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The Brief with Jim Sciutto

Police Raid Zelenskyy's Aide's Home; Ukraine's Andriy Yermak Resigns; Trump Ramps Up Immigration Crackdown; At Least 128 Killed in Hong Kong Fire; Airbus Issues Major Recall; New Questions On U.S. Military Strikes On Suspected Drug Boats; Pope Leo XIV Condemns Violence; U.S. Halts All Asylum Decisions. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired November 28, 2025 - 18:00   ET

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

[18:00:00]

PAULA NEWTON, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and a very warm welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Paula Newton in New York. Jim

Sciutto is off. You are watching "The Brief."

Just ahead this hour, a top adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy resigns after anti-corruption agencies raid his home. New details

and new questions about U.S. military strikes on suspected drug boats. And Airbus to recall thousands of A320 jets for a software update because of

the risks from solar storms. That story and plenty more coming up.

But first, the man widely seen as Ukraine's second most powerful leader is out. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, has

resigned shortly after the country's anti-corruption agencies raided his home. Mr. Zelenskyy made the announcement himself, saying he wanted to be

transparent.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): I want no one to have any questions about Ukraine today. Therefore, today we have the

following internal decisions. First, there will be a reboot of the office of the president of Ukraine. The head of the office, Andriy Yermak, has

written a letter of resignation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: Now, this comes as Kyiv faces growing pressure from the U.S. to accept a peace deal to end the war with Russia. Yermak had been leading the

Ukrainian delegation in recent negotiations with the Trump administration in Geneva. His former adviser spoke to CNN about the latest developments.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TYMOFIY MYLOVANOV, FORMER ADVISER TO ANDRIY YERMAK: Internally, the allies of President Zelenskyy have been pushing for this over the last week or so,

quietly, privately, in a hidden manner, so not to destabilize the standing of Ukraine in the international negotiations and peace negotiations. And I

think it has been coming to some kind of climax. And I think it's good that it has been resolved.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: Joining me now is Orysia Lutsevych. She is the head of the Ukraine Forum at Chatham House. And really good to have you and your insights with

us on, really, a news making day for Ukraine. You know, many analysts have been debating this on CNN for hours now. And I really want to get your

take. Do you believe that this ousting strengthens President Zelenskyy within Ukraine or weaken him and perhaps even jeopardize this peace deal?

What do you think?

ORYSIA LUTSEVYCH, HEAD OF THE UKRAINE FORUM, CHATHAM HOUSE: Yes, Paula, it's a good question. I would answer for sure it strengthens Ukrainian

democracy because in democracy you need to have a due process and you need to have a rule of law that actually can operate with no constraints. And if

there were some suspicions and pressure from society, which was quite big, to oust all the people from top positions, who may even be suspects, and we

know that Mr. Yermak is not a suspect so far, that he resigned a lot under this public pressure that is demanding justice and scrutiny for any high-

level corruption.

NEWTON: Yes. So, I understand. It's like a clean slate and hopefully you can move on. I do want to note that just hours ago you chaired a

conversation asking how corruption threatens Ukraine's war effort and what is the remedy. So, what is the remedy here? Is this enough, especially

given the long history of this kind of corruption in Ukrainian governments going back decades?

LUTSEVYCH: This definitely is not enough. Just firing one person and replacing it with another person will not solve a systemic problem. What

we've discussed at that seminar is basically looking at the law enforcement agencies that are dealing with corruption, making sure that they are

resourced and their investigations are not obstructed by other law enforcement agencies where there is political influence from the office of

the president and people close to the president, such as the prosecutor's office, security services of Ukraine and the State Bureau of Investigation.

But Ukraine needs to pursue the systemic reform to strengthen judiciary and to close all the loopholes, especially as we see in state-owned

enterprises.

[18:05:00]

NEWTON: Right. And, you know, on note, you could rewind 10-15 years and what they needed to do systemically, it is still the same. I do want to get

to this so-called peace plan that may or may not be on the table. I mean, how do you view the developments of the last week? Because it has been

difficult to track, and I'm wondering if we can even expect that Russia is contemplating any kind of a ceasefire, let alone a deal.

LUTSEVYCH: Well, absolutely, and I think the risk is that the whole 28- point plan, as we know now also from leaks of conversations between top, you know, officials, Witkoff, and the Russian adviser, it was a kind of a

Russian brainchild. And it's a pity that the United States actually put this on the table in Kyiv as something that they've endorsed, because it

has a lot of red lines that would not only threaten Ukraine's sovereignty, but also undermine security in Europe.

So, I think this is the crisis for Zelenskyy to handle, to consolidate a joint Ukrainian and European position around what is acceptable and not,

and try again to swing Trump towards that position and obstruct Russian game, because they're clearly not negotiating in earnest, they're simply

playing in for time to delay sanctions and to delay decision on the reparation loan that would use Russian sovereign assets to finance weapons

for Ukraine.

NEWTON: Yes. And that is still a big issue in Europe, and whether or not those assets are going to be used. I will leave it there for now, but I'm

sure we'll continue this conversation in the coming weeks. Appreciate it.

Now, U.S. President Donald Trump is increasing his crackdown on immigration following Wednesday's shooting of two members of the National Guard. The

suspected shooter is an Afghan national, and he was granted asylum by the Trump administration earlier this year. The White House now ordering a

review of green card holders from 19 countries, and that includes Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, we're learning more about West Virginia National Guard member Sarah Beckstrom, who died from her wounds on Thanksgiving. CNN spoke to her

boyfriend, Adam Carr.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ADAM CARR, SARAH BECKSTROM'S EX-BOYFRIEND: One of the best people around that you could meet. She'd do anything for you and didn't even have to know

you. Shoot, her friend at work, her car went down, and she, without a doubt, she just went to Stevens and got one before she left, pre-owned auto

out here, and got herself a newer vehicle and was excited as can be. And her friend's vehicle went down, and without a skip in her heart, she gave

her her keys and said, use it till you get one.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: Joining me now is National Security Analyst Peter Bergen. Really good to see you, Peter, and you certainly have so much experience in

dealing with the fallout with what was a generation of war at this point in time in Afghanistan, and this remains part of it. Heartbreaking, those

words on the National Guard's veneer, Sarah Beckstrom, and her colleague fighting for his life still in hospital.

And then it brings us to the really astounding details of this man, how he came to the United States, and the fact that he now finds himself with

these serious charges. Given his close relationship with U.S. forces, the CIA even, what does that tell you about his background in Afghanistan and

how he was vetted?

PETER BERGEN, CNN, U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Paula, you know, it's sort of a puzzle because this is -- this Afghan alleged shooter is somebody

who spent 10 years working with the CIA in these -- one of these so-called Zero Units that also works with U.S. Special Forces.

And so, not only would he have had to have regular background checks, he would have been, you know, with people of the CIA or people in the Special

Forces on a routine basis, and they would be constantly sort of informally vetting him. So, I think it -- you know, it's a puzzle about why, if in --

you know, it's still an allegation, but his motivation still is unclear.

But one of the striking things to me, Paula, is this asylum application went in at the end of 2024. It was approved in only six months. Now, that's

unusually quick. It was approved by the Trump administration, as you mentioned. But I have Afghan friends who've waited 10 years for an asylum

application to go through. There's a real lack of judges, and there's a huge backlog of cases.

So, this guy had a very, very ironclad asylum application. And to really claim asylum, you have to show that you would have a real fear for your

life if you were returned to your home country. Now, this guy clearly had that. He'd spent 10 years working with these units, hunting down the

Taliban. These are the most hated units by the Taliban. And so, his claim for asylum was clearly not only granted quickly, but it was also seen as

quite legitimate.

[18:10:00]

NEWTON: I do wonder as well, when you hear that, that, you know, he must -- in many cases, veterans must vouch for a lot of these people. And you do

wonder who he had vouching for him. You make another very good point that there were about 100, what you call green on blue attacks, in which Afghan

soldiers or police officers attacked U.S. or NATO forces, you'd call it friendly fire, I guess, for lack of a better term. How could that inform

this investigation? Because, of course, what everybody's trying to get to here is a motive. Why?

BERGEN: Yes. And often why is very fuzzy. I mean, why do you kill innocent strangers? It's -- you know, that's always a puzzle in terrorism cases. And

this has been treated as a terrorism case. But these green on blue incidents, Paula, I think do maybe have some bearing. There were about 100

of them during the Afghan war in which Afghan soldiers or police turned on U.S. or NATO troops and killed them or wounded them.

And this is really -- you know, obviously, these took place in Afghanistan. They didn't take place in the United States. But there has been a history

of people working with the Afghan military killing American soldiers. It was really a big issue during the Afghan war.

NEWTON: In terms of this incident itself, it now has triggered this immigration crackdown, it's been quite a crackdown, and not just for

Afghanistan, but 18 other countries and perhaps more than that. And you point out that Afghans and their families right now may be facing perhaps

insurmountable scrutiny if they hope to remain here. And you articulated the fact that sometimes it can take a decade even to get through these

cases.

I mean, this is one alleged act. And I have to ask you, the president kind of alluded to himself. He used a word that is not technical, but he said

that the suspect went cuckoo in his words. You know, when someone says that, that means it's an outlier, right? I mean, I think many people are

puzzled as to how you move forward with the United States in terms of trying to keep law enforcement secure. Is there a terror threat, Peter, in

your estimation that is higher than it would have been before 9/11? I mean, a lot of questions right now.

And to put a fine point of it, this man was vetted more than most of the foreign tourists walking the streets of New York right now. That's just a

fact.

BERGEN: Yes, refugees are subjected to the most, and particularly Afghan refugees, also Syrian refugees are subjected to very, very intense vetting.

Unfortunately, yes, I mean, the vetting isn't -- obviously it's not perfect. And you can't vet necessarily for somebody going "cuckoo," to

quote the president.

You know, and what his -- we still really don't know what his motivation was. I mean, it was a premeditated act. It's been treated as terrorism. He

crossed the country with a gun from Washington State to Washington, D.C. He clearly targeted U.S. military targets. You know, it's a puzzle as to what

kind of message he was trying to send. Presumably, we'll know more soon.

But the National Guard that we're seeing here are quite visible on the D.C. streets. He obviously probably saw the TV coverage and saw this as a target

of opportunity for some kind of strange motivation that he had to get back at the U.S. military, if that is indeed the case.

NEWTON: Yes. It is certainly a story that as we learn more details, in fact, sometimes just becomes more and more puzzling. Really grateful to

have you on with us. Peter Bergen from Washington. Appreciate it.

Now, President Trump is also stepping up efforts to de-legitimize his predecessor, Joe Biden. Trump posted on Truth Social, any document signed

by sleepy Joe Biden with the autopen, which is approximately 92 percent of them, is hereby terminated and of no further force or effect.

Now, it's unclear whether Trump can rescind Biden's actions on that basis at all. There is nothing illegal about using an autopen, nor did Trump

specify how he arrived at the 92 percent figure.

Now, as victims of Hong Kong's massive apartment complex fire are mourned, questions are being asked about the cause of the disaster. The death toll

now stands at 128, with about 200 people still missing. And those numbers, unfortunately, expected to climb.

There have been eight more arrests reported in connection with that fire. The investigation centers on construction materials, maintenance issues,

and that fire warning system. Officials said alarms in all eight buildings of the complex were not functioning. Hanako Montgomery picks up our story

from there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hong Kong's worst fire disaster in decades left seven high-rise residential towers standing only

as burnt-out shells. Well over a hundred people are dead.

[18:15:00]

MONTGOMERY: The Hong Kong authorities said that by Friday morning local time, the fire was completely extinguished at the housing complex behind

me. But they say that around 200 people still remain missing and they fear the death toll could go up in the coming hours if not days.

MONTGOMERY (voice-over): Over 48 hours after the disaster, some new detail as to how the fire at the Wong Fuk Court complex spread so quickly and so

severely. With an investigation set to take up to a month, early questions have focused on construction cladding that had covered the buildings for up

to a year.

CHRIS TANG, HONG KONG SECURITY CHIEF (through translator): It ignited the mesh nets and quickly spread to the polystyrene boards around the windows,

resulting in the fire in other floors and buildings.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MONTGOMERY (voice-over): Authorities have also said they are investigating whether the fire alarms were functioning properly on the day of the blaze.

Several residents who spoke to CNN said that the alarms in their buildings never rang and some only discovered there was a fire when they looked

outside.

Authorities believe the blaze began close to ground level on building six, around 2:30 on Wednesday afternoon. Images have surfaced on social media of

the early embers of what would become a raging inferno, creeping up the cladding, then spreading to the other buildings.

MONTGOMERY: Have you seen a disaster like this in your careers?

WALLACE, AUXILLARY MEDICAL SERVICE VOLUNTEER (through translator): I have served in the Auxiliary Medical Service for about 10 years. I joined the

team at 16 and now I'm 26. I have never seen such a shocking scene appear in front of me.

MONTGOMERY (voice-over): Survivors have described their panic, many unsure of how to escape the burning buildings.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): This is my home. Look over there, the 10th floor, that's where my home was. By the hills, that's where it

used to be. I really want to go back, but my home is probably gone now. They won't let us go back. So, when I look in that direction, my heart

feels so heavy.

MONTGOMERY (voice-over): This domestic worker watched from her employer's high-rise apartment as the fire took hold.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: At first, so panicked. I was so scared because the fire burned so big. At first, yes, so scared and panicked.

MONTGOMERY: And now, how are you?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Now, when I think about it, I'm grateful because I'm still alive.

MONTGOMERY (voice-over): Hong Kongers will band together to help the victims of a disaster which is not yet over.

Hanako Montgomery, CNN, Hong Kong.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON: Coming up for us on "The Brief," Airbus ordering immediate repairs to thousands of its planes worldwide. What's the problem and how it could

affect your holiday travel? That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:20:00]

NEWTON: In today's Business Breakout, Wall Street rose for a fifth straight day in a shortened trading session after Thanksgiving. The gains come as

expectations for a federal reserve rate cut in December continue. The rebound follows mid-month volatility over concerns about A.I. and tech

stock valuations. NVIDIA ended November with a double-digit loss.

Checking some of the other business headlines we're following, Canada's economy grew at a faster pace than expected in the third quarter. The

country's GDP increased 2.6 percent year over year. That was topping analysts' forecast. Officials say the main drivers include an improved

trade balance and government spending. This comes after its economy contracted by 1.8 percent in the second quarter.

Italy's fashion house Armani appointing a new eight-member board following the death of founder Giorgio Armani. The board brings in veteran industry

executives while keeping three seats for representatives of the family. Armani died in September at the age of 91. He had instructed his heirs to

sell a 15 percent stake in the company.

Airbus issuing a major recall of 6,000 A320 series jets. The company says the passenger planes need immediate maintenance after an incident injured

more than a dozen people and forced an emergency landing in the U.S. last month. Airbus says intense solar storms could cause pilots to lose control

of some jets in the A320 series.

American Airlines, which is the world's largest A320 operator, says each plane is expected to be repaired in about two hours. I spoke with CNN

Transportation Analyst Mary Schiavo about possible disruptions.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARY SCHIAVO, CNN TRANSPORTATION ANALYST: It's going to vary airline by airline. So, at this at this point, the count is something like 6,440

possible aircraft affected worldwide, of course. 5,100 of those need a software correction only. Airbus has said that that can be done if you have

the technicians, qualified people to do it. You can do it properly. That could be done at the gate. It can be done, you know, at various places. You

don't necessarily have to take the plane out of service for a long period of time.

But on maybe a third or a fourth of them, they might need hardware changes, too. That will take the plane out of service. So, some airlines have huge

fleets in the United States, of course, you know, JetBlue, Allegiant, American Airlines has a big fleet. And then other worldwide, I mean,

Lufthansa, Aeroflot, many South American carriers, EasyJet. So, it's going to vary airline by airline.

But, you know, the word immediately is not just, you know, a phrase. Immediately is a term of art, is a technical term, can be a huge, important

term. And when the FAA says and when Airbus says it has to be done immediately, that means you have to make that software fixed before the

next flight.

So, it will be happening right now for all those planes that just need -- not just, it's very important, that need this software patch. But for those

who have to have any other changes, they'll be out of service for at least, certainly at least a few days.

NEWTON: Yes. And let's get to the technical details of this. I mean, in your estimation, how serious is this? I mean, obviously, in terms of

safety, we're grateful that they're doing it and grateful that they're doing it, in your words, immediately. But, you know, how concerned should

we be?

SCHIAVO: Well, everyone was very concerned because it stemmed from this JetBlue incident off the coast of Florida on a flight headed to New Jersey

when the plane took a precipitous dive. 15 people went to the hospital.

Now, when a plane takes an uncommanded dive, the pilot did not put it in a dive, everybody gets very concerned because of the history with the 737 MAX

8s. The first one crashed in Indonesia. At first, there -- you know, there's allegations it was pilot error, et cetera, et cetera. Months

passed, and then a second one crashes. And both those planes took uncommanded dives. And it was a software problem, among other things.

And so, for them, this JetBlue incident happened on October 30th. And here we are less than 30 days away. We have the problem solved. We have the

patch, the fix in place. And the order has gone out to immediately fix these planes. I think that's the good news and the bad news. There's no

unnecessary risk in letting this wait. Fix it immediately, and passengers will be far safer in the long run.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON: All right. And CNN will continue to follow that story throughout the weekend. Now, sources are giving CNN new details about a deadly strike

on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean involving the deliberate killing of survivors. More on that when we return.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:25:00]

NEWTON: And welcome back to "The Brief." I'm Paula Newton. Here are the international headlines we're watching right now.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's chief of staff has resigned. Andriy Yermak had widely been seen as the country's second most powerful

man. He also led the Ukrainian delegation in recent peace talks in the U.S. Anti-corruption agencies raided his home hours before he stepped down.

An Afghan man is facing a murder charge after two members of the National Guard were shot in Washington, D.C., earlier this week. Twenty-year-old

Sarah Beckstrom died of her wounds on Thanksgiving. Her fellow Guard member, Andrew Wolfe, is alive but in critical condition. The suspect,

Rahmanullah Lakhanwal, had previously worked with the CIA in Afghanistan.

More wintry weather is expected in the United States this weekend. A cross- country northern storm has been brewing, bringing with it heavy snow and creating dangerous driving conditions. It's expected to move along the

Midwest to the Northeast over the next few days. More than 20 million people in parts of the northern tier are now under winter storm warnings.

Now, sources say the U.S. military killed the survivors of an initial strike even after the suspected drug boat had been disabled. The incident

happened in the Caribbean in September. Sources say the first strike appeared to kill some of the people on board. The second attack killed the

remaining crew and sunk the ship.

One of the sources say Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the military to ensure there were no survivors. It's unclear, though, whether he knew

people were alive before the second strike. All this as the U.S. ramps up its military presence in the region, with President Trump saying land

action, in his words, in Venezuela may start very soon.

[18:30:00]

For more on all this, we're joined by Colonel Cedric Leighton. He's a CNN military analyst and a retired U.S. Air Force colonel. And really good to

see you on this. So, getting first to what we've learned about the attack on this boat, at least this one boat, are these normal rules of engagement?

COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON, CNN MILITARY ANALYST AND U.S. AIR FORCE (RET.): No, Paula, it's great to be with you. They are not. So, one of the key things

here to look at is the fact that this was actually the first vessel that was struck. On the 2nd of September, there was a strike against one of the

boats that was alleged to be a narco-trafficking boat. And it is one of the vessels that, of course, was thought to have been, you know, with --

containing drugs, actually, as part of its shipment.

Now, the other thing is that there were 11 people on board this vessel. And in the first strike, not all of the 11 were killed. Two survivors remained.

And under the laws of armed conflict and the laws of warfare, you do not go after people who have -- basically, who are defenseless and who have been,

in essence, left over from a situation like this. So, it seems to be a very serious breach of the laws of armed conflict.

NEWTON: And if this bears out, if there's evidence that this actually happened, I mean, what are the repercussions now, if any? And I do note

that it would seem to me that if there were survivors and you had a boat, that if you wanted to crack down on drug smuggling, that you may want to

speak to these survivors, even if you do try and prosecute them afterwards or hand them over to their home countries for prosecution.

LEIGHTON: Yes, absolutely. And that's one of the things that's so different about this operation, because under normal circumstances, when there are

drug runners or people in boats like this, you do want to capture them so that you can get the intelligence that's really needed in order to roll up

the entire organization.

So, when you look at what happened in this particular instance, there was a directive from Secretary Hegseth, which said there should be no survivors.

And apparently, that was followed to the letter by the people at the Joint Special Operations Command. That is basically one of those areas where it

becomes really important to have a good interpretation of directives from on high and that good interpretation should have included if there are

survivors, you basically make sure that they are not only alive, but that you can talk to them, that you capture them and figure out who they belong

to and what they're doing there. And that's something that clearly wasn't done in this case.

NEWTON: And I do wonder, just going to your military experience, we had the six Democrats this week put out that video reminding service members that

they do not have to carry out orders, you know, that are illegal. And yet, we've had many analysts on air since that report saying it's very difficult

for people who are actually at the controls to determine what's legal and what's not illegal. I mean, they wouldn't carry out what the what Pete

Hegseth had asked them to do, correct?

LEIGHTON: Yes, well, that actually depends on the specific situation. And this is why, Paula, the training is so important when it comes to the laws

of armed conflict and the laws of warfare, because you have to ingrain that in the way you operate.

So, when something like this happens and it's going to always be a split- second type situation, such as this clearly was where you have to make a split-second decision that says, OK, I have eliminated nine possible

combatants in this vessel. What happens? I see there are two that may be alive. Let's see -- you know, the real answer should have been, let's see

if we can get them and keep them alive in essence, but capture them. That clearly wasn't done.

There's always adrenaline flowing in these types of situations. But this is why I think -- I don't know if they knew beforehand, but I think the six

Democrats that did that video may have had some inkling that something like this happened. And this may be -- that video may be a product of that

inkling. Of course, they couldn't say anything about it because at the time it wasn't publicly known that this had -- this specific incident had

occurred.

NEWTON: Yes. But Colonel Leighton, you just definitely helped us piece everything together here. And I will say it's a very important week ahead

for Venezuela, with the president saying that more is to come, perhaps on land, he said very soon. We don't know exactly why. And obviously, there

could be a lot that materializes on this file in the coming days. Colonel Cedric Leighton for us. Thanks so much. Appreciate it.

LEIGHTON: You bet, Paula. Thank you.

NEWTON: Now, still to come on "The Brief," Pope Leo on the second day of his official visit to Turkey, his message to the world and where he heads

next on Sunday. Details ahead.

[18:35:00]

NEWTON: Pope Leo strongly condemned the use of religion for any kind of violence or war on day two of his official visit to Turkey.

The pontiff met with Christian leaders and worshippers from the region and toured a nursing home in Istanbul. They headed to -- then he headed to

Iznik where he participated in celebrations for the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, a defining moment in Christianity.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

POPE LEVO XIV: We must strongly reject the use of religion for justifying war, violence or any form of fundamentalism or fanaticism. Instead, the

paths to follow are those of fraternal encounter, dialogue and cooperation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: CNN's Ben Wedeman takes a closer look at the pontiff's upcoming visit to Lebanon on Sunday.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's evening mass in the monastery of Saint Maroun, high in the mountains of

Lebanon. For centuries, the mountains have provided a refuge for the Christians here in times of trouble. Protecting and preserving a community

almost as old as Christianity itself.

Pope Leo is scheduled to visit this monastery during his three-day visit to Lebanon. Hopes are high that visit will change the fortunes of this

battered country. He brings his blessings, he strengthens our faith, says Souad Khoury. And we're praying to our Lord that peace prevails in Lebanon

and throughout the whole region.

Lebanon is pulling out all the stops to ensure the success of this papal visit, the third of its kind in almost 30 years. The high point will be a

huge mass led by Pope Leo Tuesday on the Beirut waterfront. Lebanon has 12 officially recognized Christian sects, Catholic and Orthodox. At this Greek

Orthodox church in Beirut, we found two nuns praying in Arabic.

[18:40:00]

WEDEMAN: Pope Leo comes to Lebanon after a period when the Lebanese Christians, as well as Muslims, have suffered from a series of seismic

shocks. First, a failed revolution back in 2019, followed by an economic collapse, followed by the COVID-19 pandemic, followed by the catastrophic

Beirut port blast and most recently hit by yet another war with Israel.

WEDEMAN (voice-over): A war that ended, it might appear, with a U.S. brokered ceasefire in November 2024. But just days ago, an Israeli

airstrike killed a senior Hezbollah military commander in Beirut.

Israeli drones and warplanes have been hitting alleged Hezbollah targets almost daily over the last year. Israel claims Hezbollah is rearming and

regrouping. Hezbollah has until now held its fire.

War has driven many from Lebanon, but increasingly the young are fleeing abroad because of a lack of jobs in a country run by an elite seen as

corrupt and incompetent. Father Nehmi Saliba believes religious leaders, with the help of the likes of Pope Leo, could change that.

NEHMI SALIBA, INTERFAITH FACILITATOR, ADYAN FOUNDATION: There is a voice for the church and for religious leaders. There is a big voice in Lebanon

for the religious institutions to say that we need a clean Lebanon, not just from garbage on the street, but from the garbage in our head and our

hearts.

WEDEMAN (voice-over): The calls for change here across the religious spectrum have rung loud and clear. Perhaps Pope Leo will lend his voice and

those in power will finally hear.

Ben Wedeman, CNN, Beirut.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON: Joining us now for more on the Pope's trip is Father Thomas Massaro. He is a professor of moral theology at Fordham University in New

York. And good to have you with us. Really appreciate you being on the program.

And I do want to begin just by asking you the significance of this specific trip, and not just for Pope Leo's papacy, but for the Catholic Church

itself.

FATHER THOMAS MASSARO, PROFESSOR OF MORAL THEOLOGY, FORDHAM UNIVERSITY: Sure. Everything that happens in the first year of any papacy is very

significant. It sets the tone for what's to come. We know that Pope Francis had a busy first year. He was in office for 12 years. He made 47 trips

abroad to 66 different countries. So, this is kicking off Pope Leo, his successors, kicking off his diplomatic and religious, interreligious

dialogue efforts.

The selection of these two countries, Turkey, which is a bridge between Europe and Asia, both culturally and geographically, and also Lebanon,

which is the most multi-ethnic country in the Middle East. It also has the most Roman Catholic citizens in the Middle East, although they're still a

minority. These two are very significant countries.

And I would just say that if people are not so familiar with papacy, most of these trips have two purposes. First of all, there's a religious

purpose, of course, to prop up the local Roman Catholic community. It's good for morale wherever the Pope goes. The locals come out for big masses.

And also, another religious goal is to bridge the interreligious dialogue, in this case, mostly with the Eastern Orthodox Church. Pope Leo's meeting

with Patriarch Bartholomew of Orthodox Christianity, spending most of his three days in Turkey with him.

And then the second goal of any papal trip is a political one, and it's not about partisan politics. Popes try to stay above all parties and elections

and leaders, but to advocate for peace. Francis was extremely interested in peace in Gaza, and that situation is still very tense despite a ceasefire,

and also peace in Ukraine. So, both of those are concerns of Leo as well.

NEWTON: Understood. Now, in many ways, I would say Pope Leo seems to be easing into his papacy. Do you agree with that? And what are you learning

about this Pope's priorities and what kind of Pope he will be?

MASSARO: Yes, I like that word, easing into it. And there's a difference of style between Francis and Leo. Francis was a go-getter, and he was

outspoken, spoke spontaneously, and he was always on the move. He made his first trip abroad, in fact, two of them, in the month of July of 2013,

after being Pope for just three or four months. It's taken Leo seven or eight months to get out there, board a plane, go across an ocean, at least

a sea, leaving Italy.

[18:45:00]

So, a little more deliberate. That's very much in line with his personality. He's a little more circumspect, a little more introverted. But

I also want to emphasize the continuity of concerns. Just like Francis, Leo cares about the environment. He cares about peacemaking. He cares about

economic justice. He's already issued a major teaching letter on poverty called the Dilexi te.

NEWTON: And given those priorities that you just outlined, you know, religion in this political era can be quite dangerous in any form that it

takes. It just can be very divisive, unfortunately. I mean, how best can Pope Leo have influence here? Because at the end of the day, that is what

he's looking for, right?

MASSARO: Yes. And I would highlight the aspect. So, early in both of those conflicts, so the Gaza-Israel conflict that started October 7, 2023. Now,

we have a ceasefire, very fragile, though. And also, the invasion of -- by Russia of Ukraine. That was February 24, 2022. So, those have been going on

for two or three years each. Pope Francis was very careful diplomatically to be evenhanded.

I think he was angling to be hosting the peacemaking meetings. It's turned out, actually, that Turkey, under their president, Erdogan, has been the

place where some of these parties have met and negotiated at a table. So, yes, Leo wants to encourage President Erdogan to continue these and lend

his good offices to be a peacemaker as well.

NEWTON: And we will watch with interest, of course, this pope and his papacy, an important weekend to come in Lebanon. Father Thomas Massara will

continue to check in with you. Really appreciate it.

MASSARO: Thank you.

NEWTON: Now, this just in to CNN. The Trump administration says it is pausing all asylum decisions after Wednesday's deadly shooting near the

White House, targeting two National Guard members. The director of Citizenship and Immigration Services, Joe Edlow, wrote the following on X

just minutes ago. USCIS has halted all asylum decisions until we can ensure that every alien is vetted and screened to the maximum degree possible. The

safety of the American people always comes first.

The suspected gunman is an Afghan national who obtained asylum in the U.S. just a few months ago. And we will have more news in a moment.

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NEWTON: So, December, of course, is around the corner, the annual battle between real and artificial trees. It's about to begin in earnest. Some

artificial tree suppliers who import their products have been dealing with President Trump's tariffs. Now, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, 88

percent of artificial Christmas trees, ornaments and decorations come from China, that was for 2023. My next guest estimates that artificial trees are

now tariffed at about 20 percent from Southeast Asia and China. So, retailers are cutting back their purchases. And oh, my goodness, that could

lead to early sellouts. That is just sad.

[18:50:00]

Claire Magat is managing director for Balsam Hill, which makes artificial trees up to 18 feet tall. That's five and a half meters for anyone who's

counting. Claire, good to see you to get us into the Christmas spirit here.

In terms of the trees themselves and how they would sell, you know, I have to confess, sometimes when I look at the cost artificial trees, I'm

actually kind of shocked at how much they can cost. I mean, obviously, they last a very long time. But what's gone on, especially since President Trump

has announced those tariffs?

CLAIRE MAGAT, MANAGING DIRECTOR, BALSAM HILL: Yes, they are premium trees and they do come with that premium price point. I like to say they're like

a great pair of jeans, as long as you use them year after year, they're going to pay off. But this year, unfortunately, with those tariffs hitting

the U.S. especially, we've had to raise the prices on our trees about 10 percent.

We certainly had tariffs higher than that and did our best to absorb them as well as shared some of that cost with our suppliers. But we are seeing

price increases across the industry on trees just as those tariffs have hit us this year.

NEWTON: And there was one note that I picked up as well, this is scary for me, you use the word under supplied like you're saying if people wait too

long, not only could this be expensive, but they may not find that artificial tree.

MAGAT: That is absolutely right. So, when retailers were placing their orders and finalizing orders, they were looking down the gauntlet of

tariffs, this was six months ago. And so, they pulled back and we are anticipating about 15 to 20 percent less supply out there in the market.

And we anticipate seeing early sellouts. So, definitely, if you see a tree you like from Balsam Hill or otherwise, we would suggest you grab it.

NEWTON: Consider yourself warned. We were looking at some pictures of the Balsam Hill trees, they're really quite lovely. I am wondering, sometimes

we know how to take care of a real tree. Does an artificial tree need taking care of or do you just store it for a couple of decades and it's

fine when you take it out?

MAGAT: That really is the beauty. And especially with LED lights, which are becoming so common in these trees, the lights will last for a very, very

long time. And, you know, our customers have always seen our trees as sustainable, honestly, because of their longevity. I mean, they will last

year after year. So, yes, as long as you put them away carefully in that nice storage bag, they should work. They should look just as good as ever

the following year.

NEWTON: Now, Claire, I'm going to put you on the spot here. And we're looking at the trees. They are beautiful. And like you said, a lot of them

are pre-lit now with the lights that last a long time. You don't really have to worry about anything and they are sustainable. But, Claire, do

confess, have you had a real tree and how would you compare whether when you were growing up or whatever, or do you have a few trees? You have a

real and you have, you know, one that's artificial.

MAGAT: We are actually a dual household. So, we love both and we want to share joy with all the consumers out there. So, my kids each have tabletop

trees in their home, in their rooms. And actually, that's been a big trend this year, tabletop trees, multiple trees. Consumers just really love the

joy that comes from having that pre-lit tree.

Whether it is artificial or not, we just want everyone to share joy in this holiday season and hopefully can do a little bit of that with Balsam Hill.

NEWTON: We definitely learned something there. So, you did say you had the mix, the real and the artificial. That is the way to go, I'd imagine, if

you can't decide in your family. In terms of how you see this going, in terms of cost, are you hoping for a better year? Are there supply changes

that you've made for 2026?

MAGAT: We absolutely have. We've done everything we can to diversify our supply chain and we were able in 2025 to bring the majority of our product

in before those tariffs really hit. So, we're able to shield our customers from the full brunt of tariffs. And we -- you know, we understand the

President Trump to rebalance trade, especially for strategic goods. But we hope and we believe there is still the chance to save Christmas and keep

those prices down, make the holiday affordable.

So, as we look ahead to 2026, we very much hope that non-strategic goods like Christmas decor are left off the tariff lists. That's really the only

way we'll be able to protect our consumers from the prices continuing to go up.

NEWTON: Yes. And if you are a family on a budget and you are looking at some of those Christmas decorations, whether it's real or artificial, it

really is biting this year. Claire, we wish you a happy holiday season. You've really given us a lot to think about. Appreciate it.

MAGAT: Happy holidays. Thanks for having me, Paula.

NEWTON: Now, staying with Christmas, thankfully, this time in Stockholm, a gingerbread winter wonderland is on display at Stockholm's Museum of

Architecture and Design. It is the museum's 35th year of Christmas gingerbread house competition and exhibition.

[18:55:00]

This year's theme, love of design and architecture. Submissions include a scene from Titanic, the Taj Mahal and the October Louvre heist, if you can

believe it. All, of course, fully edible, but perhaps too beautiful to eat. What do you guys think? Winners will be announced December 14th.

And finally, for us, a single egg is expected to fetch more than $26 million at auction next week. This is the 112-year-old winter egg made by

Faberge in St. Petersburg, Russia. It's made of clear quartz, but that's not what explains its astronomical price. That's a matter of rarity. In

fact, Faberge only made 50 eggs for Russian czars and Alexander III and Nicholas II. They were commissioned as Easter gifts between 1885 and 1916.

The winter egg has twice broken auction records, first in 1994 and then again in 2002.

The hand-carved flowers inside the egg makes it even more unique, as most Faberge eggs have mechanical surprises inside, like a steam train or

clockwork bird. The winter egg will go up for auction at Christie's in London on Tuesday. They really are stunning to behold. I've seen them in

Russia and outside of Russia.

I want to thank you for your company. I'm Paula Newton in New York. You have been watching "The Brief." Stay with CNN.

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