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Peace For Ukraine Still in the Works; President Trump Looking Forward Israel-Hamas Phase Two Peace Deal; China Launch Military Drills Around Taiwan; Brigitte Bardot Dies at 91; Two Helicopters Collides Midair; Cotswolds Residences Are For the Well-Offs. Aired 3- 4a ET

Aired December 29, 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]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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

Just ahead. High stakes talks between the U.S. and Ukraine. While leaders say they're closer to a peace deal, difficulties remain. A crucial moment for the U.S.-backed Gaza ceasefire. Benjamin Netanyahu is in the U.S. as a complicated phase two appears ever elusive.

And later, remembering the legendary French film star, Brigitte Bardot, known for her work on the big screen and as a fierce advocate for animals.

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

CHURCH: I appreciate you joining us.

U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy are citing some progress, but no major breakthrough after the leaders held talks at Mar-a-Lago on efforts to end Russia's war on Ukraine. Several key issues remain in the negotiations, and Mr. Zelenskyy said teams from the U.S. and Ukraine could meet as early as next week to work out the remaining points in the peace plan.

President Trump plans to speak again with Russian President Putin.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: We discussed a lot of things. As you know, I had an excellent phone call with President Putin that lasted for over two hours. We discussed a lot of points, and I do think we're getting a lot closer, maybe very close.

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE: We discussed all the aspects of the peace framework, which includes and we have great achievements. Twenty-point peace plan, 90 percent agreed and U.S. Ukraine security guarantees 100 percent agreed. U.S., Europe, Ukraine security guarantees almost agreed. Military dimension 100 percent agreed. Prosperity plan being finalized and we also discussed the sequencing of the following actions and we agree that security guarantees is the key milestone in achieving lasting peace.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: But President Zelensky is also underscoring that the question of Ukrainian territory remains unresolved. President Trump acknowledged the fate of the eastern Donbas region, which Russia has demanded Ukraine surrender remains an outstanding issue.

CNN's Frederik Pleitgen is following developments and has more now from Berlin.

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: After meeting Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Florida, U.S. President Donald Trump sounding fairly optimistic about the prospects of a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia to end the war that has been going on in that region. President Trump, however, cautioning that there are still thorny issues on the table and, of course, at any point in time, things could fall apart.

Now, as far as those issues are concerned, both President Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke about those issues, one of them, of course, being potential land concessions by the Ukrainians towards Russia. That's something where in the past the Ukrainians have unequivocally said they don't want to cede land to the Russians. But in the past couple of days, Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, seems to be indicating that maybe it was a possibility.

There's one area in the Donetsk Oblast in eastern Ukraine that the Ukrainians hold but the Russians want. And the U.S. is now speaking about that area potentially becoming what the U.S. calls a free economic zone, but it's unclear if that's something that can actually be brought across the finish line. As far as the Ukrainians are concerned, they say that any of those issues, especially ceding territory, would require a referendum.

That's also something that Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a press conference with U.S. President Donald Trump. The Ukrainians have been saying that they need time and a ceasefire to be able to prepare a referendum like that. However, in a call with U.S. President Donald Trump, the Russians say that Vladimir Putin said the Russians are unequivocally against having a ceasefire. They believe that that is something that the Ukrainians could use to regroup.

So, a lot of thorny issues still at the table. Nevertheless, Ukraine's president says he believes that more than 90 percent of the points that are difficult have already been dealt with.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Berlin.

[03:04:57]

CHURCH: Joining me now is Vladimir Milov, a former Deputy Minister of Energy in Russia and a former advisor to the late opposition figure Alexei Navalny.

I appreciate you joining us.

VLADIMIR MILOV, FORMER RUSSIAN DEPUTY MINISTER OF ENERGY: Hello, great to be with you again.

CHURCH: So, President Trump and Zelenskyy wrapped up talks in Florida with no breakthrough, both leaders conceding that despite progress being made, major issues remain, including land concessions in the eastern Donbas region. Trump says they're getting closer than ever to a solution on that. But you know Vladimir Putin personally. How likely is it that he will ever agree to a peace plan?

MILOV: Well, whatever comes from this West Palm Beach summit between President Trump and President Zelenskyy is very different. You cannot imagine a starker contrast from what you've been hearing coming out of Moscow in the past two or three weeks because Vladimir Putin and his closest aides, ministers, advisors, they've been very vocal lately. And this is as sharp a contrast with what you heard from yesterday's talks as you can get.

Russia's been much harsher, much more aggressive, much less willing to incline for any sort of compromise in the past few weeks. And you know, this talk about 95 percent of issues being resolved, it's like uh somebody buying Christmas presents for their kids and saying, folks, I bought you cookies, candies and all that stuff, but sorry, I haven't bought you an iPhone, right?

So, this issue of Ukraine ceding control over Donbas to Putin, that's the one ultimate crucial issue, I think you might as well disregard everything else. Everything else is not as important as this story about Ukraine withdrawing its troops from Donbas, which is exactly what Putin wants. And Putin explicitly said that he would not move an inch on the negotiations before this question is resolved.

CHURCH: But that's the thing, isn't it? So, Russia wants all the Donbas region and appears unwilling to compromise in any way while Ukraine refuses to surrender that land. So, where do negotiations go from here?

MILOV: You have to understand the importance of this particular area of Donbas. This is not just swapping some one piece of square kilometers in area to another piece of land area. This is the fortified region with several important cities, which Ukraine has been holding off for nearly 12 years now against Russian aggression. And if Putin were to take that region militarily, it would take years and probably hundreds of thousands of lives, Russian lives lost.

So, he wants to take it for free through political means. And if he does so, if Russia gets control over these areas, it opens a very short and narrow way for military offensive on Kyiv, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, and other major Ukrainian cities. This is no question why Putin wants it so badly. It would mean a major risk of Russia replenishing and regrouping and attacking Ukraine in a few more months after getting control of these territories. No wonder Ukraine does not want to surrender them and European

colleagues understand that as well, which is why as long as this thorny issue remains the point of contention, I do not really see peace talks moving anywhere forward.

CHURCH: Right, so there's no compromise here, there's no possible way of any decision being made when it comes to territory, is what you're saying.

MILOV: Sure, sure. All of these issues, you know, the size of Ukrainian army, security guarantees. When we talk about that, you know, in the financial world, there is a term bankable. Would anybody bet their money after what we know happened with the Budapest Memorandum of 1994, 2008 pledge for Ukraine to be admitted into NATO? Would anybody bet a single penny on any security guarantees for Ukraine for the future?

But all of these are really secondary and as long as there is no resolution on the fundamental question of Russia's desire to take all of Donbas, I don't see any real progress in all of these talks.

CHURCH: And Vladimir, what's your response to the fact that President Trump didn't condemn the attacks by Russia on Ukraine's infrastructure and residential buildings over the Christmas period, and also suggested that some of Putin's demands are legitimate? What do you say to that?

MILOV: But this is nothing new. This has been happening even before President Trump took office on January 20th this year. He was really buying off and publicly translating some of the Russian rhetoric, justifying the aggression. He's been very soft in condemning Russia's aggressive acts of genocide against Ukraine.

[03:10:03]

So, this is really nothing new about that. We saw that in Anchorage. We saw all this entourage of the summit. Trump was not meeting Zelenskyy on the red carpet, applauding him as he did with Putin in Alaska. So all of this, you see that Trump is somehow biased. He's more inclined to listen to Putin than Zelenskyy. But then again, this is nothing new.

CHURCH: Vladimir Milov, thank you so much for joining us. I appreciate it.

MILOV: Pleasure. Thank you.

CHURCH: President Trump and the Israeli Prime Minister are expected to discuss the next phase of the Gaza ceasefire plan in the coming hours.

Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in West Palm Beach, Florida Sunday ahead of today's meeting at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort. On the agenda, the disarmament of Hamas, rebuilding Gaza, the establishment of post-war governance in the enclave, and the creation of a Board of Peace to be led by President Trump. He's been urging both Israel and Hamas to work towards phase two of his peace plan but both sides continue to accuse each other of violating that deal.

CNN's Paula Hancocks joins us now live from Abu Dhabi. Good to see you, Paula.

So, what's expected to come out of this meeting as President Trump tries to move Israel and Hamas toward phase two of his peace plan and how difficult will this next phase be?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rosemary, we know for certain that the U.S. president wants this phase two to continue and to start very quickly. He has staked his reputation, his legacy on this peace plan, this 20-point peace plan. He has claimed victory in securing the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel. And there is a perception among some within the Trump White House.

We have heard behind the scenes, and also quite publicly that Netanyahu has been dragging his feet in trying to push on to the next phase. We have seen hostages being released. We've seen Palestinian prisoners being released, with the exception, of course, of the remains of one final Israeli hostage that has not been released.

We have seen an increase in humanitarian aid, although not as much as the NGOs say is necessary at this point. But there appears to be this stalemate now, where President Trump wants to push the Israeli prime minister to agree to this next stage. Now, it is a difficult stage. There's no doubt about it. And it's not clear in what order it will happen.

We know that as part of this plan, Hamas has to disarm. Israel wants that to happen before they withdraw more of their troops from more of the Gaza Strip. There also has to be this international stabilization force, which has been discussed. We don't know exactly which countries will be willing to put boots on the ground at this point. And certainly, they're unlikely to want to do so before Hamas disarmed. And then, of course, you have the governance. You have the Board of Peace.

So, it has all been discussed. We understand that there are plans in the making, but there is nothing concrete at this point to push it forward. So this is what President Trump will want.

Now, Prime Minister Netanyahu, as I mentioned, he does want to see Hamas disarmed as a priority. And that is the first thing he wants to see before he agrees to the next steps. He is also in a difficult political situation domestically. There are going to be elections slated at this point for October of next year. And the opinion polls do not look good for Prime Minister Netanyahu.

So, he is trying to gain some support from the U.S. president, given the fact that the U.S. president appears to be more popular in Israel than the Israeli prime minister himself. One poll I can give you here, Gallup poll from back in September, the U.S. leadership approval was some 76 percent, the Israeli leadership approval down at 40 percent.

So, this is something that Prime Minister Netanyahu will be looking for as well. And of course, when it comes to Gaza on the ground, the situation has been described as catastrophic when you see hundreds of thousands of people still in tents for the winter and a number of devastating and deadly winter storms coming through.

So, the reconstruction of Gaza for people on the ground is one of the major priorities, including NGOs, the United Nations giving this unanimous call for Israel to allow more aid in than it has done up until this date. Rosemary?

CHURCH: Paula Hancocks, many thanks for that live report. I appreciate it.

[03:14:53]

More than 30 million people in the U.S. are under winter weather alerts across the Midwest and Northeast. Winter storms are disrupting flights and causing treacherous driving conditions during one of the busiest travel weeks of the year. Blizzard warnings are in effect for at least two million people in the Midwest with heavy snow and wind gusts up to 60 miles per hour creating whiteout conditions and knocking out power.

That includes Iowa where state patrol officers could barely see out the windshield while responding to a 14-vehicle pileup on Interstate 35. And in Illinois severe thunderstorms and even tornadoes cause widespread damage Sunday. Roofs were torn off homes and debris littered the streets as emergency crews and residents surveyed the aftermath.

Her beauty and raw sexuality made her an icon the world over. And as fans and friends mourn the death of French legend Brigitte Bardot, we look at her work as an animal activist, the role she said she wanted to be remembered for. That's next on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Welcome back everyone.

China's military says it has launched exercises around Taiwan in a quote, "serious warning against the island's push for independence."

CNN's Mike Valerio has the latest from Beijing.

MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: China's military says these exercises are aimed at testing combat readiness and the ability of China's armed forces to quote, "blockade and control key ports and critical areas."

[03:19:50]

So, to that end, have China's People's Liberation Army, the Eastern Theater Command, adding Monday morning that live fire drills are going to happen in five maritime and airspace zones around the island. But what is key here is answering the question of what message China is sending. And in short, analysts agree that Beijing is extremely frustrated with two recent developments, in particular.

First, there's the new landmark 11.1. billion arms deal, advanced weapons that Taiwan is buying from the United States. That's one. And then the second thing is Japan's prime minister not backing away from comments she made in November suggesting that Japan could militarily respond if mainland China were to take Taiwan by force.

Now, at the heart of all this, of course, are the people of Taiwan. Listen to a couple, just a few of the sentiments we heard earlier today. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LIN WEI-MING, TEACHER (through translator): I think these drills are just meant to scare us. Similar drills have happened before. As ordinary citizens, I think all we can do is take care of ourselves, do our jobs well and live our lives well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VALERIO: Taiwan's presidential spokesperson, Karen Kuo, said the drills quote, "blatantly undermine the security and stability status quo of the Taiwan Strait and the Indo-Pacific region and openly challenge international laws and order."

Shai Yi, spokesperson for the Eastern Theater Command, said on Monday, quote, "this exercise serves as a serious warning to Taiwan independent separatist forces and external interfering forces." That is a not so veiled reference to Japan and the United States.

Mike Valerio, CNN, Beijing.

CHURCH: Still to come, we remember the legacy of French film legend, Brigitte Bardot.

[03:25:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Welcome back to CNN Newsroom. I'm Rosemary Church.

Want to check today's top stories for you.

No breakthrough after more than three hours of talks between the Ukrainian and U.S. presidents at Mar-a-Lago. But U.S. President Donald Trump says they could be very close to a peace deal to stop Russia's war in Ukraine. Mr. Trump spoke on the phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin before the meeting and is expected to do so again.

Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are expected to discuss the next phase of the Gaza ceasefire plan at Mar- a-Lago in the coming hours. The U.S. president has been urging both Israel and Hamas to work towards the second phase of his peace plan, but both sides continue to accuse each other of violating the deal.

U.S. transportation officials are investigating a deadly mid-air collision between two helicopters. It happened Sunday morning in southern New Jersey. The pilot of one chopper died shortly after the crash. The other pilot was injured and remains hospitalized. Fans and friends around the globe are mourning the death of actress

Brigitte Bardot. The legendary French beauty died Sunday at the age of 91. Viewed from the start as a symbol of rebellious youth and sex appeal, Bardot tantalized audiences and scandalized moral authorities in the 50s and 60s. Live Magazine once wrote of her, everywhere girls walk dress and wear their hair like Bardot and wish they were free souls like her.

On Sunday, President Emmanuel Macron posted this to social media. Brigitte Bardot embodied a life of freedom. We mourn a legend of the century.

Bardot shocked the world when she retired from movies in 1973 at the age of 39. She went on to use her celebrity to fiercely advocate for animal rights. Bardot also drew criticism over the years for anti- immigrant comments and she was convicted multiple times for inciting racial hatred. But animal rights groups celebrate the good she did.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ISABELLE GOETZ, SPOKESPERSON, PEOPLE FOR THE ETHICAL TREATMENT OF ANIMALS (through translator): The most important thing for her was to defend animals. She did so with her heart, her voice, her image and even with her heritage. Since Brigitte Bardot started her foundation by auctioning her personal things that she auctioned in order to generate funds to start her foundation to defend animals. So, it really was her whole life, her spiritual life, her material life which finally became animals.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Paul Watson is an environmental activist who campaigned alongside Bardot for years. He joins me now from Paris.

I appreciate you being with us.

PAUL WATSON, FRIEND OF BRIGITTE BARDOT: Thank you.

CHURCH: So, after her legendary movie career, Brigitte Bardot became passionate about saving and defending animals. And your paths crossed as activists many years ago and continued for some five decades. What are some of the memories of those times together that stand out to you?

WATSON: Well, I first met out Brigitte in 1977 when the Canadian seal hunt was happening and we took her out to the ice and she posed cheek to cheek with the baby seal which guaranteed us the cover of almost every major magazine in the world. And I think that was very instrumental in leading to the collapse of the market for seal pelts. So, her contribution to that movement was significant.

CHURCH: And what other memories do you have of her and private moments that you're willing to share?

WATSON: Well, I just come back off the ice. I'd been dragged through the ice. I was suffering from hypothermia and I got out of the helicopter and suddenly this woman came up and started hugging and kissing me and I had no idea who she was. And then I asked one of my people, said, who was that? And she said, well, that's Brigitte Bardot. I said, oh, damn, wow.

Anyway, and then we went on to do the press conference and to criticize the Canadian government for the seal hunt. And I went to Ottawa with her in 2008 to again confront the fisheries minister there, which eventually led to the collapse of the seal market. So obviously the Canadian government wasn't happy with both of us. But the great thing that she did was she founded the Brigitte Bardot Foundation, which has helped animals around the world from the smallest to the largest seal.

[03:29:59]

You know, we had a boat named after her, the Brigitte Bardot and she replaced the engines on that boat. So, she's very supportive of the work we were doing. We're very supportive of the work that she's been doing. But she was always very reclusive and very, very rarely came out in public.

On her birthday in 2017, she came out when we brought the Brigitte Bardot to Saint-Tropez, but usually she was very, very rarely seen in public. But we just did a movie. I participated in called B.B., which premiered in Paris on December 2nd. And unfortunately, I don't think she got to see it, because she was sick. But so, it was a very sad day yesterday, hearing that she had passed away. She was an icon to France and the French culture.

CHURCH: Yes, we're sorry for you, of course, losing a friend. And how would you describe Bardot's legacy as an animal activist, which is how she wanted to be remembered, wasn't it?

WATSON: Absolutely. I think she spent more of her life protecting animals than acting and modelling and singing. And she was certainly very, you know, satisfied with that life. It really brought a lot of peace to her heart.

Yes, there's been a lot of controversy over her on various things, but the one thing that stands out and will forever stand out is her kindness and her compassion for the animal world. And as she said, you know, I just don't like people because of what they've done to animals, considering that, you know, 200 billion animals are killed every year in factory farms and we're destroying them in the wild and everything. So, she was very alienated from the human species because of that. And she made that quite known.

CHURCH: And Bardot once said that she felt suffocated by her fame and sought refuge in her role as an animal activist. Did she ever talk to you directly about this and what this role meant to her?

WATSON: Yes, it brought a great deal of satisfaction to her. I mean, she was at peace with herself for what she did. I remember when they actually replaced her face as the face of France and Marianne and with Catherine Deneuve and a reporter came to her and says, well, you know, you've been replaced with Catherine Deneuve in response to that. Do you have anything important to talk to me about?

CHURCH: So what all do you think Bardot achieved as an animal activist specifically? And what's your message to others who would like to follow in her footsteps and defend animals?

WATSON: Well, she certainly inspired a great many people, including Pamela Anderson, who is a great fan of Brigitte's. And you know, so around the world, people became aware of her for now because of what she's done for animals, more so than her previous career. So, I think that that's what she will be continually renowned for is her all the work that she's done for the animals around the world.

I think one of the things that bothered me was that she was accused of racism because she said that the people in Reunion Island were savages. But what they were doing was putting hooks through the noses of dogs and dragging them through the water alive to catch sharks. And that was indeed savage. And she just said what it was. And she got charged with making a racist statement for saying that.

CHURCH: Paul Watson, we want to thank you so much for joining us and sharing your memories of Brigitte Bardot. And again, we're very sorry for the loss of your dear friend. I appreciate you joining us.

WATSON: Thank you.

CHURCH: And we'll be right back.

[03:35:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Welcome back everyone. Let's take a look at the business headlines.

Bulgaria is preparing for its transition to the euro at the start of the new year. The E.U. calls it an historic milestone that will offer new opportunities for people and businesses. The currency change comes just over two weeks after the Bulgarian government resigned amid widespread protests of alleged corruption and the state of the economy.

New York's subway system is going digital in the new year. The city's metropolitan transit authority announced that come January 1st it will no longer sell classic metro cards used to pay transit fares. But now riders can use existing cards but soon they will have to switch to the contactless system One Metro New York also known as OMNY.

The latest Avatar film claims the top spot at the U.S. box office once again. "Avatar: Fire and Ash" has now made $760 million worldwide, becoming this year's sixth highest grossing movie. The film is expected to become the biggest IMAX film of the year.

Well, from A-list stars to wealthy buyers looking for a fresh start more and more Americans are calling Britain's idyllic Cotswolds region their home. The area is famous for its rolling hills and uniquely colored cottages.

Anna Cooban took a trip there to find out why Americans want their own slice of English country life.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANNA COOBAN, CNN BUSINESS & ECONOMICS REPORTER: I'm here in the Cotswolds. It's a region in the west of England and it is a quintessential slice of English country life. And despite the really grey, drizzly weather here today, this part of the world has become a big draw for Americans buying properties and starting new lives here. So, I've turned up to find out why.

DEBRA DREW, COTSWOLDS RESIDENT: I think the Americans have quite a romantic notion about the Cotswolds because of the honey-colored stone and the cottages. I think they think everyone in England lives in a stone cottage.

COOBAN: They think it's all like this.

DREW: Yes. And it's always sunny.

COOBAN: And tell me, there's this trend of more and more Americans moving to the Cotswolds recently. Is this something you've noticed?

DREW: Oh, my gosh, yes. It's in the press here every day. I think the Brits are quite interested in the fleeing Americans.

COOBAN: The Cotswolds is a protected area of natural beauty. It's about 100 miles west of London. Hop on a train and you're there in a couple of hours. That proximity, combined of course with those famous rolling hills, makes it a magnet for lots of famous people.

For centuries, the region was at the center of Britain's wool trade. Today, it is sprinkled with many well-known names. Kate Moss has had a place there since the early 2000s.

[03:40:02]

Here's David Beckham digging up vegetables on his Cotswolds estate. But in 2024, U.S. comedian Ellen DeGeneres really helped put the region on the map for Americans when she moved there with wife Portia de Rossi.

HARRY GLADWIN, BUYING AGENT, THE BUYING SOLUTION: Over the last 12-18 months we've seen about 30 percent increase in the number of Americans registering with us wanting help with their purchases. But it's not a cheap part of the world to buy in. There is a premium because it's an incredibly popular location. Really you could look at anything from a smaller cottage for around a million pounds through to sky is the Limit.

COOBAN: Hi there.

LAUREN NEELY, COTSWOLDS RESIDENT: Hello. How are you?

COOBAN: I'm well, how are you?

NEELY: Are you two for each (inaudible)?

COOBAN: Yes, please. Thanks so much.

NEELY: Thank you. It's been a 15-year dream in the making. My husband and I fell in love with the U.K. way of life. We love the weather. We love the architecture, the history, even the food. It looks quite a bit like home. I'm from Pennsylvania. So, it's not that different as far as rolling gentle hills, fertile land.

COOBAN: The Cotswolds has quite a reputation in the U.K. for being very well to do. Has that been what you've experienced? How does the reality compare with the impression?

NEELY: I think the impression is correct. These homes are much bigger than they look from the lanes and they're very private. That being said, well-to-do means that people have wonderful etiquette, they're very inclusive, they have wonderful manners. Yes, everyone is just been so friendly and so gracious. Everyone is very down-to-earth. They have a dog, they take walks, they come to the local pub. They're just people.

Painswick feels like I went to bed and woke up in the middle of a Christmas Hallmark movie. The stone walls and the architecture, it just feels like comfort in a time when the world needs more of that. So, we moved here in May and it's been a dream.

COOBAN: You know, I think I understand what all the fuss is about now.

Anna Cooban, CNN, The Cotswolds.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Looks beautiful. I'm Rosemary Church. For our international viewers, World Sport is next and for our viewers in North America, I'll be back with more news after a break.

[03:45:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Investigators in New Jersey are trying to figure out what caused a deadly collision between two helicopters. It happened Sunday morning not far from Philadelphia.

Rafael Romo has more.

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The helicopters came down in a field in Hammonton, New Jersey, and both pilots were airlifted to a trauma center. This is according to Hammonton Fire Department Chief Sean Macri, who confirmed to CNN that one person died while the condition of the other one was unconfirmed.

Hammonton, located in Atlantic County, is about 35 miles from Philadelphia and sits near the New Jersey Pine Barrens, a vast area of forested wilderness. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the crash happened around 11:25 in the morning Eastern Time. The two helicopters collided in midair near Hammonton Municipal Airport in New Jersey, the FAA said in a statement.

Officials also say that only the pilots were on board each helicopter. Both the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the accident, but the NTSB will be in charge. The FAA described the aircraft as an Enstrom F-28A helicopter and an Enstrom 280C helicopter.

According to the information on the FAA database obtained using both helicopters tail numbers, the aircraft are older, probably built in the 1970s. One has a private owner listed and the other is listed to a charter company. Fire Chief Macri described the crash scene as quote, "a pile of mangle metal that was on fire. That's all it looked like." He said it was hard to even tell it was a helicopter.

New Jersey Senator Cory Booker reacted to the news on Facebook calling the fatal helicopter crash over South Jersey, horrifying and tragic. My heart is with those impacted and their families, Booker said, adding that his office is in contact with the NTSB and requesting more information about the details of this tragedy.

In a later post on Facebook by the Hammonton Fire Department, officials said that there are A.I.-generated images and photos and videos from prior incidents circulating on social media that are being falsely depicted as coming from this incident. These images and videos are not from the scene. We also ask community members to think before sharing content, the fire department said. And this is a tragic incident and an ongoing investigation.

Rafael Romo, CNN Atlanta.

CHURCH: As 2025 winds down, we are taking a look back the year in Hollywood from the industry struggles to lure audiences back into theaters to the possibility of a mega media merger for CNN's parent company, Warner Brothers Discovery.

CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister has more on the biggest stories in entertainment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: From Hollywood's battle with Trump to courtroom drama and the engagement we were all waiting for. Here are the top 10 entertainment stories of 2025. Number 10, a supersized controversy.

BAD BUNNY, PUERTO RICAN RAPPER AND SINGER: I'm doing the Super Bowl halftime show.

WAGMEISTER: Bad Bunny is named halftime headliner, delighting his global fan base.

UNKNOWN: Bad Bunny is slated to become the first Latino male artist to headline the Super Bowl. WAGMEISTER: But some others blasted the choice.

UNKNOWN: This guy does not seem like a unifying entertainer.

WAGMEISTER: The Trump critic decided not to tour the U.S. mainland amid ICE raids, opting for 31 shows in Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory.

UNKNOWN: And by the way, ICE did show up during his shows. So he did not want to have that happen for the Latino community here in the United States.

WAGMEISTER: In response, conservative group Turning Point USA is producing their own halftime show. Number nine.

TILLY NORWOOD, A.I.-GENERATED ACTRESS: Let's get to know each other, and thanks for watching.

WAGMEISTER: Artificial intelligence invades Hollywood. Meet Tilly Norwood, a British actress who's not real.

UNKNOWN: Real-life Hollywood stars are condemning the project.

UNKNOWN: It is a rip-off.

WAGMEISTER: But A.I. is coming to Hollywood.

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Michael Caine and Matthew McConaughey have partnered with ElevenLabs that will allow the voice cloning company to use A.I. technology to replicate their voices.

WAGMEISTER: And Disney, while suing one A.I. startup, is licensing its characters to another. Number eight.

UNKNOWN: Don't I know it.

[03:49:58]

WAGMEISTER: The box office roller poster as "Minecraft" and "Lilo and Stitch" wipe away early year box office bombs.

UNKNOWN: Listen here, this is not no house party.

WAGMEISTER: Beyond "Sinners" and "Weapons," many original stories failed to hit big. Theaters turned to special events to fill seats.

UNKNOWN: Hey, it's Taylor.

WAGMEISTER: A Taylor Swift album and a "KPop Demon Hunters" sing-along prove that fans can be wooed into theaters. Number seven, the Sydney Sweeney Saga.

SYDNEY SWEENEY, ACTRESS: I'm not here to tell you to buy American Eagle jeans.

WAGMEISTER: Sweeney's American Eagle ads led to a political firestorm.

SWEENEY: Jeans are passed down from parents to offsprings.

UNKNOWN: Sydney Sweeney has great jeans.

SWEENEY: You see what I did there, right?

UNKNOWN: The ads featuring the blonde, blue-eyed actress generated a storm of criticism accused of promoting eugenics.

WAGMEISTER: The internet blew up with calls of racism and Nazism. The ad spawned endless parodies.

UNKNOWN: American Eagle stocks soaring of 35 percent.

WAGMEISTER: American Eagle had the last lap. The jeans sold out within a week. Number six.

UNKNOWN: There are houses on fire.

WAGMEISTER: The L.A. fires ravage Hollywood. Celebrities like Mark Hamill and Dick Van Dyke fled for their lives, while Jeff Bridges, Billy Crystal and Paris Hilton are among those who lost their homes. Actor Steve Guttenberg sprang into action as fires raged.

STEVE GUTTENBERG, ACTOR: I was helping people in wheelchairs and there were mothers who were hysterical.

UNKNOWN: I know one guy that lost his entire studio, burned.

WAGMEISTER: Award show producers had a dilemma. Should the show go on?

UNKNOWN: There is a sense of community right now in Los Angeles that I personally haven't seen before.

WAGMEISTER: The Grammys did go on, honoring firefighters and raising millions for victims. Number five, the war for Warner Brothers.

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: It's a mega deal that could reshape the entire entertainment industry.

WAGMEISTER: Netflix wins a bidding war for the storied film studio in HBO. The streamer could change how we watch legendary titles like "Batman," "Harry Potter," and "Game of Thrones."

SARA SIDNER, CNN HOST: Paramount CEO David Ellison is turning up the heat, launching a hostile takeover bid.

WAGMEISTER: Taking its bid for Warner's directly to shareholders. Any deal needs federal approval.

TRUMP: It's a lot of markets here, so we'll have to see what happens.

WAGMEISTER: Number four.

UNKNOWN: It's Taylor Swift.

WAGMEISTER: Another year of Taylor mania. First, her engagement to Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.

LAURA COATES, CNN HOST: Posting their engagement on Instagram today with the caption, your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married.

WAGMEISTER: Then, came the number one album of the year, The Life of a Showgirl, which Swift announced on a record-breaking podcast with Kelce.

UNKNOWN: Do I have to wait till October 3rd?

TRAVIS KELCE, FOOTBALL PLAYER: Yes, you do, Jason.

TAYLOR SWIFT, SINGER: Yes, we don't trust you at all.

UNKNOWN: This is unfair.

UNKNOWN: The album is a coda to her biggest year yet. She finished her record-shattering Eras Tour. She announced in an Instagram post that she owns her master's.

WAGMEISTER: Cementing her as the most influential celebrity in the world. Number three, shocking celebrity deaths.

UNKNOWN: Hollywood legend Rob Reiner and his wife Michelle found dead in their Los Angeles home in apparent homicide.

UNKNOWN: Nine fifteen p.m. a suspect arrested the couple's son Nick Reiner.

UNKNOWN: Reiner had well-known battles with substance abuse but by 2015 he said he was clean and co-wrote the film "Being Charlie" inspired by his own experiences with drug addiction directed by his father.

ROB REINER, FILMMAKER & ACTOR: He forced me to have to see more clearly and understand more deeply what Nick had gone through.

UNKNOWN: This actor, writer, director, producer, political activist, Harry Shearer, one of the stars of "Spinal Tap" said, this is unspeakable, the stuff of Greek tragedy.

UNKNOWN: We begin this hour with the shocking death of actor Gene Hackman.

UNKNOWN: The 95-year-old Hollywood icon was found dead Wednesday inside his New Mexico home along with his wife, Betsy Arakawa and a dog, according to officials.

WAGMEISTER: The mystery ended when the cause of death was finally revealed.

UNKNOWN: Betsy Arakawa Hackman died from the Hantavirus. When she died, authorities say that Gene Hackman was unable to care for himself. He had advanced Alzheimer's. WAGMEISTER: "French Connection," "Unforgiven," "Crimson Tide" Gene

Hackman's legacy will endure. The deaths of Hollywood legends brought the end of an era.

UNKNOWN: How much can you tell me about "Deep Throat?"

UNKNOWN: How much do you need to know?

WAGMEISTER: Robert Redford transcended the screen.

UNKNOWN: He had the heart and soul of an artist.

WAGMEISTER: Oscar winner Diane Keaton.

UNKNOWN: Along the way she became an icon of beauty and fashion, of eccentricity and humor.

WAGMEISTER: Ozzy Osbourne, the eccentric rocker turned reality star.

UNKNOWN: You know when he put out a record that had like Post Malone, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, it's like look at all these people that want to work with Ozzy Osbourne, there's a reason for that.

WAGMEISTER: Number two, late night chaos. Jimmy Kimmel pulled off the air by ABC.

UNKNOWN: The decision to pull the show came hours after Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr publicly pressured the company to punish Kimmel for recent comments he made about the reaction to Charlie Kirk's shooting death.

[03:55:02]

UNKNOWN: There was a tremendous backlash to this, not just among the left. You saw people on the right saying, you can't, the government can't do this.

JIMMY KIMMEL, HOST, JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE: I'm happy to be here tonight with you.

WAGMEISTER: Six days later, ABC put Kimmel back on the air. The return set a ratings record for Kimmel. But that wasn't the only late-night drama in 2025.

STEPHEN COLBERT, HOST, CBS: Next year will be our last season.

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: CBS said it is canceling the Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

WAGMEISTER: CBS said the show was too expensive. Critics called it political. Coming two weeks after, CBS settled a lawsuit filed by President Trump. Colbert was later crowned with an Emmy.

KIMMEL: Stephen Colbert.

WAGMEISTER: And after the Kimmel saga, the hosts made history appearing on each other's shows on the same night.

KIMMEL: I'd say I've never been happier to lose the Emmy.

COLBERT: I was never been happier for you to lose the Emmy either.

WAGMEISTER: Number one, the trial and downfall of a music mogul.

TAPPER: Sean Diddy Combs told the judge quote, "I'm a little nervous today," unquote. He should be. Jury selection started this morning.

WAGMEISTER: It was the trial that had everyone talking as shocking details came out on the stand.

COATES: She described the freak-offs in lurid detail.

WAGMEISTER: The verdict was mixed.

UNKNOWN: The most serious charges, he has been acquitted on.

WAGMEISTER: But Combs was found guilty on prostitution charges.

COATES: Sean Diddy Combs was sentenced to 50, five-zero, 50 months in prison.

WAGMEISTER: From billionaire to behind bars.

UNKNOWN: He's never going to be who he was again.

UNKNOWN: In the dirtiest of dirty.

WAGMEISTER: A Netflix doc produced by his longtime rival, 50 Cent, further tarnished Diddy's legacy, capping off a stunning fall for the man who once sat atop the music industry.

And with Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni set for trial next year, it'll be another year with Hollywood in the headlines.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: I want to thank you so much for your company. I'm Rosemary Church. Have yourselves a wonderful day. American Pulse is next.

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