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Trump Expected to Tout Economic Politics in PA; Trump: Zelenskyy Has to Start "Accepting Things... He's Losing"; Trump says European Leaders are Weak; Australia's Social Media Ban. Aired 1-1:30p ET

Aired December 09, 2025 - 13:00   ET

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

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TARPLEY HITT, AUTHOR, "BARBIELAND" THE UNAUTHORIZED HISTORY": You know, Mattel was a very big champion of NAFTA, to deregulation at the federal level, all of these trends that we now, that are now, you know, commonplace, Mattel championed.

DANA BASH, CNN ANCHOR: Tarpley Hitt, your book is called "Barbieland," and thank you so much for being here, I appreciate it.

HITT: Thank you so much.

BASH: Thanks for joining Inside Politics today. CNN News Central starts right now.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Not an A, not an A minus. The president is grading the economy an A plus, plus, plus, plus, plus. Clearly, there's a curve here, because recent polling shows Americans don't agree with that very high mark. We're crunching the numbers. And ramping up the pressure, the president says it is time for the Ukrainian president to start making concessions to end its war with Russia. But what about Moscow?

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: And access denied. Australia just becoming the first country to ban social media for kids under 16. It may not be the last. We're following these major developing stories and many more, all coming in right here to CNN News Central.

KEILAR: Talk about a tough sell. Today, President Trump is heading to the key state of Pennsylvania to tout his administration's economic policies. Despite Americans ranking affordability as a top concern, the president is still giving himself top marks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I wonder what grade you would give your economy?

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: A plus.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A plus?

TRUMP: Yes. A plus, plus, plus, plus, plus. The word affordability. I inherited a mess. I inherited a total mess. Prices were at an all-time high when I came in. Prices are coming down substantially. The Democrats love to say affordability, but then they never talk about it. They're the ones who gave us the high prices. I'm the one that's bringing them down.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Let's go now to CNN's Matt Egan. All right. Matt, fact check that for us.

MATT EGAN, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Well, Brianna, the president's comments are pretty hard to square with the economic reality that millions of Americans are experiencing every single day.

Let's go through the numbers, starting with the cost of living, which is a major issue, not just this year, but really for the last four years. So, this is a look at the inflation rate going back to 2020. And the president is right. This was a mess. Inflation peaked at over 9 percent in 2022. That was a 40-year high. This was driven by a perfect storm of the supply chains breaking down, the COVID reopening, too much stimulus from the federal government and the Federal Reserve, and Russia's invasion of Ukraine. And look, thankfully, the inflation rate has come down dramatically.

But I would just note two things. One, most of this improvement occurred before President Trump took office in January 2025. And also, the fact that inflation has come down does not mean that prices are down. It means that they're going up at a slower pace.

But one thing that has gotten cheaper is the price of gasoline. Look at this, a fresh four-and-a-half-year low, three-and-a-half-year low of $2.95 a gallon as of today. That is miles away from the all-time high set back in 2022 under former President Biden above $5 a gallon. And it is lower, although only a little bit lower, than at this point last year.

Now, when you look at the big picture on inflation, the inflation rate that President Trump inherited when he took office was 3 percent. Look at this. The most recent inflation rate that we have is as of September, it's also 3 percent. So, there's really been no improvement when it comes to the rate of inflation.

But that's only half the story. Let's look at the job market, too. Now, President Trump inherited a very low inflation rate of just 4 percent as of January. Look at this. It's moving in the wrong direction, as of September, 4.4 percent. Now, we don't have a number for October because of the government shutdown. New numbers out on November's unemployment rate next week expected to show that the unemployment rate went the wrong way again, up to 4.5 percent.

When you look at job growth, again, job market was in pretty solid shape when President Trump took office. The U.S. economy was adding an average over the prior three months, as of January, 231,000 jobs a month. But look at this, it has really slowed significantly to just 62,000. So, clearly, when it comes to the job market, there's been no improvement. In fact, things are moving in the wrong direction. And, Brianna, that's why the Fed is expected to cut interest rates tomorrow, because of the job market.

KEILAR: And the president has called the affordability issue a hoax, Matt. What do the numbers show?

EGAN: Yes, Brianna, the numbers show that this is not a hoax, that it's all too real. Let's look at wage growth. This blue line is wages. The red line is inflation. And you can see that wages are going up faster than prices, which is good. But the gap has really started to narrow in the last few months.

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And that's in part because, while high-income households, their pay is going up at a very healthy clip, ahead of inflation, that's not the case for the rest of the country. These numbers are from Bank of America. And they show that, while inflation is at 3 percent, middle- income households, their pay as of November was only up by 2.3 percent, so trailing the rate of inflation.

And it's even worse for low-income households, where their pay is only up 1.4 percent. So, that's less than half the pace of inflation. So, for a lot of people, if it feels like they can't keep up with higher prices, it's because they literally can't, at least according to this research.

And all of that does help explain some of the sentiment around the economy, right? Consumer confidence is very low, near all-time lows. And this poll from Gallup shows that just 27 percent of Americans say the economy is getting better. That's down from the prior month. In fact, this is the lowest level in about a year-and-a-half. Far more, Brianna, say that the economy is getting worse. Back to you.

KEILAR: Yes, that is quite a number there. Matt Egan, thank you so much. Boris?

EGAN: Thanks.

SANCHEZ: Also, in that new interview, we just played a clip of President Trump declares that Ukraine is losing its war with Russia, saying that it's time for President Zelenskyy to, quote, "start accepting things." Trump's comments that Russia has the upper hand come at a key moment in the negotiations to end the war. And as Ukrainian President Zelenskyy is making it clear that Ukraine is not willing to concede land to the Kremlin. As Europe puts on a united front for Ukraine, Trump is slamming European leaders, unleashing a new broadside against the NATO alliance as well. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you intend to send kind of a message of tough love to our allies to push them to make reforms or do you think that many of them are just weak and you don't really want to be allies with them?

TRUMP: I think they're weak. But I also think that they want to be so politically correct that I think they don't know what to do. Europe doesn't know what to do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Let's go now live to Rome, that's where we find CNN's Ben Wedeman and where Zelenskyy has just met with the Italian prime minister, as well as with Pope Leo. Ben, how are these comments from President Trump landing there?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think we just need to point to what the president of the European Council, Antonio Costa, said. He said that President Trump should show some respect for Europe's democratic choices.

This certainly is a classic example of how to lose friends and alienate people. This is a very sensitive time in Europe where the Ukrainians are under intense pressure from President Trump to accept a peace deal that they simply do not want to accept. And now, with this sort of broadside against European leaders, it only makes the situation more difficult.

So, the reaction of many Europeans is really, this is not the way to treat your friends that -- you know, Europe has been friends of the United States since World War II. And it's certainly not going to make any sort of agreement on ending the war in Ukraine any easier when there's this gap growing between European and the American leader.

Now, certainly there are others, you know, sort of the heads of state of the U.K., of France, of Germany, are also very aware that this is a president, an American president, with very thin skin. So, they're treading very carefully and not sort of shooting back similarly to Trump is shooting at them. But certainly, it is causing a lot of concern that the traditional alliance, the transatlantic alliance, which was one of the basic pillars of the world order as we know it until now, seems to be under attack by the United States, the original architect of that alliance. Boris.

SANCHEZ: Ben Wedeman, live for us in Rome, thank you so much for that update. Still to come, cash purchases, a hacksaw and a bloody rug. Jurors seeing more evidence in murder trial of Brian Walshe. We have the latest from the courtroom.

Plus, to be a fly on this wall. Bipartisan leaders in Congress about to have a closed-door briefing from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. We're staking out that meeting to bring you the latest.

And in a first-of-its-kind ban, children across Australia just lost access to social media. Will other countries potentially follow suit? We'll discuss next on CNN News Central.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:10:00] SANCHEZ: We're seeing a worldwide first down under. Australia just kicked millions of kids off of social media. The country has a new law that bans kids ages 16 and under, and it is now in effect as officials look to protect kids from addictive algorithms, online predators, and digital bullies.

KEILAR: The ban includes these 10 platforms. Look at them here. Under the law, each is now required to take steps to deactivate accounts as well as prevent new accounts from being made or face fines upwards of $32 million. There are no legal consequences, however, for parents or kids who break the ban.

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Let's talk about it now with child psychiatrist and author of "Reset Your Child's Brain," Victoria Dunckley. Victoria, these platforms, they're saying they'll comply. They don't, though, believe or they say they don't believe the ban's going to make kids safer. Do you think it makes kids safer?

VICTORIA DUNCKLEY, CHILD PSYCHIATRIST AND AUTHOR, "RESET YOUR CHILD'S BRAIN": Absolutely. I think I've always said that I feel like there needs to be something, like some legal consequences in place before things will actually change. So, this is like the ban heard around the world. I think we're all waiting to see what will happen.

It gets -- it lets parents off the hook, and they're all doing it together. And it's also cold turkey, which we know actually works better. So, there's a lot of things in place here that'll be, you know, kind of setting kids up to have -- to see the benefits, but doing it together.

SANCHEZ: Notably, two social media companies not on that graphic that aren't subject to this ban, Discord and Roblox, these two platforms being kept off of it. Roblox at least has agreed to some new controls. Is excluding those a mistake?

DUNCKLEY: I mean, ideally, we would be including those as well. It's almost like two different worlds, like the video game world and the social media world. But I mean, anything is better than nothing. I feel like the more that people get the message that these platforms can cause harm and are aware of what's actually going on on these platforms, in terms of the algorithms, in terms of the social interactions that are happening, the bullying, the exposure to content, all of those things.

And the more that parents realize the impacts on the brain, for example, that social media has, the impacts on the psyche, the impacts on the environment, then, you know, the more that parents, educators, physicians, mental health workers, and of course parents realize those things, the better they're able to say no, whether it's social media or gaming or whatever the case is.

KEILAR: What do you think about the age here? Australia set it at 16. Is there something special about that age? Are kids more ready for social media? DUNCKLEY: I mean, 16 is better than 12, but the older the better. So, we know that during adolescence, the brain is particularly vulnerable to addiction and to these social algorithms. So, we know that once they're young adults, they're a little bit less sensitive to social rejection, and they're more able to ignore things that happen on social media. So, 16 to me is the bare minimum. I would prefer to see it be higher.

But I think what's going to happen is that because parents are waiting until at least 16, and they kind of know why they're waiting that long, that hopefully it'll get pushed back further and further, and parents will have permission to just delay it or not use it altogether.

SANCHEZ: And, Victoria, some kids and their parents are expected to just ignore this ban. And as we said a moment ago, they won't be punished by the government if they do. What do you think of the way that the bill is written, that the law now is written in that regard? Should there be some kind of deterrent?

DUNCKLEY: I'm not sure if that would really help or not. I think, you know, there may be some kids that just ignore it, but many won't. I think it gives parents permission to say no and to just delay it, and maybe even not use smartphones altogether. So, I'm not sure what more mileage we would get out of punishing parents. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

But I just think just how --

KEILAR: I think we lost our signal there with Victoria, but we did get in the bulk of a very important conversation with what they're doing in Australia. It's so interesting. And I wonder if people in other countries are going to say, hey, it's banned in Australia, maybe we'll do it in our house too.

SANCHEZ: Yes, look forward to seeing the results. If you see a huge swing, maybe improved grades, maybe more productivity, different kinds of changes to make kids healthier, then it could be adopted elsewhere.

KEILAR: And maybe more people will start eating Vegemite too. You never know. You just never know.

SANCHEZ: I don't mind it. It's a little bit tart, salty, but I don't mind it.

KEILAR: I like it. Of course, I ate some growing up, so that's the difference. Our thanks to Victoria Dunckley for that great conversation.

Still ahead, testimony resuming in the trial of accused murderer Brian Walshe, a forensic scientist retaking the stand and walking jurors through what she found -- what was found at Walshe's home in the days after his wife's disappearance.

Plus, a plane crash landing on a busy highway, and then it slams right into a car. We'll have the details ahead on CNN News Central. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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KEILAR: A forensic scientist from Massachusetts State Crime Lab was back on the stand for day seven in the Brian Walshe murder trial. He's been testifying about the testing of blood found on items recovered from Walshe's home and from dumpsters near his mother's apartment.

Also, on the stand today, several forensic scientists from the DNA unit of the State Crime Lab. Walshe is accused of killing and dismembering his wife, Ana, in January of 2023. Unbeknownst to the jury, he has pleaded guilty to illegally disposing of her body and misleading police after her death, but he insists he did not kill her.

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CNN's Jean Casares has more on today's developments. Jean, what's the significance of this testimony today?

JEAN CASARES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh, there's so much significance. It's all about forensics, Brianna, because we need to know some of these stains, are they blood? If so, what's the DNA? Is it Ana's blood? And that can help infer that there has been, number one, potentially a murder, but number two, the state of mind that he had to clean up the scene because he committed a murder.

All right. I want you to look at these slippers right here. These are Ana's slippers, and they've become very important in this case because there are red-brown stains on the top and on the bottom of the sole of the shoe. Well, these are slippers that she wore around the house, so if she had sudden death in her bed, why is there blood on the slippers? And so, the prosecution is just putting this into evidence, and we don't know yet if it's Ana's blood, but potentially it is Ana's blood.

But the defense on cross-examination went to great length to say, just hold on for a minute here. There's a blood stain, yes, on the top and the bottom, but everything was found in a trash bag, and when everything is commingled in that bag, blood is going to get on items, and it didn't originate on the bag, on the item. So, what I want to know is, I want to know if those were droplets of blood, we don't know, which is different from if it's sort of a smearing of the blood, right? And we'll see if we find that out because that could be extremely significant.

But other points are in the house when they did the forensic testing, they collected items that they believed could be stains. Nothing was found in the bedroom at this point at all. Nothing was found in the living room. Nothing was found in the kitchen. Nothing was found in the drains. So, when you talk about premeditated murder, the prosecution is going to want the jury to believe that that murder was planned and it happened, but there isn't anything forensically found in the home.

And also, we don't know the cause of death. The jury will most likely never know the cause of death because a body was never found. But inside that basement, that's where the blood is. Inside the basement, in an asphalt area and on a white rug, and there are portions of the rug, that's where the majority of the blood is. And there are some examples right there. Those are the white little pieces, those are markers, and that's the area in the basement where the majority of the red and brown stains that we have yet to know if it's Ana's blood, but that should come right after lunch. That's where it was found.

So, if the dismemberment -- and you know, when we talk about this, we're not talking about it just to talk about it. This is evidence. This is evidence in a court of law. And that's why we have to talk about these gruesome things. But that right there can be the state of mind, the prosecutors say, of someone that may have dismembered their wife, but they had to do it because they had premeditated a murder. And the defense is saying, no, that's wrong. It is just panic because she died, he didn't know what to do, and he went into a frame of mind of not a normal person. Brianna.

KEILAR: This poor jury, Jean, I just have to say, the things that they are listening to day in, day out, it's sort of hard to discuss, even as we do, just briefly on these updates. Thank you so much for bringing them to us, Jean Casares. We appreciate it.

CASARES: Thank you.

KEILAR: Still to come, Americans are paying up and the president's been playing it down. How that, how's that going to go over with a crowd in Pennsylvania tonight? Michael Smerconish will join us next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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