Return to Transcripts main page
One World with Zain Asher
USGS: Earthquake Struck 70 KM off Japan's East Coast at Depth of 53 KM; Thailand Launches Air Strikes Against Colombia; Tsunami Warning Issued for Japan after Magnitude 7.6 Quake; U.S. Supreme Court to Hear Case on Limits of Executive Power; Those Around Undocumented Immigrants can be "Collateral Arrests"; Thousands of Santas Dash Around the UK & Germany. Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired December 08, 2025 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ZAIN ASHER, CNN HOST, ONE WORLD: All right, coming to you live from New York. I'm Zain Asher. You are watching "One World". I want to begin with,
breaking news out of Japan, happening a short time ago, a Tsunami warning has been issued for parts of the country's east coast.
This after a powerful 7.6 migration earthquake hit 70 kilometers off the coast. Here you see a chandelier. We had video of a chandelier swinging
during the powerful earthquake. So far, the Tsunami wave forecasts are decreasing. No word yet on any sort of significant damage or injuries.
Hanako Montgomery is in Tokyo for us with the very latest. So, we have seen video Hanako of chandelier swinging. We've also seen warnings telling
people near the Town of Hokkaido to stay away from the coast. We do know that wave forecasts are decreasing, though. What more can you tell us?
What's the very latest?
HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Zain we know that the Japanese government has issued a Tsunami warning for parts of Northern Japan, and
that includes Hokkaido, like you just mentioned, also and Iwate, Aomori Prefectures.
Now a Tsunami warning means that waves of up to three meters in height could hit Japan's coast. And as you mentioned, so far, we haven't seen a
Tsunami wave that is as high as that. But the Japanese government is urging citizens, is urging residents, to stay vigilant, to get to higher ground
and continue evacuating their homes, especially if they live closer to the shoreline.
Now, of course, in the event of an earthquake in Japan, there are always concerns about aftershocks and how significant those could be. So, the
Japanese government is also again warning people to stay vigilant, make sure that they are aware of their surroundings. And also, can get to
evacuation shelters in case there are aftershocks that prove to be just as powerful and potentially just as dangerous as that first initial
earthquake.
Now Zain, I do want to mention here that I live in Tokyo, and I myself felt the earthquake. It was that powerful. I was actually just getting ready for
bed when my entire apartment started to shake, and the shaking went on for more than 30 seconds, potentially up to a minute long.
And of course, this earthquake is going to be felt even more strongly by individuals who live in the northern part of Japan, which was very close to
this epicenter. So, the Japanese government right now is checking for any potential casualties, any potential damage, but the Japanese government is
putting all of their efforts right now into rescue and search operations, if any should be needed.
ASHER: Hanako Montgomery live for us there. Thank you so much. All right, let's get right to Meteorologist Derek Van Dam for more on this earthquake.
So, Derek, Japan actually sits at the intersection of about four tectonic plates. So, earthquakes are very, very common. We're talking about 1500 or
so per year.
That's three or four per day. But most of them are really, really small. You sort of feel very, very small tremors, if anything at all. Just walk us
through what makes this one different, and also the risk of aftershocks.
DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: They're either really small or they're very deep. That has a major factor in who and what we feel at the surface
of the Earth, right? So, the Ring of Fire we talk about this is kind of the tectonic plates around the Pacific Ocean. This is part of the Western
periphery of the Ring of Fire, so a hot spot for earthquake activity.
This particular earthquake happened to take place under water, so it's under the sea floor bed. And I want you to look at this, because the first
thing we do when we look at an earthquake. When it comes to our screens, we start to see the information on social media. We get the updates from the
U.S. Geological Survey. We get it from the Japan Meteorological Agency.
We look to say, hey, how strong is this thing? This is a powerful earthquake; 7.6 where did it occur? Well, it occurred under water. So how
deep was it under water, under the sea floor, bed? At 53 kilometers. And what that tells me, and that tells other scientists as well, is that this
was an intermediately deep, not a shallow, but an intermediately deep earthquake.
[11:05:00]
And that has profound implications on the surface of the ocean. So let me give you a better indication what I'm talking about. So, let's say you're
looking at the surface of the ocean here. Here's the sea floor bed right the bottom of the ocean. And let's say the earthquake here, just off the
coast of Japan, occurred right there, right so we get what is called subduction.
And instead of the earthquake shifting those tectonic plates side by side, one goes up and one goes down, sometimes going underneath it as well. That
creates a displacement of water at the surface, and that wave, or the energy, is resulted in a wave as it gets closer and closer to the oath --
to the surface, and eventually traverses towards the mainland or the coastal areas where we reside as human beings.
So, another aspect that meteorologists or volcanologists, or anyone a seismologist who studies this type of thing, they say, how close was that
epicenter to land? We know that it was under water, but we want to know how close was this to an actual coastal region?
Well, in this particular instance, we're talking about just a few dozen kilometers offshore. So, who's going to feel the impacts of a potential
Tsunami first? Well, it's going to be right here, northern sections of Honshu. This is the Aomori Prefecture right there, and that is where we've
had some of the strongest shaking that's being felt.
But because of the nature of a Tsunami, think about throwing a rock into a pond, the ripple effect is spread out in all directions, so the wave energy
is going to be dispersed in other locations. That's why there's warnings here across Southern Hokkaido. The shading of yellow is an advisory from
the Japan Meteorological Agency.
So, this is the area where we get maybe a bit more disbursement of the energy, and not as high of a potential wave height. So, this is up to one
meter. The shading of red from the JMA is up to three meters. And it's this location here that would see the greatest impacts, at least in the short
term, once we kind of figure out exactly where the Tsunami is?
But Zain, what I've noticed so far, the observations that have come in are coming in far less than what has been originally predicted. And that is
good news, but this is a fluid situation, and things can change, especially considering that aftershocks are a real threat here.
ASHER: Yeah, that is the major concern, as Hanako Montgomery was also talking about as well. Derek Van Dam live for us. Thank you so much. All
right, after days of fraught peace talk, still no breakthrough in sight as Russia vows to seize more Ukrainian land and key demands firm security
guarantees.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has wrapped up a meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in London. You see the meeting there outside number 10. He's now to head to Brussels to speak with NATO and EU
Leaders.
Earlier, Zelenskyy said that territorial concerns remain unresolved in Ukraine's latest talks with the United States. Those marathon talks ended
in Miami over the weekend, both U.S. and Ukrainian negotiators walking away with few new developments.
Meantime, the Kremlin is praising America's new harder posture towards Europe. And on Sunday, U.S. President Donald Trump criticize Zelenskyy
accusing him of not reading the U.S. backed peace proposal, although it's unclear which version of the plan he was actually referencing.
Our Clare Sebastian is joining us live now from outside number 10. And Alayna Treene is at the White House as well. So, Clare, let's start with
you just in terms of this meeting that Zelenskyy had outside number 10 with Friedrich Merz, the German Chancellor, also French president Emmanuel
Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Just walk us through some of the things that were discussed, including territorial integrity for Ukraine. This idea of also using Russian assets
as well to sort of help support Ukraine. Just give us a sense of what was discussed here.
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. Zain, we don't know exactly what the leaders discussed in detail. They were in there, I can tell you all
four of them, for over an hour. And then President Zelenskyy, who's only just come out in the last few minutes, was in there for another hour and a
half or so with the UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
We heard from the leaders at the beginning of the talks. They each made a brief statement. There was a lot of talk about how this is a critical
moment. President Zelenskyy emphasized the need for unity, saying that Ukraine needs both Europe and the U.S. for different things as it pushes
towards some kind of hopefully diplomatic resolution to this war.
But I think the subtext to all of this is number one, this is Europe trying to get a seat at the table, trying to participate in this process from
which it has been sidelined by the U.S. for the last two and a half weeks or so, as this diplomatic activity has ramped up around that original 28-
point peace plan, and Ukraine has tried to wrestle that proposal back towards its point of view.
And I think what we got from the leaders, despite the warm hugs as they came in was a real sort of sense of gloominess. This does seem to be a bit
of a bleak moment for them.
[11:10:00]
The UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said, look, you know, we all want a just and lasting settlement for Ukraine, if we can get that far, he said. And I
think we can hear some of what the German Chancellor had to say as well.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FRIEDRICH MERZ, GERMAN CHANCELLOR: I'm skeptical about some of the details which we are seeing in the documents coming from U.S. side, but we have to
talk about that's why we are here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SEBASTIAN: So, I think, look, this is a very diplomatic -- difficult diplomatic balancing act for these leaders. On the one hand, they have to
make it clear that some of the proposals that have included, for example, territorial concessions by Ukraine, although, of course, we don't actually
know what's in the latest proposal, are unpalatable to both Ukraine and Europe.
They also want to try to wrestle back some sense of Transatlantic unity, because, of course, the backdrop to this is -- this new U.S. national
security strategy that was openly critical of Europe while not making any mention of Russia as a threat, and the criticism by President Trump of
Zelenskyy, who said he was disappointed in him, alleging that he hadn't read the latest proposal.
So, a bit of a diplomatic contortion act here. But President Zelenskyy not giving up. He continues this diplomatic frenzy, as you say, heading to
Brussels and then on to Rome, Zain.
ASHER: All right, Clare Sebastian, do stand by. I want to bring in our Alayna Treene at the White House. So, Alayna, just because, if you could
just sort of jump off from what Clare was just talking about at the end, there this idea that President Trump says that he is very disappointed with
Zelenskyy, accusing him of not having read the peace proposal.
You know, Zelenskyy does find himself between a rock and a hard place because he doesn't want to capitulate. His people do not want him to give
away Ukrainian land. And as well as some of the other things that Putin is demanding, but at the same time, he's under pressure to ensure that the
relationship between the U.S. and Ukraine isn't more strained. How does he walk that tight rope?
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: It's very difficult. And I think you know, if you look at how their relationship has evolved over the last
several months, ever since, really President Trump came into office for his second term, it has been a very hot and cold relationship.
There are some moments when you've seen the President Donald Trump, saying that Zelenskyy is a close ally, that they're working together, that he has
every mitt of confidence in him. And then in another breath, months or weeks later, kind of putting a lot of criticism and pressure on Zelenskyy
about these types of negotiations.
And so right now, we're kind of seeing a bit of a colder response and colder language from President Donald Trump. Look, there are a number of
sticking points that I just briefly want to get into that I know that the White House is very much keen on trying to settle, but this is really where
they left off those negotiations.
I should note those negotiations in Miami began on Thursday, kind of a marathon session they were including and led by Steve Witkoff, the
President's Middle East Envoy, who has now, of course, taken on this portfolio for Russia and Ukraine, but also the president's Son-in-Law,
Jared Kushner, alongside the Ukrainian delegation that they met with.
And the key sticking points really were this idea of Ukraine surrendering key territories in the Donbas region to Russia. This idea of security
guarantees and whether or not they go far enough for both Ukraine and Europe's liking. This idea of Ukraine potentially committing to permanent
exclusion from NATO, that has been a huge issue and sticking point that can remains to be really a major issue as they are continuing these
negotiations.
And then also this proposal for Ukraine to limit its military. We have heard, you heard Clare talk about this, many European Leaders arguing that
this is too friendly toward Russia. But really what it's clear is that President Donald Trump really wants to be the one to see this end and to be
one to negotiate a peace agreement.
And so far, he's been getting very frustrated with both sides, currently with Zelenskyy for what he believes is not being willing enough to make
some substantial concessions, and so we'll have to see where this leads. But I definitely think the show of solidarity with Zelenskyy and those
European leaders is definitely going to be a big signal for Washington Zain.
ASHER: All right. Alayna Treene and Clare Sebastian, thank you both so much. All right, tensions have ignited in Southeast Asia once again, with a
new wave of fighting breaking out between Thailand and Cambodia. Early Monday morning, Thailand launched air strikes against its neighbor, a move
that the army is describing as retaliation.
Both sides are accusing the other of starting today's clash. It follows months of simmering tension and decades of border skirmishes between the
two. Back in July, one episode of fighting left dozens dead and hundreds of thousands displaced, and now similar events are unfolding, with civilians
from both sides of the border being evacuated.
It comes just weeks after the two countries actually agreed to a ceasefire deal put forward by U.S. President Donald Trump. The peace declaration was
signed in late October, with Trump serving as a witness.
[11:15:00]
While he may have been hoping that the deal would stick, the Thai Foreign Minister tells CNN that the conflict will continue until certain terms are
met.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SIHASAK PHUANGKETKEOW, THAI FOREIGN MINISTER: Well, we'll continue with the military operation until we feel that our sovereignty and territory
integrity are not challenged.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: For more on this, I want to bring in Japhet Quitzon, Associate Fellow with the Southeast Asia Program at the Center for Strategic and
International Studies. Thank you so much for being with us. So, the border tensions between Thailand and Cambodia, you know, usually there's,
obviously, there's been simmering tensions for a long, long time.
I mean, this border dispute goes all the way back to when Cambodia was a French colony, back in the late 1800s. But there has been these simmering
tensions, and you have these long periods of calm followed by these occasional flare ups. We saw fighting back in July.
There was five days of fighting with 200,000 people, apparently displaced and dozens of people killed. Just walk us through this time around what
does de-escalation actually look like?
JAPHET QUITZON, ASSOCIATE FELLOW, SOUTHEAST ASIA PROGRAM, CENTER FOR STRATEGIC & INTERNATIONAL STUDIES: Certainly, de-escalation can be a very
tricky process with these two both sides, as mentioned, whether already accusing each other of creating this extra tension. Thai soldiers are
claiming that Cambodians were the ones who opened fire first, while the other side, Cambodians are claiming that the Thai soldiers fought first.
So that sort of disconnect leads to a significant amount of nationalism at both sides. Neither wants to yield, and neither government wants to look
weak in the face of the -- it's a significant issue for both the -- government fighting for greater legitimacy in Cambodia and for the Thai
government under Prime Minister Anutin, who will be facing snap elections next month, as promised as part of his coalition deal.
ASHER: Sorry, I'm so sorry to interrupt you. I'm sure you know, we had an earthquake in Japan. So, the Japan Meteorologist Society actually speaking
now about it, we're going to listen to it.
MASASHI KIYOMOTO, JAPAN METEOROLOGICAL AGENCY: -- areas that look dangerous. And especially for the next two to three days -- two to three
days, there could be a risk of big earthquakes. And in the area, in the past, there has been consecutive earthquake big earthquakes happen, so
please and watch out.
In terms of the Tsunami warning as I mentioned at the outset, the Tsunami warning is in place in these areas, which are of Hokkaido side as well as
of Iwate prefecture and Aomori prefecture. And around this area, Hokkaido North East area, as well as Aomori and prefecture Japan Seaside, as well as
a Miyagi and Fukushima Prefecture, the Tsunami warning is in place.
The first Tsunami wave is expected to arrive at these times. These times is 12:00 midnight as well as 01:00 a.m. The first wave have already been
arrived, has already arrived. And in terms of the areas that the Tsunami warning is in place, and please evacuate to a high place, and also for
areas with Tsunami advisory in place, and please stay well away from the -- from the beach.
And Tsunami would be coming repeatedly and the second wave, and could be much bigger wave than the first wave. So, until the Tsunami warning or the
Tsunami advisory is canceled, and please stay very well alert. From Hokkaido to Tohoku specific site, we have already recorded Tsunami, and the
height has been between 0.4 meters and 0.5 meters.
And in Kuji Port in Iwate Prefecture, the height of the Tsunami was 0.5 meters, and Mutsu Ogawara Port recorded Tsunami of 0.4 meters. That is in
Aomori Prefecture, and there could be risks of further, bigger Tsunami arriving. So please keep alert and keep evacuating from these areas.
Now, I mentioned earlier that the Tsunami so far has been recorded as 0.4 meters or 0.5 meters, and this is the wave of the Tsunami, and you see that
there have been three peaks of waves and for Fuji Port in Iwate Prefecture there was this kind of wave coming.
[11:20:00]
It was around here when the earthquake happened, and which was around 11:15 p.m. and subsequently, there has been recorded, and therefore for the areas
that the Tsunami warning in place, and please keep evacuating.
So please have a look at this Tsunami wave. This is a GNNS wave recorder, and this is what the recorder have recorded in terms of the way. This is
Iwate Prefecture, Kamaishi and Kanahana, Kanaiyama as well as -- and these are the areas, and we see and that the Tsunami was occurring.
There's about 10 centimeters of deviation, and that shows and that the Tsunami was recorded in a very well -- and when it really comes near the
land, itself would be multiple times, 10 centimeters. Earthquake was detected around 11:15 p.m. on the 8th of December, and the magnitude was
7.6 that's a preliminary number.
And the epicenter was the east side, offshore east side of Aomori Prefecture, the biggest seismic intensity was upper six, six, which was
recorded in Hachinohe City in Aomori Prefecture, and from Hokkaido to the Kinki region earthquake intensity of between lower six to one has been
recorded. And after this initial earthquake was recorded, there has been three subsequent earthquakes of the intensity of more than one.
People to note the following. First of all, there is risk of Tsunami and damages from Tsunami, and therefore people around the area where the
Tsunami warning or Tsunami advisory is in place, and please do evacuate to a safe place. And Tsunami would come repeatedly, and therefore, until the
warning is released, and please stay in a safe place.
Also, in areas where the seismic intensity was high, there is an elevated risk of houses and buildings collapsing, as well as there could be
landslides. And therefore, please do take care of your own safety, and please do not enter areas that looks dangerous.
Also going forward in this area, within one week of a large earthquake happening, there has been cases in the past that subsequent and big
earthquake have happened, and therefore, from one week from now, there could be risks of a big earthquake, of around seismic intensity of upper
states happening again, especially over the next three days, there is a possibility of many strong intensity earthquakes happening.
So please do watch out. And also, for the Hokkaido Sandiku earthquake we are closely monitoring of whether this could happen. So, this shows the
seismic intensity and by different locations. In areas near the epicenter, there has been strong seismic intensity, and also in areas without any
seismic recorder, there have been strong earthquakes that have been felt.
So, in terms of intensity, it was in Aomori, one part of Aomori, and that recorded intensity of three, which shows that it's difficult for people to
be standing in such intensity of earthquake.
[11:25:00]
Now, in terms of what sort of seismic alerts have been issued within 4.1 seconds of the earthquake happening, the seismic activity alert has been
issued. This shows what sort of alert after the earthquake has been issued.
Now the seismic activity is as follows. This, the red dot shows the epicenter of the earthquake, and the blue circle shows where the subsequent
earthquakes -- epicenter has been. So, this is the detail of a where the earthquake has happened, and this is the epicenter.
And if you have a look on this side, this shows that the Pacific Plate has gone down, and the -- it happened between the Pacific Plate and the other
plate that meets the Pacific Plate. So, in terms of that, the area with the cross shows the epicenter, and the gray area is an area where there is
elevators and risks of subsequent earthquake happening.
And it shows that in the past; there has been earthquake happening consecutively. For example, in 1943 there was a big earthquake in Aomori
Prefecture, and after two to three days after there were subsequent big earthquakes. And the epicenter of this earthquake, and tonight, was very
close to those areas where there have been consecutive and big earthquake happening in the past.
Now, in terms of seismic activities in the past, there have been this kind of seismic activity in the past of Aomori Prefecture. So, according to the
Ministry of -- Ministry of Education and Science in the epicenter tonight - - of tonight's earthquake was of Aomori and Iwate Prefecture, and the magnitude 7.6 according to the preliminary figure shows that -- this is the
magnitude between 7.0 and 7.5.
And in the past, there have been magnitude 7.9 earthquake in the area. So - - and the probability of this sort of earthquake happening was high. And for detailed information, and you can see all these links. That's it from
me, thank you.
So, this is a question from the press. Now it's very cold in winter, and lots of people are in evacuation centers and other places. And what sort of
number of days would we have to be alert after this earthquake? And what sort of threshold would you be applying to downgrade the Tsunami warning to
Tsunami advisory?
At the moment, this shows the wave of the Tsunami -- the Tsunami itself for the areas and where the Tsunami warning is in place I believe the residents
are in evacuation centers and evacuating to other safe places. And there could be a possibility that the Tsunami wave could be become even higher.
So, I would like relevant residents than to still be in a safe and play. And it would be nice good if we could forecast how the Tsunami wave is
going to be going forward. But at the moment, it's difficult for us to show exactly in within what hours? How many hours the Tsunami would become
smaller?
[11:30:00]
On the 9th of November, there was a magnitude 6.9 earthquake in the Sanriku Coast.
ASHER: All right, you have just been listening to a press briefing from the Japan Meteorological Society, essentially explaining the possibility of
aftershocks and the risk of Tsunami after the 7.6 magnitude earthquake that took place.
Yesterday in Japan, technically, because it's 01:30 in the morning right now, it was last night Japanese time at around 11:15 in the evening the
earthquake took place around the Northern Japanese area Aomori Prefecture, Hokkaido area as well, Iwate too the tide gouges essentially have explained
that there has been some Tsunami activity observed roughly around 0.5 meters in height, 50 centimeters or so in height.
I do want to bring in Hanako Montgomery, who is life for us in Tokyo. I mean, you've been up for quite a while, as I understand it, you were
actually getting ready for bed in your pajamas. You live in Tokyo. You actually felt the shock of this earthquake while you were getting ready for
bed.
And it just tells you how sort of high or great this magnitude actually was, given that the epicenter was at the very, very North of Japan. You
live in Tokyo, and you still felt it. Just explain to us the risk at this point of aftershocks, just sort of summing up what he talked about there,
because Japan obviously does have a long history of earthquakes.
Earthquakes happen all the time. Most of them are either too deep or too light to be felt. Walk us through Hanako.
MONTGOMERY: Yeah, Zain, as you mentioned I mean, this is a huge earthquake that hit the country just off its eastern coast, especially in the north,
in near Aomori, near Hokkaido and near Iwate. And when you have an earthquake of this magnitude of course, there are concerns about potential
aftershocks.
And as you heard from the official at Japan's Meteorological Agency just there, we can potentially expect aftershocks with sizable magnitude in the
coming days, coming two or three days or so. Now, really, this is a warning that the Japanese government does issue to make citizens just extra
cautious, especially given that aftershocks can be just as powerful and potentially just as damaging or deadly.
Now, the Japanese government has evacuated individuals who are living close to Japan's coastline, individuals who need to be rescued and put to higher
ground in the event that those tsunami waves do get bigger.
Now, Zain, I just want to note here that the Tsunami waves that we're seeing in Iwate are now measuring up to 0.7 meters. So not quite one meter
yet, but 0.7 meters. And the Japanese Meteorological Agency just warning here also that the Tsunami waves could increase. They could get higher in
the coming hours, as the waves do come closer to Japan shore.
So, people need to be extra vigilant, stay cautious and just keep sheltering while the Japanese government does assess the situation and
assess whether individuals can return home in the coming hours, Zain.
ASHER: Right. Hanako Montgomery, live for us there. Please keep an eye on it -- on it for us. Thank you so much. We'll be right back after the short
break with more.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:35:00]
ASHER: All right. Welcome back to "One World". I'm Zain Asher for you in New York. The U.S. Supreme Court is hearing arguments in a case right now
that could vastly expand presidential power. The justices will decide whether Donald Trump has the power to fire the heads of independent
agencies despite laws to protect them.
A case involves Rebecca Slaughter, a Democratic member of the FTC, the Federal Trade Commission who Trump appointed during his first term. The
president dismissed her in March, saying that her service was essentially inconsistent with his administration's priorities. The decision, when it
comes could actually have a major impact. A lot of implications for more than two dozen agencies beyond the FTC.
Let's get some perspective on this story. We're joined live now by Jeffrey Rosen, President of the National Constitution Center, and a Professor at
George Washington University Law School. Jeffrey, thank you so much for being with us.
I mean, for our international viewers who are watching this show from around the world just give us a bit more context on the origins of this
particular case. Because, as I mentioned, it centers around a woman named Rebecca Slaughter who the Trump Administration fired from her position as a
Democratic member of the FTC, the Federal Trade Commission.
And essentially told her that her priorities were different from or inconsistent with the administration's priorities. She was fired and then
she sued. Walk us through it Jeffrey.
JEFFREY ROSEN, PRESIDENT & CEO, NATIONAL CONSTITUTION CENTER: Absolutely. So, the broader context is this is a debate about whether Congress can
create an independent civil service. Can it create agencies that are independent of the president and that he can't fire just because he doesn't
like them?
It's a debate that goes back to the progressive era at the turn of the 20th century, when Congress established a series of independent agencies, the
Federal Trade Commission, the Federal Communication Commission, and most significantly, the Federal Reserve and said that their heads couldn't be
fired by the president, except for cause.
In 1935 the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of independent agencies. And today, the court seems likely to overturn that decision and
say that the president can fire any official that he appoints. If it does reach that decision, it will transform the nature of Civil Service
protections in America.
It will open the door for President Trump to fire low level -- lower-level appointees because he doesn't like their politics. And it will represent a
transformation in the understanding of the administrative state that has prevailed since the progressive era.
ASHER: Obviously, the consequences are vast. But I do want to get at specifically what the Trump Administration is arguing here, because
obviously, she's saying that she was fired without cause.
The Trump Administration is arguing that this sort of spirit of bipartisanship that exists in a lot of agencies, especially the FTC, is
unconstitutional because the president should have full authority over government bodies like, for example, the FTC so that he could essentially
enforce laws and regulation et cetera.
[11:40:00]
Walk us through what you make of that particular argument, and just give us more context as to what the Trump Administration is arguing here?
ROSEN: Absolutely, as you say, it's a fundamental argument about the meaning of the Constitution. And the Trump Administration argues that the
president has what's called unitary executive authority. In other words, the Constitution vests all executive power on the president, and the Trump
Administration says that means that the president has the ability to completely control and even to fire any officials that he appoints.
They make an argument about the original understanding of the Constitution. They say that in 1789 James Madison and other founders created departments
like the Treasury and the State Department and gave the president total power to fire all of its officials. And in that sense, they're saying that
the whole constitutional understanding that allowed independent agencies is a violation of this core unitary executive power.
There's a big debate about the history in the oral arguments today. People on the other side said, well, at the time of the founding, Congress created
independent agencies like Alexander Hamilton's sinking fund to administer the debt. And that it's not -- it's not true that the founder is meant to
prevent the president from being constrained by Congress, but that's the core of the debate.
It has to do with the essence of the meaning of executive power, and the Trump Administration is taking a very broad reading that may, in fact, and
is likely to be embraced by the U.S. Supreme Court.
ASHER: And I think also, one of the other things that's at stake is this idea of policy continuity, because if the president can sort of fire people
at will, and if there's, you know, there's no sort of spirit of bipartisanship at some of these agencies, including the FTC, then the
direction of some of these agencies would change dramatically depending on who's in the Oval Office.
And so, what does that mean for policy continuity when one administration takes over from the next?
ROSEN: That's exactly right. And this debate about policy continuity goes back to the establishment of a civil service. It began right after the
founding era, and then Andrew Jackson came in and instituted something called the spoils system that allows the president to fire all of his
predecessor appointees were coiling against the spoil system.
Congress in the 19th century created civil service protections to ensure policy continuity, including something called the Pendleton Act, and that
tradition of a non-partisan civil service to ensure policy continuity has prevailed since the 19th century.
And that's why the stakes are so big, if the U.S. Supreme Court buys President Trump's constitutional argument, that policy argument, that
policy continuity won't be possible, and every president will basically be able to clean house and institute his loyalists to carry out his vision.
ASHER: All right. Jeffrey Rosen, appreciate you joining us. Thank you so much. All right; Donald Trump's immigration crackdown shows no sign of
slowing. However, new data is shedding light on just how many of those rounded up have actually committed crimes details ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:45:00]
ASHER: All right, U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly vowed to deport the worst of the worst in his immigration crackdown. Well, the
numbers tell a different story. New data released today shows nearly 75,000 people detained by ICE have no criminal record. The data was compiled by
the data deportation project from Trump's Inauguration Day in late January until the middle of October.
CNN's own reporting found less than 10 percent of those taken into custody had any serious criminal convictions. ICE has focused its efforts on
Democratic led cities like New Orleans and Minnehaha St. Paul sending fear and panic through those communities. Priscilla Alvarez takes a closer look
at what this new report reveals.
PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This data really backs up what we have been hearing anecdotally from attorneys as well as advocates who have
worked with a lot of those immigrants who have been detained by immigration and customs enforcement and by U.S. Border Patrol over the last several
months.
And in many of these cases, there had not been criminal records. Yes, these were people who were in the United States illegally, but they did not fall
into the categories that the administration has repeatedly talked about, about national security and public safety threats just based on their
records.
So, this data, again, shows that of the 220,000 arrests that have happened in these last nine months, nearly 75,000 people had no criminal records.
This is, according to the data deportation project, which, as you mentioned, is a group associated with U.S. Berkeley Law School.
Earlier this summer, though we had been seeing similar data crop up. That is that less than 10 percent of immigrants taken into custody since this
was October 2024 had any serious criminal convictions. So, this has been a trend that we have been seeing over the last several months. That is that
many of those taken in don't have these criminal records.
Now Tom Homan, the White House Border Czar, was asked about ongoing operations, including the one happening in Minneapolis, targeting
undocumented, Somali immigrants, and who exactly they're targeting. And this is what he had to say, take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOM HOMAN, U.S. BORDER CZAR: We're looking for public safety threats, national security threats and illegal aliens. Nothing's changed Dana from
day one.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ALVAREZ: Now, this is something that I have also been hearing from my sources. Again, they continue and maintain that those that they are
targeting are public safety, national security threats. But that doesn't mean that if they are targeting someone who is a threat, that they won't
also take those around them.
Those are called those, quote, collateral arrests, and those can be people who are here, undocumented, but may now have a record. We also see this
with the U.S. Border Patrol operations in places like Chicago, Charlotte and now in New Orleans. As they do these sweeps, they may just take people
in based on reasonable suspicion.
This all goes to show what we have been hearing in many of these incidents, which is that people across the board, who are undocumented in the United
States are being taken in by federal immigration authorities and face deportation in many of these cases, and in other cases, are still trying to
work through the immigration process while they are in detention is just overwhelming, with around 66,000 people in detention now.
ASHER: Thanks to our Priscilla Alvarez for that report. We'll have much more on this developing story next hour with CNN Opinion Writer and
Attorney Raul Reyes. All right, still to come, hundreds of kids will have a present under their tree thanks to one Texas teacher how social media is
playing part in spreading a little Christmas cheer, little bit of magic after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:50:00]
ASHER: ASHER: Well, the Golden Globe nominations are out, and Paul Thomas Anderson's "One Battle After Another" is leading the film categories with
nine nominations, including for Best Director and Best Screenplay. Horror film, Sinners and the comedy drama, sentimental value just behind them. For
TV shows, HBOs, the White Lotus made the biggest splash.
There are 28 categories in total, including a new one for the best podcast. Comedian Nikki Glaser will actually hold host rather the Award Ceremony
that will be on January 11th. Social media is saving Christmas for hundreds of Texas school kids. The school employee realized they didn't have the
money to keep up their tradition of providing a gift for each student, so she turned to TikTok for help. Lee Waldman has the story for us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEIGH WALDMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): 400 kids were about to lose their Christmas gifts, until a teacher with about 100 TikTok followers
tried something desperate.
KYLE MURPHY, SOCIAL DATA ANALYST & TESTING COORDINATOR: Hi. My name is Kyle, and I have 54 days to save Christmas.
WALDMAN (voice-over): Kyle Murphy is a Data Analyst and Testing Coordinator at an elementary school in Fort Worth, Texas, where roughly 90 percent of
students come from low-income households. For nearly 50 years, the school's parent teacher organization has bought gifts for every child before winter
break. But this year, the money was gone.
MURPHY: And I panicked because I couldn't imagine a child not having a gift under the Christmas tree, and decided I was going to figure out how to make
it happen.
WALDMAN (voice-over): So, she turned to TikTok and posted, despite having almost no followers. 48 hours later, she had a toy for every student, and
as the money kept pouring in, they were able to add a stuffed animal too.
MURPHY: Had a donation for $1.80 with a note that said, I'm just a high school student. This is all that I can afford, but I want to step up.
WALDMAN (voice-over): Now she's using the extra support to fill a stocking for every child with toys and hygiene supplies.
MURPHY: Everybody gets a hat, a tooth brush, some gloves and a hair brush.
WALDMAN (voice-over): She says, many families at the school don't typically do stocking, so for a lot of kids, this will be their first one ever.
MURPHY: So being able to get some of the students is stocking for the first time is going to be very magical.
WALDMAN (voice-over): Santa is coming to the school on December 16th for the kids, but Kyle isn't stopping there. A donor purchased a cooler for
every teacher, and now Kyle is trying to fill up each with goodies before they leave for break on the 19th.
MURPHY: Our students come from rough backgrounds, and our teachers don't just show up and teach our kids. They really are that consistency, that
love, that warmth. I would just love to kind of have that Oprah moment where they open it up and they see that you know, people around the country
are thinking about them too.
WALDMAN (voice-over): There's still time to help. Links are on her TikTok page and at Kylesaveschristmas.com.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: Such a cute story, right? And finally, this hour.
[11:55:00]
It was a jolly good time in the UK and Germany over the weekend as thousands of Santas hit the ground running, literally, a small town in
Germany was turned into a sea of red on Sunday for the annual center run. Participants dressed up like Father Christmas or Santa, as Americans say,
received a chocolate Santa for all their hard work.
And thousands of red robed Santas and some blue ones too, as you can spot them in the crowd, dash around Liverpool in the Annual 5K build is the UK's
largest Festive Fun Run. Participants are encouraged to raise money for local charities as part of the holiday tradition. All right, stay with "One
World". There's much more news after the short break with my colleague and I Bianna Golodryga next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
