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What We Know with Max Foster
Zelenskyy To Send His Own Peace Plan To Trump On Wednesday; Trump: Zelenskyy Must Start "Accepting Things. He's Losing"; Trump Blasts European Nations As "Decaying" And "Weak"; Senate Republicans Back Release Of "Double-Tap" Strike Video; Israeli Authorities Raid UNRWA Compound In Jerusalem; 400,000 People Evacuated Along Thai-Cambodia Border; Australia's New Age-Restricted Social Media Ban Now In Effect. Aired 3-4p ET
Aired December 09, 2025 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[15:00:28]
MAX FOSTER, CNN HOST: A revised peace plan from Ukraine's president.
This is WHAT WE KNOW.
We begin with word of a new plan to end the war in Ukraine. So, the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, says he will send his own peace
proposal to Donald Trump on Wednesday. Zelenskyy was in Italy today to meet with both the Italian prime minister and the pope.
Zelenskyy then spoke to reporters on his way back to Kyiv and said he's sending three documents to the U.S. and European leaders. One is a 20-point
peace plan, one is a written security guarantee for Ukraine, and the third is a plan for rebuilding and recovery once the war is over.
So, Zelenskyy also said that he's willing to hold elections inside Ukraine to prove that he's still a popular leader. That comment came after Donald
Trump accused Ukraine of no longer being a democracy.
Our Ben Wedeman in Rome, where Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with the pope, as well as Italy's prime minister today.
We've got a bit more detail and the idea of elections is pretty interesting, Ben.
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Oh, yes, it is, because, of course, the Ukrainians have said for quite some time since
basically the war began that while Ukraine is in a state of war, elections cannot be held. But President Trump has repeatedly criticized Ukraine for
not holding those elections. So, this does appear to be some sort of compromise. Now, this -- President Zelenskyy apparently was -- this is --
he was answering questions via audio messages while returning home on his plane, not home. But I we assume, to Poland. And he was answering these
questions and he's talking about a living document.
In other words, it is not finalized. He says he's going to be submitting it to the United States some time tomorrow. It's been described as a refined
document, basically a refinement of the original 20-point plan that was published, a rather leaked from the U.S. administration. Now, obviously,
you know, we don't know the details.
Clearly, one of the major sticking points for the Ukrainians was the proposal or suggestion from the Trump administration that Ukraine
relinquish control of the entire Donbas region, even though there are parts of that region that Ukraine currently holds. So, it would basically be
surrendering additional territory to the Russians. And from the comments that we've seen coming from President Zelenskyy, he remains opposed to that
idea. He seems somewhat willing, perhaps, to consider the possibility of Ukraine relinquishing control over Crimea, which Russia took over back in
2014.
So, this is a counterproposal or a refined version of the original American plan. I think as long as it's defined as a refinement of the original plan,
perhaps President Trump, who's a very -- has very thin skin, will think of it as an improvement upon his own plan as opposed to what it clearly is, is
the result of these intense negotiations or consultations between European leaders. And, of course, the pope met -- Pope Leo today. I -- rather
Zelenskyy met Pope Leo and finished the day by having a 90 minute meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
So, this plan that he's talking about, these three documents clearly are the result of these consultations. And he clearly is hoping that he will be
able to draw President Trump into more direct interaction with him, because the worry among many Ukrainian leaders is that Trump uses Putin as his
reference point and then bounces the ideas he gets from Putin off of Zelenskyy. And so far, they have not bounced very high at this point --
Max.
FOSTER: No. Ben, thank you so much for that latest information on this potential peace deal.
U.S. President Trump, meanwhile, leaning on Ukraine to make some compromises in order to bring an end to this war with Russia. In an
interview with "Politico", Mr. Trump said Russia has the, quote, upper hand and the stronger negotiating position. He called on Ukrainian President
Volodymyr Zelenskyy to, quote, start accepting things.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
INTERVIEWER: This deal of -- Zelenskyy rejects this deal.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Yeah.
INTERVIEWER: Is there a timeline? Is there a point at which you say --
TRUMP: Well, he's going to have to get on the ball and start accepting things, you know, when you're losing because you're losing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[15:05:05]
FOSTER: Well, President Trump is also taking aim at U.S. allies in Europe, calling them a decaying group of nations due to their immigration policies.
To the White House now, CNN's Kevin Liptak. I mean, they're getting a lot of grief, aren't they, from the U.S. right now here in Europe? Is that part
of his negotiation tactic, trying to get them to put pressure on this peace deal? And what do you make of this idea of elections in Ukraine?
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, I think President Trump, when he was speaking in that interview, made pretty clear that he
does not think that Ukraine can win this war. He said pretty explicitly that even if Ukraine continues to try and fight it out, that Russia will
eventually prevail, essentially because it is the bigger of the two countries. And so, I think now that Zelenskyy says that he will come back
to the U.S. with his own refined plan, of course, we'll have to see how the president responds to that. But he is making pretty evident that he expects
Zelenskyy to come to an agreement fairly quickly here.
And that was, I think, the message that Zelenskyy heard from the president's advisors, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, when they spoke over
the weekend, was essentially, you need to get to yes on this plan. And so any sort of move by Zelenskyy that would be interpreted as prolonging this
process, I don't think is going to be welcome here at the White House.
Of course, the big question is what President Trump plans to do about it. He was asked in that interview whether this would mean he's going to back
away from his efforts to negotiate peace. There's always the prospect that he could back away from American military support, from intelligence
sharing, and he is always stopped short of saying what the consequences would be.
So, I think there's still a great deal of uncertainty. What is clear is the president's frustrations at the Europeans. And you hear this from American
officials as well as they view the Ukrainian president's visit to Europe this week and his discussions with those European counterparts as
essentially prolonging the process here, you know, trying to take President Trump's proposal, which many view as heavily weighted towards Russia and
refine it and recast it and essentially put the ball back in Moscow's court when president Trump essentially just wants him to agree to it so that this
war can come to an end.
But obviously, his comments about Europe coming on top of that pretty stark national security document that came out last week, in which the White
House and President Trump's advisers really castigated Europe for some of their policies, echoing some of the presidents sort of right wing rhetoric
about immigration and that sort of thing, really deepening the divide between the U.S. and Europe. Quite a fraught moment.
FOSTER: Okay, Kevin, thank you.
This hour, we're expecting a high stakes briefing on a shadowy double tap strike at sea that critics say could be a war crime. The U.S. defense
secretary or -- the secretary of state, the CIA chief joint chiefs of -- chair -- will all brief top lawmakers known as the Gang of Eight. They're
expected to face questions on the months long campaign of attacks against alleged drug boats in the Caribbean, Pacific, especially a follow up strike
on September the 2nd that killed survivors of this initial hit that you're seeing here.
CNN's Arlette Saenz is on Capitol Hill.
What we haven't seen is the video that comes after that. And that's where the pressure is to release it, right?
ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Max, there really is growing pressure from a bipartisan group of senators for the Trump administration
to release the full, unedited video of that follow up strike. Now, in just the coming hour. We do anticipate that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and
other top administration officials will be here at the Capitol to brief the top Republican and Democratic leaders in the House and the Senate, and also
the top Republicans and Democrats on the Senate and the House Intelligence Committees.
Now, the leaders of the intelligence committees have already seen the full video when they were briefed by Admiral Frank "Mitch" Bradley, who ordered
that second strike just last week. But after they viewed that video, they reached vastly different conclusions of what it showed and whether the
Trump administration had the authority to take the actions that they did.
But we started to hear from more and more Republican senators who believe it would be wise for the administration to release the video in full to the
public so they can see exactly what happened. Take a listen to some of those senators calling for the release of this video.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Do you think it would make sense for the administration to release this video?
SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): I'm okay with it being released and I'm okay with what happened.
RAJU: You're okay with the second strike that occurred?
GRAHAM: Yeah. I mean, I trust Tom Cotton's judgment.
SEN. THOM TILLIS (R-NC): We got to get the Epstein files released. We got to get any videos that do not in any way compromise mission integrity down
there. Just get the stuff out there.
SEN. JOSH HAWLEY (R-MO): If there's a way to release the video, which I have not seen, but if there's a way to release that, that does not
compromise our intelligence gathering, I would urge them to do it
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[15:10:01]
SAENZ: Now, President Trump himself has seemed to backtrack on the release of this video. He initially told reporters that yes, he would be open to
having this video released before backtracking and saying that that's a decision up to Secretary Hegseth, who has said that they are still
reviewing whether or not they should release this material.
Now, one notable senator, Senator Roger Wicker. He is the Republican chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee. And he told reporters earlier today
that they are still working through determining what classified information might be on this video. But he doesn't think it's a closed case that it
won't be released. He said that they are still working to see if that they can make that happen.
From any Democratic senators, they have warned that these actions that were taken by the Trump administration do amount to war crimes, and they believe
that showing this video to the public will be more transparent in how this all transpired.
But certainly, Defense Secretary Hegseth will face a lot of questions from lawmakers as he is set to brief them in the coming hour. It's a briefing
that's expected to touch on a range of issues, but given the amount of scrutiny that has been placed on the administration after these strikes, we
anticipate that this will be one of the top agenda items in that briefing - - Max.
FOSTER: Okay. Arlette, thank you so much for that.
Now, the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees says an Israeli raid on its headquarters in Jerusalem sets a dangerous precedent and should be a wake-
up call for other organizations as well. UNRWA says Israel deliberately violated its obligations under the U.N. charter by searching and seizing
property at the compound, but Israel says it was collecting a debt.
Jeremy Diamond is in Jerusalem with details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, instead of a United Nations flag, it is now the Israeli flag that is flying over this U.N.
compound in Jerusalem. This is the headquarters of UNRWA, the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, and the Israeli flag was raised above its
headquarters after a raid by Israeli police and Jerusalem municipal officials on Monday.
According to U.N. officials, those Israeli authorities seized furniture, I.T. equipment and other property. Israeli authorities, for their part, say
that this was part of a, quote, debt collection procedure, claiming that the United Nations owes more than $3 million in back property taxes. The
United Nations, for its part, claims that it is exempt from those taxes as it has been in the past in Israel and as it is around the world.
But this is about much more than just property taxes. This really is part of the broader feud that we have seen play out between Israel and UNRWA.
Again, that agency for Palestinian refugees. And that's because you look back to what happened late last year when the Israeli parliament passed a
law banning UNRWA from operating on Israeli territory. It was after that law came into effect in January of this year that it seems that Jerusalem
municipal officials began trying to collect those property taxes, seemingly claiming that this law meant that the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees
was no longer exempt from those taxes.
Also important to note that this law also forced U.N. staff to vacate the property at the time, which means that this property has actually been
vacant for almost the entirety of this year and was at the time of this raid. But the United Nations says that this compound is still U.N. premises
and should be treated as such, meaning that it should be immune from any kind of interference from local or national officials.
And the head of UNRWA is now calling this, quote, blatant disregard for Israels obligations as a U.N. member state. Of course, the feud between
UNRWA and Israel doesn't just stem from this war and the October 7th attacks, in which Israel claims that there were several UNRWA members who
participated or aided Hamas in those attacks. It hasn't provided evidence of any kind of widespread involvement of UNRWA officials with Hamas.
And important to keep in mind that beyond the handful that Israel has talked about, there are more than 10,000 UNRWA employees who work for that
agency. But Israel has feuded with UNRWA for years now, primarily over the fact that it grants Palestinian refugee status to the descendants of
Palestinian refugees who live in or who lived, for example, in present day Israel. And so, this is a much, much broader feud that has really come out
into the daylight over the course of this war, and now is even rising to the level of property taxes.
Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Jerusalem.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: At least eight people are dead after reported air strikes and drone attacks along the Thai-Cambodian border. It's been the second day of
fighting between the two sides as their U.S. brokered ceasefire appears to be crumbling.
[15:15:00]
About 400,000 people who live near the disputed border region have been evacuated. Some expressed their frustration about the return of fighting.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I had to run away from my house because they were firing at the village nonstop. The fighting came too soon, and it destroyed
my house completely. So, I just grabbed my clothes and children and we came here.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I want it to end. I want this to be the last fight to end it all.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: You may remember U.S. President Donald Trump sitting alongside Thai and Cambodian leaders when they signed this peace agreement. It was
just in October. The Thai foreign minister tells CNN any deal may now have to move forward without American involvement.
Now, a new social media ban has gone into effect in Australia. Still ahead tonight, we'll take a look at why this is happening and who is protesting
the new ban.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FOSTER: U.S. President Donald Trump slamming European allies over their policies on immigration. Remarks that could drive a wedge between the
United States and Europe during a critical juncture for talks in the war in Ukraine. In a political interview -- a "Politico" interview rather, Mr.
Trump described Europe as a decaying group of nations. He claims that immigration policies are destroying their countries.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I think they're weak. But I also think that they want to be so politically correct. I think they don't know what to do. Europe doesn't
know what to do. They don't know what to do on trade either.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: With us now, Mike Dubke, he's the former Trump White House communications director.
Thank you so much for joining us.
I mean, this criticism of Europe is not going down very well in Europe, obviously. But also, there's a wider concern that this was the, you know,
the united West that always stuck together was stronger that way. But Donald Trump doesn't seem to have that view right now.
MIKE DUBKE, FORMER TRUMP WHITE HOUSE COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: Well, you know, one of the wonderful things of working for Donald Trump was that he -
- you always knew where you stood with Donald Trump.
[15:20:07]
He's very clear. There's not a hidden agenda here. But given the comments that he made to "Politico", I think part of that is were about to celebrate
our 250th anniversary here in the United States of independence. And the president is looking at -- looking around the world and taking a look at
Europe in the past thousand years of history, of democracies in and civilization in Europe, and looking to see where the United States in
retrospect, were, you know, we may stumble.
And I think open borders, immigration was right at the top of his list in that interview with "Politico" and also being you know, walking on
eggshells, which is maybe an American idiotism. But you know, he looks at that and sees that in Europe and is worried about the course of the U.S.
FOSTER: Is he still looking for allied nations? If so, where would they be if they're not in -- in Europe?
DUBKE: You know, in his -- in his mind, I think Europe is an ally. This is Donald Trump pure on and I think he says it later in the interview. He
goes, this is not a criticism. I'm just calling it as I -- as I see it.
So, I don't worry that these comments are in any way, at least from the American side, driving a wedge with our European allies. Having said that,
I also understand where if you're from a European perspective, you look at these comments and go, you know, this, this gentleman may not be, be our
friend. What I guess I can say is he is your friend, just not in the same vein as the previous presidents before him.
FOSTER: I guess one of the views is simply that this is what Putin's been after more than anything -- you know, dividing Europe and America and a
sense that perhaps Donald Trump is allowing that to happen.
DUBKE: I'm not sure that he's allowing that to happen. And hopefully, from the European point of view, they're not allowing that to happen either.
Look, if you asked the administration about their relationship with Europe, I think what you would find and what you would, you would hear from them is
that this is a relationship that has been built over the last 70 or 80 years of NATO. It's a strong relationship, and it's a relationship strong
enough to speak the truth.
And I -- and again, this is where I -- as I started and saying this is one of the wonderful things about working with Donald Trump is that, you know,
where you stand with him.
FOSTER: We understand that President Zelenskyy is going to send this new, peace proposal, the updated one that he's worked on with the European
leaders to Donald Trump tomorrow, or at least the White House. And it was interesting to see in there the suggestion that if he got guarantees, then
he would hold elections in Ukraine potentially off the back of some of Trump's critical comments about Zelenskyy specifically, as opposed to
broader Ukraine.
I mean, how do you think Trump will respond to that?
DUBKE: Well, I do believe and the president has said this multiple times, that in his mind if there are other parts of the proposal which I am not
privy to, so I don't know the vis a vis the territory, I think he views, land for peace as he has said, that is an essential part of this on the
elections. You know Ukraine being under assault for the last since -- since the invasion four years ago. It's understandable why they haven't had
elections.
Having said that, even other democracies in wartime have had elections. So, this has been a this has been a tension point, with Zelenskyy before this.
And I think if he's willing to do that, that shows some, some level of compromise with the president.
FOSTER: Yeah. It's interesting, isn't it? Well wait to see more tomorrow when it lands, I guess.
Mike Dubke, we really appreciate your time today. Thank you for joining us.
DUBKE: No problem. Thank you.
FOSTER: Now the marks are in. And Donald Trump says the U.S. economy doesn't deserve an A+ grade. Instead, he says it should be much higher than
that. We'll ask if he's right, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:27:44]
FOSTER: Returning now to our top story, a big meeting expected to take place today on Capitol Hill between U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth,
top intel and military officials and key members of Congress. The so-called gang of eight. A key issue will be that so-called double tap attack on an
alleged drug boat in the Caribbean, and the bipartisan calls for the release of video showing the second strike that killed two survivors.
Despite months of U.S. attacks on alleged drug boats, efforts to move narcotics in the Caribbean and Pacific continue. And even though the Trump
administration wants to focus on fentanyl, most of the drug boats coming from South America are moving cocaine. The U.S. Coast Guard is even
reporting a record-breaking year for cocaine busts -- as CNN's Paula Newton reports
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): You are watching U.S. Coast Guard video of a takedown mission of alleged cocaine traffickers.
This just won in a record-breaking year for the federal agency seizing more than three times the amount of cocaine this fiscal year to September 30th -
-
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don't move.
NEWTON (voice-over): -- than the annual average over the past few decades.
REAR ADMIRAL JEFF NOVAK, U.S. COAST GUARD: We had more ships in the transit zone. And then in August of this year, we further surged assets
into the eastern Pacific Ocean to increase our effectiveness against narco traffickers and transnational criminal organizations.
NEWTON: Why a record breaking year? What have you seen?
NOVAK: Collectively, we -- we work to understand where the drug flows are. And then with an increase of resources, we can better align our assets to
where potential smuggling routes may be.
NEWTON (voice-over): The surge in resources since January means the Coast Guard has been responsible for some 80 percent of drug seizures at sea this
year. In fact, this recent offload in Florida was the most cocaine seized by a single cutter in one patrol in Coast Guard history.
TULSI GABBARD, DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE: This kind of investment is what has set the Coast Guard -- has unleashed the Coast Guard to be able
to deliver the kind of historic results, again, that these men and women signed up to do.
NEWTON (voice-over): The Coast Guard is the lead Federal Agency for maritime drug interdiction.
[15:30:03]
While U.S. military involvement has been controversial, it is the Coast Guard that has been most effective in seizing drugs.
Perhaps more importantly, are any of these missions reducing the amount of drugs on American streets.
In San Francisco, where illicit drug use has long challenged the city, the sheriff says anecdotally, he's seen a difference.
PAUL MIYAMOTO, SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA SHERIFF: Any effort, either at the federal, state or local level, to help with the infusion of drugs into
our communities is helpful and welcome assistance, regardless of politics, drugs affect everyone in the community, and by making sure that we don't
have a flow of drugs into our communities, it's very helpful.
NEWTON (voice-over): Sheriff Miyamoto stresses that a local, state, and federal approach has been key in his city. It's been about collaboration.
He says, not only the surge in resources at sea.
And some human rights advocates contend the record breaking drug trafficking operations will only serve as a band aid to what is an increase
in drug production, especially cocaine.
JOHN WALSH, DIRECTOR OF DRUG POLICY, WOLA: The starting point here is to realize that interdiction per se and supply overseas, supply control is
very limited and can result in sort of episodic supply reductions and disruptions, but those are almost always quickly overtaken because
traffickers adapt.
NEWTON (voice-over): But the Coast Guard says, it's adapting too, using the surge of resources, technology and intelligence to disrupt drug
traffickers for the long haul.
Paula Newton, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: It is the final moments of trade on wall street. Stocks are off their session highs. The Dow is mostly flat as the Federal Reserve begins
its final policy meeting of the year.
This is our business breakout.
There's more weakness showing up in the U.S. jobs market. Layoffs increased and hiring continued to stall in October, according to new data that was
delayed by the government shutdown. It's the last piece of jobs data to be released before the Fed makes its interest rate decision, which is on
Wednesday.
A big reversal from Donald Trump on microchips. The U.S. president announced he will now let Nvidia send their high speed H100 chips to China.
Those chips are vital for computing artificial intelligence tasks. Export controls had previously been in place as part of the broader trade war
between Washington and Beijing.
Now, it's not every day that a rock and roll icon shows up on Capitol Hill. KISS co-founder Gene Simmons is appearing at a Senate hearing right now on
securing royalties for performers in the digital age. Here he is being sworn in just a few minutes ago.
Now on Monday, Simmons told CNN that he wants to fix an injustice with the music industry.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GENE SIMMONS, KISS: It's not going to be a shake-up. We're going to just - - we're going to fix an injustice that has been ongoing in America, sadly, for generations, perhaps.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Well, with the jobs market stuttering, prices rising and the Fed poised to cut rates on Wednesday, it's not surprising that recent polls
show that Americans think the U.S. economy is in poor shape.
But if you believe Donald Trump from his interview with "Politico", an A+ grade doesn't even begin to cover it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
INTERVIEWER: I wonder what grade you would give --
TRUMP: A plus.
INTERVIEWER: A plus?
INTERVIEWER: Yeah. A plus-plus-plus-plus-plus.
The word affordability, I inherited a mess. I inherited a total mess. Prices were at an all-time high when I came in. Prices are coming down
substantially. The Democrats love to say affordability, but then they never talk about it. They're the ones that gave us the high prices. I'm the one
that's bringing them down.
INTERVIEWER: Well, one of the --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: So what we want to know is how should we grade the U.S. economy?
Joining me now, our senior reporter Daniel Dale is here.
Also wondering if you've ever had a five plusses or six plusses or whatever it was
DANIEL DALE, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Well, the president's rosy assessment is not based on facts. Of course, he's entitled to his own opinion, but the
facts he's offering in support of this assessment are often inaccurate.
For example, he said in the same interview that prices are way down. Prices in the United States are not way down. They're up about 1.7 percent from
the month that he took office again in January. They're up 3 percent from a year prior. The 12-month inflation rate. Now, he says he's brought the
inflation rate down. But that 3 percent rate is the exact same rate that he inherited in January.
And he's also gotten more specific. He said that grocery prices are way down. Grocery prices are also not way down. Those are up about 1.4 percent
from January, about 2.7 percent from a year prior.
And he says that, you know, his tariffs are not contributing to these increases. He denies says that foreign countries alone are paying these
tariffs.
[15:35:02]
We know from Americans own experiences, let alone what economists tell us, that that's not the case.
Literally, the American importer makes the tariff payment. Foreign countries do not. And we know from talking to companies that those -- those
importers often pass on much or all of the costs to the final consumer. So again, president entitled to his opinion, but his, his, his attempts to
substantiate this opinion are just not based in reality.
FOSTER: Okay. Daniel Dale, appreciate it. Thank you.
Still to come, a social media ban goes into effect in Australia. We'll look at who it impacts the most.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FOSTER: Now, a world first. Social media ban for young people is now in effect in Australia. The country's ban is on ten major apps for children 16
and under. They include TikTok, YouTube, Snapchat. The government says the ban will protect young Australians, but not all are on board.
Angus Watson spoke to two teens protesting against this change.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANGUS WATSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Teenagers Noah and Macey are taking their government to court in a fight to stay on social media.
NOAH JONES, PLAINTIFF: Taking away how we communicate to the world. This is how we do it. It's the modern day, it's social media.
WATSON (voice-over): From Wednesday, Australia will enforce a world first law banning children under 16 from many of the biggest platforms. Supported
by Freedom Advocacy Group, Macy and Noah's case asserts a right to political communication. The high court has agreed to hear it next year.
WATSON: So what will you lose when social media is taken away from you?
MACY NEYLAND, PLAINTIFF: Well, we will lose connections, but we will lose our democracy. This law is saying that democracy begins at 16, which is
condescending and it's incorrect.
JONES: Listen, there are definitely negatives on social media. I'm not denying that. I completely agree. We're saying that getting rid of the kids
is not the solution. We didn't do anything wrong.
WATSON (voice-over): The government says it has acted to protect children from potentially harmful content, harmful people and addictive algorithms.
[15:40:07]
JULIE INMAN GRANT, AUSTRALIAN E-SAFETY COMMISSIONER: And there are these powerful, harmful, deceptive design features that even adults are powerless
to fight against, like autoplay and endless scroll and snap streets. So what chance do our children have?
WATSON (voice-over): Under the new law, young social media users won't be punished for being on age restricted apps, nor will their parents. Instead,
Australia is requiring tech companies to take reasonable steps to keep under 16 seconds off their platforms and threatening fines in the tens of
millions of dollars. Tech companies say they are already building safer systems.
A.I. face detectors will likely be employed to verify age with tools provided by third party companies like Verifymy. Users may also be asked to
upload their identity documents.
ANDY LULHAM, VERIFYMY CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER: Australia is certainly leading the way when it comes to requiring an age check for every user to
determine that they are over 16 or not.
WATSON: The government's ban is a catch all. If you're under the age of 16, you're off social media. But children are all different. They've
engaged with social media differently, and they feel differently about the ban.
WATSON (voice-over): The students at All Saints Anglican School on Australia's gold coast are learning from cyber safety advocate Kirra
Pendergast about how to best avoid danger on social media.
KIRRA PENDERGAST, CTRL+SHIFT CHIEF DIGITAL STRATEGIST: Because it is a delay. It's not a flat out ban. They're not banning the Internet. We're not
trying to boil the ocean. It's literally just a delay age. And so they've got time to catch up, to become more resilient and think more critically
about how they use apps.
WATSON (voice-over): In their final year, Nicholas and Ruby wonder if maybe their school career would have been easier without the distraction of
social media.
RUBY PETTY, ALL SAINTS ANGLICAN SCHOOL CAPTAIN: Nick and I were talking before about how if we could, we would delete snapchat today, but its more
the fact that because there's now so much reliability and connection based off one app, you don't want to delete it.
WATSON (voice-over): Perhaps for young Australians, the fear of missing out won't be so bad if everyone is forced to miss out together.
Angus Watson, CNN, Sydney, Australia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: What we don't know is will Australia's social media ban even work?
Joining me now is Leo Puglisi. He's the founder of 6 News Australia, a news outlet he started when he was just 11 years old.
Thank you so much for joining us.
I mean, you've got lots of young members in your audience. I mean, are they all saying the same thing, or is there a mixed opinions coming through?
LEO PUGLISI, FOUNDER OF 6 NEWS AUSTRALIA: Yeah, good to be here. It's largely been the same messaging concern about how this is going to actually
work. Definitely. There's been a lot of confusion, not just from under 16, mind you -- mind you, about what platforms are being included, how IDs
working, which are questions that have been only kind of worked through in the past few days ahead of this legislation coming in right now.
FOSTER: Are they finding ways around it, do you think, or are they just going to go to other platforms?
PUGLISI: Yeah, I mean, my younger brothers are in the age group affected by the ban. I suspect he will continue on social media platforms regardless
of the ID that is supposedly needed to work. I think that young people are very, very smart with technology and will absolutely find ways to get
around it because we know that the blanket ban isn't going to stop young people from seeing harmful content, which everyone agrees is a problem and
should be addressed. This ban just doesn't remove that, which is one of the problems that it has faced.
FOSTER: But it also bans good content, doesn't it?
PUGLISI: Yeah, it does. And certainly, there's a lot of positives on social media a lot of good content on there. There may be plenty of young
people who haven't seen any of the harmful content that the governments referencing. And look, the prime minister has made the point about, you
know, young people should be going outside, should be playing sports, should be reading a book.
Well, sure, they can go outside and play sports. They can go to NPL Victoria. You know, I volunteer for the Northern Bullants Preston Football
Club here in Melbourne. Young people can do that but have a social media account as well, because we know that really social media is the means of
communication for young people in this day and age.
FOSTER: I spoke to a psychologist earlier who's very much in favor of this ban, saying, you know, social media does more harm than good. But I also
asked, you know, is there a risk that pulling people suddenly off social media will cause its own anxiety? And she accepted that's the case. But,
you know, a lot of kids have learned to become dependent on it, rightly or wrongly. And this is a very harsh move. And people are going to get a bit
lost, aren't they?
PUGLISI: Yeah. That again is another concern. And look, there's been a lot of talk about the impact that social media has on young people. Again, I
agree there is harmful impact on social media.
I'm not here to uphold that social media is perfect, but we know that there are vulnerable young people who are affected by this ban. Maybe they're in
remote areas, they're in marginalized communities. They don't feel safe at home for whatever reason, but they've been able to find friends and a
genuinely safe space online that gets taken away from them under this ban.
And we haven't really heard about that much in the past 12, 18 months, which is again, another concern and something I really would have liked to
see addressed. We didn't get much consultation before this was pushed through on the last day of parliament last year.
[15:40:00]
FOSTER: Yeah, there's lots of people who are, you know, uncomfortable, you know, in social groups. And they have found a place online. I think that's
one element. But there's the other issue that a lot of people don't seem to be talking about is the parents who do support their kids being on social
media feel that they use it responsibly and that there is a place for it in their lives, and they're going to have to deal with a lot of the backlash
from this as well.
PUGLISI: Yeah, I imagine they will be. And certainly, I have seen plenty of comments of parents who are who are more than fine for their 15-year-old
to have a YouTube account and be logged in on YouTube. And ultimately, it really should be the parents' choice here because they know their child
best. And again, that is the really big problem with the blanket ban.
Now there are no punishments for parents or kids who get around the ban, but ultimately it does make it more difficult, even if they are completely
fine with it. And again, you know, we're talking about 15-year-olds who can work jobs, not five-year-olds on social media.
FOSTER: Yeah. Okay. Leo, really appreciate you joining us today. I mean, we don't really know what's going to happen, do we? Because it's never been
done before. So, it's going to be fascinating to see. Thank you.
PUGLISI: Thank you.
FOSTER: Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Ccorina Machado has delayed her appearance in Norway to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. Now she was due to
address reporters earlier today ahead of Wednesday's Nobel ceremony. But the news conference was canceled by the Nobel Institute.
As Stefano Pozzebon reports Machado is in hiding due to security concerns.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR (voice-over): If Maria Corina Machado attends the ceremony to receive the Nobel Peace Prize in person, it will be
the first time she's seen in public in almost a year.
2025 has been a rollercoaster for the Venezuelan opposition leader, from leading mass demonstrations in Caracas to hiding in her own country and
now, the world's most prestigious recognition. In between, chasing the goal that defined her life rescuing Venezuela from the rule of authoritarian
President Nicolas Maduro.
MARIA CORINA MACHADO, VENEZUELAN OPPOSITION LEADER (through translator): What they have done is brutal. More than 2,500 people arrested, including
more than 150 children -- imprisoned children.
POZZEBON (voice-over): The Venezuelan government denies these allegations, but the press committee said the Nobel was awarded for Machado's efforts
last year when she defied all expectations to build a movement that challenged Maduro at the polls.
Independent observers and CNN's own analysis found Machado's candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez, beat Maduro by a landslide. And yet, Venezuelan
authorities claim Maduro had won without showing evidence and triggering a brutal wave of repression that forced Machado into hiding.
A few days earlier, she told CNN that exile was not an option.
POZZEBON: If you considered plan B, are you open to the idea that maybe one day you'll have to join one Leopoldo Antonio and everybody else who is
abroad?
MACHADO: We will win, we will succeed, and we will bring everyone that has been forced to leave to come back. That's my only plan.
POZZEBON (voice-over): This year, Machado's actions sparked controversy as she cozied up to U.S. President Donald Trump and his anti-narco trafficking
campaign. The U.S. claims to have killed more than 80 alleged drug traffickers without showing any evidence.
Despite many of them thought to be Venezuelans, Machado has applauded Trump's actions, at times seemingly supporting a military intervention and
dedicating her prize to Trump himself.
Her victory celebrated by Venezuelans around the world but silenced at home where Maduro still rules unabashed.
Stefano Pozzebon, CNN, Caracas.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: Still to come, the FBI says a former snowboarder traded the Olympic rings for a drug ring. Well, now he's on the run. Well update you
on the search for Ryan Wedding.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:51:31]
FOSTER: An Olympic snowboarder is on the run as one of the FBI's most wanted as well, 10 most wanted fugitives. Authorities have put a $15
million reward out for the capture of Ryan Wedding as part of Operation Giant Slalom.
CNN's Randi Kaye has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KASH PATEL, FBI DIRECTOR: Ryan Wedding is a modern day iteration of Pablo Escobar.
RANDI KAYE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): That's former Olympic snowboarder Ryan Wedding in the 2002 Winter Olympics, competing in the
giant slalom. More than two decades later, he's a wanted man.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wedding abandoned an Olympic-level athletic path for depraved violence and cocaine trafficking.
KAYE (voice-over): Wedding is now at the center of a massive international investigation known as Operation Giant Slalom. The goal is to capture
Wedding and his alleged associates.
PATEL: He's a modern day iteration of El Chapo Guzman. He is responsible for engineering a narco trafficking and narco terrorism program that we
have not seen in a long time.
KAYE (voice-over): After his sports career ended, Wedding enrolled at Simon Fraser University and moved to Vancouver, according to "Rolling
Stone". The magazine reported he took a job as a bouncer at a club and from there entered the drug underworld.
Over the last decade or so, authorities believe Wedding has moved an average of 60 tons of cocaine from Colombia through Mexico for distribution
in the United States and Canada. He's also accused of ordering multiple murders around the world. Others allegedly involved in his criminal
enterprise helped by laundering money, providing intelligence, assisting in murders and training hitmen.
The Justice Department says more than 35 people have been indicted in this operation.
PAM BONDI, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: He controls one of the most prolific and violent drug trafficking organizations in this world. He is currently the
largest distributor of cocaine in Canada.
KAYE (voice-over): These are pictures of the drugs authorities say they've seized as part of the investigation.
AKIL DAVIS, ASST. DIRECTOR IN CHARGE, FBI'S LA FIELD OFFICE: Make no mistake, Ryan Wedding is extremely dangerous.
KAYE (voice-over): Wedding is also apparently a very rich man, according to officials, who say his operation's annual revenues exceeded $1 billion.
These days, investigators believe Wedding is hiding out in Mexico.
DAVIS: He's being protected by the Sinaloa cartel, along with others in the country of Mexico.
KAYE (voice-over): Over the years, Wedding is believed to have used nicknames including El Jefe, Giant and Public Enemy. An indictment just
unsealed last month accuses Wedding of ordering the murder of a U.S. federal witness in Medellin, Colombia. The witness was allegedly shot five
times in the head at a restaurant earlier this year.
BILL ESSAYLI, FIRST ASST. U.S. ATTORNEY FOR THE CENTRAL DISTRICT OF CA: Wedding placed a bounty on the victim's head in the erroneous belief that
the victim's death would result in the dismissal of criminal charges against him and his international drug trafficking ring.
KAYE: Of the 16 defendants in this case, at least 12 are in custody. Ryan Wedding is still on the run, but some of the others were arrested in
Canada, Colombia, Mexico, Michigan, and one suspect right here in Florida.
KAYE (voice-over): Agents raided this mansion in Miami, Florida, where they arrested a music executive in connection with the investigation. If
captured and convicted, Wedding would face a maximum sentence of life in federal prison.
Randi Kaye, CNN, Palm Beach County, Florida.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: Finally, tonight, NASA has released new pictures of an interstellar object that it says is a comment, but -- comet but could also
be an alien spaceship. Comet 3I-Atlas has got the attention of astronomers because it originated outside our solar system, but is now getting
relatively close to earth, and our telescopes.
The fact that we have no idea what part of the universe it came from has led a Harvard astrophysicist to say it is possible that it could be an
alien spaceship, but NASA says they have not seen anything to indicate its more than a fast-moving chunk of rock and ice.
And prison authorities in South Carolina made an unusual bust when they intercepted a drone attempting to smuggle crab legs, steak, tobacco,
marijuana and other contraband into a correctional facility on Sunday. It was all wrapped neatly inside a piggly-wiggly shopping bag.
A prison spokesperson said drone threats are nothing new. No arrests have been made, though.
I'm Max Foster. That's WHAT WE KNOW.
Do stay with CNN. More after the break.
END
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