President Trump and members of his Cabinet defended White House chief of staff Susie Wiles after Vanity Fair published a lengthy piece featuring her blunt assessment of the president's inner circle, his first year in office and the president himself.

Washington

Susie Wiles, President Trump's White House chief of staff, has come under scrutiny following a series of candid remarks made during interviews with a Vanity Fair reporter. Her comments included critical assessments of President Trump, Vice President Vance, and Elon Musk, as well as statements regarding the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. 

The White House responded by attempting to discredit the reporting, claiming Wiles' words were taken out of context. Despite the controversy, President Trump publicly praised Wiles' performance, while Wiles herself described the article as a 'disingenuously framed hit piece.'

White House chief of staff under fire for controversial interview

We haven't heard much at all from Susie Wiles since President Trump's former campaign manager became his White House chief of staff nearly a year ago. But it turns out she's been talking a lot recently to a reporter for Vanity Fair. And what she told him had the White House doing damage control today. Ed O'Keefe is there for us tonight. Susie Wiles offered a stunning assessment of the central characters in the White House, starting with her boss, saying President Trump has an alcoholic's personality. A notable comment from the daughter of NFL and CBS sports legend Pat Summerall, who famously struggled with alcoholism. Wiles says Trump has a view that there's nothing he can't do. Nothing. Zero. Nothing. As for Vice President Vance, Wiles says he's been a conspiracy theorist for a decade. He made light of the comment today in Pennsylvania. Sometimes I am a conspiracy theorist, but I only believe in the conspiracy theories that are true. Wiles also had words for Elon Musk, who she called an avowed ketamine user. An odd, odd duck. It's mostly just a lot of hard work. And she said she was initially aghast when Musk dismantled USAID as part of his cost-cutting Doge program. No rational person could think the USAID process was a good one, she said. Nobody. I have nothing to do with Jeffrey Epstein. On the Jeffrey Epstein scandal that has dogged the White House, Wiles said the president wasn't telling the truth when he accused former President Bill Clinton of visiting the convicted sex offenders' private island. There's no evidence, she said. The president was wrong about that. The White House today tried to discredit author Chris Whipple, who says he conducted 11 interviews with Wiles over the course of a year. This is unfortunately another example of disingenuous reporting, where you have a reporter who took the chief of staff's words wildly out of context, did not include the context those conversations were had within. Wiles also pointed to moments where she tried unsuccessfully to change the president's mind. She urged him not to pardon the most violent offenders during the January 6th insurrection, to hold off on imposing massive tariffs on US allies this past spring, and to end his score-settling against critics after 90 days in office. Wiles, who's popular across the administration and close with the president, called the article a quote, disingenuously framed hit piece. And what does the president make of all this? Well, he told the New York Post this afternoon, quote, she's done a fantastic job.

A man who allegedly opened fire on a Hanukkah celebration at Sydney's famed Bondi Beach has been charged with 59 offences, including murder and terrorism, New South Wales Police said.

Council of the City of Sydney

Accused Bondi Beach gunman formally charged with 59 offences

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Australia mourns victims of the Bondi Beach shooting – As police prepare charges against the surviving gunman.

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Providence

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Nick Reiner will be charged with two counts of first-degree murder with special circumstances for the killings of his parents, Rob Reiner and his wife Michele Singer Reiner, who were found dead in their home over the weekend, Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said.

Los Angeles

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U.S. military actions in international waters near Venezuela are under scrutiny following a September 2nd strike on a boat the U.S. claimed was transporting drugs, though no evidence has been provided.

U.S. bombings in international waters face scrutiny over Venezuela

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U.S. President Donald Trump has followed through on his threat to sue the BBC over a misleading video edit of a speech he made on January 6, 2021, and filed a lawsuit against the media corporation on December 15. He will be seeking 10 billion dollars in damages.

London

Trump sues BBC over misleading video editing of speech

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says a proposal to end his country's nearly four-year war with Russia are "very workable" and could be finalized within days, but he warns key issues remain.

Kyiv

Ukraine Invasion

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Paris

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Police say the alleged gunmen who opened fire at a Hanukkah celebration in Sydney's Bondi Beach had traveled to Mindanao in the Philippines last month, as investigators probe ties to extremist networks.

Bondi Beach

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Berlin

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Australia's prime minister said a mass shooting at a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach appears to have been motivated by ISIS ideology. Meanwhile, mourners flocked to the site to lay flowers and grieve for the people killed, including a 10-year-old child.

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Four people have been arrested in California - charged with plotting a series of bombing attacks on multiple targets on New Year's Eve.

California

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Police in Rhode Island are searching for a new person of interest following Saturday’s deadly shooting at Brown University. Investigators say the case remains active as authorities work to determine a motive.

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The son of filmmaker Rob Reiner was arrested on homicide charges after the director of beloved movies like "When Harry Met Sally ..." and his wife were found dead in their Los Angeles home, a police official said on Monday.

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A jury found Brian Walshe guilty of first-degree murder in the death of his wife Ana on New Year's Day in 2023 in their Massachusetts home. Legal analyst Jennifer Roman joins with more details.

Boston

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Hong Kong's High Court on Monday (December 15) found pro-democracy campaigner Jimmy Lai guilty of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and to publish seditious material under a China-imposed national security law that could see him jailed for life.

Hong Kong Island

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Police have released a person of interest who was detained in a shooting at Brown University. Two students were killed and at least nine others were injured in the Saturday attack. Tom Hanson spoke with students about the shooting.

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Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele, were found dead Sunday in their Los Angeles home, sources told CBS News, in what police called an apparent homicide. Rob Reiner was 78 and Michele Reiner was 68.

Brentwood

Director Rob Reiner and his wife found dead in their L.A. home

Far-right candidate Jose Antonio Kast wins Chile's presidential run-off, after defeating his leftist opponent.

Santiago

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The person of interest authorities took into custody in connection with the shooting at Brown University has been identified as Benjamin Erickson. He's a 24 year old, originally from Wisconsin.

Person of interest identified in Brown University shooting

Two alleged gunmen who killed 15 people at a Jewish celebration in Sydney's Bondi Beach were a father and son, police said on Monday, as Australia mourned victims of its worst gun violence in almost 30 years. This video contains graphic images.

Father and son behind Bondi mass shooting, Australian police say

Israel has described a deadly mass shooting at Sydney’s Bondi Beach as an attack on Jews, after gunmen opened fire during a Jewish holiday event, killing at least 11 people.

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Two gunmen attacked a Hannukah celebration on a Sydney beach Sunday, killing at least 11 people in what Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called an act of antisemitism and terrorism.

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Providence police have detained a "person of interest" in connection with the Brown University shooting that left two students dead and another nine people wounded, as the Ivy League school said it had lifted a shelter-in-place order for its campus in Rhode Island.

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Belarus has freed more than 120 political prisoners in a major thaw in relations with the United States. The releases came in return for Washington lifting sanctions on potash, a key source of revenue for Belarus.

Minsk

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Washington was still under a state of emergency on Saturday after torrential rains swamped communities. Plus, snow and dangerous cold are falling on some in the Midwest and on the East Coast. Nicole Valdes has more from Washington state.

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