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Trump: Zelenskyy Has To Start "Accepting Things...He's Losing"; Jimmy Kimmel Extends ABC Contract For At Least Another Year; ICEBlock App Hits Trump Administration With New Lawsuit. Aired 7:30-8a ET

Aired December 09, 2025 - 07:30   ET

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

[07:30:00]

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking overnight, President Trump declaring in a new interview Ukraine is "losing." Trump's comments to Politico that Russia is in a stronger position came at a key moment in the negotiations to end the war in Ukraine and as Ukrainian President Zelenskyy is stating clearly that Ukraine is not willing to concede land to Russia.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: -- people killed.

DASHA BURNS, WHITE HOUSE BUREAU CHIEF, POLITICO: If this deal -- if Zelenskyy rejects this deal --

TRUMP: Yeah.

BURNS: -- is there a timeline -- is there a point at which you say OK?

TRUMP: Well, he's going to have to get on the ball and start accepting things, you know. When you're losing -- because he's losing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: Joining us now is CNN global affairs analyst Brett McGurk.

Is this a clear sign that Trump is sticking with the U.S. plan that would force Ukraine to give up some territory? He's gone after the president of Ukraine a couple of times in the last couple of days.

BRETT MCGURK, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST, FORMER MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA COORDINATOR, NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL: Yeah, Sara. You know, progress has been made in this negotiation. There's a framework for what the end of the war can look like, but on the key issue of territorial concessions there has been no progress. And it's kind of an error in diplomacy to keep pressing a matter when you know progress can't be made, and right now on this issue of territory things are stuck.

The president seems to have in his mind that this territory is going to be taken by Russia in any case, so Ukraine might as well basically sue for peace and take a deal. But, you know, we're in the fourth year of this war and the Russians have not been able to take this territory in the Donbas. It's called the Fortress Belt for Ukraine. It's their most defensible territory. They consider it critical to the defense of their country going forward.

So I actually think the assumption is the reverse. I think, you know, Russia actually cannot take this land without enormous cost and over a period of years. That's according to a U.K. intelligence assessment. But in diplomacy there's always assumptions you make. The president seems to assume, again, that Russia is going to take this territory militarily, therefore Ukraine has to concede.

I actually think the opposite assumption is right and therefore, the formula -- you put this framework together, the formula on land is freeze where you are now and stop the war -- and end the war, which you all want.

So this is the key issue of territory. It seems to be stuck. I mean, I think the best play here is to support the Ukrainians through the winter and then in the spring return to the negotiating table. Putin always thinks winter advantages him. He tries to break his opponents in the winter. This is the fourth winter. It's a difficult winter for Ukraine. But Putin is not going to -- is not going to pick up this land militarily and in the spring, there might be another opportunity for diplomacy. But right now it appears to be very stuck, Sara.

SIDNER: Yeah. An in the meantime, the war is ongoing and people are suffering through it there in Ukraine.

I do want to ask you about comments that Trump also told Politico when it comes to how he views NATO and whether a message of tough love is being sent to them -- listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BURNS: Might you endorse candidates?

TRUMP: NATO calls me daddy. I mean, I have a lot to say about it. Look, I raised, you know, the GDP from two percent to five percent. The two percent they weren't paying and the five percent they are paying. And they're paying it because when we send things over NATO pays for it, and I assume they give it to Ukraine. But, uh, Europe is being destroyed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: I guess I just need to ask you a couple of questions. What do you think he means by Europe is being destroyed, and that NATO calls him daddy?

MCGURK: Well Sara, look, I -- America's comparative advantage in the world against countries like China or Russia are allies -- a web of alliances -- and central to that is Europe and NATO. And yeah, the Europeans are difficult to deal with. They often -- it's hard to for them to make decisions. Sometimes they act collectively through the EU. That's because of the history of Europe and two world wars.

SIDNER: Right.

MCGURK: And these are -- these are arrangements they've put together.

I just -- I don't think that kind of -- unless the president has some aim here -- he's trying to get the Europeans to do something specifically, it is tough love. If it's really America kind of walking away from Europe because we don't like where certain countries' domestic politics are heading, I think that's a very dangerous signal not only for Russia and Putin but also for Xi Jinping and China.

You know, Xi Jinping and China -- he will be making his own calculations about Taiwan, which would be a cataclysmic conflict that we have to do everything we possibly can to deter. And he has said he wants his military to be ready by 2027. So we could be heading into a much more dangerous world here and we're going to need our allies. We're going to need our allies, particularly NATO and the Europeans.

SIDNER: Brett McGurk, you always have great analysis. I really do appreciate you coming on and talking us through all this.

MCGURK: Thanks.

Over to you, John.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Breaking just moments ago in that interview released by Politico, the president was asked to put a grade on the current U.S. economy -- watch.

[07:35:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BURNS: But I do want to talk about the economy, sir, here at home. And I wonder what grade you would give the economy.

TRUMP: A-plus.

BURNS: A-plus.

TRUMP: Yeah. A-plus-plus-plus-plus-plus.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: The latest polling on the economy tells a different story. Sixty-eight percent of Americans say the economy is now getting worse.

With us now are CNN political commentators Paul Begala and David Urban.

David, you know, the president heading to Pennsylvania, your home turf, today to deliver this message on affordability that White House advisers desperately want him to be on message about. Is saying the economy is A-plus-plus-plus-plus-plus on message for that? DAVID URBAN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST, FORMER TRUMP CAMPAIGN ADVISER: Listen, I think the president needs to have an "I feel your pain" moment today.

BERMAN: A-plus-plus-plus-plus --

URBAN: Well, let's see. Listen --

BERMAN: -- is sort of --

URBAN: -- the economy is -- you know, it's doing better, right? Gas prices are down, inflation is down, real wage growth is up. We're going to have no tax on tips, no tax on Social Security, no tax on overtime. All of those things are going to kick in at the beginning of this next coming year, so the economy is going to slowly improve.

But just like you saw in the last administration where the numbers were pretty good, when people reach into their pocketbook and they take out that wad of twenty-dollar bills and they've got to make a decision how much gas to put in their car, how much groceries to put in their cart, that's what really matters.

So you can think one thing, the White House can think one thing, the Council of Economic Advisers can one thing, the Fed can think one thing, but Pennsylvanians, Michiganders, Ohioans, and people across America know something different when they reach in their pocketbook.

The president is the best communicator on this and so I think it's imperative that he get out on the stump and start reminding people about that this administration cares about affordability.

BERMAN: I thought Republicans were against grade inflation, David.

URBAN: (Laughing).

BERMAN: Paul, you've run some campaigns where the economy seemed to be pretty important. You know, would the Clinton campaign in 1992 ever come out and say, you know, it's the economy being A-plus-plus-plus- plus-plus, stupid?

PAUL BEGALA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: No, it is stupid and with respect to our president, it's foolish. Let me put it that way.

If you go to a doc and you say doc, my shoulder is killing me and the doc says no, it's not, that's a hoax perpetrated by the knee, you'd get another doctor, right? Because we live in this world. People don't live -- and Urban sounds like one of the Biden advisers. But the macroeconomics and this --

Look, people don't live in the macroeconomy; they live in the macaroni and cheese economy, and they can't afford that macaroni and cheese. Hamburger if $6.32 a pound. It's the highest in the history of hamburger.

Electricity rates are through the roof. Try to buy or sell a house in Louisiana or Florida or Texas with the property insurance rates going through the roof. And healthcare is about to kick in. We're going to see the subsidies gone from Obamacare and it's going to raise everybody's costs.

People are angry. They're really angry. And when the president, who is a master salesman -- when he comes to them and says no, you can't believe your lying eyes, it makes people think he doesn't get it.

BERMAN: Paul, let's talk about you, and by that, I mean Democrats and Democrats specifically from the state of Texas.

Jasmine Crockett, a member of Congress and now she's going to run for U.S. Senate there. Colin Allred dropped out of the Senate race and is running for Congress. I whole bunch of movement there.

But now it sets up this primary between Jasmine Crockett and James Talarico. And a lot of people are looking at this and saying this represents the Democrats missing the moment. Missing an opportunity here. There's infighting here. They may be running too far to the left when there's an opportunity to run to the middle.

What do you see?

BEGALA: They may be.

First off, it says something great about Texas Democrats that they've produced two young, talented candidates. I mean, it used to be we couldn't hardly field good candidates, so that's important.

Um, I do though think Congresswoman Crockett whip smart, really funny, brilliant -- a master of social media. But TikTok ain't Texas, OK? It is -- it is not a swing state. It is a deep red state. If you want to win there you've got to be in the middle.

James Talarico, who amazingly is even younger than Jasmine Crockett -- Congresswoman Crockett is only 44. A brilliant future ahead of her. James Talarico is 37 and he's even better at capturing lightning in a bottle on social media, but he does it with much more centrist, moderate, Christian, liberal policies.

He got Joe Rogan, one of the biggest Trump supporters in the media, to say that Talarico should run for president. That's how you win in Texas. You've got to take a lot of people who voted for Donald Trump and win them over. You're not going to win them over by mastering, you know, TikTok. You're going to -- I think Talarico is probably a better bet.

And I've talked to -- I've talked to all seven Texas Democrats, and I think that everybody is really impressed with Crockett, and it's great for the Democrats that she's running. I don't mind a tough primary. I think it's good for the soul.

BERMAN: David?

URBAN: That's a great country song -- "TikTok Ain't Texas," all right? And Paul's right. Paul is a Texan and he knows -- he knows what he speaks of.

[07:40:00]

This is like Snoopy and the football, right? This is Texas and Democrats.

BERMAN: Lucy.

URBAN: Lucy and the football. Well, not Snoopy exactly. The mixed metaphor is there.

But it's exactly correct that Democrats aren't going to win --

BEGALA: Or Jalen Hurts and the football. Sorry, I know --

URBAN: Jalen Hurts and the football, we just saw.

But Paul knows this. They're not going to win. I mean, you had candidate after candidate goes after this. This is the great white whale in Democratic politics. Jasmine Crockett is no -- you know, I said this -- she's not going to win Texas. I'll grow hair on my head before she's a senator from Texas.

BERMAN: Um, is this the -- so do Republicans care one way or the other who the opponent is?

URBAN: Well listen, I think it'd be great. Listen, I think the president would love to see -- Republicans would love to see Jasmine Crockett running statewide in Texas, you know. It's again, a candidate who is just out of step with what mainstream Democrats want to see. And I think that they're missing an opportunity here to really frame serious issues by putting up someone who is -- who may be TikTok famous but is completely out of step with average Texans and what they care about at the -- at their dinner table.

So I think Paul is -- Paul is putting a nice spin on it, but I think they'd like to see somebody much more centrist.

BERMAN: Paul Begala, David Urban, we've had -- we've had Snoopy, we've had Lucy, we've had shoulders, we've had knees.

URBAN: Jalen Hurts.

BERMAN: Jalen Hurts. A wonderful discussion this morning. Thank you both.

BEGALA: And hair. Urban and I are going to get hair.

BERMAN: Holding out hope -- Kate.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: I mean, what happened just now? Love you, guys.

Jimmy Kimmel isn't going anywhere. The late-night host just signed on for one more year with Disney-owned ABC and that means "JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE!" will stay on the air through May of 2027. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIMMY KIMMEL, HOST, ABC "JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE!": The last thing I want to do is upset you during this sensitive time, but I have one more bit of entertainment news to share, and that is that I've decided to extend my contract here at ABC for another year.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Kimmel's show, remember, was briefly pulled off the air in September over comments about the -- in the comments in the aftermath of Charlie Kirk's murder.

CNN chief media analyst Brian Stelter joins us now with much more on this. What are you learning about what went into this decision, Brian?

BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: Well, these talks were already underway with Kimmel before that outrageous episode of government and censorship erupted back in September. ABC was already angling to keep Kimmel around. And, you know, Kimmel sometimes makes noises about thinking about retirement, but he was inclined to stay as well.

I think that episode back in September though -- it underscored the value of Kimmel in this moment. It showed that his audience really wants him there on the late-night stage skewering Trump and speaking out every night. And once Kimmel was returned to the airwaves after that crazy week, he had even more power. He had even more leverage.

So now this contract renewal makes it official. It keeps him in the job. And frankly, it shows that he has been imbued with more power. I think these days it is notable anytime a major media company ignores Trumpian pressure and stands with talent. So that is why it's notable that Disney's ABC is renewing him and that Kimmel is choosing to stay. That he wants to continue doing this. That he doesn't mind the attacks and posts on Truth Social and that he wants to continue to speak out.

So I think that's the broader context. And ultimately, remember, one of the reasons why Kimmel returned to the airwaves is because Disney was feeling consumer pressure, consumer backlash against Disney+ and Hulu. So it was a really interesting cycle showing how the audience can have a real say in these sorts of political pressure campaigns.

And by the way, speaking of what happened in September, FCC chairman Brendan Carr who started all that -- he's actually getting dragged up to Capitol Hill later this month by Sen. Ted Cruz. So we're actually going to hear more pretty soon about that behind-the-scenes pressure to try to censor Kimmel. But at least for now we know he's back on the air for another, I think, 18 months or so.

BOLDUAN: All right, Brian. Thanks so much. Great to see you -- Sara.

SIDNER: All right. Thank you, Kate.

This morning the trial for accused murderer Brian Walshe enters day seven with a forensic scientist expected to retake the stand. Now, Walshe denies killing his wife Ana, but he did admit to disposing of her body and lying to police.

Monday, jurors saw more surveillance video and grisly evidence that investigators recovered from Brian's home.

CNN's Jean Casarez is following all of the developments here. You got to watch this new video, which I know you are going to show us, of just some of the evidence the jury is seeing themselves on this.

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, it's a surveillance video of Brian Walshe himself that I think took the day and jurors had to have been watching this closely.

We're going to first go to Lowe's, and it is January first. So set the scene here. It is less than 24 hours, Sara, since his wife died either by sudden death or by homicide.

So there he is in Lowe's. He goes in. He's at the self-checkout. Now you notice the basket. It is filled, right? There are five five-gallon blue buckets. And even though he's at the self-checkout they're helping him right there.

[07:45:05]

But I looked at the receipt and cotton mop combo. There are latex gloves in there. A framing hammer is in there. A cotton mop refill is in there. Tinsnips, which is a tool, a fixed blade utility knife, 200- count bag of rags, a Tyvek suit, and shoe guards. He's standing there but he also at one point helps them bag it, which is -- but look how calm he is. This is the demeanor, all right?

Now, let's go to January 4 at Lowe's. Believe it or not, on January 4, when he walks in the door at Lowe's he brings his little son. His little son is with him. You see they walk in the door right there. Now they're at self-checkout and the little boy is holding some things as he is scanning them.

Think about that. This is January 4. It's a couple of days after this little boy has lost his mother and this little boy doesn't know he's lost his mother right here.

And they're doing the self-checkout. At one point -- watch this -- Brian Walshe sees that there is a camera there at the self-checkout. It's going to happen in a minute. But he looks at himself and it's like oh, my hair is out of place, and he has a little smile. There he goes. He's putting the hair back in place.

The demeanor of this witness at these stores I think is going to be critically important because you don't see premeditation for murder. You don't see that he caused the death, but you see his demeanor. He's supposed to be frantic, right? That's what the defense attorney said. Now, the defense will also say this is a few days later and he's in a point where he just has to do what he has to do.

Let's go to CVS real fast. He goes to CVS on January first. Walks in the door. What does he get? He gets five hydrogen peroxide sprays. So we're going through that. But then the forensic scientist that's still on the stand goes into the home of Brian Walshe. They've got the warrant at this point. They go into the home. He finds a lot of red stains that tested initially positive for blood. But that's the basement. There's an area in the basement where there was nothing at all. It was just clear -- asphalt floor. And he found red-brown stains that presumptively tested positive for blood -- conclusively for blood also.

And the question is where did the dismemberment take place? We do not know the theory of the prosecution because there's a lot of blood on a white rug. But that basement right there, out of the reach of children, down the stairs from the kitchen.

SIDNER: Yeah. I think people forget there are three young children who are going to have to deal with this. And in the meantime, these grisly details just keep coming out one after the other every single day. And I know you are watching it and reporting on it throughout. Thank you, Jean Casarez.

CASAREZ: Thank you.

SIDNER: Appreciate it -- John.

BERMAN: All right. Standing by for a crucial decision on the economy. Which way will interest rates go and what does it mean for your credit cards and loans?

And dashcam video shows the moment a pickup truck took flight over several lanes in the highway. There it goes. Oh my goodness. We have an update this morning on how everyone there is doing.

(COMMERCIAL)

[07:53:07]

BERMAN: All right. Very shortly the Federal Reserve kicks off two days of meetings where they will decide on interest rates. All signs point to a rate cut, so what does that mean for you?

With us now CNN senior reporter Matt Egan. What do we expect? And what can we expect for our wallets?

MATT EGAN, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Well John, you're right. It does look like the Fed is prepared to deliver one more interest rate cut just in time for Christmas. All signs do point to an interest rate cut.

Now what gets lost sometimes in the noise is the fact that -- look at this. Fed rates have come down pretty significantly --

BERMAN: Yeah.

EGAN: -- right? Not rock-bottom rates like during 2020 during COVID, but still we're talking about almost two full percentage points below the peak of last year. And this would be the third-straight interest rate cut from the Fed. OK, so what does it mean for everyone at home? Well, this is, of course, good news for borrowers, right? It could lead to a little bit cheaper credit cards and home equity lines of credit as well. Mortgage rates -- the bond market really calls the shots there. Mortgage rates have come down though not as much as the Fed rates.

Now, for savers, this does make it a little bit harder to find inflation-beating yields for their nest eggs, right, but if you do shop around you can find some high-yield savings accounts that are north of four percent and some money market accounts approaching four percent. But again, you do have to shop around.

Now hopefully, for consumers, the Fed rate cuts shore up the shaky job market, right? That is really why they're cutting interest rates. They're trying to prevent unemployment from going even higher. And, of course, the recession would be bad for savers and for borrowers alike.

Just one last point, credit card rates. Credit cards remain very expensive. So the record high was August of 2024 at nearly 21 percent. Now it's under 20 percent, so it's come down but only just barely. And so John, that is why personal finance experts say that if you're sitting on a lot of credit card debt, you're much better off applying for a zero percent transfer card rather than waiting around for the Fed to save you.

[07:55:10]

BERMAN: Credit card debt -- man, it will kill you.

EGAN: Yes.

BERMAN: It is bad, bad, bad.

All right, Matt Egan. Great to see you this morning.

EGAN: Thank you, John.

BERMAN: And we're watching those Fed rates and those decisions very closely.

EGAN: Yes.

BERMAN: Kate.

BOLDUAN: Stick around, boys. Something wild to show you. I'm just trying to make a transition here, people. Follow me.

A wild moment was captured on dashcam video. A pickup truck goes completely airborne -- you're going to see the dashcam video -- crossing multiple lanes of a California freeway before crashing down on top of an SUV. This happened Friday night. It was so crazy and sudden it had one driver questioning if it was a car or an airplane that was crashing to the ground given the speed of the vehicle as it crashed. The drivers of both that truck and SUV -- just look at the aftermath there -- taken to the hospital with injuries. And you could call it a surf and turf scheme. An illicit drone

delivery to the Lee County Correctional Institution in South Carolina was intercepted by prison officials. And um, this was no ordinary contraband. Officials say that the package included, among other things, crab legs, Old Bay seasoning, a steak, and two bags of marijuana because what goes better -- just a little dash. A spokesperson for the Department of Corrections said that while they often find unusual items in contraband packages, this incident was peculiar even for them.

But can you blame them for trying? Sara.

SIDNER: All right. Thank you so much, Kate.

New this morning, a legal fight over an app having a bit of an impact on the Trump administration's immigration crackdown. The creator of ICEBlock, the app designed to let users warn communities about ICE sightings, is suing the Trump administration now. The lawsuit claims the White House pressured Apple to pull the app from its store, calling that an abuse of government power and a violation of constitutionally protected speech.

Named in the lawsuit are Attorney General Pam Bondi, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, White House border czar Tom Homan, and acting ICE director Todd Lyons. CNN's Clare Duffy is following this story. Tell me more about what is

happening here. This app has been quite popular in some areas as ICE crackdowns have been happening.

CLARE DUFFY, CNN TECH REPORTER: Yeah, quite popular and quite controversial. This ICEBlock app allows people to notify their neighbors of nearby public ICE sightings. And its creator, Joshua Aaron has repeatedly said that its intent is to make it possible for people to avoid ICE agents; not to interfere with their operations.

But in October, about six months after the app became publicly available, Apple pulled the app from the AppStore after a request from the Justice Department. And the Justice Department -- Attorney General Pam Bondi actually acknowledged that they went to Apple and asked for it to remove this platform. And she said, "ICEBlock is designed to put ICE agents at risk just for doing their jobs, and violence against law enforcement is an intolerable red line that cannot be crossed."

The app had around one million users at the time it was removed, and this just means that no new users can download it.

Trump administration officials also threatened Aaron with criminal prosecution over the app, and he is now suing the Trump administration claiming that those threats and what he calls pressure on Apple is a violation of his First Amendment rights.

He also is pushing back on this idea that the app puts ICE agents at risk. Take a listen to what he told our Erin Burnett last night.

No -- I don't know. I thought we had a clip there. But basically, what he's comparing ICEBlock to is these publicly available mapping apps like Waze where people can report public sightings of police speed traps.

SIDNER: (INAUDIBLE).

DUFFY: He says people don't go after police in these instances. That's not the intention with ICEBlock either. And with this lawsuit he is seeking an order preventing future government pressure of this app.

SIDNER: All right. I think we do have sound there of him speaking with our Erin Burnett. Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSHUA AARON, CREATOR, ICEBLOCK APP: Well, I think it comes back to the same rhetoric that's been used since the inception of any kind of public law enforcement reporting in the digital platform. I believe it was Waze who did the first one with speed traps.

And so the local, state, and federal officials -- they used the exact same rhetoric. Somehow, they figured if you could see a police officer doing a speed trap in public and you told somebody else about it, magically they were going to jump out of their car and start smashing the police car and attacking the police officer. Obviously, that's ridiculous. That doesn't happen. What do they do? They slow down and they avoid the conflict.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DUFFY: Now, Aaron did tell me that he doesn't have high hopes that Apple will be restoring access to this app, but he wants an acknowledgment with this lawsuit of what he says is a violation of his constitutionally protected speech.

SIDNER: I mean, there is a lot in there and this is an issue that is so big and getting bigger by the day. We'll see what happens in this case. I know you'll be following it.

Clare Duffy --

DUFFY: Thank you.

SIDNER: -- it is a pleasure. Thank you so much.

All right. A new hour of CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts right now.