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The Story Is with Elex Michaelson

Russia Launches Another Attack On Ukraine Ahead Of Peace Talks Between Donald Trump And Volodymyr Zelenskyy; Nigeria's Foreign Ministry: No Civilians Were Killed In U.S. Airstrikes On Christmas Day; President Trump Continues To Vent His Frustration Over The Release Of The Jeffrey Epstein Documents; Trump Continues To Put Pressure On President Nicolas Maduro To Step Down; More Than 23 Million People Under Winter Storm Warnings In The Northeastern U.S. Aired 12-1a ET

Aired December 27, 2025 - 00:00   ET

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

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SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello, and welcome to The Story Is. I'm Salma Abdelaziz in for Elex Michaelson. Ukraine's capital is taking a pounding from Russia ahead of major peace talks in the U.S. set for Sunday. A few hours ago, officials said that Russia launched a major attack, forcing many people to cover in shelters. Multiple explosions have rattled the city and air defenses were responding.

Ukraine's air force has announced a nationwide air alert saying Russian missiles and drones were moving over several other regions. And that's happening ahead of a meeting between President's Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Florida. The Ukrainian leader is telling Axos that he wants to conclude the framework for ending the war and that the talks will include security guarantees for Ukraine.

But Mr. Trump told Politico that Zelenskyy quote doesn't have anything until I approve it. For more, let's head over to Ukraine's capital, where we are joined by Oleksiy Sorokin. He is the deputy chief editor of The Kyiv Independent. Good morning to you first of all. Thank you so much for being with us here. We understand there have been major attacks, a major aerial assault yet again overnight on the capital. Can you give me an update on what is happening around you, your safety, what you are seeing right now?

OLEKSIY SOROKIN, DEPUTY CHIEF EDITOR, THE KYIV INDEPENDENT: Yes, well, thank you for having me. The attack is still ongoing. A few hours back, Kyiv was hit by coups and ballistic missiles. Right now, according to reports, there's going to be a drone attack. We're now awaiting drones incoming from the east, eastern part of the city.

We know that several buildings have been damaged in the region, not in the capital, but in the region surrounding it. And unfortunately, because it was the middle of the night and it was curfew, we have not yet received reports on is everybody all right or they're injuries and casualties? We know that at least two people are injured, but for more, we will have to wait maybe a few hours to see. ABDELAZIZ: And may I ask about you personally? Did you hear air raid sirens overnight? Did you have to take shelter? Are you with your family? Can you tell me about what you've experienced overnight?

SOROKIN: Well, unfortunately, it's not the first time that there's a major attack over Kyiv. I know a lot of people in Kyiv. They don't shelter during every attack. They assess the situation. The last time I sheltered when a neighboring building was hit by a drone, and then I was like, okay, me and my family, we probably are going to a shelter. Right? Today we heard explosions, we heard ballistic missiles a few hours back. But we decided to stay put and hopefully, hopefully nobody gets -- nobody gets injured.

ABDELAZIZ: I'm very glad to hear of your safety. But you're also explaining to me how this has just become part of daily life even as peace talks are taking place. And we understand, of course, that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is set to meet with President Donald Trump in Florida on Sunday. What can we expect of this meeting? What can change? What can move this process forward?

SOROKIN: Well, the problem with the peace talks is that there is one side that wants to end the war and the other one that absolutely doesn't. And so right now, Zelenskyy is hoping that this new plan, this 20 point peace plan that he's bringing to President Trump on Sunday, along with two more agreements.

One is the defense agreement that Ukraine is hoping to receive from the U.S. and European partners, but also an investment and reconstruction agreement that this package of plans, so to say, can sway President Trump to support it and then put pressure on Russia because the weird part here is that Mr. Zelenskyy is traveling to the U.S. without Russia ever agreeing to any set of peace negotiations, peace plans and so on.

So, we don't really know. Even if President Trump in President Zelenskyy agree on something, sign something, will Russia actually follow? And by the attacks happening behind me, we can see that Russia is not really interested in peace.

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ABDELAZIZ: Will Russia follow? So, I feel like there's a bit of doubt in your voice when you're speaking about these peace talks. Can you talk to me about how ordinary Ukrainians are perceiving President Trump's peace efforts? Do they have faith that those could result in an end to the conflict? And do you feel like it could end the war?

SOROKIN: Well, this is the third or fourth time that President Trump is pushing for some kind of peace deal. A lot of Ukrainians were really scared and I would say had an aggressive approach when President Trump presented the 28 Peace Plan, which was effectively a Ukrainian surrender. And obviously this plan was seen as something that Russia or Mr. Dmitriev passed to Mr. Witcoff.

So Ukrainians after that, they're not really -- they don't trust the U.S. Unfortunately, if we look at what happened last year, and then this year, we see that the U.S. from an ally of Ukraine turned into being -- Well, they call themselves, you call them yourself, mediators. But in Ukraine, people are hesitant to call the U.S. a mediator.

So people are hesitant to support anything that the U.S. brings. But obviously a lot of people, well, most people in Ukraine, they hope the war will end someday and they hope that there's going to be a just peace. And it looks like it may happen. But I personally don't believe that anything will be changing in the next few months at least.

ABDELAZIZ: Oleksiy Sorokin, that's such an important point that you're making there. Trust in short supply. How do you forge peace without trust? Thank you so much for bringing those updates from Kyiv.

Sources tell CNN that the U.S. administration has not given up its pursuit of the oil tanker that was chased near Venezuela last weekend. Now, the Bella 1 fled when the Coast Guard tried to stop it and it is still on the run. Officials no longer expect it to return to Venezuela to load up with oil. But those familiar with the situation say the U.S. is considering sending a maritime special response team to seize it. The team has experienced boarding ships that refuse to submit. The White House says the Bella 1 is a dark fleet vessel sailing under a false flag covered by U.S. sanctions.

Nigeria's Foreign Ministry says no civilians were killed in U.S. airstrikes on Christmas Day. The U.S said the strikes targeted Islamic State terrorists in locations around the country. But people in one village in northwestern Nigeria say the attacks were shocking and confusing. They say that's because Muslims and Christians actually live in harmony there. Our Larry Madowo has more on these attacks.

LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: President Trump says the Christmas night airstrikes carried out by the United States in the northwest of Nigeria against Islamist terrorists were a Christmas present. He told Politico that they wanted to do it earlier, but he said, nope, let's do it on Christmas Day. And they didn't see it coming. He claims that these camps were decimated.

We haven't seen much battle damage assessment, so we don't know the exact impact of the airstrikes. We did see some small craters created in one part of Sokoto State where this attack happened. And also some criticism from Kurds and others in Nigeria. One Muslim cleric pointing out that Sokoto is about 80, 90% Muslim and has not had a lot of militant attacks and questioning why the U.S. targeted this largely Muslim province in the country.

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SHEIKH AHMAD GUMI, MUSLIM CLERIC: It has shown that Nigeria is very weak, is at the weakest point in life of Nigeria, whereby foreign force will come and bully Nigerians into accepting this kind of indignation.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MADOWO: But Nigeria's foreign minister pushed back on any claims that it allowed the U.S. to violate its airspace. They collaborated in this and they're very proud of the work that was done here. But they disagree on the Americans characterizing this as a religious fight. They say terrorism affects both Muslims and Christians in Nigeria and across the Sahel, this arid and semi-arid part of Africa.

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YUSUF TUGGAR, NIGERIAN FOREIGN AFFAIRS MINISTER: It was a collaborative effort between Nigeria and the U.S., and President Tinubu gave the go ahead before it took place. And we don't see it violating our sovereignty or territorial integrity, which is very important. And it is not about religion. It's about the protection of lives and property of Nigerians and our neighbors as well.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MADOWO: Exact numbers of Christian or Muslim victims of these attacks in Nigeria are hard to come by, but the population is evenly split between Christians and Muslims.

[00:10:00]

Some of the reasons behind these conflicts has been the battle for resources between herders and farmers. There's been ethnic tensions, and yes, there have been religious angles to some of these conflicts. Killings and kidnappings that have been widely reported.

But a few days ago, there was an explosion blamed on a suicide bomber at a mosque. The Nigerian vice president visited victims of that attack. It has been an animating issue for many in the U.S. MAGA Right. And it finally made its way before President Trump. And we saw this cryptic post from the Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, who only said more to come. Larry Madowo, CNN London.

ABDELAZIZ: President Trump continues to vent his frustration over the release of the Jeffrey Epstein documents. On a Truth Social post, he suggested the Justice Department focus on his claims of election fraud instead of parsing through the rest of the documents. Now, this comes after the DOJ announced over a million more pages potentially related to the Epstein case were discovered. The Justice Department says it may need a few more weeks to review all the documents before releasing them.

Now, to break all of this down, I want to bring in political analyst Michael Genovese. He is also the president of the Global Policy Institute at Loyola Marymount University. Thank you, first of all, for joining us at this hour. Let's start with these Epstein files because we've seen the White House's position shift on this once we saw, of course, President Trump's name come up in the documents. But how is the White House going to continue to balance President Trump's desires with this growing outcry for the documents, which are overdue, by the way, to be released in their entirety?

MICHAEL GENOVESE, POLITICAL ANALYST: They can't find a balance. As you mentioned, about a million new documents that were discovered, and there's going to be a continuous drip, drip, drip, slow-walking the release of these out. It is violating the law. Those papers are all supposed to be released by now. And the Department of Justice is facing a lot of criticism. They have had their thumb on the scale for Donald Trump, not the victims. And they've lost a lot of credibility.

There's been a blowback. A lot of people are talking about contempt charges filed against the Attorney General Bondi. But Donald Trump, he promised to drain the swamp. And on the Jeffrey Epstein matter, he's the swamp. He and his rich friends who would visit the island or be on his plane or hang out with him. And so Donald Trump is losing a key element of his base, the Christian conservative base, who take this very seriously.

Donald Trump is speaking, especially his Christmas time address, with more empathy towards the men who were named than of the victims of this. And so there's a real problem for Donald Trump. He has long believed that he could distract the voter and that they have a short attention span. But on this, this story will not go away.

ABDELAZIZ: And there's a lot, of course, that's been on President Trump's plate during this Christmas week. One of them is, of course, this announcement of a million more files discovered that could be related to Jeffrey Epstein. But the other one has been strikes on the Islamic State. The strikes in Nigeria, which I just reported about, mark the second time this week that Mr. Trump has ordered American military retaliation against a branch of the Islamic State. What is the strategy here? Why do this now?

GENOVESE: Well, Donald Trump has claimed that this is an example of persecution and slaughter against Christians. And clearly Christians are being killed in Nigeria that led to a launch of over a dozen Tomahawk missiles. ISIS is responsible. And the question is, who is ISIS targeting? ISIS is not targeting Christians alone. They're targeting anyone who disagrees with them or who opposes them. And so you've got Nigeria, a country of about 220 million people, roughly half of which are Christians, half Muslim.

And according to Donald Trump statistics, and your report suggested, and it's true, it's hard to get good statistics, but the stats that Donald Trump is using said that there were about 3,100 Christians killed in the recent time. The same report says there are over 2,300 Muslims killed. So, ISIS is not targeting Christians alone, they are targeting their opponents. And the questions, there are a lot of questions.

Is this a one off hit and run job by Trump or is this part of a larger strategy, a nation building strategy, perhaps? Is it following the War Powers Act? Was Congress involved? What are the politics of it? Will Donald Trump lose, be able to revive some of his Christian base by attacking ISIS? So, there's a lot of questions that remain and we don't know the answers because Donald Trump has not revealed much.

[00:15:00]

We do know that Donald Trump takes very seriously the death of Christians, but you also need to take into consideration the death of the Muslims in the same country. ABDELAZIZ: But speaking of nation building strategy, because that is the accusation that is also being made when it comes to Venezuela. And that's the other one that's of course on President Trump's table during this Christmas week. Where is this going next? That's what I want to ask you. I know that we've been seeing strikes that have been carried out there. Is this attempt to chokehold the oil, the economic lifeline of President Maduro, where is he heading with this?

GENOVESE: Yes. What is the end game? Is it to simply weaken the Venezuelan government? Is it to destroy the government and Maduro and his control? Is it to overthrow Maduro? If it's to overthrow Maduro then we become basically you break it, you own it. We would have to be involved in nation building. I don't think Donald Trump wants to do that. He's been talking against it for decades now. But if that's what we end up doing, that's what we're stuck with.

And so I think that there's a sort of a failure to really clearly articulate a strategy here. I know he wants to keep squeezing Maduro, putting pressure on him in hopes that he will leave. Maduro is showing no signs of that. And so that's why escalation is a -- is -- is a dangerous situation right now. Escalation is going to continue by the administration. It can't lead to anything good.

ABDELAZIZ: Thank you so much, Michael Genovese, for going through these top issues that are on President Trump's agenda during this Christmas week. Thank you.

GENOVESE: Thank you.

ABDELAZIZ: At least 15 people were injured in a knife attack at a tire factory in Mishima, in central Japan on Friday. Police say a 38 year old man stabbed eight people and injured others by spraying an unspecified liquid which is believed to be bleach. Five of those stabbed are reported to be in serious condition. The suspect was arrested at the scene where authorities say he was carrying a survival knife and appeared to be wearing a gas mask. No word yet on a possible motive.

An explosion during Friday prayers in a mosque in the Syrian city of Homs killed at least eight people. The attack injured another 18 people. Explosive devices were planted in the mosque to target worshippers. That's according to Syria's state news agency. The interior sustained heavy damage as you can see there, and was strewn with debris. Survivors described the scene as chaos. A group calling itself Ansar al-Sunnah claimed responsibility. Syrian officials have not yet commented on the claim.

Heavy rain could create new flooding and debris flows in California. Just ahead, we'll get a live update from a senior meteorologist there.

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ABDELAZIZ: More than 23 million people are under winter storm warnings in the northeastern U.S. The region is getting heavy snow and treacherous ice, with the heaviest snow expected in the coming hours. Parts of New York could get up to 10 inches or about 25 centimeters of snow. New York City could have its biggest snowfall in years.

The FlightAware website says the storm has already forced airlines to cancel or delay hundreds of flights in New York and Philadelphia. In Michigan, ice is weighing down trees and power lines. The website poweroutage.us says tens of thousands of customers have lost power.

And after days of deadly storms, the final round of heavy rain could cause new damage in California. Since last weekend, waves of storms have killed at least four people, forced evacuations and led to more than 100 rescues. Flooding created mudslide and debris flows that buried homes and cars in Wrightwood, California, about 80 miles northeast of Los Angeles.

In the eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains, two ski patrollers were injured in an avalanche on Friday. More than 5 feet of snow has fallen there since Tuesday.

Andrew Rorke is a senior meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Los Angeles. He joins us now live from Oxnard, California. Thank you so much for being on with us today.

ANDREW RORKE, SENIOR METEOROLOGIST, NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOS ANGELES: Thank you.

ABDELAZIZ: I want you just to start by giving me an update on what's taking place in California right now and what damage you're seeing so far and what the expectations are in the days ahead.

RORKE: Well, the good news is the final band of rain is just exiting Los Angeles County now and the rivers are subsiding and the water is beginning to go away. So we're in good shape there, allowing people now to start digging out of the area, getting the mud out of their houses, rescuing their cars from mud flows, pretty much cleaning up. We have a dry weekend forecast that will allow people to get stuff done.

However, we've got a strong Santa Ana wind event coming up on Monday or Sunday. That's really going to cause problems with our trees, which have been the root structure support has been weakened by all this water. So, we are worried about downed trees throughout next Sunday and Monday.

ABDELAZIZ: So, there seems to be potentially a pause here in the bad weather to allow people to potentially return to their homes. But there's also concern that the burn scars from recent major fires will also contribute to this flood and impact those areas like Eaton and Pasadena. What can you tell me about that and how it could have some impact on residents in those areas?

RORKE: Well, the good news is, is that without any more rain, those areas will probably not have that much more debris flows coming in, which is good news for them. Some areas, however, could have some further slumping, not -- more to the mountain areas, not just the burn areas. We think residents in and around the burn areas though, they are fairly safe right now with no more rain falling on them. So, that's very good news for them.

[00:25:00]

ABDELAZIZ: That's a positive update to hear that those in the burn areas may be out of the woods now. But I also want to ask you here about the bigger picture. Atmospheric rivers are influencing these recent storms in California. Could you talk to me about that and how that's affecting this bad weather?

RORKE: Yes, atmospheric rivers are essentially how California gets all of its rain. They are beneficial in that if we don't get them, we go into a drought and all our reservoirs -- reservoirs go down. The bad news is, is they do not bring their water in a nice controlled manner.

Essentially an atmospheric river is a fairly narrow band of high -- high density water that is funneled along by a low pressure system to the north. And just generally what happens is the -- remains stationary, and this brings lots and lots of rain over a period of time to an area. So slightly beneficial in that we get the water we need to drink, but not beneficial that it all comes at once and causes a lot of flooding.

ABDELAZIZ: Thank you so much, Andrew Rorke in California, following that bad weather for us.

Now, investigators in California are searching for a possible motive in the killing of a nine year old girl, Melodee Buzzard. The child's mother, Ashlee, stunned the courtroom on Friday when she entered a plea of not guilty after being arrested and charged with murdering her daughter. Melodee's body was discovered in the Utah desert just months after school officials called police to do a welfare check on the girl. Josh Campbell has more on this tragic case.

JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: An update in the tragic case of Melodee Buzzard, a missing nine year old California girl whose remains, police said, were found this month in the state of Utah. Her mother, Ashlee Buzzard, made her first appearance in court on Friday charged with first degree murder in connection with the death of her daughter.

In this brief hearing, Ashlee Buzzard entered a plea of not guilty. CNN has reached out to the public defender representing her for comment. Now, authorities gave an update on Tuesday laying out various items of evidence that they believe connects the mother to this alleged killing. They said that includes forensic evidence, digital evidence, as well as ballistics evidence, including a comparison of ammunition found at the crime scene with ammo found at the Buzzard family home.

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SHERIFF BILL BROWN, SANTAS BARABAR COUNTY, CALIFORNIA: Sheriff's detectives, along with the FBI Evidence Response Team, responded and served follow up search warrants at the home of Ashlee Buzzard.

During the search of the Mars Avenue, residence, an expended cartridge case was recovered. Cartridge cases found at the Utah crime scene resulted in a NIBIN hit linking them to the single cartridge case that was found at the Buzzard residence.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CAMPBELL: Now, this all started in October when the young girl's school contacted authorities after they had not heard from her for some time. Authorities launched an investigation. They determined that over the course of days, both the mother and the daughter traveled about 1,000 miles from California east as far as the state of Kansas. Authorities released CCTV footage as part of their investigation that allegedly showed both the mother and the daughter wearing wigs.

Police said that at times the license plates on their vehicles were swapped out. The mother returned to California. The young girl was not with her. Authorities say that the mother wasn't cooperative and she didn't have what they viewed as a plausible explanation about where her daughter was.

Police say a couple out taking photographs in Utah discovered human remains earlier this month and called authorities. Investigators say they were able to identify the remains as belonging to Melodee Buzzard based on DNA analysis. Josh Campbell, CNN Los Angeles.

ABDELAZIZ: New York now requires social media platforms to display warnings, warning labels rather, about potential harm to young users' mental health. Governor Kathy Hochul signed the new law on Friday. She compared it to warning labels on tobacco products. The law targets features like infinite scrolling, autoplay and algorithm driven feeds that encourage excessive use. It will apply to platforms available in New York. Now, violations can lead to civil penalties of up to $5,000 per incident. California and Minnesota have similar laws.

Police are investigating a deadly car ramming and knife attack in northern Israel. The incident comes as lawmakers consider a potential death penalty for terrorist laws. What we know next.

Plus in Chicago, the immigration crackdown is called Operation Midway Blitz. We speak to some people whose lives have been upended.

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[00:34:09]

ABDELAZIZ: Welcome back to The Story Is. I'm Salma Abdelaziz. Let's take a look at today's top stories.

Thailand and Cambodia announced an immediate ceasefire after weeks of fierce border clashes. Both countries announced the deal a short time ago following several days of high level talks. As part of the agreement, the two countries agreed to maintain current troop deployments without further movement.

Russia is pummeling Ukraine just as negotiators prepare for peace talks in the US. Ukraine says Russia launched a major strike on Kyiv and other regions, forcing many people into shelters. Poland had to temporarily close two airports and scrambled fighter jets in response to the attacks in Ukraine.

Millions of people are under storm warnings in the northeastern United States. The heaviest snow is expected to come in the next few hours, and New York City could get its biggest snowfall in years.

[00:35:06]

Hundreds of flights have been delayed or cancelled in New York and Philadelphia due to the storm. And tens of thousands of customers are without power in Michigan.

Now, CNN has obtained video that shows the moment an Israeli reservist soldier ran over a Palestinian man while he was praying in the West Bank. A warning, these images are disturbing.

The footage shows a Palestinian Muslim praying on the side of a road near Ramallah on Thursday. Then, as you see there, an Israeli drives a quad bike directly into the man running him over. The Palestinian eventually gets up.

The Israeli military says the same reservist soldier had been spotted firing his weapon while dressed in civilian clothes in the area earlier that day.

In a separate incident, Israel's military has carried out an operation in the occupied West Bank. The operation was ordered shortly after a deadly car and knife attack in northern Israel on Friday. Now police say the suspect, a Palestinian man, killed two people when he ran over a pedestrian with cars and stabbed a teen girl.

Our Matthew Chance has more on all of this from Jerusalem.

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MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Police are calling it a rolling terror attack in which two people have been killed in northern Israel. The suspect, a Palestinian from the occupied West Bank, ran over a 68-year-old Israeli man in the city of Beit Shan, according to police, and then stabbed a teenage Israeli woman in Miri Kabbutz, a 16-year0old boy, is also said to have been left injured.

Police say the attacker was ultimately confronted by a civilian bystander and then evacuated to a hospital in what's described as a moderate condition. Shortly after the attacks, a military operation in the West Bank city of Kabatia believes to be the suspect's hometown, was launched. In a statement, the Israeli Defense Minister, Israel Katz said that he instructed the army to act forcefully and to immediately locate and thwart every terrorist and every terrorist infrastructure in the city.

But the attack has also fueled calls in Israel for even tougher antiterrorism measures with Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir saying the attack demonstrates, quote, the urgent need to pass a death penalty for terrorists, which the Israeli government is currently debating. Anyone who sets out to carry out antisemitic terror attacks must know

that Israel will not allow them to continue living and will send them straight to hell. That's what Ben-Gvir said in a statement after the latest incidents. So illustrating just how tense the bloodletting continues to be in this region. Matthew Chance, CNN, Jerusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABDELAZIZ: Now, some Middle Eastern and African countries are criticizing Israel's decision to become the first country to formally recognize Somaliland as an independent sovereign state. And even Donald Trump, who usually supports Israel, is not going with the move for now, saying he'll study the issue.

Somaliland is in the Horn of Africa on the Gulf of Aden, which broke away years ago from Somalia. The African Union, Egypt, Turkey and Djibouti say recognizing it jeopardizes peace and stability and reaffirmed their support for Somalia's territorial integrity.

Somalia's government called Israel's move a deliberate attack on its sovereignty. Somaliland and Israeli leaders signed a joint declaration of mutual recognition on Friday. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says it was in the spirit of the Abraham Accords, the normalization deal Trump brokered with the UAE and Bahrain, with other countries joining later.

Thousands have been arrested by federal immigration agents in Chicago as part of the Trump administration's crackdown and operation midway blitz. CNN's Whitney Wild spoke to multiple people who were detained, then released, including one mother who has a U.S. work permit.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Please leave her alone. She just works here.

WHITNEY WILD, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): These are moments of heartbreak.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She got babies, bro, please.

WILD (voice-over): And homecoming.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mommy.

WILD (voice-over): For Patricia Quishpe, Veronica Escobar and Victor Madrid. All three are migrants, parents who appear to have no criminal history and yet were among the thousands arrested by federal agents during Operation Midway Blitz.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Leave him alone.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Leave the family alone.

WILD (voice-over): They were detained hours from their homes, then released by federal judges. Attorneys say mass arrests are designed to intimidate migrants into leaving the US. VERONICA ESCOBAR, ARRESTED DURING OPERATION WIDWAY BLITZ: When I get there, they push me like a lot. And like, you had to sign, you have to sign. You get to sign this. And I was reading, I'm like, no.

[00:40:08]

WILD: What did they say?

ESCOBAR: For deportation.

WILD (voice-over): Veronica spent 38 days in detention after her arrest outside this gas station on her son's eighth birthday.

WILD: Because you've been here for 19 years, did you ever think that you would be one of the people that they would target?

ESCOBAR: No. No. Because they say they're there for criminals. I was not a criminal. I was like, hey, I'm a single mom. How do you do this to me?

WILD: Did you ever come to a moment where you thought, maybe this isn't worth it, maybe I should leave?

ESCOBAR: Oh, yes, so many times. But it was mine. I was like -- I don't want to leave without my kids. I can't. I can't.

WILD: How did you feel when you finally walked out and you knew that you were going home?

ESCOBAR: And he was like, you're going to be released, so who's going to pick you up? It was too --

WILD (voice-over): Patricia also has an eight year old son. She sought asylum from Ecuador and has a work permit. Yet in October, she was arrested at a flea market.

PATRICIA QUISHPE, ARRESTED DURING OPERATION MIDWAY BLITZ: They told me to sign, but I didn't want to sign when they processed me and I told them I didn't want to sign.

WILD: What was the hardest part about being in detention?

QUISHPE: The way we were treated. They took me out in handcuffs and chains. So for me, that's very traumatic because I've never experiences that.

WILD: What is giving you hope now that you're home?

QUISHPE: I have no words.

VICTOR MADRID, ARRESTED DURING OPERATION MIDWAY BLITZER: These are the moments you remember most.

WILD (voice-over): Victor is a Colombian citizen who moved to Venezuela, then fled the violence there. October 1st, federal agents arrested him while he sold street food. WILD: How did you feel when you made that call to tell your family that you had been taken by ICE?

MADRID: I picked up the phone, and it took me several minutes. I didn't know how to speak or how to break the news to my wife. You don't know what's going to happen to you and they don't tell you. What also overwhelmed me was the transfer, the chains they put on me.

I've always been a hard-working person, always there for my family. I'm not a criminal.

WILD (voice-over): As Victor heads to an ICE appointment, we asked if the stress is worth staying.

MADRID: We feel safe here and we went to stay here.

WILD: Are these arrests about public safety?

MARK FLEMING, ATTORNEY: No, it's never been about that.

WILD (voice-over): Mark Fleming is an attorney who represents hundreds of other detainees in a class action lawsuit challenging the Trump administration's detentions. Fleming says more than a thousand people arrested chose to leave the United States.

FLEMING: They gave up because the vast majority of those people were being trapped not only in mandatory detention, but in squalid overcrowded conditions.

WILD: So, basically, the administration is putting them in conditions that are so horrible, making their life so miserable, that deportation sounds like the relief?

FLEMING: It's the only option out.

WILD (voice-over): Despite an uncertain future, Patricia, Veronica and Victor say their only option is to stay.

WILD: Veronica had applied for deferred action for childhood arrivals, but was denied. Victor and Patricia both have immigration court dates in 2027. Finally, we reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for our story, but we did not hear back. Whitney Wild, CNN, Chicago.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABDELAZIZ: Next, a major change for Bulgaria's economy, but not everyone is happy about it. The country prepares to introduce the euro as its currency. Plus, breaking up is already hard for couples to do, but divvying up the furniture is one thing. The more important question could be, who keeps the dog? Just ahead, a solution in Mexico.

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[00:48:24] ABDELAZIZ: To a new economic era in Bulgaria, which is preparing to introduce the euro at the start of next year. Now the E.U. calls the currency a historic milestone that will offer new opportunities for both people and businesses. It comes just two weeks after the Bulgarian government resigned after widespread protests over the economy and its perceived failure in tackling corruption. Our Lynda Kinkade has more on what the euro will offer.

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LYNDA KINKADE, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Dual pricing at a Bulgarian grocery store. The cost of goods displayed in both the outgoing Bulgarian currency, the lev, and euros. A soft launch of what customers can expect to pay on January 1, when Bulgaria adopts the euro as its official currency.

It's taken many years for Bulgaria to meet the economic criteria to join the euro after becoming a member of the European Union back in 2007. And now that the time has come for the switch, which Bulgarians are divided on how it will affect them. Some people say it will be good to integrate more with other E.U. countries.

VESELINA APOSTOVLOVA, SOFIA PENSIOER (through translator): Because in the entire eu, the euro can be used. Not only older people, but also young people can easily travel using euros instead of having to exchange currency.

KINKADE (voice-over): But a recent poll says that about half the country, which is one of the poorest nations in the E.U., is skeptical, fearing the change would drive up prices.

EMIL IVANOV, SOFIA PENSIONER (through translator): I am against it, first because the lev is our national currency.

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Secondly, Europe is heading towards demise, which even the American president mentioned in the new national Security strategy.

KINKADE (voice-over): Eurostarter coin kits are now being circulated. Analysts say there may be some confusion, especially amongst the elderly, as people use the new banknotes and coins. But some processes will be automatic. Lev bank accounts will be converted into euros on the first of the year, a necessary adjustment period according to some economists.

STEFAN LUKOV, ECONOMIST (through translator): First and foremost, it will further integrate our economy and in the end, at least our central bank will become a full member of the European Central Bank family and will have the right to participate in decision making.

KINKADE (voice-over): But the transition comes at a time of political turmoil in the country. The prime minister resigned in December after less than a year in office, following weeks of mass protests against corruption and a controversial 2026 budget proposal, which means Bulgaria's entry into the Eurozone will be happening as the country tries to form a new government.

That's a lot of change in the new year, but one thing is certain. As of January 1st, there will be a period of one month where there will be dual circulation of both the lev and the euro for payments. And after that, the euro will be Bulgaria's sole legal tender and the lev part of the country's past. Lynda Kinkade, CNN.

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ABDELAZIZ: Now, the day after Christmas is Boxing Day in the U.K. and Commonwealth countries. Boxing Day isn't such a big occasion here in the U.S. of course, but the weather in New York is primed to keep up with the holiday theme. The city set to get its heaviest snowfall in years.

In Europe, The Czech capital, Prague, hosted the 89th edition of its winter swimming competition. More than 300 people swam in temperatures around 3 degrees Celsius, or just 37 degrees Fahrenheit. One swimmer who's done this for more than 30 years says it does wonders for her mental health.

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MIROSLAVA STANKOVA, WINTER SWIMMER (through translator): It gives my soul and body a feeling of release from negative emotions and from the stress that surrounds us and that we cannot somehow absorb mentally. The water simply takes away the nervousness and stress.

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ABDELAZIZ: Now, when relationships end, some couples fight over the custody of the children. But what about the pets? Now, lawmakers in Mexico have passed a law to resolve that question. CNN's Valeria Leon has more.

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VALERIA LEON, CNN CORRESPONENT (voice-over): In Mexico City, pets are no longer considered mere property in the case of a breakup. A new reform to the civil code now treats dogs and cats as family members, allowing judges to grant custody when couples separate.

For Leslie and David, that change reflects a decision they made on their own. Even six months after they split, they're still connected not by legal paperwork, but by the three dogs they adopted during their five year relationship.

Leslie says it wasn't based on convenience, but on the emotional bond each dog had with its caregiver. David agreed. Any decision, he says, had to cause the least amount of emotional stress possible for their dogs.

And that approach, prioritizing the animal's well-being, is exactly what lawmakers say they was missing in many breakups. Ledesma says that behavior is far more common than cases like Leslie and David's. In many separations, dogs and cats become bargaining tools used as

leverage or to cause emotional damage. That pattern is what prompted Congress to act. Lawmakers approved the reform known as Who Gets the Dog? Which formally recognizes animals in divorce cases.

Under the law, judges can grant full or share custody. And just like in child custody cases, failure to comply with the judge's decision can carry legal consequences. And while the law is meant to resolve disagreements, for Leslie and David, it confirms something they already knew, that sometimes love means letting go and putting the dogs first. Valeria Leon, CNN, Mexico City.

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ABDELAZIZ: The countdown to the new year is on. Cruise installed the New Year's Eve 2026 numerals in New York's famed Times Square earlier today. Each number is 7 feet tall, and organizers say there are 594 LED light pucks on the numbers.

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This is the first year the numbers will change color and match the designs on the New Year's Eve ball. We're one step closer to the end of the hit show "Stranger Things."

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This whole time, everything we have ever assumed about the Upside down has been dead wrong.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mother of God.

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ABDELAZIZ: Three new episodes are now streaming on Netflix. This is the second installment of the fifth and final season. The finale drops on New Year's Eve.

Thank you so much for watching The Story Is. I'm Salma Abdelaziz. I'll be right back with much more news after this break. Stay with us. You're watching CNN.

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