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The Brief with Jim Sciutto
CNN International: Venezuela Calls U.S. Tanker Blockage "Reckless"; Republican Centrists Force Vote in Obamacare Fight; Surviving Bondi Beach Suspect Charges with 59 Offenses; Warner Bros. Discovery Rejects Paramount's Hostile Bid; Brown University Shooting Investigation; Nick Reiner Makes First Court Appearance in L.A. Aired 6-7p ET
Aired December 17, 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]
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, Venezuela's president accuses the U.S. of trying to steal his country's wealth after Donald Trump ordered a blockade of
sanctioned oil tankers. The surviving suspect in the Bondi Beach massacre is charged with 15 counts of murder, 40 counts of attempted murder. And
Warner Bros. Discovery, this channel's parent company we should note, urges shareholders to reject a hostile takeover bid.
We begin with Venezuela responding to U.S. threats of a naval blockade on sanctioned oil tankers. Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro told the U.N. the
U.S. is engaging in, quote, a diplomacy of barbarism. U.S. President Donald Trump is demanding that Venezuela fork over oil, land, and other assets.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NICOLAS MADURO, VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT (through translator): We tell the people of the United States our truth, and it is very clear. Imperialism
and the Nazi fascist right wing want to colonize Venezuela, to take our wealth, oil, gas, gold, iron, aluminum, and other minerals. We have sworn
to defend our homeland, and in Venezuela, peace will always prevail.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: President Trump claims Venezuela took the oil and other assets illegally.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: Not going to let anybody going through that shouldn't be going through. You remember they took all of our energy
rights. They took all of our oil from not that long ago, and we want it back. But they took it. They illegally took it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: Ricardo Hausmann is a political economy professor at Harvard University and Venezuela's former minister of planning. He joins me now.
Thanks so much for taking the time.
RICARDO HAUSMANN, FOUNDER AND DIRECTOR, HARVARD UNIVERSITY'S GROWTH LAB, FORMER VENEZUELAN MINISTER OF PLANNING AND PROFESSOR, HARVARD UNIVERSITY:
Thank you for having me.
SCIUTTO: So, first of all, from the U.S. perspective, has President Trump revealed the actual objective of this military pressure campaign being oil?
HAUSMANN: I don't think so. I think that it's very clear that Venezuela is ruled by a narco-terrorist dictatorship, and that the current regime has
caused poverty and misery in Venezuela, that the current regime has lost massively in election last year, and that Venezuela's GDP, Venezuela's
economy was four times bigger than it is today back in 2013. And it would be 10 times bigger than it is today had it not been because of this ill-
fated regime that has destroyed the country.
So, if the issue is the creation of wealth and so on, changing the Venezuelan regime is the ticket to it. This is a disastrous regime that
Venezuelans want to kick out.
SCIUTTO: Do you support U.S. military action to force out the Maduro regime, right up to and including attacks on the ground in Venezuela?
HAUSMANN: I think it's a generalized support in Venezuela that we want the international community to help kick this guy out. We've tried everything
as possible at home. We won by a landslide. A very unfair election tilted against the opposition. And in spite of that, you know, the opposition won
a landslide and was able to prove it through the participation of tens of thousands of volunteers that made sure that -- you know, that the votes
were well counted and reported.
So, Venezuelans want this guy out. Venezuela has a lot of oil under the ground. Oil under the ground is worth nothing. We need to have an oil
industry that is capable to monetize those assets. And when you monetize assets, there's a lot of money to go around. The Venezuelan economy could
be 10 times bigger than it is today, as I just said. So, yes, Venezuelans are massively in favor of maximum pressure on Maduro for him to leave.
[18:05:00]
SCIUTTO: I mean, the question is, does that maximum pressure include an invasion?
HAUSMANN: Well, the calculus has to be what will make President Maduro or the dictator Maduro think that he's better off in some golden exile
somewhere else than in Venezuela? And that will be essentially making it unbearable for him to stay. And that's the only thing that needs to happen.
Make it unbearable on Maduro and, you know, maybe 10 people around him, 100 people around him, for them to leave, offer them an exile abroad in a place
of their choosing. Offer them guarantees for them to leave. And then we need the armed forces of Venezuela, the police forces of Venezuela, to help
restore democracy, constitutional rule.
Venezuela has a tradition of democracy. It has a very strong civil society. We need our armed forces, our police forces to keep the peace, to keep the
calm. But we need this corrupt elite to leave. And the thing is, offer them to leave or else. And or else has to be very targeted on them. That's who
we want to convince.
SCIUTTO: Right.
HILL: The U.S. doesn't have a fight with Venezuela. The U.S. has a fight with a corrupt regime that has taken over the country. This -- if you want,
this criminal gang masquerading as a state.
SCIUTTO: You wrote recently in an opinion piece in The New York Times, quote, "In light of the diplomatic pressure and military assets Washington
has committed to the Caribbean, backing off now would not avoid disaster, it would constitute one."
I just wonder if what you're saying, in effect, is that the U.S. and President Donald Trump have painted themselves into a corner here, that if
Maduro doesn't lose the game of chicken, right, then the U.S. loses.
HAUSMANN: Well, I think Maduro doesn't have a much better option than to call a potential bluff. So, I think that if this was a bluff, it will
backfire. But the U.S. has the assets to not make it a bluff, to make it a real threat and to convince him to leave.
SCIUTTO: Final question, if I can. President Trump has reportedly asked U.S. oil companies to return to Venezuela. As you know, right now, Chevron
is the only U.S. company allowed to operate there. And that's via sanctions carve out. Do you have any concern that the U.S. would reap the benefits of
Venezuela's economy or a significant portion of it rather than Venezuela itself if Maduro were to leave?
HAUSMANN: I don't think so. The issue that President Trump has raised is the fact that Venezuela changed the conditions, the contracts on Chevron,
on Conoco, on Exxon and on other foreign companies back around 2005, 2007. And Exxon and Conoco protested. They decided to leave the country and they
sued Venezuela and they won in international courts. So, they have rights.
But the truth is that in all of Latin America, including Venezuela, the assets under the ground are the property of the state. And the state can
offer them to companies in exchange for royalty payments and other payments. And that was the situation before. That will be the situation in
the future.
We want very good, high quality oil companies to help us extract the oil that we have. And that will be mutually beneficial. It will be competitive.
We'll try to become as sexy as possible as a destination for investment. And that's made by making Venezuela an efficient place to produce oil so
that we can extract the largest possible tax income for the state and for the people. But that means collaboration, cooperation with the
international private sector.
SCIUTTO: Ricardo Hausman, thanks so much for joining us. We appreciate you taking the time.
HAUSMANN: Thank you for having me.
SCIUTTO: Well, back here in the U.S., a group of Republican lawmakers have broken ranks with their party in the ongoing fight over extending Obamacare
or ACA subsidies. They turned to the Democrats, the force of vote, on their own bill to extend those subsidies for health insurance. Congressman Mike
Lawler, Republican from New York, explained why he and his colleagues defied their Republican House speaker.
[18:10:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MIKE LAWLER, (R-NY): These premium tax credits are going to expire at the end of the year, and it has a direct impact on millions of Americans.
This is not about party loyalty. This is about doing the job I was elected to do, and forcing the body to actually work.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: Might also be concerns about the midterms. U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson defended himself to reporters denying he'd lost control of the
Republican majority.
Joining me now, Larry Sabato, director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia. Thanks so much, Larry, for coming back.
LARRY SABATO, CENTER FOR POLITICS DIRECTOR, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA: Thank you so much, Jim.
SCIUTTO: So, first question here, before I get to bigger divisions within the Republican Party, is this going to get over the hill here? Because you
have -- now the House is going to have to vote on it. But we're also hearing from GOP senators that they're optimistic on a vote moving forward
in the Senate. Do you see the logjam breaking on this?
SABATO: Jim, it's possible. I wouldn't bet on it right now. Yes, it could pass the House simply because of the numbers involved. There's such a close
margin between the Democrats and Republicans in the House. In the Senate, the majority leader, John Thune, has already all but said it's not going to
pass. Now, maybe he's wrong, but he has a pretty good read on what's going to happen in the Senate.
And let me ask you a question. Do you see President Trump signing this? Do you see him signing this? He hates Barack Obama. He's proven again today.
SCIUTTO: True, but he seems to know, to some degree, that this is politically perilous for Republicans and himself. Because he's talked a bit
about, well, a possible way, even if he just puts his name on it, right? I mean, might Trump even see the danger here for Republicans in the midterms
if they kill this?
SABATO: Possibly. I think he does see the dangers. But, of course, as he reminds us constantly, he's not on the ballot. Therefore, he personally has
no direct stake in it. We'll see. I mean, it's possible I'll have to see a lot more evidence to convince me that Republicans as a whole will go along
with Obamacare. Just the name makes it tough for them and their constituencies.
SCIUTTO: I hear you. Well, let's talk bigger picture about some fissures, if one wants to call it that, in Republican unity. You have four
Republicans here defying their speaker to push this forward, at least in the House. Of course, you had Republicans defy the president himself on the
Epstein files. He eventually had to fold. And on some other issues, too, even the criticism, for instance, in the early days of the Trump peace plan
for Ukraine. Do you see his or at least the beginning of his power waning within his own party?
SABATO: Yes, because it's about time. That is, if you look historically, presidents, particularly those that are unpopular, and he is now down in
the 30s, 30s job approval. That's a danger because, again, just to repeat myself, Trump isn't going to be on the ballot next year. But a third of the
Senate and all of the members of the House of Representatives who are running for reelection will be on the ballot. They're concerned about their
welfare.
And so, it's possible Trump recognizes that if the Democrats get a large majority in the House or managed to take over somehow in the Senate by even
a vote, he's going to have a miserable final two years as president. He's been through this before and it's not very pleasant.
SCIUTTO: He is now, to your point, at 39 percent in the CNN Poll of Polls, its compilation of polls, vetted polls. And that's a key barrier, which,
you know better than me, falling below 40 percent. He's going to speak to the nation tonight attempting to make the case he's got this under control.
Does he have a message for the American people?
SABATO: He has a message for the MAGA base. And those are the people mainly going to be listening. We've seen this again as a pattern. People
who actually tune into these speeches are overwhelmingly in the base of the president to begin with. And that's even more true with Trump. So, it's a
message to the base.
I can tell you this much, the White House staff is praying that for once he sticks to the script on the teleprompter, that's really critical, because
if he wanders off, as he does almost all the time on stage when he's traveling the country, probably he's going to get into some areas that will
cause the GOP heartburn.
SCIUTTO: We've seen that movie before, as they say. Larry Sabato, thanks so much for joining.
SABATO: Thank you, Jim.
SCIUTTO: Well, now to Australia, where the surviving suspect in the Bondi Beach massacre has now been charged with 15 counts of murder. Police say
Naveed Akram also faces 40 counts of attempted murder, as well as other charges, including committing an act of terrorism.
[18:15:00]
Akram remains at a Sydney hospital. He was shot by police. His father, the other alleged gunman, was shot dead on Sunday by officers responding. The
charges come as the families of some of the victims bid farewell to their loved ones. The first of many funerals held in Sydney over the last 24
hours.
Will Ripley is in Sydney. You know, and it was just last night, Will, as you and I were talking, one of the first funerals was beginning to take
place right behind you. Tell us about how this community is reeling right now in the midst of all this, and I see that sea of flowers behind you.
WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You know, it's just continued to grow, Jim. In fact, so many flowers were being left here. The
flower shop down the block was completely sold out. The police had to ask people to stop bringing flowers here and set up another memorial over by
the beach, which is also full.
People are here to take in this and also to share their stories. We were just chatting a few minutes ago with a mother who says her daughter is in
intensive care right now. She shielded her three children underneath a car, took gunfire to her back, and then another man helped to block the wound
for 20 minutes before the ambulance arrived. She is expected to recover.
But, I mean, here we are days later, and we still hear such heroic stories, but perhaps one of the saddest stories. They're all sad, but one of the
most heartbreaking in this sea of heartbreak is the story about this young girl right here, Matilda, just 10 years old. Her mother wrote a message to
her on a rock here saying her memory is a blessing, but they're feeling her loss so deeply right now. The hearse has just arrived with the bodies of
one of the rabbis. Let's just pause for a moment and take this in.
Funerals are now underway for the 15 people killed in Sunday's terror attack, and some of the hardest scenes are here in Redfern, where family
and friends gather to remember the youngest victim, 10-year-old Matilda. She leaves behind not just her parents, but her younger sister, Summer.
Sunday, the day of the attack, was a day of face painting, playing with goats, and having fun with her parents. We say they were just briefly
separated in the crowd, a moment that turned into a nightmare.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VALENTYNA, MATILDA'S MOTHER: Like she's lying on ground. And then second one I see before my eyes is she's lying on the ground. I just can't explain
how it happened.
MICHAEL, MATILDA'S FATHER: I rubbed my shirt and I was talking to her because she was --
VALENTYNA: She was in shock.
MICHAEL: She was in shock. She was telling me that it's hard to breathe.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RIPLEY: As this city mourns, families here are left with the same questions. How did this happen, and why?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ELLIOT, WITNESS: It's our loss. It's our community's loss.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RIPLEY (voice-over): Elliot was there. He knows many of the victims.
RIPLEY: What's it like to grow up as a Jew here?
ELLIOT: You just live in like utopia here. This utopia has just turned to dystopia.
RIPLEY: Have you noticed a rise in anti-Semitism since October 7, 2023?
ELLIOT: Incredibly. I mean --
RIPLEY: Here in Australia?
ELLIOT: Incredibly.
RIPLEY (voice-over): October 7th is when Hamas attacked Israel. The retaliation that followed has killed or injured more than 10 percent of
Gaza's population in the last two years. An independent U.N. inquiry said Israel is committing genocide. Israel denies that. There have been protests
worldwide, including here in Sydney. During this period, Australia, like many places, has seen a massive spike in antisemitic attacks.
ANTHONY ALBANESE, AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER: We want to stamp out and eradicate anti-Semitism from our society.
ELLIOT: The restaurant we're coming up to here was burnt down. There's a school, there's a daycare that was also burnt down. There's been
antisemitic graffiti. There's been kids having eggs thrown at them. There's everything. It kind of has gotten lost. Not to us. We've been begging our
government. We've been telling them.
Swipe that way and you'll read some of them.
RIPLEY (voice-over): He shows me the comments to social media posts about the attack.
RIPLEY: Can you guys see this? Ha, ha, ha, rot in hell. Rest in Bondi Beach piss water, you ardent genocide defender. Oh, my god, I can't go on
actually.
ELLIOT: You know, I don't even need a comment on that because --
RIPLEY: And this is, I mean --
ELLIOT: This is constant. I mean, this is everywhere. Look at this view.
RIPLEY: I see what you mean by utopia.
[18:20:00]
ELLIOT: Things are going to be OK. Because, at the end of the day, the one thing they can't take from us is that we live in the most beautiful place
on earth.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
RIPLEY (on camera): And you're looking live now as the local rugby league comes. The players leaving their flowers here at the memorial. People have
been gathering in recent days just trying to take all of this in, trying to process what happened. Mixed with the grief, of course, is anger and very
serious questions.
People in the Jewish community here, Jim, say the government for two years ignored their calls of increasing anti-Semitism and attacks, both
rhetorical attacks on social media, but also violence. Businesses set on fire, as you heard him talking about. Kids getting things thrown at them.
The hope now is that something will be done to protect the Jewish community, but of course, the question, and it's a hard one to answer, may
be an obvious answer. Is this too little too late after this?
SCIUTTO: Yes. Will Ripley, thanks so much. And once again, please send our best to the community there and the loved ones of the victims. And we'll be
right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SCIUTTO: Welcome back. In today's Business Breakout, weakness across the board for U.S. stocks with the S&P 500 falling for a fourth straight
session. The NASDAQ tumbled almost 2 percent after another big drop in shares of Oracle. The software giant fell almost 5.5 percent and reports it
is having trouble financing a planned A.I. data center. The report raises new concerns over the massive amounts of money borrowed to build A.I.
infrastructure and whether those bets will ultimately pay off. Oracle insists the data center deal will go through.
Warner Bros. Discovery, the parent company of CNN, has now formally rejected the $30-a-share takeover offer, hostile takeover offer, from rival
Paramount Skydance, and it is urging its shareholders to vote against the bid as well. Paramount Skydance launched its hostile bid for all of WBD
last week after WBD struck a separate deal with Netflix for, we should note, the studio portion of the company.
WBD is raising concerns over whether Paramount actually has the money for the deal, saying the offer poses, quote, "numerous significant risks." WBD
also says Paramount's board consistently misled them over the details of the deal. They call it illusory.
[18:25:00]
Joining me now, CNN Media Analyst Sara Fischer. Wow, this has been quite a drama out in public and with billions of dollars at stake here. They're
saying to shareholders, say no. Are shareholders likely to? I mean, is this deal, is this offer from Paramount flawed enough for them to say no?
SARA FISCHER, CNN MEDIA ANALYST AND MEDIA ANALYST, AXIOS: I think that shareholders are going to hold out in case this bidding war drives the
price up higher. They don't want to settle for $30 a share. I also think shareholders like the Netflix deal because you get Netflix stock as a part
of it. You also get shares in Discovery Global, which is going to be the cable spin-out of Warner Bros. Discovery. And they like the certainty of
the deal.
So, I have not seen any of the major institutional investors in Warner Bros. Discovery guide its clients, think about the vanguards of the world,
to mass tender their shares. So, I don't think Paramount -- Paramount would need to get 51 percent of shares tendered in order to gain control of this
company by January 8th. Jim, I think that's highly unlikely.
SCIUTTO: At the core of the uncertainty about the deal, are you saying that is doubts that Paramount actually has the money?
FISCHER: That Paramount's backstop, meaning that the guarantees that they will come up with the money if a bidder -- or if one of their financing
partners pulls, I think they thought it was unstable. And one of the reasons being is the Oracle news that you just brought up at the top.
SCIUTTO: There you go. Yes.
FISCHER: So, basically, before the latest round of bids, the Paramount folks had not explicitly said that the Ellisons will backstop the money.
When they submitted their last bid, they said, well, we'll backstop it, but it's in a revocable trust, meaning it could be changed last minute, who's
coming in with the cash.
I think the Warner Bros. Discovery board is thinking, well, if you have the money, then why, A, are you raising billions of dollars from sovereign
wealth funds, and B, why can't you backstop it yourselves? If a controlling shareholder is going to commit to backstopping it, I think that would have
made them feel much better about the opportunity to close the deal.
SCIUTTO: Yes. I mean, because I'd heard, you know, about how all that Oracle money was going to be the secret to this, but of course that's worth
about half of what it was a few weeks ago.
FISCHER: Yes.
SCIUTTO: So, OK, way forward for the Netflix deal. What does this look like, then, over the coming weeks and months? And does it get the
regulatory approval that they need?
FISCHER: Great question.
SCIUTTO: Yes.
FISCHER: So, I do think that the Netflix deal moves ahead because Paramount would have to come up on top of $30 a share, and I think that's
highly unlikely. What the regulatory approval process looks like is going to be a slog.
In the U.S., our regulatory agencies, primarily the DOJ, they're going to take a look and investigate this. Whether or not they choose to sue to
block it, unclear. But if they do, don't expect that to come until maybe the end of 2026.
SCIUTTO: Wow.
FISCHER: If they do decide to do that, then you would move to a trial. A trial has discovery. I sat in trial for the AT&T-Time Warner case. I was
there almost three months. So, you have months long of trial, and then there could be an appeal from whatever side loses, and that's just the U.S.
regulatory process. We're not even talking about European regulators that will host their own process. So, all this to say, Jim, don't expect any
sort of deal to close before 2027.
SCIUTTO: That's a long timeline, but how about the betting? I'm not going to bet the money on what you say next, but does the market believe that all
those regulatory agencies, both here and around the world, are eventually going to say, yes, this is fine?
FISCHER: Yes, and the reason being, it's a very high bar to convince an independent judge that this company not only would have a monopoly, but
that it would weaponize it. Because in the U.S., it's not illegal to be a monopoly, you just can't exploit it. And so, what they have to prove, the
DOJ, is that Netflix would be a monopoly. That's not easy to do. Especially today, YouTube comes out, buys the Oscars. How do you say that Netflix is a
monopoly when YouTube is buying NFL rights? So, it's going to be tough for them to convince a judge of this.
And in Europe, they'll face some uphill battles because Warner Bros. Discovery owns Eurosport. Obviously, CNN is international. But ultimately,
I think they'll get the approvals. Remember, it took a long time for Amazon to get its approvals of MGM. It took forever for Microsoft to get its
approvals of Activision. Both cases, they eventually got them.
SCIUTTO: But it came through?
FISCHER: Yes.
SCIUTTO: Sara Fischer. Thanks so much, as always.
FISCHER: Thank you.
SCIUTTO: Still to come on "The Brief," police are now asking the public for help. They're looking for someone who may have crossed paths with the
person of interest in that Brown University just awful shooting.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:30:00]
SCIUTTO: Welcome back to "The Brief." I'm Jim Sciutto, and here are the international headlines we're watching today.
Venezuela's president warns that U.S. threats could put regional peace in jeopardy. Nicolas Maduro told the U.N. Secretary General Wednesday U.S.
President Donald Trump's call for a blockade on oil tankers to and from Venezuela is a threat to international law. The U.N. is calling for de-
escalation between the two nations.
Russian President Vladimir Putin says the Kremlin is ready to take Ukrainian territory by force if Ukraine refuses to give up that territory.
Territorial concessions are a big sticking point in peace talks, understandably, for Ukraine. Russia's demanding that Ukraine formally cede
Crimea, the entire Donbas, and parts of the south, including large areas it has not captured by force of arms. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy
said again this week he has no plans to give up Ukrainian land.
The U.S. Senate has confirmed the appointment of tech billionaire Jared Isaacman to run the space agency NASA. Isaacman is a private astronaut and
CEO of a payments company called Shift4. The nomination raised concerns about conflicts of interest. Some are concerned his ties to Elon Musk and
SpaceX run too deep.
It is now day five of the urgent manhunt for the Brown University shooter. Police are now appealing to the public for help to find an individual who
they believe crossed paths with that person of interest we spoke about. Authorities say a short time ago, the individual may have spoken with the
person of interest around the time of the shooting.
Saturday's shooting left two students dead, at the Ivy League School in Providence, Rhode Island, nine others injured. Police say eyewitness
accounts of the gunman match the description of the person of interest they're seeking and that you see in these videos police have released.
Joining us now from Providence is Danny Freeman. And, Danny, just to be clear, this image that they released of this other person, they do not
believe this other person is involved. They just believe that other person may have had contact with or crossed paths with the shooter?
[18:35:00]
DANNY FREEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's exactly right, Jim. Basically, the way that police framed it today is that they believe that this second
person that they released some images of today was in the proximity at some point of this person of interest that they've been spending so much time
looking for over the course of the past several days, five days now. But they are emphasizing that at this point this is not a suspect, just someone
that they are really keen on speaking to.
And again, a source told me that they believe there may have been a conversation or that words may have been exchanged between these two
people. And they're hoping that that person can help shed some light potentially on who this suspect is. And once they get closer to finding out
who this suspect is, then, Jim, investigators are hopeful that they can find out where, of course, this suspect may be.
And I'll just tell you, it seems like we're almost at the part of the investigation or the phase of the investigation where these investigators
are just shaking every twig, every branch possible to try and shake some information loose from the public. That's why they're making this plea, as
you noted.
So, that was the first piece of new information that we got this afternoon. But, Jim, we also got another interesting piece of information and this
came in the form of a map. This is fascinating. Basically, Providence Police, they released a map. And if you look at it on your screen right
now, you can see that there are green lines there. That's where police say they confirmed they saw their person of interest prior to the shooting.
There are, unfortunately, fewer red lines than green lines.
And then you see this blue square, and that is the large area, frankly, where police are now focusing their search, which, by the way, encapsulates
Brown University and many, many blocks, specifically to the south of Brown, where we are right now.
Police are pleading with the public, if you live specifically in that blue square, look at your surveillance cameras. If you have them, specifically
on the day of the shooting, you never know what information or video you might turn up.
Now, Jim, the other thing I want to talk about is this concept of motive. Still no clue as to why this shooter opened fire on this classroom back on
Saturday afternoon. The attorney general, though, noted that at this point there is still nothing that indicates that any specific student was
targeted. Take a listen to what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PETER NERHONHA, RHOSE ISLAND ATTORNEY GENERAL: From where I sit today, there's been no development of any evidence that suggests that that's what
drove this shooter. That could change, but there's nothing that we have recovered or analyzed to date that suggests that it was a specific person
motivated.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FREEMAN: And again, Jim, that's the attorney general of Rhode Island. Now, we're here on Brown's campus. Again, this is the building behind me where
that shooting took place five days ago. It's interesting, we've actually seen law enforcement inside of this newer part of the building that's
immediately behind me. Just, again, more evidence that this investigation is still very active, still ongoing.
Police and investigators really hoping for any break in this case that can lead them, again, to who this suspect may have been and, of course, where
he is right now. Jim.
SCIUTTO: Danny, you know, today I've heard from a number of people in the Brown community just expressing their frustration with this, and
understandably, they're scared, right? When you speak to members of the community there, how are they feeling about this? And by the way, do they
still feel under threat?
FREEMAN: You know, it's a complicated question, Jim, but the answer is yes. There is still very much an acknowledgement that there's a killer on
the loose. Maybe not in this immediate vicinity, but certainly out there in the world right now.
The mayor really made an effort to address some of those concerns that he has been hearing from constituents from this community, and he said in that
presser just a little while ago, Jim, listen, we can't be on lockdown forever here. There is definitely an increased security presence here, Jim,
but, you know, the interesting thing is most of the students are gone now.
This area feels like a bit of a ghost town, and yet, still, frustration that there wasn't and has not yet been a clear shot of this suspect either
during the shooting or after the shooting, and all we've been able to see so far are some of these grainy images that have been released from police,
from neighbors and surveillance cameras in the area outside of Brown. So, yes, a lot of frustration. Make no mistake about it down here, Jim.
SCIUTTO: And it does appear that the suspect took precautions, right, to avoid that, given the mask and so on. Danny Freeman, thanks so much.
Well, another sad story. We've been covering Nick Reiner, the son of Hollywood great Rob Reiner and his wife Michele, made a first appearance in
a Los Angeles courtroom today. He waived his right to a speedy arraignment. He has been charged now with two counts of first-degree murder in
connection with the deaths of his own parents. Attorney Alan Jackson, who is representing Nick Reiner, addressed the media after the hearing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALAN JACKSON, NICK REINER'S ATTORNEY: There are very, very complex and serious issues that are associated with this case. They need to be
thoroughly but very carefully dealt with and examined.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[18:40:00]
SCIUTTO: Police are now holding his client without pale. The arraignment is set for January 7th. CNN has obtained surveillance video of Nick Reiner
at a gas station convenience store just moments before his arrest on Sunday after the murders. You can see there he buys a drink and after he walks
out, law enforcement officers then converge on him to arrest him.
Security correspondent Josh Campbell is in Los Angeles. Josh, I understand you have new details from the L.A. medical examiner on the cause of death
for the Reiners, the exact cause of death?
JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes, and this is quite grim, but we did just get those new details from medical examiners who say that
it was multiple sharp injuries that caused the death of both Rob and Michele Reiner. That is consistent with what we heard yesterday from the
district attorney who alleged that Nick Reiner used a knife to kill his own parents, the medical examiner concluding this was homicide, the death of
someone at the hands of another.
As you mentioned, he was in court today. This was a very brief hearing. He was there shackled. He had some type of vest on. He was surrounded by his
attorneys. It went quickly. It was pushed to January 7th for the next date, which we expect this will continue, this, you know, prosecution.
We're still waiting to see what exactly authorities gathered as far as evidence. Did they recover the knife, the actual alleged murder weapon
here? Did he confess is another big question that we have as well. And then finally, Jim, as so many have been, you know, pouring out their hearts and
grief and support from around the world, there is one particular group that is obviously paying close attention to this case, and that's the family
itself.
You know, we got a statement just a little while ago from the surviving children. This is Jake and Romy Reiner. They say that this is unimaginable
grief that they are going through. They called their parents their best friends. They asked the public for, you know, their thoughts as well. As
you can see there, the horrific and devastating loss of our parents, Rob and Michele, is something that no one should have or after experience. They
weren't just our parents. They were our best friends. They say we're grateful for the outpouring of condolences, kindness and support we've
received not only from the family and friends, but people from all walks of life.
It's just so tragic, Jim, because obviously their parents are dead. And the key suspect here is their own brother.
SCIUTTO: I can't even imagine. Of course, Romy was the one who had to discover her parents. Josh Campbell in L.A., thanks so much.
CAMPBELL: You bet.
SCIUTTO: Just ahead, we're going to look at the status of the ceasefire in Gaza two months on. What life looks like on the ground for civilians there.
And help answer the question, is the ceasefire holding up?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:45:00]
SCIUTTO: Two months on from the U.S.-backed ceasefire in Gaza, and there has been little progress on what comes next. The next phases. Most of the
hostages and hostage remains have been returned. That's important. But Hamas remains armed and powerful in Gaza. Israel is still launching
periodic attacks. And negotiations have struggled to move on to the next stage of rebuilding and governing. All this while Palestinians on the
ground suffer from torrential rain, flooding, and freezing temperatures.
Joining me now, Andrew Miller, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Israeli-Palestinian Affairs. Andrew, thanks so much for joining.
ANDREW MILLER, FORMER DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE: Thanks, Jim.
SCIUTTO: So, first let's begin on the ceasefire itself. Because two months in, there have been a number of violations of the ceasefire over the course
of that time period, including in the last 24 hours, Israel taking out a senior Hamas leader, which seems to have drawn the ire even of President
Trump. We can put up the list of those violations on the screen right now. Is the ceasefire holding?
MILLER: The ceasefire is holding in the sense that the level of violence is still significantly reduced from what we saw before the ceasefire. And
the level of humanitarian aid entering Gaza is much higher than during the war. However, the ongoing violence and the ongoing violations by both
parties, points to the fundamental unsustainability of the status quo.
Right now, Israel is in control of 53 percent of Gaza. Hamas is in control of 47 percent. That is not a sustainable equilibrium moving forward. Either
there's going to be further progress towards accomplishing the conditions in the ceasefire, which would result hopefully in a lasting solution or at
least enduring peace or there's going to be, ultimately, a step back. There's going to be an erosion in the position whereby either, you know,
Israel comes under fire and has to retreat or Israel reoccupies the remainder of Gaza.
SCIUTTO: So, the big question then is, if the ceasefire, just the first phase, is already facing challenges, does that at all lay the groundwork
for the second and third, far more difficult phases where you have to get into the nitty gritty of issues that, you know, are problematic, disarming
Hamas? I mean, there are questions -- well, open doubts, as to whether countries are actually going to send peacekeeping forces on the ground
there. I mean, do you have the groundwork now to move on to the next phases?
MILLER: I don't believe so. And this is something that we worked on extensively during the Biden administration, trying to prepare for what
arrangements would be necessary once the ceasefire had been arranged. Governance, the nature of the security force, humanitarian assistance and
economic redevelopment. Unfortunately, the Trump administration seems to have taken those plans and not further developed them over the eight months
before they reached the ceasefire. So, it really was a missed opportunity for them to get ready. And in that sense, they're not prepared.
The other challenge is the progress that has been made, I'll give credit, is due to President Trump and his willingness to apply pressure on all
sides. But in order for there to be further progress, he needs to maintain that pressure. And President Trump, as we've seen, is not the most
consistent political actor.
SCIUTTO: Fair point. So, let me ask you this, because you wrote recently in the Foreign Policy opinion piece that Israel, quote, "has no reason to
accommodate American concerns and interests because refusing to do so costs nothing." Now, I will note that Aaron David Miller, who I'm sure you know
well, former diplomat himself, he has said that one thing Trump has been willing to do is tell Netanyahu no, something that previous presidents were
not willing to do to that degree. Do you believe that Trump will, under these circumstances, force or pressure Netanyahu to take difficult
decisions?
MILLER: It's almost impossible to predict because of his erratic nature. We've seen under his second term the president apply real pressure on
Netanyahu, which is what produced the ceasefire in the first place. He compelled Netanyahu to apologize directly to the Qatari prime minister. He
made clear that the ceasefire was not optional. Israel had to agree.
[18:50:00]
But we also saw President Trump run interference for Netanyahu when he broke the January ceasefire in March. We also saw him provide cover when
Israel completely caught off humanitarian assistance to Gaza. So, we've seen really the polar opposites from both the type of pressure that's
required on all parties to produce movement, as well as complete indulgence of Prime Minister Netanyahu's preferences, which often run counter to
American interests. And I think the Israeli population as well.
SCIUTTO: Yes. Big disagreement even internally. Andrew Miller, good to have you on. Thank you.
MILLER: Thanks so much, Jim.
SCIUTTO: Coming up just after the break, we are 10 months away from the midterm elections. CNN's John King visits Tennessee to take the temperature
of voters. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SCIUTTO: And there you go. The official lighting of the Christmas tree at the Kennedy Center here in Washington, D.C., just a short time ago.
In just about two hours, President Trump will deliver a primetime national address. The White House says the president will speak about, quote,
"historic accomplishments" that he has garnered for our country over the past year. Presidents often like to sum up their efforts before Americans
concentrate on the holidays.
CNN's John King, well, he went out to test what Americans really think, visiting a Republican stronghold where Democrats normally don't stand a
chance. Now, there's fresh energy in the air.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Local school board fights brought most of these women here. Now, they're excited about
2026 midterm House races where Democrats normally wouldn't have a prayer.
MEGAN SCHWALM, TENNESSEE VOTER: When you're here, it's very clear you're in the Bible belt. Beliefs are very different from beliefs in Nashville.
KING (voice-over): This is Mount Juliet, a Nashville suburb in the 5th Congressional District. There was a special election in the neighboring 7th
District. Democrat Aftyn Behn lost by nine points. But a year earlier, the Republican won by 22.
SCHWALM: I mean, the numbers are the numbers. And, you know, if we can keep closing that gap, that's incredible. But gerrymandering makes it
nearly impossible to win.
KING (voice-over): There's chatter maybe a moderate would have run even stronger. But no one here sees it that way.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We've been running moderate, it doesn't work.
KING: The old 5th Congressional District included all of Nashville and was reliably blue, represented by a Democrat from 1875 to 2023. That's 148
years. But Tennessee Republicans redrew the lines before the 2022 elections, carving Nashville into three congressional districts that
stretch from the city out to the suburbs, well out into rural Tennessee. And they are reliably red. President Trump, for example, in 2024 carried
the 5th Congressional District by 18 points, the 6th by 35. And here in the 7th, where we are right now, by 22 points, despite getting trounced in
Nashville.
[18:55:00]
KING (voice-over): Parnassus Books is in the 5th district slice of Nashville. Lisa Quigley lives a few miles away in the 7th district piece of
the city. She was chief of staff to the last Democrat to represent Nashville when it was all one district. He was a centrist, and Quigley's
experience tells her moderates have a better shot in the suburbs and the rural counties. But a surge of energy among progressives in the special
election was eye-opening.
LISA QUIGLEY, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: And when they turned to see who our nominee was, it was somebody who was fighting, who was talking about
affordability, who was very aggressive. And voters here like that.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SCIUTTO: Our thanks to John King. Before I leave you tonight, they say love moves in mysterious ways. In Japan, a woman is formalizing her love
for artificial intelligence by taking part in a wedding ceremony with an A.I.-generated persona. He is called Klaus, and he happens to be based on a
popular video game character. She then reads the wedding vows using a VR headset to put on a ring. Such weddings, we should note, are not legally
recognized in Japan. Watch the movie "Her" if you think they're the first to think of this.
Thanks so much for joining us today. I'm Jim Sciutto in Washington. You've been watching "The Brief." Please do stay with CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:00:00]
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