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What We Know with Max Foster
Admiral Under Scrutiny For Boat Strikes Briefs Lawmakers; Putin To Indian Media: Russia Will Seize Donbas By Any Means; Indian Prime Minister Modi Hosts Putin In New Delhi; Trump Hosts Signing Of Rwanda-D.R. Congo Peace Deal; New York Times Sues Pentagon Over New Press Policy. Aired 3-4p ET
Aired December 04, 2025 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[15:00:27]
MAX FOSTER, CNN HOST: The commander who approved a double strike on a suspected drug boat faces lawmakers.
This is WHAT WE KNOW.
Admiral Frank Bradley is defending the decision to order a second strike on an alleged drug boat that has sparked a firestorm of criticism on Capitol
Hill.
The U.S. Navy commander is briefing members of the House and Senate, the House and Senate Intelligence Committees today. Sources tell CNN he's
making the case that the survivors of the initial strike on the September 2nd strike were still in the fight and appeared to be radioing for help
when he gave the order for a second strike.
A house Democrat didn't mince words after meeting with Bradley.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JIM HIMES (D-CT): What I saw in that room was one of the most troubling things I've seen in my time in public service. You have two
individuals in clear distress without any means of locomotion, with a destroyed vessel who are killed by the United States.
REPORTER: What can you -- wait, can you -- can you --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: That's in sharp contrast to the opinion of the Republican chairman, who also met with the admiral. He told CNN he's now convinced the
follow up strike was justified and he has no further questions for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
To Washington now, CNN's Arlette Saenz.
I mean, you know, to break through the debate here, we're really talking about whether or not this was a war crime.
ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. And that's what lawmakers were really trying to get to the heart of that question in these briefings with
Admiral Frank "Mitch" Bradley, who is actually still up here on Capitol Hill, meeting in a classified setting with senior lawmakers. We anticipate
he will be here for a few more hours to answer their questions relating to this strike.
One thing we also know is that Admiral Bradley showed these lawmakers the full, unedited video of these strikes. That is something that both
Democrats and Republicans have said that they wanted to see as they're trying to ascertain all the facts of this matter.
But so far, really the reaction to Bradley's briefing from senior lawmakers has really been split along party lines. You heard there, Congressman Jim
Himes, who is the top Democrat on the house intelligence committee, expressing a lot of concern about what he saw and heard in this briefing.
Weve also heard from Senator Chris, who is a top appropriator and met with Bradley. He said that this briefing left him with more questions than
answers, and also talking about how he has questions about the entire rules of engagement that the U.S. military is pursuing as it relates to these
strikes on alleged drug trafficking boats.
But then you have Senator Tom Cotton, who is the top Republican chairing the Senate Intelligence Committee, and he argued that he believes its well
within the administrations right to be taking these types of strikes. And he defended the actions. Take a listen
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. TOM COTTON (R-AR): The first strike, the second strike and the third and the fourth strike on September 2nd were entirely lawful. And needful.
And they were exactly what we would expect our military commanders to do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAENZ: Now, there are still a few Republican lawmakers who received this briefing from Bradley, who are we are waiting to hear from. I think one of
the most interesting people that we will be keeping an eye on is Senator Roger Wicker. He is the chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and
he is the one who initially said that there would be thorough oversight of this double tap strike. I saw him about an hour ago, and he still said that
he was not ready to comment, that he's withholding judgment, but he will be a key voice to watch in all of this.
But certainly, there are Democratic lawmakers who are saying that Admiral Bradley needs to come to publicly testify, that they need to publicly
release that video so the public can see for themselves what transpired, as many Democrats still continue to question the legality of these strikes
that were taken by the Trump administration.
FOSTER: Arlette, appreciate it. Thank you. That hearing is still going on.
Meanwhile, a defiant Russian president, Vladimir Putin, arriving in India to shore up support for his demands on Ukraine. Putin's meeting with
Kremlin-friendly Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi.
A big welcome and a hug there. You can see.
Ahead of the Modi summit, President Putin told the news outlet India Today that Russia would seize the contested Donbas region by any means. Russian
control of Donbas region is one of Moscow's key demands in establishing peace with Ukraine. The large mining and industrial region is roughly the
size of Croatia, or the U.S. state of West Virginia.
[15:05:03]
Donbas and its provinces of Donetsk and Luhansk have been the focal point of Russian aggression for years now, due to its economic and historic
significance to the Kremlin. Ukraine's leader Vladimir Zelenskyy has long said that giving up the territory to Vladimir Putin is out of the question.
On a separate economic issue, the purchase of Russian oil has come between the U.S. and India. Will Ripley reports on that from New Delhi.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Russian strongman Vladimir Putin getting what's probably one of the warmest welcomes here in
India that he's received anywhere in the world in years.
Look at this, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, riding with Putin in a white SUV sitting close, talking just like old friends. They did the same
thing, by the way, just a few months ago in China, spending nearly an hour in Putin's armored limousine, laughing and chatting and showing a level of
comfort that world leaders rarely display, at least publicly.
Even before Putin landed here in India, their bond was obvious. Their last meeting, they also walked hand in hand, a personal level of warmth with a
very strategic purpose, of course, because both Modi and Putin know that one of the people watching this relationship very closely is President
Donald Trump.
Putin arrives here in Delhi at a critical time as the U.S. and Russia try to work out a possible peace plan in Ukraine, and as U.S.-India relations
hit a low point. One big point of contention here is oil. India now buys 35 percent of its crude oil from Russia, compared to just 2-1/2 percent before
the Ukraine invasion.
Trump has repeatedly blasted India as unfair, accusing Modi's government of leaning too heavily on Moscow, criticism he used to justify a massive
tariff hike on India. Of course, now Washington wants Delhi to scale back its Russian oil dependance. But Modi's warm and very public embrace of
Putin here signals that this partnership is deeper than just energy. It's built on decades of trust and political chemistry, and what's happening
here in New Delhi could shift the balance of power, really, from Ukraine all the way to the Indo-pacific region, potentially undercut American and
European leverage on Russia.
Here in India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is keeping his options open, and so is Vladimir Putin, by the way, no matter what the United States
wants.
Will Ripley, CNN, New Delhi.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: British inquiry found that Vladimir Putin personally ordered the poison attack on a Russian spy in 2018, which led to the death of a British
woman. The attack used the nerve agent Novichok to target Sergei Skripal, a Russian double agent in the city of Salisbury. While Skripal and his
daughter survived the attack, a British woman died from being exposed to the poison. Russia has always denied any involvement, but today's inquiry
says the evidence it was a Russian state attack is overwhelming and must have been authorized by President Putin.
Just minutes ago, with the stroke of a pen, one of the longest simmering conflicts in Africa appears to have come to an end. Sitting alongside
Donald Trump, the leaders of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo agreed to a peace agreement and stronger economic ties between their
nations. The deal is designed to open up the region to Western investment, but critics say it fails to address many of the core issues that have
caused the two nations to fight on and off for some three decades.
The agreement was signed at what used to be known as the U.S. Institute for Peace, but the U.S. State Department said the institute has been renamed
the Donald J. Trump Institute for Peace in honor of the president. Ironically, Trump gutted the institute's budget earlier this year as part
of the cutbacks led by Elon Musk. And Trump's proposed budget for next year doesn't include any money to fund the agency that now bears his name.
CNN's senior White House correspondent Kristen Holmes joins us.
I mean, there are so many questions, not just about the building, but also about this deal that was signed because it just made it look so easy when
we've seen decades of tension between these two countries.
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. And you really heard from the leaders there that it wasn't going to be easy, that it was
going to be an uphill battle.
And just a reminder of how we got here. I mean, there was an agreement that was made between these two countries back in June, but it hasn't yet been
implemented. And this is the first time they're really signing the next phase of this so-called peace deal.
Now, there are various aspects of this deal, and some of them do deal with stabilizing the region. We know that part of this deal is -- it includes
release of prisoners, resettlement of refugees, as well as humanitarian access. But a lot of what we heard from President Trump was the economic
side of this deal. And the U.S. and western involvement in the economic side of this deal.
President Trump talked about U.S. companies going into these countries. He talked about these assessments that the United States was going to do over
critical minerals that each of these countries have, to see if they have rare earths, to try and invest in those rare earth minerals.
Remember, President Trump has been spending a lot of his tenure trying to make deals involving rare earth minerals, which we know now are used in
basically every electronic that we use in this country because of the fact that China has a stronghold over the rare earths market, which has really
caused problems for the United States.
[15:10:09]
We saw this happen a few months ago, which almost escalated into a trade war before the two leaders sat down and discussed it. But this has been
part of what Donald Trump's administration is doing, is reaching out to these countries to try and get deals, to try and get access to rare earth
minerals outside of China.
So that's what you saw here. You heard President Trump talk about integrating these various economies. But as you noted, there are still a
lot of details yet to be worked out. And as we heard from these leaders, while President Trump was touting the economic side of this, saying that he
was bringing peace, and again, both leaders did thank the president for his effort in all of this. You also heard them saying that the peace aspect of
this was going to be an uphill climb, but they did sound optimistic in that.
FOSTER: Yeah. Good news. Kristen, thank you for joining us from the White House.
An Israeli air strike has shredded a tent camp for displaced families in southern Gaza. Authorities say at least five people were killed, including
two children. Israel's military says it targeted a Hamas terrorist after its troops came under attack. U.S. President Donald Trump, whose
administration brokered the Gaza ceasefire, says its going well despite the continued violence. He didn't say when phase two might begin.
The return of all hostages, living and dead, is a key requirement of the deal. And now all but one has come home.
At least four countries will now boycott the world's largest music competition, after organizers decided to allow Israel to compete. Spain,
Ireland, Slovenia, and the Netherlands all say they will not take part in next year's Eurovision song contest in protest of Israel's actions in Gaza.
Slovenia's national broadcaster says their decision is on behalf of the 20,000 children who have been killed. Israel slamming the boycott as a
disgrace.
So what we don't know is how many countries will boycott Eurovision 2026.
Joining me now is Barbara Barreiro Leon. She's a lecturer in film and visual culture at the University of Aberdeen and a Eurovision expert.
Thank you so much for joining us.
I mean --
BARBARA BARREIRO LEON, LECTURER IN FILM & VISUAL CULTURE, UNIVERSITY OF ABERDEEN: Hi.
FOSTER: The vote was slightly complicated, wasn't it? But it's been seen as a vote on Israel's, you know, ability to be part of this competition.
And the boycotts from those countries isn't a complete surprise, because they suggested that would be the case, right?
LEON: Yeah. That's right. The problem is that there was actually no vote held today about Israel's participation. There was just a vote about the
new regulations that the EBU proposed, like two weeks ago on a new voting system and like, enhanced technology to avoid, bots to vote. But that was
binding.
So, if the broadcasters or the EBU members were supporting these new regulations, that means there were no votes about Israel participating. And
that's what happened. They -- the majority agreed on the new regulations. So, Israel is allowed to participate.
FOSTER: But very strong statements coming from the countries who have pulled out. And not a small thing for them to do, right, because Spain, for
example, puts a huge amount of money into the competition. It's hugely popular there. So, this is a big statement from those countries. Depriving
effectively their audiences of watching a show they love
LEON: Yeah. So, Spain is one of the big five. We have the Netherlands as well, which is contributing as the sixth largest amount of money every
year. And also, we have Ireland, who won seven times in the history of the contest. It is one of the -- these historical countries that is not
participating next year.
So we're at a breaking point in the history of the Eurovision song contest, actually.
FOSTER: Do you think the issue goes back to actually Russia being boycotted and really setting a precedent for politics to play a part in the
competition?
LEON: Yeah, many broadcasters are calling out the fact that Russia and Belarus were not allowed to participate and were dismissed from the
contest. However, the EBU has been saying that there are two different situations where the broadcaster, the Russian broadcaster, were using their
media for political agenda. They are now saying that can the Israel broadcaster is not doing so, but that's their own way of thinking.
FOSTER: But it's -- you know, a lot of the fans would think it's a shame because it's one of the events, a bit like a lot of sporting events where
it's not about politics, it's actually about unity and putting politics aside for a moment just to enjoy the music. What's your view on that? Do
you think they made a mistake by allowing politics to get involved?
LEON: I think politics are always part of the competition anyway. The way that we use flags, we talk about countries and national broadcasters is
part of the politics side of things. However, this is a completely different situation. And the fan community itself is speaking against this
decision now.
And the fact that there was no Democratic vote or transparent vote, that's the main problem here. So, I stand by the fan community as well, and I
think another agreement needs to be reached.
FOSTER: Is there any way they can sort it out? And if they don't, you know, does this mark a real crisis for the competition?
LEON: We are. Regardless of what happens now, we're living a crisis. The general assembly is resuming tomorrow. We're still waiting for more
broadcasters to come forward, like Portugal hasn't decided yet. Belgium or Iceland, even Sweden is considering to participate next year or not, so it
might be a turning point at some point in the next coming days, probably.
FOSTER: Okay. Barbara Barreiro Leon, thank you very much for joining us. Your insights on that huge competition.
Now, coming up, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is being sued by "The New York Times". Still ahead, what journalists are hoping to win against
the Pentagon.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FOSTER: Let's dig deeper into our top story now. The military leader who ordered a deadly follow up strike on an alleged drug boat is defending his
actions before lawmakers. Admiral Frank Bradley spoke at a private briefing today. One lawmaker said the video of the second strike, which killed
shipwrecked sailors, was one of the most troubling things that he's seen as a congressman. Admiral Bradley's boss, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth,
is facing backlash from both Republicans and Democrats. Some say the so- called double tap strike could amount to a war crime.
So, what we want to know is who is ultimately responsible for the follow up strike.
Joining me now, CNN military analyst and retired Air Force Colonel Cedric Leighton.
Always appreciate having you, Cedric.
I mean, the hearings going on as we speak.
[15:20:01]
I'm just wondering how the admiral might treat the control mechanisms here. You know, he's going to take full responsibility here, or is he going to
bring Hegseth into this? Because Hegseth very clearly pointing the finger to the admiral.
CEDRIC LEIGHTON, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Yeah, this is really interesting, Max. And it's great to be with you again. There are, you know, several ways
that he can do this, but I would suspect that what the admiral is going to do is he is going to take full responsibility for his part in that
operation. And as the commander at that time of the Joint Special Operations Command, or JSOC, he was the senior military person in charge of
that operation.
But, of course, like you mentioned, his boss, the secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, really should take the ultimate responsibility. But what
we're seeing is that he is not, he's trying to avoid being implicated in all of this, even though he -- you know, certainly gave the order to
conduct this operation, as did the president.
But the details of that operation and the details of who ordered that specific strike of that boat on the 2nd of September, that is really one of
the key things that's in question at this point.
FOSTER: A lot of people discussing the idea that, you know, this was a, you know, a moment in time, he had to make a split decision. But, you know,
there's one thing saying that when it's in the field and you have to make a split decision very quickly, but this was in a control room, effectively,
where the defense secretary had been. And it was in the Pentagon. And it wasn't the same pressure on time, because obviously the U.S. wasn't under
threat in that moment.
So, he had a bit of time to think about it. And we knew that Hegseth was in the building. So that's why a lot of people wonder why he wouldn't refer it
up in that referred up in that moment, because clearly he would have recognized the, you know, the criticism he'd received afterwards.
LEIGHTON: Yeah. You would think he would have. Now, it is possible that the admiral was actually at the JSOC headquarters, which is in North
Carolina, and then connected remotely to the secretary of defense, or at least that room in the Pentagon where the secretary was. So, it's possible
that they were in a geographically separated situation. But regardless, it's very easy to move very quickly and say, okay, this is the situation we
have. Do you approve a strike? And he could have done that.
He was -- it seems the admiral was given the delegated authority to conduct whatever follow up strikes he deemed necessary. And that's very plausible
that that could have happened that way. That's generally how it seems to work in most of the operations that I've been involved in. And certainly,
what seems to be the case here.
Now in this particular situation, the key thing, though, is that the laws of war still apply if you're considering this, a war effort, a combat -- a
combat situation. If that's the case, then the laws of war would apply.
Now, the other argument, of course, is, is that this is not a war situation, but then other laws apply, which include maritime law, which
requires you to render aid to anybody who is, in a shipwreck situation where they've had to abandon their vessel and they're floating in the ocean
and need to be rescued.
So, either way, some kind of rescue should have been conducted at this particular point in time, both for humanitarian reasons as well as for
intelligence gathering reasons. So, neither of those was conducted. Neither of those was done. And that really begs a lot of questions in this
particular case.
FOSTER: A lot of pressure to release this video. One, the congressman was very disturbed by it, wasn't he? You can only assume that it shows people
in the water floundering about and then being hit again. But how important is it that the world sees that video, do you think?
LEIGHTON: I think it's pretty important, Max. I mean, obviously, it's going to be very disturbing and would have to come with all the usual
caveats for something like that. But there's been so much question about this operation and about the specific strike that it really needs to be
brought to the public's light and to have them understand exactly what's going on here.
And we also have to be careful, because videos often don't show the whole picture, but they are clearly an important part of figuring out exactly
what happened here. And it would become a necessary piece of any investigation and any public assessment of actually what went on here.
FOSTER: Okay. Cedric Leighton, appreciate you as ever. Thank you for joining us.
Still to come, there's a record number of billionaires in the world today. We'll look at just how many and how they hit that magic number as well.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:28:12]
FOSTER: The Trump administration's immigration crackdown is underway in Minnesota and Louisiana. In New Orleans, ICE protesters shut down a city
council meeting as the city deals with immigration enforcement. Meanwhile, President Trump is targeting Somali immigrants in Minnesota as federal
raids sweep through the state. The Minneapolis police chief says people are scared.
CNN's Omar Jimenez reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, they come from hell and they complain and do nothing but (EXPLETIVE DELETED). We don't want
them in our country. Let them go back to where they came from and fix it.
OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): President Trump now making a point of targeting Somali migrants as a new ICE operation from the Trump
administration is underway in the Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota area, a federal official tells CNN, targeting the largest population of Somali
immigrants in the country.
Minnesota's Governor Tim Walz wrote in part on X, "Pulling a P.R. stunt and indiscriminately targeting immigrants is not a real solution to a problem."
Trump is also going after the highest profile Somali American elected to Congress, Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar, who represents the
Minneapolis area.
TRUMP: She shouldn't be allowed to be a congresswoman and I'm sure people are looking at that and she should be throwing the hell out of our country.
REP. ILHAN OMAR (D-MN): I would say the president's obsession with me and the Somali community is really unhealthy. It's creepy and I hope that he
gets the help that he needs.
JIMENEZ (voice-over): But President Trump's rhetoric is translating to policy. Somalia is one of 19 countries included in President Trump's latest
travel restrictions implemented over the summer.
[15:30:01]
Now his administration will reexamine all green cards issued to people from certain countries, which includes Somalia after the recent National Guard
shooting allegedly carried out by an Afghan national.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What do the Somalians have to do with this Afghan guy who shot the national?
TRUMP: Nothing but Somalians have caused a lot of trouble. They're ripping us off for a lot of money.
JIMENEZ (voice-over): President Trump appeared to be alluding to allegations of large-scale fraud in Minnesota as his Treasury Department
and Small Business Administration launched new investigations.
One into various allegations that fraudulently secured funds are being funneled from immigrant communities to terrorists overseas and another into
alleged networks of small business fraud. Aspects of the latter were already proven in court, including in what's been dubbed the largest COVID-
19 fraud scheme in the country, to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars and more than 75 people charged, going back to 2022, centered on a
nonprofit and a pandemic program meant to provide free meals to kids in need.
The convicted mastermind, Amy Bach, instead, used the money to fund lavish lifestyles but the majority of the defendants in the case are Somali.
Wednesday, the governor seemed prepared for any coming investigations.
GOV. TIM WALZ (D), MINNESOTA: If they want to help us, I welcome them. I think they do an investigation, find out but I don't think anybody in here
really believes their motive and their timing is about actually doing something about this.
JIMENEZ: There are also two other sets of fraud charges that have come down in recent months, one tied to alleged fraud of an autism program,
another tied to alleged fraud of a Housing Services Program.
And for his part, Governor Tim Walz reiterated Wednesday that anyone who commits fraud in his state will go to prison regardless of color or
religion.
Now for the Somali migrants, there are tens of thousands that live in the Minneapolis area and they've been there for decades at this point.
And it's part of why we heard from not just the mayor of Minneapolis but also the police chief, acknowledge the real fear in many of these migrant
communities and reiterate that the Minneapolis police will not work with federal immigration enforcement operations.
And it's a dynamic and a type of fear that has become increasingly familiar in immigrant communities across the United States this year.
Omar Jimenez, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: Talking earlier about Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fighting multiple fires right now as he faces questions over the legality of that
double strike on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean, his department is being sued by "The New York Times" as well, over the Pentagon's new
restrictive press policy. At least 30 news organizations have chosen to give up their press passes rather than sign the new policy.
Let's bring in CNN chief media analyst Brian Stelter.
And as I understand it, Brian, "The Times" is basically saying it can't carry out its constitutional duty effectively to report on, you know, on a
-- on a major government department.
BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: Yeah. And it's alleging that the Trump administration, in this case, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, is
specifically violating both the First Amendment when it comes to free press rights and also the Fifth Amendment when it comes to due process.
So, this is a case that was in some ways anticipated, Max, because back in October, when these new rules were put into place, media lawyers and
newsroom leaders talked about a potential lawsuit, a legal action down the line. But now, it's actually happening by the New York times, in part
because of the Pentagon kind of trying to replace real reporters at the Pentagon with pro-Trump content creators.
You know, earlier this week, Hegseth met with a bunch of pro-Trump influencers, online commentators, people who have come in with an explicit
partisan purpose, who are there to promote Hegseth and promote the Pentagon. But they are masquerading as a new Pentagon press corps.
"The New York Times", CNN and other news outlets asked for permission to come to these events and were rejected. And so that may give "The New York
Times" lawsuit a little more heft, a little more support as this judge now in Washington will have to weigh the facts and decide what to do with the
case.
FOSTER: I mean, is the Department of Defense -- I know the Pentagon spokesman is talking about what's best for our troops and the national
security of this country. Obviously, very many sensitive issues within the Pentagon. I mean, what do you make of that argument?
STELTER: Well, I would say these rules were - the old rules, the standards that were in place for decades served everybody really well, including
during Trump's first term in office there. This is one of those situations where nothing seemed to be broken. And yet, Hegseth tried to fix it.
And so, media leaders, press freedom advocates, even some military officers, they all believe that he is actually trying to control news
coverage, trying to impede independent coverage and replace those journalists with pro-Trump promoters and propaganda artists. And that is
what essentially happened in recent weeks, as we've seen these rules take effect.
[15:35:02]
Reporters from all the major American news outlets and from outlets around the world, they are still covering the U.S. military thoroughly, but
they're doing it from outside the five walls of the Pentagon.
And most importantly, sources are still leaking. You know, Seth has been on this crusade to try to stop sources from leaking. He's been trying to stop
leaks, even though, of course, in Signalgate, he was the one who was accidentally leaking to Jeffrey Goldberg of "The Atlantic".
So he's been trying to stop information from getting out. But the point is, information is still getting out. Lots and lots of information is getting
out. And the recent reporting about the boat strikes is a great example of this. We are still learning information about what the U.S. military is
doing with American taxpayer funds, even though the press is being kept out of the Pentagon.
FOSTER: Brian Stelter, thank you so much for bringing us that.
Now, an arrest has been made in the pipe bomb case that arose on the eve of the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol. Law enforcement sources tell
CNN the FBI arrested Brian Cole Jr., a man they believe planted pipe bombs near the Republican and Democratic national committee headquarters in
Washington, D.C. Authorities searched the suspect's home and cars in Woodbridge, Virginia, earlier today.
The arrest follows an almost five-year investigation to uncover the identity of the suspect, who has only been seen in grainy surveillance
video.
Final moments of trade on Wall Street. Stocks are down. Investors are still considering the latest job numbers and what the Fed will do this month.
This is our business breakout.
The number of people applying for unemployment benefits for the first time dropped sharply last week. There were 191,000 initial jobless claims during
Thanksgiving week, the lowest number in more than three years. The numbers typically fall during holiday and bad weather.
New Zealand has celebrated IKEA opening its first store in the country. It may not sound like a big deal, but that's the prime minister there cutting
the ribbon. New Zealand is one of the least developed countries in the world to get IKEA. Australia had one 50 years ago or something.
Now the number of billionaires has reached an all-time high. That's according to the Swiss bank UBS. There are now more than 2,900 billionaires
on the planet, with almost a third of them coming from the United States. Gains in tech stocks have helped those numbers reach a new record.
Anna Cooban isn't one of them. Or are you?
ANNA COOBAN, CNN BUSINESS & ECONOMICS REPORTER: No, I'm not. I know that might come as a surprise, but no, I'm not. I'm not one of the 2,919
billionaires that are now have that amount of wealth. But together, collectively, globally, there is now $15.8 trillion of wealth between them.
And in the U.S. alone, you've got $6.9 trillion of wealth between those billionaires.
And one of the main reasons is, as you just mentioned, this rise in tech stocks, the A.I. boom. In fact, this UBS report highlighted three companies
in particular that if you were a billionaire or anybody owning those stocks over the past year or so, you do pretty well. Meta, Oracle and Nvidia, the
A.I. chip maker.
FOSTER: In terms of, you know, the imbalance here. I mean, that's always the accusation, isn't it. But there's no sign of the richest getting -- not
getting richer. I mean, over time, they're getting richer all the time. It's quite extraordinary, isn't it? There's no -- there's no let up in
that.
COOBAN: No. And this obviously is a real sort of striking example of another reminder of the amount of wealth inequality. And what was
interesting in the report is they actually said that wealth transfer is intensifying. So, what they really mean is that inherent.
FOSTER: Going up.
COOBAN: And 90 or 91 of the new billionaires over the past year became so because they inherited that wealth.
FOSTER: The tech companies you mention, I mean, they've seen this surge in recent times. You mention A.I., I should point out they could lose it
pretty quickly as well. Obviously, not all of it, but a lot of it.
COOBAN: Yeah. And we saw a few weeks ago Elon Musk, the worlds richest person, become the world's first half trillionaire. So, $500 billion worth
of personal wealth. That's fallen down to a paltry $460 trillion of wealth since then.
But that gives you a sense of the scale of what we're talking about.
FOSTER: Yeah. Anna, thank you.
We'll be back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:42:06]
FOSTER: Now more witnesses have taken the stand at the Brian Walshe murder trial in Massachusetts. He's accused of killing and dismembering his wife,
Ana Walshe, in 2023. One of those witnesses, William Fastow, testified today about his affair with Walshe's wife.
And earlier this week, prosecutors walked the jury through the information extracted from Walshe's laptop, including evidence of Google searches of
how to dispose of a body.
Ana Walshe's body has never been found.
Jean Casarez has more on this dramatic day in court.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Really big day in the courtroom in Massachusetts today for the Brian Walshe trial. The witness that everyone
has been waiting for, William Fastow, took the stand. He said that he is a real estate broker in the Washington, D.C. area, and he was having an
affair with Ana Walshe at the time of her death.
He testified that he actually sold the townhouse that she purchased in D.C. to her, and they became fast friends. They began became confidantes very
quickly and very quickly after that. They became intimate.
He testified that he had just separated from his wife about a month before. He had young children also. She, of course, still married to Brian Walshe.
Very important to her, he testified that she didn't want anyone to know she was having the affair with him. She said that she wanted to have the
dignity when the time came, if the time came to tell Brian herself what was happening.
But his friends knew. They socialized with them all the time. Out to dinner. She went out with him on his boat in Annapolis.
But there was a point in this testimony where it came out, and this was on cross-examination that Ana Walshe still loved her husband. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KELLI PORGES, WALSHE'S DEFENSE ATTORNEY: At the same time you were having conversations just about her marriage and your relationship, you knew that
it was always a possibility after having these conversations, that Ana would stay with Brian, the father of her children?
WILLIAM FASTOW, WITNESS: Yes.
PORGES: And while she would talk to you about arguments they had about finances or the stress of his federal case, she always spoke to you about
him in a positive light.
FASTOW: Yes
PORGES: And you knew from her, from her words that she cared for him deeply?
FASTOW: Very much so.
PORGES: And I believe during these times when you would talk about her relationship with Brian Walshe, she wanted everyone to see him in the light
that she saw him.
FASTOW: Very much so.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CASAREZ: Prosecutors are trying to show through this witness that there was premeditation, that Brian Walshe actually knew there was someone his
wife was seen, and that would have created the desire and the premeditated plan to murder her.
[15:45:02]
One last thing today, so far, that has been very visual, to say the least. Prosecutors put on video of a man walking at an apartment complex with a
very heavy bag. You can see that, two dumpsters putting the bag in the dumpster, staying in that area for a little bit and then walking out and
driving away in, which was documented as a Volvo. And Brian Walshe owned that type of car.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: Jean reporting for us there.
Still to come, the world cup goes to Washington. FIFA is getting ready for a Trump friendly extravaganza on the eve of the World Cup draw. We'll take
you there.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FOSTER: We are just a day away from the draw for the 2026 World Cup, which takes place Friday in Washington, D.C. It's a tournament with three host
countries the U.S., Mexico and Canada, and tomorrow's draw will lay out the possible paths for the 48 teams that make it to next year's finals.
CNN's Amanda Davies sets the stage
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(MUSIC)
AMANDA DAVIES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Three years ago, when Leo Messi and Argentina got their hands on the World Cup trophy in Qatar, we'd
never seen a World Cup final or trophy lift like it.
GIANNI INFANTINO, FIFA PRESIDENT: The last one who lifted that is Leo Messi and here it is in the Oval Office.
DAVIES (voice-over): But here we are in 2025.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Can I keep it?
DAVIES (voice-over): It's long been called the greatest show on Earth but next year's edition of the FIFA men's World Cup should be greater than
ever.
For the first time, with three host nations and more countries taking part than any other edition of the tournament.
We've had the minnows making major waves in qualifying -- Curacao, Uzbekistan, Jordan and Cape Verde amongst those benefiting from the
expansion from 32 teams to 48 and set to make their debut.
And let's not forget the big guns. Erling Haaland set to grace football's biggest stage at last with Norway. So, too, 18-year old sensation Lamine
Yamal, with European champion Spain. And one final international bow for Egypt's Mo Salah, Argentina's Messi and, of course, Cristiano Ronaldo.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Canada, Mexico and USA have been selected to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
[15:50:00]
DAVIES (voice-over): When the tournament was awarded to the trio of hosts in 2018, it was dubbed the United Bid. Times have changed, politically at
least.
TRUMP: We are going to be changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.
DAVIES (voice-over): With Trump's threats to annex Canada as the USA's 51st state and his far-reaching trade tariffs, this is a tournament playing
out against the backdrop of the international politics.
REPORTER: How do you see the World Cup playing out with the, you know, the tensions you have with Canada and Mexico?
TRUMP: Oh, I think it's going to make it more exciting. Tensions are a good thing.
DAVIES (voice-over): Domestic politics are at play as well, with president Trump warning he could move games away from already allocated tournament
venues in cities he deems not to be safe.
TRUMP: If we think there's going to be a sign of any trouble, I would ask Gianni to move that to a different city.
DAVIES (voice-over): From a fan perspective, two qualified nations, Haiti and Iran, are on the list of countries whose residents are currently banned
from entering the United States. So traveling supporters won't be able to attend.
The Trump administration has confirmed only players, their immediate families and national team staff will be allowed with exemptions, quote,
"very rare."
Questions about security after the 2024 COPA America final between Argentina and Colombia in Miami descended into chaos.
FIFA say ticket sales totaled nearly two million so far. And there's a hope that a prioritized visa process for fans from the non-excluded countries
will smooth the way for more.
TRUMP: You've been my great friend.
DAVIES (voice-over): Never before have we seen FIFA's leadership so publicly, closely allied to the leader of its host country. FIFA boss
Gianni Infantino has said their relationship is crucial.
INFANTINO: I'm really lucky. I have a great relationship with President Trump, who I consider really a close friend.
DAVIES (voice-over): But never before have we seen a World Cup hosted in President Trump's America. And if the club World Cup celebrations in July
are anything to go by, it's not only the football set to be center stage.
Amanda Davies, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: Now, it's officially award season in Hollywood with two of the country's most notable critic groups unveiling their top films. Both the
New York and Atlanta film critics circles tapped Paul Thomas Anderson's one battle after another as the best pitcher of the year. Iranian director
Jafar Panahi took the prestigious best director prize from the New York critics, while Atlanta honored Panahi's film, "It Was Just An Accident", as
their top international picture.
In the acting categories, the two critics groups split on who should win the best actor and actress. As you can see.
Thanks for watching. That is WHAT WE KNOW.
And we're going to still bring you another story because I got the minutes wrong on the clock. But from phones and jewelry to cooked frogs and
prosthetic limbs, London transits lost property office holds an array of items gone missing on the commute in England's capital. Some items have
been missing for months. Other relics since World War II. Check it out
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DIANE QUAYE, LOST PROPERTY MANAGER: So, this is lost property office for transport for London. So, when the items are lost, they'll hopefully end up
here. If someone hands it in and what we do, we input it, put it into our system and collect as much information regarding the item. So, if you do
inquire about it, we'll try and match the item and return it to you.
So, this section is our famous umbrellas. I've got to take this off.
This area is one of my favorite areas. It's items that we've kept for longer than three months, some as long as World War II. So, one of the
items I really like to look at is the stuffed puffer fish because it's just unbelievable.
If the items are not found within the -- three months, we basically put all those items together and decide if it should go to auction or charity.
I always say miracles happen on transport for London because as you can see, we've got a few wheelchairs.
About 5,000 items are lost within a week. The items can be from an umbrella to a mobile phone, money, jewelry. I could go on. You name it comes through
these doors.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Teddy bears.
Finally, tonight, a seal walks into a bar. Might sound like the start of a bad joke, but it's what really happened.
[15:55:03]
A bar in New Zealand welcomed their new customer over the weekend. There he is. This baby fur seal wasn't exactly unwelcome in the pet friendly pub,
but it wasn't a regular either, as one of the co-owners recalls.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BELLA EVANS, CO-OWNER, THE MEADOWS PUB: I think everyone's in shock. It was a lot of, oh, I can't believe this is happening. Oh my gosh, what? What
do we do? What's going on? Where's doc? It was a lot of disbelief I think.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Well, the seal stayed away from the booze. The same can't be said for a rowdy raccoon. This raccoon went on a rampage in a Virginia liquor
store and ended up passed out drunk next to a toilet.
New footage of his wild bender has emerged. And this was the real crisis moment. But you can see the masked rascal going on a drinking spree after
falling from the ceiling tile, taking out one of the security cameras. He also damaged 14 bottles worth of $250 worth.
I'm Max Foster. That's WHAT WE KNOW.
Stay with CNN. We'll have more after the break.
END
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