. The Justice Department now saying it has restored a photo of Donald Trump after it was taken down Saturday. And now two lawmakers are threatening to hold Attorney General Pam Bondi in contempt of Congress due to excessive redactions and not following the law by releasing all the Epstein files. So how bad could this get for the Trump administration do you think?

BROWNSTEIN: I mean it's just astonishing each time they take an action however often here they were forced into it designed to extinguish this story, instead they give it new oxygen and new fervor. You know, every step along the way they have behaved as if there is material there, they don't want to be public, whether there is or not.

And, look, it's hard to prove a negative for people who are inclined to think that the administration is covering up for a lot of powerful people, potentially including the president. It's not clear what you could ever put out that would convince them otherwise. But certainly, the actions of this administration are going in the opposite direction.

[03:10:01]

And I am just struck that each time they have an opportunity to kind of turn a corner on this, instead they seem to open a whole new series of questions.

CHURCH: And also, Ron, U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance addressed Turning Point USA's youth conference Sunday after deep divisions within the GOP, within MAGA at least. He is encouraging free thinkers even if they disagree on some issues. And Charlie Kirk's widow, Erica, says she's endorsing Vance for president in 2028. But despite that endorsement, new CNN poll shows only 22 percent of Republicans support Vance running in 2028, while two thirds support no one in particular. What do those numbers tell you?

BROWNSTEIN: Well, that was a question asking people in an open-ended way who they would support. And you tend to get very low numbers for any individual candidate there. And you saw on the Democratic side in that poll the numbers were even lower.

I suspect that if Trump remains popular within the Republican Party over this entire term, and even though his approval has eroded some, he's still much overwhelmingly popular within the Republican coalition, it's going to be very hard to beat Vance. It's hard to beat the vice president of an incumbent president who is still popular with the base.

The speech was really revealing though. I think it gave us a very good sense of where Vance envisions taking the MAGA movement if and when Trump steps aside in 2028. And you know, the biggest applause line of the night in his speech was when he said that the one anchor, anchor was his word that has always served the U.S. best is the understanding that it always has been and always will be a Christian nation.

Extraordinary assertion that polling shows most Americans do not accept but which has substantial agreement within the Republican coalition and I think that was an indication that post-Trump Vance envisions turning this movement in a more Christian nationalist direction, more explicitly Christian nationalist direction.

CHURCH: Yes. And meantime, Ron, some Republicans are frustrated and worried by their own party not acting to lower healthcare costs as subsidies expire at the end of this month. How damaging is this issue for the GOP and how much more damaging could it prove to be in the new year?

BROWNSTEIN: Well, it's the Democrats' best issue. You know, as you and I have talked about, overall, the Democratic Party image is probably at its lowest ebb since the late 80s and early 90s before Bill Clinton. But even at their lowest points, polls consistently show that they have a bigger lead over Republicans on healthcare than on any other issue.

And I think we are heading for a reprise of the argument that Bill Clinton, to use his name again, made with a lot of success against the Newt Gingrich Congress in '95 and '96, which is that the argument that they are cutting health care, federal health care benefits that benefit average families to fund a tax cut for the rich. And that was a very powerful argument for Clinton. It allowed him to turn around as president. And it's one that Republicans, I think, have a great deal of vulnerability to, as you see from those moderate members who are trying to get an extension of the ACA subsidies.

That's not going to happen when you add it to what was done to Medicaid in the one big, beautiful bill last summer. Something like 15, 16 million people, an incredible number, are going to lose their health care coverage. And about another 20 million are going to see higher premiums. And that is a lot to carry in your rucksack into the midterms.

CHURCH: Ron Brownstein, always great to get your political analysis. Happy holidays to you.

BROWNSTEIN: Happy holidays. Thanks for having me.

CHURCH: The United States is pursuing another oil tanker in international waters that it tried to intercept off the coast of Venezuela. Officials say the U.S. Coast Guard tried to board the ship as it moved toward Venezuela to pick up oil, but the tanker refused to stop. The ship is on a list of vessels sanctioned for ties to Iran.

President Trump's crackdown on Venezuela's oil industry includes a blockade on all sanctioned tankers. On December 10th, the U.S. seized one tanker linked to Venezuelan oil and another this past Saturday. Mr. Trump's escalation with Venezuela has sparked criticism even from lawmakers in his own party.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. RAND PAUL (R-KY): I consider it a provocation and a prelude to war and I hope we don't go to war with Venezuela. Look, at any point in time there are 20, 30 governments around the world that we don't like that are either socialist or communist or have human rights violations. We could really literally go through a couple dozen, but it isn't the job of the American soldier to be the policeman of the world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has previously accused the U.S. of waging a campaign of quote, "psychological terrorism" against his country.

[03:15:03]

Still to come new details about the deadly Bondi Beach mass shooting and how investigators believe the attack was planned. We'll have that after the break.

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CHURCH: The day after a memorial for the 15 victims of the Bondi Beach massacre, Australian officials are looking at how to prevent a tragedy like it from happening again. Lawmakers in the state of New South Wales are attending an emergency session of parliament. They're debating new laws to tighten gun control in the state, to limit protests and to ban the display of terror symbols and hate speech.

Thousands of mourners gathered under tight police security at Bondi Beach on Sunday evening to mark a week since two gunmen targeted a Jewish festival.

We're also learning more about how last week's attack was planned and carried out as the sole surviving gunman made a court appearance via video link.

CNN's Mike Valerio joins us now live from Beijing.

So, Mike, what is the latest on the investigation and also efforts to crack down on hate speech and guns in the state of New South Wales? [03:20:05]

MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, we'll start with the guns and the hate speech. So bottom line, there is an effort to limit the number of guns. If you have a licensed cap at four guns, you can have if you live in New South Wales, if you're a farmer caps at 10 and with hate speech, two interesting buckets for an international audience that certainly are of note.

There's the move to try to ban certain elements of speech like globalize the intifada that would be outlawed. But of course, that's going to be, that measure, is going to be referred to a parliamentary inquiry because Australians have a guaranteed freedom of political communication. And there's also the move to potentially after a terrorist attack to limit the kind of protests in specific locations or across the state for a period of two weeks. But it can be extended up to three months.

So, a lot going on in the political but in terms of the evidentiary realm, we're going to look at these pictures. This was certainly a stunning chapter of this investigation where the headline is that these attackers, according to police, had explosive devices and they were prepared to use them through at least four of these explosive devices that you see on the screen into the crowd. And thank God they did not go off.

There was a fifth one, a bigger IED, in addition to three pipe bombs and a tennis ball bomb, that larger one discovered by police. We also have of note the preparation, cell phone videos found belonging to the son and father from October showing both of them, according to police, practicing firing shotguns, moving in a tactical manner. Fast forwarding to two days before the attack, there's also CCTV video in Sydney that shows the father and son's car going to that foot bridge where the attack ultimately would begin two days later.

And then in the early morning hours of Sunday, December 14th, we're talking about 2 a.m. CCTV footage from an Airbnb showing the father and son, according to investigators, moving what appears to be long guns, explosives wrapped up in blankets under the cover of night so nobody would notice that they're being moved from point A to point B, moved from the house to their car sitting curbside again in the middle of the night.

So, a lot of moving parts with this investigation with the motive. Police also citing that both father and son cited trying to condemn the acts of Zionists, I say in extreme quotes, so a lot going on in this storyline in Australia today, Rosemary.

CHURCH: And indeed, very disturbing. Mike Valerio, many thanks for bringing us up to date on all those points. I appreciate it.

VALERIO: No problem. Thanks, Rosemary.

CHURCH: Peter Doukas is the chair of the Federation of Ethnic Communities Councils of New South Wales Australia. He joins me on the phone from Sydney. I appreciate you talking with us there.

PETER DOUKAS, CHAIR, FECCA, AUSTRALIA: Good to be with you.

So the Premier of New South Wales is introducing this legislation today to give authorities greater powers to remove face coverings during public assemblies and outlaw terrorist symbols like the Islamic State flag among other things of course.

How far will this all go do you think to preventing another attack and what more needs to be done to crack down on anti-Semitism in Australia?

DOUKAS: Well, this firstly has been terrifying 10 days in Australia. The worst terrorist attack that we've had on our soil and the country will never be the same again. So, these reforms, we hope, will be the first step towards preventing future similar events and similar incidents, but also to reshape the conversation about the kind of multicultural society that we are.

CHURCH: And what about the question of security versus freedom? At what point do well-intended measures like this about limiting hate speech symbols and face coverings cross the line and go too far? And who gets to decide that?

DOUKAS: Well, striking that balance is a combination of government and the inquiry that has already been declared. There was also talk about a national royal commission to examine this incident and the events that led into it. And so we're welcoming this as an organization because getting to bottom of how came to this is the first step in the healing process.

CHURCH: And what are the main causes behind what we're seeing as surging anti-Semitism in Australia, certainly at this point?

[03:24:48]

DOUKAS: I think the normalization of casual anti-Semitism. Now, the concerns that we raised and I think for New South Wales government inquiry earlier this year is the casualization of anti-Semitism and that led to acts of small-scale violence that led to the fire-bombing of the synagogues earlier this year and it led ultimately to the tragedy that we saw last week.

CHURCH: So how can Australia enhance the safety of the Jewish community and of course improve security measures around synagogues and other places of worship?

DOUKAS: Outside of just improving the security of the Jewish community, it's about creating a society where the Jewish community don't need security and that is the challenge, I think the government is doing and we're supporting them in that.

CHURCH: Alright Peter Doukas, thank you so much for joining us on the phone. We appreciate it.

DOUKAS: Good to be with you. Thank you.

CHURCH: Well, the U.S. held separate talks with Ukrainian and Russian negotiators in Miami, Florida over the weekend. Ukrainian officials called their talks productive and constructive, where negotiators concentrated on developing the 20-point peace plan by President Donald Trump.

The U.S. and Ukrainian delegations also met with Europe's national security advisors. A senior Russian negotiator said their talks with the U.S. were proceeding constructively, though a Kremlin aide called Ukraine and Europe's changes to the previous U.S. proposal unconstructive.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

YURI USHAKOV, KREMLIN AIDE (through translator): I think that the majority of offers will not work for us because we will stick to the plan that we have decided on in Anchorage and at the other meetings with the American representatives. Yes, what was offered, in my opinion, is quite unconstructive.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Coming up, a royal lesson in giving back. Prince William and Prince George roll up their sleeves for a charitable holiday tradition with a special family connection. We'll explain.

[03:30:00]

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CHURCH: Welcome back to CNN Newsroom. I'm Rosemary Church. I want to check today's top stories for you.

The U.S. Justice Department says a photo that includes images of President Trump has been restored to the Epstein files online database. It was one of more than a dozen photos that disappeared from the website on Saturday. The deputy attorney general claims the photo was removed out of concerns for victims in the image.

Lawmakers in the Australian state of New South Wales are attending an emergency session of parliament. They're debating new laws to tighten gun control in the state and to crack down on hate speech and terror symbols. This comes about a week after two gunmen opened fire on a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach, killing 15 people.

The United States is pursuing an oil tanker in international waters that it tried to intercept off the coast of Venezuela. Officials says the U.S. Coast Guard tried to board the ship, but the tanker refused to stop. It's on a list of vessels sanctioned for ties to Iran. This month, the US sees two other oil tankers connected to Venezuela.

Britain's Prince William is teaching his young son an invaluable lesson about the importance of giving back during the holidays. Recently, the future king took his eldest son, Prince George, to a London charity that provides meals to the city's homeless population. And as CNN's Rafael Romo reports, the visit was reminiscent of one a

young Prince William made with his mother, the late Princess Diana, many years ago.

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: One of the pictures shows Prince George wearing an apron in the middle of blazing buns in a tray, his gaze fixed on the task at hand. Another picture shows a more relaxed moment with Prince George smiling but still focused on his task and Prince William, his father, affectionately placing his hands on the shoulders of the head chef at The Passage, a central London charity for homeless people.

Father and son volunteered at The Passage on Tuesday as the British charity was getting ready for its annual Christmas lunch. William first visited The Passage with his late mother, Diana, when he was 11, a pivotal moment that he says helped shape his ongoing work to tackle homelessness, including the launch of his Homewards program, which provides funding to support homeless initiatives across the U.K.

Kensington Palace published two photos side by side, showing the one taken Tuesday with Chef Claudette, Prince William and his son and the other one from 1993 showing Princess Diana and a then 11-year-old Prince William posting with kitchen staff at the same charity.

"I've never been to anything like that before and I was a bit anxious as to what to expect," William said of his first visit to the charity in a documentary about homelessness released last year. That's when it dawned on me that there are other people out there who don't have the same life as you do."

Powerful legacy, a woman commented on X in reaction to the post, Diana would be proud. This is a profoundly moving testament to the enduring power of compassion and example, said another person. Kensington Palace also published a video on YouTube showing the visit from the moment father and son arrived at the charity to Prince George decorating a Christmas tree, setting dining room tables, and warmly greeting people with hugs.

According to a Kensington Palace source, during Tuesday's visit, George signed the Passage's Visitors book on the same page previously signed by his father and his late grandmother, Diana.

Rafael Romo, CNN.

CHURCH: The first two Avatar films are among the highest grossing movies ever made. So, how did the latest film fare at the U.S. Box Office? Still to come, we'll hear from director James Cameron about Avatar: Fire and Ash.

[03:35:00]

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CHURCH: Some news just coming into CNN. Russia says a car bomb has killed a general in Moscow. The country's investigative committee says Russian Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov died in the explosion Monday morning. Sarvarov ran the Armed Forces Operation Training Department. Investigators say they're trying to learn if Ukraine's special services were involved.

And this is your business breakout. It was a positive day for Asian markets on Monday. Tokyo's Nikkei finished the trading day just under 2 percent higher. Hong Kong's Hang Seng was also fractionally in the green. And in Seoul, the Kospi close up over 2 percent.

And these are the business headlines. Japan will restart the world's biggest nuclear plant. The plant in Niigata prefecture has sat dormant for over a decade now after the Fukushima nuclear disaster. Japan has been reopening nuclear plants as it tries to reduce its reliance on imported fossil fuels.

Staff of CBS' 60 Minutes say people are threatening to quit the show after it shelved a story on some of President Trump's deportees. CBS News suddenly pulled a segment featuring accounts of Venezuelan men deported to a notorious security prison in El Salvador. Two sources tell CNN the news division's new editor-in-chief, Bari Weiss ordered the segment held. Though sources say she did that because the Trump administration had not responded to request for comment on it.

Jim Beam says it will pause production at its main distillery as supplies of bourbon rise. The famous maker of Kentucky bourbon is feeling the pinch from the affordability crisis and retaliation to President Trump's tariffs. That's causing supplies of bourbon to hit an all-time high in Kentucky.

[3:40:03]

"Avatar: Fire and Ash" made an estimated $88 million at the domestic box office for its opening weekend. Hollywood is keeping a close eye on these numbers because movie theater attendance has declined in recent years as more people turn to streaming. Avatar's director, James Cameron says that could be a problem for future blockbusters.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMES CAMERON, FILMMAKER: The theater is a sacred space for me as a filmmaker. It's something that I think we all need. It's an art form that I think we've collectively enjoyed for the last 130 years. I think it's never going to go away, but I think that it can fall below a threshold where the kinds of movies that I like to make and that I like to see, and we were talking about some of them won't be sustainable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: The first two Avatar films crossed the $100 million threshold for their opening weekends and they continued to draw audiences long after their debut so there's plenty of time for Fire and Ash to catch up. But Cameron warned that if this installment does not do well, it could impact chances for a fourth film.

We are getting multiple reports of a Santa sighting underwater. This diver in Croatia donned a Santa suit and fake beard to place a Christmas tree at the bottom of a popular lake near Zagreb. It's actually a holiday tradition for their diving club and they've been doing it for 10 years now.

I'm Rosemary Church, World Sport is next for our international viewers and for those of you in North America, I'll be back after a short break.

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