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The Situation Room

New Epstein Estate Photo Show Trump, Bill Clinton & Others; Republicans Join Dems In Defeating Indiana Redistricting Plan; Sources: FDA Plans To Put Its Most Serious Warning On COVID Vaccines. Aired 11-11:30a ET

Aired December 12, 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]

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Wolf Blitzer, Pamela Brown is on assignment, and you're in The Situation Room.

We're following the breaking news right now. Democrats on the House Oversight Committee just releasing brand new photos from the estate of the late convicted sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein. The committee obtained the images as part of its ongoing investigation. The panel has so far released tens of thousands of documents, e-mails, and other communications that it received from the Epstein estate that continue to open new lines of inquiry.

Let's go live right now to our senior reporter, Annie Grayer, who's working the story for us. What are we learning, first of all, Annie, from these new images, and what are lawmakers saying about all of this?

ANNIE GRAYER, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Well, Wolf, there are 19 images released by the Democrats on the House Oversight Committee, and they're still combing through over 95,000. But these photos really give us an inside look into the most powerful men in the world that Jeffrey Epstein was connected with. And three of those photos include President Donald Trump.

One of them is with the President and six women whose faces are blurred out. There's another photo of the President and one woman whose face is blurred out, and a third photo of the President, Epstein, and a woman whose face is not blurred. Then there is a photo of what appears to be a box of novelty condoms with President Trump's face on it with a price tag of $4.50 with the caption saying, I'm huge.

And Trump is not the only one who is featured in these photos. There's also images of Alan Dershowitz, Bill Clinton, Bill Gates, Woody Allen. These are some of the most powerful men in the world that have been known to be connected to Epstein previously, but these photos just provide more context on their relationship.

There's no evidence of sexual misconduct or sexual activity in these photos, and it doesn't appear that any of the women in these photos are underage. But they come from Epstein's Gmail account. It's unclear who took these photos or what the context was around them. But it's part of the Oversight Committee's broader investigation into Epstein, where they've received thousands of documents. Listen to the top Democrat on the Oversight Committee who spoke with reporters this morning upon these new photos' release.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. ROBERT GARCIA (D-CA), RANKING MEMBER, OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE: It will take days and weeks to ensure that we've got those photos and that a redaction is done in the appropriate way. Let me just also say that clearly we have put out I think maybe 15 to 20 of those photos this morning, Democrats have. We will continue to put out more photos in the days and weeks ahead, but I just caution folks that the redaction process and ensuring that we are protecting the survivors and the women who were abused by Epstein are protected.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRAYER: Now, Republicans on the panel who are also conducting this investigation are accusing Democrats of cherry-picking photos here, because again, these are only 19 photos released over the 95,000 that the committee will have access to and start combing through. But all of this comes as we are waiting for the Department of Justice to release all of the files it has on the Epstein case in its possession that was required by law after passing in Congress last month.

BLITZER: Clearly, there's been an enormous amount of information that has been provided to Congress, and the Justice Department for that matter, from the Epstein estate. Do we anticipate there's a lot more still to come?

GRAYER: Well, that is a moving target, Wolf, but this investigation is ongoing, and we -- the Epstein estate has been extremely cooperative with the committee and provided some of the biggest bombshell pieces of information that we've received so far, including that birthday book from over the summer where President Trump appeared to have written a birthday note to Epstein. So there's a lot of treasure trove of information in there, and we'll wait to see if any more comes out.

BLITZER: All right, Annie Grayer, you're doing excellent reporting for us. Thank you very, very much.

Also new this morning, a big defeat in Indiana of a proposal to redraw the political map in that state to favor Republican candidates in next year's midterm elections. Huge loss for the Republicans and for President Trump, for that matter.

By a vote of 31 to 19, the state Senate defeated the redistricting plan pushed by President Trump and aimed at flipping two congressional seats held by Democrats. There were cheers outside the chamber just after that vote. Remarkably, listen to this, 21 Republicans joined all 10 Democrats to defeat the plan.

Let's go live right now to CNN's Alayna Treene over at the White House. Alayna, the President and others in his administration, they pushed hard for this one. They failed. What happened?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes, this is a stunning defeat for the President, certainly for his political team, because this strategy, really, of trying to, you know, insulate House Republicans in next year's election by using redistricting to redraw maps not just in Indiana but in a series of other states as well, that has really been core to the administration's political strategy.

Of course, Republicans and conservative groups here in Washington also really pushing that effort. Indiana was key to a lot of this. They were looking to pick up two seats for Republicans ahead of the midterms, and now that is not going to happen. And the reason that's so important, two seats, Wolf, might not seem like a lot, but Democrats only need in the House to win four seats in order to regain the majority. And that's if, you know, it doesn't even get any slimmer before November of next year.

[11:05:25]

And so this really is a huge deal. Now, part of the reason, of course, that redistricting and really trying to just ensure Republicans have a better shot at the midterms next year is so important to the White House and to Trump in particular is because, one, if Democrats take control over the House after 2026, the last two years of the president's second term is really going to be, you know, stymied. His agenda will not be able to pass.

He's not going to be able to get major legislation through. That's part of it, making him more of a lame duck than he already will be. But then there's also this idea that Democrats can launch investigations. They can issue subpoenas. They can provide a lot of oversight and have hearings on Capitol Hill. All of the things that really, I'd remind you, a lot of people in this building behind me had experienced back during the President's first term.

Of course, many of the people in the White House working with the President were with him back then as well and went through all of that. Now, one thing I want to play for you is what the President said in response to this defeat, and particularly take note of him saying that he didn't make that much of an effort to pressure Republicans into doing this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I wasn't working on it very hard. It would have been nice. I think we would have picked up two seats if we did that. You had one gentleman, the head of the Senate, I guess, Bray, whatever his name is. I heard he was against it. He'd probably lose his next primary, whatever that is. I hope he does, because he's done a tremendous disservice.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TREENE: So you could hear there especially critical words for Rodric Bray. He is the state Senate leader for the Republicans in Indiana. But look, what he was saying there about not making much of an effort, that's not necessarily true. We know that many people in this administration had been really ramping up the pressure on the Indiana Senate Republicans, especially when you look at, you know, the Vice President, for example, J.D. Vance. He went to Indiana twice to meet with the state Senate Republicans and urged them on this.

Some of those lawmakers also came to the White House and sat down with the political team, and the President himself all along had been posting that perhaps if -- if Republicans did not get in line and support this measure, that they could face MAGA primary challenges in the spring, all to say a big defeat that's definitely going to impact their strategy moving forward.

BLITZER: This is, you know, the latest example of Republicans splitting away from Trump, right? It's causing, I'm sure, a lot of nervousness and headaches for Republicans in general, but also for the White House.

TREENE: Yes, I think there's a lot of questions, Wolf, about -- about what this means about the President's stranglehold on the party, it's, you know -- especially when you look at last year, just a year ago, and the -- and the days after President Donald Trump had won the general election again. Things are a bit different now.

For a while, you know, there was a lot of loyalty tests happening and Republicans very much afraid to break with him. But in -- in recent weeks, we've seen more of those examples, Indiana, of course, being just the latest.

BLITZER: Alayna Treene over at the White House for us. Alayna, thank you very much.

[11:08:14]

Still ahead, Black Box warning why the FDA's most serious alert for medications that can be harmful could soon be on all COVID vaccines. The new move the FDA is now considering. Lots going on. Stay with us. You're in the Situation Room. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: All right, new this morning, the Food and Drug Administration, get this, is working on a plan to put its most serious warning on COVID-19 vaccines.

Sources are telling CNN the so-called Black Box warning is designed to alert consumers about very high risks such as death or disabling reactions. CNN's Meg Tirrell has more on this. Meg, what is prompting the FDA to do this?

MEG TIRRELL, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, it's not exactly clear what the warning will say. We understand that the planning for this is still in the works. It could potentially be changed. It's not finalized, but is expected or had been expected by the FDA to be, or by us to be unveiled by the FDA this month.

And it comes after an internal memo was circulated within the FDA by its chief of vaccines, Dr. Vinay Prasad, which linked the COVID vaccine to deaths of at least 10 children. But it didn't provide data in that memo. And outside experts say they want to see the data because they haven't seen any to support that claim.

And so the reactions we're hearing to this potential to add this most serious warning to COVID-19 vaccines is dismay that this could further undermine confidence in these vaccines, which people note were tested widely, yes, rapid speed during the pandemic, but in more than 70,000 people and have shown to be lifesaving for millions of people around the globe.

This, of course, Wolf, was a crowning achievement of the Trump administration's first term, which oversaw this development and the green lighting of these vaccines. We have reached out to the Department of Health and Human Services about this, which tells us, "Unless the FDA announces it, any claim about what it will do is pure speculation. The FDA takes very seriously any death that is attributed to a regulated medical product." Wolf?

BLITZER: Now, is this a warning that potentially could come out there? This Black Box warning, as it's called, only for kids getting the COVID-19 vaccine or for adults and elderly for that matter?

[11:15:07]

TIRRELL: Well, it's not clear, Wolf, but there is a concern that adding a warning like this could deter use. And outside medical groups still recommend COVID vaccinations annually, particularly for vulnerable groups like some of the ones that you just noted, for people over the age of 65, for people who have compromised immune systems and also for young babies and toddlers under the age of two, all of whom are at higher risk of being hospitalized from COVID.

And you can see here that rates of vaccination, this is for this season from the CDC, are already very low. And so there are real concerns that this will drive those trends even lower, Wolf.

BLITZER: Yes. Full disclosure, I received my COVID-19 vaccine booster just a little while ago, got the flu shot as well. Meg Tirrell, thank you very, very much for that update. Important information for our viewers.

WHITNEY WILD, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CORRESPONDENT: I'm Whitney Wild in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The former head of the University of Michigan football team fired, then arrested. More on that story coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:20:49]

BLITZER: Happening now, we're waiting for the arraignment of now former University of Michigan football coach, Sherrone Moore. He was arrested just hours after being fired for what school officials say was credible evidence that he was, "engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a staff member." Let's go live right now to CNN law enforcement correspondent Whitney Wild, who's on the scene for us in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Whitney, Michigan has a huge bowl game coming up, the Citrus Bowl in Florida against the University of Texas, and now there's this development about Moore's arraignment. Give us the latest.

WILD: Well, right now, Wolf, we do not know what he is going to be charged with. We are not even sure that he is going to be charged today, although the latest information we have from law enforcement is that he is expected to be arraigned today.

We continue to check on his status. My understanding is that he is in this jail in this building behind me. This is the jail in Washtenaw County, Michigan. This is the county that surrounds Ann Arbor. Let me just walk you through how we got here. Wednesday was an explosive day here in Ann Arbor.

That was the day we learned that the University of Michigan was firing Sherrone Moore. Hours later, he was arrested by local law enforcement here on an alleged assault. Hours after that, he was formally booked into the jail here, and this is where he has been since Wednesday night.

We have been combing, you know, every piece of information possible, and CNN can now report audio that was obtained that details the police response, what law enforcement was saying as they began investigating. This dispatch audio that we are about to play, we feel comfortable sharing with our viewers because it is the same time, the same location.

It is at an address that we know is associated with a staff member from the University of Michigan. So all of these factors make us feel comfortable sharing this information with you. Here is more from that dispatch audio.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Subject just called to caller and told her there's a male at the location in the house attacking her and states he's been stalking her for months.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WILD: Wolf, there are more questions than answers today, I mean, namely, what did the University of Michigan know? When did they know it? When did this investigation begin? We have sent a detailed list of questions to the university to try to find out all of these details. The school is not saying much beyond limited releases.

Here is the latest statement we have. There is absolutely no tolerance for this conduct at the University of Michigan. None. The president saying I have been in close communication with the Board of Regents. We are uniting and committing to doing what is right. Again, Wolf, many more questions than answers here.

We are hoping to learn more at the arraignment. Hopefully more records are available after he is formally charged. Wolf?

BLITZER: And Sherrone Moore was making millions of dollars as the head football coach at the University of Michigan. I just want to point that out. All right, Whitney Wild, thank you very, very much for that.

[11:23:45]

Just ahead, change in command, the U.S. military commander overseeing operations in the Caribbean formally stepping down right now. What we're learning about the new commander taking charge as President Trump escalates his attacks on Venezuela.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: New this morning, a dramatic change of the guard at the U.S. military's Southern Command, SouthCom as it's called, which is responsible for all U.S. military activity in Central and South America as well as the Caribbean.

The U.S. Navy Admiral Alvin Holsey relinquished his duties this morning after raising concerns about those rather controversial boat strikes in the Caribbean. He spoke at this moment's ceremony. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ADM. ALVIN HOLSEY, OUTGOING SOUTHCOM COMMANDER: Tiresome to build relationships and understand requirements across the region that work must continue across the whole of government to deliver at the point of need to respond to shared threats in our neighborhood. The time is now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: This -- this change comes at a rather critical time as the Trump administration is intensifying its pressure on Venezuela. I'm joined here in The Situation Room by CNN military analysts, retired U.S. Air Force Colonel Cedric Leighton. Colonel, President Trump says the U.S. will soon begin land strikes on Venezuela. Listen to what he said. And then we'll discuss.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is the campaign against Venezuela still just about drugs or is it now also about oil?

TRUMP: Well, it's about a lot of things, but one of the things it's about is the fact that they've allowed millions of people to come into our country from their prisons, from gangs, from drug dealers and from mental institutions. They've treated us badly and I guess now we're not treating them so good.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[11:30:00]

BLITZER: So, Colonel, what do you make of that comment by the President?

COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON (RET), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: So it seems like, Wolf, everything is shifting, not only is it a counter drug mission, now it's become a counter migration --