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Biden Orders Air Strikes in Iraq; Netanyahu Confidant to Meet with U.S. Officials; Netanyahu Vows Long Flight in Gaza; Investigation into Threats Against Colorado Judges; Meg Kinnard is Interviewed about Trump's Christmas Message. Aired 9-9:30a ET

Aired December 26, 2023 - 09:00   ET

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

[09:00:44]

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: The U.S. strikes back. President Biden ordering air strikes on Iran-backed groups in Iraq after American troops are targeted and even critically wounded.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: New alarm over a series of violent threats as Donald Trump faces more legal challenges. The FBI now joining an investigation in Colorado into disturbing posts about the judges who removed Trump from the state ballot.

BOLDUAN: Nearly 5 million people are right now under winter weather alerts. Even some blizzard and ice storm warnings. Where all this that you're looking at is headed next.

I'm Kate Bolduan, with Sara Sidner. John Berman is working the night shift today.

SIDNER: No love.

BOLDUAN: This is CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

SIDNER: New overnight, the U.S. military is carrying out rare air strikes inside Iraq. And it comes as Israel's prime minister is promising a long fight against Hamas. A key confidante of Benjamin Netanyahu is coming to the White House today for talks about the war in Gaza.

But first, let's get to those new details out of Iraq where President Biden ordered air strikes on three facilities used by Kata'ib Hezbollah and affiliated groups. The strikes were in response to an attack that injured three U.S. troops in Erbil Air Base. An attack the Iranian backed militant group claimed responsibility for. U.S. Central Command says the strikes likely killed a number of militants there.

Let's lead off with CNN's Natasha Bertrand, who is in Washington for us.

Natasha, what are you learning about these strikes and the fall-on effect?

NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: Well, Sara, this is really, you know, coming as the Iran-backed Shia militias escalate their attacks against U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria. And yesterday we saw the Iran-backed group, Kata'ib Hezbollah, attack a U.S. base that resulted in three injuries to U.S. personnel, including one critical injury. Prior to this, most of the injuries that U.S. personnel had suffered had actually been fairly minor. So, this was really something that the U.S. clearly felt they needed to respond to.

And President Biden was briefed on options by Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin yesterday morning. And Biden decided to go with the option to strike three facilities that are used by Kata'ib Hezbollah in Iraq. And as you mentioned, Central Command has said that it is likely that several militants were actually killed in this strike by the U.S. However, it is not known at this point, or is unlikely, that there were any civilians that were injured simply because there were none in the area.

Now, the White House said in a statement that, quote, "the president places no higher priority than the protection of American personnel serving in harm's way. The United States will act as a time and in a manner of our choosing should these attacks continue."

And I think it's just important just for context here, there have been over 100 attacks by these Iran-backed groups on U.S. and coalition bases in Iraq and Syria since October 17th. They have pretty much been relentless daily attacks. The attack that was carried out yesterday in Iraq by Kata'ib Hezbollah was carried out with a one-way attack drone, according to U.S. officials. And that is pretty much how they have been conducting these strikes, via drones and rockets over the last several months. And so the question has always been, if the U.S. responds -- this is not the first time that they have done so, conducting air strikes in Iraq and Syria, but it has not yet deterred these groups.

Now, the U.S. says that they are optimistic that by degrading their infrastructure, hitting these groups. Killing some of the militants, that it will send a message of deterrence because the U.S. does not want to see this conflict escalate into a broader war. And so they say this is proportional. But the question now is, is this actually going to work to deter future attacks, Sara?

SIDNER: Yes, and that is the fear that this turns into a regional war. Natasha Bertrand, thank you so much for all of that reporting. Appreciate it.

Kate.

BOLDUAN: Today, one of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's closest advisers is headed to Washington and sources say to meet with top White House officials and also to meet with the secretary of state to talk about the next phase in the war against Hamas. The prime minister himself telling Israeli troops in Gaza that the fight is far from over and it will, quote, "end in total victory, no less than that."

CNN's Priscilla Alvarez is at the White House for us. She's joining us now. Priscilla, what are you learning about the meetings today?

[09:05:03]

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, Kate, this comes at a critical time as the White House talks to Israel about being more precise in not targeting innocent civilian casualties. Now, of course, Ron Dermer, he is a close confidante to Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. He's a member of the war cabinet. He's also previously Israel's ambassador to the United States.

Now, U.S. officials have previously said that Israel has assured them that they are going to move from a high intensity war to low intensity and have more of a precise strategy in targeting Hamas leadership, again, to contain the innocent -- the deaths of innocent civilians.

But also the U.S. is saying that they don't really have a timeline they can share for that. U.S. officials have previously said that that might look like localized operations by January, but they haven't said much more than that and providing additional details into what this next phase looks like and when that will happen.

So, that is going to be a topic of discussion going into these meetings today is, when do we see more of that targeted, precise military strategy far from -- or move away from this high intensity warfare.

But then in addition to that, the president has been warning that Israel can lose support on the international stage if it doesn't move in this direction. And we've seen the domestic pressure and the international pressure build up over the last several weeks. In fact, just yesterday, we saw protesters at the houses of National Security Adviser Jack Sullivan and at the home of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. So clearly the pressure is still there. And the White House is trying to navigate this really complicated landscape by continuing to have conversations with Israel, again, in hopes that they can start to see more of a targeted military strategy.

Now, a senior Israeli official said on our air this morning that they have been, quote, "very good" conversations with the U.S. The question is, what does that look like today and then what is the aftermath and the outcome of those conversations?

BOLDUAN: Absolutely. Priscilla Alvarez, thank you so much. Great reporting from the White House.

SIDNER: Let's talk about all of this with CNN national security analyst and former deputy director of national intelligence, Beth Sanner.

Thank you so much for coming in on this holiday week.

Look, we've heard from Netanyahu. He has been in Gaza now for the second time visiting with troops and vowing for what he called a long fight in this Israel/Hamas war. He also said the military's intensifying operations and we're seeing the results of that. What do you make of this strategy, and going forward, are things changing when it comes to how you see this playing out?

BETH SANNER, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: I don't think we're at the phase yet of them transferring over to this second phase of war. You know, this intensification that we're seeing is going to continue for the next few weeks at least mainly because, you know, Israel just hasn't achieved military aims. And one of the things, you know, the head of Hamas in Gaza, Sinwar, spoke out publicly for the first time this weekend and said that they were winning.

So, we're going to see a lot more intensity here. And, you know, we had more Israeli troops killed over this weekend than we've seen at any other 24-hour period. So, you know, things are going to continue to get rough. And I think that Dermer is here more to buy time than to give a timeline.

SIDNER: I want to talk about something that Egypt has put forward. It's sort of a three-phase plan to try and end the war according to some of the media reports. But it's unclear exactly how the warring parties are going to receive something like this.

You've got the war cabinet that convened yesterday. They were expected to discuss ongoing efforts to secure the release of hostages as well. When you look at the situation -- and it's a very complicated one, has any progress been made towards, a, sort of coming to that sort of end of the war and figuring out what the next phase is, and, b, trying to figure out how to release the rest of the hostages who were there?

SANNER: Right, it is really complicated, Sara. The Egyptian plan, I think, is, you know, one of the early real proposals that is out there, and it has been rejected by Hamas and by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, as well as maybe Israel, not publicly, but there's no way that Israel is going to buy on to this plan just because, you know, the two sides are not meeting yet. I mean, in terms of their terms for ending this.

And I think, you know, from the Israeli public perspective, of course, they're really interested in the hostages. They are not as concerned about what we're seeing in terms of the devastation of Gaza. And part of that is because they're literally not seeing the war like we're seeing it.

[09:10:04]

They're not seeing the images on TV, but they are focused on the hostages. So, I think there are going to be more rounds of this and I - you know, I wouldn't give up hope of a temporary cease-fire, but this calls for a temporary cease-fire leading to a permanent cease- fire. And that's not in the cards yet.

SIDNER: I want to talk to you about the regional potential of all this. You have -- President Biden directing strikes in Iraq. And you have Iran sort of threatening -- full-on threatening Israel because of the death of one of its security members. I'm curious, from your perspective, as to whether or not you see this blowing up into a much bigger regional war. SANNER: Well, I think everybody is trying. From the United States

perspective, and from the Iranian perspective, neither side sees it in their interest to have this war blow up into a full-scale regional war. But that doesn't mean that Iran is standing or sitting on their hands. Quite the opposite. There is this strike about on a ship right off the coast of India, which was struck by a drone, which the United States says was caused by Iran. We have now the death of this brigadier general, IRGC general, inside Syria. The number one most important general in the region. Kind of one of the lieutenants to Soleimani, whom we killed in January of 2020. And this attack. So, you know - and then we have Hezbollah also stepping up attacks from Lebanon onto northern Israel.

So, while, you know, I think the United States is really working to keep things calm, things can get out of hand. And it does take me back to that Soleimani strike in January 2020 where, you know, it was this ratcheting up of strike and retaliation, strike and retaliation, to the point where the United States then decided to kill Soleimani. Now, in this case, we don't want to do that, but things can get out of hand.

SIDNER: Yes, it's a really good point to make. I remember that. I was actually in Israel at the time. There was a real fear that there was going to be a major conflagration between Iran and Israel with the United States in the middle of it.

Beth Sanner, thank you so much for coming on and have a wonderful rest of your week.

SANNER: Thanks, Sara.

BOLDUAN: Coming up for us, the FBI now launching an investigation after multiple threats are made against the Colorado judges who ruled that Donald Trump is disqualified from appearing on Colorado's primary ballot. What we're learning about those threats.

And Donald Trump's Christmas message included witch hunts, thugs, and yet another promise to repeal Obamacare. Why?

And a Russian warship goes up in flames after Ukraine launches multiple strikes on Crimea.

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[09:17:22]

BOLDUAN: The FBI has announced that it is now joining the investigation into violent threats made against Colorado supreme court justices. The same justices who ruled last week that Donald Trump is disqualified from appearing on the state's 2024 primary ballot.

CNN's Katelyn Polantz has more on this. She's joining us now.

Katelyn, what are you learning about these threats and now this investigation? KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kate, just a week ago was

that ruling out of the Colorado supreme court saying Donald Trump couldn't be on the ballot, on the primary ballot, because he had engaged in insurrection in 2020 and 2021 after the election. And so just two days after that, the Denver Police had to respond to a justice's home from the Colorado supreme court, responding to a hoax report. And then law enforcement was continuing to look into threats around these justices who took part in that decision, four of the seven voted to remove Trump from the ballot, and learned there was a rise in the online discussions, especially among extremists, about general violence toward these justices.

And so then the FBI has gotten involved. We just heard yesterday from a public affairs officer at the FBI. They said, "the FBI is aware of the situation and working with local law enforcement. We will vigorously pursue investigations of any threat or use of violence committed by someone who uses extremist views to justify their actions, regardless of motivation."

So, law enforcement is on high alert here. And it comes in a climate where there is an unprecedented rise in threats toward public officials, particularly judges, justices, especially ones involved in highly political cases. And so law enforcement out in Colorado is definitely tracking this now.

Kate.

BOLDUAN: Absolutely.

Katelyn, thank you so much for the update. Much more to come there.

SIDNER: This message may go down in history as the grinchiest ever. Donald Trump spent his Christmas airing his grievances to more than 6.5 million people who follow him on Truth Social. In a series of posts, Donald Trump went after some of his opponents, including President Biden and special counsel Jack Smith, you can read there. His message in the end, "may they rot in hell. Again, Merry Christmas."

National politics reporter for the "Associated Press," Meg Kinnard, is joining us now.

I know I shouldn't laugh, but this was a torrent of fury and bitterness on Christmas Day. What is he thinking?

MEG KINNARD, NATIONAL POLITICS REPORTER, "ASSOCIATED PRESS": Hey there.

[09:20:00]

It's good to be with you, Sara.

You know, I think that when we see these messages coming from the former president, he is using the opportunity, you know, for -- to reach the audience that you just mentioned there from his Truth Social platform. But also, he's keeping in mind these are messages to those who are already supporting him, you know, the voters out there who will soon begin casting their votes who, you know, are taking all of the cases against him and all this information in this very unprecedented election cycle. And he's reminding them of everything that he faces. Those arguments that we hear him make on the campaign trail and speeches and other events. This was just his opportunity to reiterate some of that.

And, you know, when I'm out there on the trail and I'm talking to voters, I don't think these messages really change a lot of minds. For folks who already don't like Donald Trump, or at least aren't planning on voting for him this time, OK, yes, they see that and they just keep on moving. For folks who already support him, it's just a reminder of all the reasons that maybe they do. So, you know, these mean tweets, as some people reference them to me, even though I know this is Truth Social so I guess it's a Truth, but either way I don't think that they really change the discourse among the voters who are getting ready to start making good choices.

SIDNER: I mean you make a good point, he is still the frontrunner for the Republican nomination. There's some new reporting by "Politico," and CNN's matching this reporting, that Trump allies are now urging him not to choose Nikki Haley for VP. Why not?

KINNARD: This has long been a conversation among those of us who have covered her. You know, I've covered Nikki Haley since I joined the AP in 2005. But, you know, it's -- as she went through her governorship and on to the U.N., like, oh, we'll, maybe she'd be a good choice. And there are also people who have been inside Donald Trump's circle for a long time who kind of give reminders of the ways that she stood up to him and the clashes that they had when she was part of his cabinet for about those two years that she served in the Trump administration. So, when you look at a candidate like Nikki Haley, you know, certainly she has been doing better in the primary that, as you point out, Donald Trump has continued to be far and away the frontrunner. But as she is kind of creeping forward in some places, you know, that conversation keeps happening. Her name keeps coming up. But there are also those reminders, remember, you know, when -- if he is the nominee, Donald Trump may be looking for a running mate who he's 100 percent confident is going to stand behind all the choices that he would make as president. And there are some doubts among his circle that she would not necessarily be that candidate.

SIDNER: That is one of the things that's sort of come out is that loyalty for him this time around is the most important thing, not necessarily competence.

I do want to ask you about a "New York Times" piece that's out that talks about DeSantis and what went wrong for DeSantis in 2023. And I'm going to read you a little part of it. It says, "Ryan Tyson, Mr. DeSantis' longtime pollster and one of his closest advisers has privately said to multiple people that they are now at the point in the campaign where they need to make the patient comfortable." Yikes.

What do you read from this? I mean basically his own sort of team is saying he's dead in the water when it comes to this race. KINNARD: Yes, that hospice reference I think was a little jarring for

everyone reading that, but it does kind of paint the picture of, this is a candidate who, in some places, I'm thinking Iowa, has not necessarily been ascendant. Has actually been somewhat stagnant and even going down. And, again, no votes have been cast. We don't exactly know how all these caucus goes or voters in New Hampshire and other places are actually going to be thinking and making their choices -

SIDNER: Right.

KINNARD: But it does kind of give a little bit of a flavor of behind the scenes of a campaign that hasn't necessarily gone how either the candidate or those around him would have really hoped at this point.

SIDNER: Yes. And just to be clear, Ryan Tyson, the person who - that was attributed to, has denied saying it. But a lot of people are watching that campaign. They thought it was going to be something very, very different, and it has turned into something that doesn't seem as viable as it did at the very beginning.

Let's also talk a little bit about some trips that Biden is reportedly planning to make to minority communities. He's really trying to get out and get the Latino vote and get the black vote. How's that going?

KINNARD: He's going to be doing that and Vice President Harris is going to be doing that in Nevada and also in South Carolina, where I live and report. And this is -- these are efforts of outreach to community that a lot of strategists have -- really looking back over the last two, you know, election cycles, 2016 and 2020, and perhaps are thinking, you know, these are communities that we, as Democratic strategists, have to be looking at and cultivating and not taking for granted.

Honestly, that's what I hear from some voters when I'm out on the trail reporting on the Democratic side of things. And they feel like they are presumed to be Democratic voters and they aren't necessarily anymore. I'm hearing that more and more in South Carolina particularly where we know black voters play an outsized role in the Democratic electorate.

So, perhaps this is intentionality that we're seeing from the president, as well as the vice president, and others in his campaign circle that, you know, they're really trying to be intentional about that outreach.

[09:25:01]

We'll see how it goes, but at least that's the effort that they're going to be making right now.

SIDNER: Yes, certainly South Carolina was huge for Biden. Black voters, particularly black female voters, really helped him rise to the presidency.

Meg Kinnard, thank you so much for coming in. Have a great rest of the week. KINNARD: You, too. Thanks.

BOLDUAN: Coming up for us, a massive explosion in Crimea. The Ukrainian military says it destroyed a Russian navy ship. We have new details on why this ship was targeted.

And the new message coming from Alexei Navalny. Putin's chief critic and opposition leader has finally been found after missing for two weeks, resurfacing in a remote arctic prison. Navalny's press secretary joins us to talk about what they know about how he's doing now.

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[09:30:08]

SIDNER: This morning, the Ukrainian air force.