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New Court Filing: Prosecutor Challenges Trump Immunity Claim; Awaiting Oregon Decision On Trump's Eligibility For Office; Nikki Haley's Mea Culpa Over Civil War Answer: "The First Thing I Should Have Said Was Slavery"; Russia: AT Least 18 Dead After Ukrainian Shelling Inside Russia; Police On High Alert For New Year's Eve; Top 10 Health And Wellness Stories Of 2023. Aired 7-8p ET

Aired December 30, 2023 - 19:00   ET

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

PAULA REID, CNN HOST: You are in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Paula Reid in Washington.

We're continuing to follow the breaking news tonight. In a new court filing, special counsel Jack Smith undercutting Donald Trump's claim of presidential immunity. Smith writes that giving any president absolute immunity from criminal prosecution, quote, threatens to license presidents to commit crimes to remain in office.

And we're now learning that the special counsel made an unusual request for the court to implement whatever decision it makes very quickly which could fast-track the case ahead of the 2024 election.

[19:00:09]

CNN's Zachary Cohen has been digging through this more than 80-page court filing.

Jack Smith really has his staff working through the holiday. Zach, what are you learning?

ZACHARY COHEN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: Yeah, Paula, Jack Smith is pretty blunt in this filing, writing that Trump is wrong in claiming that he deserves absolute immunity in this case, and even calls Trump's argument a threat to democracy.

Now, he spent 80 pages explaining why, laying out very reasons and trying to push back on arguments made by Trump's legal team. But he also is really asking the appeals court to move quickly in this case, and as we know, Paula, from covering this day-to-day, that this is all about timing here. Trump is trying to delay this trial from happening. It's currently slated to happen in March but this immunity fight has really been a push by Trump to try to push that trial date back as close to the election as possible, arguing also in tandem with that, you know, Jack Smith's investigation and the entire case itself is an election interference.

So, Jack Smith is really, you know, emphasizing the need for the appeals court to weigh in quickly on this, even asking with the unusual request for the appeals court to implement the ruling, five days after making a decision, usually it takes longer for them to do so. So, that is just an example on how Jack Smith is sort of stepping outside the box and really pointing that his party is moving quickly.

Now, I want to give your substance of what is in the filing because there are some stark excerpts here and one of them is interesting because Jack Smith is trying to use Trump's own argument against him, he writes, the defendant asserts that this prosecution, quote, threatens to shatter the very bad bedrock of our republic. To the contrary, it is defendant's claim that he cannot be held to answer to the charges he engaged in, in unprecedented effort to retain power through criminal means, despite having lost the election that threatens the democratic and constitutional foundation of our republic.

So, you know, in short, Jack Smith is saying that not only is Trump's argument actually a case that bolsters his -- Jack Smith's claim but that this decision has very historical implications and significant implications for the American democracy going forward.

REID: Zach Cohen, thank you.

And tonight, the Supreme Court is under increasing pressure to step in on an issue that could dramatically reshape the 2024 presidential race. At this hour, Trump has been disqualified from the primary ballot in two states under the Constitution's ban on insurrectionist holding public office. And in at any moment, Oregon might become the next state to decide whether Trump is allowed on its ballots.

And tonight, officials that have moved to ban Trump are facing violent threats. Tonight, police responded to a swatting call at Maine secretary of state's house. Here's what she told CNN after Trump posted a link to her biography on Truth Social.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHENNA BELLOWS (D), MAINE SECRETARY OF STATE: Those threatening communications are truly unacceptable. And I certainly worry about the safety of people that I love, people around me, and people who are charged with protecting me and working alongside me.

That being said, we are a nation of laws. And that's what's really important. So I've been laser focused on the obligation to uphold the Constitution.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

REID: Donald Trump had said the secretary should recuse herself from the decision, citing her, quote, personal bias in the matter. That's a reference to the Democrats previous tweets in which she called for Trump to be impeached, in the wake of January 6th.

Now, I will note that the secretary said that he missed the deadline to make that request.

Now, the Colorado secretary of state, Jena Griswold, joins us now.

Secretary, thank you so much for joining us. I want to start by talking about what's going on in Maine, because

that state is amazing and unique in many ways. But in terms of the procedure here, they're really unique because the question of ballot eligibility doesn't go to the courts. It first goes to the secretary of state. What do you say to people who say, wait a second, the question of whether a candidate goes on the ballot should not go to a political official? What is your response to that as a secretary of the state?

JENA GRISWOLD, COLORADO SECRETARY OF STATE: Well, first off, good evening. Thank you for having me on, Paula.

And to tell you the truth, many secretaries of state are making these determinations all the time, including my office and myself here in Colorado. But what usually does not happen is a determination about a presidential candidate because usually, presidential candidates don't incite insurrections, like Donald Trump has.

In Colorado, to be very specific, we look at eligibility. But there is a provision in the law that allows voters to go to the courts. That's what happened in Colorado. In Maine, the first question goes to the secretary of state.

She held a hearing, and issued her decision, which was in line to the Colorado Supreme Court's decision.

[19:05:07]

REID: Do you think the way Colorado and other states do it, where again, those presidential questions, in this case, first went to the courts. Do you think that is preferable to having political officials be the first stop for something as consequential as a presidential candidate appearing on the ballot or not?

GRISWOLD: First off, I want to clarify, I'm an elected Democratic secretary of state. Secretary Bellows is appointed by her legislature, as also a Democrat. But both of our roles, we take very seriously. Our positions, our roles are to make sure that every eligible Republican, Democrat, and unaffiliated voter can make their voices heard in our elections.

And with that duty, there are needs to make decisions. And we do that in an impartial way, following the law and upholding the constitution. So I cannot comment on Maine, but again, Colorado is structured similarly, where I would have made the decision, ultimately, if a lawsuit was not filed. Every state is set up differently. And what I can say is that if it was filed in the Colorado judicial system, the legal system on September 6th, before I made a decision. It worked its way up to the court systems, and ultimately, the Colorado Supreme Court made a very similar determination, as Secretary Bellows, that Donald Trump incited the insurrection, he engaged in insurrection, and because of his own actions, is disqualified from the ballot.

REID: Now, I want to go through some of the questions that have been posed by the state of Colorado's Republican Party. Former President Trump says he's going to appeal in that state, he

hasn't done so yet. But the Republican Party filed an appeal to the Supreme Court. I want to start with the first question, which is, whether the president falls within the list of officials covered by the 14th Amendment. I mean, there was disagreement among the courts in your own state, what is your take on this question?

GRISWOLD: I agree with the Colorado Supreme Court. They determined that Donald Trump engaged in insurrection, in that Section 3 of the 14th Amendment applies to the presidency. I do not think it's good for the nation to have an interpretation of the Constitution, which means that the president is above the law when he decides to engage in rebellion or insurrection.

So Donald Trump can get away with anything, including stealing the presidency, if that section does not include the president. So, that is my opinion. I think this nation is set on an understanding that no person is above the law. That includes Donald Trump, when he incites and insurrection.

REID: Of course, a lower court in your storied disagreed with that but the Supreme Court overturned them. I will say I interviewed one of Trump's former lawyers, Tim Parlatore, earlier this evening. He agrees with you. He thinks it's a nonsense argument to say this doesn't apply to presidents.

But on the second question that the Republican Party in Colorado has raised, they're asking if the states are the ones who should be in forcing the 14th Amendment, Section 3 of the 14th amendment if it applies to presidents.

What is your take on this? I mean, is there a role for Congress here? Should they be implementing this? Should this really fall to the state courts and state officials?

GRISWOLD: Under the United States Constitution, states run elections. And my job as secretary of state is to make sure that only qualified individuals go on to the ballot. So for example, if Arnold Schwarzenegger woke up tomorrow, and decided he wanted to run for president, he would not be put on the ballot because he is disqualified under the United States Constitution, for not being a natural born citizen. So, absolutely.

Disqualifications and qualifications of candidates is something that states do all the time. But again, usually, it is not with the presidential elections because this is such a unique situation, we have never had a president before be in the situation where he tried to steal an election, has repeatedly attacked our democracy, incited an insurrection, and then had the gall to run for the office again.

REID: Fair to say, though, the Supreme Court does what they have to weigh in there because while you see it very clearly, we've seen different outcomes to the same questions across multiple states. I mean, some states have just tried to stay away from this on procedural grounds. But fair to say, it would really help the Supreme Court if the Supreme Court weighed in here. GRISWOLD: I think if the Supreme Court weighs in, I hope they just

act with urgency. At this point, we have to determinations in Colorado and Maine, determining that Trump is off the ballot unless in the case of Colorado, the case is appealed.

[19:10:06]

So the case has been appealed to the United States Supreme Court, so he is back on the ballot, unless the court declines to take the case or sides with the Colorado Supreme Court.

But no matter what the court does, whether it declines to take a case, decides to get the case, I urge them to do it quickly. I certified the names of who is on the ballot next Friday, for the presidential primary. And of course, we would like more certainty than not, but regardless, we'll have great elections here in the state of Colorado.

REID: We appreciate you coming on and answering our questions. It's important for people to understand the process. I know there are consequences for you, and other officials involved in this.

Can you talk a little bit about what all of this has meant for you in terms of threats and what you faced since you became involved with this case?

GRISWOLD: Well, the Colorado Supreme Court justices and myself have received plenty of threats. And actually, the threats against me did not start with a case. They started in 2021.

It just underlines how dangerous Donald Trump has been to this country. He has unleashed an allowance of rhetoric, of political violence, and actual political violence. I believe he is a danger to the right to vote, our democracy, and the stability of the country.

In any election, there are winners and losers. If you lose, that doesn't mean that the election wasn't fair. It just means that not enough people voted for you. That's what happened to Donald Trump.

I hope he one day can accept his loss in 2020, and I hope he stops lying about our elections and our democracy because his lies incite violence, they've been cited threats against me, against the secretary in Maine, and election workers all across the country.

REID: Colorado Secretary of State, Jena Griswold. Thank you.

GRISWOLD: Thank you.

REID: And a new development in former President Trump's bid to claim that he was in -- while he was in the White House, he should not face criminal charges in many cases he is embroiled in. The legal ramifications, ahead.

And, there are many ways to celebrate the start of the new year. But not more iconic than a new years in Times Square.

Later, we will bring you live from the Big Apple, with a widespread effort to make sure revelers stay safe.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:16:30]

REID: On the campaign trail, Nikki Haley is doing damage control. Today, the former governor of South Carolina admitted that she should have said "slavery" right up front when she was asked about the cause of the civil war at a town hall in New Hampshire.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NIKKI HALEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Yes, of course, the first thing I should've said with slavery. I completely agree with that. When you grow up in the South, slavery is a given. When you think of the civil war, you know it was about slavery. That's not -- you know, that's never been in question.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

REID: The mea culpa comes after Haley faced a torrent of criticism for her comments. Her competitors for the GOP nomination were quick to pounce on her gaffe.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. RON DESANTIS (R-FL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: She's asked a very simple question, and responded with just a really incomprehensible word salad. This is not a candidate that's ready for primetime. Not that difficult to identify and acknowledge the role slavery played in the civil war.

CHRIS CHRISTIE (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I make it easy for you. If someone asked me what the cause of the civil war was, it's easy. It's slavery. She is unwilling to offend anyone by telling the truth.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

REID: Well, CNN's senior political analyst, Ron Brownstein joins us now.

All right, Ron. Considering the wide range of controversial things a former president Trump routinely says, not to leave out consequence, is it surprising that this has stuck to Haley for several days now?

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Yeah, good question. First of all, I don't think President Trump's language, former President Trump's language has been without consequence for him. It's the reason, principally why an unprecedented number of voters who are satisfied with the economy still voted against him in 2020, and an unprecedented number of voters who were dissatisfied with the economy in 2022 still voted for Democrats. But within the context of a Republican primary, you're right. Trumps transgressions are viewed by his core supporters as proof that he will go to any length, break any barrier, to support them. Haley's problem is that these remarks fit into a pre-existing concern

about her. Among her critics, and that is always when gaffes are the most damaging. Dan Quayle misspelled potato, it mattered because there was a pre-existing question about whether he was up to the job of vice president, and here, as Christy's comments pointedly underscore, the rap on Haley has been if someone tries to be all things to all people, that you won't really take a stand on whether she's critical of Donald Trump, or is willing to serve as his vice president. She's moved around on social issues, like banning gender affirming care for minors.

And this just seems another example of her trying to blind over something that really requires you to take one side or another.

REID: Haley and DeSantis though, they've actually both indicated, on a legal front, that they would pardon Trump if he is convicted. In either one of the federal cases, of course they could only part in a federal conviction. Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[19:20:00]

DESANTIS: I've already said that, long ago. I think we've got to move on as a country. Florida did to Nixon because the divisions are just not in the country's interest.

HALEY: I would pardon Trump, if he is found guilty. A leader needs to think about what's in the best interest of the country. What's in the best interest of the country is not to have an 80-year-old man sitting in jail, that continues to divide our country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

REID: What do you make of how they continue to navigate this question?

BROWNSTEIN: Well, I think it's just indicative of the broader point, right? Which is that the Republican Party has rallied behind Trump and his view really, I think, from 2017, from Charlotte forward, has been that there is no line that he cannot cross that would cause a critical mass of the party to desert him. And he keeps waiting out into deeper water and they keep following him. This is just another example of that.

In the Republican -- there simply has not been a critical mass of Republicans who have ever coalesced around the idea that anything Trump did in office or out of office renders him unfit to be president. In the very clear way that Chris Christie or Asa Hutchinson or Will Hurd might have said. You know, I think it's more important that Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis, not that they've said that they would pardon him if elected, if they would vote for him even if he's convicted, if he's the nominee. And that is really where the Republican Party has found itself at this point.

REID: The legal nerd in me just can't help point out the fact that pardon is not the only option. Pardon takes everything off the table. Conviction, sentence, you can also commute. Which means the conviction stands, but the sentence does not. He does not have to sit in jail if he's convicted a sentenced to prison. I just want to put that out there for the electorate.

Turning to our breaking news tonight. Jack Smith is refuting Trump's claim that he has presidential immunity that should of course protect him from the January 6th case, also he's facing attempts to remove him from multiple state primary ballots. Are these combined in their totality just making him more of a martyr to the Republican Party?

BROWNSTEIN: I think the two are very different. But they ultimately converge. I mean, you know, there are strong legal arguments, you've heard it from the secretary of state of Colorado, earlier, that Donald Trump's behavior, after the election, not only on the day of January 6th but all of the activities that were outlined by the bipartisan congressional committee, and are contained in these indictments, do fit the definition of what the post civil war Congress had in mind when they passed the 14th Amendment.

I have a very hard time envisioning this Supreme Court, with 6 Republican appointed justices, ever reaching a decision that disqualifies from the ballot the front runner for the GOP nomination. There's nothing in their history that would lead you to that conclusion.

But I do wonder if ultimately, since both of these issues presumably are going to have to be resolved by the Supreme Court, whether John Roberts, who has shown some interest over the years in avoiding the perception of the court as a purely partisan institution, we'll see a way forward, that involves allowing Trump to be on the ballot, but also allowing voters to have the information before the November election about whether a jury of his peers have found him guilty of the very serious charges he's facing, and that he's seeking to evade. The argument is that most legal scholars would say are specious about absolute immunity for the president.

So, it will be interesting to see how this sorts out, and what the internal politics of the court look like. Certainly they know, I mean, they are -- they live in the same real world that we do, they know that throughout his career, Donald Trump has used delay as a weapon in the legal system. And they know that not only did they need to decide these things, they do need to decide them in an expeditious manner to prevent him simply from running out the clock and potentially forcing, ordering, a future attorney general to dismiss any charges against him.

REID: Even one of Trump's own lawyers, Tim Parlatore, told me earlier, this argument about presidential immunity, not a winner. I want to underscore your point, the chief justice could steer the court to a place where they don't agree, that he has immunity. Allow that trial to go forward. But also allow him to be on all state ballots.

Ron Brownstein, thank you so much.

BROWNSTEIN: Thanks for having me. REID: Ukraine's military is wasting no time encountering a sweeping

attack from Russia, with deadly strikes of their own, reaching inside Russia's borders. The latest on the war as it goes into its third year.

You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:29:14]

REID: Now, to the latest overseas. Tonight, Ukraine is accusing Russia of attacking its 2nd largest city, Kharkiv, injuring at least 26 people and damaging buildings there, including this hotel. This comes just hours after a deadly attack on the Russian city of Belgorod, where Russian officials say Ukrainian shelling killed at least 18 people, including 2 children.

CNN diplomatic editor, Nic Robertson, has the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: In the middle of the Russian city, Belgorod, the fiery aftermath of a suspected Ukrainian rocket attack. Russian officials claiming it was a massive assault, using Ukrainian and to Czech made ammunition fired from a multi-barreled rocket launcher, some of which they claim to have intercepted.

[19:30:07]

IGOR KONASHENKOV, SPOKESPERSON, RUSSIAN DEFENSE MINISTRY (through translator): The Kyiv regime, by carrying out indiscriminate attacks on Squares and committing this crime is trying to divert attention from defeats at the front, as well as provoke us to similar actions.

ROBERTSON (voice over): The death toll including children climbing through the day.

It comes the day after Russia launched its biggest air assault on Ukraine in almost two years of war, at least 40 people were killed, more than 150 injured.

The Ukrainian strike on Belgorod barely 20 miles from its border Saturday is its deadliest known cross border attack of the war according to Belgorod's governor.

Putin dispatched his Health Minister and an Emergency Ministry Team. Three months out from his upcoming re-election, the chaos dents his carefully created image of a war going well.

ROBERTSON (on camera): It's unclear if this was Ukrainian revenge and Ukrainian officials don't routinely comment about this type of attack, but the up tempo does seem to speak to frustrations, fears even, and a determination in Ukraine that absent the financial support that they need from their allies, they can still land blows and thwart Putin's aggression.

ROBERTSON (voice over): Russia's UN spokesperson called for an emergency UN Security Council session to censure Ukraine much as Russia was the previous night for their massive air assault. Russia's Defense Ministry says the attack will not go unpunished.

By late Saturday, Russia attacked Ukraine in Kharkiv with drones, more deaths can be expected.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

REID: Nic Robertson, thank you.

For more on this, I want to bring in our next guest, CNN military analyst, Colonel Cedric Leighton.

Colonel, thank you for joining us. I want to first get your reaction on Ukraine striking Russian soil. Did that surprise you?

COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON (RET), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Well, they've done it before, Paula, so we'd say you know, it's not necessarily a surprise that they did it. The fact that they were able to do it, I think is quite interesting and potentially more of a surprise that they still have the capability of doing this.

It also shows that there are still weaknesses within the Russian air defense system, which I know did not go unnoticed in Kyiv. So the basic method that the Ukrainians have used, they've used before, but that they were able to still use this in spite of certain setbacks that they've endured over the past year is still very noteworthy.

REID: Of course, we want to point out that the Ukraine attack comes after a huge wave of bombings from Russia, but Russia is accusing Ukraine of using cluster munitions and indiscriminately striking large areas. Is this something Ukraine has done before?

LEIGHTON: They have used cluster munitions before. In fact, the US has supplied cluster munitions to the Ukrainians with the proviso that they only be used on the battlefield, whether or not these munitions were used in this particular case, I think remains to be seen.

The other thing to keep in mind is there is a possibility that Belgorod, the center of Belgorod was struck because of Russian air defense activity, which threw the Ukrainian missiles off course. They were intended, according to some reports, at least, for military targets around Belgorod, which is a military target rich environment, and if they were indeed thrown off course, something like this could actually happen.

REID: Russia's attack on Thursday is the biggest air attack on Ukraine since the start of the full-scale invasion. What do you think Russia's strategy is behind that? I mean, why now?

LEIGHTON: I think the basic idea behind Russia's strategy is that they want to knock Ukraine out of the war, or at least to the negotiating table. You know, looking at this as part of the winter, you know, right now,

it's wintertime in Ukraine, and it's very cold in both the Ukrainian and the Russian parts of that area, and it is also pretty clear that what the Russians want to do is they want to send a message to the West that in essence, the Ukrainian efforts are futile, and therefore they will continue to attack and to leverage everything that they've got against the Ukrainians.

Now, having said that, what the answer from Ukraine has been, is actually quite noteworthy. And it also shows that the Russian attacks have limited effectiveness, so they do terrorize the civilian population, but they don't limit the military effectiveness of the Ukrainians.

REID: How do you see Ukraine's war unfolding in the next year?

[19:35:06]

LEIGHTON: Well, Paula, I believe that there will probably be a continued stalemate on the ground barring any new weapons systems that enter the battlefield at this point in time, those new weapon systems could potentially include things like the F-16, but there are things that the Russians have that could limit the effectiveness of the F-16 and the munitions that it carries.

The other thing that I expect to see is an increase in cyber war activity between both Russia and Ukraine. So, I expect that there will be continued use of cyber means to go after each other's infrastructure and potentially cause damage to those critical infrastructures on both sides.

REID: All right, retired US Air Force Colonel and Twitter's favorite military analyst. Every time you're on, there's all kinds of activity on Twitter. You have quite the fan club there. Cedric Leighton, thank you so much.

LEIGHTON: Thank you, Paula. Have a Happy New Year.

REID: And you too.

And coming up in just a few hours, more than a million people will converge on New York's iconic Times Square to ring in the New Year. The massive effort that goes into keeping them safe, that's ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:40:38]

REID: Tonight, police in major cities are on heightened alert ahead of tomorrow's New Year's Eve celebrations. CNN's Polo Sandoval is in New York's Times Square with what officials are doing to try to keep crowds safe.

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Paula, good evening.

If you think it is bustling here in Times Square tonight, just give it another 24 hours when people really do start to pile in and will be in place ahead of the New Year's Eve celebration when that ball drops this year, certainly with a heightened sense of awareness, according to officials here because of what we have heard from the law enforcement community, a collection of at least 10 law enforcement agencies including the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, they are all saying that the war in the Middle East.

Because of that, it has great at a so-called heightened threat environment. The intelligence community continues to be concerned, now more than ever, about the threats posed by the so-called lone wolf offenders or lone wolf attack committing a very simple unsophisticated attack, according to analysis that's been seen by CNN.

In fact, you'll remember, it was just last New Year's Eve that an individual that would later be described by law enforcement as a homegrown violent extremist attacked law enforcement at one of those checkpoints, and that is why according to the NYPD chief of patrol, they are operating with a heightened sense of alert though there are no clear and obvious threats at the moment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN CHELL, CHIEF OF PATROL, NYPD: So lone wolf attacks a very tough. But like you saw last year, unfortunately, a lone wolf attack about 10 o'clock at night. But our cops are aware of their surroundings, they reacted quickly.

It's imperative that cops be aware of surroundings, stand tall, and react quickly in their training and they certainly did last year.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: And Paula, as we've seen in years past, the NYPD has released a long list of prohibited items for those folks who are planning to actually come here to spend New Year's Eve in Times Square. They include umbrellas, backpacks.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams also saying that this year, they will be expanding this security buffer. The concern is that some of the protests that we've seen play out almost on an everyday basis since the war in the Middle East broke out, they are concerned that those could potentially disrupt New Year's Eve celebrations.

Paula, back to you.

REID: Polo Sandoval in Times Square, thank you.

Now, let's discuss with someone who has firsthand experience in safety planning at large public events, former DC and Philadelphia police chief, Charles Ramsey.

All right, Chief Ramsey --

CHARLES RAMSEY, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Hello.

REID: This can't be easy approaching a situation like this. It's such a high profile event. What are the challenges?

RAMSEY: Well, there are a lot of challenges. I mean, you know, crowd control is one. I mean, you have these enormous crowds to gather to celebrate the New Year and you add on top of that now, the possibility of protests taking place due to the war in the Middle East, possibility of a terror attack. I mean, these things are highly visible, particularly in New York City. I mean, this is affecting departments across the country.

But the one that people tend to focus on is Times Square in New York. I mean, it is on just about every television channel, waiting for the ball to drop. So, if you're going to do something, you're going to do it at a place where you're going to get a lot of coverage, I would imagine.

So hopefully, this just turns out to be nothing more than just a challenge in terms of crowd management, but the NYPD and departments across the country are prepared. They are very aware of the possibility and really encourage people to still come out and celebrate.

I mean, that's really what this is all about: Creating a safe environment for people to feel comfortable.

REID: A recent Gallup poll found that most Americans now think there's more crime in the US than there was a year or so ago, but the FBI data clearly shows violent crime has actually dropped sharply in 2023.

For example, the murder rate is on track to decrease by a record number this year. You saw violent crime plummet when you were police chief. What do you think is behind this trend?

RAMSEY: Well, I mean, it's too early to tell if there is any one thing and certainly, it is not going to be one thing. It's going to be a combination of factors that make crime either go up or down.

So, it's too soon to tell, but you have to remember that many cities are coming off of record years in terms of homicides, shootings, other violent crime.

So now, it is starting to kind of correct. It is starting to kind of calm down. It is still unacceptably high, but at least, it is moving in the right direction.

[19:45:08]

You know, in 2020, we had COVID, which caused courts to shut down for a period of time, prisoners to be released from jails. We had the George Floyd protests, so we had a lot of property crimes taking place in some cities. So we had kind of in 2020, almost a sense of lawlessness, I think, at least from what I have seen that was taking place. And as a result of that, we did see a dramatic increase in crime.

Now, it is starting to kind of calm down. Courts are back in session and things are kind of getting back to normal, again, way too high, but it is moving in the right direction. And by the way, I've always tracked shootings, the shootings are down. That's what's important.

Everybody wants to focus on homicide, but you have to really look at shootings. Every shooting is potentially a homicide. And so when you're hot -- you can really kind of pick up the trends when you're looking at the shootings, more so than homicides.

REID: We, of course, saw a lot of headlines this year about crime, including what appeared in many ways to be like a wave of retail thefts. But even there, there is no data showing a national surge in retail theft. So how do you explain that?

RAMSEY: Well, again, you know, it's going to depend on the jurisdiction. Unfortunately, you have some cities where prosecutors really have been very lenient when it comes to theft, shoplifting and things like that. I think that's a mistake personally, but they are the ones that were elected, so they make that decision.

Things are trending down, but it scares people, because whenever you have, you know, these events where you have looting and things like that take place, it does give people the sense of just lawlessness, and it is the perception of crime that you're fighting as much as the reality of crime.

And so I'm glad to see the numbers going down, but again, if people don't feel safe, if people believe crime is up, then we still have got a lot of work to do as police and as public safety officials, to kind of get people to understand that things are really getting better.

But as long as you know, they're able to turn on the TV set and see this stuff taking place -- mass shootings, you know, things like that, then obviously, people are going to feel afraid.

REID: Which is why we're here to talk about the statistics and put things in context.

Charles Ramsey, thank you.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:51:51]

REID: This year we saw a Buffalo Bills player, Damar Hamlin make a miraculous recovery from cardiac arrest and the weight loss drug , Ozempic swept the world.

It was also the year we saw new ways to tackle the critical drug shortages. And of course, there were scientific breakthroughs with modern medicine.

CNN's Sanjay Gupta has the Top 10 Health and Wellness Stories of 2023.

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DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: 2023 may best be described as an incredible year of breakthroughs and innovation, while also a year of continuing to deal or not deal with basic ongoing health problems.

Our team has had many moments now to reflect, be inspired, learn, and redouble our efforts to help make all of you happier, healthier, and more informed.

So, let's kick things off with number 10 of our "Top 10 Health Stories".

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go ahead and go over the cot. I don't like how he went down.

DR. GUPTA (voice over): January 2, 2023, the very beginning of the year. Buffalo Bills' safety Damar Hamlin goes into cardiac arrest on national TV.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're going to need everybody. All call. All call.

DR. GUPTA (voice over): A quick response not only saved Hamlin's life but brought national attention to the importance of CPR, rapid defibrillation, and the NFL safety protocols, which I saw firsthand.

DR. GUPTA (on camera): Now, keep in mind, the medical team was able to get to Damar Hamlin within 10 seconds, and speed really matters here.

Every additional minute that someone in cardiac arrest goes without CPR, mortality goes up by up to 10 percent.

DR. GUPTA (voice over): Number nine, you've probably never heard of phenylephrine and that's okay. It's the main ingredient in many over the counter allergy and cold medicines, like Sudafed PE and Vicks Sinex.

This year, an FDA committee said, contrary to popular belief, it was not effective as a nasal decongestant in tablet form. So, while we wait for a final decision, some stores like CVS have already said it will no longer sell medications that contained this as the only active ingredient.

DR. GUPTA (on camera): Don't worry though. There's lots of other options out there.

DR. GUPTA (voice over): Number eight.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN NEWSROOM ANCHOR: A breakthrough treatment for sickle cell disease.

DR. GUPTA (voice over): And a breakthrough for modern medicine.

MEG TIRRELL, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Johnny is now one of the first people in the world to have his genes edited using CRISPR to treat his disease.

JONATHAN LUBIN, CRISPR SICKLE CELL TRIAL PARTICIPANT: I was worrying that I might be, like, get, like, superpowers or something like that. DR. GUPTA (voice over): In December, the FDA approved the first ever

treatment to use the gene editing technique known as CRISPR. Think of it like this, CRISPR allows scientists to precisely cut and modify DNA, which could then potentially treat and even cure certain diseases, such as sickle cell, but also cancer, muscular dystrophy, even Parkinson's.

Number seven.

SARA SIDNER, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: A 60-year scientific quest has now given us the world's first RSV vaccine.

DR. GUPTA (voice over): For the first time, we have vaccines available to fight the full respiratory triple threat of COVID-19, flu, and RSV.

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Last season, we saw cases of RSV come back with a vengeance, reminding us of the importance of vaccination, especially for the most vulnerable.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Before I even knew what happened, he was being admitted and pumped with oxygen and trying to be stabilized.

DR. GUPTA (voice over): So far, we've been sort of sleepwalking into this triple threat season, but there is still time.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's not too late to get vaccinated if you haven't already.

DR. GUPTA (voice over): Number six.

TIRRELL: There are more than 300 drugs on the FDA's shortages list right now.

JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER: More than 90 percent of cancer centers say they're impacted by a shortage --

DR. GUPTA (voice over): This one may surprise you, one of the richest countries in the world that spends trillions on health care.

GUPTA (on camera): And yet we currently have the highest number of drug shortages in about a decade.

DR. GUPTA (voice over): Laura Bray had to call hundreds of children's hospitals across the country herself to try and find chemo treatment for her daughter.

And in the process, she started a movement. She is now channeling what she's learned into a national effort to predict which drugs are going to go into shortage, and to produce them before patients have to go without.

GUPTA (on camera): When you see this now, Laura, you see this coming off the lines, what's that like for you? LAURA BRAY, FOUNDER, ANGELS FOR CHANGE: What I see here is each one of

those that's being filled up, seven to nine NICU babies that are going to get fed today.

GUPTA (voice over): Number 5.

JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: In our health lead, the FDA has approved a new Alzheimer's drug today.

GUPTA (voice over): There is new hope this year for those with early Alzheimer's.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'll look at my phone and read the names and a lot of them don't mean anything to me.

GUPTA (voice over): Leqembi is the first drug proven to show a slowing down of the debilitating disease, in part by removing amyloid plaques from the brain.

GUPTA (on camera): It's not a cure, but clinical trials found that it can slow down the onset of more severe symptoms.

GUPTA (voice over): Number four: Loneliness.

DR. VIVEK MURTHY, SURGEON GENERAL: I'm so concerned about our children because there is an epidemic, if you will, of mental health challenges that they have been facing.

GUPTA (on camera): Coming out of the pandemic, loneliness and social isolation have become a key public health issue for young and old alike. So significant an issue that these surgeons general normally known for things like curbing smoking had a rare convening to raise the public health alarm about this topic.

DR. JEROME ADAMS, FORMER SURGEON GENERAL: And I have to look at my three teenagers every day and know that I'm not handing them a better world than the world that was left to me, and a lot of that is because of our failure to really focus on mental health.

GUPTA (on camera): It's a massive problem that seems to disproportionately affect Americans. But at the same time, small moments of human connection. Smiling. Just saying hello. Those are all steps we can take toward a solution.

GUPTA (voice over): Number three: The ripple effects of overturning Roe v. Wade. Real-life stories and unimaginable decisions.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Were the doctors clear with you about what her chances were of surviving?

HEATHER MABERRY, DENIED ABORTION IN KENTUCKY: They told us there was no chance. They said that either she would be still born or she would die within a few hours.

GUPTA (on camera): A ruling by a Texas judge also sent the fate of mifepristone, an oral pill used for abortion and miscarriage management into legal limbo.

With families already feeling the effects, the final decision will now be taken up by the Supreme Court.

DR. LEAH TATUM, OBSTETRICIAN-GYNECOLOGIST: Their concerns are, if medical abortions are no longer accessible, what if their reproductive rights are restricted even further?

GUPTA (voice over): Number two.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Wegovy helped us lose weight.

GUPTA (voice over): Demand for weight loss and diabetes drugs like these has skyrocketed.

GUPTA (on camera): A Trilliant Health analysis found that in the final three months of last year, an estimated nine million prescriptions were written for these kinds of medications, that's a 300 percent increase since 2020, and it pushed manufacturing lines to run practically nonstop this year.

DAN VONDIELINGEN, SITE HEAD, LILLY RTP: Demand is very high and we're doing everything that we can to stand up and supply.

GUPTA (voice over): That demand has also resulted in shortages, knockoffs and growing awareness of the side effects, including nausea, vomiting, even stomach paralysis.

But so far, these drugs have been proven to be effective for weight loss and also a welcome tool to combat obesity.

And number one.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF DOMESTIC CORRESPONDENT: We've talked about the dark side of AI, this is a bright spot -- health care.

GUPTA (voice over): While the message is still to proceed with caution, we've already seen a glimpse of how artificial intelligence could change health care from identifying new antibiotics, to detecting breast cancer.

GUPTA (on camera): It may not ever, hopefully never, replace your actual human doctor. It could help enhance patient care, ad even as we saw help someone walk again.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A paralyzed man is up and about.

GUPTA (on camera): Happy New Year, and look forward to a lot more in 2024.

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REID: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, thank you.

And thank you for joining me this evening, I'm Paula Reid and I'll see you again tomorrow night starting at four Eastern.

Stay with us for the CNN special: "All the Best and all the Worst 2023."

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