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Laura Coates Live

Rob Reiner's Son "Responsible" For Parents' Deaths; Manhunt Underway In Brown University Shooting; Australia Mass Shooting Considered ISIS-Inspired Attack. Aired 11p-12a ET

Aired December 15, 2025 - 23:00   ET

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

[23:00:00]

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SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR AND SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Breaking news tonight in the manhunt for the Brown University shooter. Police are pursuing a new lead based on these photos that you're seeing right now and videos just hours before the shooting. This comes after a previous person of interest was released from police custody. The FBI has announced a $50,000 reward for information leading to an arrest. If you have any information, you can call the number that you see on your screen.

Thank you so much for watching "NewsNight." "Laura Coates Live" starts right now.

LAURA COATES, CNN HOST AND SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: Tonight, the shocking killing of Hollywood legend Rob Reiner and his wife. The director's son now in jail, suspected of the crime. This as President Trump fans the political flame with his verbal attacks.

Plus, the manhunt for the Brown University shooter enters day three. Authorities put out new video of the suspect as law enforcement faces serious questions on the way they have handled the case thus far.

And brand-new information on that horrific terror attack in Australia as officials revealed the attack on the Hanukkah celebration was ISIS- inspired.

Tonight on "Laura Coates Live."

The killings of Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, are sending shockwaves through Hollywood. An industry he helped shape and the people he touched are mourning.

And tonight, a family is completely torn apart because police are saying their son, Nick Reiner, is -- quote -- "responsible for their deaths." He is being held without bail. He is booked on suspicion of murder, and he is set to appear before the LADA tomorrow.

We don't know how Rob and his wife were killed, and police are not revealing why they believe Nick did it. But a source tells us he was seen having an argument with his father at a holiday party on Saturday night. This horrifying tragedy gets even more personal. Source tells us that it was the Reiner's own daughter, Romy, who found the bodies.

Reiner was a singular figure in Hollywood, directing so many classics, spanning so many genres, from "Stand by Me" to "When Harry Met Sally" to "The Princess Bride" to "A Few Good Men," "Spinal Tap." It's impossible to name them all.

He was also, though, an outspoken political activist, well known for his work with top Democrats and for his criticism of President Trump. And that was something President Trump could not seem to ignore. In a post on social media, he claimed Reiner and his wife died -- quote -- "reportedly due to the anger he caused others through his massive, unyielding, and incurable affliction with a mind-crippling disease known as Trump Derangement Syndrome." I'm quoting the post, mind you. The president then doubled down inside the Oval Office tonight.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Well, I wasn't a fan of his at all. He was a deranged person as far as Trump is concerned. He became like a deranged person, Trump Derangement Syndrome. So, I was not a fan of Rob Reiner at all in any way, shape or form. I thought he was very bad for our country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: Even people in Trump's own party are slamming his response. One House Republican put it this way: It was classless.

In a moment, you'll hear from the man who once interviewed Rob and his son, Nick, about their relationship and also their struggles. But we begin with our Elex Michaelson, who's in L.A., who spent today reporting from outside the Reiner's home.

Elex, I mean, this is -- this story, devastating. We've learned that there was some sort of argument between himself and his son on Saturday night. What do we know about that incident?

ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Laura. We understand that the two of them, along with Michele, were all at a party for the holidays at Conan O'Brien's house and that there was a loud argument between Rob and his son, Nick, that a lot of the other guests observed and overheard.

We do know Nick, for many years, has struggled with addiction and has talked about the fact that he's kind of yo-yoed up and down in terms of times when he has been sober and times when he hasn't been. He's also been open in podcasts before about when he has the wrong mix of drugs, sometimes, he kind of loses it and can get aggressive.

And that may have been on display last night. We don't know exactly what they were fighting about. We do know that the bodies were found around 3:30 yesterday, which is the first day, first night of Hanukkah, and that, as you mentioned, the daughter made that horrifying, horrifying discovery that, I'm sure, she'll never be able to get out of her mind for the rest of her life.

[23:05:05]

COATES: I mean, it's just -- it's heartbreaking to think of what she must be going through, the entire family and his family, not just biological. I mean, the Hollywood family is extensive for this family here. I mean, police, they're looking and to turn over the case to the L.A. County D.A.'s Office tomorrow. How soon might we see maybe formal charges against their son, Nick Reiner?

MICHAELSON: I mean, it could be as soon as tomorrow. You know, what we don't know is in terms of what evidence they have. Was there a confession or something like that that could have happened behind closed doors in terms of if he was cooperating with police or not? They've been especially tight-lipped about this case. But, obviously, it's something that's very, very high profile and is something that a lot of people, you know, want answers to.

You mentioned his Hollywood connection and his political connection. I mean, he was very close with all of the biggest power brokers in the Democratic Party for decades. And close with so many people in Hollywood. His career spanning so many decades. Laura, think about it. I mean, he was first a big star back in the 70s. His father was a star, decades before that. So, basically, anybody in Hollywood over the last 70, 80 years has a connection to Rob Reiner.

COATES: I mean, you hear about a musician passing away, you think they soundtrack your life. This person's film repertoire, the soundtrack, the playbook, the reel for so many people. And then, of course, the philanthropy. And, of course, the political activism as well. So much to talk about with him.

Elex, I'll see you in about an hour on your show as well. Okay?

MICHAELSON: Well, see you then. Thank you.

COATES: I want to bring in two Hollywood insiders, Emmy Award-winning comedian and the host of the podcast "Inside Out," Paul Mecurio. He once interviewed Rob and his son, Nick. Also here, Hollywood publicist and author of "It Started with a Whisper," Rob Shuter.

I'm so glad both of you guys are here. I want to begin with you, Rob, because the tributes, I mean, they are pouring in. So many people remembering Rob Reiner and, of course, his wife, Michele. How is Hollywood remembering this incredible, credible director tonight?

ROB SHUTER, PUBLICIST, AUTHOR: Yes. First of all, Hollywood is absolutely shocked. I spoke to my insiders, my sources today, and they still can't believe that this has actually happened. To lose somebody this great, to lose somebody this prolific, to lose somebody this beloved is an absolute tragedy. And then the method in which we lost him and his wife is something that people can't really get their head around.

So, at the moment, I don't think we're seeing so much outpouring of grief. That will come. It will definitely come. But today, all the calls, everybody that I spoke to, were just in shock. It's hard to get your mind around what might have happened. And we don't know the details yet. So, I'm being a little bit careful.

COATES: Yes.

SHUTER: But, at the moment, people are stunned.

COATES: You know, you almost don't want to fill in the gap, do you, Paul, when you think about what might have happened for the death of these two beloved figures? But you actually, Paul, interviewed Rob Reiner and his son while they were promoting their movie, "Being Charlie." That was back in 2016? I want to play for the audience part of that interview. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NICK REINER, ROB REINER'S SON: Well, I think I'm lucky in the sense that I have parents that care about me. And because of that, when I would go out and do, you know, things like drugs and stuff like that, I'd feel a tremendous amount of guilt, because I'd think, oh, you know, they're thinking about me right now, they want me to do good.

ROB REINER, FILM DIRECTOR: You know, he has the double whammy. He's got me and he got his grandfather. And they're going to say whatever the heck they want. But they don't know. They don't know what he has experienced. They don't know what he has gone through.

N. REINER: Yes.

R. REINER: They don't know why he has done what he does.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: Paul, I mean, when you heard about what happened, where did your mind go? What were you thinking?

PAUL MECURIO, COMEDIAN, PODCAST HOST: I've been all over the place today with this. I mean, the hardcore tragedy of this, losing Rob, we lost a great artist. And, you know, there's a reference to him being prolific in four areas: Actor, writer, director, producer. At the highest level, everything was A-quality. I don't know anybody else in Hollywood that can say that.

But more importantly, we lost a human being with compassion, who we need more than ever now given how divisive things are in the country. He was a man for the downtrodden. He could have stayed in his mansion and counted his millions. He put himself on the front line.

And then when I sat in that room, I saw a love story. These are two people that couldn't have been more proud of each other, couldn't love each other more, had both battled with this addiction. They came through the other side better for it.

[23:10:00]

They talked about, in another part of the interview, how they learned a lot about each other in making the film. Like Nick at one point said, you know, I learned a lot by going on set with you. And Rob said, what do you mean? You're always on set. And he goes, well, I was on as like a kid watching you. But working with you on set, I have a whole new respect for what you do.

And what I found was a happiness in making the film that was cathartic, but also the film would help others who are going through or were going through what they went through. And so --

COATES: Wow.

MECURIO: -- if it's true what they say about Nick allegedly doing it, it just puts a whole other layer on this for me. But I saw two people that could have not been more in love and supportive of each other, who made art that bettered them and art that would better other people.

COATES: I want to play a clip from that movie. Everyone has been talking about it. I myself immediately tried to watch it when I heard about the possibilities of him being responsible for his father's death and his mother's. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN: Dad, I'm not going to listen to you. Tell me what a drug addict I am. I'm one of your constituents now. You wouldn't want to lose the governor's race by one vote.

UNKNOWN: You can either head back to treatment or live on the streets. It's your choice.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: Talk to me about the dynamic because part of that movie and one thing that, you know, Rob Reiner talked about was that he felt he owed his son an apology of sorts for being unsympathetic at times to his addiction. His wife and him discussing how they trusted those with degrees on the walls as opposed to what their son was telling them about what was working or not working. Did that dynamic come up about the addiction and the rehab?

MECURIO: It did, and they spoke to that. And I just am so blown away by the honesty. They didn't have to make this film, right?

COATES: Right.

MECURIO: Like this is not a blockbuster film. It's courageous. This is an addiction that just didn't affect Nick, it affected the entire family. And what I saw, I'm a father, I have a son, there can be a dynamic with a parent and a child where you're always the superior, right? And that inherently, that child has to play the inferior role. I didn't see that. I saw two equals. Two equals treating each other with respect. Both -- you could feel in your bones that it was two people that had come to terms with things they did wrong. They hugged each other, they were moving on, and they were better for it.

COATES: Rob, the description that Paul gives is a heartbreaking split screen to what the investigation is unfolding before our very eyes. And I know that tomorrow, more information will undoubtedly come. But tonight, everyone is thinking about that prolific career that you described, Rob. I mean, his career back decades from "Meathead," obviously, all the way through "A Few Good Men," "Misery," "When Harry Met Sally." I mean, that list really does go on. I mean, those four areas that Paul described.

How did his style of filmmaking influence Hollywood today? I mean, I know there was that sort of mockumentary of things with "Spinal Tap." But tell me how his style influenced what we see this very day.

SHUTER: What he did is that he proved to everybody that being honest and being kind and being emotional was really cool. There was a moment in Hollywood where emotions were looked down upon. They were thought of too sentimental, too sappy, too emotional. And that is something that Paul proved. You could be a good guy and a winner, too.

Originally, the ending of "When Harry Met Sally," he was not going to end up with the girl. But he fell in love during that movie with his wife, Michele, and changed the ending. So, we had a happy ending. I think that tells you a lot about not only this man's work, but who he was as a human being.

Everybody always asks me when I meet a celebrity, when I know somebody, what are they really like? I spoke to an insider today, and I said, if you want to know who this man really is, just watch his films, watch his films. That's who he is.

MECURIO: And that's a great point because a true artist finds a way to have his work reflect who he is as a person. And when I think of Rob's work, what saddened me when I said earlier we lost a human being is compassion hits on the human condition, is done in a passionate way. But he uses comedy as a vehicle through which to do that. And all of that bleeds through.

Yes, there's the farcical stuff like "Spinal Tap" and that's great. But when you really look at his body of work from drama to comedy, there's a common thread of humanity. He was a mensch. And that menschiness came through in his work.

COATES: Yes. You know, they tell you, life can create a cynic. But his movies proved it actually created an optimist in the end. And I love his films. "When Harry Met Sally" Harry Burns, Sally Albright, one of my personal favorites of all times.

[23:15:00]

What a loss. Thank you both, Paul Mecurio, Rob Shuter. I appreciate your time.

MECURIO: Thank you.

COATES: It's not clear what charges Nick Reiner will actually face. The LAPD is expected to turn over the case to County D.A. tomorrow.

I want to bring in my fellow legal expert here, former federal prosecutor and president of West Coast Trial Lawyers, Neama Rahmani. Neama, I'm so glad you're here because this is an unbelievable story that is unfolding. I mean, it is shocking, to say the least. You've got two people dead, murdered, allegedly, by their own son, who is booked on suspicion of murder. I mean, why are they using the term "responsible" right now? What does that tell you about the investigation or his potential state of mind right now?

NEAMA RAHMANI, FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: Laura, I can't believe it. You and I spoke on Friday, in the past 72 hours. It's just one tragedy after another with Brown University, Sydney, Australia, and now with the Reiners, Hollywood icon.

So, I do believe, and this is something that Elex reported, that Nick Reiner will be charged tomorrow with first-degree special circumstances murder under California law. Law enforcement has 48 hours to charge a suspect. Court holidays don't count. So, when someone is arrested on a Sunday, that means Tuesday, they're going to be charged. And he will be arraigned either the same day or the next court day. So, he might not make his appearance until Wednesday.

But some of the reporting has really changed the trajectory of this case. And there may be no defense here. But the fact that there was this reported argument the night before at Conan O'Brien's Christmas party, that really takes away the possibility that this wasn't premeditated. That's evidence of premeditation.

COATES: Really?

RAHMANI: That's evidence of motive. And it also takes away any manslaughter or heat of passion defense. And we saw this recently in another high-profile Los Angeles case, the Nipsey Hussle case. If you get an argument, you go get a weapon, and you come back, that's first- degree premeditated murder under California law.

COATES: And the term you use, special circumstances, what do you mean by that in California?

RAHMANI: So, here, we don't have the death penalty. So, if prosecutors are able to prove those special circumstances, including premeditation, that means that's a life sentence without the possibility of parole. So, Nick Reiner would spend the rest of his life in California State prison unless something extraordinary happens like a governor pardon which, obviously, would be very unlikely in a case like this.

So, if prosecutors do show that premeditation and those special circumstances, that means this 32-year-old man will not only have taken his parents' life, he's going to die in California State prison.

COATES: Neama Rahmani, thank you.

RAHMANI: Thanks, Laura.

COATES: Up next, there's a killer on the loose. Authorities are releasing new video and photos of the suspect behind the shooting at Brown University. Could these images be what helps end the now three days long manhunt? And if you can't say anything nice, say someone died of Trump Derangement Syndrome. Oh, that's not the saying? Help President Trump with that (ph).

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[23:20:00]

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COATES: We're looking at the clearest look yet at the suspect in the deadly mas shooting at Brown University. This as the manhunt stretches now into a third day. Authorities in Providence, Rhode Island releasing new video, showing that a person of interest walking the area shortly before the attack. It reveals more than what we saw in the first video released on Saturday. A man is seen in a dark clothing outfit and a mask, walking with a distinctive gait.

The FBI also put out a wanted poster with new images describing the suspect as 5'8" with a stocky build. It says that he should be considered armed and dangerous. There's also a $50,000 reward for any information leading to the gunman's arrest.

We're going to CNN's Michael Yoshida, who's in Providence, Rhode Island with us tonight. Michael, the shooter is still at large. This is terrifying to think about. Manhunt is getting very real, getting very personal. How is that community dealing with all of this?

MICHAEL YOSHIDA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good evening, Laura. You mentioned this manhunt continues. And at this point tonight, a real sense of anxiousness, nervousness and, honestly, fear still in this community. You can see crime scene tapes still up around this campus following this mass shooting.

Throughout the day, we've heard from students, from faculty describing a sense of feeling shaken. That sense of security broken. And, honestly, also a lot of curiosity and questioning as well. It has been this roller coaster of fear on Saturday when the shooting happened. Then as they were processing that, a sense of relief because a person of interest was in custody. And then, of course, that big change where that person was cleared, released in this search. Now, in a sense, starting anew for all of that.

We have heard from the mayor of Providence several times, talking about how this is still a safe community, how they have a very visible and expansive law enforcement presence here. I can tell you, we've been here throughout the afternoon, the night. And basically, every minute or two, you see some form of law enforcement driving through or walking through this campus. But still very raw, still very real. You can see we have flowers, other messages just outside of where this violence happened. Nine people injured. Two students killed. We are learning more about the victims.

[23:25:00]

Mukhammad Umurzokov, a freshman, described as being incredibly kind, funny and smart, dreams of becoming a neurosurgeon. And also, Ella Cook, who was a sophomore. Vice president of the school's College Republicans Organization, also described as being grounded, faithful, bright, light, bold, brave, and a kind heart.

Now, at this point, this manhunt goes on, as you mentioned. Those new images, new video with investigators, hopeful that could lead to something. But again, still so many questions here. Why did this happen? Who committed this violence? And the big one of all tonight, where are they and when will they be caught? Laura?

COATES: The most important one. Michael Yoshida, thank you so much. I want to bring in CNN chief law enforcement intelligence analyst John Miller, also former FBI assistant director for the Criminal Investigative Division, Chris Swecker.

This is stunning to think about, that this person is still at large. John, the FBI offering a $50,000 reward for information. The next 24 or 36 hours are key. And this person may have quite the head start. Are they any closer to capturing this person right now?

JOHN MILLER, CNN CHIEF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: Well, they've got some very promising leads, new leads that were developed overnight and today that they're pursuing. But, you know, as anybody who has been involved in one of these investigations can tell you, a lead or as we learned yesterday, a lead can be very promising in the beginning and it can wash out. So, they're going through that process.

And I think that what we're looking at here on the screen, which is new pictures, better pictures, nothing that you're going to look at and say, oh, my God, I passed that guy in the street, I definitely recognize him. But the kind of things that if somebody knew him, worked with him, a wife or an ex-wife, a coworker, a relative, they might look at that and say, I think we know who that is. And we've seen that in very recent cases, whether it was Luigi Mangione or the Charlie Kirk shooter where family members said, you know, we think we know who that is.

So, these are steps forward. But as Michael said, these are the key things. He's still out there. We don't know. We know what his target was. We don't know what his grievance is. And we don't know if he is going to strike again because we're very limited there.

COATES: Without knowing those three details, Chris. I mean, the images that have been released, sort of somebody being able to say, oh, I know this person, or maybe they're on my ring camera someplace else, or I may have passed this person driving. And these are helpful in that respect, right? I mean, you have a mask this person is wearing. It's covering most of his face. What does the law enforcement community hope that the public can do to provide information of something like this?

CHRIS SWECKER, FORMER FBI ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION DIVISION: Well, you know, when you get to this stage where there's a release of video or photos, you know, law enforcement needs some help. I mean, they're going to try to do this without going to the public because they want to make sure that they don't alert the suspect and get them sort of tipped on to where their investigation is headed. So, video is worth a thousand words, even if it's bad video. His mannerisms, his age, how he walks, his build, you know, all those things just come across.

And as John pointed out, if you know this person, you know, together with the $50,000 reward, you do have some powerful incentives here and some powerful information, even if it's not great video. So, more will come.

You know, as they keep working, you know, backwards and further down, you know, upstream as I call it, they may get more video from other rings, and eventually gets to a business district, and you start to get to a much better high-quality video.

So, that's not the only thing that's going on. There are, of course, the interviews of witnesses, the cell phone triangulation bouncing off cell towers, researching that. There's a lot going on behind the scenes. But I think there's something to work with here. Whenever you get the video released, a solution usually follows.

COATES: John, President Trump appears to blame Brown University for the delay in capturing the suspect. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: You'd really have to ask the school a little bit more about that because this was a school problem. They had their own guards, their own police, their own everything. But you'd have to ask that question really to the school, not to the FBI. We came in after the fact.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: So, Providence PD is still the head of the investigation. But are federal and local officials working together in some way?

MILLER: Yes, they are. They have been from the beginning, although, you know, there was a certain amount of tension over the weekend when this lead came in from another law enforcement agency. The FBI took off on that lead.

[23:29:58]

And there were some -- there were some differences of opinion over the last 24 hours about how long that person should be held, whether he should have been washed out sooner of faster, whether the FBI exerted more influence than they should have in that they were not the lead agency.

But I've been in those situations, Chris has been in those situations, where you have tensions between agencies. And at the end of the day, what did we see today? The special agent in charge of the FBI was at the press conference. Again, the FBI resources were redeployed. You really have to move past that.

And I think what the locals did was the attorney general asserted. The police department here is the lead agency. The FBI is assisting. I'm calling the shots as a prosecutor from that standpoint. They had a little reset, but they're all -- they're all back on the team. COATES: I certainly hope so because a manhunt that's ongoing is so unsettling and terrifying for the entire nation. John Miller, Chris Swecker, thank you so much.

Still ahead, the breaking news out of Sydney, Australia where officials are now revealing evidence to suggest that the attack on a Hanukkah celebration was likely inspired by ISIS. Plus, while Rob Reiner's death is shocking, the president's reaction, sadly, may not be. Yet this time, some of his own supporters are saying, now, he has gone too far.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE JOHNSON, SPEAKER OF THE UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES: I don't do ongoing commentary about everything that's said by everybody in government every day.

ERIC MICHAEL GARCIA, WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF AND SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT, THE INDEPENDENT: That's the president of the United States.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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[23:35:00]

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COATES: I'd expect that from a drunk guy at the bar, not the president of the United States. That's what Republican Congressman Don Bacon said about the president after he mocked Rob Reiner's murder as a death -- quote -- "reportedly due to the anger he caused others through his massive Trump Derangement Syndrome."

This appeared to be too far for usual Trump supporters who called it a horrible example, disappointing, and so unnecessary, not appropriate.

But for anyone who appears surprised, may I just ask where you've been? This actually seems completely in line with what he has said and the way that he speaks. He disparages anyone who doesn't like and opposes him.

He has recently called the governor of Minnesota -- retarded was the word he used. He said African nations are shithole countries, called the woman reporter piggy. He has called other women fat pigs and dogs. He mocked John McCain, captured during war. He labels journalists scum. And frequently, he mocked the death of Congressman John Dingell, suggesting that he was in hell. He has mocked the attack on Nancy Pelosi's husband, Paul. I mean, the list, I could go on and on through different administrations, right?

So, what is it with his insult against the late Rob Reiner that has some of his supporters saying, now that's too far, even though it is? Well, maybe those same supporters have made it a point to call out those who celebrated Charlie Kirk's death, a death, by the way, that Rob Reiner himself condemned.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PIERS MORGAN, BROADCASTER: When you first heard about the murder of Charlie Kirk, what was your immediate gut reaction to it?

REINER: Well, horror, absolute horror. And I, unfortunately, saw the video of it. And it's beyond belief, what happened to him. And that should never happen to anybody. I don't care what your political beliefs are. That's not acceptable. That's not a solution to solving problems.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: Joining me now is CNN political commentator Ashley Allison, who's also the publisher of "The Root." Also, former Trump campaign senior adviser, Bryan Lanza, a partner at Mercury Public Affairs. Glad to have both of you here.

I mean, every day, there is something wrong when people are saying something like what President Trump has said. And every day, we have to call it out, not because we have derangement syndrome, but because wrong is wrong, and you have to call that out.

And I want to start with you here about the statements that have been made and the surprise that some reporters seem to have. But they actually spoke up, supporters. Does that surprise you?

BRYAN LANZA, FORMER DEPUTY COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR FOR TRUMP 2016 CAMPAIGN: No. Listen, it doesn't surprise me. I don't know if the question was for me. But, first of all, let me just say, as a Californian, you're in California too, and what a tragedy. I knew Rob Reiner's involvement in politics for the last 20 years. He was on the opposite side of everything I did. And I still couldn't garner the words that were used today by President Trump.

But I don't think anybody should be surprised at this point. You know, he says things that are unnecessary. He says things that sometimes are beyond or oftentimes beyond what normal would be. And today was one of those examples.

I wish he hadn't said it. I think it's absolutely unnecessary to the debate because we're talking about it. We should be talking about a man's legacy tonight. You know, talk about his films, you know, "Few Good Men," "Stand by Me." Those films had impacts on a lot of people. It's just -- it's just so unnecessary that we're talking about President Trump's remarks.

COATES: I mean, Ashley, I'm afraid to not be surprised because then I'd be totally desensitized.

[23:40:00]

And that's a concern that I have in trying to address what is so wrong about this statement and many others, by the way, that have been said. Why do you think, though, it's this post in particular that struck a nerve with people who normally support and defend him?

ASHLEY ALLISON, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Because it's unnecessary. A lot of things that he says are in the middle of a political debate, and I find them offensive. But this man, his wife, they were murdered in their home. It now appears to be by their son. It's a tragic incident. It's just unnecessary to even insert oneself in the conversation, quite honestly.

I think that we're in this point where I'm not surprised. I expect it. And it doesn't mean we are desensitized. I think the request and the requirement is what do we do because we're not surprised? Do we accept this type of behavior in our leaders?

Now, you can disagree with what Rob Reiner or what President Trump or what Charlie Kirk or what Marjorie Taylor Greene or whoever you may have political differences against. But I think you have to draw a line that one, murder is wrong, two, insulting anyone that has been murdered is wrong, and that three, we don't want leaders to use this type of language.

Those type of -- that type of behavior should be disqualifying across the board, regardless of political party. We now have a president that does that type of behavior. And the question is, what next for our country?

COATES: Speaking of leadership, though, I mean, Speaker Johnson was asked about the comments. Listen to what his reaction was.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GARCIA: What are your thoughts about what President Trump said about Rob Reiner at his press conference today?

JOHNSON: I don't do ongoing commentary about everything that's said by everybody in government every day.

GARCIA: That's the president of the United States.

JOHNSON: We are to trying to bring down health care costs for the American people. There are very important votes, very important issues, and that's what we're focused on.

GARCIA: A lot of your members are criticizing him.

JOHNSON: I gave commentary this morning, and you all heard it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: Well, Bryan, I mean, obviously, there is a frustration when any member of Congress has to stop what they're doing about other issues and address what President Trump said. That was an ongoing issue from the first administration to this one as well. What is the impact, though, of the distraction when it comes to Republican voters and Democratic voters as well who are watching and saying, this takes the focus away, not the questions from press, but the focus from the president of United States as well on down? LANZA: At the end of the day, I don't know that it has much of an impact on voters. I truly believe we're nine years into the Donald Trump experience. And we -- you know, some of us become numb to these things, right? Certainly, we've seen it in voters. I've seen it in focus groups, that the voters are able to differentiate his policies from his personal behavior.

So, I think from a Republican standpoint, even some of his base, you know, you'll see some disappointment, but you'll see a lot of them willing to turn the page as opposed to the opposition. The opposition is always going to be opposed to anything Donald Trump does. I mean, he could wish, you know, Santa Claus a Merry Christmas and the opposition is going to find some way to condemn it and be outraged. So, I mean, not surprised where the Dems are always going to be. They're always going to be there. That's just the nature of politics. But I think for the short term, I think the base is just eager to turn the page on this particular conversation.

COATES: But, Ashley, conservative Erick Erickson tweeted this: We are not a full year in the administration and exhaustion is setting in for even people who voted for the president. At some point, the people looking to 2028 have to wonder how they mitigate being so tied to that which exhausts everybody. Your reaction, Ashley?

ALLISON: It's not just 2028, it's 2026. I think we are even seeing this backlash in 2025 when you look at the Miami mayoral race, when you look at the state House race in Georgia, when you even look at Virginia, New Jersey, California. Yes, some are blue areas and some are not.

But here's the thing: People may turn the page on this comment, but when they turn the page, their health care premiums are still going to be high. And so, when you are exhausted with bad behavior and you can't afford to pay your rent, pay for health care, and you're still robbing Peter to pay Paul, that exhaustion comes to frustration, and that is when the base, maybe not everyone, but pieces of the base, part of the coalition that Trump was able to pull together, start to siphon off and move and look for an alternative.

COATES: We'll see that. And she said, Merry Christmas to Santa. Ashley, Bryan, thank you so much.

(LAUGHTER)

Up next, homemade ISIS flags and IEDs that were found in the cars of the terrorists who attacked the Hanukkah celebration in Sydney, Australia. The brand-new information has just come in from officials who are now revealing a whole lot more about this heinous attack. CNN's Will Ripley is live on the ground in Sydney, Australia with the very latest, next.

[23:45:00]

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COATES: Breaking tonight, Australian police revealing what appears to be the motive behind the sheer terror unleashed by two gunmen at a Hanukkah celebration at the iconic Bondi Beach in Sydney just on Sunday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KRISSY BARRETT, COMMISSIONER, AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE: Early indications point to a terrorist attack inspired by Islamic State, allegedly committed by a father and son.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: The antisemitic terror attack claiming the lives of at least 15 people as young as 10-year-old Matilda to 87-year-old Holocaust survivor Alex Kleytman, 87 years old, marking the deadliest mass shooting in Australia in nearly 30 years.

Let's bring CNN's Will Ripley, who is in Sydney, Australia with us tonight. Will, what are authorities saying about the two gunmen this hour?

[23:50:00]

WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We've gotten a lot of new information coming in just in the last couple of hours, Laura. One interesting tidbit, the two of them, the father and son, believed to have accumulated a large amount of rifle. At least six were seized as evidence. They used them against innocent people, Jewish people, here at Bondi Beach, the iconic beach here in Australia.

But about a month ago, we've just learned, they traveled to the city of Davao in the southern Philippines. The Mindanao area where Davao is located is believed to be home to a number of extremist groups that are considered sympathetic to ISIS. So, it seems as if they may have traveled to the Philippines, to the southern Philippines specifically, and while we don't know the details of their itinerary, the fact that they went to Davao means that they likely could have met with groups that could have given them information, training to prepare for this attack.

There were ISIS, homemade ISIS flags that were found in their car, along with improvised explosives, devices. It seems as if their plot for this attack was actually at a much greater scale than the horrific attack that did transpire that killed 15 people. And largely the reason why it wasn't worse was because of the brave stories that we saw out here on Bondi Beach, Laura.

COATES: I mean, that stunning video that a bystander bravely tackling one of the gunmen and wrestling away the weapon, I mean, tell me about this hero, Ahmed el Ahmed.

RIPLEY: Yes. It's just incredible. This father of two seemingly unconcerned for his own safety in that moment and unarmed -- he ran up to the father, who was holding a very large rifle, and we've seen the video where he just wrestled it away, pointed the gun at the father, but did not fire. He threatened him. The father steps back a number of steps. And then Ahmed el Ahmed set the gun down on a tree, and then proceeded to chase after the father and threw a rock. The father retreated to a nearby bridge where his son, who survived the incident, the shootout with police, the father was shot and killed by police, but the two of them were on a bridge where they continue to fire at civilians.

And we've just learned a short time ago, so recently actually, that -- we're still trying to clear the video, but another video has emerged showing another bystander who tackled one of the gunmen to the ground. Now, we are working very hard to identify who this person is and get more information about that.

But it just goes to show that in this nation of Australia that has not had an incident of violence since 1996, people, perhaps instinctively or with adrenaline, knew what to do to stop these attackers before it got significantly worse.

COATES: I mean, it's unbelievable bravery and heroism. Unbelievable. I mean, Australian government officials also, they're facing a lot of pressure to respond to this terror attack. They're promising to tighten their already strict gun laws. What are the changes they're considering?

RIPLEY: Yes. You know, you mentioned strict gun laws, some of the strictest in the world. That truly has been a success story ever since the mass shooting in 1996 that caused a massive nationwide gun take back program.

Now, what they're talking about is zeroing in on the people who have licenses to carry firearms because the father and the son, we've learned, were actually questioned by government investigators back in 2019 in connection with possible terrorism. The investigators at that time determined that they did not believe they'd been radicalized or were members of a larger group. But sometime between 2019 and 2025, that situation obviously changed.

But here's what's interesting. Even though the government questioned them in connection with potential links to terrorism, the father was allowed to keep his license, which allowed him to legally possess these massive rifles. A number of several million people here in Australia legally are allowed to possess firearms. But the father, Laura, was not an Australian citizen. So, now, there are calls to restrict gun owner to only Australian citizens and to further strengthen the background checks on individuals who are allowed to possess guns here.

COATES: My God, what could have been? Will Ripley, thank you so much. Before we go, an update on the Brian Walshe murder trial we've been covering so closely. Jurors today convicted him of first-degree premeditated murder for the killing of his wife, Ana Walshe.

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UNKNOWN: As to count one, the defendant, Brian Walshe, is charged with murder in the first degree. What say, the jury? Is the defendant guilty or not guilty?

UNKNOWN: Guilty.

UNKNOWN: Guilty of what, sir?

UNKNOWN: Murder in the first degree.

UNKNOWN: Murder in the first degree. So say you, Mr. Foreperson.

UNKNOWN: I do.

UNKNOWN: Guilty of murder in the first degree. So say all delivering jurors.

UNKNOWN: I do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: Walshe showing no reaction as the verdict was read. It took jurors about six hours to reach their decision. Prosecutors argued he murdered Ana just hours after they rang in the New Year at their home on January 1st, 2023. Her body was never found. But they highlighted Brian's chilling Google searches in the hours after she disappeared, including -- quote -- "best way to dispose of a body."

[23:55:00]

They also showed surveillance video of him buying tools at local stores, including a hacksaw, and then throwing out trash bags in multiple dumpsters. Those bags included blood stained items linking back to Ana through DNA testing.

They also argued a motive, pointing to strains in the marriage and a months' long affair Ana was having with a man she met in Washington, D.C. The defense tried to argue her death was sudden and unexplained, and that Brian panicked finding her dead in their bed. The jury didn't buy it. And with today's verdict, he now faces a mandatory sentence, life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Thank you for watching. "The Story Is with Elex Michaelson" is next with much more on the shocking details of the murder of Rob and Michele Reiner. I'll join after a short break. See you soon.

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