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German Parliament Votes On Military Conscription Bill; Suspect Arrested In Pipe Bombs Planted In U.S. Capitol; CDC Advisers Delay Vote On Vaccine Practice For Newborns. Aired 5:30-6a ET

Aired December 05, 2025 - 05:30   ET

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

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[05:31:20]

BRIAN ABEL, CNN ANCHOR: Israel's military says it struck targets in two southern towns in Lebanon. The IDF ordered the evacuation of two buildings it claims were being used by Hezbollah militants. Rubble and damage could be seen in the area on Thursday. The strikes came one day after Israel and Lebanon sent civilian envoys to a committee overseeing a fragile ceasefire. Each side accuses the other of breaking the ceasefire they agreed to a year ago.

Germany's Parliament is voting on a new conscription bill that aims to bolster the country's military forces. The law would focus on driving up voluntary enlistment at first, offering better incentives to sign up for service, but if new quotas are not met the government would have the option of mandatory call-ups where necessary. It comes amid repeated demands by the Trump administration that Europe take responsibility for its own security.

Joining me now live from Berlin is CNN's Fred Pleitgen. Fred, you're there outside the Parliament and given the shifting landscapes of global security this vote -- it could very well define Germany's future readiness for conflict.

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I think it certainly can, and I think it's something that the Germans are very well aware of and certainly something that they want to take into their hands as fast as possible.

And as we speak right here, Brian, that law on the possible conscription for the German military has actually just passed the German Parliament with a fairly solid majority, so that is something that is going to take affect fairly soon here for Germany.

Now what's going to happen is you're absolutely right -- that doesn't mean that everybody here in this country is going to get conscripted into the military, but certainly conscription is then an option for the authorities should it become necessary.

What the Germans want to do -- in part because of pressure from the Trump administration to take security into their own hands, but in part also because, of course, the security situation here in Europe with the conflict in Ukraine still continuing and in general the threat level perceived to be higher than before -- the Germans essentially want to be able to field a force of around 460,000 soldiers -- 200,000 reservists and 260,000 active duty soldiers. And if they're not able to meet those numbers, as you correctly stated, then they want to have the option of conscription in the future or if, indeed, defense becomes necessary if the security situation in Europe further deteriorates.

It's a big difference in what we've seen from the Germans so far. Of course, they have had a voluntary force so far and have had a lot of trouble meeting those numbers but are pouring a lot of money into defense, buying new gear but then also expanding the military as well.

One of the things that we need to point out Brian, is that, of course, this is something that is quite controversial here in this country. There are protests actually happening today in 90 cities across Germany where young people are going out on the streets and protesting the fact that they could be called up into the draft.

One of the interesting things about all of this is that all the young people who are turning 18 this coming year are going to get an evaluation letter. They're going to have to be evaluated by the authorities. For men, it's something that's mandatory. For women, it's voluntary. And then in the future the authorities are going to have at their discretion how many people and if they are going to pull people into military service here in the country.

Again, it's something quite controversial here in this country but certainly something where the authorities say it's absolutely necessary for the defense. And you're absolutely right where they also say this is something that is going to define German combat readiness well into the future, Brian.

ABEL: And therefore the entire country and you will be watching that vote as well.

CNN's Fred Pleitgen in Berlin for us. Fred, thank you.

[05:35:00]

There are more than eight billion people living on this planet and you may be surprised to know how many of them are billionaires. That and more ahead in the business breakout.

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ABEL: Welcome back to EARLY START. This is your business breakout.

And here is where U.S. futures stand ahead of the opening bell on Wall Street. You see the Dow starting the day in the red, but the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq are up this morning. Investors are looking ahead to a new U.S. inflation reading due out Friday. This will be data for September that was delayed by the government shutdown.

[05:40:07] The Personal Consumption Expenditures report is the Federal Reserve's preferred measure of inflation, and it could impact the central bank's decision on when it weighs whether to cut rates as expected next week.

All right. Let's check some of today's business headlines.

Sources tell CNN that Netflix is now the frontrunner in a bidding war for Warner Bros. Discovery, the parent company of CNN. The streaming giant offered about $28.00 per share for the company's studio and streaming assets. Paramount's new bid is closer to $27.00 per share but that does include all of Warner Bros. Discovery -- the studio and streaming side, plus CNN and other cable channels.

The number of billionaires has reached an all-time high. That is according to the Swiss bank UBS. There are now, get this, more than 2,900 billionaires on the planet with almost a third of them coming from the United States. Gains in tech stocks have helped these numbers reach a new record.

New Zealand is celebrating IKEA opening its first store in the country. It might not sound like that big of a deal but that's the prime minister cutting the ribbon. New Zealand is one of the last developed countries in the world to get an IKEA. Australia has had one for 50 years.

And advisers to the CDC will try again today to vote on whether to change the hepatitis B vaccine schedule. How their decision could affect American children after the break.

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[05:46:00]

ABEL: Welcome back. I'm Brian Abel. Here are some stories we are watching today.

The U.S. military has carried out another deadly strike on an alleged drug boat killing four people. U.S. Southern Command says the boat was operated by a designated terrorist organization. At least 87 people have now been killed in strikes on suspected drugs boats as part of the Trump administration's efforts to fight trafficking.

The U.S. Supreme Court has cleared the way for Texas to use its newly- drawn congressional maps in the upcoming midterms. The conservative majority overturned a lower court ruling that the maps were unconstitutionally based on race. Texas Republicans could gain five additional congressional seats, boosting their chances of retaining control of the House in 2026.

A federal grand jury has declined to reindict New York Attorney General Letitia James for mortgage fraud. A judge threw out the initial case against her, ruling the prosecutor was unlawfully appointed. James has been a frequent target of President Trump, who called for her arrest in social media posts before her initial indictment. And CNN spoke to Letitia James' attorney in the case, Abbe Lowell,

about the potential that the Justice Department could try a third time to indict here. Here is some of what he had to say.

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ABBE LOWELL, LETITIA JAMES' ATTORNEY: It is, as you said, unprecedented in a federal case for a federal grand jury to refuse to indict, so it is something that people should take note of. There's no prohibition like people think double jeopardy. That works at a trial. You can keep going to a grand jury and try again, I suppose.

The Justice Department's own policies indicate you don't do that like lickety-split and you don't do that easily. The bar keeps getting higher and higher. In this world, in this administration there is no bar. That said, they could try that.

I've also heard that they're just going to wait and try it next week in a different grand jury in a different city in Virginia. That is -- again, if they do that people need to pay attention. It's not like this is normal but what it does do is show how far they'll go to break the rule of law to do a revenge tour that President Trump has ordered.

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ABEL: National Guard troops deployed in Washington, D.C. can stay in the capital for now. On Thursday, a federal appeals court temporarily froze a judge's ruling that would have forced the troops out. The district attorney general urged the appeals court to reject the Trump administration's request that several thousand troops remain.

The presence of National Guardsmen in D.C. came under renewed scrutiny after two troops were shot last week. One guard member died; the other is said to be in serious condition.

After an almost five-year-long manhunt, Brian Cole Jr. of Virginia was arrested and -- on Thursday and charged in connection with pipe bombs found in Washington, D.C. the night before the U.S. Capitol riots. Surveillance video showed a man placing bombs near the Democratic and Republican Party headquarters, but his identity was unclear.

Neighbors describe the 30-year-old Cole as reclusive. He lived with his mother and other relatives in a quiet cul-de-sac in Woodbridge. That's a D.C. suburb.

Cole faces two federal explosive charges. No details about a possible motive have been released and officials say the investigation does remain ongoing.

A CDC advisory committee once again delayed a vote that could dramatically change the hepatitis B vaccination schedule. The vaccine is normally given to newborns, but the committee could change that when they meet again in the coming hours.

Here is CNN's Meg Tirrell.

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MEG TIRRELL CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: The committee voted to delay the expected vote on the hepatitis B vaccine birth dose to Friday morning, but there are concerns about what they will conclude there when they do actually take that vote.

And we spoke with one man who has lived the consequences of what such a vote could bring. Take a look.

[05:50:00]

TIRRELL (voiceover): At 16, John Ellis went to the doctor with severe stomach pain and left with a diagnosis no one expected, incurable chronic liver disease caused by the hepatitis B virus.

JOHN ELLIS, HEPATITIS B PATIENT: You know, at 16 years old there was conversations around what it would look like for me to get a liver transplant. To be blunt, I thought I was going to die.

TIRRELL (voiceover): John was born in 1990, one year before the U.S. recommended that all newborns receive the hepatitis B vaccine. So he hadn't been vaccinated by age three or four, the time his doctors think he contracted the virus based on the scars on his liver. John and his family don't know how he was infected. Hepatitis B is incredibly infectious and people who don't even know they have it can transmit it to babies and young kids.

ELLIS: I would much rather vaccinations be available at birth than, you know, to have someone else live the experience that I've lived.

TIRRELL (voiceover): But now some people might. Advisers to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, handpicked this year by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., may recommend delaying the shots by months or years after expressing skepticism of the vaccine in previous meetings.

VICKY PEBSWORTH, CDC VACCINE ADVISER: There are gaps in what we know and understand about the affects of hepatis B, particularly on very young infants. And I think that the conclusion that we know that it is safe is perhaps premature.

TIRRELL (voiceover): But experts say it has a more than three-decade track record of safety and delaying the birth dose could result in an estimated 1,400 or more preventable infections in kids each year.

Doctor Anthony Fiori, a former CDC infectious disease specialist, tells CNN there's no rational justification for changing the recommendation.

DR. ANTHONY FIORI, FORMER CDC INFECTIOUS DISEASE SPECIALIST: We've seen tremendous reductions in childhood infections with hepatitis B. This saves lives. We're afraid we're going to move back to the time when children were slipping through.

TIRRELL (voiceover): The virus is strongly linked to liver damage and cancer. John Ellis is now 35. Right now his viral load is low, and he's been

able to lead a generally healthy life. He hopes the vaccine that wasn't yet recommended for newborns like him remains available for newborns today.

ELLIS: The perceived fear of the risk of vaccination has outweighed the real fear of the hepatitis B virus.

TIRRELL: So that vote on the hepatitis B vaccine birth dose is now expected to take place Friday morning, which will then be followed by the entire Friday agenda, which is set to talk about the whole vaccine schedule. That's the set of vaccines that are routinely recommended for all children in the United States.

Already, that agenda is drawing criticism from some of the people who are scheduled to speak, including an attorney who has close ties to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whose name is Aaron Siri.

Senator Bill Cassidy, who is himself a doctor and chairs the Senate Health Committee and who cast a pivotal vote for Robert F. Kennedy Jr., criticized that presentation by Siri in a post on X, saying, "The ACIP is totally discredited. They are not protecting children." Siri fired back and then challenged Cassidy to a debate about vaccines.

But after a fiery and somewhat confusing day for day one of this meeting, more in store for Friday.

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ABEL: Meg Tirrell, thank you.

And the Christmas spirit is spreading here in Washington. When we come back, we'll hear the president's holiday message as he and the first lady light the national Christmas tree.

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[05:58:00]

ABEL: Another shakeup at the White House. President Donald Trump has tapped a new architect for his vision of a White House ballroom. This comes after clashes with the original architect over the massive size of the project. The Washington Post reports the disputes also revolved around Trump's style preferences. The ballroom, once estimated at $200 million, has now ballooned to $300 million.

Meanwhile, President Trump and first lady Melania got into the holiday mood with a century-old tradition. Crowds gathered on the Mall for the National Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony. Mrs. Trump lit the 35-foot red spruce as President Trump looked on. The tree is decorated with 80,000 LED lights.

President Trump couldn't help but mention his false claims about the 2020 election being stolen. He also, however, struck a warm holiday note.

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DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: As we prepare to celebrate the miracle of Christmas, we thank God for his many blessings and together we rejoice at the true source of greatness, happiness, and strength. The good news is the glorious nights 2,000 years ago -- think of it -- 2,000 years ago it was, indeed, a glorious night.

So I want to thank everybody here. I want to pay my deepest respected love to all of our great citizens, like 350 million people. We love them all.

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ABEL: Now to a bit of peace and quiet. Think calming influences and feelings of serenity. That's how Pantone is describing its new color of the year, "Cloud Dancer." The institute has described it as a very precise shade of white with an equal balance of cool and warm undertones, although to many of us the color might look more like any other plain shade of white. Pantone officials say it represents new beginnings and fresh starts. It certainly sounds like a color scheme to start the new year.

[06:00:03]

All right. Art lovers and partygoers are gathering in Miami Beach to kick off the 23rd edition of Art Basel. The art fair features nearly 300 galleries from dozens of countries. And there's one bizarre installation that involves wandering robot dogs fitted with the realistic looking heads of billionaires and artists such as Andy Warhol. The creepy canines leave behind photos instead of typical pup waste.

Thank you for joining us here on EARLY START. I'm Brian Abel in Washington, D.C. "CNN THIS MORNING" starts right now.