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U.S. Official Says, Russian Air Defenses May Have Downed Passenger Jet; Trump Threatens and Insults U.S. Allies in Christmas Day Post; International Students Warned to Be on Campus Before Trump Inauguration. Netflix: Record-Breaking 65 Million People Streamed NFL Games; Nine People In Southern U.S. Under Tornado Watch. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired December 26, 2024 - 18:00   ET

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

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now, new indications about why a passenger plane crashed in flames on Christmas Day. We're breaking down a U.S. assessment that Russia anti-aircraft defenses may have shot it down.

Also tonight, why some international students are now being urged to return to campuses in this country before President-elect Trump's inauguration.

[18:00:04]

And was a landmark NFL streaming event a big hit with help from Beyonce's halftime show. We expect Netflix to reveal the numbers at any moment this hour.

Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer. You're in The Situation Room.

We begin this hour with that deadly plane crash across the border from Russia as new video shows the jet falling from the sky. The U.S. now seeing indications it may have been downed by one of Moscow's air defense systems.

CNN's Nada Bashir is working the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): This is the moment an Azerbaijani plane attempted an emergency landing, bursting into flames upon impact. Rescuers rushed to the scene, extinguishing the fire that engulfed the front of the plane and pulling out dazed survivors from the wreckage. Out of 67 people on board, including crew, at least 38 died. Remarkably, 29 people, including 2 children, survived and were taken to hospitals.

Questions swirled on why the plane, which took off from the Azerbaijani capital, Baku, en route to Grozny in Russia, diverted to Kazakhstan. Flightradar24 shows the plane flying across the Caspian Sea and circling in the Kazakh city of Aktau before the crash, in a pattern an aviation expert says indicates loss of flight control systems.

The crash came shortly after drone strikes hit Southern Russia. And while investigators say they are exploring all scenarios, multiple Azerbaijani sources have told Reuters that the plane was hit by Russian air defenses.

Video verified by Reuters reveals a rare glimpse into the last moments on board the flight. Oxygen masks down as the camera tilts to the window, showing damage to the wing.

Then in another geolocated social media video, the plane appears to nosedive. In the resulting explosion, the plane fuselage is broken into parts, with its rear half miraculously landing almost intact, but upturned. Parts of the plane scattered across a wide radius, bodies seen covered in blue blankets.

Russia and Azerbaijan evacuated their injured citizens, as families in Baku waited to see if their loved ones had survived. For Azerbaijan, it is a time of mourning.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BASHIR (on camera): A difficult moment of mourning, Wolf, and a moment of tragedy for the family members that were killed on board this Azerbaijan airlines flight. But, of course, it remains remarkable that there were even survivors. And now it is up to the authorities to continue their work in examining the evidence as to what led to this fatal crash. And we are now hearing calls for a full investigation being echoed by NATO.

BLITZER: All right. Nada Bashir reporting for us, Nada, thank you very much.

Now to the U.S. assessment of the crash and its possible cause, let's go to our Pentagon Correspondent Oren Liebermann. Oren, what are you learning?

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, the initial indications, according to U.S. official, are that this aircraft from Azerbaijan Airlines was downed, or may have been downed, by a Russian air defense system. Now, it's unclear exactly what type of system that could be, whether it's one of their long range S-300 or S-400 anti- aircraft missiles, or whether it's something shorter range and was fired from a much more local origin.

That still has yet to be determined by the U.S., but all of the initial indications that they're seeing and they have a number of different ways to track these sorts of events, those indicate that this may well have been downed by a Russian anti-aircraft missile.

The investigation continues, the U.S. still looking into this, as are several investigations in that part of the world from Kazakhstan, from Azerbaijan, and from Russia. Russia.

Now, Russia has suggested that it was bird strikes that may have downed this plane. But if you look at the video, if you look at the holes on the airplane, it simply doesn't match up with that explanation. Bird strikes would be on the front of the aircraft or in the engines, on the leading edge of the wing, not on the side of the airplane, on the fuselage. That's simply not where a bird is able to carry out a strike on an airplane. And that is part of what may have led the U.S. to conclude it was a Russian anti-aircraft system of some sort that may have downed this.

And there is at least a precedent or a previous example of this and that is a decade ago with Malaysian Airlines Flight 17. That was a Russian anti-aircraft missile operated by Russian-backed separatists in Eastern Ukraine that downed that passenger's jet about a decade ago. Russia has refused since then to take responsibility for the downing of that jet.

The difference here may be the surrounding environment. There was a Ukrainian drone attack on Southern Russia in this area.

[18:05:02]

So, according to defense experts, Russian air defenses were active and that may have led to the confusion and the chaos that led to what may have been the Russian shooting of a commercial airliner.

BLITZER: And the investigation continues right now. Oren Liebermann, thank you very much.

I want to bring in our team of experts to try to break all of this down. Peter Goelz, you're our aviation analyst. Cell phone video, as you know, shows the moment the plane started falling out of the sky. What does this video tell you?

PETER GOELZ, CNN AVIATION ANALYST: Well, right away, it tells you that the initial Russian fed story that this might have been a bird strike and a catastrophic engine failure was false. Both engines appeared to be intact. Both engines appeared to be functioning. It had none of the attributes of a catastrophic engine failure caused by a bird strike. And the plane, the pilots appeared to be fighting for control with some sort of hydraulic issue.

The video, Wolf, ill from inside the plane showed the oxygen masks had dropped, which indicates that the pressurization of the plane had been penetrated. So, the idea that this was perhaps a missile strike gained currency.

BLITZER: It certainly did. The former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, Bill Taylor, is with us as well. Ambassador, to this day, Russia denies that it shot down Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 back in 2014, despite lots of evidence proving it did. Can we trust Russia right now to conduct this investigation?

WILLIAM TAYLOR, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO UKRAINE: Of course not, Wolf. Of course not. I mean, they've actually convicted people who were responsible for that 2014 shoot down. It shows how reckless the Russian and Russian-led forces are, were then and still are. So, and them do -- the Russians trying to do, saying that they're going to do an investigation is unlikely. BLITZER: Kim Dozier, do you agree?

KIMBERLY DOZIER, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Well, I think, as Bill's saying, there's a lot of evidence that's going to be left over from this particular crash because the pilots managed to keep the plane in the air for so long, because there were survivors and because the head of the airline says they already have the black box.

So, we're going to have evidence of what happened in the hours before the crash that will refute whatever Russia is claiming, though it does seem that Moscow right now is saying, don't rush to judgment but isn't yet doubling down on it was definitely an airstrike. We're getting mixed messages out of there.

You know, this is a bad time for them to have an accident or an error like this just as the Trump administration is coming in and they want to make a good impression and look like the responsible party in the war on Ukraine, that is their line, not Ukraine's, obviously. And this is going to arm the hardliners within the incoming Trump administration, those who want to be tough on Russia to say, look, this is the kind of thing their actions cause.

BLITZER: Peter, we've obtained the plane's flight path before the crash. Why do you think it crossed over the Caspian Sea?

GOELZ: Well, that's a real question, Wolf. And, you know, the flight data recorder will give you all the information you need to know on how badly and how the aircraft was damaged. The real action will be in the cockpit voice recorder. That will tell you what the pilots saw, what they were thinking. It will explain why they went out of their way across the Caspian Sea. And it's very mysterious that we haven't heard anything about the voice recorder being recovered yet. We just don't know why they chose to go to Kazakhstan.

BLITZER: And correct me if I'm wrong, Peter. The pilots were killed in this crash, right?

GOELZ: Yes.

BLITZER: Yes, that's what I thought.

GOELZ: I mean, the issue is --

BLITZER: Yes, go ahead.

GOELZ: The issue is they the pilots would make that decision based on what's going on in their cockpit, based on any information they got from the ground. It will be interesting to know once we get the voice recorder back,

BLITZER: It will be so important. Former Ambassador Taylor, if the plane was in fact shot down by Russia, what does that say about Putin's control over his own country and his airspace?

TAYLOR: Well, it says what we've known, Wolf, that Putin doesn't control all of these. He's had a mutiny, he's had earlier shoot downs, he's had this one. This is an indication that the Russian military, we've seen this before, in particular at the beginning of their invasion of Ukraine, is not what a lot of people feared.

[18:10:01]

It has had big problems, and he's still got problems.

BLITZER: And, Kim, why are commercial planes with lots of people on board flying over this area if Russia is actively shooting suspected drones out of the sky?

DOZIER: Well, that was one of the first objections brought up one of the first criticisms, because the Grozny airport was allowing planes to land, even as there was a warning of an incoming drone in the area. Right now, you've got EL AL and some other airliners saying they're not going to be flying to Russia or anywhere near the Grozny airport until they get this sorted out and find out what really brought that plane down.

BLITZER: You got to err on the side of caution to be sure in this kind of condition.

Thanks to all of you for your analysis.

Just ahead. President-elect Trump digs in on his threat to take control of the Panama Canal. How his message is playing with U.S. allies just weeks before his inauguration.

And were Beyonce and the NFL a hit on Netflix? We're getting a read on viewership for this milestone streaming event. We'll have details. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: As President-elect Trump spends the holidays down at Mar-a- Lago in Florida, he's sending very threatening messages to some U.S. allies right now, renewing his threat to seize control of the Panama Canal and expand U.S. power in both Greenland and Canada.

[18:15:11]

CNN's Alayna Treene has the latest. She's joining us from West Palm Beach in Florida. Alayna, you're tracking international reaction to these new posts by Trump. What are you learning?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: I am. And, look, a lot of these leaders are either pushing back very aggressively on what Donald Trump is saying or kind of trying to allow him to just, you know, say this and not give so much response to draw more attention to it. For example, we saw Panama's president today, Jose Mulino, say essentially that, you know, Panama, the Panama Canal is not up for grabs. They are not considering selling it, and also pushing back on Donald Trump's claims that Chinese soldiers are controlling the different ports in Panama. So, that's one president weighing in very clearly and directly on this. He said this at a press conference. But then also when you look at his claims about trying to make Canada the 51st state of the United States, trying to absorb it into this country, I mean, it's clear that Justin Trudeau is not considering that. I would note, though, that this also comes after Trudeau had flown to Florida directly to meet with Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago and they had dinner, following Donald Trump's other threats about saying that he would put a 25 percent tariff on Canadian goods if Justin Trudeau did not crack down on crime and drugs coming over the northern border.

And then as for Greenland, we've heard from Greenland's prime minister, I'd note that Greenland is a Danish territory, saying that Greenland is not for sale. It wasn't for sale either back in 2019 when Donald Trump had first pursued this desire of his and this, you know, idea of trying to purchase Greenland, all to say, a lot of what Donald Trump is putting out there and floating, and some of this is also just direct taunting, I'm told, especially as it relates to Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, it's not going to happen, but this is a way for Donald Trump to try and kind of assert his dominance, I'm told, over some of these foreign leaders and try to show that he's coming in from a position of strength and really with this idea of wanting to force them to the negotiating table as it relates to trade and tariffs and other things that we know are at the top of his agenda.

BLITZER: And, Alayna, what else are you hearing about why Trump is making these threats?

TREENE: Right. So, like I said, when I talked to Donald Trump's advisers about this, I mean, I spoke with one adviser who tried to give me his interpretation of some of these posts, and essentially said, this is a way to try and force some of these foreign leaders to the table, particularly on issues where Donald Trump believes that the United States is being taken advantage of.

I want to talk about Panama specifically. That is something that Donald Trump is clearly, we've seen it this week in a number of posts, fixated on. But it's also something, I'm told, sources close to Donald Trump tell me, that he has been fixated on for several weeks. We know he did an interview over the summer where he mentioned this, that he thought that the former president, Jimmy Carter, and the treaty that essentially gave control of the Panama Canal to Panama, that he thought that was a mistake and that he believes that the United States should be getting a better deal.

When I talk to these advisers, they say this is a way to try and open up a line of negotiation to see if maybe we can lower prices for American vessels in the Panama Canal, again, just one interpretation of maybe some of the things that he is saying.

All to say, though, I think a lot of this as well goes back to what Donald Trump really wants to do as it relates to his power on the global stage, particularly as it relates to our foreign adversaries, like China and Russia, and some of the power that they are wielding abroad, Donald Trump wants to try and kneecap some of that. Wolf?

BLITZER: Alayna Treene in West Palm Beach covering Trump, thanks very much, Alayna.

I want to get some more with our political panel right now. Meghan Hays, let me start with you. How seriously do you take Trump's comments? What do you guys think about these supposed land acquisitions?

MEGHAN HAYS, FORMER DIRECTOR OF MESSAGE PLANNING, BIDEN WHITE HOUSE: I don't take them seriously at all. This is Donald Trump throwing spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks. I mean, this is how he wants to govern. This isn't how you actively do diplomacy. You don't do it through tweeting or X or Truth Social. So, I don't really take them that seriously at all. One, some of these are sovereign nations that you just can't take land from.

So, you know, it will be seen when he's inaugurated. But this is more of his campaigning nature, not his governing nature.

BLITZER: And, Lance Trover, is this why some people voted for Trump, to make threats about seizing control of other countries' territory?

LANCE TROVER, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: I think people voted for Donald Trump to lower prices, and I think people voted for him to tighten up our national security and take on countries like China.

You know, Senator Tom Cotton back in 2019 had a very interesting op-ed in The New York Times on the issue of Greenland, and this idea is not new. Its strategic significance dates back to the 1860s, Harry Truman's administration recognizing the threat posed from Russia, tried to purchase it as well. So, this is not an entirely new thing.

Our big adversary today is the Chinese Communist Party. They've tried to build and acquire land in Greenland. We know they have access to the ports that they run in Panama.

[18:20:01]

We know they are dumping billions of dollars into Panama. So, it's not an unreasonable discussion to have on our part, but based on the national security threat that China poses to America.

BLITZER: On another issue, Meghan, President Biden and his family are heading to St. Croix today, going on vacation with just 25 days left in his presidency. President Biden was largely absent during the negotiations to avoid a shutdown, at least publicly absent. Has he already, at least partially, checked out?

HAYS: No, I don't think so. This is a vacation that he's been taking for years. I remember when I worked for him as the vice president, he took the same vacation in 2016, headed into 2017 at the end of that administration as well. So, this is a longstanding family vacation that they take.

I don't think he's checked out. I think that President Biden, unlike the Donald Trump, does a lot of things behind the scenes in a more diplomatic fashion to get things done. So, I wouldn't quite call him checked out. He did just sign 50 bills into law. So, you know, I think this is just a different way of governing than President-elect Trump will do.

BLITZER: Lance how much is Trump relishing having already largely taken the spotlight from President Biden even before he's been sworn in?

TROVER: Yes. Look, Donald Trump is a force to be reckoned with. We learned that the last time he was president, and he is obviously -- look, he is the de facto president today. I mean, I hear what Meghan says, yes, he takes the vacation every year, but we all saw The Wall Street Journal story from last week that says he's been in declining health for a long time. And ever since this election, we have seen Donald Trump inserting himself into a lot of different issues throughout the country for all intents and purposes. I mean, he kind of is the president. He is dictating policy at this point. So, yes, I do think Joe Biden is a little checked out.

BLITZER: Meghan, President-elect Trump is slamming President Biden's decision to commute the death sentences of most of the federal death row, people on death row, right now, saying they can quote, go to hell, his words, go to hell. These are people who commuted -- who committed, I should say, truly horrific crimes. So, why do you think President Biden decided to take this step?

HAYS: Look, I don't think that this is a policy that people who have been with President Biden are unfamiliar with. It was on his platform in '20. This is something that he said that he wanted to do. He put a moratorium on the death penalty, any of the executions, when he first took office in '21. So, this is not something that should be surprising to people. The timing is a little bit surprising, I think, to myself, but I don't think it's surprising that he took this policy step.

I do think that people have a policy difference with President Biden and with President Trump here, but I also think that President Biden governs in a different way. He governs from a place of faith. And I think that's what one of these decisions is for.

BLITZER: Lance, as you know, President Biden says the use of the death penalty should stop at the federal level, yet he didn't commute all the death sentences. How do you square that?

TROVER: Yes, I think that's one of the bigger questions about in terms of his use. Look, every president does pardons at the end of their term. There's no question about that. The big difference here, the questions are around Joe Biden's use of the pardon. We know that he pardoned his son for 11 years worth of crimes, crimes that he had committed that he had admitted to, and now he has commuted these sentences while saying he supports the rule of law. It raises a lot of confusion and again goes back to who's running the show in these final days of the Biden White House. I think that's the big question that a lot of voters have on their mind right now,

BLITZER: Meghan, the outgoing Democratic Congresswoman Annie Custer is calling on her fellow Democrats to step aside for a younger generation, saying many of her colleagues, quote, just stay forever, her words. Do you agree? HAYS: Yes, I absolutely agree I think that we have a generation of Democrats that are out of touch with the American people and we think we've moved too far to the left. So, I think that a new generation will give us some different energy and different ideas and values that if we want to continue to win or we want to win again, I should say, that we need to move to back to the middle and we need to see what the rest of the electorate is thinking because we missed the mark this time.

BLITZER: Lance, how do you see it?

TROVER: We're talking about the Democratic Party. I mean, look, I think you need to look at, and, again, I say this all the time, far be it for me to give Democrats advice. Look, I think they need to look at what Joe Manchin's saying. I think they need to look at what John Fetterman's saying and take note of that. Because I think still the Democratic Party seems to think that I just say no to anything Donald Trump says, and that's somehow going to get me back into office. And if you look at November 5th, that clearly isn't where voters' heads are.

BLITZER: All right. Lance Trover and Meghan Hays, to both of you, thank you very much.

Coming up, how Ukraine is now coping after a Christmas Day attack by Russia, a brutal attack. The Ukrainian ambassador to the United States is standing by live. We'll discuss.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:25:00]

BLITZER: Ukrainians are reeling today in the aftermath of a massive Christmas Day attack, Russia targeted Ukraine's infrastructure and energy grid, plunging several regions into darkness in what Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called, and I'm quoting him now, an inhumane attack.

The Ukrainian ambassador to the United States, Oksana Markarova, is joining us right now. Ambassador, thanks so much for joining us.

How is your country coping after this brutal attack by Russia? Do you have an update for us on power being restored, first of all, across Ukraine? Has it been restored?

OKSANA MARKAROVA, UKRAINIAN AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED STATES: Thank you for having me, Wolf, and Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and joyful holidays to all.

It has been brutal as all previous 1,038 days, but right before Christmas, horrible attack on Christmas Eve, and right after that, more than 4 -- almost 4 million people were left without access to power or any type of heat or electricity. And our workers are literally working 24/7 to restore it. Not everywhere is restored, of course. I mean, it's a horrible damage.

[18:30:00]

But, you know, as president said, we will all work tirelessly to get it back on. And we just have to all understand that Russia has no intent to either stop the hostilities, which they started, or not to hit the civilians because it's not just the energy grid. It's not just the infrastructure. It's people, you know, who were killed, injured, including teenagers.

BLITZER: It's cold, it's winter in Ukraine right now, and a lot of people have simply lost heat in their homes. President Zelenskyy, as I noted, calls this attack inhumane. This is now the 13th time this year the power grid has been hit by Russia. How do you stop these attacks, Ambassador?

MARKAROVA: Well, first of all, of course, that the best way to stop the attacks is for all of us to come together and stop Russia all together because they have started this unprovoked, unjustified war, and that's the only reason why all these horrible war crimes happen in Ukraine from Russians.

Second, air defense is very important. We are so grateful to American people for providing us, but also the Europeans, with all the air defense systems. Unfortunately, we do not have enough. Third, the help from the United States in the energy domain is also very important. We're trying to replace and repair as soon as possible. We're also using all kinds of defense and, of course, our armed forces, which are in a very creative and sophisticated way using all the equipment that we have.

But, essentially, unless we stop Russia from waging this war, it's air defense and it's all the weapons and prayers to Ukraine that can help us to sustain the effort and live through this very difficult winter, which is already the third winter of a full-fledged war.

BLITZER: It's brutally cold in Ukraine right now, as we all know.

The Biden administration ambassador has been pumping out aid to Ukraine in these final days of the administration. As you know, just last week, the administration announced a $500 million aid package to Ukraine. Is this enough?

MARKAROVA: Well, this is a package which we very much appreciate from Congress on a very strong bipartisan basis that has been turned now by the [resident and administration into security packages, energy packages and other type of support.

Again, we are very grateful for all of it. We need more support, of course, because since Russia is continuing this horrible war, we need everything that our friends can provide us to defend ourselves and also to push back and liberate people. Because let's remind everyone that it's very difficult in Ukraine, it's very cold in Ukraine, but it's also much worse for those Ukrainians, which are still under Russian occupation, where not only they suffer from cold winter, but also from tortures, rapes and illegal detentions.

BLITZER: As you know, Ambassador, President-elect Trump has pushed back on the Biden administration's recent moves to allow Ukraine to use U.S.-provided weapons to strike targets inside Russia. He says, and I'm quoting him now, we're just escalating this war and making it worse. This is what Trump is saying. And that should not have been allowed to be done. Now, they're doing not only missiles, but they're doing other types of weapons, and I think that's a very big mistake, very big mistake. That's what Trump has been saying. What's your reaction to that?

MARKAROVA: Wolf, just yesterday, we celebrated 33 years since President Bush and America recognized Ukraine as an independent country. And we're very grateful to American people for all the support. And we're very grateful for President Trump for the lethal aid that he has provided to us when he was president during his first term as the president. That was a very strong decision that has deterred Russia And we really count on more strong decisions to come because only through strength we can actually stop Russia.

Now, it will take all of our strengths, it will take all Ukrainians that are defending the country, but also all of our friends to provide us with all the weapons. And, look, we did not start that war. Ukraine is a peaceful country. We never intended to attack Russia. I mean, it's obvious for anyone who knows us. And it's obvious for anyone who looks at the map. But right now, Russia is an aggressor that not only attacks us, but also presents threat and a source of danger for everyone. And they threatened not just Ukraine, they threatened all of us.

Our partnership with the U.S. is based on the common values, our love to freedom and our willingness to fight for it. And we really count on our strategic friend on the, this administration, on the incoming administration for the continued support.

BLITZER: I want to play for you, Ambassador, what President-elect Trump said about what President Zelenskyy of Ukraine needs to do for this war to end.

[18:35:06]

Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT ELECT: You should be very prepared to make a deal. That's all. There's got to be a deal, got to be a deal. Too many people being killed, that is a war. That's too many people. You've got to make a deal. And Putin has to make a deal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Is Ukraine looking to make a deal with Russia?

MARKAROVA: Wolf, we were attacked and Ukraine is defending our homes, our loved ones. But since the day one of this war, we said that we are ready to negotiate, of course. We are ready to end this war. And let me remind you, in 2014, when Russia attacked us the first time, even though the previous agreements were not particularly fair to Ukraine, Ukraine has used eight years to try to diplomatically restore our sovereignty and our territorial integrity. It was Russia who violated all the 20 ceasefire deals that were signed before 2022. It was Russia who never negotiated in good faith.

So, I think the question is, is Russia ready? Is Russia ready to actually negotiate? Is Russia ready to stop this war? Ukraine needs peace. Ukraine wants peace. Nobody wants peace more than us. The question is, it has to be just and lasting peace, and it has to be peace that does not endanger either Ukraine or all of our friends and allies who, again, are being threatened by Russia on a daily basis.

BLITZER: Let's hope that peace emerges. Ambassador Oksana Markarova, thank you so much for joining us. I appreciate it very much.

Just ahead, international students studying here in the United States have now been warned, return to campus before President-elect Trump takes office or risks getting stranded and not being allowed to come back to the United States. We're going to talk to a member of Congress about this. That's coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:40:00]

BLITZER: The White House transition is intensifying right now with just 25 days until the new Trump inauguration. The president-elect expanding an aggressive to do list in his first 100 days while the current president is keeping a very low public profile.

Joining us now, Representative Hillary Scholten, Democrat of Michigan. Representative, thanks so much for joining us.

Trump, as you know, has a long list of goals he wants to accomplish what he says would be on day one, including closing the U.S.-Mexico border, beginning his deportation program, rolling back environmental regulations, pardoning January 6th rioters, and enacting tariffs on many imports. Is all of this even possible to do on his first day in office?

REP. HILLARY SCHOLTEN (D-MI): Well, given what we've seen in terms of the chaos on the other side of the aisle, at least in the U.S. House of Representatives, I have my doubts. Listen, I'm here to work with the president, to accomplish goals that are good for the American people. But, you know, so many of the things that you mentioned there, when executed improperly, can have devastating consequences, particularly when you think about some of the immigration policies, you know, the mass deportations that Trump wants to enact. This is a lovely time of year. You know, folks are with their families, but it's also a terrifying and uncertain time for so many as well.

You know, it's important to keep two things in mind about immigration in particular when there is nothing wrong with enforcing our immigration laws. In fact, we have to do it. We have to do more of it. But the problem with these blanket deportations is that they can catch up so many innocent individuals, including U.S. citizens, you know, in the fray or individuals who are lawfully entitled to be here, like students, you know, returning from abroad. And it can just have devastating consequences.

BLITZER: As you know, Representative, universities here throughout the United States right now are urging international students accepted to these universities to come back to campus before President-elect Trump's inauguration over fears that another travel ban could strand these students abroad and not allow them to come back to these campuses. How serious do you see this threat?

SCHOLTEN: Well, you know, it happened before, it could certainly happen again. You know, we're in Trump 2.0 now. This is not just hyperbole. We are basing the reality on what we've seen before. You know, as a member of Congress, I'm preparing my team to get ready for requests from constituents. We put out a notice encouraging our constituents to pay attention to what their university is advising just today.

But, you know, I wasn't a member of Congress during the first Trump term. I was an attorney at the Department of Justice. And, you know, I was not a political appointee, Wolf. I was a civil servant. I would have proudly served a Republican or a Democratic administration. I worked for six months during the first Trump term at the Department of Justice working on immigration issues. And I saw up close and personal the chaos that these types of policies, from the travel ban to family separation, inflicted and how it just, you know, flew in the face of the rule of law.

And, you know, it's in part what precipitated my departure. I felt like this was not an administration that I could continue to serve and uphold the oath that I took to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States. So, you know, from that experience, and also currently as a member of Congress, we're doing everything we can to prepare our constituents.

[18:45:07]

As I said earlier, I'm prepared to work with this administration to get things done that are good for the American people. But to the extent that this administration is going to threaten the health and safety and security of U.S. citizens living in my district, I'm ready to stand up to this administration and to protect them as well.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: On another sensitive issue, while I have you, Congresswoman, President Biden went on vacation in Saint Croix today. He has no public events scheduled tomorrow. He has, what, just 25 days left in his presidency?

Why do you think he is seemingly missing in action?

SCHOLTEN: Well, you know, I certainly can't speak for the president's schedule. I don't -- I don't set it. I think everyone's entitled to a little time over the holidays.

I know this administration is on par to meet, if not surpass already the number of judges confirmed to the Supreme Court. I've been talking with cabinet level officials, you know, even up until a few days ago about things that we hope to accomplish in the remaining duration. I know one things for sure. I took some time off with my family yesterday, but I'm back at it today, getting ready to do what we can with the remainder of this administration and hit the ground running January 20th with the new administration.

BLITZER: Congratulations on your election.

Congresswoman Hillary Scholten, thank you so much for joining us. We'll continue these conversations down the road to be sure.

Coming up, we just learned a record breaking number of people tuned in to Netflix last night for their NFL streaming debut. We'll talk to a media expert about how Netflix could change the way Americans watch football.

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BLITZER: That was Beyonce performing at the Texans/Ravens NFL halftime show last night, part of a record breaking night for the streaming platform Netflix, which carried two -- two NFL games live for the first time.

Ratings released just a few moments ago show -- get this -- 65 million people in the United States tuned in, 65 million.

CNN media analyst Sara Fischer is with us right now. She's also a senior media correspondent over at "Axios".

Sara, thanks so much for joining us.

Netflix, as we know, paid $150 million for the right to air these NFL games. So are these viewership numbers a win for them and a win for the NFL?

SARA FISCHER, CNN MEDIA ANALYST: They're a huge win for both, Wolf. And the reason being the NFL really wants to go international. You've seen they've added games in Brazil and Germany and in the UK. Netflix said that these two games were watched by nearly every country that it exists in, which is over 190 countries.

And so this is a huge deal for the NFL, which was able to distribute these games all over the world. And it's a big deal for Netflix, which once said it didn't want to get into live sports. Now they've got a really compelling case for why they should.

BLITZER: Beyonce gave a truly electrifying halftime performance, perhaps upstaging two lopsided games. What are you hearing about that?

FISCHER: Well, they paid her an astronomical amount of money that they have to make sure that they got into this game -- these two games, Wolf.

And let me tell you, they don't really care whether or not Beyonce upstaged the games. All they care about is whether people tuned in. And 27 million people is a big number for them.

BLITZER: Christmas Day, as you know, Sara has traditionally been dominated here in the United States by the NBA.

I want to play something LeBron James said after his game yesterday. Listen and watch this.

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LEBRON JAMES, NBA PLAYER: I love the NFL. I love the NFL. But Christmas is our day.

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BLITZER: So I love the NFL, but Christmas is our day. What does that say to you about the rivalry between these two sports leagues for this critical day?

FISCHER: Yeah, well, it's getting harder and harder, as you know, Wolf, for any type of programmer, whether you're in sports or entertainment, to command a really big audience. And so if you are the NBA or you're the NFL, Christmas day, that's a big, big moment. Of course, you're going to want to try to get as many viewers as you possibly can, but overall, it's actually great for both leagues that they both had such great viewership on Christmas day. It suggests that the 2025 season is going to be hot for both.

BLITZER: I suspect you are absolutely right, as usual.

Sara fisher, thank you very much for your analysis.

Coming up, millions are under tornado watches in the southern U.S., all of this during the busiest travel period of the year. We're going to bring you the latest forecast. That's next.

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BLITZER: Nearly 9 million Americans in Texas and Louisiana are under a tornado watch right now. This possible tornado in southern Texas was spotted just across a highway.

CNN meteorologist Chad Myers is joining us right now.

So what are you seeing? What are you hearing, Chad?

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, really it is. It's Louisiana, it's Texas, maybe into Arkansas later on tonight, we finally now have a new tornado warning. We were about two hours without one, but were looking at them. And these storms are still rotating out there. It's like, when is the next one going to be issued?

Well, now the northern parishes of Louisiana really are under the gun. So the red box here is the tornado watch. That means conditions are right. But Houston, you're out of that watch now. But the warning on the next map, the pink area up here, this is the

warning. This means that they're seeing rotation on the radar enough to think that a tornado could come down to the ground. So all the way from Shreveport, all the way down still to east of Houston, this is the threat tonight.

But then we move ahead. Lets just fast forward all the way to Saturday, when a lot of people are going to be getting on the road, and on Sunday as well. All of a sudden, the rain is in the big cities all the way from New York down to D.C. and Atlanta.

Now, we'll take the rainfall down here. It's been a huge drought down across the south, so you just have to be careful what you wish for. You want rain, but you don't want it to come with severe weather.

Back out to the west, the next storm system that is just piling up snow in the Cascades and all the way down to the Sierra. Significant snow out here, significant wind with it as well, even the potential even for some avalanche danger here. But one storm after another, there will be four by the time this weekend ends. This will be one, two, three, four with snow coming down.

And many of these areas, Wolf, are picking up 2 to 3 feet of snow with every one. So you need to be careful if you're traveling here, because there will be some closed roads, or at least some may require chains. And you know how hard those are to get on.

BLITZER: Yeah. Good advice. Chad Myers, thank you very, very much.

Finally, tonight, a personal word about a terrific film I saw this week entitled "A Complete Unknown" starring Timothee Chalamet as Bob Dylan. Here's part of the trailer.

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BLITZER: It's an incredible story and a great film to see with friends or family or even by yourself. I loved it.

And to our viewers, thanks very much for watching. I'm Wolf Blitzer in THE SITUATION ROOM.

"ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT" starts right now.