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CNN INTERNATIONAL: Zelenskyy Praises Attack On Russian Warship In Crimean Port; Alexey Navalny Says He's Now In Siberian Penal Colony; US Targets Iran-Backed Kata'ib Hezbollah Group In Iraq; Scores Killed In Gaza As Israel Intensifies Operations; Apple Files Appeal To Overturn Ban On Latest Watches; AI's Impact On Voting Around The World Next Year; "Book Of Mormon" Stars Reunite In "Gutenberg! The Musical!"; Ring In 2024 With CNN. Aired 3-3:45p ET
Aired December 26, 2023 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[15:00:30]
LYNDA KINKADE, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: Hello, everyone. I'm Lynda Kinkade in Atlanta, ahead on CNN Newsroom. Ukraine claims to have destroyed a Russian ship in a missile attack on a port in occupied Crimea. A live report with the latest just ahead.
Also, timeout for Apple after it was forced to stop selling its newest Apple watch model, why the White House declined to overturn a trade commission ruling. That story coming up.
Plus, a sneak peek at CNN special New Year's Eve coverage. We'll bring in 2024 with some laugh as I sit down with the stars of Broadway's "Gutenberg! The Musical!"
Well, Ukraine's president is praising his military's attack on a Russian warship, vowing there will be no peaceful place for the occupiers. The Ukrainian Air Force shared this video on social media, saying an airstrike had destroyed a Russian landing ship in a Crimean port. Russia confirms one of its ships was damaged, and a Russian appointed head of Crimea says one person was killed. Ukraine says drones from that ship were used to carry out attacks on Ukrainian cities.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
YURII IHNAT, SPOKESMAN, UKRAINIAN AIR FORCE COMMAND (through translator): This is such a powerful event for us. In fact, we destroyed both the ship and the occupiers through well-coordinated actions.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: CNN's Nada Bashir is following developments for us and joins us live from London. Good have you with us, Nada. And so, this sounds like the most significant attack on Russia's Black Sea fleet for months.
NADA BASHIR, CNN REPORTER: It certainly is. And, in fact, this is the third targeting of Russian military hardware that we've seen just in the last week. This follows the downing of Russian war planes and Russian fighter jets, according to Ukrainian military officials. But this has certainly been welcomed as the first line of progress in the Ukrainian counteroffensive against the Russian armed forces.
Now, according to Ukrainian commanders, this vessel was carrying Iranian-made Shahed attack drones when it was struck by this missile attack overnight. Now, these attack drones have been heavily relied upon by the Russian armed forces throughout the war in Ukraine. Of course, this has been seen as a welcome sign of progress for the Ukrainian armed forces. This vessel would typically carry a crew of about 87, according to the US military, and can transport more than 200 troops.
It's unclear how many were aboard at the time of the strike. And as you heard there, this has been welcomed by both Ukrainian military officials, but also, of course, President Zelenskyy, who congratulated his military and his troops for the striking of this vessel.
We've seen that dramatic video showing plumes of smoke emerging from this Crimean port. The Kremlin itself has released a statement acknowledging this attack. They said early this morning in a statement that Russia's Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu spoke to President Putin, had reported this incident to Putin, describing the attacks having taken place overnight, saying that the Ukrainian armed forces had launched guided missiles at the vessel. But he did say that the vessel had been damaged, not going so far as to say it had been destroyed as the Ukrainian military has.
But, of course, again, the Ukrainian military pushing forward with that counteroffensive. This is, of course, a huge moment of hope for the Ukrainian military given the setbacks they have experienced over the last few weeks and months over the course of their counteroffensive. President Zelenskyy vowing to keep pushing forward with that counteroffensive and to continue targeting Russian positions.
KINKADE: All right. Nada Bashir, good to have you there for us in London, seeing across all those developments. Thanks very much.
Well, the Kremlin's fiercest opponent is speaking out after almost three weeks since his mysterious disappearance. In a social media post, jailed opposition leader Alexey Navalny said that he's fine and that he is relieved that he made it after being transferred to a remote penal colony in Siberia.
Navalny's spokesperson says his health is not worse than what it was before that grueling 20-day journey to a prison north of the Arctic Circle. He disappeared just days after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that he will run for reelection in March.
[15:05:00]
Well, earlier, CNN Contributor and former Moscow Bureau Chief Jill Dougherty spoke about the harsh conditions Navalny will now be facing and why his new location is so significant.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: He is being taken to probably the most remote place in Russia that you can be taken to. This is essentially the old gulag in the far north of Russia. And so, theoretically, he will be pretty much out of communication.
I'm not surprised that it took a long time to find him, because as supporters of his were telling me just even two weeks ago, people are transported usually by trains. And so, he is now 2,000 miles east and north of Moscow. So that could take a very long time.
But where he is, is significant. That's about, you know, locking him away as far from the action as they can get. And the action, as you mentioned, is really the upcoming election in March of 2024 when Vladimir Putin will be trying again for another term. There's very little question, of course, that he will win that.
But Navalny has a way of getting attention. We've seen it, you know, in the past couple of weeks. And he's actually even now, as we speak, tweeting about this, joking about being Santa Claus, et cetera. So it's very interesting the way this is all turning out. But I think the Kremlin perceives him as a threat, and so they want him away from attention as much as possible. And that's the bottom line.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Our thanks there to Jill Dougherty. Well, Iraq is condemning US military airstrikes that targeted a Shia militia group, calling them, quote, "a hostile act that infringes upon Iraq's sovereignty."
The White House says three locations tied to the Iranian-backed group were hit in Iraq on Monday. And a military official says a number of militants were likely killed. The strikes were in retaliation from a drone attack that wounded three US servicemembers, one of them critically at Erbil Air Base in Iraqi Kurdistan.
Pentagon Correspondent Oren Liebermann joins us now with the latest details. Oren, good to have you with us. So US troops in Iraq have been attacked. They then retaliated. What more can you tell us about the US members who were injured, one in a critical condition and the response that followed.
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: According to the US, three US service members were injured in a one-way drone attack, or a suicide drone attack, early Monday morning in Erbil, Iraq. One of those servicemembers suffered critical injuries and remains, at this point, in critical condition.
US President Joe Biden was briefed on the attack and given options for how to respond. The US response, we saw that carried out several hours later against Kata'ib Hezbollah, an Iranian proxy, which had claimed responsibility for that one-way drone attack that injured three US servicemembers.
The US carried out airstrikes against three targets of Kata'ib Hezbollah, targeting specifically their drone capabilities and the drone capabilities of affiliated groups. You see some of the video there the results of those strikes, at least one of which was carried out south of Baghdad in the US response there.
US Central Command says a number of militants belonging to Kata'ib Hezbollah were likely killed in the US response, but they say US -- or rather civilians were not affected by the strikes. But that contradicts directly, or conflicts directly, with what the Iraqi government says occurred in the strikes. They responded quite angrily, saying that this was a hostile act that should not have been carried out and that, in fact, there were a number of civilians that were attacked in this attack.
KINKADE: And, Oren, we've seen a number of attacks attributed to Iranian proxies in the region. But over the weekend, we saw an attack attributed directly to Iran. And that's quite rare, right?
LIEBERMANN: So this was fairly unusual. Many of the attacks we've seen have been attributed to Iranian proxies, such as the Houthis in Yemen or Kata'ib Hezbollah in Iraq. But over the weekend, the US says Iran directly targeted with a drone from Iran a ship in the Indian Ocean that was on its way from Saudi Arabia to India.
The Indian Navy released some video of the chemical tanker, the Chem Pluto, that suffered a fire onboard the ship. Though none of the crew onboard the ship were injured in the attack, this gets to the broader concern the US has had about a potential regional conflict. The US has tried to separate the Gaza war from the rest of the region. But as everything we're talking about points to, they have an unsuccessful in doing so.
KINKADE: All right. Oren Liebermann for us at the Pentagon, staying across it all. Thanks very much.
The Israeli military says it struck more than 100 targets, including Hamas tunnels, infrastructure, and other sites in Gaza today. Scores of Palestinians were killed. It comes as a member of the Israeli war cabinet is due to sit down with US officials in Washington. Ron Dermer is meeting with the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. And the US national security advisor will also include conversations about how to get the hostages free.
[15:10:10]
Israeli officials are making one thing certain -- they will not allow Hamas to survive.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK REGEV, SENIOR ADVISER TO ISRAELI PM BENJAMIN NETANYAHU: Destroying Hamas is a prerequisite for a better future, both for Israelis and Palestinians. You won't have a demilitarized and deradicalized Gaza without first destroying Hamas. You can't have reconstruction in Gaza -- rebuilding the lives of people -- without first getting rid of Hamas.
(END VIDEO CLIP) KINKADE: I want to bring in CNN White House Reporter, Priscilla Alvarez, who's covering the story for us. Good to have you with us, Priscilla.
So the US continues to push Israel to show restraint in Gaza after -- as they go after Hamas. What are the expectations for this meeting today between a confidant of Netanyahu and senior US officials?
PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, the primary expectation is to have more clarity on when Israel plans to transition into its lower intensity war. This is a meeting that comes at a critical time as the US looks to Israel to move away from the high- intensity war, especially as the death toll has grown in Gaza. So Ron Dermer will be meeting with Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan this afternoon.
As you mentioned there, he is a member of the war cabinet, a close confidant of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and he previously served as Israel's ambassador to the US. So this is a key meeting with senior US officials here at the White House.
And Israel has previously assured the US that they plan to move toward that lower-intensity war a more precise strategy and targeted toward Hamas leadership, but they have not provided a timeline as to when that would be. US officials have previously said that they expected those localized operations to happen by January. But again, it's not clear what exactly this next phase looks like and when it will begin to unfold. And the US has wanted the results from Israel showing that they are trying to contain the deaths of innocent civilians.
Now, Israeli officials have so far said that they are having these ongoing discussions and they maintain that there is no daylight between the US and Israel.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TAL HEINRICH, SPOKESPERSON FOR ISRAELI PM NETANYAHU: Well, we take advice from friends. We consult with friends. We don't have to agree on every small detail with friends. But in the bigger picture, we all share the same goals.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ALVAREZ: Now, President Biden has been under increasing domestic pressure, as well as global pressure, as this conflict continues to unfold in Gaza. And the president has said that Israel risks losing global support if this death toll continues to grow. So the outcome out of today's meeting will be what is the next phase, when is that next phase in the Israel-Hamas conflict.
KINKADE: All right. Priscilla Alvarez, outside the White House. We appreciate you being there for us. Thank you.
Well, Apple is now taking legal action. Still ahead, the appeal it filed over a ban on its popular Apple watches. We'll have a live report. And later from the book of Mormon to a new hit on Broadway, I sat down with the stars of "Gutenberg! The Musical!" Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:16:02]
KINKADE: Welcome back. A consumer story we're following today, a ban on new Apple watches. Apple has filed an appeal in the US now that a ban on its imports of its newer watches has gone into effect.
The company also filed an emergency motion to pause the ban until a decision is made. But the US International Trade Commission said in response that it is against any pause. They had previously ruled that some Apple watches violate patents registered to another company.
Well, joining us now is CNN Business Reporter Nathaniel Meyersohn. Good to have you with us. So, just explain what exactly is behind this ruling, because we now know that Apple watches, the newest type, have been pulled from the shelves, effectively, right?
NATHANIEL MEYERSOHN, CNN BUSINESS REPORTER: Yes, they've effectively been pulled from the shelves. And it's about a patent dispute. The ITC is saying that Apple violated a patent for two of its new Apple watches. It's these -- the Apple Series 9, as well as the Ultra 2, some of these newer versions of the Apple watches. Does it affect some of the older versions?
But it has to do with a medical patent. And so, it's a real blow for Apple, because the Apple Watch is a key product for the company. Although most of these watches have been sold, so it will affect future ones.
KINKADE: And, of course, Nathaniel, Apple is a multitrillion dollar company. What impact does this ruling have on the company, and how will it kind of work its way around this problem?
MEYERSOHN: So, Apple, it's the leader in smartphone sales around the world. The Apple Watch has become a key product for the company. You know, first it was iPhones, and so it's pushing deeper into these Apple watches.
I think what's interesting to note here is that Apple is trying to get more data on consumers' healthcare and really become, you know, in some ways, a medical device company, learn as much about consumers as they can and their health habits. And so, as it moves deeper into healthcare, you know, this is really a black eye for the company, less of a financial hit. But as it moves deeper, you know, it could run into more problems.
And it's not a great PR. You know, it's not great for PR to have a patent infringement, especially when there's so much antitrust scrutiny on Apple. So it's going to be something to monitor in the future, maybe not a significant short-term hit, but longer-term, something we're going to need to keep a close eye on.
KINKADE: All right. Nathaniel Meyersohn, good to have us with you. Thank you.
Well, with 2023 winding down, and looking back at the people and events that made this year noteworthy. Our Jean Cazares has a look at the top crime and justice stories here in the US.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEAN CAZARES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hundreds dead in mass shootings, cold case arrests, and murderers on the run -- all part of the top 10 crime and justice stories from communities around the country in 2023.
Number 10, a young girl, kidnapped and found alive.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: They have found her, and we're told she's in good health.
CAZARES: The upstate New York elementary school student on a camping trip with her family, taken while riding her bicycle at the campground.
GOV. KATHY HOCHUL (D), NEW YORK: We are leaving no stone, no branch, no table, no cabin unturned.
CAZARES (voice over): Fingerprints on a ransom note left in her family's mailbox led to her, and the arrest of 46-year-old Craig Nelson Ross, Jr. He has pleaded not guilty to kidnapping and other charges.
[15:20:00]
CAZARES (on camera): Number nine, a daring escape leads to a weeks' long man hunt.
CAZARES (voice over): Thirty-four-year-old convicted murderer Danelo Cavalcante got out of his Pennsylvania prison by climbing sideways up the walls in the exercise yard.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I want to reiterate, this man is very dangerous.
CAZARES (voice over): Hundreds of law enforcement searched by land and air, while local communities lived in fear.
DANNY FREEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Danelo Cavalcante, now armed, but still on the loose.
CAZARES (voice over): Cavalcante, on the run, spotted on trail cameras and allegedly breaking into homes before being captured and returned to prison.
DEB RYAN, DISTRICT ATTORNEY, CHESTER COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA: Our nightmare is finally over, and the good guys won.
CAZARES (voice over): He now faces 20 new charges.
CAZARES (on camera): Number eight, a 17-year-old Las Vegas high school student, beaten to death by his classmates. CAZARES (voice over): Authorities call it senseless. Ten students against one, this video is very graphic.
LT. JASON JOHANSSON, LAS VEGAS METRO POLICE DEPARTMENT: What you see in the video, though, is approximately 10 subjects kicking, stomping, and punching.
CAZARES (voice over): Police think it started as an after-school fight over stolen headphones.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He is on the ground, not defending himself, until the point where he becomes unconscious.
CAZARES (voice over): Eight students arrested, ranging in age from 13 to 17, facing murder charges.
CAZARES (on camera): Number seven, an arrest.
CAZARES (voice over): After more than a decade, unsolved killings on Long Island, New York. Nearly a dozen sets of remains found, including four on Gilgo Beach. Authorities long suspected a serial killer.
RODNEY HARRISON, SUFFOLK COUNTY POLICE COMMISSIONER: Rex Heuermann is a demon that walks among us.
CAZARES (voice over): Heuermann is facing multiple murder counts involving three women. He has pleaded not guilty.
CAZARES (on camera): Number six, a confession in the death of Natalee Holloway.
CAZARES (voice over): Eighteen years after she disappeared on a high school graduation trip to Aruba, the prime suspect in her death, Joran van der Sloot, admits to killing her. Van der sloot flown by FBI agents to Holloway's home state of Alabama to face federal extortion and wire fraud charges.
PRIM ESCALONA, US ATTORNEY, NORTHERN DISTRICT OF ALABAMA: Despite their grief, the Holloway family kept fighting for justice for Natalee.
CAZARES (voice over): Van der sloot pleaded guilty, sentenced to 20 years for his financial crimes. He will serve his sentence while back in Peru, where he is already serving a murder sentence for killing a Peruvian woman.
BETH HOLLOWAY, MOTHER OF NATALEE HOLLOWAY: It's been a very long and painful journey, but we finally got the answers we've been searching for, for all of these years.
CAZARES (on camera): Number five, an arrest in the 1996 killing of Tupac Shakur.
CAZARES (voice over): The prominent rapper was shot while leaving a boxing ranch match at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas and died six days later. KEVIN MCMAHILL, SHERIFF AT LAS VEGAS METROPOLITAN POLICE DEPARTMENT: For 27 years, the family of Tupac Shakur has been waiting for justice.
CAZARES (voice over): Duane Keith Davis, AKA Keefe D, arrested. He is not accused of pulling the trigger, but handing the gun to someone else.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Duane Davis was the shot caller for this group of individuals.
CAZARES (voice over): Police say Shakur had been in a feud with Davis and the gang he was affiliated with. Police say no other suspects in the shooting are still alive. Davis pleaded not guilty.
CAZARES (on camera): Number four, from billionaire cryptocurrency whiz kid to convicted felon.
CAZARES (voice over): Thirty-one-year-old Sam Bankman-Fried found guilty in November of stealing billions of dollars from customers of his crypto exchange company, FTX.
DAMIAN WILLIAMS, U.S. ATTORNEY, SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK: This kind of fraud, this kind of corruption, is as old as time.
CAZARES (voice over): Before the company imploded, Bankman-Fried lived the high life. He could go to prison for life when sentenced. His lawyer says he maintains his innocence.
CAZARES (on camera): Number three, a disgraced attorney. Descendant of southern prestige found guilty of murdering his wife and son.
CAZARES (voice over): Alex Murdaugh, practicing law in the low country of South Carolina, wealthy, a beautiful family, but secretly, stealing client settlements and plotting the murder and cover-up of those he should have loved the most.
ATTORNEY-GENERAL ALAN WILSON, SOUTH CAROLINA: We can't bring them back, but we can bring them justice.
CAZARES (voice over): He has filed a motion for a new trial.
CAZARES (on camera): Number two, Tyre Nichols violently beaten by police.
CAZARES (voice over): Caught on camera, the 29-year-old, repeatedly kicked by five Memphis police officers after a traffic stop and short foot chase. He died three days later. His death, ruled a homicide.
ROWVAUGHN WELLS, MOTHER OF TYRE NICHOLS: I know I'll never see him again, but we have to start this process of justice right now.
[15:25:03]
CAZARES (voice over): The five officers were charged in state and federal court, all initially pleaded not guilty. However, one later agreed to a plea deal. CAZARES (on camera): Number one, mass shootings killed hundreds of Americans.
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: So much loss in this community.
CAZARES (voice over): From the Lewiston Maine mass shooting, where 18 were killed in a bowling alley and a restaurant.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There is such a deep sadness here.
CAZARES (voice over): To the covenant school in Nashville, where three children and three adults died.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have an active shooter in our building.
CAZARES (voice over): A bank employee in Louisville, killing five of his colleagues.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Clearly, this community completely shaken.
CAZARES (voice over): And Asian-Americans celebrating Lunar New Year in January, 11 shot dead.
2023 was a year of more than 600 mass shootings in this country, according to the Gun Violence Archive.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Well, thanks to Jean Cazares there.
Well, still ahead, former US President Donald Trump had an unusual message for his opponents. We will have a live report, when we return.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KINKADE: Well, the 2024 elections, both here and in the US and globally, could be impacted by a new issue -- the rise of artificial intelligence. Journalist Simon Cullen has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(CROWD chanting USA, USA, USA.)
SIMON CULLEN, JOURNALIST (voice over): 2024 is shaping up to be an election year like none other.
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER US PRESIDENT: We want to make sure that we have a big victory. That's going to be a -- you're going to be all over the world. They're going to be watching this.
JOE BIDEN, US PRESIDENT: We're at an inflection point in our history where the decisions made in the short period of time we're in now are going to determine the course of this country and the world for the next six or seven decades.
CULLEN (voice over): While the US presidential election might be the highest profile, it's not the only consequential contest taking place.
[15:30:06]
OLIVIA O'SULLIVAN, UK PROGRAM DIRECTOR, CHATHAM HOUSE: This is a hugely significant year for democracy. And it depends how you count it or exactly what you classify as an election. But by some measures, there are at least 14 national elections happening in 2024.
CULLEN (voice over): In absolute numbers, that's more than two billion people eligible to cast a ballot. Among those up for reelection, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is also expected to call a 2024 election. Taiwan, Indonesia, and Mexico are going to the polls, too, although their incumbents won't be candidates. And in Europe, hundreds of millions of voters will elect a new EU parliament.
O'SULLIVAN: For many countries, the health of their democracy itself will be being put to the test.
CULLEN (voice over): And the results have the potential to reshape international affairs on a scale rarely seen, from international trade and climate change to the wars in Ukraine and Gaza.
CULLEN (on camera): While the results of some elections are all but guaranteed, others will be a genuine contest, meaning a relatively small shift in voter support could affect the outcome. That amplifies the potential impact of disinformation. And experts warn that risk is made even more significant by the fact that these elections are coinciding with a boom in artificial intelligence.
CULLEN (voice over): That brings with it the prospect of deepfake content like this.
JOE BIDEN (deepfake version): This isn't AI-generated video, showing just how far technology has come in recent years.
CULLEN (voice over): Even Vladimir Putin, who is all but certain to be reelected Russian president in March, appeared momentarily surprised when confronted by a computer-generated version of himself.
DARRELL M. WEST, SENIOR FELLOW, BROOKINGS INSTITUTION: People should be scared, because the technology is enabling the creation of fake videos that could be very persuasive with the ordinary voters. People are not going to be able to distinguish the fake videos from real ones.
CULLEN (on camera): Are governments ready for what's coming down the line?
WEST: Governments are not ready. There are literally no guardrails in place.
CULLEN (voice over): That puts more of an onus on technology companies to step in. Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, says it's adapting its approach to deal with the challenges posed by artificial intelligence. TikTok has announced partnerships with external fact checkers to combat misinformation. And X, which drastically cut staff under CEO Elon Musk, increasingly relies on users to flag misleading content.
SASHA FEGAN, CENTER FOR HUMANE TECHNOLOGY: The fact that there's been such a massive job cuts to content moderation tames pretty much across all the big US social media platforms, it's evidence to the fact that they don't really take it seriously enough. And that will have concerning effects in the 2024 election.
CULLEN (voice over): A record year for elections could also prove to be an unprecedent the challenge to the electoral process. Simon Cullen, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Well, most political figures mark the Christmas holidays with messages of peace on earth and goodwill to all. Unless, of course, you're Donald Trump.
The former US president took to social media to rant against his foes, saying, in his words, "May they rot in hell. Again, Merry Christmas." Trump's naughty list includes President Joe Biden, Special Counsel Jack Smith, and even electric car owners.
CNN's Kristen Holmes is in Washington, with a closer look. Good to have you with us. Leave it to Donald Trump to be divisive on Christmas.
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's right, this is really a preview of what we're going to see for the next year. If Donald Trump is, in fact, the GOP nominee, which it looks like he will be, given the recent polling, there is likely to be a lot of attacks like this. We are already in a polarizing political time. However, Donald Trump is going to take it a step further with, as you say, this divisive rhetoric.
And Donald Trump himself has gone after not only Joe Biden, but the prosecutor in the case, Jack Smith. He said that these cases were election interference. He has continued to say that he is being politically persecuted. And he has ramped up his rhetoric in other ways as well, including with that aggressive anti-immigration speech.
But if you look at where he is right now, at least when we come to Iowa, which we are just a few weeks away from, in those polls, he is leading by an enormous margin. And the reason I point that out is because Donald Trump and his team don't have any reason, or any political pressure right now, to change the way that he is, change the way that he is speaking because he is actually seeing his poll numbers continue to rise.
Now, of course, things can still change. We know the numbers are changing in New Hampshire, which is the primary after the Iowa caucuses. Anything could happen. There could be another surge for Nikki Haley, for example.
But right now, with it looking as though he has such a solid lead, he feels very comfortable and, actually, is enjoying the way that he is campaigning, which is in this very dark, divisive, and negative style.
[15:35:13]
KINKADE: And so, the campaign continues. We will, of course, see him in court in the coming months as well, no doubt.
Kristen Holmes, we'll leave it there for now. Good to have you with us. Thanks so much.
HOLMES: Thank you.
KINKADE: Well, you know what we need right now? Some hearty entertainment and a good laugh. Well, I sat down with the stars of the new Broadway comedy, "Gutenberg! The Musical!" Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOSH GAD, ACTOR: We're doing it.
ANDREW RANNELLS, ACTOR: I'm going to go off script for a second.
GAD: Hey, do it. Go off script. (LAUGH)
KINKADE: Fantastic to have you here.
RANNELLS: Thank you for having us.
GAD: Thank you.
KINKADE: I love the show. Couldn't stop laughing. Cheeks were sore the next day.
GAD: That's a good sign.
RANNELLS: And I'm sorry, but thank you.
GAD: We like you. We like you.
RANNELLS: So, that's good.
KINKADE: It's a good sign, right?
GAD: Yes.
RANNELLS: It's a good review.
GAD: We -- when people's faces hurt, we've done our job.
RANNELLS: I think so.
So, Bud and I used to work in a nursing home.
GAD: We still do.
RANNELLS: It's a very sort of odd romp with these two guys who created this show. GAD: Yes.
RANNELLS: They're very new fans to musical theater, and they've decided that they're going to write their own big hit musical.
GAD: They're dreamers.
RANNELLS: They're big dreamers.
GAD: In their hearts they're dreamers, and they've spent every last dime renting a theater for one night only to try to -- with the hope that someone in the audience will be a big Broadway producer.
RANNELLS: Yes.
KINKADE: And you play every character.
GAD: Yes.
RANNELLS: We do.
KINKADE: With multiple accents.
RANNELLS: We do.
GAD: I think we played 24 characters each.
RANNELLS: I think so. But you know the accent we don't do, Australian.
GAD: Yes.
KINKADE: I know, I want to hear some Australian.
RANNELLS: And I feel like, maybe tonight ...
GAD: Aussie, Aussie, Aussie. Oi, Oi, Oi.
RANNELLS: Yes.
KINKADE: It's got a little bit of British about it.
GAD: Yes, that's really ...
RANNELLS: Well, he studied abroad. It's a -- the man who studied abroad.
KINKADE: In Australia?
RANNELLS: In Australia. We should -- maybe we should work that in tonight.
GAD: Yes.
RANNELLS: We should do it.
GAD: We should make one of -- maybe Helvetica ... RANNELLS: We like to challenge each other. We're at a ...
GAD: ... maybe Helvetica will be (inaudible).
RANNELLS: ... we're at the point in the run where we're still ...
GAD: He can (inaudible) ...
RANNELLS: ... very professional. Don't get me wrong, but we do like to sort of test each other.
KINKADE: I noticed that because you there were times I thought, I don't want to say you're breaking character, but you certainly seem to be maybe laughing a little bit at each other? Were you adlibbing?
RANNELLS: I think breaking character would imply that we have characters.
GAD: Yes.
RANNELLS: And that's real -- we're pretty fast (inaudible).
GAD: That's giving us a little too much credit.
KINKADE: And you two worked together on the "Book of Mormon" ...
RANNELLS: Yes.
KINKADE: ... like 10 years ago --
GAD: That was you?
RANNELLS: Yes.
KINKADE: -- and now you're back together again.
GAD: Oh, you're terrific.
RANNELLS: Thank you. You're good, too.
KINKADE: What's it like being back together after 10 years on stage?
RANNELLS: You know, it's -- I would like to say that there's been a lot of growth.
GAD: But there hasn't.
RANNELLS: But there really hasn't. No, but it feels good, too, to ...
GAD: We're still two idiots.
RANNELLS: I know. It's really true.
KINKADE: Have your family seen "Gutenberg!"?
GAD: Oh, yes. RANNELLS: Oh, yes.
KINKADE: And?
GAD: Oh, they loved it.
RANNELLS: No, it's nice to do something because it is pretty family- friendly, like, there's nothing too controversial.
GAD: Oh, I don't know why, but I've always loved the idea of summer and sun and all things hot.
JONATHAN GROFF, VOICE ACTOR, "FROZEN": Really? I'm guessing you don't have much experience with heat.
KINKADE: My three girls, aged three, four, and seven are obsessed with "Frozen."
GAD: Oh, I love that.
KINKADE: And I told them I'm going to come and meet Olaf. And they said, Mommy, can you bring him home?
GAD: Yes.
RANNELLS: Oh, my God. The answer is, yes. Take him.
GAD: Yes, it would terrify them if this is what you walked in with. They're like, I know Olaf, and that, sir, is no Olaf. Come and do "Frozen 3" with us.
RANNELLS: Sure.
GAD: Yes, so when is "Frozen 3"?
RANNELLS: It's happening right now.
GAD: It's -- as we speak ...
RANNELLS: No.
GAD: ... they're going to use this ...
RANNELLS: This is it.
GAD: ... they're going to use some of this recording. This ...
RANNELLS: If Disney had to make some cuts.
KINKADE: Can you give us a line?
RANNELLS: Anna, lookout.
GAD: Is that Olaf?
RANNELLS: Probably -- that'll probably be. KINKADE: Okay.
GAD: Why is Olaf suddenly like an extra in "Law & Order SVU".
RANNELLS: (EXPLETIVES) does that mean?
GAD: Anna -- hey, Anna, watch out.
KINKADE: You know what I love about "Gutenberg!" is that you have these celebrity guests ...
GAD: Yes,
RANNELLS: Oh, we do.
KINKADE: ... that turn up as a producer ...
RANNELLS: Uh-huh.
KINKADE: ... each night.
RANNELLS: Yes.
KINKADE: I saw Kristin Chenoweth. I was blown away.
RANNELLS: Oh.
GAD: That was a good one, yes, yes.
RANNELLS: (Inaudible) grace.
KINKADE: Amazing.
RANNELLS: Great.
KINKADE: But you've also had Will Ferrell ...
RANNELLS: Will Ferrell.
KINKADE: ... and you've had Billy Crystal.
GAD: Billy Crystal.
RANNELLS: Billy Crystal, Martin Short and Steve Martin.
GAD: Yes, Idina Menzel ...
RANNELLS: Idina Menzel.
GAD: Josh Groban.
RANNELLS: Laurie Metcalf.
GAD: Laurie Metcalf.
RANNELLS: Although, as Josh points out, it is very humbling that we have spent close to two hours on stage ...
KINKADE: Yes.
RANNELLS: ... sweating, singing ...
GAD: Yes, and then Lin-Manuel...
RANNELLS: ... kicking, and then ...
GAD: ... Miranda walks in ...
RANNELLS: ... Lin walks in ...
GAD: ... and everybody ...
RANNELLS: ... that was like, that's (inaudible).
GAD: Screw these other two.
RANNELLS: And they didn't even do anything.
GAD: No.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
KINKADE: And what about some of "The Prom" cast members, Nicole Kidman?
GAD: Yes.
RANNELLS: If we get a Kidman in there ...
GAD: Have you called the Streep?
RANNELLS: No, no.
KINKADE: Would Meryl Streep say yes?
RANNELLS: I've thought about it. You know, I'm ...
GAD: Look both ways when crossing that street.
RANNELLS: ... I get shy about it. I'm like ...
[15:40:01]
GAD: Hey, don't be shy.
RANNELLS: I don't know. But yes, if we get a Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman ...
KINKADE: What are your resolutions?
RANNELLS: This interview is becoming very inspiring. I'm going to get on "Law & Order". Do you have any -- do you make concrete resolutions?
GAD: I try to.
RANNELLS: Really?
GAD: I try to. And I try to do, like, reasonable ones.
RANNELLS: Sure. Sure, sure, sure.
GAD: So, like, this year is I want to become president of the United States ...
RANNELLS: Interesting.
GAD: ... of America. I want to go to space.
RANNELLS: Okay.
GAD: I want to go to outer space.
RANNELLS: I'm going to drink more water.
GAD: I want ...
RANNELLS: Our goals are slightly different ...
GAD: ... to stop climate change single-handedly.
KINKADE: So, your presidential campaign would be -- do you have a line?
RANNELLS: Do you have a catchphrase?
GAD: Yes.
RANNELLS: What is it?
GAD: Gadzooks.
KINKADE: Can we webshot that?
GAD: Nope. We ...
RANNELLS: I think maybe we might need a focus group.
GAD: We've done a lot of research and ...
RANNELLS: I'll sing at your ...
GAD: Catch you, 2024.
RANNELLS: ... I'll sing at your inauguration.
KINKADE: Yes.
RANNELLS: Yes.
GAD: He lives in you. KINKADE: Oh, that's what I'm here for.
RANNELLS: Oh, I think you should sing at your own inauguration.
GAD: Gadzooks.
KINKADE: Yes.
RANNELLS: No one's ever done that. You should sing your oath.
GAD: Over the Gutenberg Bible?
RANNELLS: Yes, I'll just be there -- I'll be there to support.
KINKADE: I mean, I love it. I love it.
RANNELLS: We've solved it.
GAD: Yes, see you in '24, Rannells.
RANNELLS: Cracked it.
KINKADE: It's been a pleasure. And we're done.
GAD: Thank you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
Join us New Year's Eve for live coverage around the world as we see in the New Year. The special coverage begins just before midnight in Sydney, which is midday in London, and morning in New York. And it carries on throughout the day and night.
And we will have some amazing guests, including those actors you just saw, Josh Gad and Andrew Rannells from the Gutenberg musical, as well as Paris Hilton, Rachel Zegler, who stars in the new "Snow White" film, the stars of "The Gilded Age," including Cynthia Nixon and Christine Baranski, Sam Neill, Cirque du Soleil, Andrea Bocelli, Samuel, and many more. We will look back on the year that was and hear about their plans for 2024 right here, on CNN.
Now, that wraps this edition of CNN Newsroom. I'm Lynda Kinkade. Great to have you with us.
Stick around. "Quest's World of Wonder" is up next.
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