Return to Transcripts main page

Isa Soares Tonight

Revelations From The Latest Batch Of Epstein Files Released; U.S. Ramps Up Pressure On Venezuela's Leader Nicolas Maduro; Russia Launches Huge Deadly Aerial Attack On Ukraine; U.S. Justice Dept. Releases New Batch Of Epstein Files; Trump's Name Appears In Latest Batch Of Epstein Files; Thousands Of Mexicans Return Home For Christmas; Ukrainian Men Risking Death To Avoid The Front Line. Aired 2-3p ET

Aired December 23, 2025 - 14:00   ET

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

[14:00:00]

CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: A very warm welcome to the show, everyone, I'm Christina Macfarlane in for Isa Soares. Tonight,

revelations from the latest batch of Epstein files released, including many references to Donald Trump and claims that he was a passenger on Epstein's

private jet at least eight times.

Our teams are digging through the documents, we'll bring you the very latest. Then the U.S. ramps up pressure on Venezuela's leader Nicolas

Maduro, trying to enforce a blockade of sanctioned oil tankers. But what is the administration's end game?

Plus, no peace in sight for Ukraine as Russia launches a huge, deadly aerial attack. That, and much more ahead this hour. But we begin with new

revelations from the latest batch of Jeffrey Epstein files released by the U.S. Justice Department.

In all, tens of thousands of new documents are now available online. Among them, references to flights that then private citizen Donald Trump took on

Epstein's private jet. Ghislaine Maxwell was also on at least four of those flights. The President has not been accused of any wrongdoing. One Epstein

survivor is slamming the Trump administration over its handling of the case.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HALEY ROBSON, JEFFREY EPSTEIN SURVIVOR: I don't trust my government. I don't trust the redactions. I don't trust the DOJ. I don't trust this

administration. I think there may be three people in Congress I trust with my life. And I think that's about it.

I am very protective over these girls, and this is why I'm so ticked off about the DOJ and the sloppiness and just the redactions, and then not

redacting certain names. It's -- they're playing games with us. This is retribution for standing against the system.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACFARLANE: Also released, a series of e-mails that show correspondence between Maxwell and someone who appears to be connected with the British

royal family. The e-mails are signed by A in one e-mail, A asked Maxwell, "have you found me some new inappropriate friends?"

The person in those e-mails is not explicitly identified as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. CNN has reached out to his representatives for

comment. And in a 2019 handwritten letter to convicted sex offender Larry Nassar, Epstein wrote, "our President also shares a love of young, nubile

girls".

Epstein did not specifically name President Trump in that letter. The Justice Department says it's currently looking into the validity of the

alleged letter. Well, pleased to say we have CNN Politics senior reporter Stephen Collinson joining us, and Corey Brettschneider; a professor of

political science at Brown University, he's the co-host of the podcast "The Oath and the Office".

Thank you both for joining us. Corey, I just want to begin with you here. I mean, Donald Trump's name from what we saw overnight appeared in the latest

file drop many times, and most disturbingly, in a letter sent from Jeffrey Epstein to sex offender Larry Nassar in which he appeared to make a crude

reference about the president.

At the same time, though, at this release, the DOJ also issued a statement, a disclaimer, really, to say that these claims related to the President

were unfounded, were false. It felt like a pretty unusual step for the Justice Department to make that step. I'm just wondering what you made of

that.

COREY BRETTSCHNEIDER, PROFESSOR OF POLITICAL SCIENCE, BROWN UNIVERSITY: Absolutely. Well, it shows the general dynamic here, which is the

Department of Justice didn't willingly release this information. It was done because legislation was passed by Congress and signed by the President

that compels it.

Now, why would the President sign this legislation? I think his strategy and that of the Department of Justice, led by his loyalist, Pam Bondi, was

that they would redact all the information, that they would at the same time try to manage all of this.

And that's what you've seen, is things that seem to implicate Bill Clinton, but a lot of redactions connected to the President. Now increasingly,

because there's this legislation, they're feeling pressure to release more. And the more we see, the more the President looks implicated.

So, they've got to do damage control. And it's pure politics here. The Department of Justice has become really the President's lawyer, not the

independent Department of Justice that we should have. And they're essentially catering to the President's needs and political interests.

[14:05:00]

MACFARLANE: Stephen, do you -- do you agree with that, that this is pure politics rather than perhaps incompetence as well? Because it is

interesting that the DOJ acknowledged overnight that they had made redaction errors, and we've just seen in the past few minutes a statement

issued saying they're now looking into the validity of that alleged letter from Jeffrey Epstein to Larry Nassar. So, what is your view on the way they

have been handling this?

STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN POLITICS SENIOR REPORTER: I think there is not much reason to trust what the Justice Department and the Trump administration

says on this or many other things. It has been weaponized by the administration to pursue Donald Trump's enemies and his interests.

At the same time, there is also a high level of incompetence inside the administration. The Justice Department has been purged of hundreds of

lawyers and officials by the Trump administration. I think it's quite clear that there aren't enough people to handle properly the massive volume of

information.

So, I think both can be true. What is going to be interesting to see is if revelations keep dripping out all through the Christmas and new year

holiday period, and they continue to mention President Trump. What is that going to do to the politics in the House, especially when lawmakers come

back early next year?

Is there going to be an appetite to try to hold the administration to account if by that point it's pretty clear that the Justice Department

isn't applying the law that was passed and which President Donald Trump himself signed after a Republican revolt.

MACFARLANE: Yes, Corey, just take a step back for the moment. When we look at this on a sort of legal standpoint, when we consider the evidence that

has been presented to us overnight, such as the letter written from Epstein to Larry Nassar, and of course, the flight records of the President

traveling on Epstein's plane, how should we be weighing the value of that kind of evidence? Because presumably there will need to be corroboration

and follow-ups to follow.

BRETTSCHNEIDER: Yes, so, I think any one piece of evidence is not evidence conclusively that the President committed a crime, for instance, which, of

course, is one of the questions here, whether or not we know that Jeffrey Epstein committed crimes connected to sex trafficking.

And one open question is whether or not the President is implicated or connected to those crimes. So, with any one piece of evidence, there has to

be -- it has to be vetted. We have to understand the context of it, but it's at least a beginning.

And the fact that the Department of Justice tried to hide all of this just raised the suspicion that there was something going on here. And these

files that the American people were being kept from. And now that we have it, there are two questions. One is whether or not, there are any --

there's any legal liability.

The other thing which maybe is more pressing is the political liability. We're seeing the President's own party, his supporters turned on him, as

you just heard, including members of Congress in passing this legislation. And if Democrats take the House, and this is not a good issue for the

Republican Party in the midterms, this is potentially an impeachable offense that his connections to Epstein.

MACFARLANE: And Stephen, talk to that political liability, because we know that, you know, there is the lawmakers are threatening legal action against

Attorney General Pam Bondi right now. That would require the Republicans to move against their own Justice Department.

Where do you think the sort of bipartisan, well, sits at this point to see that through? And as you mentioned, of course, a lot of this might depend

on what trickles out in the month ahead, as more information comes forward?

COLLINSON: I think it's unlikely at this point that Republicans, even those who took up this issue, are going to get behind en masse a big impeachment

or censure movement against Pam Bondi, the Attorney General, or other top officials. That said, the Republicans have a very small majority in the

House.

It doesn't take too many of the Republican majority, which is increasingly out of control, to vote with Democrats to cause real complications for the

White House. I think there's the question of whether there are any real enforcement mechanisms in the law to compel the administration to honor it.

After all, the -- you know, there's not much point pushing a criminal referral from Congress to the Justice Department because the Justice

Department senior officials are in charge of this. I think the real exposure politically for President Trump, if there aren't any more damaging

revelations is that, this is going to go on and on.

It looks like it will go through midterm election year for the conspiracy theorists on the far right, the mentions of the President and the fact that

there does seem to be some sort of cover up or incompetence here, that is only going to keep the story running.

[14:10:00]

And Democrats have every incentive, as Corey said, to keep pushing this. And it will be one of the many things, I think, that creates great scrutiny

of the administration of Democrats win the House in the midterm elections next November. That has to be really weighing on the President's mind.

MACFARLANE: Yes, absolutely. Well, a lot more to come, as we know. But for now, Stephen Collinson, Corey Brettschneider, thank you both very much for

your analysis. Now, the U.S. has conducted another strike against an alleged drug boat in the eastern Pacific amid a massive military buildup in

the region.

The U.S. also trying to enforce a blockade of sanctioned oil tankers sailing to and from Venezuela. It's already intercepted two tankers this

month and is pursuing another right now. President Donald Trump is pressuring Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to give up power, saying it

would be smart for him to step down.

President Maduro warns the U.S. Naval blockade will disrupt global energy supplies. He calls the seizure of tankers acts of aggression, and says

energy must not become a weapon of war. Venezuela's Foreign Minister read a letter from the President to reporters in Caracas.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

YVAN GIL PINTO, FOREIGN MINISTER, VENEZUELA (through translator): Venezuela reaffirms its vocation for peace, but also declares with absolute clarity

that it is prepared to defend its sovereignty, its territorial integrity and its resources in accordance with international law.

However, we responsibly warn that these aggressions will not only impact Venezuela, the blockade and piracy against Venezuelan energy trade will

affect oil and energy supply, increase instability in international markets, and hit the economies of Latin America, the Caribbean and the

world, especially in the most vulnerable countries.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACFARLANE: We're joined now by senior White House reporter Kevin Liptak. So, Kevin, with regard to what we were just hearing there, we do know that

Venezuela has the largest amount of oil reserves in the world. So, this is certainly going to hit Maduro's money-making machine.

Does this explain why the Trump administration have gone after this oil embargo? And where are we in the chase for that third oil tanker? Is it

still going?

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: It is still going, you know, that's according to what President Trump told us last evening. We're now

well past the 48-hour mark of this chase on the high seas as the U.S. pursues the tanker, the Bella 1.

And yes, you are correct. This is the strategy here is to try and cut off the lifeline for Nicolas Maduro. The oil industry obviously has allowed him

to retain that grip on power. It's also, I think, the reason why you see this massive military buildup in the region as the U.S. tries essentially

to convince Maduro that he should leave on his own.

And you hear that from Susie Wiles, for example, the Chief of Staff who gave that extraordinarily candid interview to "Vanity Fair", saying that,

yes, that was the objective in all of this to get Maduro to cry, uncle. But there are some complicating factors here.

One, the primary purchaser of Venezuelan oil is China, and President Trump has been trying to cultivate President Xi Jinping. He's expected to go

there in April, and this could have the effect of complicating that somewhat. President Trump has also said that the U.S. intends to seize the

oil from these tankers, that they're able to intercept, and the legal parameters of that, I think, are still somewhat unclear.

You know, the first tanker that they seized, the skipper is now at anchor off the coast of Texas, as the U.S. sort of works through the legalities of

whether it can take the more than million barrels of oil that are aboard. And so, all of that seems to be what the President is trying to accomplish

here.

You know, we heard him speaking yesterday over at Mar-a-Lago, I think when the White House summoned reporters over there to hear an announcement from

the President and the Defense Secretary and the Navy Secretary, there was some expectation that perhaps we would get a little more from the President

about what exactly the end game in all of this.

It was something less than that. You know, he was asked pretty specifically whether his goal in all of this was to oust Maduro from power, and his

answer was somewhat equivocal. Listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: He can do whatever he wants. I mean, we have a massive armada formed, the biggest we've ever had.

Whatever he wants to do, if he wants to do something, if he plays tough, it will be the last time he's ever able to play tough.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIPTAK: So, tough rhetoric, to be sure, but not shedding a whole lot -- a lot of light on what the objective in all of this, is. Christina?

MACFARLANE: Yes, and President Trump has claimed that these -- you know, going after the oil tankers, the drug boat attacks are all linked. What

more do we know about the drug, the drug boat attack that took place overnight?

[14:15:00]

LIPTAK: Right, and this was the 29th altogether, it occurred in the eastern Pacific, and what U.S. Southern Command, which sort of has jurisdiction

over that region said is that, the boat was in a known narco trafficking route and that it was carrying narco traffickers, although just as in these

previous strikes, they didn't provide any evidence of that.

The video of this strike is interesting because it does differ from what we've seen previously. You know, before we saw a missile fired at some

distance, in some cases, you saw the projectile itself and the boat sort of exploded all at once. And the video that was released last night, there's

smaller projectiles, splashes surrounding the boat, sort of individual impacts on the water.

And then the boat is engulfed in flames. And so, it does suggest that perhaps they're using a different type of weapon with cannon fire or a

machine gun or something like that.

This has drawn an enormous amount of scrutiny from members of Congress, from legal experts who say that the administration hasn't provided very

much evidence, that the people that they're blowing up are actually drug traffickers, and that these are, in fact, extrajudicial killings. But

certainly, I don't think we're going to see them let up on this strategy at all.

MACFARLANE: Yes, all right, Kevin Liptak, we appreciate it, thank you. Well, it's not just narco cargo ships the U.S. is worried about. The Coast

Guard and international authorities are reporting an increase in so-called narco subs. These are homemade submarines used by traffickers to smuggle

cocaine across the ocean. CNN's Patrick Oppmann takes a look at this new challenge for authorities.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): U.S. Coast Guardsmen raced to board a so-called narco sub in the eastern Pacific with 17,000 pounds of

cocaine aboard. They don't have a moment to lose. Drug traffickers will often flood and sink the vessels before law enforcement can seize the

illicit cargo they transport.

Since this 2019 incident, officials say the phenomenon of DIY subs built to traffic narcotics and the distances they travel have increased

dramatically.

JOSE FERREIRA, MARITIME ANALYSIS & OPERATIONS CENTER: This is a modus operandi that the criminal groups are now using a lot more and more. It's a

clearly growing threat towards Europe, and it's very hard for us not just to detect, but also to interdict.

OPPMANN: Experts say narco subs travel just under the surface of the water and are painted to match the color of the ocean. They're often built in

mangroves near the ocean in South America, where thick tree cover hides them from law enforcement and satellite surveillance.

Increasingly, the narco subs are traveling to new markets thousands of miles from where they are assembled. Last month, this narco sub, believed

to have crossed the Atlantic from South America, was seized off the coast of Portugal with nearly two tons of cocaine aboard.

Portuguese police arrested the four men crew aboard. Even though narco subs can cost up to $1 million to build, Maritime authorities say they are often

discarded after only one successful drug run. In January, police discovered this sunken sub mysteriously abandoned near the coast of Spain.

Police divers managed to raise the damaged sub and towed it into port as potential evidence. Increasingly, alleged smugglers transporting drugs by

sea face a new threat. In October, the U.S. military destroyed the suspected narco sub in the Caribbean.

TRUMP: That was a drug-carrying submarine built specifically for the transportation of massive amounts of drugs. Just so, you understand. This

was not an innocent group of people. I don't know too many people that have submarines.

OPPMANN: Two alleged crew members of the sub were killed in the strike, two survivors were transported to their home countries where they were released

for lack of evidence. The threat of U.S. strikes is an added danger to an already risky profession.

HENRY SHULDINER, INSIGHT CRIME: There's many risks that are -- that can happen, whether it's a mechanical failure, whether it's rough seas, you

know, bad weather that they encounter, law enforcement, you know, if something goes wrong, there's almost no margin for survival.

OPPMANN: But once again, the smugglers' knack for adaptation may be one step ahead. In July, the Colombian Navy seized what they say was an

unmanned narco sub equipped with a Starlink dish. Soon, counternarcotics officials say drug cartels may deliver their dangerous contraband across

oceans by remote control. Patrick Oppmann, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MACFARLANE: Turning to Ukraine now, and the Kremlin says talks between Russian and U.S. officials in Miami over the weekend cannot be considered a

breakthrough. The comment dampened some initial enthusiasm that followed a fresh round of talks in Miami, Florida, over the weekend.

[14:20:00]

After being briefed on the talks by Ukraine's delegation, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday that a real outcome could be on the horizon

in the conflict. Zelenskyy says the core of people of the working peace plan developed by the U.S. and Ukraine is in place, but that the U.S. is

continuing negotiations with Russia.

As diplomacy efforts press on, so does the fighting. Overnight, Russia launched what President Zelenskyy described as a massive aerial attack.

CNN's Clare Sebastian has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Ukraine's air defense is tested again overnight into Tuesday. Russia's rejection of any notion of a

ceasefire, Christmas or otherwise, once again laid bare in a widespread attack targeting multiple regions of Ukraine, from Odesa in the south,

which has come under repeated attack over the past two weeks to the capital, Kyiv.

And the western part of Ukraine causing Poland once again to scramble jets. It said as a preventative measure to protect its airspace, energy

facilities among the main targets, causing widespread blackouts, thermal power plants were hit.

And the International Atomic Energy Agency said two nuclear power plants had to reduce power generation following attacks on electrical substations

and concerns about the grid becoming unstable. And it was a deadly attack for civilians. This is the aftermath of a strike in the western Zhytomyr

region that killed a 4-year-old child.

Two adults were also killed in the Kyiv region. President Zelenskyy had warned about Russia stepping up attacks ahead of Christmas. But in a war

that sees attacks on this scale pretty regularly, this was the second biggest in December.

What it does underscore is Moscow's clear intention to ramp up the pressure on Ukraine militarily, to try to weaken its position in talks, and that

applies also to the frontlines. Ukraine's military saying Tuesday, it had withdrawn from the small Donetsk town of Sivers'k, almost two weeks after

Russia claimed to have captured the town.

Another strategic loss, but it does reinforce Russia's manpower advantage, and the fact that the frontline is moving, albeit slowly, as Ukraine races

to try to reach a durable peace settlement. Clare Sebastian, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MACFARLANE: All right, still to come tonight, Ukrainian men are risking death to avoid the frontline. CNN joins the mountain rescue team that has

saved the lives of many of them as they attempt to make their treacherous escape. Plus, controversial changes to Israel's media laws.

The government is shutting down one of the country's oldest media institutions, "Army Radio", as concerns mount over press freedom.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:25:00]

MACFARLANE: One of Israel's oldest media institutions will soon be off the air. The Israeli government plans to pull the plug on the country's "Army

Radio" this March. The move is raising concerns over press freedom and the state of public broadcasting. CNN's Matthew Chance reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (on camera): So, this is the controversial closure of "Army Radio" in Israel. A 75-year-old media

institution in this country, in what's been seen as a political move, which is fueling mounting concerns over press freedom.

The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has justified the closure by saying that only countries like North Korea have a military station

broadcasting under army control, and that Israel essentially shouldn't have anything similar. But "Army Radio" here is a military unit that also

carries news from civilian journalists and hosts several popular talk-shows that are often critical of the military and of Israeli policy.

So, its closure is being criticized as being part of a broader effort to control the media. The Israeli opposition leader, Yair Lapid, is among

those criticizing the move, saying that the government, quote, "doesn't know how to deal with the cost of living or the neglect of the security

situation, so it shuts down the media.

Well, in another controversial move, the Israeli government has also extended legislation to close down foreign media outlets that, quote, "pose

a concrete threat to national security". The so-called "Al Jazeera" law, which was used against the Qatar based channel last year after Israeli

officials described as hostile and biased its coverage of the Gaza war, was meant to be a temporary measure.

It's now been extended through 2027. All of this comes against the backdrop of an increasingly hostile environment for journalists in Israel and the

Palestinian territories. In Gaza alone, for example, in the past few years during the war there, more than 200 journalists have been killed, according

to human rights groups.

So, it's in this context that the latest media developments in Israel are being viewed. Matthew Chance, CNN, in Jerusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MACFARLANE: Still to come tonight, a trove of documents released in the Epstein files. And in it, a series of e-mails that appear to be connected

to the British royal family. Plus, Mexican nationals are making the long drive home across the U.S. border. We'll look at how immigration policies

are impacting their travel plans.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:30:00]

MACFARLANE: Welcome back. We're returning to our top story now. The U.S. Justice Department releasing some 30,000 more pages of documents in the

Epstein files. The latest batch contains a disturbing handwritten letter signed by Epstein that appears to make a crude reference to President

Trump, but does not explicitly name him. President Trump is not accused of any wrongdoing.

Also, in the newly released files, emails from Ghislaine Maxwell, who has been convicted of sex trafficking and other charges. It shows Maxwell

acting as a go-between for a Peru trip for a person identified as Andrew. Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly Prince Andrew, visited Peru in March

2002.

Joining me now is senior reporter Marshall Cohen. So, Marshall, this person is not explicitly identified as Prince Andrew, only as the letter A, but we

know, of course, that Prince Andrew and Ghislaine Maxwell knew each other. They moved in the same circles. So, what more are we learning from this

series of emails?

MARSHALL COHEN, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Hey, Christina, these emails you mentioned, they are from early 2002, before Prince Andrew went on an

official visit to Lima, Peru. The emails from Ghislaine Maxwell are quite damning and bizarre. As you mentioned, it's not explicit that it's Prince

Andrew. The email address there was, quote, "the invisible man," or A. It was how he signed some of these emails, but they very much do appear to be

at least connected to the former prince.

So, look, I was reading through this and some of it is quite lewd, but I think it's important to share with our viewers what we've learned here.

They had a local handler in Peru, a contact in Lima, that could set up some fun stuff for Andrew on the upcoming trip, like sightseeing and hiking, but

there were also references to girls that could be part of the trip as well. And Maxwell had said that Andrew wanted, quote, "two-legged sightseeing,

intelligent, pretty, fun, and from good families," possibly a reference to some of the women that he was hoping to meet in Peru.

Look, he has denied all wrongdoing relating to everything related to Epstein for many years, but he did infamously settle a civil case with one

of Epstein's most well-known accusers and survivors of Epstein's abuse.

MACFARLANE: I mean, also, too, Marshall, we saw Donald Trump's name, President Donald Trump's name, appear many times in the latest drop of

papers, both in relation to flight data between traveling on Jeffrey Epstein's plane, but also in relation to a letter sent from Jeffrey Epstein

to the sex offender, Larry, Cohen, where there's a crude mention of the word President. Walk us through what new evidence we've seen here in

relation to the President.

COHEN: Yes, there's a lot about President Trump in these documents. I'll start with the letter that you mentioned, the alleged letter from Jeffrey

Epstein to the convicted sex criminal Larry Nassar, who was infamous for his abuse of dozens and hundreds of women and girls involved in women's

athletics.

It's not clear if this is even real. The Justice Department says they are investigating the validity of the letter, but in this letter, somebody,

whoever wrote it, appears to connect themselves, purporting to be Epstein, with Nassar and with Trump, saying that they all share a love for young

girls. So, if it's true, it's highly disturbing. If it's a fake, it's also disturbing for other reasons.

[14:35:00]

But beyond that, Christina, there were also a lot of new details, flight logs, that revealed, according to an email we saw this morning from 2020,

of one of the Justice Department prosecutors who was investigating Ghislaine Maxwell, they uncovered flight logs that said Donald Trump in the

1990s, as a private citizen, was on Jeffrey Epstein's private plane at least eight times, which, in their words of the prosecutor, was far more

than previously known.

Christina, before I give it back to you, I need to point out, of course, President Donald Trump has always denied all wrongdoing regarding Jeffrey

Epstein. He has never been accused by any law enforcement agency of any sexual crimes related to the Epstein saga, and the Justice Department

itself has said that a lot of the stuff about Donald Trump in these documents is either sensationalized or completely fabricated. That's the

view from the Justice Department, which of course is run by some of Trump's strongest allies, but nonetheless, that is their pushback on what we are

seeing today.

MACFARLANE: Yes, and we'll wait to see what the Justice Department do with regard to the validity of this letter between Jeffrey Epstein and, as you

were saying earlier, Marshall. Thank you very much for now.

Now, holiday travel is busy in the air and on the roads, and it's not different along the U.S.-Mexico border. Thousands of Mexicans are making

the long trek home, but this year, the U.S. immigration policy has many planning to make it a one-way trip. CNN's Gustavo Valdes has their story

from Eagle Pass, Texas.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GUSTAVO VALDES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hundreds of travelers from all over the United States gather at this parking lot in Eagle Pass, Texas

as they wait to cross the border.

They are paisanos, people of Mexican descent going to Mexico for the holidays.

VALDES: And they don't make the journey empty handed. Many have truckloads of stuff that they're taking to their loved ones in Mexico. Luis is going

to Michoacan. He's coming all the way from California. Why are you doing this?

VALDES (voice-over): He says he likes to spoil his relatives with presents from the States. Rosario Ibarra is taking medical supplies for relatives

and donations to local hospitals. All this cargo makes them a target once on Mexican soil. Robbery and extortion are an unfortunate reality for them.

The Mexican government acknowledged the problem, and every year, helps organize caravans to assist and protect them along the way.

This group is going to the state of Zacatecas in central Mexico. Ivan Reyes (ph) is one of the organizers. He says the National Guard will join him all

the way to Zacatecas, traveling more than 800 kilometers.

Their journey starts before dawn, led by local police to an international crossing point where they wait with other paisanos who are not part of the

caravan.

For Juana Rivera (ph) and her family, these are the last hours in the United States. They are retiring after more than 20 years and going back to

their hometown.

This pilgrimage is not unique to Eagle Pass tens of thousands of vehicles cross the international bridges from coast to coast in the week before

Christmas, the traffic bottleneck can last hours.

Miguel Tapia (ph) doesn't mind it. He's waited 31 years to return to Mexico because up until a few months ago, he was undocumented and could not leave

the country.

VALDES (through translator): How does it feel to be so close to Mexico?

VALDES (voice-over): He says he feels Mexico won't be the same he remembers. Guillermo Roman (ph) packed most of his belongings in this

truck, taking even his cat, because after 21 years in Texas, he's calling it quits.

He says it's a bittersweet moment, happy he is going back, but sad he can't return, leaving behind half of his life. His parents are getting old and

need help. He is undocumented and with the current situation, he says staying in Mexico is his best option. Most of these travelers will be

making the journey in reverse in a couple of weeks, full of memories and experiences that will encourage them to come back next year, regardless of

the challenges.

Gustavo Valdes, CNN, Eagle Pass, Texas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MACFARLANE: All right. Still to come tonight, thousands of Ukrainian men are desperately trying to avoid conscription by crossing into Romania, and

they're risking their lives to do it. And they're risking their lives to do it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:40:00]

MACFARLANE: As negotiations to stop Russia's war on Ukraine fail to make headway, thousands of Ukrainian men are desperately trying to avoid

conscription. Many are going to dangerous lengths, even risking death, to avoid fighting Russian forces. CNN's Clarissa Ward reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN BENGA, DIRECTOR, SALVAMONT MARAMURES MOUNTAIN RESCUE: So, what you see on the right-hand side, there's Ukraine.

CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Dan Benga knows how dangerous these mountains can be. He and his team have

rescued hundreds of Ukrainians who tried to cross them.

BENGA: They don't have the knowledge; they don't have experience. And they don't have professional equipment. Because on these mountains, you need

professional equipment to be alive.

WARD: To survive.

WARD (voice-over): The Carpathian Mountains that cut along Romania's 400- mile border with Ukraine have become a deadly magnet for Ukrainian men fleeing conscription at home and seeking freedom in the E.U.

WARD: You can see how steep these mountains are. It is frankly astonishing that up to 100 Ukrainians are making this crossing still every single week.

WARD (voice-over): The risks are huge. Since Russia's invasion in 2022, the Salvamont Mountain Rescue Service has carried out countless perilous

missions that have saved 377 Ukrainian lives. The longest operation lasted nearly six days. Not everyone makes it.

The Romanian Border Police say 29 Ukrainians have died crossing the mountains and the Tisza River that separates the two countries.

BENGA: This is a job we were prepared. We are training every day and this is a job we are doing. It's not about being Ukrainian or Russian or

American; it's about being human.

WARD: A human being.

BENGA: Yes.

WARD: So, if you could deliver a message to the men of Ukraine, would you tell them stop trying to cross through these mountains? It's too dangerous.

BENGA: I really can't say don't cross the mountains. I can say take care of you.

WARD (voice-over): It's a lesson that Dima (ph), who asked us not to reveal his identity, learned the hard way. He made the crossing shortly after

receiving his draft papers early on in the war. Things quickly went wrong when his group got lost.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Minus 20 degrees Celsius, without food, without water.

WARD: No water?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): No.

[14:45:00]

WARD: No food?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Only snow.

WARD: Just the snow?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I walked 20 kilometers barefoot. I realized I had problems with my feet, but at that time, I didn't feel it. I

only felt it when I was already in the hospital.

WARD: And then, did they have to remove all the toes?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Yes. If the rescuers hadn't found me within two hours, I wouldn't be talking to you now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Freedom.

WARD (voice-over): Stories like Dima's (ph) have done little to stop the flow. According to the Romanian Border Police, more than 30,000 Ukrainians

have entered the country illegally since the war began.

Martial law prohibits eligible men between the ages of 23 and 60 from leaving Ukraine. Many see crossing these mountains as their only option.

Numbers are down from their peak in 2024, when the mobilization age was lowered to 25. But even now, as winter sets in, the crossings continue.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Friends, this is the place for a proven, safe, reliable and fast way out abroad for men.

WARD (voice-over): For those who can afford it, some smugglers openly sell their services on TikTok and Telegram. 9,000 Euros to get to Moldova;

12,000 Euros or around 14,000 dollars to Romania.

Artem, as he calls himself, says he helps facilitate these escapes.

ARTEM, BORDER-CROSSING FACILITATOR: We rescued, I think, more than, in this moment, more than 600 people.

WARD: I find it really interesting that you use the word rescue.

ARTEM: Of course, because I see the situation like that. And I think we rescue people who just want to leave, to build their future.

WARD: And what do you say to people who view you and who view those who are trying to leave as traitors?

ARTEM: I don't take care about them, to be honest. I help people, I save people.

WARD (voice-over): Ukrainian authorities see it differently, faced with a manpower crisis as the war heads towards its fifth year. Men caught trying

to leave the country illegally are rounded up. Some have reported being mobilized shortly afterwards.

WARD: Hi, Victor, how are you?

WARD (voice-over): 34-year-old Kyiv taxi driver, Viktor Pinkhasov, has just crossed into Romania.

WARD: I'm glad you're OK. You survived.

VIKTOR PINKHASOV, UKRAINIAN DRAFT EVADER: Yes, thank you.

WARD: How long did it take you?

PINKHASOV: Five days, four nights.

WARD: Five days, four nights, walking through the mountains?

PINKHASOV: Yes, yes, three big mountains.

WARD (voice-over): He says the journey was tough, but the decision to leave was easy. His five-month-old daughter, Eva, is in Switzerland and he has

little faith in ongoing negotiations to end the war.

WARD: Do you believe that there is going to be peace?

PINKHASOV: No.

WARD: No?

PINKHASOV: I want to believe, but I see nobody wants peace.

WARD: What's the most important reason you left?

PINKHASOV: My daughter, freedom. I want to live and understand that I'm free. I can't go, I can't live in prison. I'm a free man.

WARD (voice-over): It is a bleak outlook shared by many Ukrainian men, willing to leave their homeland behind to take their futures into their own

hands.

Clarissa Ward, CNN, Maramures, Romania.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:50:00]

MACFARLANE: Now, what's better than one new Banksy piece? You guessed it, two, perhaps. The elusive English street artist unveiled a mural in

London's Bayswater District, an identical one of -- on the outside of the Centrepoint Tower in central London. It also was attributed to him. Both

depict children in clothing staring at the sky. The images have been interpreted by Instagram users and artists, including Daniel Lloyd-Morgan,

as a comment on child homelessness and vulnerability during the Christmas season.

Now, "The Nutcracker" is a Christmas tradition on stages across the world. A winter fantasy filled with magic, movement and childhood wonder. CNN's

Richard Quest takes us backstage with Norway's National Ballet in Oslo.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RICHARD QUEST, CNN ANCHOR, QUEST MEANS BUSINESS (voice-over): In the world of ballet, it doesn't get more Christmas than "The Nutcracker."

The ballet tells the story of a magical world in where toys come to life, fall in love, all while engaging in battles and daring adventures.

The Norwegian National Ballet's interpretation of this famous story is an essential part of Christmas in Oslo.

Before watching the performance, I was invited backstage to meet the company's artistic director. A former dancer, she made sure I stretched

properly before the show started. And I'm only in the audience.

QUEST: This is the big one. "Nutcracker" at Christmas. How important is it?

INGRID LORENTZEN, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, NORWEGIAN NATIONAL BALLET: It is important in so many ways, because it gathers people, kids, adults, even

older ones. And really, it's the moment for everyone to come together. It is more than a ballet, it's a Christmas tradition.

Of course, you have the frame. You have Tchaikovsky. You have everything that people want to see, and then you give them something they didn't

expect, which is our little way of Christmas offering.

QUEST: What do you think is a particularly Norwegian way of interpreting it?

LORENTZEN: First of all, we are the national ballet, but we are an international ballet, and I'm so proud of that, that because we carry

history, each one of us -- and we are 75 dancers, full orchestra. And then, what is our identity? What is our DNA? And I think that is to give the not

suspected. It's to say some hints back to our own history, but also -- maybe also daring to reflect history in our very special way that can't be

told, but has to be danced.

QUEST (voice-over): "The Nutcracker" is, in so many ways, the perfect Christmas ballet. And if I hadn't injured myself stretching, I probably

could have danced all night.

Richard quest, CNN, in Norway.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[14:55:00]

MACFARLANE: He came close, didn't he? Now, to a special holiday message from space.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Greetings to planet Earth, all of our friends and family from Expedition 74 aboard the International Space Station, flying high

above, thinking of you during this holiday season.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACFARLANE: How cool is that? There you see astronauts aboard the International Space Station wishing everyone on Earth a Merry Christmas and

a happy holiday season. The Quartet found time to record this message amid a busy mission aimed at testing new technologies for future human and

robotic exploration in space. Love the hats.

And finally, tonight, seasonal cheer was on the menu at Whipsnade Zoo in England, as animals from elephants to red pandas were treated to a range of

festive-inspired treats. The zoo's lead predator, a keeper, said the Christmas surprise was a way to encourage the animals' inquisitive nature

and put their brains to the test. Oh, OK, right, there's a cracker, I see it. A festive reminder that yuletide joy isn't just for animals. What if it

goes bang, though? Isn't that going to scare them? Anyway, probably shouldn't question it.

That's it. Thanks for watching tonight. Stay with CNN. I'll be back after this short break with "What We Know."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:00:00]

END