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The Brief with Jim Sciutto
U.S. Security Plan Slams European Allies; Trump Receives FIFA Peace Prize; 2026 FIFA World Cup Draw; Concerns Raised Over U.S. Immigration And Visa Policies; Netflix Announces To Buy Key Warner Bros. Assets; Trump To Announce Phase Two Of Gaza Plan. Aired 6-7p ET
Aired December 05, 2025 - 18:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR, "THE BRIEF": Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Jim Sciutto in Washington, and
you're watching "The Brief."
Just ahead this hour, U.S. President Donald Trump lays out a more confrontational relationship with Europe in a blistering new national
security plan. Football fans discover who will play whom in the 2026 World Cup as President Trump wins FIFA's first peace prize and a blockbuster
Netflix deal to buy Warner Brothers film and streaming assets. That story and much more coming up.
We do begin though with the Trump administration's drastic changes to U.S. national security strategy and its very role in the world. The document
which lays out U.S. foreign policy priorities sounds a clear retreat stating, quote, "The days of the U.S. propping up the entire world order
like Atlas are over." The message to U.S. allies is that they, quote, "must assume primary responsibility for their regions and contribute far more to
our collective defense." One might say that means you, NATO and Japan and South Korea and others. The American priorities in Ukraine now are to end
the war fast and to make nice with Moscow to, quote, "reestablish strategic stability with Russia."
Take note for Israel and Saudi Arabia and others, the document says that America's reasons for focusing on the Middle East will recede. That's quite
a change. And in an attempt to impose a MAGA agenda on Europe, the Trump administration warns Europe and must sharply reduce immigration or face,
quote, "civilizational erasure" due to migration from non-European countries.
Joining me now is General Wesley Clark. He is the former NATO Supreme Allied Commander. General Clark, I imagine your eyes were bulging to some
degree as you read this document here. You commanded U.S. forces in Europe at a time when the American approach to the world was quite different than
that which is laid out in this document here. What was your reaction to reading it? What does it mean?
GEN. WESLEY CLARK (RET.), FORMER NATO SUPREME ALLIED COMMANDER: First of all, I think it's very consistent with the actions and statements that the
Trump administration has made. So, I don't think there was any surprise in it. It is a transactional world. It's back to spheres of influence. It
sacrifices the magic of America.
For 250 years America has lived the dream that we gave to all of mankind. And we were always a radical power. That is to say, we believed that others
should share the benefits of democracy and liberty. And we acted to protect that. This is a retreat from the world, it seems to me. It's a smaller,
weaker America.
And Jim, I asked myself, why is it? Because somewhere in this document, it sort of indicates we can't afford it. But at the same time, the document is
saying, we're such a great, vibrant nation. We're so great. So, why can't we afford this? Is it because we can't deal with our own fiscal
responsibility? That we demand tax cuts? There have been these three major tax cuts since 9/11 that have really sunk the United States into a
difficult deficit position. Is that what this is about? And we're sacrificing 80 years of U.S. leadership, the rules-based international
order, which has served us so well. And we're falling back into this sort of hemispheric, hands-up protective status.
And when you look at it, you think, what about the dollar? Well, the administration wants to protect the dollar. Well, this is not the right way
to do it. What about the use of force in Latin America? Doesn't seem like that's a problem for the administration. It's been tried in the past, never
worked very well. Hasn't worked in Haiti. It's not going to work in Venezuela.
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And here we are, we gave $20 billion to Argentina, but we can't afford to help Ukraine, a nation that's fighting for the very values that have made
America great. And it will -- if they succeed, will stabilize Europe. But we think Malay is more important.
So, you know, I didn't find anything inconsistent with the actions of the administration. But seeing it in black and white and having it unravel like
this, it's a big change. It's transformational. And it may pave the way for war.
SCIUTTO: Let me ask you, perhaps relevant to that point, General Clark, I wonder how you think China and Russia read this statement? Do they find
themselves emboldened to test, for instance, Europe further or to test Taiwan that the U.S., based on this document, would not consider Europe's
security or Taiwan's security a priority to defend?
CLARK: Well, I think you have to differentiate between Russia and China, even though they're in a no-holds-no-limits alliance. But for Russia, they
got to read this with a lot of glee. This is like the 28-point peace plan that was taken. They like it. Let's get the U.S. out of Europe. That's been
the aim since Stalin and World War II. Khrushchev thought he could do it with putting missiles in Cuba.
And so, this goes a long way to helping Putin establish dominance over Europe, which is not in American interest. We fought two world wars to
prevent a dictatorship from controlling Europe. And Europe is still our greatest investment partner and trade partner, as this document recognizes.
So, there's that inconsistency.
With respect to China, my personal view, Jim, is that for years, we've overinflated the threat of China. Yes, they've got a lot of military
forces, but China is not Russia. China is not Putin. Putin wants that empire back. China has a bargain with its own citizenry. You submit to
authoritarianism, and we'll make you whole and wealthy.
And so, I think that the United States can work in Asia with China. I think that as long as Putin's power in Europe, in Russia, we're going to have to
be there in Europe and be strong.
SCIUTTO: Final question, if I can, because one particular part of the national security strategy has attracted particular attention, because in
it, you have the U.S. in effect goading Europe to adapt a MAGA immigration policy, right? And it goes so far as to say that Europe faces, quote,
"civilizational erasure" if it continues to allow migration specifically from non-European countries.
And I'm aware of the tensions that large waves of immigration, you think, from the Syrian war have caused in Europe. But do you find that language
about civilizational erasure, do you find that acceptable language, an acceptable goal for the U.S. to be identifying?
CLARK: It's very rude language. You know, Russia should face civilizational erasure. It's never really lived up to its promise of democracy and so
forth. It's a dictatorship. But in the document, we don't say that to Russia. We don't challenge China, even though they say the greatest threat
to China is Western democratic values. Instead, we want to go after our dearest, longest allies.
Why is that? Because I know there are supporters of the government in Washington who are in the data business, and Europe has different privacy
laws. And I know there's frictions there. And some of these people supported J.D. Vance. And so, I think there's some internal U.S. politics.
But when it gets out into a national security strategy like this, I think it's offensive. I don't think it has any place in that strategy. And Europe
does have to manage immigration.
But, Jim, I got to be honest with you. In 2013, '14, '15, when Europe was really suffering, I kept asking, why doesn't the United States let NATO
help Europe dealing with these migrants coming over the Mediterranean and dying? Why won't we help? NATO could have helped. But, you know, this idea
of detaching from Europe is not just from this administration. It's got some roots in it that go back a long way.
SCIUTTO: No question. Well, the first America, first movement, as you know, well, was in the 1930s, prior to World War II. General Wesley Clark, thanks
so much.
CLARK: Thank you, Jim.
SCIUTTO: My next guest has called this new U.S. national security strategy an attack on the European Union.
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Joining me now, Brando Benifei, chair of the European Parliament's delegation for U.S. relations. Good to have you back. Thanks so much for
joining.
BRANDO BENIFEI, MEMBER, EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND CHAIR, EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT'S U.S. DELEGATION: Thank you very much.
SCIUTTO: My first question is this. After reading this document, and I've been speaking to a whole host of European diplomats today who will say
privately but not publicly how concerned they are about this. In your view, is Europe effectively on its own now when it comes to its defense?
BENIFEI: Well, we understood already that on security matters, things have changed clearly in terms of having to accelerate some development of our
own security, which means also more sovereign systems that deal with cybersecurity and hybrid threats, and also traditional firepower, we can
say.
But the issue here is much deeper. There is a clear and, on paper, as General Clark has said, indication of the willingness to infiltrate our
national politics. It's been said that the resistance to the present trajectory of the European continent should be supported. This means
supporting ultra-nationalist, ultra-conservative movements in Europe.
And this is not acceptable, that there is from our ally a clear indication in the national security strategy that they want to influence in a direct
way our politics. And this attack on the European Union as the main problem for Europe, it's said that the European Union is the enemy of freedom for
Europe, is unacceptable, is really a despicable way of speaking in an official document like that.
And I have to be frank, I'm a bit appalled, because we were used to attacks coming from ministers of Trump's cabinet and the usual truth coming in the
middle of the night. But these are episodes. This instead is a long-term, on paper, strategy that is a direct attack on Europe.
And you know why? General Clark was already clear. Because there are forces that are strong in the administration that are scared of what Europe
represents. Even if Europe has all the weaknesses we know, it represents the idea of regulating big tech, of acting on the base of international law
and not on the division of spheres of influences between superpowers, the idea of a global governance to build peace.
Europe is still the symbol of that. And I think some people in the U.S., in Washington, close to the president, don't like that. I think this is
something unacceptable. And I'm sure that many colleagues I talk to very often from the Congress also agree that this is not the way forward.
SCIUTTO: I wonder if it's time for, in your view, Europe to say no to the U.S., right? When I was asking European diplomats, a number of them today,
about this, privately they said, this is horrible, we feel abandoned, but they couldn't say it publicly because they don't want to upset the U.S.
president or upset the relationship. If the break is so clear between your national security priorities and U.S. national security priorities, must
Europe not stand up and say, no, we don't accept that, we're not with you on this?
BENIFEI: Well, my opinion is that the transatlantic relationship is crucial for our well-being, for Europe and for U.S. It's based on common history,
common economic interests, a strong trade relation, a strong economic presence of our businesses on both sides of the Atlantic. It's based on
culture. It's based on a sense of purpose. But this document is taking a very bad turn.
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And I want to consider this as an accident that can be retracted, that can be corrected. Because in fact, this document tells us that in any case, we
need to speed up our unity. We need a more united Europe to be able to stand up to our American friends and say, you are doing it wrong now. You
have to change course.
SCIUTTO: Brando Benifei, thanks so much for joining us.
BENIFEI: Thank you very much.
SCIUTTO: Well, also here in Washington, a different topic in sports. The much-anticipated FIFA World Cup draw took place today. Soccer's world
governing body presented at the same ceremony an entirely new award called the FIFA Peace Prize. And who got it? No one other than President Trump.
What process there was for choosing the winner? Not clear. Something the president welcomed. It is notable he did not receive the Nobel Peace Prize,
perhaps this is the replacement.
Today's draw assigned 48 teams into 12 groups. Spain, the current FIFA ranking number one is in group H with Uruguay, Saudi Arabia and Cape Verde.
In group A, one of the host nations, Mexico, will face off against South Korea, South Africa and the winner of a European playoff. People in Mexico,
they're excited about this group.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I think it's a great opportunity for Mexico. It's going to bring a lot of tourism here. It's going to increase the economy.
It's going to provide jobs. I think it's wonderful that Mexico is going to have it. And I hope that it gets the right publicity so that people aren't
afraid to come here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm a Mexico fan and I'm a U.S. fan. I just hope they don't meet in a game, but I'm cheering for both of them. I'm super excited.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: Of course, Mexico is one of the co-hosts along with the U.S. and Canada. Fans from countries under the Trump administration's travel ban,
however, such as Iran and Haiti, will not be able to attend games in the U.S. because of that travel ban.
Don Riddell has been covering this. He's outside the Kennedy Center where the draw happened in Washington today. And listen, I wonder, Don, because
you have the World Cup coming. It's a sporting event. There's an enormous amount of excitement and buildup. But you have politics intervening here
because you have an immigration policy in this country that's going to make it difficult for some countries or impossible to visit here. You have some
fans who might choose not to come. I mean, tourism from Canada is already down. Did that affect the mood there or is the focus on the sport today?
DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: Yes. I wouldn't have said that was really a factor today here. But, I mean, everybody is aware of that narrative and
how it's going to play out over the next few months and how, to be honest, the narrative might change for the worse. The United States might add even
more countries to its travel ban list. It's currently 19, which includes two of the teams who've qualified, Iran and Haiti. They might expand it to
30 or 32. And so, perhaps even more World Cup teams might be caught up in all of that. That is for sure a storyline.
But today, the focus was, of course, on the draw and who's going to play who in the group stage and how is everybody going to start figuring out
their pathway through to the final. But this was an event where football, sport in general, entertainment and, of course, politics all collided. And
the pre-show within the show, I suppose, was, as you've pointed out, the awarding of the Peace Prize to the U.S. President Donald Trump.
It was no surprise that Trump was given that award. Gianni Infantino, the FIFA president, announced the award that FIFA had literally just created
just a few weeks after President Trump was overlooked for the Nobel Peace Prize. And a few weeks later, this was announced and Trump was awarded the
Peace Prize here today.
And it was interesting to see him on the stage alongside the president of Mexico and the prime minister of Canada, the co-hosting nations. But
nations with whom Trump has sparred this year with the trade tariffs. And he was talking about the great friendship between these countries. But, of
course, that's not really the whole story or the true story, is it? But everybody was friends today. That was that was definitely the atmosphere
here at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
SCIUTTO: Did folks there understand the FIFA Peace Prize as to what connection it has, for instance, to the World Cup itself or did they
understand it or perceive it as a political gift separate from the event itself?
RIDDELL: I think it's that. I think you have to analyze the friendship or the relationship or the bromance, as some have described it, between
President Trump and the FIFA president, Gianni Infantino.
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Infantino regards himself as a global statesman. It is his belief that football can heal the world, that it is the beautiful game that can bring
us all together. He talks about that a lot. I think he sees himself as somebody that can benefit politically by being so aligned with Donald
Trump.
And of course, we know what Trump gets out of this arrangement. He loves being at the center of attention, sporting events of which he's attended
many this year already. And I'm sure he will attend many World Cup events next year.
Football and sport, whatever it is, keeps Donald Trump very much in the limelight and he is the center of attention. And so, there's really a
symbiotic relationship between these two men. And I think most people understood what was really going on here. Because remember, this prize
didn't exist a couple of months ago. It's something that FIFA has invented out of thin air. And no surprise who the first recipient was.
SCIUTTO: Final question, are there any clear groups of death or cupcake groups after this draw?
RIDDELL: So, I would say, because it's an expanded competition with 48 teams instead of 32, and most of the third-place teams, eight of the 12,
will go through to the knockout stage. I don't think it's really a group of death format anymore, because in some groups only one team will be going
home after the group stage. But there are definitely groups that are intriguing.
I would say group I with France, Senegal and Norway is fascinating. France are one of the fancy teams. Senegal famously sent them packing in 2002 when
France were the defending champions. And you've also got Norway in this group with Erling Haaland, who personally has scored more goals in
qualifying 16 than 33 of the other European teams were able to score in qualifying. So, Haaland against Mbappe in that group is fascinating.
And then group J, that's tough too. You've got England, another of the favorites, but they have been drawn alongside Croatia, who played in the
semifinals a couple of tournaments ago. And also, Ghana, who are a very tough African team, and I would argue the toughest of the so-called weakest
teams in the draw. So, those are the two groups that I think are interesting, but there are definitely intriguing fixtures all over the
place.
And I think this tournament will probably be more exciting the longer it goes. I think it will simmer before it boils. And once we get to the
knockout rounds, that's when it gets really exciting.
SCIUTTO: Yes, that group L looks pretty tough. U.S. group looks a little easier. Don Riddell, thanks so much. We are going to be talking more about
the World Cup later in the show with a former World Cup player.
Still ahead, it's a merger of a streaming disruptor and one of America's most iconic motion picture brands. The latest on Netflix's massive deal to
buy Warner Brothers Studios, which we should note, Warner Bros. Discovery owns this network. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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SCIUTTO: Welcome back. In today's Business Breakout, Wall Street ending the trading week with across-the-board gains. Stocks nearing all-time highs
again after a market-friendly read on U.S. inflation. The Fed's preferred measure of inflation coming in a bit below expectations on a year-over-year
basis in September. That report, along with troubling new U.S. employment data, increases the chances for another Fed interest rate cut next week.
Turning now to that blockbuster deal in the entertainment industry, Netflix has agreed to buy key assets of Warner Bros. Discovery, the parent company
of CNN, for $72 billion. Netflix will buy Warner Bros. movie studio operations, its TV studio, and the HBO and HBO Plus brands.
The deal is a blow for rival studio Paramount Skydance, which had aggressively bid for the entirety of Warner Bros. Discovery. And it
represents a major about face for Netflix, which has, until now, rejected the traditional Hollywood business model. The deal is sure, however, to
face regulatory scrutiny. Netflix has agreed to pay WBD an almost $6 billion breakup fee if the agreement were to fall through.
Joining me now is CNN's chief media analyst, Brian Stelter. Brian, lots of questions here. I mean, the first one is that Netflix somewhat came out of
nowhere here, right? Because early on, folks were like, ah, not really a serious bidder. And here it is. It came in with the biggest bid. It's got
the deal. What changed its mind?
BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: Right. It was a smart strategy by Netflix. They played it cool. They said they didn't feel like they needed
to bid, but they were going to take a look at the assets because why not? And then they swoop in and they make what is reportedly the highest bid,
actually beating out Paramount, becoming the frontrunner this week and then stealing the deal with WBD.
So, what changed? I think realistically speaking, Netflix saw this as a once in a decade, maybe even longer opportunity to buy up a giant movie and
TV studio to control assets like "Harry Potter" and "Game of Thrones." These chances just do not come around very often. Netflix might have to
wait another 10 or 20 years for an opportunity like this. So, the company would be foolish not to consider it.
And in this case, Netflix is looking at competitors like Google's YouTube, looking at Amazon, looking at Apple. And they feel even though they are the
biggest streaming subscription service, even though Netflix has swallowed up a large swath of the media industry, Netflix still, in its own way,
feels like it's vulnerable to competitors like Google. So, that is the argument we're hearing from them. They're going to make to regulators.
The Netflix, when you look at the market, it is up against these tech giants, other tech giants, and it should be able to buy Warner Bros. and
HBO for that reason. But as you mentioned, Jim, this is going to face a lot of regulatory scrutiny.
SCIUTTO: Yes. Yes. So, to that point, and you have to ask because the Trump administration tends to involve itself, right, in agencies, including those
that are going to be overseeing the regulatory side of this. Is there a regulatory fight ahead? Might his DOJ try to kill this deal?
STELTER: I believe there will be one. Yes, in the U.S. there will be and also in the U.K. and the E.U. and other parts of the world. I think we're
going to see some American states get involved, states like California, given the entertainment industry's power there.
But when it comes to the Trump administration, Paramount believed it had what one source said to me was the Trump card. Paramount's executives had
fostered a relationship with the Trump administration. They believed they would get approval for a deal for WBD, but Netflix would not. And we're now
going to see Paramount work behind the scenes potentially to derail this deal.
I'm told by sources today Paramount is brainstorming next steps that they are not giving up in their pursuit of these assets. But for the time being,
Netflix is the winner, and Netflix believes it can fight this out and win with regulators in the U.S. and Europe and elsewhere. That's going to be
the real test going forward. This is probably going to take over a year for Netflix and for Warner Bros. And it will in part come down, Jim, to what
President Trump says and does about this deal.
In the past, federal government agencies in the U.S. were probably independent. The DOJ would review antitrust deals independently of the
president's perceived whims. In this case, though, Trump is very transactional. He wants the agencies to do what he wants and what he
thinks. So, we don't yet know what kind of position he's going to take about this Netflix deal.
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We do know that inside the White House, there was a preference for Paramount, not for Netflix. But whether President Trump wants to pick a
fight with Netflix or not, I suspect he will, but we just don't know yet.
SCIUTTO: No, no question. And listen, there are ties between the Ellison family and the Trump, which we should note. Brian Stelter, thanks so much
for breaking it down.
STELTER: That's right.
SCIUTTO: Coming up, reports that Trump could announce phase two of the Gaza peace plan in the coming weeks, or at least the aspiration for that. We're
going to speak to the U.N.'s chief emergency relief coordinator to ask, in part, are the conditions there for phase two of the plan?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SCIUTTO: Welcome back to "The Brief." I'm Jim Sciutto, and here are the international headlines we're watching today.
The Trump administration has released a new national security strategy. It includes a plan for, quote, "promoting European greatness," claiming that
migration to Europe threatens not just the reliability of NATO allies, but also the very makeup of Europe. The document was criticized by many
European politicians, with the former prime minister of Sweden calling it, quote, "bizarre" and to the right of the extreme right in Europe.
The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to decide if President Trump's attempt to end birthright citizenship in this country with an executive order is
constitutional. U.S. policy has been settled in law since all the way back in the 19th century. The court will hear arguments next year and will
likely hand down a decision by the end of June.
Admiral Frank Bradley, who oversaw the September 2nd follow up or double tap attack on an alleged drug boat and its crew, told lawmakers that he
consulted with a lawyer before approving that second strike. This, according to two sources with direct knowledge.
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The follow-up strike, which one source said happened some 41 minutes after the first killed the two survivors. The strike's legality is a very
contested topic on Capitol Hill, with lawmakers mostly split along party lines, but some Republicans as well raising questions.
Axios reports that President Trump is planning to announce before Christmas that the Gaza peace process is now moving on to its second phase. The first
part of the deal is that ceasefire itself. It is almost complete with the remains of one final Israeli hostage, police officer Ran Gvili, yet to be
handed over. His family gathered earlier on Friday to call for his body's release.
Phase two will look at the governance and security of Gaza after the fighting ends. One key part is that Hamas disarms.
Let's get more on the situation in Gaza, ongoing challenges, from the U.N.'s chief emergency relief coordinator Tom Fletcher, who's with me here
live. Thanks so much for joining.
TOM FLETCHER, U.N. EMERGENCY RELIEF COORDINATOR: Thank you, Jim.
SCIUTTO: So, you've been following the situation on the ground closely during the war and since. First question is quite simply, where does the
ceasefire stand right now? I mean, is it correct to say that it's holding?
FLETCHER: It's holding up to a point. I mean, there's ongoing violence. You'll be getting the reports of that each day. The situation is much
better than it was before that ceasefire deal was announced. We're getting much more aid in than before when we were being consistently blocked from
getting those convoys on the road, moving to where they needed to get to. It's better than it was, but it's still not what it needs to be. We've got
much further to go and all of us have an interest in this plan holding and on us scaling up to the level we need to get to.
SCIUTTO: Now, the president is going to announce the transition to the second phase. He can announce that, but the question is, does that match
the reality on the ground? In your view, have Israel, have Hamas, have regional partners done what is necessary to take that next step?
FLETCHER: So, it's work in progress. I mean, we've been very focused on the humanitarian part, which means getting those couple of hundred trucks on
the road every day. Half of that is food. A lot of it is shelter. We're very worried about the winter, but we do need all those parties in the
region now rallying around.
We've got to see the disarmament of Hamas, which is clearly part of that plan. It's an ambitious plan. They want to go at pace. You know, a lot of
people have tried this in the past. There are reasons why it's difficult, but it's the best plan that's out there right now.
SCIUTTO: You visited Gaza just a few weeks ago following the start of the ceasefire. Can you describe what you saw there? I mean, the trouble we've
had is, you know, we haven't had enough eyes on the ground because of Israeli restrictions. What did you see?
FLETCHER: And this is one of the big challenges with my job, is that because you all can't get in, we're actually also then bearing witness,
bearing testimony to what we see. And it was a really rough trip. I mean, the roughest I've done. You do that drive. I stayed overnight in Deir al-
Balah. You do that long drive up from the crossing, and it's a wasteland. You know, just miles and miles of rubble.
The road I was on, Salah al-Din Highway, were cleared of bodies the day before, and rubble to allow our trucks to start moving through. So, it's a
desperate, desperate situation.
And now, and again, through the ruins, you see one -- you know, the odd person starting to go back to their homes, looking for loved ones, digging
through the rubble, a lot of unexploded ordnance. So, you know, it's a massive, massive road ahead to begin to reconstruct Gaza, to make it
livable again. In the meantime, we're just focused on saving as many lives as we can.
SCIUTTO: When you encountered people there, do they have any hope? I just - - listen, the trauma is going to last for a long, long time. How do they view this moment?
FLETCHER: So, it's desperate, as you say, and the stories you hear are utterly heartbreaking. You know, multiple casualties in single families,
people who've lost everything, been displaced time and time again.
Look, I was in there in the first quarter of the year, halfway through the last ceasefire, the 42-day ceasefire at the beginning of the year. And I
found people then more hopeless, more despairing. I think because they felt that it was only a temporary respite, that the violence would start again,
because clearly, many hostages were still held, and the reasons for the conflict would still be there.
This time, I found them a bit more optimistic than then. I think there was a sense that a corner had been turned, that the peace plan was substantive,
that the world was starting to respond. But that path ahead of them, going back and rebuilding their lives, taking those tents and going back, looking
for their homes using GPS, because everything is flattened. There are no landmarks.
SCIUTTO: You can't tell, like a street corner, right?
FLETCHER: Exactly.
SCIUTTO: Yes.
FLETCHER: So, a long, long way to go. But I think they did feel that at least a corner had been turned, and this phase of this conflict was behind
them.
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SCIUTTO: How about your ability to get aid in? Because that's been an issue throughout. And even since the ceasefire, are you able to get in the help
that people need?
FLETCHER: We're able to get in a lot more than we could get in. We were blocked for months and months from what we needed to do, and it was a huge
frustration. The ceasefire was a huge frustration for us. It was a huge frustration for all of us. The Trump plan actually then allowed us the
conditions to scale up quite significantly.
So, a lot more than before the plan, a couple of hundred trucks a day at least, a lot of food, a lot of tents for the winter, more medicine now,
getting more kids back into some sort of schooling, which is so vital, but still very frustrating. We can't get in a lot of what we call these dual-
use items, which are still very restricted. Only three of the six crossings that we need are open. Many of the NGOs on whom we rely are not allowed to
operate alongside us. So, I'm -- you know, I'm glass half full here, but there's a lot further we need to go.
What's really shifted is that we're now working day to day with the Americans to get those conditions in place. And there's that sense of a
shared interest in getting our convoys on the road and getting that life- saving support to people who desperately need it.
SCIUTTO: They do need it, no question. Tom Fletcher, thanks so much for joining us and for the work you do.
FLETCHER: Thank you.
SCIUTTO: Appreciate it. From deep challenges to a moment of excitement, soccer fans around the world found out which countries their teams will
face in the group stage of next year's World Cup. We're going to have our analysis from someone who knows. He's played in one. That's coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SCIUTTO: Back now to one of our top stories. The FIFA World Cup draw here in Washington. It's done now and it divided a record 48 teams into 12
groups. The U.S., Mexico and Canada are going to host the tournament in June and July next year.
Lionel Messi and defending champion Argentina will face Algeria, Austria and Jordan in Group J. The U.S. it's going to face Paraguay, Australia and
the winner of a European playoff in Group D. American fans watching the draw, they seem to be pretty pleased with that group.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Love the U.S. group. I think it's going to take four points to come out of that group. So, they got a really good chance, you
know, finishing that top two spot.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's not the best. It's not the worst. We're going to have some good challenges. I think we're going to make it out and I think
we're going to have a good path to get to the final.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm feeling really good about the group. It's different group for -- I mean, different teams play differently. And so, it's going
to be a good challenge.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[18:45:00]
SCIUTTO: All Right. joining us now for some expert analysis, Dax McCarty, former U.S. men's national team player himself. Thanks so much for joining.
DAX MCCARTY, FORMER PLAYER, U.S. MEN'S NATIONAL SOCCER TEAM: Thanks for having me. I appreciate it.
SCIUTTO: All right. So, you've had 14 appearances with the U.S. men's national team. I wonder when you look at the U.S. group, are you as hopeful
as those fans were about the U.S. chances of making it out?
MCCARTY: Absolutely. I'm extremely optimistic about the U.S. men's national team group. It can go in a number of different directions when you're
watching a World Cup draw, but from the U.S. men's national team perspective, I think it's a I don't think you could have asked for a
better, more favorable draw for the U.S. men's national team to not just get out of the group, but win the group.
With all due respect to Paraguay and Australia, the U.S. men's national team is a better team than both of them. They've proven that in October and
November of this year, 2-1 victories against both of those teams in friendlies. And then you have to wait and see how the European playoff
plays out. But Turkey is a really strong opponent. So, I would expect them to be the favorite to join that U.S. men's national team group.
SCIUTTO: Who do you think is the cream of the crop this time around? What handful of teams do you think have the best chance to win at all?
MCCARTY: Yes, it's a great question.
SCIUTTO: We lost the signal there. We're going to work on fixing that. Stay with us. We'll try to get a fix and we'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SCIUTTO: All right. A little bit of technology now apparently smart glasses are back for some people. Sales of high-tech eyewear have tripled in the
U.S. since this time last year. Those numbers expected to get an additional boost during the holiday season. Hadas Gold has more on the new models and
why some shoppers are still holding out.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HADAS GOLD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): Tech fans this holiday season are being offered a new twist on a product you might have seen before,
smart glasses, this time powered by Meta A.I.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think that probably the advantage to have the hands free, it's amazing. It's very interesting. And the concept of wearables in
their regular day, I think it has a huge potential at the end of the day. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Tap the touchpad to wake up glass.
GOLD (voice-over): If you're getting a bit of digital deja vu, you may be thinking of 2013 ill faded Google Glass. This latest take on high-tech
eyewear is less clunky. It's also more advanced. With meta you can read live translations, schedule reminders and chat with A.I. Meta is also
collaborating with brands like Oakley and Ray-Ban known for their fashionable sunglasses.
[18:50:00]
Despite how tech glasses have advanced over the last decade, consumer tech analyst Avi Greengart says the product is still in its early adopter era.
Privacy, comfort and worries over how the glasses look on are still concerns.
AVI GREENGART, PRESIDENT AND LEAD ANALYST, TECHSPONENTIAL: So, having the camera on the glasses is a little less creepy than it was 10 years ago. I
mean, it's still just as creepy. We've just come to accept it.
GOLD (voice-over): Some window shoppers used to ever updating iPhones are still holding out for the next version of the glasses.
JEAN PAUL STEWART, SHOPPER: I'm going to try them all, but I feel like I'm just going to wait for like one more generation.
GOLD (voice-over): Greengart says you might have to wait.
GREENGART: They've already sold that you can't even get an appointment for the next month at any of the handful of retail locations. The better
question isn't how the Meta Ray-Ban displays are going to perform for holiday 2025, it would be holiday 2026.
GOLD (voice-over): The sales numbers will soon reveal whether Meta's glasses are a hit or a miss among tech savvy fashionistas.
Hadas Gold, CNN New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SCIUTTO: All right. There will be no smart glasses on the football pitch. We do have Dax McCarty back fixing the connection there. But I was asking
you before we went black. I mean, who do you who you've got your money on for the top contenders for winning it all this year or next year?
MCCARTY: Yes, apologies for that, guys. As far as the top contenders go, it's any team from pot A. Certainly, all the favorites, all the usual
suspects. You have to start with the defending champions Argentina and arguably still the greatest player in the world who plays in Major League
Soccer here in the U.S., Lionel Messi, they are playing at a great level right now and got a relatively easy draw.
I look at them to make a deep run in this tournament as well as a couple of really big European powerhouses. I look at France, Portugal and Cristiano
Ronaldo trying to make one last run at getting a World Cup for his trophy cabinet.
And then Germany. Germany is always a danger to come out in these tournaments and play well. I would say either them or Spain are two teams
that you really have to keep a close eye on as far as the favorites in this tournament go.
SCIUTTO: OK. How about a dark horse though, right? Because you just named, I mean, folks that -- those are typical contenders every year. And I
wonder, could the U.S. be one of those dark horses?
MCCARTY: Absolutely. The U.S. Can be a dark horse. Like I talked about a little bit earlier before our technical issues, the U.S. got a very
favorable draw, not just to get out of the group, but depending on how well they play and if things bounce their way, they could actually win the group
and you want to win your group. If you win your group, you get a more favorable draw going into the knockout round games against teams that
didn't win their group. So, the U.S. Absolutely can be considered a dark horse.
I look at a team like Morocco who's playing really well right now. One of the scariest teams that nobody wanted to be in their group. And then also
Senegal, another team from Africa who is playing, playing really well right now, unbeaten and qualifying, I believe, those are two teams to keep an eye
out for U.S. fans that might not know who the dark horse teams in this tournament are.
SCIUTTO: Yes, there's always one, right? There's always at least one. But before we go, the World Cup Cup's message is unite the world. And listen,
as you know, it's a divisive time in this country, in the world. It's a divisive time. Do you think it can deliver on that to some degree?
MCCARTY: Absolutely. There's no question in my mind that when you have difficult things going on in the world, which everybody knows about as far
as what's happening in the political climate, in the global climate right now. Sport can bring people together. It can galvanize countries. It can
make people believe and bring them joy and happiness and maybe times of sadness and strife.
I absolutely think that the 2026 World Cup in the U.S., Mexico and Canada next year will be the biggest and most historic sporting event of all time.
I've got no doubts about that. I'm sure we're going to see plenty of drama, plenty of happy tears shed from emotional fans all over the globe. I
absolutely can't wait.
SCIUTTO: Dax McCarty, good to have you. Thanks so much.
MCCARTY: Cheers. Thanks for having me.
SCIUTTO: All right. Well, before we go, imagine Elon Musk and Picasso as robot dogs. The art Basel installation by the American artist people is
called regular animals. These robot dogs, as you'll see here. Wow, that's scary. Roam around, take pictures in their own artistic style and
occasionally eject NFT prints from their rears.
[18:55:00]
People says his creation is a way of looking at the impact billionaires such as Musk, Zuckerberg and Bezos have on all of us.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're increasingly seeing the world through the lens of how they would like us to see it because they control these very powerful
algorithms and they have unilateral control over how we see the world in many ways.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: Wow. Echoes of invasion of the body snatchers. That's just one of many installations that this art event in Miami. It kicks off Friday with
nearly 300 galleries from dozens of countries.
We finished tonight with the Good Brief. Earlier this week, we told you about a raccoon who had a little bit too much in a liquor store. Now,
surveillance cameras caught the moment a baby seal wandered into a bar in New Zealand. The venue's pet friendly staff thought it was a dog at first.
Then it made a dash for the bathrooms.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I can't believe there's a baby seal here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: Well, that's pretty cute. The seal was captured after trying to hide under a dishwasher. It was coaxed out with, what, a piece of salmon.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BELLA EVANS, CO-OWNER, SPRIG + FERN THE MEADOWS BAR: I think everyone's in shock. It was a lot of, I can't believe this is happening. Oh, my gosh.
What do we do? What's going on? We've stopped. It was a lot of disbelief, I think.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: Conservation rangers who had been out looking for the seal took him away and released him back into the wild where he belongs. A happy
ending and no hangovers this time.
Thanks so much for joining us. I'm Jim Sciutto in Washington. You've been watching "The Brief." We hope you have a great weekend. Stay with CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:00:00]
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