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Trump Returns to Campaign Trail in Iowa; DeSantis Ramps Up Attacks on Trump in CNN Town Hall; NHTSA Takes Step Toward Requiring Anti-Drunk Driving Tech; Border Talks Gain Momentum Ahead of Senate Recess; U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine: More War Aid Critical to National Security. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired December 13, 2023 - 15:30   ET

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

[15:30:00]

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: We are just 33 days away until the Iowa caucuses. Yes, and for the first time in more than a week, Donald Trump is heading back to that battleground state today.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: Yes, the former president continues to hold a wide lead over his competition, a lead that has expanded in recent weeks, according to polling from the Des Moines Register and NBC News. Trump has gone from 43 percent in October to 51 percent in December among likely Republican prime voters.

Joining us with more CNN Jessica Dean and Kristen Holmes, both in Iowa today. So, Jessica, let's start with you. Ron DeSantis laid down some harsh criticism last night for Donald Trump. It seems like he's really ramping up his rhetoric against him. Tell us more about his comments.

JESSICA DEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: He certainly is, Pamela, and when his campaign started, we really -- the press had to. Ask him questions to kind of prompt any criticism about the former president. And last night on the stage behind me, we really saw him go full throttle at the former president. And he is really trying to thread a delicate needle in the sense that he's pitching himself to voters, as Trump, essentially without the baggage, without the chaos. That he has some policies that he wants to enact, and he's going after those same voters that likely voted for Trump in the past two elections. So, he can't offend them. But he also needs to give them a reason as to why they should pick him and not Trump. Here's a bit of what he had to say last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RON DESANTIS, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: When he gets off the teleprompter, now you don't know what he's going to say. He's a different Donald Trump than 15 and 16. You know, back then he was colorful, but it was really America first, about the policies. Now a lot of it's about him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: And so, so much about DeSantis's campaign is wrapped up in Iowa. A lot of his staff has moved here. He's gone to all 99 counties. That's something that he touted from the stage last night. He's talked about the time that he has spent here in Iowa. His wife and family have spent time here as well. And so, they are really going all in here. And their kind of theory of the case, Pamela and Boris, is that if he can come in, if he can win or come in at least a very, very strong competitive second that that changes the trajectory moving forward in the primary calendar.

They also are hoping that at this point people are really starting to engage here in Iowa, really starting to pay attention. And so, to that end, they really saw last night as an opportunity to get in front of those key Iowa voters and make the case to people, you know, in person as to why he should be the candidate.

And so, the question remains here, we are just about 5 weeks away. Will it pay off and can they move those numbers that have really been unmovable for Trump? He has remained in the lead in all of that polling here in Iowa. So, we will see if those numbers can change at all in the next 5 weeks -- Pamela and Boris.

SANCHEZ: Jessica Dean, thank you so much.

We want to go now to Kristen Holmes who's live in Coralville, Iowa, where Donald Trump is set to speak this evening. And to Jessica's point, Kristen, polling shows that Trump support among first time caucus-goers has grown to 63 percent. This is a poll done by the Des Moines Register and ABC -- or NBC News, I should say. Kristen, have we gotten any response from Trump's campaign regarding the attacks from Governor Ron DeSantis last night?

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Boris, Donald Trump and his campaign have been uncharacteristically quiet when it comes to these attacks. Usually, they take every opportunity they can to go after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, but we have not seen any pushback.

[15:35:00]

And just to note, he attacked -- DeSantis, attacked Trump on his COVID policy, on the economy, on immigration. He used really every opportunity he had, and yet we still aren't seeing anything from the former president. Now I am told by his advisers that he is likely to address it tonight when he is in Iowa.

But part of what we are seeing is a shift in the campaign's confidence. A lot of it coming off of that poll that we have just mentioned, the Des Moines Register poll that has Donald Trump up to 51 percent. We have long been told by Iowa Republican. operatives, both those who support Donald Trump and those who don't. That, while they did believe the polls were accurate in that Donald Trump was leading, they didn't believe the margins were as large as they were showing in those polls.

However, following that Des Moines Register poll. There's a lot more confidence among Trump's team, his allies, and the former president himself in Iowa. Because that margin is just so big. They think it would be much harder for DeSantis to catch up to even come close to Donald Trump.

Now, of course, as we know, all of this will be down to who actually shows up to caucus. But Boris, I do want to point out one thing. One of one point that Donald Trump will make tonight and we have seen repeatedly in both him and his surrogates when they speak, is focusing on how teaching Iowans, how to caucus, and that is because he is courting new caucus-goers. I've been to several events in which they've asked people to raise their hand if they're caucusing for Donald Trump, and if they -- if it's their first-time caucusing. Usually about half the room. So that is a demographic they are focusing heavily on.

SANCHEZ: Wow. Kristen Holmes live from Coralville, Iowa. Thank you so much. And make sure to tune in tonight when CNN's Abby Phillip moderates a Town Hall with another 2024 Republican presidential candidate, Vivek Ramaswamy. That's tonight at 9:00 p.m. Eastern, right here on CNN.

BROWN: Well, you've no doubt heard the slogan before. Drive or sober or get pulled over. Drive sober. It's the National Highway Traffic Safety's annual campaign aimed at reducing drunk driving during the holidays. But this year, the agency is taking it a step further and announcing a major effort to lower the number of alcohol related deaths on the road. NHTSA is proposing all new vehicles include technology that detects and prevents impaired drivers from getting behind the wheel. CNN aviation correspondent Pete Muntean is here to explain. I mean, this really could save a lot of lives.

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: It's a huge development and it puts the onus on automakers to put these anti-drunk driving systems in new cars that could one day roll off of the factory floor. This is a really big development because the reality is that drunk driving is killing people by the thousands. NHTSA says 13,000 people were killed by drunk driving in 2021, the last full year of data. December of that year was the worst month for drunk driving ever.

Now this advanced notice of proposed rulemaking lays the groundwork for technology that could cut that number dramatically. You may have seen these. They're called ignition interlocks, usually ordered by a court for somebody convicted of driving drunk. That's referred to as active detection. Puts the burden on the driver to blow so they can start their car.

What advocates want is a little different, something called passive detection, and this is what it looks like. This is called the driver alcohol detection system, or DADS, sit in the driver's seat and the system automatically detects if you are drunk and won't let you start the car. Now this announcement from NHTSA clears the path for this to be installed in all new cars. I want you to listen now to Senator Ben Lujan of New Mexico. He was a victim of drunk -- a drunk driving crash when he was in college 30 years ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BEN RAY LUJAN (D-NM): There's brilliant engineers out there. There's technology at our disposal. Heck, my truck today tells me if I hit the center line, it beeps and it buzzes my seat. Let's find a path forward. The technology exists. We can make this happen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MUNTEAN: Couple versions of this, there's a breadth-based version, just like a breathalyzer. There's also a touch-based version that uses infrared light to see alcohol levels under the surface of the skin that would go into something like a gear shift or a start button. But the reality here is that making this a requirement will not happen fast. The federal government still needs to gather information. Take public comment. Of course, this needs major public support and even still, advocates are hoping that this is a law by next November. So, the clock is ticking now.

Remember, there were so many advancements in auto technology that was really facing a lot of pushback, not only from the public but also Congress. Think about seatbelts and the push to put that and make that mandatory in the 70s and 80s. So, we could see some really big shifts here and they could save about 9,000 or more lives a year.

BROWN: Wow. But as you pointed out, there's lots of obstacles to get to that point.

MUNTEAN: No doubt.

BROWN: Pete Muntean, thank you so much. We'll be right back.

[15:40:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: Well, right now there may be movement on the congressional impasse over aid for Israel and Ukraine. Senate negotiators say there has been progress over these stricter border policies that Republicans are demanding before they agree to aid for the two countries. Lawmakers could stay in Washington instead of leaving for recess if they can clinch a deal. It's a big if.

This also comes just one day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy traveled to Washington pleading for more funds. Joining us now is Bridget Brink, the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine. Thanks for coming on.

[15:45:00]

So, what are you hearing from your Ukrainian counterparts following President Zelenskyy's visit to Washington?

AMB. BRIDGET BRINK, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO UKRAINE: Hi, Pam. Thanks so much for having me. I just want to say it's quite critical for Congress to act now. This was the subject of President Biden's meeting yesterday in the White House with President Zelenskyy. And I know President Zelensky was also on The Hill. The Ukrainians have made significant gains, gaining back 50 percent of their territory. Pushing the Black Sea fleet back, creating a humanitarian corridor to export grain and goods to the world. And in addition to that, I just want to say it's also important to our own force protection and security of the team of diplomats that are very courageously also supporting Ukrainians on the ground.

BROWN: How critical is it for Ukraine to maintain and even receive more U.S. support at this point and the ongoing conflict with Russia?

BRINK: Well, it's absolutely essential. The gains that the Ukrainians have made through heroism of their people on the frontlines have been incredibly significant. And in order to continue those, they need to have the weapons that would help them continue this fight.

And on my other point, with regard to the Americans that are there also assisting the Ukrainians, it's critically important. Last night, just an hour after the White House meeting, 10 ballistic missiles were sent to Kyiv. I called my security official on the ground -- because I'm here in Washington -- to check the team was OK and that they had gone to bunker. And my security officer said we didn't have time because they're ballistic missiles. However, the Ukrainians shot 10 out of 10 down and were able to protect the capital. We need to help them continue doing that.

BROWN: So just put into context. What role does U.S. aid have in a conflict? And if Ukraine does not receive a new aid package from the U.S. soon, what happens? Because there are still other countries, U.S. allies, that are still providing that aid.

BRINK: Well, we play a very significant role. You're right. There are fifty other countries around the world that are also providing security aid. Collectively, this is utterly vital to Ukraine's ability to continue to fight and resist Russian aggression. This is important, existential even to Ukraine, but it's also critically important to us and our national security. As President Biden has said twice, we have been drawn into wars in Europe based on aggression and what we know the lesson is aggressors don't stop.

BROWN: So, what is your message then to Republicans, predominantly on Capitol Hill, who say that, look, you know, this isn't a priority for us or it needs to be attached to other, you know, Republican priorities such as an immigration deal. What is your message?

BRINK: Well, I don't want to weigh into the politics of it. My message to everyone is that it is very important that the Ukraine supplemental pass as soon as possible. It's urgent. It's critical to secure and hold the gains that the Ukrainians have made so far and also to protect our own national security. So, my request is to come to a deal as soon as possible so that we can continue what we're doing on the ground in Kyiv on behalf of the American people, on behalf of the President and the administration, to support Ukraine and its fight and its fight for freedom.

BROWN: All right. Ambassador Bridget Brink, thank you so much. We'll be right back.

[15:50:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: If you're a New York Giants fan, one word sums up this season -- cutlets. That's the nickname of 25-year-old quarterback Tommy DeVito. A third Stringer that was forced into action back in October, and now his star keeps getting brighter. The latest honor being named his conference -- his conference's offensive player of the week after leading his team to a big win on Monday against the Packers. Never mind that the Giants are five and eight. They're still in the playoff hunt. Largely because of the man they call "Cutlets."

CNN's Coy Wire joins me now. And Coy, the word on the street is that and your playing days your nickname was the "Ninja Prankster." I think Tommy "Cutlets" takes that one.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Yes, absolutely no doubt about it. I just talked to his agent, Sean Stellato. And he said that, Tommy's favorite food is his mom's chicken cutlets. He said, cutlets is a sacred word in the DeVito household. So, the nickname was born. You're going to find a huge banner of Tommy at family tailgates emblazoned with Tommy "Cutlets".

Now, this Giants undrafted rookie quarterback is a whole vibe. He showed up the Monday Night Football -- the night game there rocking his chains with a fuzzy pink pull over in the pregame versus the Packers.

And this is a kid from Jersey, grew up nine minutes away from the stadium, still lives with his parents. And his agent, Sean Stellato, went viral. Just talked to me and said, like, Tommy and I are proud of our Italian American roots and he knew he's going to be in a dogfight that night. So, he wanted to wear that strong black suit that everyone was talking about on the Internet.

And then, of course, another viral moment when DeVito's dad was just smooching Stellato there as Tommy and the Giants took the lead in that game. And it was just chefs kisses all around, Boris. Tommy led New York on a game-winning drive with under a minute to go. They kicked the game winner as time expires. And they've now won three straight after that 24-22 win over Green Bay. Here was Tommy after the big moment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOMMY DEVITO, NEW YORK GIANTS QUARTERBACK: I've been playing football since I was five years old. I mean, I've been doing it for a long time.

[15:55:00]

I know it's a bigger stage, a lot more on the line, but at the end of the day I try to have fun with it. It's a kid's game, so I just have to enjoy it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: So, there we go. I mean, Tommy's absolutely balling, living this -- loving this moment. He's the highest rated passer rating over the last four weeks behind only Brock Purdy of the 49ers. So, he's absolutely rolling and enjoying the moment. SANCHEZ: A pretty a -- another sort of Cinderella story. Man, that

agent's outfit, not only taking the Internet by storm, I think it's going to change fashion, Coy. Should we start rocking fedoras? What do you think?

WIRE: Yes, especially this time of year starts to get a little chilly. Trust me, I know you're new to the bald brother game, but I will -- I will teach you about the Fedoras, the driving cast. We'll get it covered.

SANCHEZ: I have felt winter like I've never felt it before. Coy, great to see you. As always, my friend.

WIRE: To the bone. You too.

SANCHEZ: Thanks so much.

And thank you so much for joining us this afternoon. We very much appreciate it. "THE LEAD" with Jake Tapper starts right after a quick break.