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Storms Create Havoc In Gaza For Those Displaced By War; Lawmakers Won't Take Up Bill To Extend Subsidies Until 2026; FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino To Step Down After Eight Months. Aired 5:30-6a ET

Aired December 18, 2025 - 05:30   ET

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

[05:30:00]

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We've been hearing from the Civil Defense saying that tents are simply not good enough for this kind of weather -- to be able to survive in this kind of weather. And they are calling on the international community to start the immediate reconstruction of Gaza.

Now we've heard from the United Nations that some 1.3 million Palestinians are in need of urgent shelter during the winter months.

We have heard from the Israeli side. They have said that close to 310,000 tents have been allowed into Gaza since the ceasefire was called back in October. But we have heard a unified voice from NGOs, from the United Nations saying not enough is getting in -- Erica.

ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: Yeah, important as we continue to stay on top of that.

I did also want to ask you about -- we know how fragile this ceasefire has been. The U.S. is also now looking into some new allegations of Israel violating that agreement. What more can you tell us about that?

HANCOCKS: So this was about the killing of a senior Hamas official, Raed Saad, on -- last weekend. Now we did hear from the U.S. President Donald Trump. He was asked about this in the Oval Office and whether or not this was considered to be a violation of the ceasefire that was signed. And he said, "We're going to have to see. We are looking into that."

Now an Israeli source familiar with the situation did tell CNN that Israel knew that there were U.S. officials who were not happy with the killing of this Hamas official, saying that is why Netanyahu pointed out that it was in retaliation, as far as he was concerned, for an attack by Hamas that had injured Israeli soldiers earlier in the day.

But it is just another example of just how fragile this ceasefire is. We're seeing both sides blaming each other for these pockets of violence that are -- that are happening. In fact, we've heard from Palestinian officials that well over 350 Palestinians have been killed by Israel since that ceasefire was signed. We know at least three Israeli soldiers, as well, have been killed. It is holding for the most part and both sides are still considering

the ceasefire to be in place. But every time something like this happens it does highlight the fragility of the peace that is in Gaza at this point -- Erica.

HILL: Yeah, absolutely.

Paula Hancocks from Abu Dhabi this morning. Paula, thank you.

Ahead here, why California claims Tesla is misleading customers. That and more just ahead in our business breakout.

Plus, it is the most wonderful time of the year, and it is the busiest on the heels of record-breaking Thanksgiving travel. What you can expect this holiday season.

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[05:37:30]

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

So here's where U.S. futures stand ahead of the opening bell on Wall Street. As you can see there, green across the board. We'll see if that holds.

Checking on some of today's business headlines, California is threatening to ban sales of Tesla cars over its autopilot feature. A state regulator says using the term "autopilot" for Tesla's driver- assist feature amounts to false advertising because the cars are not capable of truly operating on their own. Tesla is criticizing that action from the DMV. Federal safety regulators, however, say there are several investigations into accidents caused by drivers using that self-driving feature.

Warner Bros. Discovery sticking with Netflix. The media giant, which, of course, is the parent company of CNN, has rejected a hostile takeover bid from Paramount and is advising its shareholders to do the same. WBD agreeing, of course, to an offer from Netflix to buy its studios and streaming assets. The linear networks, including CNN, would be spun off into a separate company.

A shift by the Oscars is shaking the entertainment industry. The Academy Awards announced on Wednesday it is moving the ceremony from its broadcast home on ABC to a fully-streaming event that will be on YouTube starting in 2029. The awards show has aired on ABC for decades and will continue there through 2028.

Damaging winds knocking out power to hundreds of thousands in the Pacific Northwest. Gusts of more than 100 miles an hour were recorded in Oregon, Wyoming, and Washington. Now while the worst has passed the area millions of people in the Pacific Northwest are under flood alerts again as another system rolls in. Mountainous areas could see an additional two to four feet of snow while the already-drenched coastline could see one to three inches of rain. If you are planning on traveling over the holidays you're going to have a few friends along for the ride. The TSA is expecting a significant increase in travelers over the next two weeks, but don't panic. Officials say they are well-equipped to handle it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN BUSCH, TSA FEDERAL SECURITY DIRECTOR FOR REAGAN NATIONAL AIRPORT: We do expect a significant increase in holiday travel during this holiday period. We cover about 15 days over the three holidays that we celebrate together. But we don't expect any major rush -- any major rushes through the airports. We're well-prepared to help you and your travel companions through safely and efficiently.

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HILL: Forecasters say more than eight million Americans are expected to take a domestic flight between now and the end of the year.

On the roads, AAA says the number of people taking a trip could be up by more than two percent over last year.

[05:40:05]

Still ahead here on EARLY START, lawmakers in Washington prepping for their holiday recess without extending federal healthcare subsidies.

Plus, new video shows a federal immigration agent kneeling on a woman's back before dragging her in Minneapolis. How the police chief is now responding.

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HILL: Welcome back. I'm Erica Hill. Here are some of the stories we're watching today.

[05:45:00]

The youngest victim of the Bondi Beach massacre has now been laid to rest. Mourners gathering and bringing dolls, stuffed animals, and framed photos to the funeral service to honor 10-year-old Matilda, who was celebrating Hanukkah on the beach with her family at the time of Sunday's attack.

The U.S. says four narco-terrorists were killed in its latest strike on an alleged drug trafficking boat. That statement says the vessel was hit in international waters in the Eastern Pacific on Wednesday. At least 99 people have been killed in U.S. strikes in the Pacific and Caribbean with questions raised about their legality.

Donald Trump is hoping to convince Americans the economy is doing much better than the polls indicate, and much better than many people feel. During a primetime address to the nation, the U.S. president said he inherited a mess from the Biden administration but also claimed he is now bringing down prices very quickly. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Drugs have only gone up, but now they'll be going down by numbers never conceived possible. It's called "Most Favored Nation" and no president has ever had the courage or ability to get this done until now. The first of these unprecedented price reductions will be available starting in January through a new website: TrumpRX.gov. And these big price cuts will greatly reduce the cost of healthcare.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: President Trump also plugging his plans to lower pharmacy bills. He and most congressional Republicans, however, still show no real willingness to extend the Affordable Care Act subsidies which would, of course, keep healthcare costs lower for tens of millions of Americans. The president suggesting the government should instead just give the money directly to Americans rather than insurance companies.

Here's more from CNN's Manu Raju.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Millions of Americans who rely on the Affordable Care Act and subsidies under that law to help pay for their healthcare insurance will about to see those enhanced subsidies go away because Congress is poised to leave town on Thursday without addressing this issue amid a bitter stalemate between the two parties and a divisive fight within the Republican Party over how to proceed.

This playing out in stark terms in the United States House where the speaker, Mike Johnson, has opposed any effort to extend those subsidies. Democrats have been demanding for months to pass these subsidies and, in fact, voted to shut down the government repeatedly -- the longest government shutdown in American history, 43 days, over this issue.

But since they reopened the government in mid-November this has been a fight that has just completely paralyzed the House and the United States Senate -- just cause so much concern in the ranks over how they were going to deal with these expiring subsidies.

Most Republicans oppose these subsidies because they oppose the Affordable Care Act. They want other changes to healthcare law. But they're divided -- Republicans are -- about exactly what the policy should look like. And in the House, some Republicans believe that there should be an extension of those Affordable Care Act subsidies.

And on Wednesday, in a dramatic display of defiance of Speaker Johnson, four Republicans from swing districts signed onto a Democratic effort to force a vote on the House floor for a bill to extend those subsidies for three years. That had caused -- has caused significant pushback within the ranks. Some Republicans accusing those moderate members of "stabbing" the rest of the conference in the back. But the ones who are backing this say this must be dealt with

immediately in order to avoid a significant increase in their own constituents' premiums and also to avoid backlash from voters as they head into a very difficult midterm election environment next year.

I asked the speaker about whether he mishandled this issue given the divisions within the ranks and the concerns among some in the rank- and-file that the speaker did not move quick enough on this potent issue.

REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: I think two of them said as much, but I think if you talk to everybody across the conference they'll say I'm not sure how it could have been handled any differently or any better.

RAJU: The speaker also told me earlier in the day that he had "not lost control of the House" even though for the third time in the last several weeks the rank-and-file have wrested control away from him and forced bills on the floor, something that typically never happens in the United States House but has been something that Johnson has had to deal with in this narrow Republican majority and among the divisions within the ranks. Democrats successfully exploiting those divisions.

Now we expect this bill to come to the House floor not before these subsidies expire in December, but it will come to the floor in the first week of January. Expected to pass the House, but the United States Senate is a different question where Republican leaders are opposed to this plan. And right now, Democrats don't have the votes to pass it.

Manu Raju, CNN, Capitol Hill.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HILL: While they would not take up that bill to extend the subsidies, the House of Representatives did vote on Wednesday to criminalize gender-affirming care for minors. The so-called Protect Children's Innocence Act would make it a class C felony for doctors to carry out surgical procedures or to provide puberty blockers. Penalties could be as much as 10 years in prison. That vote 216-211. It's not clear if the measure will be taken -- the Senate, rather, will take up the measure.

[05:50:15]

Civil rights groups have described the bill as the most extreme anti- trans legislation ever considered by Congress.

In Minneapolis, the police chief slamming federal immigration agents after a tense clash with protesters was caught on video. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ICE agent dragging a woman on the ground.

(END VIDEO CLIP) HILL: So you see in that video there an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent dragging a woman on the ground. That's after kneeling on her back as she lay in the snow. You hear the people in the background there yelling to let her go. They were also yelling the woman is pregnant and couldn't breathe.

The Department of Homeland Security says she rushed an ICE vehicle and tried to vandalize it. The federal agency is also claiming protesters were throwing rocks and chunks of ice and used pepper spray on the officers.

The FBI's deputy director Dan Bongino is stepping down next month after less than a year on the job. His future at the bureau has been in limbo for months, especially after he clashed with Attorney General Pam Bondi in July over the release of the Epstein files. Bongino is a former conservative podcaster who spread conspiracy theories about Jeffrey Epstein, among others. In his announcement on X Wednesday, Bongino thanked President Trump and the AG for the opportunity to serve.

A monthslong tug-of-war for NASA's top job is finally over with President Trump's pick set to take the helm. Tech billionaire Jared Isaacman has been confirmed by the Senate as the space agency's new chief. He is the CEO of the payments company Shift4 and a private astronaut, having previously been to space twice, both times in partnership with Elon Musk's company SpaceX.

While industry leaders seem excited about his appointment there are concerns that have been raised over his potential conflicts of interest because of his ties to Musk.

A new documentary about the first lady of the United States due out net month, and we have a first look after the break.

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[05:56:35]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETER ARNETT, PULITZER PRIZE-WINNING CORRESPONDENT: The roof of this building is 15 feet deep of concrete reinforced with steel bars. The bomb cut through it like butter.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: Peter Arnett, who spent decades reporting from dangerous combat zones, has died. He won the Pulitzer Prize in 1966 for his Vietnam War coverage with the Associated Press and also worked here at CNN covering the first Gulf War. Arnett entered hospice last weekend while battling prostate cancer. His son says he died Wednesday in Newport Beach surrounded by friends and family. Peter Arnett was 91 years old.

The White House installing new plaques along President Trump's so- called "Presidential Walk of Fame," offering pointed descriptions of his predecessors. The plaques line the walkway outside the West Wing. Many of them read like one of President Trump's social media posts, including insults, baseless claims, and random capitalization.

The plaque for former President Joe Biden, who is represented by a photo of an autopen, leans on familiar Trump grievances referring to the former president as "Sleepy Joe Biden" and "crooked." Also repeating the false claim that Biden's 2020 election was the most corrupt in history.

The plaque for former President Barack Obama calls him "one of the most divisive political figures in American history."

Presidents of both parties do get criticized although some descriptions of earlier presidents appear less politicized. The White House is standing by its descriptions telling CNN, "The plaques are eloquently written descriptions of each president and the legacy they left behind." Going on to say, "As a student of history, many were written directly by the president himself."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MELANIA TRUMP, FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES: Here we go again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: That is the new trailer for a documentary about the U.S. first lady. "MELANIA" chronicles the 20 days around her return to the White House for Donald Trump's second term. It is expected to provide a rare glimpse into the famously private wife of the president and also their relationship. The documentary is part of her multimillion dollar deal with MGM -- Amazon MGM. And it is important to note that Melania Trump served as an executive producer, which gave her editorial control over the project. It is due out January 30.

So, some good news for you this morning. You still have a shot at winning that massive Powerball jackpot now estimated at $1.5 billion. That's after no winning ticket was sold for Wednesday's drawing. Despite no grand prize winner there were two $2 million winners and six $1 million prizes, according to Powerball's website. The next drawing is on Saturday. Your odds of scooping the jackpot -- you know, one in 292 million, so you've got a chance.

Kobe Bryant fans may remember his one-of-a-kind Grinch sneakers. Well, they are now up for auction just in time for that special someone on your Christmas list. The basketball legend wore these shoes for a single game on Christmas Day in 2010. They helped to create, though, one of many memorable images from his career. Auction house JOOPITER is expecting them to fetch more than $10 million, so you might want to make sure you play the Powerball to buy them.

And the queen of Christmas has now been dethroned.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARIAH CAREY, SINGER-SONGWRITER: Singing "All I Want for Christmas Is You."

(END VIDEO CLIP) HILL: Mariah Carey's holiday hit "All I Want for Christmas Is You" dropping from the top of Billboard's Global 200 for the first time since 2020.

[06:00:05]

So what, you ask, is the new number one? Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WHAM, POP DUO: Singing "Last Christmas."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: Wham for the win. "Last Christmas," the 1984 classic, is the new Billboard chart-topper. The estate of the late Wham member George Michael said in a statement "It is a testament to a brilliant song and timeless record that embodies the very sound of Christmas."

Thanks so much for joining us here on EARLY START. I'm Erica Hill in New York. Stay tuned. "CNN THIS MORNING" starts right now.