What we covered
• Controversial strikes: Democrats are ramping up their criticism of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the Trump administration’s strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean. Top bipartisan lawmakers signaled their support today for releasing video of a September “double-tap” attack at the center of the controversy.
• Kennedy Center Honors: President Donald Trump hosted the annual event honoring artists in Washington. It comes amid the president’s aggressive overhaul of the Kennedy Center, the country’s most prominent cultural institution.
• Affordability crisis: The administration has voiced optimism and urged patience as Americans deal with persistently high prices. But CNN spoke with a swing-district Republican who’s among a growing number of GOP lawmakers concerned that the economy could weigh down the party in the midterm elections.
Our live coverage has ended. Get the latest here.
Marjorie Taylor Greene on GOP colleagues’ loyalty to Trump: “They’re terrified to step out of line”
GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene stood defiant in her first interview since announcing her resignation from Congress, making clear she’s not afraid to speak out on the issues that made President Donald Trump “furious” with her, including her support for releasing all files related to accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.
She said her concerns lie with survivors of the convicted sex offender’s abuse, who she said are “asking for all of it to come out.”
“They deserve it. And he was furious with me,” she said.
Greene suspects many of her GOP colleagues’ unshakeable loyalty to Trump comes largely out of a fear of defying him.
“I watched many of my colleagues go from making fun of him, making fun of how he talks, making fun of me constantly for supporting him to when he won the primary in 2024, they all started, excuse my language, Lesley, kissing his a** and decided to put on a MAGA hat for the first time,” she continued.
Trump touts the “rejuvenation” of the Kennedy Center, saying he’s saved the building
President Donald Trump on Sunday touted changes he’s implemented at nation’s preeminent performing arts center, telling reporters on the red carpet of the Kennedy Center Honors there has been a lot of “rejuvenation” and “rebuilding.”
Trump said more than $100 million has been raised to rebuild the Kennedy Center over the last “very short period of time,” calling it “tremendous.”
“That’s a lot of money, and that money goes into the rejuvenation and the rebuilding of the building,” Trump said.
He described the physical changes that have been made to the Washington, DC, complex, including painting its signature pillars white from their original gold.
“Everyone’s talking about that. It sounds like not much of a change. It’s a massive change,” Trump said.
Trump also said he has been able to “save” the building with the structural changes he’s made.
Trump expresses reservations about Netflix's plan to buy Warner Bros.
President Donald Trump on Sunday expressed reservations about Netflix’s deal to buy Warner Bros. in his first comments on the merger that would reshape Hollywood.
Trump again praised Sarandos, whom he said he met with in the Oval Office last week, saying, “He’s done one of the greatest jobs in the history of movies and other things.”
Some context: Netflix announced the blockbuster deal with Warner Bros. Discovery on Friday, agreeing to buy the legendary TV and movie studio and assets like the HBO Max streaming service for $72 billion, plus debt. The announcement jolted Hollywood and jumbled expectations about the next steps for Warner Bros. Discovery, which is also the parent company of CNN.
The Department of Justice will be scrutinizing the merger of two of world’s three largest streamers along with this year’s best-performing movie and television studio. Paramount CEO David Ellison made several overtures to Trump to win regulatory approval when his Skydance production company sought to buy Warner Bros. Discovery.
Trump said Sunday he’ll be involved in the scrutiny of the merger as well.
Trump says he's “a little bit disappointed” with Zelensky in peace negotiations
President Donald Trump told reporters Sunday he was “disappointed” with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who Trump said hadn’t read the latest proposed peace deal backed by the US.
The president added that Russia would prefer to have all of Ukraine and that he believes Moscow is “fine” with the peace plan.
“But I’m not sure that Zelensky’s fine with it. His people love it, but he hasn’t read it,” he said.
Trump’s comments come after talks between US and Ukrainian negotiators ended in Miami over the weekend with few new developments, CNN reported Saturday. Territory and security guarantees have emerged as major points of dispute in the proposed peace plan.
Trump arrives at Kennedy Center red carpet
President Donald Trump has arrived on the red carpet at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC.
He’s set to host tonight’s Kennedy Center Honors — the first time a president has done so — and bestow awards upon actor Sylvester Stallone, the rock band KISS and singer Gloria Gaynor, among others.
He’s also said he was “98% involved” in picking this slate of honorees, personally rejecting some he felt were too “woke.”
Bondi says injured National Guard member is “doing amazing” in his recovery
Attorney General Pam Bondi said Sunday that National Guardsman Andy Wolfe, who was shot last month in Washington, DC, is “doing amazing” in his recovery.
Asked by CNN at the Kennedy Center Honors whether the Trump administration would try to reindict New York Attorney General Letitia James after a federal grand jury declined to last week, Bondi said, “We’re not going to talk about any active or pending cases.”
“But I will talk about — it’s not a pending case, but I was in the hospital all day today with our National Guardsman Andy Wolfe, who was shot, and we want a Christmas miracle,” she said.
Wolfe, a US Air Force staff sergeant, and Sarah Beckstrom, a US Army specialist, were attacked last month while deployed to Washington, DC, as part of the Trump administration’s efforts to reduce crime. Beckstrom later died of her wounds.
“He is doing amazing, and last night, he reached up and hugged his dad,” Bondi said of Wolfe on Sunday. “So, if anybody wants a Christmas miracle, that’s going to be it, so please continue to pray for that family and Sarah’s family, of course, because she didn’t make it.”
Guests and honorees at Kennedy Center Honors weigh in on Trump’s overhaul of the arts complex
Guests arriving at Sunday night’s Kennedy Center Honors ceremony were greeted by signs of President Donald Trump’s efforts to overhaul the arts complex.
Some changes were minor, like newly displayed portraits of Kennedy Center board members Melania Trump, Usha Vance and President Trump, who serves as the board’s chair. Other changes, like the decision to paint the center’s distinctive gold-colored pillars white or reimagining the Kennedy Center programming schedule, are more transformative.
But guests, honorees and officials alike praised the changes to the organization.
Musician Gene Simmons, who’s set to be honored as a member of the band KISS, told reporters on the red carpet the improvements were “long overdue.”
Actor Kelsey Grammer, who will participate in a tribute to actor Michael Crawford, took a less defensive tone, telling reporters, “The Kennedy Center now has a brighter future.”
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum praised Trump’s efforts at the Kennedy Center, saying, “This place is rocking right now.”
As Trump prepared to host the evening— the first time a president has done so — Burgum said he was excited to see how Trump pulled off the gig.
“With as much TV experience as President Trump has, I expect he’s going to be in fine form tonight,” Burgum said, touting Trump’s experience with “The Apprentice.”
Asked about possible additional changes on the horizon, including the possibility of renaming the Kennedy Center in honor of Trump, Kennedy Center President Ric Grenell declined to weigh in.
“If I could predict the future, you know what I would do? I would go play the lotto, and I wouldn’t be here,” he said.
Guests are arriving on the red carpet at the Kennedy Center. Here's what to know
Attendees are arriving on the red carpet at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, with members of the legendary band KISS among the first honorees to be spotted.
President Donald Trump is expected to host this evening’s Kennedy Center Honors, placing himself at the center of an annual event in the country’s most prominent cultural institution, which he’s remade in his image.
If you’re just joining us, here’s a quick refresher on the Honors, which is scheduled to begin around 6:15 p.m. ET:
Tonight’s honorees: The president says he was “98% involved” in picking the recipients, personally rejecting some he felt were too “woke.”
They include country artist George Strait, English actor and Broadway alumnus Michael Crawford, Hollywood icon Sylvester Stallone, the aforementioned KISS, and Gloria Gaynor, the “queen of disco.”
New-look medals: Gone is the signature rainbow ribbon design of past Honors. They’ve been swapped for newly designed medals from Tiffany & Co, with a navy blue ribbon.
Changes to the center: Trump has moved aggressively to gut the Kennedy Center’s board of trustees. He installed new president Richard Grenell, who has cut the existing staff, hired political allies and mandated a “break-even policy” for every performance and facility rental.
Trump has also overseen cosmetic changes to the performing arts center, including renovations to the auditoriums and restoration of the exterior marble.
Some of the changes haven’t sat well with former employees, who have described political pressure and a fundamental shift in values under the Trump administration — all of which they claim are also hurting its finances.
This post has been updated with more from the red carpet.
Donald Trump Jr. suggests US president may walk away from Ukraine peace process over corruption scandal
President Donald Trump may walk away from Ukraine peace efforts over repeated allegations of corruption against several close allies of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Trump’s eldest son suggested earlier today.
Speaking at the Doha Forum, Donald Trump Jr. claimed Ukraine was “a far more corrupt country than Russia” and labeled Zelensky as “one of the great marketers of all time.”
Some context: Trump Jr. has not played a prominent public role in recent talks on ending the war in Ukraine.
His comments came after three days of meetings in Miami between representatives from Kyiv and Washington. Each delegation gave a positive assessment of those talks, saying they were productive.
But the meetings ultimately yielded few new developments, and lingering questions remain over security guarantees and territorial issues, according to Ukrainian officials.
About the scandals: Ukraine has long been plagued by corruption issues. Most recently, Andriy Yermak, a top aide and key figure in peace negotiations, resigned hours after anti-corruption agencies raided his home in November.
CNN’s Max Saltman, Jennifer Hansler and Billy Stockwell contributed to this report.
Department of Education temporarily brings back federal workers placed on administrative leave
The Department of Education will temporarily bring back about 250 federal workers who were placed on administrative leave in March amid the Trump administration’s cuts to the agency, a source familiar with the matter told CNN.
Several employees of the department’s Office for Civil Rights, which was largely gutted earlier this year, received an email Friday afternoon instructing them to return to work later this month.
The email explains that OCR staff are being brought back while the administration continues its fight in court to maintain and finalize job cuts at the department. The staff will help the office with its existing caseload of civil rights complaints, in the meantime.
Julie Hartman, press secretary for legal affairs, confirmed to CNN that the employees will temporarily return to work while the Education Department continues to “appeal the persistent and unceasing litigation disputes.”
These are Hegseth's latest public comments on the "double-tap" controversy
We’ve been reporting today on the intensifying criticism faced by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and the pressure he’s facing from some lawmakers to publicly release video of a controversial follow-up attack on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean.
The last time we heard from Hegseth himself on the controversy was yesterday at the Reagan National Defense Forum in California, where he offered a full-throated defense of the September strikes.
Here’s that moment, if you missed it:
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth defended the Trump administration’s military actions against alleged drug boats in the Caribbean during remarks at the Reagan National Defense Forum on Saturday.
Trump-pardoned Democrat says he’ll stick with his party while still working with the president
Rep. Henry Cuellar, a Texas Democrat who President Donald Trump pardoned last week, said this morning that he isn’t considering changing parties after Trump rebuked him for his decision to continue running for re-election as a Democrat.
Trump called Cuellar’s decision a “lack of LOYALTY” after having granted him a complete and unconditional pardon Wednesday.
“I follow the words of President LBJ when he said many years ago, ‘I’m an American, I’m a Texan, and I’m a Democrat in that order,’” Cuellar, who is often regarded as one of his party’s most centrist-to-conservative members, told Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures.”
Cuellar said his role as a lawmaker entails supporting the presidency on issues that benefit the country.
Some background: Trump’s initial pardon of Cuellar, while puzzling for Trump allies given the GOP’s narrow congressional majority, falls in line with Trump’s repeated claims that the Department of Justice was used as a political retaliation tool against him under former President Joe Biden.
Cuellar and his wife had been charged for acting as unregistered foreign agents for Azerbaijan, among other charges. A trial had been scheduled for April.
Trump has maintained that the charges against Cuellar were in retaliation for him being one of the most vocal critics of Biden-era immigration policies and border security — a sentiment Cuellar agreed with today.
Treasury secretary says economy is doing better than expected, even as Americans grapple with affordability
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said today that the US will move on to “prosperity” next year, leaving behind the “affordability problem” currently facing many Americans.
“The economy has been better than we thought,” Bessent said on CBS News’ “Face the Nation,” when asked about higher prices and a possible drop in purchases during the holiday shopping season. He added that the country will end the year “with 3% real GDP growth.”
Bessent said “we’ve made a lot of gains” on affordability and blamed “embedded inflation” on the Biden administration. “I think next year, we’re going to move on to prosperity,” he said.
President Donald Trump has also blamed Democrats for the affordability “scam,” and last week called affordability issues a “con job.” The White House has repeatedly blamed economic issues on the Biden administration.
Americans have said that current economic conditions are poor: 40% in November said as much, up from 37% in October, according to a Gallup poll released Thursday.
And the annual inflation rate hit 2.8% in September, up from 2.7%. The last time inflation was this high was in April 2024, according to data released Friday by the Commerce Department.
Bessent said that inflation is “roughly the same” year-over-year, adding that price of rent, gasoline and food are coming down.
Gas prices dropped below an average of $3 a gallon on Tuesday for the first time in four-and-a-half years, according to AAA. But the prices for food at home rose 2.7% in September compared to the same time last year, according to the Consumer Price Index.
Top bipartisan lawmakers support releasing video of controversial boat strikes
Top bipartisan lawmakers who were briefed last week on the September “double-tap” strike on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean say they support the release of video from the attack.
“I think it’s really important that this video be made public,” Rep. Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, told CBS today, noting that Republicans and Democrats who saw the clip have described it differently, along party lines.
“And so this is an instance in which I think the American public needs to judge for itself,” Himes said.
GOP Sen. Tom Cotton, the Senate Intelligence Committee chairman, told NBC he has “no problem” with the video being made public, though he deferred to the Pentagon on declassifying the footage and insisted there’s “nothing remarkable” about it.
Cotton defended the administration’s justification for the follow-up attack, arguing that the survivors of the first strike were “not incapacitated in any way” and “it was entirely appropriate to strike the boat again to make sure that its cargo was destroyed.”
On the other hand, Rep. Adam Smith, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, said in an interview with ABC that the boat had been “clearly incapacitated” after the first strike and that the administration’s claims do not “square with what we saw.”
Trying to catch up on this story? Read CNN’s exclusive reporting.
Tonight's event at the Kennedy Center will feature a new-look medal
Kennedy Center Honors recipients were given a new medallion this year, with the center saying the award has been “re-imagined and donated by Tiffany & Co.”
President Donald Trump, who handed out the medals last night, is currently serving as chairman of the Kennedy Center Board and has aggressively overhauled the cultural institution.
“I had the tremendous privilege of presenting the 2025 Kennedy Center honorees with their medallions, their beautiful medallions, from Tiffany right in the Oval Office,” Trump said yesterday.
The design replaces the signature rainbow ribbon, crafted by a Washington-area family, that has been associated with the event since its beginning in 1978.
The new medallions feature a gold disc with the honoree’s name on one side and the Kennedy Center building on the other. The rainbow colors representing “the breadth of the arts celebrated when receiving the Honor” are included above and below the outline of the building. The medallion hangs from a navy blue ribbon that the center said represents the “dignity and tradition” of the award.
Democratic senator says "double-tap" strike on alleged drug boat was a war crime
Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth, a combat veteran and member of the Armed Services Committee, criticized Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth after he compared the Trump administration’s strikes on suspected drug vessels in the Caribbean to the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“So, everything that they’ve done has been illegal. It’s illegal under international law, it’s illegal under the Geneva Convention, and it certainly is even illegal under domestic law. It was essentially murder, with that ‘double-tap’ strike,” the Illinois senator said, referring to a September follow-up strike on survivors of an initial US attack.
The senator said she has requested to see the classified video and after-action reports of the strike, along with intelligence debriefs. She also called on Hegseth to release the full video of the strike. He said yesterday that the government might withhold it to protect sources and methods.
“He can certainly release it to the members of Congress,” Duckworth said. — unlike him — unlikely to put things out on Signal, and so we should have access to it.”
White House border czar defends immigration crackdown in Minnesota
Tom Homan, Trump’s White House border czar, defended the administration’s immigration crackdown in Minnesota during an interview today with CNN’s Dana Bash on “State of the Union.”
Homan pushed back on claims from state and local officials that there are very few undocumented immigrants from Somalia living in the country, claiming the US doesn’t know the total because of more lenient Biden administration policies.
Homan insisted Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agents are not detaining people based solely on their appearance.
“Their appearance alone can’t raise reasonable suspicion. It’s articulable facts, a lot of different facts taken into consideration,” Homan said. “And the Supreme Court just backed the Trump administration up on this.”
The Supreme Court earlier this year cleared the way for a person’s ethnicity to be at least a partial factor behind immigration stops by law enforcement.
The border czar declined to address comments from President Donald Trump last week calling Somalis “garbage,” though he did back up the administration’s move to target the immigrants.
GOP senator weighs in: Republican Sen. John Curtis also appeared on “State of the Union” this morning, where he urged the administration to “have rule of law and compassion at the same time.”
CNN’s Alison Main contributed to this post.
GOP senator won't say if he supports Hegseth to lead the Pentagon
Republican Sen. John Curtis would not say this morning whether he still supports Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, as the Pentagon chief faces controversies related to his handling of classified information and a September follow-up attack on an alleged drug boat.
Asked by CNN’s Dana Bash if he would still vote to confirm Hegseth knowing what he does now, Curtis said, “that’s a question I can’t answer without as much thoughtful research as I did the first time I did that vote.”
The Utah senator said conflicting narratives on the so-called double-tap strike make it difficult for him to properly assess Hegseth.
Curtis said he “absolutely” wants the military leaders involved in the strikes to testify in that hearing, but acknowledged he does not have subpoena power to compel them.
The Republican senator wouldn’t say whether he thinks videos of the strikes should be fully released to the public, saying it’s unclear to him which portions are classified.
Other potential cracks in GOP support: At yesterday’s Reagan National Defense Forum, CNN’s Oren Liebermann asked Republican Sen. Joni Ernst — who was the crucial vote to confirm Hegseth — whether she still would support the defense secretary’s confirmation. She declined to respond.
Reporting roundup: Other key politics headlines to keep in mind this week
As we await the latest news on the Trump administration’s boat strikes controversy, the president’s hosting job at the remade Kennedy Center and more from the White House, we want to highlight some of the other areas where we expect to see developments in the coming days.
• The GOP’s affordability agenda: Or lack thereof, really, if you ask Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick. He’s one of a handful of House Republicans who won in a district that then-Vice President Kamala Harris carried last fall, and he has a stark message for his party as the deadline to extend expiring health care subsidies and the midterm elections approach.
• Latinos for Trump: The rapid erosion of President Donald Trump’s support among Latinos underscores how the group is poised to become the largest bloc of movable voters in the electorate, CNN’s Ronald Brownstein writes in a new analysis.
• Somalis embraced at home: Trump has called them “garbage” and sent immigration enforcement agents into Minnesota, which is home to the nation’s largest Somali diaspora. But these residents are being embraced by the state that took them in.
• Venezuela tensions: Don’t forget this simmering foreign policy story, as the Trump administration maintains its pressure campaign on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. A war in the South American country could create millions of refugees.
• Redistricting battles: Republicans in the Indiana state Senate could give Trump a major political black eye this week if they reject new congressional maps aligned with the president’s push to shore up the GOP’s majority through gerrymandering.
• SNL takes on Hegseth: The network comedy institution opened last night with Colin Jost portraying an aggressive Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Watch below.
“Saturday Night Live” opened its show with an aggressive Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, played by Colin Jost, giving a press conference about recent boat strikes off the coast of Venezuela.
