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One World with Zain Asher
U.S. In "Active Pursuit" Of Oil Tanker Off Venezuela Coast; Anger At CBS After Management Pulls "60 Minutes" Segment; Mourners Mark One Week Since Hanukkah Massacre; Russian General Killed In Moscow Car Bombing; Finnish Reindeer Under Threat From Russian Wolves; MAGA Infighting Takes Center Stage At Turning Point Conference; Trump Fusion Deal Raises Ethics Concerns; Easing Heightened Stress Over The Holidays; Aired 12-1p ET
Aired December 22, 2025 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:00:41]
BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. Live from New York, I'm Bianna Golodryga. You are watching the second hour of "One World."
A chase is unfolding on the high seas. It's part of Washington's escalating pressure campaign on Venezuela and the government of Nicolas Maduro. The
U.S. is targeting the country's top natural resource and revenue generator. Of course, I'm talking about oil.
We're expecting to hear from President Trump later today as U.S. forces chase yet another oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela. The vessel, under
U.S. sanctions, were alleged links to Iranian oil was sailing towards Venezuela to pick up oil.
U.S. forces seized two other ships this month, the latest on Saturday. The month's long focus on Venezuela initially began as a crackdown on alleged
drug traffickers in the Caribbean and the Pacific.
The moves have sparked backlash, even among some Republicans. National Security correspondent Natasha Bertrand joins us now live from Washington,
D.C. So, what more can you tell us about this active pursuit of a sanctioned oil tanker, Natasha? And what does it tell us about the pursuit
in general that the U.S. has, as it relates to Venezuela, and it -- the regime of Nicolas Maduro?
NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, Bianna, we've got no additional information about the whereabouts of this vessel, about
the actions of the U.S. Coast Guard at this point, and whether that operation was actually successful.
All we have right now is that statement from yesterday in which the U.S. said that it was an active pursuit of this vessel, which is accused of
carrying sanctioned oil from -- to and from Iran.
Now, at this point, again, it's unclear what is going on because last we heard, that ship was fleeing. So it was headed towards Venezuela. It
appears to have turned around, was an international waters.
So the question now is did the Coast Guard simply allow it to leave because it was turning around and the main goal of this operation is to choke off
the oil imports and exports to Venezuela? Exports, I should say. Or is the Coast Guard simply trying to kind of corral it and find a better way to
board it while it is not moving, which is obviously a more dangerous situation for all involved?
So still trying to get more information on that. But as you mentioned, this was the second tanker just this past weekend that the U.S. attempted to
seize anyway. They successfully seized that first one, the Centuries oil tanker earlier in the weekend. And that was also accused of transporting
sanctioned oil, but it was not on a sanctioned list. The White House simply said that it was being accused of carrying sanctioned oil.
But all of this is part of this broader strategy now to do what President Trump says is take back stolen U.S. assets, which is kind of a new
justification that we have seen for U.S. military action in the Caribbean.
First, it was about stopping the flow of drugs. Now, it is more about squeezing the Venezuelan economy with regard to its top, of course,
lifeline, which is oil.
So again, it remains to be seen just what happens now with the second tanker and whether the U.S. Coast Guard is able to interdict it. As you
said, Republicans, including Republican Senator Rand Paul, very wary of the strategy saying that it could amount to a prelude of war, especially if
things escalate further, Bianna.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. And I believe there was a court-ordered warrant for the seizure of that first tanker, but not for the oil itself.
And so interesting when the president says that they are doing it to get back our resources and was even asked, what are you going to do with the
oil? And he said, maybe keep it. We'll see. A lot of -- a lot of fast- moving parts here.
Natasha Bertrand, thank you so much.
And for more, let's bring in Chris Sabatini. He's the senior fellow for Latin America at Chatham House and joins us now from London. So it is good
to see you, Chris.
So on the surface, the Coast Guard is leading these operations under a law enforcement banner. But, of course, right behind them is a massive showing
of the U.S. Navy. How are you reading what is going on right now and what the U.S. administration's ultimate goal is here?
CHRIS SABATINI, SENIOR FELLOW FOR LATIN AMERICA, CHATHAM HOUSE: Well, thank you, Bianna.
First of all, the U.S.'s goal has always been a regime change. They keep on changing the narrative, which is why the American people aren't buying it.
The goal of regime change could be laudable, quite frankly.
[12:05:59]
But as you mentioned earlier in the report, it was originally framed as addressing issues of narcotics trafficking and saving the lives of
Americans who were being affected by narcotics. Now it's shifted to starving the regime of its revenue derived from illicit oil. And indeed,
that's oil is under U.S. sanctions.
So in fact in this case, unlike the bombing of the alleged narco boats, the U.S. is actually a pretty good legal standing. There is precedent for
intercepting boats that are trans -- that are transiting illegal oil and many people have argued the same should be done in Russia.
The question now though, as you mentioned, is what is a Coast Guard operation? The other is what the largest armada of naval assets off the
coast of South America in -- in almost a decade rather in almost a century.
So right now, we're looking at the situation of, where will this go? And if this isn't sufficient to basically starve the regime of government money
and also produce some form of regime change, how far is the United States willing to go? And will this escalation create some sort of risk of a
conflict that could perhaps even be accidental but can quickly escalate it into something larger?
GOLODRYGA: Right. Because we know that Maduro has now ordered naval escorts for some of the tankers that -- that are leaving the coast of Venezuela.
"The Wall Street Journal" had an interesting report over the weekend that perhaps it is not just one government and one regime that the U.S. is
trying to overthrow or change here, not just Venezuela where the focus has been but Cuba as well.
And that by squeezing the Venezuelan regime, the immediate effect of this is being felt in Havana. Just talk about that connection and whether you
think it's intentional.
SABATINI: It's entirely intentional. So basically, when Hugo Chavez, Nicolas Maduro, the current president, his mentor and predecessor, was
elected in 1998, shortly after he was inaugurated, he started sending about 100,000 barrels of oil to Cuba a day.
That was a much needed lifeline to the Cuban regime which was struggling economically because of its failed state-centric economic system. The Cuban
regime at the time used about half of those barrels of oil a day for its own consumption then shipped the other and sold them on the international
market.
That amount has decreased about 30,000 barrels of oil per day, but it's still essential to keeping the Cuban government barely afloat, and I mean
barely afloat. We're looking at a humanitarian crisis in Cuba right now.
If Venezuela the government were to collapse or if the oil were to be intercepted as it's being and as was done in the case of the first anchor,
quite likely, the Cuban government would lose that much needed lifeline.
Now whether the collapse of the Cuban -- of the Venezuelan government would bring about the collapse of the Cuban government, we don't know, but that -
- for Senator Marco Rubio, a Cuban-American senator from Florida, when he was senator, this has always been basically the brass ring in terms of
trying to forge some change within the hemisphere.
So, yes, it's a reverse domino theory. Takeout a very brutal corrupt Maduro government in Venezuela and you'll eventually get a reverse domino effect
that they hope of bringing down the Castro regime which has been in place since 1959, and in Nicaragua, the regime of Daniel Ortega.
GOLODRYGA: So if it is natural resources and oil that is the lifeline in supporting Cuba, it is Cuban intelligence that's also supporting the Maduro
regime and keeping that propped up. So, do you envision a scenario where perhaps Cuba become so focused on the existential threat that it is facing
that the support that it is providing Venezuela then ends and there you have a weekend and exposed Maduro?
SABATINI: That's exactly right. But let's assume first what Cuba is doing, as you mentioned, they're sending an intelligence agents that's sort of
what they're getting for the oil they receive besides ideological affinity between the two governments.
Those Cuban agents inside embedded in the intelligence services and also the security sector in Venezuela are keeping a very close eye on signs of
dissent within the armed forces and it's funny because for a long time people have hoped that the armed services would defect and throw their
weight behind the opposition, both in 2019 and the Trump government sort of fostered and supported a -- a shadow Democratic government led by Juan
Guaido and then later in other efforts to try to unseat Maduro. But the Cubans really had a -- a lock on who was going to defect and who was a
threat.
And so for Cuba right now keeping Nicolas Maduro in power is basically the primary objective. Because if he does go, their time, it may not be
limited, but they will be in a much more difficult position.
So you have this very parasitic almost a relationship between the two regimes. If one falls, the other one will likely fall. And the same would
be true if Cuba were to fall first those intelligence agents that are so key to making sure there's no dissent within the security services that
could provide a threat to Nicolas Maduro will also vanish and then he'll be at greater risk.
[12:10:11]
GOLODRYGA: OK. And the impact here isn't just to the Western Hemisphere. We know this is closely being followed in Moscow and Beijing as well.
Chris Sabatini, thank you so much. Really appreciate your perspective.
SABATINI: Thank you.
GOLODRYGA: Well, journalists are threatening to quit at CBS News after management made a last-minute decision to pull a story that was supposed to
air on "60 Minutes" last night.
The story is about the way Venezuelan men deported by the Trump administration were treated at an infamous prison in El Salvador. But
sources say, the segment was pulled after objections from CBS News editor- in-chief Bari Weiss.
The correspondent on the story blames corporate censorship and has called the decision political.
CNN's chief media analyst Brian Stelter has been tracking the developments in this story.
So Brian, Sharyn Alfonsi is the correspondent here. She says that this was a fully vetted segment and it was pulled for political reasons.
Bari Weiss is arguing something quite different. She said that the -- the segment wasn't ready for television and will air in the next few weeks. So,
why is there so much focus on this story in particular and talk about the timing given that --
BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: Well, for one thing something just doesn't add up here -- yes.
There's something about the timing that just doesn't -- doesn't make sense here because Bari Weiss, who became editor-in-chief of CBS News about three
months ago, first watched this segment on Thursday night. There were several screenings internally. That's the normal process of ""60 Minutes"."
She watched it on Thursday night. The segment moved forward on Friday. It was finalized on Friday and it was publicized on Friday. So it was
announced to the world that it was going to air on Sunday.
But then something changed, because Friday night into Saturday morning, Weiss changed her mind. She had more questions, more concerns about the
segment and wanted to shelve it. And then come Sunday, CBS posted this announcement on social media, I think we can share it on screen that said,
hey, we've revised our schedule. We're putting on a different story instead. The segment about this prison will air at a later date.
There's something fishy there about the timeline where Weiss is involved on Thursday. Then it's announced on Friday. But for some reason, she changes
her mind on Saturday.
That is the main reason why CBS staffers are concerned now about either corporate interference or political meddling. They're wondering if CBS's
parent company Paramount got involved or if there was pressure from the Trump administration once this segment was announced.
But Weiss says, this is about journalistic principles. Here's what she said in a statement overnight quote, "My job is to make sure that all the
stories we publish are the best they can be. Holding stories that aren't ready for whatever reason that they lack sufficient context say or that
they're missing critical voices happens every day in every newsroom. I look forward to airing this important piece when it's ready."
She's technically right that this happens every day in every newsroom. What does not happen every day, which hardly ever happens in "60 Minutes", is a
story is done. It's in the can. It's announced publicly. And then all of a sudden, it's shelved.
And it's involving something highly sensitive, highly political at a time when President Trump is railing against "60 Minutes". So, you know, the
political overtones here, they're inescapable. And that's why this is such a huge controversy now.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. Something else that doesn't happen every day is that stories like this don't fall in the middle of a hostile takeover, a very
public one at that. And we've been covering that as well, Paramount, which has recently acquired CBS is now in a hostile takeover for-- and bid for
Warner Brothers Discovery, our parent company here.
And Warner Brothers Discovery, just last week, had sent a letter to the board head to its shareholders advising not to accept a counter offer from
Paramount, the original offer being on paper at least bigger than the Netflix offer, which Warner Brothers Discovery had agreed to, because they
said there were a lot of financial concerns that they add specifically about the backstopping of this deal by Larry Ellison, the cofounder of
Oracle. And he responded today. How -- how is Paramount responding?
STELTER: That's right. Ellison responding by saying he will personally guarantee the financing that is necessary, using his vast wealth, mostly
from Oracle in order to personally backstop this.
Now that's something that WBD had been, I want to say asking for, but have been objecting about it, have been concerned about it, have been saying,
why are you not personally putting your money where your mouth is and backing up this deal?
There have been concerns raised by U.S. lawmakers about the -- the funding from Middle Eastern sovereign wealth funds from Saudi Arabia, from Qatar,
from Abu Dhabi.
So now you have Larry Ellison personally saying he's good for it. He's going to back it up. That's not going to be enough, however, to convince
WBD to play friendly with this hostile takeover bid.
Paramount is still saying that $30 per share, not raising the bid above $30 per share. And so that is, I suspect what the WBD board will respond by
saying. They will say, thanks, but we're sticking with Netflix.
[12:15:08]
And as a result, Bianna, this is going to go into the New Year. This tug of war over WBD is going to go into the New Year. And it matters, yes, about
media, about power, about the control of media enterprise. It's also one of the biggest hostile takeover bids in corporate history in the United
States. So this is something that is going to remain in the news for a while.
And when we see this drama at CBS News about this concern about corporate censorship, it makes the concern about Paramount all the more palpable.
That's why we've heard from both Republican and Democratic senators in the U.S. raising concerns about Paramount's attempt to take over WBD.
GOLODRYGA: We know this is going to last months, if not years, throughout the regulatory process, whichever company WBD shareholders decide on.
And, oh, let's not forget, the Trump factor in all of this. He has been very clear about being involved throughout it all.
CNN chief media analyst Brian Stelter can't make this stuff up.
STELTER: Thanks.
GOLODRYGA: Thank you so much.
Well, we are learning new details about the men accused of carrying out that deadly attack on a Hanukkah celebration in Australia. New court
documents say the father and son threw four improvised explosive devices at the crowd on Bondi Beach just moments before they started shooting, though
none of them detonated.
Court documents also suggest that the pair might have had some tactical training. This has lawmakers in the state of New South Wales are debating
new laws to tighten gun control, limit protests and ban the display of terror symbols.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRIS MINNS, NEW SOUTH WALES PREMIER: Today, we're introducing new laws, tough new laws, to protect the community, to crack down on hate and
strengthen public safety. The legislation bans the public displays of terror symbols, outlaws, violence, incitement to violence in New South
Wales and gives police stronger powers during public assemblies.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Thousands of mourners gathered at Bondi Beach Sunday evening to remember the 15 people killed in the attack.
CNN's Angus Watson was there.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANGUS WATSON, CNN PRODUCER (voice-over): One week after the worst terror attack in Australian history, Bondi's Jewish community led the nation in a
moment of silence at a mass memorial at Bondi Beach.
Here, two gunmen opened fire on a celebration for the first night of Hanukkah, killing 15 and wounding over 40, including 14-year-old Chaya
Dadon.
CHAYA DADON, 14-YEAR-OLD INJURED IN BONDI BEACH SHOOTING: Thank you all so much for much for coming.
Well, obviously, mourning, but we're getting stronger as a nation and we're like -- we're growing. And, like, sometimes growing hurts, but we're
growing and life is going to move on. And why not make the best of it?
WATSON (voice-over): The eighth night of Hanukkah should also have been a celebration. Instead, it concluded a week of heartbreak and mourning.
RABBI MENDY LITZMAN, FIRST RESPONDER: We're among the very first on scene.
WATSON (voice-over): Rabbi Mendy Litzman, a first responder to the attack, was on stage to light the first candle of the Hanukkah menorah.
LITZMAN: When I arrived, there's just bodies everywhere, people bleeding, people shouting, Mendy, Mendy, save me, save me. And who do you go to
first?
WATSON: The festival celebrates light over darkness. One week ago, two gunmen stood on this bridge. Tonight, a Hanukkah menorah.
WATSON (voice-over): On Sunday, the eighth candle lit by the father of the youngest victim, 10-year-old Matilda. Hanukkah's message of light over
darkness, giving Australia the chance to heal.
Angus Watson, CNN, at Sydney's Bondi Beach.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GOLODRYGA: Still to come for us. A Russian general is killed in a car bombing and what appears to be the latest assassination of a senior
military official inside Russia's borders.
Plus, Finland faces the wolves of war. How the deaths of reindeer might be connected to the conflict, the war in Ukraine. Those stories and more after
the break.
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[12:20:35]
GOLODRYGA: Now to the latest shakeup at the U.S. State Department, the Trump administration is removing several career diplomats from their posts
abroad. Sources say at least two dozen senior diplomats have received notice that they must leave next month.
Former diplomats described the situation as unprecedented. The Union for Foreign Service Officers warns that their removal, without cause or
justification, sends a dangerous message. While the career ambassadors are not being fired, they only have a limited window to find a new assignment
or face retirement.
U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff says Russia remains fully committed to achieving peace in Ukraine. It follows a weekend of talks with Kremlin
envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, in Miami, Florida. There's no word on whether any agreements were struck on ending the conflict.
But Russia says it views changes made by Europe and Ukraine to U.S. proposals as largely unconstructive. Witkoff and Donald Trump's son-in-law
Jared Kushner have been working to fine-tune a multi-point plan that would end the conflict through U.S.-backed security guarantees for Ukraine and
land concessions.
The U.S. team held separate meetings in Florida with a delegation from Ukraine. The U.S. and Ukraine both calling those talks productive.
And in Moscow, a senior Russian general has been killed in a car bombing. It appears to be the latest targeted assassination of a senior military
official inside Russia. Images from the scene show damage to multiple vehicles in a parking lot. Investigators have now opened a criminal case.
Officials believe Ukraine's special services may have been behind the attack.
CNN's Clare Sebastian has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This unassuming white car, Russian officials say, is where Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, the Russian
general in charge of operational training, spent some of his final moments.
A bomb planted under the vehicle's chassis.
SVETLANA PETRENKO, RUSSIAN INVESTIGATIVE COMMITTEE SPOKESPERSON (through translator): One of the theories is that the crime was organized by
Ukrainian special services.
SEBASTIAN (voice-over): Ukraine hasn't yet commented. It was frightening, says this local resident. At first, they thought a Shahed or some other
Ukrainian drone had been shot down.
Frightening, yet not as unusual a death as you might think for a high-level Russian military commander. Savarov, at least the sixth Russian military
official have died in targeted attacks on Russian or occupied Ukrainian soil since February 2022.
At least four of the incidents happened in or close to the Russian capital. Car bombs are the most common method. This was the blast that killed
Lieutenant General Yaroslav Moskalik in April, just east of Moscow. The wreckage of another unassuming white car on the scene.
But there have been other more unusual approaches. This footage obtained by CNN shows the moments before a remotely detonated bomb planted in a scooter
killed Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, the head of Russia's nuclear and chemical weapons forces outside his Moscow apartment block last December. A
source with knowledge of the operation told CNN the Ukrainian security services were responsible.
And in the summer of 2023, Stanislav Rzhitsky, a former commander with Russia's Black Sea Fleet, was shot dead while out running. Russian media
reported he may have been tracked using the popular fitness app, Strava.
Ukraine doesn't usually take direct responsibility.
[12:25:00]
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: It's so important not to relax or rely on diplomacy alone.
SEBASTIAN (voice-over): But as a fourth winter of constant Russian attacks grinds on with no sign of compromising talks, this invisible war is testing
Russia's defenses at home and exposing clear gaps.
Clare Sebastian, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GOLODRYGA: Well, reindeer are dying in Finland, and many people there are blaming Russian President Vladimir Putin for it.
CNN's Isobel Yeung reports on an unexpected consequence of war.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ISOBEL YEUNG, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Russia's war in Ukraine is having far-reaching and surprising impacts, even hundreds of
miles away here in Finland.
Every year, hundreds of thousands of tourists from all over the world flock here to the Arctic Circle.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have a feeling that you came to see Santa.
YEUNG (voice-over): Finnish legend has it that this is the home --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi, Santa.
YEUNG (voice-over): -- of Santa Claus.
The iconic reindeer are at the heart of Finland's culture and economy. But Finland's reindeer are in trouble. Thousands are showing up dead, and you
might be surprised to know who people here blame, Russian president Vladimir Putin.
Russia's border with Finland stretches over 800 miles, the longest of any NATO country.
Juha Kujala lives just a few miles away. His family have been wrangling reindeer for over 400 years. He now sells reindeer everything: from
reindeer yoga -- think like a reindeer -- to sleigh rides.
Oh, poor reindeer. What is it that's killing the reindeer?
KUJALA: Wolf is the worst. And they just kill, kill, kill, kill. It's awful. This area, wolves, most of them come from the East, the Russian
side.
YEUNG: How do you know that?
KUJALA: You see the tracks. They come from the Russian side.
YEUNG: Why do you think there are more Russian wolves?
KUJALA: That's the Putin who changed the world.
YEUNG: Putin?
KUJALA: Yes. The soldiers and the young hunters, they hunt the wolves, but now they're hunting people in Ukraine. There's nobody anymore that are left
who's hunting the wolves.
YEUNG: So, do you blame Vladimir Putin for these dead reindeer?
YEUNG (voice-over): Who could I blame? I could blame the whole world. Why this should happen? It's getting worse after the Ukraine war.
YEUNG (voice-over): In an effort to control the thriving wolf population, Russian men have long been paid bounties by the state for every wolf they
hunt.
But experts who track the Russian military tell us that recruitment drives into the war in Ukraine have been intense, leaving fewer people to hunt the
wolves.
Now, reports in Russian media say wolves are increasingly entering villages and towns. And it seems they're crossing the border. Extensive wolf DNA
testing supports that theory.
In Finland, there's been a dramatic rise in wolves, which are killing reindeer in record numbers.
Sightings like these are increasingly common all along Eastern Finland. That's something that will be difficult to stop, as tensions along this
over 800-mile border are at their highest point in decades.
YEUNG: So, right now, we are with some Finnish conscripts in the northernmost part of the European Union.
YEUNG (voice-over): Finland has increased defense spending and is carrying out large-scale military training.
YEUNG: Finland seems like a very optimistic but also very prepared country.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's smart to prepare.
YEUNG (voice-over): As Finland preps for the worst, Kujala is hoping for the best.
KUJALA: Hopefully, Mr. Trump, if you hear me, do everything to try to stop this war. If we cannot fix this wolf situation quickly, some part of the
area going to be without reindeers.
YEUNG: And what would that mean to you?
KUJALA: Like somebody -- somebody took my life away.
YEUNG (voice-over): Isobel Yeung, CNN, in Northern Finland.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GOLODRYGA: Fantastic report there from Isobel.
All right. Still to come for us, conservatives in America literally at a turning point. MAGA infighting takes center stage at the first conference
in the wake of Charlie Kirk's assassination.
And Vice President J.D. Vance tackles those divisions head on.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:30:05]
GOLODRYGA: All right. Welcome back to "One World." I'm Bianna Golodryga.
Less than a year into U.S. President Donald Trump's second term, cracks are growing in the MAGA coalition. Those divisions were on full display at a
gathering of conservative influencers and young Republicans at the Turning Point USA conference this weekend.
It was the first such gathering since the murder of co-founder, Charlie Kirk, and was supposed to be a weekend of unity. But instead, tensions
among conservatives took center stage.
J.D. Vance, who was endorsed by Turning Point CEO, Erika Kirk, for the 2028 presidential race, addressed that friction head-on.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
J.D. VANCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I know that some of you are impatient at the pace of progress and my response to that is, good. Be
impatient. Use that desire for justice for your country as fuel to get involved in this movement in a bigger and better and more powerful way.
I know some of you are discouraged by the infighting over any number of issues. Don't be discouraged. Wouldn't you rather lead a movement of free
thinkers who sometimes disagree than a bunch of drones who take their orders from George Soros?
Meanwhile, in a surprise appearance at the AmericaFest Conference, rapper Nicki Minaj praised both Vance and his boss, saying that she has, quote,
the utmost respect and admiration for President Trump.
All right. Time now for "The Exchange." CNN politics senior reporter Stephen Collinson joins us now live from Washington.
Stephen, I think it would have been pretty definitive and a big game changer here, given all of the tensions and fissures within the MAGA base
of the Republican Party in particular.
If we saw J.D. Vance once and for all come out and condemn those who are conspiracy theorists, who are anti-Semites, white nationalists, he's done
something along those lines, even recently about a year ago calling Nick Fuentes a loser.
[12:35:04]
Instead, he veered towards, we're a big tent party and it's not about purity tests. What should we read into that?
STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN POLITICS SENIOR REPORTER: Yes. This was an absolutely fascinating conference. All of those extremist groups that you
mentioned were present at this event.
What is so fascinating about it, I think, is that the -- the conservative movement, this part of the conservative movement at least, is thinking
already quite vigorously about what it means for themselves when Donald Trump is no longer the leader.
Erika Kirk, for example, endorsed J.D. Vance to run for president in 2028. That's, you know, three years away and already this is happening, this
debate in the party. The fact that Vance didn't condemn on that stage a lot of these groups, I think, tells you that he's trying to very gingerly build
his own political base right now.
Not only does he have to worry about all these fractions -- factions that were at present at this conference, white nationalists, as you said,
Christian nationalists, conspiracy theories. There are a lot of anti-Israel voters at this conference. Some in the movement have been verging towards
anti-Semitism as well.
He has a very difficult task as he seeks to build a political platform. At the same time, as he's in this perilous position of being Donald Trump's
vice president, he can't get too far out there. And in many ways, his fate in any national election that he would take on as the nominee in 2028 could
depend on the success or otherwise of the Trump presidency. So Vance, I would say, is going to be a really important figure to watch over the next
year or so.
GOLODRYGA: Why is it such a difficult task in your view for J.D. Vance to come out and condemn anti-Semites, white nationalists, and conspiracy
theorists and say they're not welcome in our party?
COLLINSON: I think he doesn't want to alienate some of the people who he hopes will support him, and he doesn't want to widen those gaps.
Sooner or later, if he starts trying to appeal to a wider audience, even inside the Republican Party, I think he's going to have to take those
steps.
But the -- the MAGA movement is fracturing. What -- what I think is happening here is that Donald Trump and Charlie Kirk were like tent poles
over this big tent that managed to keep all of these factions together.
You saw Donald Trump, over the years, pay lip service to some of these extremist factions, himself not condemning them, but giving himself plenty
of deniability.
Without Donald Trump and Charlie Kirk, it seems like all of the factions within the MAGA movement, and we're not even yet talking about the working
class, white voters that -- that build Donald Trump's base, but all of these other factions are starting to fight against each other.
And I think there are two real questions. The first of all, if Vance is going to be the nominee, is whether he can keep them together. This is the
start of that. The other one is if the Turning Point's movement, especially, is going to be so powerful without Charlie Kirk. Is it going to
have the same appeal to a lot of perhaps slightly more moderate conservative young people that it did in the last election? And that was
the reason it was so powerful to President Trump.
If it becomes this far-right extreme Christian nationalist movement, then it may lose some of its power in the broader spectrum of American politics.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. And we're seeing the ripple effects that the Heritage Foundation has had a number of defections, I believe, continues to bleed
members now following Tucker Carlson's interview with Nick Fuentes, if you want to describe that as an interview.
And yet, we -- we still haven't heard from President Trump on this as well. Is that just a political tactic on his part, trying to not get involved in
these fissures? Or does he think, by doing so, he's acknowledging the obvious that he's already a lame duck?
COLLINSON: I think that Trump, first of all, cares mostly about himself. His own political imperatives in any moment. I don't think necessarily this
is the most important thing on his mind.
But President Trump has never really used the political capital he's had as the head of the MAGA movement to take any risks with that support. He never
really turns against his base. He doesn't want confrontation among his own supporters. He doesn't want to alienate anybody. That's why he's been so
willing to accommodate some influences on the far right in the nationalist movement that many other Republicans believe are beyond the pale for their
party.
So I wouldn't expect Trump to come out and condemn any of his behavior. I think Trump is worried about his own immediate political plight. He's
falling approval ratings and maintaining his own personal power over the next three years.
[12:40:04]
GOLODRYGA: Stephen Collinson, thank you so much.
COLLINSON: Thanks.
GOLODRYGA: Appreciate the time.
All right. Still to come for us, fusion energy could be the holy grail of clean energy, but a recent business deal in the U.S. is putting the
industry's integrity at risk. We'll explain.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GOLODRYGA: All right. Let's check out how the U.S. markets are doing right now. It looks like green arrows across the board. The Dow up half a
percentage point, same with the S&P 500 and the NASDAQ. This is your "Business Breakout."
Popular Kentucky bourbon maker, Jim Beam, has announced plans to pause production in its main distillery in Kentucky from New Year's Day. The
decision comes as its home state faces an increasing supply of aging bourbon barrels. Distillers are also grappling with the economic
uncertainty triggered by the Trump administration's trade wars.
"Avatar: Fire and Ash" made an estimated $88 million at U.S. and Canadian box offices for its opening weekend. Hollywood is keeping a close eye on
these numbers because movie theater attendance has declined in recent years as more people turn to streaming. Avatar's director James Cameron says that
could be a problem for future blockbusters.
The $6 billion merger announced last week between Trump owned media and technology group and fusion energy company TAE Technologies is ringing
alarm bells. Ethics experts warning that it poses glaring conflicts of interest.
The merger still needs to be approved by federal regulators, many of whom were nominated by Trump himself.
CNN's Matt Egan joins us now from New York. So tell us more about this merger and some of the questions that it's raising.
MATT EGAN, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Yes. Bianna, this merger is alarming ethics watchdogs, because it means that if it gets approved, the president of the
United States would own a significant stake in a company whose fortune is going to be decided by the federal government.
Now, TAE Technologies is not a household name, but it's been around for almost 30 years. It's backed by Google, Chevron, Goldman Sachs and others.
And next year, it's aiming to roll out the first utility scale fusion power plant.
Now, fusion is often looked at as the holy grail of clean energy because it could provide almost limitless clean energy.
However, this technology it's not commercially viable yet. Analysts say that it's going to require support from the very deep pockets of the
federal government. And that's not to mention the role for federal regulators in ensuring this gets developed and rolled out safely.
[12:45:16]
Now this deal set off shockwaves on Wall Street the moment it came out. You see, this is Trump media's share price. It was slumping most of this year.
And then the deal came out and the share price just skyrocketed by 40 percent in one day.
And this significantly increased the president's net worth because he owns a significant amount of shares through a trust. And so his net worth went
up by $500 million on just the day that the deal was announced.
Now, Richard Painter, he's a former ethics official in the George W. Bush administration. He told me this is a clear conflict of interest. He said,
anyone other than the president or the vice president could be running afoul of federal law if they're involved in federal decision making that
involves companies that where they have a significant financial interest.
However, he noted that the president and the vice president, they are shielded from that conflict of interest law.
And one other point here, Bianna, Painter said that every single president, since the Civil War, has divested himself from financial interest where
there could be a conflict. But he noted that President Trump, on the other hand, has done the opposite.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. And he's done that both in this, the first year of his second term. And we've covered a lot of that in his first as well.
How is the White House responding to all of this now, Matt?
EGAN: Yes. Bianna, the White House is criticizing the news media for covering this issue. And the press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, she said
that neither the president nor his family have ever engaged or will ever engage in conflicts of interest.
Now, one of the concerns here is that this merger could cause the federal government to play favorites, right? Perhaps giving preferential treatment
to Trump media and its fusion subsidiary instead of some of the other companies that are out there.
And I talked to Don Beyer. He's a Democrat from Virginia, congressman, and he's co-chair of the House Fusion Energy Caucus. And he told me, I hate the
thought of a president who puts his name on the Kennedy Center, putting his foot on the scale of who the winners and losers are in fusion energy.
One last point, I did talk to the CEO of TAE Energy of Technologies. And they -- he told me that they're not looking for any special treatment here
from the federal government.
But I would just note, Bianna, that there are shareholders and analysts on Wall Street who do suspect that this company, if the deal does get done,
that they will in fact get special treatment here. And that's one of the reasons why the share price went up so dramatically last week. Back to you.
GOLODRYGA: It's hard not to think that prior to the deal and leading up to it, some of these same questions weren't raised as well.
Matt Egan, good to see you. Thank you.
EGAN: Thanks, Bianna.
GOLODRYGA: Coming up, gathering for the holidays brings joy to so many people but, of course, it can also cause anxiety. We'll take a look at how
to cope with it all.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:50:43]
GOLODRYGA: Well, anxiety often peaks around the holidays from financial stress to family dynamics to travel woes. And anyone wishing to take a
moment to read the news during this period will find that it can be even more stress inducing.
So, what should those going through this anxiety do? Guided meditation is one way to help ease the heightened stress.
And for that, we want to bring in our good friend, journalist, author, guru on all things, meditation, Dan Harris. He's the author of 10 Percent
Happier, the host of the 10 Percent Happier podcast, bringing mindfulness and guided meditation to his audience.
Dan, it's so good to see you. A reminder to our viewers that you and I go way back once upon a time hosting a morning network show together. You were
smart and ventured off to start something else and have been quite successful tapping into that.
The news has continued, my friend, and it hasn't all been good. The stress has only heightened over the last few years, even the last year when we had
you on, and now it's a time of year where families are gathering.
Everyone's hoping for perfection. They're not going to get that. But you talk about, quote, non-attachment to results and embracing the mess. What
does that mean? And how can families utilize that when they walk into some of these high-stress scenarios?
DAN HARRIS, HOST THE 10 PERCENT HAPPIER PODCAST: Well, let me star, first of all, happy holidays, Bianna. It's great to see you. Always great to see
you.
GOLODRYGA: You too.
HARRIS: And I've been sitting here listening to you anchor the -- anchor the news for the last few minutes, and you are just so good. So it's great,
great to be reconnected with you.
GOLODRYGA: I've learned from the best.
HARRIS: On this question of -- I don't know if you learned from me. But on this question of non-attachment to results, it's a Buddhist concept.
And basically, it's pretty simple. It's that everything is changing all the time. We all know this. Change is real. And given that everything is
changing all the time, we live in a chaotic universe where things are out of our control, if we are too invested in controlling the results of our
actions, we're likely to suffer.
So during the holidays, you can't really control how your gifts are going to be received by the people to whom you've given them. You can't really
control how a party is going to turn out, how your turkey or your cake is going to turn out, how your meals will -- will be received by the people
with whom you're sharing them.
So you can do as much work as you want. You can put as much love into the holidays as you can. But you need to relax at some point because you have
to recognize that you can't control all of the outcomes.
And I think there's a certain amount of peace in that surrender. Does that make sense, what I'm saying?
GOLODRYGA: No, completely. And poor uncles, because we -- we always describe this as a crazy uncle scenario that we -- we all can relate to,
where we're sitting at a dinner table, all we want to do is either get up and leave or throw our role in their face.
But instead, we can't do that because we're civilized adults. You talk about just creating boundaries. And I -- I guess knowing what you're
walking into and focusing more on how you handle it versus what you -- you can't really control, and that is what the crazy uncle or crazy relative
ends up saying or doing at the dinner table.
HARRIS: Right. OK. So two pieces of advice when it comes to dealing with difficult family members, especially people who you might disagree with
over politics or something like that. One is, yes, you can -- you can, very politely but insistently state a boundary. Hey, you know what? I don't
think this is a good conversation for us to have. And you can just have that script. Hey, I don't think this is a good conversation for us to have.
And repeat it very gently and politely when people try to bring things up.
The second technique that I really like is if you're talking to somebody with whom you disagree about politics or anything else, try something
called reflective listening. So the idea here is it never works to try to change somebody's mind. But if you can make them feel heard, they will eat
out of the palm of your hand.
So reflective listening is just people may say they may utter a few paragraphs at you about their views on tariffs or whatever. And then you
just repeat back in your own words the essence of what they've told you and aim for the other person to say exactly. Because when they say exactly,
that means they feel heard. And I have found this is a great way to avoid arguments and maintain relationship.
[12:55:59]
GOLODRYGA: Yes, a little reverse psychology there because what you're hoping is that by explaining what the other party is thinking, it's pretty
obvious to everyone at the table just how illogical a lot of what that other party is thinking really is without being rude.
We also know that substance abuse and depression tends to spike this time of year as well.
HARRIS: Yes.
GOLODRYGA: And you shared some simple advice for avoiding or dealing with that too. And it's everything from straw breathing, half smiling, even
singing, intrusive thoughts. Give us some more on those tips.
HARRIS: Yes. So stress -- stress is just a huge part of the holidays for so many of us. And it's nice to have just little techniques in your back
pocket that you can use to reduce the stress.
So you listen to some of them there and let's just go over them. One is, if you've got repeated intrusive thoughts about how, oh, this party is going
to be a mess or I said something that I really regret, one way to defang the power of those thoughts is just to sing them out loud, because often
when you sing them out loud, it just -- it reveals how ridiculous they are.
Another technique that I find really helpful, when I was doing right before we went on the air, Bianna, is that I have a long history of fear of public
speaking, so I can get a little nervous even when I'm talking to you.
So there's this thing called straw breathing where you take a deep, deep inhale through your nose and then a long exhale through the mouth with your
lips first as if you're blowing through a straw.
GOLODRYGA: Yes.
HARRIS: And even two, three, four of these deep inhale, extended out breath, even two or three or four of these can really reset the nervous
system.
GOLODRYGA: OK. Well -- well, Dan, here's a first for me. I'm being told to wrap you, which it makes me uncomfortable and nervous, but please accept my
apologies. We're tight on time.
It is good to see you wishing you all the best. I know you're working on another book. Stay busy, you're helping so many people. Dan Harris, really
appreciate it. Happy holidays.
And that does it for "One World" today. I'm Bianna Golodryga. Thank you for watching. "Amanpour" is up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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