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The Situation Room

Ukrainian Therapy Dogs; Record Holiday Travel?; Justice Department Under Fire Over Epstein Files Release; Senior Russian General Killed. Aired 11:30a-12p ET

Aired December 22, 2025 - 11:30   ET

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

[11:30:00]

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[11:30:19]

PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: Well, we have breaking news out of Moscow.

A senior Russian general was killed in an apparent car bombing today. And here you can see the wreckage of a car right in the middle of other cars. You can see there -- there in neighborhood -- it's right there in the neighborhood. Russian officials say they suspect Ukraine for this latest attack on a senior military leader.

Joining us now is retired Army General James "Spider" Marks. He is also a CNN military analyst.

Thanks for being here.

So Russia has blamed Ukraine's security services for several deadly attacks on prominent Russians dating back to the invasion nearly four years ago. What do you make of this?

BRIG. GEN. JAMES "SPIDER" MARKS (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Very early -- very, very early to tell. I'm sure there's going to be a ton of forensics, but also bear in mind the Russians are going to create their own narrative.

This could be -- speculation on my part, this could be a false flag and they're blaming it on the Ukrainians. And it could have been some general officer who was out of favor for whatever reason with Putin and his leadership.

But we will know more going forward, but it'll be a tough tale to really fully get to the bottom of. We will have to rely on the Russian narrative on this.

BROWN: Well, Ukraine is also stepping up attacks on Russian air bases, the goal, combat Russia's missile strikes on cities and infrastructure. How effective can that strategy be, you think?

MARKS: Well, very, very effective. Look, over the course of this what I would call, it's not an

interregnum, but it's not the fighting season -- it's a period where Russia truly has an advantage in that they can withstand attacks from the air from Ukraine much more effectively. They have got the bulk -- they have got the ability to withstand stuff like that, unlike the Ukrainians, which have done a magnificent job.

But it's very, very difficult during this period when you're simply exchanging fire. So the strategy -- to describe what we see now as a strategy is a bit of a stretch. It's really kind of a tactical adjustment during this period, as both sides size up each other, make adjustments accordingly, so that, as they migrate through the winter season to the spring, they're in a better position to conduct operations.

BROWN: I also want to ask you about these ongoing talks. This weekend, U.S. officials held a series of meetings with Ukrainian and Russian representatives in Miami. Do you think the general's death will affect future talks?

MARKS: I don't really know.

I think the issue is, Putin has little incentive to agree to anything other than to prolong the discussion, send out indicators that he's potentially interested. But he is exactly where he wants to be, the leader of a federation that's in his mind being attacked by the rest of the world.

He wants this. And his desire is to have some type of a secured near abroad. The 28-step peace plan, whether it's been winnowed down to 19 or not, we will see, but it really gives Putin no real reason to say yes. He wants to continue to inflict as much damage as he can during this period and weaken Ukraine's position.

But Ukraine has had an ability to really make some significant adjustments going forward.

BROWN: And these talks keep happening, even though Putin' stance, as you say, appears to have not changed at all. President Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff has called yesterday's talks -- quote -- "productive and constructive."

We have heard those terms before. The Kremlin called Ukraine and Europe's suggested changes to the U.S. peace proposal unconstructive. Is this just another example of motion with these talks, but really no progress being made?

MARKS: Yes, sadly, it's a bunch of head fakes.

I think the real the real issue is, both sides have got some intractable, kind of nonnegotiable positions that are going to have to be compromised in some way. There has to be pressure on both sides to agree to what that compromise looks like.

The other issue from the U.S. -- at least, I think the U.S. perspective, it's difficult when you have an envoy like Steve Witkoff. He certainly has the confidence of the president. And you have the president's son-in-law, Kushner, who's very much got his father-in- law's confidence as well, is, I don't know what that connective tissue is back into the State Department to make sense of these agreements and the very nuanced steps that are necessary to start moving this forward.

You could ink a deal today, but if you don't have the mechanism in place, the organization of place to work through the sustainment steps, then what you have is simply a headline, a banner, and that's it and nothing below it.

[11:35:00]

So, I think that connection between what's being said by the envoys and what's being done, what's being translated into the State Department, what that looks like is key.

BROWN: I also want to ask you about what's going on with Venezuela, because the U.S. Coast Guard is right now actively chasing an oil tanker that refused to stop and be boarded. It was on its way to pick up oil from Venezuela.

On Saturday, the U.S. seized its second oil tanker this month. You have Republican Senator Rand Paul saying these U.S. seizures of oil tankers are -- quote -- "a prelude to war." How do you see it?

MARKS: Well, if these are sanctioned oil tankers, which means our State Department or maybe the E.U. or the G7 -- there are institutions that will sanction entities like this that put them in a legal box.

And if you have got the capacity to seize them, then you can make the decision as to whether you want to seize them. And the United States has said, yes, we're going to seize them. They have got the capacity and they have the authority. They have got the legal authority to do that.

I don't know that it's a prelude to war. I mean, that's that senator's assessment. These are legal activities that are taking place in terms of seizing those sanctioned goods. From there, certainly, there can be an escalation. That's speculation.

So what I see more at the strategic level is this is an effort, based on what we have seen from the most recently published national security strategy by this administration, is trying to align the United States and the Western Hemisphere in terms of stability of governance, getting rid of foreign incursion, ensuring the openness of the sea lines of communication, also to discourage mass migration.

So all of that has to be tied together. That, I think is the strategy that they're trying to implement. Then you look at the tactical steps on the ground, and you can see where those tactical steps could go sideways.

BROWN: You certainly could.

Retired General James "Spider" Marks, thank you. MARKS: Thank you, Pam.

BROWN: Coming up here in THE SITUATION ROOM: why this holiday travel season could end up being the busiest one on record, despite weather potentially causing headaches for parts of the country.

We will be right back.

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[11:41:35]

BROWN: Well, happening now: The Justice Department is fighting off criticism over its initial release of files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Some in Congress cited the fact that not all of the files were released, as acquired by Friday under a law passed by Congress and signed by President Trump, and that hundreds of files were heavily redacted.

Also this morning, the Justice Department says it will not remove any references to Donald Trump and future releases. Over the weekend, there was backlash after the Justice Department removed and then reposted an image of Donald Trump, saying the image needed further review. President Trump has not been accused of any criminal wrongdoing in relation to Epstein.

Well, joining us live now is former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani.

So what is your reaction to that image being removed and then restored pretty quickly?

NEAMA RAHMANI, FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: Pam, I believe the criticism is warranted.

First, the Department of Justice did not meet its Friday deadline. And it doesn't matter whether you're a DOJ prosecutor or you're in private practice. If you have a deadline, you meet that deadline. You don't show up on the day of the deadline and say you're not going to meet it and maybe complete the production in the next couple of weeks.

And then you add images that were taken or removed and placed back, and, obviously, what was the legal basis to do that? We know the only basis to withhold or redact images is to protect the identity of victims of sex abuse. And it certainly didn't seem like that that was the reason why that picture was removed.

And, obviously, the redactions, some of which span hundreds and hundreds of pages, seem to be excessive. Pam, I wouldn't be surprised if House Democrats file a lawsuit this week to try to compel a federal judge to order an in camera review outside the presence of the DOJ to make sure that these redactions are warranted and everything required by the Epstein Files Transparency Act is actually produced.

BROWN: Yes, that's the real question, right? Because DOJ says, look, these redactions are to protect survivors. That picture was removed and put back up because we wanted to make sure that we weren't hurting any survivors. But how do you verify that, right? How do you verify that these redactions are actually related to what they are saying?

And you have some in Congress that say Attorney General Pam Bondi should be held in contempt of Congress because not all the files were released as required by law. What is your view of that?

RAHMANI: Well, I think contempt of Congress is certainly a possibility. Obviously, the Department of Justice typically enforces those contempt orders, so not really going to go anywhere. It's more political fodder than anything.

That's why I think getting an Article 3 judge involved is the way to go. Typically, what happens when there is a document withheld or redacted, there's a log that's provided. It's a privilege log. So there's a spreadsheet which identifies the legal basis to withhold or redact the document.

And then, if that is challenged, a judge will step in and a judge will review the documents. Now, here, obviously, we're talking about thousands of files. A special master may have to be appointed. That's a retired judge that will comb through the documents to make sure that the redactions are appropriate, because there's really three broad categories that we're talking about here that may be the basis for redactions.

I think and I think members of Congress and the American people think the only correct basis to withhold a redacted document will be to protect the victim of sex abuse. But there are grand jury materials that are typically secret. Judges that have considered that in the Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell case have said that the act trumps the rules of criminal procedure that keep those proceedings secret and have started to unseal those grand jury records.

[11:45:19]

But there's a third category, Pam, that I'm concerned about. And those are privileged documents. So we're talking about the law enforcement privilege when there's a pending investigation, the deliberative process privilege, when an investigation is closed, and the executive privilege, which protects high-level communications between executive branch officials.

You heard Todd Blanche say that the department is going to assert these privileges. I don't think that's consistent with the spirit of the act. And I certainly don't think that's consistent with what Bondi, Patel and others have said about making the Epstein files public.

This is an issue of transparency. And if you make a promise to the American people, you should fulfill that promise, not hide behind those privileges.

BROWN: OK. RAHMANI: So what we have seen so far is just a dump of Jeffrey Epstein's pictures. We want the FBI investigative memorandum, really the meat and potatoes of the Epstein case really that discusses the sex abuse, not just pictures of Epstein with rich and famous people.

BROWN: All right, Neama, thank you so much for offering your perspective on this. Thanks.

RAHMANI: Thanks, Pam.

(CROSSTALK)

BROWN: Well, happening now, the rush home for the holidays is expected to be the busiest ever. AAA projects more than 122 million Americans will travel for Christmas and New Year's, more than ever before. And most are expected to drive with gas prices now lower, but air travel is also expected to reach an all-time high.

So let's go live now to CNN's Pete Muntean at Reagan National Airport right outside Washington tracking what you need to know before you go.

How's it going there, Pete?

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: It's going OK, 2.8 million people screened at TSA checkpoints Friday, again on Saturday, again on Sunday.

Even though the Federal Aviation Administration says the number of flights has peaked, still some busy days ahead. You can get an idea of it here. This is the ticketing line at American Airlines. This is the terminal two, north end of the airport, things moving pretty smoothly here, which is good news for so many travelers.

The big thing, and this is always the case, weather is really the X- factor right now. The Federal Aviation Administration is warning of delays on the West Coast, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, San Francisco International Airport, because of low cloud ceilings and poor weather there.

Also in New York, JFK, La Guardia, Newark also a concern because of high winds, although I have been speaking to travelers here, and they have been telling me things are actually moving pretty smoothly. I want you to listen now. They're taking all of this really in stride.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DREW GAGNON, AIR TRAVELER: It was pretty easy, all things...

MUNTEAN: It was easy?

GAGNON: Yes, all things considered, I mean, pretty fast, pretty easy.

MUNTEAN: No one ever says that.

GAGNON: I know. MILDRED JONES COLLINS, AIR TRAVELER: Oh, I think everybody is in a

joyful spirit and traveling is going smoothly. They are really doing the rearrangements to make sure everything transpires very smoothly. So I think it went well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MUNTEAN: Here's a live look at the departures board at DCA. I'm counting one, two, three delays for departures of about 100 flights. The big superlative here, in the last 24 hours at DCA, there's only been one cancellation.

We're only in double digits for cancellations in the entire U.S. right now. So, Pam, we're starting the day in a pretty good place.

BROWN: We certainly are. I always think anyone who travels over the holidays is brave. I just did for Thanksgiving, and I want to note to people, if you are traveling with a child under 2, bring your birth certificate for that child, because I was actually questioned about my son.

The gate agent didn't believe me when I told him he was under 2. And he said, show me the birth certificate. So I just want to put word to the wise if you're traveling with a toddler. Put that out there.

What is some other good advice this holiday season?

MUNTEAN: It's a good tip.

The big thing is, you're driving -- so many people driving to the in- laws, driving to grandma and grandpa's. The time to leave has essentially come and gone. We're getting into the point, at least on the East Coast, where it's the worst time to drive between 1:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m., according to AAA.

So many people feeling the urge to drive right now because the gas prices are very low, the national average for a gallon of regular down to about $2.85, Pam. Of course, a lot of variation there, but people who are pinching pennies can usually count on driving. Driving is the biggest mode, most people using that to go 50 miles or more this holiday season.

BROWN: All right, Pete Muntean, great advice there. Thanks so much.

And joining us live now is Brian Kelly, the founder of The Points Guy.

Hey, Brian.

[11:50:00]

So, at this super busy time, maybe the busiest ever in history, what is your advice to travelers whose flights may be canceled this time of year or delayed?

BRIAN KELLY, FOUNDER, THE POINTS GUY: Well, first off is, you got to get ahead of the game. So download an app called Flighty. And I love Flighty. I use it any time I fly.

I can check where my plane is coming from. So, as we heard, weather should be pretty good this holiday season, but, on the West Coast, we have got storms. So if your plane is coming from Seattle and you see it starting to get delayed, you can then get ahead and ask the airline to rebook you before the airline app even shows a delay.

So, getting ahead of the game is a definite must. And also, when possible, go to airline lounges. You can often buy for $50 a one-day pass. And those agents in the lounges can work magic. So instead of waiting on a two-hour line to get reaccommodated, try to get into a lounge when possible.

BROWN: All right, that is really good advice.

What about travel insurance? Every time you buy a ticket now, it gives you that option. And then, if you say no, it really lets like this is probably a mistake you're making. I wonder what you think about that, and especially around the holidays.

KELLY: Yes, so I'm a believer in travel insurance.

BROWN: OK.

KELLY: I think a lot of people should get policies, but never buy it through the airline or hotel Web site. Often, that's not even travel insurance. It's what they call travel protection. And it's expensive and it doesn't actually insure you.

So I go to insuremytrip.com. It allows you to compare and contrast policies. Or, if you're a frequent traveler, I buy an annual travel insurance pass for my family. I use Allianz, which is respected as the top travel insurance provider. And that way, between using credit cards that have protection and my yearly policy, when anything goes wrong, the airlines aren't going to compensate you.

If you miss that cruise or you can't make that nonrefundable hotel, the airlines, you're lucky to get a refund these days. So getting insurance gives you that peace of mind. We do it for everything else in our life. Why not travel, especially for those big ticket trips? I recommend.

BROWN: Yes, I actually had to use my travel insurance one time. And it was a burdensome process, but I did get all the money back and it worked. So it has made me a believer in it for certain trips.

So I'm wondering if you're seeing any last-minute deals from people who may now just be deciding, you know what, I will head home for the holiday.

KELLY: Yes, there are always last-minute deals. Now, internationally paid, paid deals are few and far between, but using your frequent flier miles, the airlines will open up space.

I'm actually going to Sydney, which is one of the most popular New Year's destinations. And I was able to get six tickets in business class for 85,000 miles each. I recommend -- it's not to Sydney. I'm flying to Brisbane instead, where a lot of airlines are flying, but the demand is lower. But it's an hour flight from Sydney.

So, be creative. Use your frequent flier miles. And Google Flights -- if you're agnostic, if you just want to go somewhere warm, Google Flights has the explore feature where you can put in your home airport, say, Chicago, and then you can just look, hey, I want to do New Year's in the Caribbean on these dates, and it'll show you a map of all the Caribbean islands and the cheapest places you can go.

This also works for Europe or Asia. So let the deals decide where you go. That's how you're going to save the most money.

BROWN: All right. And, again, a reminder to everyone, if you are traveling with a child under 2, you don't pay for another ticket, bring that birth certificate, because -- or passport or whatever, because, again, I was questioned last time I traveled and it was a bit of a shock.

So, Brian Kelly, thank you so much for that. Appreciate it.

KELLY: Thanks for having me.

BROWN: Coming up: an unexpected source of healing for a group of wounded Ukrainian soldiers.

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[11:58:05]

BROWN: In the aftermath of war, healing can come from the most unexpected places. For one group of wounded Ukrainian veterans, it arrived with a wagging tail and a familiar story of courage.

CNN's Ryan Young has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RYAN YOUNG, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Meet Lavr, a Ukrainian therapy dog tasked with helping war veterans recover. Lavr is not like most therapy dogs. He's fitted with two prosthetic front paws.

"WILD", UKRAINIAN WAR VETERAN (through translator): You feel a sense of emotional relief, especially with a dog here on prosthetics, just like us. It's truly wonderful.

YOUNG: Lavr's artificial limbs have not slowed him down. His owner runs a rehabilitation center in Kyiv, where Lavr plays and visits with patients almost every day. A lot of the patients also have prosthetics and say it's nice seeing a canine friend like them.

IVAN ZHADANI, UKRAINIAN WAR VETERAN (through translator): The dog wants to live just like we do, and I will walk too, not on four legs, but on two. DMYTRO ZUBARIEV, UKRAINIAN WAR VETERAN (through translator): The dog

can walk now, and I will too as well. Soon, I will be able to walk too.

YOUNG: Lavr's owner and the center's founder says he was rescued near the Odesa railway station, where he lost two front paws in an accident. After he recovered, bioengineers in Dnipro gave Lavr prosthetic front paws using the same technology being used for wounded Ukrainian soldiers, bone-integrated titanium implants.

VIACHESLAV ZAPOROZHETS, FOUNDER, TYTANOVI REHABILITATION CENTER (through translator): It's remarkable that our work inspired the veterinarian to perform osseointegration on this dog, and it succeeded.

YOUNG: He says that, when he saw Lavr's photos online and read about him, he knew he wanted to adopt him. Now Lavr has accepted his new paws and new home as his own.

ZAPOROZHETS (through translator): The most important thing is that the dog has accepted the prosthetics. He doesn't chew them. He licks them, treating them as his own paws. If they felt artificial to him, he would have chewed them off. He's a dog, after all.

[12:00:04]

YOUNG: Lavr's playful energy brings joy to the patients. He says his attitude inspires him to work harder to recover, just like Lavr did.

Ryan Young, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: Aw. As a black Lab owner myself, I love that. Ryan Young, thank you so much.

And thank you all for joining us this morning. "INSIDE POLITICS" with our friend and colleague Manu Raju starts right now.

Have a great rest of the day.