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Secretary Austin Speaks After Meeting With Israeli Leaders; New Poll Show Trump Far Ahead, With Haley Gaining Ground In NH; WAPO: Biden Frustrated By Dismal Poll Numbers. Aired 11-11:30a ET

Aired December 18, 2023 - 11:00   ET

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

[11:00:00]

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: Glaringly different approaches heading into the first caucuses of the nation, Donald Trump using xenophobic, fearmongering a new law and its messaging about migrants. Then there's Nikki Haley, who was setting her fights in a very different target, Joe Biden. Could this be a closer fight potentially than expected? The polls showing Nikki Haley is surging.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin speaking right now after his meetings with Israel's top officials, the tough message that he's delivering. He's speaking from Tel Aviv right now.

SIDNER: And the historic ruling just in from the Vatican, Pope Francis making a major shift in Vatican doctrine when it comes to same sex couples. I'm Sara Sidner alongside Kate Bolduan. John Berman is off today. This is CNN News Central.

BOLDUAN: We're going to start this hour, we're taking you to Tel Aviv where defense secretary Lloyd Austin is holding a press conference right now with the Israeli Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant. Let's listen in, as Lloyd Austin is taking questions from reporters.

LLOYD AUSTIN, U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY: And so today, we had great discussions about the status of the campaign about goals and objectives and about how to reduce harm to civilians in the battlespace. And to -- and the need to ensure a sustained flow of humanitarian assistance into Gaza. You know, we can offer some insight based upon our own experience in fighting terrorist groups. And certainly, that enabled us to have great discussions. And we also have some great thoughts about how to transition from high intensity operations to a lower intensity and more surgical operations.

So, we had great discussions on all of those issues. On Lebanon, we've been clear that we don't want to see this conflict widened into a larger war or regional war. And we call upon Hezbollah to make sure that they don't do things that would provoke a wider conflict.

YOAV GALLANT, ISRAELI DEFENSE MINISTER: As to the first question, let me be more precise, it took us 70 days before we expose this tunnel to the public, it was discovered longer period before that, after a month or so. But we had a lot of a lot of operations to be done inside the tunnel before we expose it. The war will take time. And I cannot show only one issue that eventually we will reach our goals, first of all, to destroy Hamas. Second, to rescue the hostages, both of them, very important equally. This is a war of national determination and mission.

SIDNER: All right, you're listening to Lloyd Austin first speak about his commitment to Israel and concern about this being a more regional war. And let's now talk about all of this with CNN National Security Analyst and former Deputy Director of National Intelligence, Beth Sanner.

All right. We've just been listening to this press conference, a joint press conference with Minister Gallant who's the defense minister and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. When you hear some of the things that are being said, I mean, it's very clear the United States is standing behind Israel, that they are going to continue to help support Israel monetarily and with arms. But there is a different shift in tone that we've been hearing lately when it comes to the Biden administration and its warnings to Israel, telling them to be more careful when it comes to the civilians in Gaza. How do you think this will play out with Lloyd Austin now?

BETH SANNER, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Well, I think the Israeli journalist first question was, there is quite apparently a growing gap. And so, I -- between the United States and Israel. And I think that, you know, the rhetoric on both sides is shifting, but the reality on the ground really, for both sides is not shifting that much. So, I think that the Israelis are listening and they're making some changes like opening up the second entry for humanitarian aid. But fundamentally, the United States keeps shipping arms and Israel for the next three weeks. If that's the timeline that the United States is talking about, things are going to get worse before they turn to a more tactical and precise targeting type campaign.

[11:05:06]

SIDNER: We just heard Defense Minister Gallant sort of parroting some of what Netanyahu has said that we're going to continue to do this until the job is done. You will hear that often in war. But I guess the big question is, is the White House acting differently in private? In other words, in public, there is a great support, they listed all of the things and the reasons why the United States will always stand by Israel. But in private, do you think these conversations are a lot tougher now?

SANNER: I think they're a lot tougher. But like I said, the arms keep flowing. So I think that, you know, there's an understanding, Sara, that there is this difficult imperative here, you know, a lot of Israeli citizens can't return to their homes and won't unless this -- unless the Hamas threat is taken care of. And Israel hasn't finished the job yet, and isn't very close, they haven't gotten any of the senior leaders, for example.

And so, I think that this is a difficult period because the reality on the ground means the Israelis have to do more. But the reality, you know, philosophically and morally, is that it is causing just enormous pain and casualties that make, as Lloyd Austin has said, Israel could lose this war strategically. SIDNER: When it comes to the strategy, I mean, what kind of influence the United States have on Israel, knowing that the support so far from the Biden administration has been unconditional and he says it will continue to be unconditional?

SANNER: Well, I think part of that is that it's very clear that the Israeli government isn't going to listen, they're only going to listen to a point. And so, you know, if you lay down the red line, and then you know the Israelis are going to cross it, you look feckless. So, you know, there really isn't anything the United States can do while maintaining our strategic relationship with Israel and understanding the imperative they have about Hamas. There is very little leverage beyond small moves, which are important on the ground, like, you know, opening up that second humanitarian opening, but I don't think we're going to change the timeline that Israel is on.

SIDNER: Beth, just one second here, we're going to listen into the Secretary of Defense right now.

AUSTIN: -- so some international problem, and it deserves an international response. And that's why I'm convening a meeting tomorrow, a ministerial meeting with fellow ministers in a region and beyond to address this threat. We're -- that'll be a virtual meeting, and I look forward to that discussion. And more important, I look forward to working together with members of that group to address the threat in a meaningful way in the future.

And we'll have more details on this soon. But we're going to make sure that we're doing everything that we can to ensure freedom of navigation in the area, the strait is -- straits are pretty important. As we know -- as you know, a large amount of commerce flows through there -- international commerce flows through there on a daily basis.

Next.

SIDNER: All right. So you just heard from the Secretary there talking about the straits. There is a major issue with shipping companies deciding -- oil companies deciding not to go through, for example, the Red Sea because of the Houthi attacks. That is Iranian backed, militia.

Beth Sanner, thank you so much for your analysis on this. And we will be watching this throughout. Stay with us.

Kate.

BOLDUAN: So the countdown to the Iowa caucuses, 28 days, the countdown to New Hampshire, 36. Can we now say we're in the final sprint? I'd say so.

Here's the latest from the trail. The Republican front runner is pushing rhetoric being compared now to that of Nazi Germany. Here's Donald Trump's campaigns closing argument much the same as his opening argument.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: They're poisoning the blood of our country. That's what they've done. They poison mental institutions and prisons all over the world, not just in South America, not just the three or four countries that we think about, but all over the world that coming into our country from Africa, from Asia, all over the world that pouring into our country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Donald Trump's take on migrants comments that President Biden's campaign quickly came out to call as, quote, "parroting Adolf Hitler." Now Republicans like Chris Christie, they're also speaking out about it, accusing Donald Trump of dog whistling, though now seems to go far beyond that. And still other Republicans like Nikki Haley, they are trying to not focus on Trump really at all, instead celebrating a surge in New Hampshire right now. Now a clear second place, Nikki Haley is behind Trump in the first in the nation primary state. And on the heels of those new numbers, she's also launching a new ad, not hitting at her Republican rivals but right at President Biden.

[11:10:25]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NIKKI HALEY, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'll just say it, Biden's too old and Congress is the most exclusive nursing home in America. Washington keeps failing because politicians from yesterday can't lead us into tomorrow. We need term limits, mental competency tests and a real plan to defeat China and restore our economy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: There you have it, new ad out from Nikki Haley's campaign. CNN's Harry Enten is here to take a look at these new numbers. Let's focus in, we've got numbers in from CBS looking at Iowa, looking at New Hampshire. How well is Haley doing in New Hampshire now, Harry?

HARRY ENTEN, CNN SENIOR DATA REPORTER: Yes, Kate. So, let's take a look here. I think the trend line here is so noticeable. So all right, New Hampshire top choices for the GOP nominee. You go back to September, Donald Trump was at 50 percent.

He had a nearly 40 point lead on the competition with DeSantis at 13, Hailey at 11. Look at where we are now, Trump has dropped down to 44 percent, Nikki Haley coming in a clear second place at 29 percent. I will note that is the best percentage for a non-Trump candidate, not just in New Hampshire, but any state in the nation all the way back since June. Now the question is, Kate, could it potentially be that Haley closes this gap a little bit more? I want you to look at the fourth place person in this particular poll. It's Chris Christie at 10 percent. Why am I pointing out Chris Christie?

Because I want you to take a look back at our last UNH/CNN poll, the second choice of Christie voters. Look at this, Haley gets 53 percent of them. Trump just gets 11 percent. So all of a sudden, if let's say Chris Christie dropped out of the race, you can expect that the lion's share of his voters would in fact go to Nikki Haley, and she could close that gap in New Hampshire even more than she already has.

BOLDUAN: Yes. And New Hampshire is unique, always has been, they are proudly independent. But talk to me why you think Haley's where she's doing so well now in New Hampshire? Why, at least not yet, we see it translating in other places?

ENTEN: Yes. And I will point out New Hampshire is very weird. I went to college up there. Very interesting state. I enjoyed my time up there, though.

OK. Moderate share of the GOP primary electorate. Keep in mind, this is the group that Trump does worse with, it's the group that Haley does best with. Moderate share of the GOP primary electorate. Look at this, in New Hampshire, it's 33 percent, nationally, it's just 27 percent. And in Iowa, where Haley is still well behind Donald Trump, it's just 17 percent.

So New Hampshire has kind of custom made for the type of candidate that Nikki Haley has kind of become. But here's the key nugget, can she just take New Hampshire and run with it? Well, historically speaking, Trump right now well ahead in the national polls, well ahead in Iowa. National GOP front runners who won Iowa and lost New Hampshire, there have only been two, it was Bob Dole in '96, George W. Bush in 2000. I will note, Kate, that both of those folks went on to win the nomination.

So, beating Trump in New Hampshire is good, but it's not going to be enough for Haley. She's going to have to do more. Maybe she can win in South Carolina, where of course she's the former governor, but we'll just have to wait and see. But for now, good news for Nikki Haley in New Hampshire. We'll see if it translates to more success down the road.

BOLDUAN: Yes, her showing in South Carolina where she was governor will be also important as well. It's good to see you, Harry. Thank you very much.

ENTEN: Let's see.

BOLDUAN: Let's talk more about this. Joining us now is CNN Senior Political Analyst, Senior Editor for The Atlantic, Ron Brownstein.

Ron, the little factoid that Harry points out is so interesting, how Nikki Haley is performing now in New Hampshire is the best that any Republican has done against Donald Trump in any state since June. What do you think of this Nikki Haley surge?

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, I think what she's doing in New Hampshire very clearly is consolidating the parts of the party that are intrinsically the most resistant to Trump, which is necessary, but not sufficient to truly becoming a genuine threat to Trump. I mean, she's running well among Independent voters better than she is among Republicans, for example, in New Hampshire, not only moderates, college graduates, the parts of the coalition that have always been the most resistance to Trump.

And that will allow her I think, after the first two states, she is on a track where she can Eclipse Ron DeSantis as the most viable alternative to Trump, but ultimately, the truly threatened Trump's she's going to have to find a way to peel away more of his core supporters. And that will require her to make more of an argument against them that she has been willing to do.

I mean, that new ad today that she put out is as remarkable for what it doesn't say as for what it does, she criticizes Biden, but really only in the most oblique and glancing way makes any case against the guy who's running 50 points ahead of her in the polls.

BOLDUAN: Exactly. I wanted -- let's just talk about -- let's talk about the Democrat that she would like to be running against for a moment. because it gets to something that you've also been writing about because we have this ad, you've got Nikki Haley's new ad but we also have new interesting insight on Biden's polling coming out from --

[11:15:10]

BROWNSTEIN: Yes.

BOLDUAN: -- some new "Washington Post" reporting. The reporting is is that right before Thanksgiving, Biden gathered his closest aides together. And here's the report and let's read it together, "Biden delivered some stern words for the small group assembled, his poll numbers were unacceptably low and he wanted to know what his team and his campaign were doing about it. He complained that his economic message had done little to move the ball even as the economy was growing, and unemployment was falling." This is according to people familiar with his comments who spoke on condition of anonymity.

You have also been writing about Biden --

BROWNSTEIN: Yes.

BOLDUAN: -- and his economic message. What do you see here?

BROWNSTEIN: Well, look, I mean, there is a legitimate question on kind of a tactical operational level about whether the Biden campaign is gearing up fast enough in the States that matter. But that obviously is a small part of the overall issue facing Biden. His problem is that inflation is like this big cloud over all of the other legitimate economic accomplishments that he has, robust job growth, this boom and private sector investment tied to the big three bills that he passed in his first two years, now past $600 billion in private investment.

But as long as people feel like they're having more trouble making ends meet than they remember during the Trump presidency, he is comparing ominously poorly to Trump when people are asked who can better manage the economy. And there's a point of view in the Democratic Party that says he has to focus more directly on prices.

And he has weapons, particularly with older voters, I mean, they are past -- they have passed and are implementing significant constraints on prescription drug costs, which could continue. One of the most, I think, underreported trends in the polls is that even as he's thinking with young people he's doing unexpectedly well with older voters. But I think there are a lot of Democrats who feel that they need a calibration -- you know, recalibration that simply touting the achievements of Bidenomics while people are not yet feeling that they have more money at the end of the week is not working.

Now, Kate, we will point out that wages are now starting to rise faster than prices. And the Fed has indicated it may cut interest rates as much as three times next week, that will improve Biden's position in all likelihood, but it is not likely by itself. You get us to a point where more voters trust him than Trump on the economy.

BOLDUAN: Yes. And I mean, where are the economy heads? We do not know. But that is going -- we do know that it will be absolutely critical to how Biden is going to be -- going to be running up against whomever it is, actually. Go ahead.

BROWNSTEIN: Can I say real quick? The 22 precedent is that an unprecedented number of voters who are dissatisfied with the economy voted for Democrats anyway, because they view the Republican alternative as too extreme. Even if the economy gets better, they are going to need to replicate that in '24. Because as I say, it is unlikely by Election Day that more voters will think that Biden than Trump is, you know, is better for their bottom line.

That doesn't mean however, some of those voters who think Trump is better for their economic future might not oppose him anyway because he is -- they view him as a threat to their values. And we saw that workout for Democrats in several key races in '22.

BOLDUAN: It's good to see you, Ron. Thank you.

Sara.

SIDNER: Coming up, a powerful storm barreling across parts of the Northeast. How long the system is going to last and how much it's already impacting travelers today? Also a historic shift, Catholic priests can now offer blessings to same sex couples. The new Vatican ruling the Pope has just approved

And moments ago, Kamala Harris, the first black female vice president making an appearance at the Supreme Court to pay her respects to another first, the first woman on the U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor lying in repose. We'll discuss her life and legacy with one of her former clerks, next.

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[11:23:34]

SIDNER: If you live on the East Coast, be prepared for a mess. Heavy rain, strong wind and flooding and intense storm system is creating dangerous conditions from North Carolina to Maine. About 58 million people are dealing with this nor'easter. Some of the worst apparently is yet to come. Floodwaters turned roads into rivers, crews in New Jersey were out all night long rescuing people who got trapped in their cars after driving into flooded roads.

And this is a scene for many morning this -- many people this morning, the heavy winds ripping trees from the roots crashing into homes and cars. Let's get straight to CNN's Polo Sandoval in New Brunswick, New Jersey.

Polo, I see it looks like it's starting to rain yet again there.

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Sara, as you just pointed out, that storm is still continuing to move north which means some portions of New England still have not really felt the brunt of it. In terms of what we're seeing here in New Jersey, that pesky drizzle, it's what lingers, but there is a sense that the worst is already over in terms of the flooding, in terms of the rain, but now comes the whole recovery of it all, right? You have 10s rather hundreds of 1000s of individuals that are still in the dark in and about the region. So because of that utility workers are out working trying to get people back online.

Let's see what the overnight, some pretty dramatic scenes that played out here in the Garden State including in Paterson, New Jersey, where first responders having to work to get to a woman that was stranded when she evacuated her vehicle forced to leave that behind. It's really a situation that's unfolding not just there but also multiple situations that played out in Newark, again, still quite the soaking situation out here. So at this point in time, it's really more about trying to get things back online. Yes, it's still raining in some portions of the Northeast, but certainly does not compare to what we witnessed play out during the overnight hours with the torrential rain and some wicked winds that have subsided here. Sara.

[11:25:28]

SIDNER: All right. Polo Sandoval, thank you so much to you and your crew stuck out there in the rain. Appreciate it.

Kate.

BOLDUAN: One hundred and forty million dollars, that is how much Southwest Airlines has been ordered to pay for last year's holiday travel meltdown that stranded over 2 million people. Now this is the largest fine that the U.S. Department of Transportation has ever levied against an airline. CNN's Pete Muntean has more on this. He's joining us now.

Pete, what is the message that the Department of Transportation is trying to send here with this huge number?

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: The messages that airlines have to stay on their game, especially as we go into this huge holiday travel rush. Let's break down this $140 million dollar fine levied by the Department of Transportation on Southwest Airlines, $90 million of that will go into a fund to protect future Southwest Airlines passengers if they arrive at their destination more than three hours late. They will get a $75 voucher from that fund. Thirty-five million of that money will go directly to the federal government.

Let's take a step back here though, to almost a year ago today, December 21, 2022 when Southwest started this 10 day long meltdown, 16,900 flights canceled, 2 million passengers stranded. Now the DOT says this is really because of massive incursions on consumer protections. It was for Southwest not communicating with passengers clearly enough, not giving them the proper customer service, and also not giving back money quick enough even though Southwest Airlines did reimburse passengers to the tune of $600 million.

I want you to listen now to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. He just told me that this is all about making sure that other airlines do not over schedule and under deliver.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETE BUTTIGIEG, TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY: This is about making sure there's accountability for what happened with Southwest Airlines failures a year ago, but also, it's about making sure the entire industry understands that this administration and this department are prepared to hold them accountable unless they take proper care of their passengers.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MUNTEAN: Here is the statement from Southwest Airlines, it's calling this "a consumer friendly settlement," which is pretty different rhetoric from the Department of Transportation, they are calling this an order that Southwest must pay. Kate.

BOLDUAN: Let's have a consumer friendly holiday season this time around. That's all that matters looking at. It's good to have you, Pete.

MUNTEAN: (Inaudible).

BOLDUAN: Exactly. Thank you, Pete.

SIDNER: All right. Coming up for us, the U.S. looking at a surge in border crossing is now affecting train operations. The U.S. says it's suspending rail operations that crossings in Eagle Pass and El Paso, Texas. How the White House is trying to address this crisis. Plus, after years of research scientists say they may now understand what causes morning sickness. We'll have all that ahead.

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