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U.S. Troops Killed, More Injured In Drone Attack In Jordan; Heavy Fighting Continues Near Hospitals In Khan Younis; Nikki Haley Rejects Calls To Drop Out, Vows To Stay In The Race; Jury Tells Trump To Pay E. Jean Carroll $83.3 Million In Damages; Could Carroll Verdict Indicate Trouble Ahead In New York Hush Money Case; Taylor Swift And Travis Kelce Embrace And Kiss After Chiefs Win; One-On-One With Comedian, Matt Friend. Aired 7-8p ET

Aired January 28, 2024 - 19:00   ET

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

[19:00:58]

JIM ACOSTA, CNN HOST: You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM. I am Jim Acosta in Washington. Good evening.

We are following breaking news overseas this hour. Right now the U.S. is working to identify exactly which militia group carried out a deadly drone attack on a small U.S. outpost in Jordan that killed three U.S. Army troops. More than 30 U.S. service members were injured, including eight who had to be medically evacuated. This happened near the border with Syria and Iraq, as you can see on that map right there.

President Biden is blaming Iran-backed militant groups and vowing to hold them responsible. This marks the first time U.S. troops have been killed by enemy fire in the Middle East since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas.

And CNN's Natasha Bertrand is here in the studio with more details.

Natasha, what's the latest?

NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, we know three U.S. Army soldiers they were killed in this drone attack that U.S. officials are attributing to Iran-backed militias, that we don't know exactly which one was responsible for this attack. And upwards of 30 U.S. service members who were at that small outpost in Jordan kind of little-known base in northeast Jordan on the border of Syria, they were wounded, including eight who actually had to be medically evacuated because their injuries were that critical.

Now at this point the U.S. is debating, of course, how to respond. It remains to be seen whether they're going to retaliate immediately or whether they're going to respond by striking these Iran-backed groups, or whether they're going to do a larger, kind of broader response to this. But they are vowing some kind of response. That is what President Biden has said. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin made that very clear in a statement that he released as well, saying that this is not going to go unanswered here. And so the administration has really been trying to avoid getting into

this broader conflict, but even though these Iran-backed groups have struck U.S. and coalition bases and tried to hit them over 150 times since October, never before have they actually managed to do what officials believe was their goal all along, which was to kill U.S. service members until today, and so this incident really marks a significant escalation here.

And right now what we're waiting for is of course how they're going to respond. President Biden did meet with his National Security team today to discuss the incident, including some of his most senior officials, the secretary of defense, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff CQ Brown, so clearly they're taking this very seriously and weighing how to respond -- Jim.

ACOSTA: And we don't have the information yet as to who these service members are. We don't have their identities yet. I supposed that identification process and notification process is occurring now?

BERTRAND: Exactly right. So they have been notifying next of kin for these three Army soldiers who were are told were killed in the strike. And after that kind of 24-hour period is up that is when they will notify the general public of their identities.

ACOSTA: All right. Very difficult days ahead for those families.

Natasha Bertrand, thank you so much.

For more on all of this, let's bring in our panel of guests. Joining me now CNN military analyst, retired General Mark Hertling, and CNN global affairs analyst Kimberly Dozier.

General, to you first, what are your thoughts on this attack? I think it was widely expected that something like this would occur at some point after October 7th. How should the U.S. respond, do you think? What's next?

LT. GEN. MARK HERTLING, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Yes, first of all, Jim, I'd say that this base that was struck, as Natasha said, is a very small base. It's part of the line of communications or the logistics line between Jordan and the bases further to the west, like Tanf, so you have probably either reserve units, National Guard units, or active-duty units that are supporting some of the special forces operators that are conducting the train and equip or the supply and advise mission within the Jordanian army.

What happened? I don't know. You know, most of the bases in Iraq have different types, in any of these areas, especially in Iraq, have different kinds of air defense equipment. They have something called a C-RAM kind of radar or missile or mortar base.

[19:05:04]

It's a gun that shoots a high number of bullets per minute that can knock things out of the sky. Those things have known to go inoperable or not turned on sometimes. So, again, right now it's nothing but conjecture. We don't know what happened, it's just unfortunate that this drone strike became successful on this relatively small base.

ACOSTA: And, Kimberly, you know this region very well. You've heard the president say that the U.S. will respond. We've heard obviously a lot of hesitation from some U.S. officials. They don't want the conflict there to escalate and spill out across the region. Unpack all of this for us if you can.

KIMBERLY DOZIER, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Well, I think in terms of response, when you look at what the U.S. backed by Britain and other allies has done in regards to the Houthis and their attacks on ships in the Red Sea, it's been targeted, it's been focused. They've gone after the people doing the attacks in the act or the capabilities overnight when they are not going to hit a large number of troops.

I think you're going to see the same thing here in terms of response. They're going to track back to exactly which group they think is responsible, and the location of these drones and any other ammunition or missile-type storage they can find and hit that rather than doing something that could escalate to a wider regional war.

ACOSTA: And General, I mean, to that point, Senator Lindsey Graham, other Republicans are calling for the U.S. to strike inside Iran. As a matter of fact, I mean, I should point out, we talked to Democratic Congressman Adam Smith earlier on in this program, in the 5:00 hour, and he suggested that perhaps the U.S. should look at some targets inside Iran to send a message. Your thoughts on that?

HERTLING: Yes, I don't agree with any of that, Jim, quite frankly. I mean, the administration has been attempting to deter a larger regional conflict that could easily turn into a global conflict. You've got to remember that Iran is connected to not only Russia but also China and other nations, so when you're talking about the deniability that Iran has in support of somebody's popular mobilization forces, the PMF forces, these are militia groups.

It's one thing, as Kim said, to go after these groups. It's very difficult to go after the launch sites of a drone or the launch site of a rocket, but you can certainly hit the supply capabilities and the command-and-control elements. The Biden administration has been doing that. I think what we're going to see as an effect on this is probably a much larger strike against some of the headquarters and other areas within Syria as well as perhaps some of the other PMF locations.

But I also think you are going to see some covert actions against the operations of Iran in different parts of the country. We all know that Iran is the head of the snake and it needs to be stopped from supporting these groups, but it's one thing to try and stop that versus going inside of Iran, which could cause a regional conflict, and I think Kim would agree with that.

ACOSTA: Yes, Kim, what do you think of that? I mean, the Iranians, they have been a nuisance throughout all of this. It is a little surprising that they would be part of anything that would result in the deaths of U.S. service members because they know what the response might actually look like. Your sense of it, and how much of this is intertwined to what we have been seeing take place since October 7th because obviously that is a huge part of this as well?

DOZIER: Well, what you're seeing from Iran's perspective especially is proxies against proxies for U.S. troops in places where Iran doesn't think they should be. So from Iran's perspective, we hit some Houthi targets and killed some Houthi troops, who are trained and backed by Iran, now they are hitting a location that supports our advice and assist mission of various troops that work against Iranian interest.

So from their perspective, from Tehran's perspective, this is more tit-for-tat. And again, trying to track it back, as Mark was saying, to who was exactly responsible for ordering this, that's really hard to do. Iran does have a lot of deniability. So if you strike something inside Iran like the Revolutionary Guard headquarters, you better have a smoking gun showing that they ordered this particular strike, or you are going to create a lot of international antibodies against that action.

ACOSTA: All right. General Hertling, Kim Dozier -- what's that, General? Go ahead.

HERTLING: Yes, if I could add just one more thing.

ACOSTA: Please.

HERTLING: You know, those who study these groups understand Iran really doesn't care about any casualties that occur among the PMF forces or Houthis. They will give them up just like Hamas will give up civilians inside of Gaza.

[19:10:01]

They don't care what will happen as Kim just said. It's just a poke in the eye to the United States, and they love when that's happening, but they want the deniability.

ACOSTA: And, Kim, I mean, just to make sure we get this point across to our viewers, and please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong about this, Republican and Democratic administrations have decided not to strike inside Iran in situations like this that have emerged in the past. Am I right about that? And for what reason?

DOZIER: Well, they've decided not to --

ACOSTA: Yes.

DOZIER: They've decided not to strike in a really overt way.

ACOSTA: Yes.

DOZIER: Covert action like a cyber strike.

ACOSTA: Sure.

DOZIER: Or somehow hitting something that takes out a capability or a leader, but you never know who did it, something like that to send a message to Tehran is a lot more likely than something like sending, you know, U.S. fighter jets over an Iranian target and taking it out.

ACOSTA: All right. Kimberly Dozier, General Hertling, thanks so much. Really appreciate it.

HERTLING: You bet.

DOZIER: Thanks.

ACOSTA: All right. Over in Gaza the Palestine Red Crescent Society says hospitals in the southern part of the enclave are under siege. Intense fighting is taking place in Khan Younis. So far this weekend the Hamas-run Ministry of Health says 350 people have been killed in that area. Nasser Hospital, the main medical center in southern Gaza, is reportedly running out of critical supplies like blood, anesthesia and other medications.

Joining me now is the emergency communications specialist for UNICEF, Joe English.

Joe, thanks for coming back on the program. What are you hearing about the conditions in Gaza right now?

JOE ENGLISH, UNICEF EMERGENCY COMMUNICATION SPECIALIST: It's absolutely (INAUDIBLE), and you know, we've also had torrential rain over the weekend and so we know how many hundreds and hundreds of thousands of families have been displaced, now many of them are battling not just bombardment but also the elements. Temperatures are set to drop in the next couple of days, and many families who fled with next to nothing are now seeing that next to nothing either damaged or destroyed in the rain, washed away.

There are toddler who have no more warm place to walk. They are walking around in water up to their knees without shoes. You know, this is also conditions that are ripe for disease. And so every time that we say it can get worse, it does get worse and there is still more layers of absolute horror for children and families in Gaza that this could descend to.

ACOSTA: And Joe, I want to ask you about something we saw yesterday. CNN witnessed and filmed Israeli soldiers with Palestinian detainees in southern Israel near the Gaza border. The men were barefoot, have been blindfolded. The Israeli Defense Forces say they were suspected of terrorist activity, and arrested in Gaza and transferred to Israel for further interrogation.

What is your sense of what you are seeing in the video if you've seen those images? What can you tell us?

ENGLISH: I think we've all seen these images, we have seen many, many horrific videos and images over the last 130 days, and obviously from October 7th as well. The only way that we can put an end to this is a cease-fire. Children, families, parents that we speak are desperate just for a sense of safety, a sense of security for their children. You know, and these children are no different from children here. They're no different from children in Israel and West Bank., You know, all parents want is to be able to provide security for their

kids. Now in Gaza, you know, often in conflict what we see is parents flee. People flee as refugees. There is nowhere safe for these families to go. And so they have all fled to the south, more than one million people now in this town. Absolutely abhorrent conditions that they're facing, and still we continue to see strikes. We continue to see bombardment.

And the only way that we would be able to get and provide the level of support that is needed is an end to the fighting. We are doing all we can to reach children and families but we cannot work miracles.

ACOSTA: All right. Well, Joe English, it's a very important topic. Of course we're going to have you back on as many times as possible to stay on top of it.

Joe English, thank you very much for your time. We appreciate it.

ENGLISH: OK. Thanks, Jim.

ACOSTA: All right. And we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:18:30]

ACOSTA: While President Biden and former President Donald Trump trade jabs with an eye toward the general election, Nikki Haley is continuing to make her case to voters, arguing tonight that the GOP primary is far from the finish. That's despite her third-place finish in Iowa and a double-digit loss to Trump in New Hampshire.

Now less than four weeks from the South Carolina primary, the lone Trump challenger sharpening her attacks against the former president, accusing him of bullying his way to the nomination, saying he's become totally unhinged and saying today that he needs to man up and debate her.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NIKKI HALEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: And Donald Trump had a total meltdown. A total meltdown. He literally threw a temper tantrum on stage like I had never seen. He was clearly confused, right? I think we need to have mental competency test for anybody over the age of 75. He took offense to that and I think it hurt his feelings. He can't hide behind the teleprompter at his rallies. He really needs to come face-to-face.

Man up, Donald, I know you can do it. I think we're getting under his skin. Just saying. I don't know.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Joining me now is Katon Dawson, the former chairman of the South Carolina Republican Primary, and he supports former Governor Haley in the primary. Katon, great to see you. Thanks so much for joining us. What do you

think about all that from Nikki Haley there, telling Donald Trump he needs to man up?

KATON DAWSON, FORMER SOUTH CAROLINA REPUBLICAN PARTY CHAIRMAN: Jim, first, it's a pleasure and a privilege to be with you tonight. And thank you for being on your show. Second of all, you know, right now we're at the 29-day mark for a race in South Carolina.

[19:20:09]

We got 48 states left. 62 delegates out of 2,367. Nikki has had Donald one-on-one for about a week and a half or so, so what we needed was Nikki to get him one-on-one, to show the difference to the country, to remind South Carolina what a tremendous leader she was when she was governor. The experience she had as being Trump's appointee as the ambassador to the U.N., she's invaluable in this because she knows who our enemies are, she knows who our friends are.

I saw your clip, I missed the Conway rally, but I'll be on the ones this week. Nikki had a really good time and she's worked hard to get there. Just imagine this, somebody from Bamberg, South Carolina, who became the governor of the state of South Carolina and is now one of three people who could be president of the United States, and she's a woman. That's just amazing. And we're very proud of that, Jim.

ACOSTA: Yes, Katon, this morning Haley admitted her showing in South Carolina needs to be better than New Hampshire. Let's listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HALEY: What I do think I need to do is I need to show that I am building momentum. I need to show that I'm stronger in South Carolina than New Hampshire. Does that have to be win? I don't think that necessarily has to be a win, but it certainly has to be better than I did in New Hampshire and it certainly has to be close. And so that's what we're focusing on. If we win, great, if not, we've got to show that we're continuing to narrow that margin along the way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Katon, you know -- you've been doing this for a long time, you know how this works. If Nikki Haley does not narrow some of these polls between now and the South Carolina primary, would she be better served getting out of this race before losing her home state in a kind of a bad way to the former president?

DAWSON: I don't think so and neither does Nikki. It wouldn't be fair. We've got millions of people to vote, and there's no way we're going to let this first three states to that. I get our place in presidential politics. I mean, who usually wins our primary goes on to get the nomination. Only one time since we've been having primaries Newt Gingrich won, and Romney lost and he got the nomination.

But what I'm telling you is, we got 29 days in South Carolina. Jim, you've been here before. It's a rough place. Nikki is used to it. She went through some battles to get there, so she is battle tested. Donald's skin is as thin as a piece of paper. I mean, right now every time she pokes him, he says something ridiculous, like I'm going to come track your donors which I wish he'd do some more of that and we're at a couple of million dollars now.

And then insinuates that she's in trouble in five different things and how if he's president of the United States he's going to come and investigate people who are worthless. That's just crazy stuff and shows that -- you know, he just got to need to be president again. Then you got Joe Biden who endorsed Donald Trump basically two days saying it's a two-person race. Well, hell yes, he wants to run against Donald Trump because he can't beat Nikki Haley, Jim.

And we think we can make the case to South Carolina voters, our friends and neighbors, that Nikki Haley will be monumental Ronald Reagan-type change to the Republican Party. We will bring in independents who have not been voting in either primary, and we will bring in new people in our party and we'll reset the age of how old we are voting in this party and get some new people in it.

ACOSTA: All right. We'll be watching it, Katon Dawson. Please come back again. We'll talk about it some more. Thanks so much for your time tonight. Really appreciate it.

DAWSON: Absolutely. Thank you, Jim. I appreciate being on your show, sir.

ACOSTA: All right. Good to see you, Katon.

Still ahead, Donald Trump slapped with an $83 million verdict in the E. Jean Carroll case, but that may be just the beginning. He could be facing an even bigger judgment this week. That's right, this week. We'll talk about that next.

You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:28:11]

ACOSTA: Another bad legal week for Donald Trump. A jury saying Trump must pay E. Jean Carroll $83 million in damages, but that may be just the beginning.

CNN legal analyst Norm Eisen joins us now.

Norm, you think that the Carroll verdict potentially foreshadows Trump's conviction and incarceration in the Alvin Bragg hush-money trial? Is that -- when we're talking about -- when we're saying incarceration, we're talking about incarceration?

NORM EISEN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Typically on these document falsification cases, and that's what Alvin Bragg is bringing, 34 counts of document falsification. Why? 2016 election interference, Jim, that Donald Trump made these hush-money payments, was involved in at the end of the 2016 election to avoid another damaging sex scandal right after "Access Hollywood."

ACOSTA: Right.

EISEN: If you look at the case, it is a strong and compelling case. You have Donald Trump's own signatures on these documents, so it really reminds me -- when I look at the E. Jean Carroll case, I say, hey, that's a civil case, tough judge, same thing with the Bragg election interference. New York jury, same -- and we saw they didn't like Donald Trump, same thing with the election interference.

ACOSTA: They don't like him.

EISEN: Powerful evidence. Donald Trump's own signature on many of these documents. I think it's ominous for him. And if he is convicted, many of those election interference cases they have been charged as document falsification, that category of cases does lead to incarceration. So I think part of the importance is --

ACOSTA: The potential is there. Yes.

EISEN: The potential is there, not for sure.

ACOSTA: Yes.

EISEN: But the potential is there.

ACOSTA: And a telling quote from Alvin Bragg in the "New York Times" this week, he said the case, the core of it is not money for sex but you say it's about conspiring to corrupt a presidential election and then lying in New York business records to cover it up. That's the heart of the case. That's what you said.

[19:30:10]

EISEN: And folks discounted the Alvin Bragg case when it was brought. They said, oh, it'll be re-moved to federal court and tied up forever. Guess what? The Federal Court rejected it. They said, oh, you can't charge this as a state prosecution. Election interference has to be federal. Guess what? The courts threw that out there.

So Donald Trump will try immunity like he's trying here in DC for the 2020 election interference. His immunity claims were rejected or waived, and he abandoned the appeal. That case is on a rocket docket for March and it is a serious one.

ACOSTA: And you have to wonder with the Alvin Bragg case, whether or not we'll see the same antics at the courthouse, in the courtroom from Donald Trump that we saw in the E. Jean Carroll case, and in the civil fraud trial.

In each of these cases, people said -- all the political observers said, oh, look how well this worked for Donald Trump. He got the Republican Party behind him. It seems to have backfired with the jury and the judge in the E. Jean Carroll case. It may backfire again in the civil fraud case. He may be racking up some losses here because of these antics. EISEN: The price --

ACOSTA: Correct --

EISEN: The price of his political success in the primaries has been legal disadvantage. The first blow came with this E. Jean Carroll verdict, massive verdict, over $80 million. I think we're going to get the second blow with Judge Engoron in the New York civil fraud, and then of course, the most ominous of them all for Donald Trump, the 2016 election interference case, document falsification with Alvin Bragg coming in March.

Innocent until proven guilty. Let's see how the evidence comes in, but boy, if you're Donald Trump, you have to be feeling very anxious. And then there's the question, does he have the money?

If you get another big verdict from Judge Engoron, he's going to either have to put up the money or put up a bond together with the over $80 million. Those numbers start to add up.

ACOSTA: Right. We're talking about real money at that point.

All right, Norm Eisen, great stuff as always. Thanks so much. Appreciate it.

Still ahead, the Kansas City Chiefs punched their ticket to the Super Bowl, but now the question is, will Taylor Swift be there to cheer on her boyfriend, Travis Kelce? I think we know the answer to that. Come on now.

We're asking Rachel Nichols ahead about all of that next, and she knows the answer as well. Stay with us. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:36:46]

ACOSTA: Kansas City has stamped their tickets to Las Vegas and Super Bowl LVIII. In the AFC Championship Game, the Chiefs held off the Baltimore Ravens, clinching a 17 to 10 win there in Baltimore, and then there was this moment after the game, Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift embracing and sharing a kiss, basking in the championship win. You knew that had to happen.

With me now to discuss is Rachel Nichols, host of "Headliners" with Rachel Nichols on Showtime.

Rachel, we're all excited about the game. Yes, football is a lot of fun. Question a lot of folks' minds this evening is, are we going to see Taylor Swift at the Super Bowl? I know the answer to that, but I'm going to ask it anyway.

Of course. Yes. Obviously.

RACHEL NICHOLS, HOST, "HEADLINERS" WITH RACHEL NICHOLS: I know this is your favorite subject, Taylor Swift, Jim, so I'm thrilled that we get to open with it.

ACOSTA: Yes.

NICHOLS: Yes, she will be there. She is expected to be there, but the question is how? Because she has a concert in Tokyo at 6:00 PM on Saturday night.

ACOSTA: Oh, interesting.

NICHOLS: And the Super Bowl, of course, is that 6:30 Eastern on Sunday in Las Vegas.

So how is she going to do this? Well, there's a 17-hour time difference between Tokyo and Las Vegas and it is a time difference in her favor. It's actually, she is 17 hours in the future. So she gets to then take an airplane back, which is about 13 hours. And if you do that math, even if she leaves Tokyo at midnight, she would be in Las Vegas by around 7:00 PM. I don't know, she can be well-rested before the game at 3:30 PM Las Vegas time.

ACOSTA: Yes.

NICHOLS: Or she could go to a Super Bowl party. You know, whatever she feels like doing, but she will be there in plenty of time and is expected to be there.

ACOSTA: And she is not at the mercy of commercial aviation, I suspect.

NICHOLS: Are you just -- are you making that assumption? As reporters aren't we required to --

ACOSTA: I understand there will be no math.

NICHOLS: You're completely right, obviously.

ACOSTA: But, well done on doing the math there. And that might not be the only person we're watching in the stands. There's also Jason Kelce to deal with.

NICHOLS: Yes.

ACOSTA: After what he did in Kansas City.

NICHOLS: Look at him all clothed.

ACOSTA: I mean, are we going to see Jason Kelce in his high jinks once again?

NICHOLS: We're so proud of him for wearing clothes today.

ACOSTA: Yes.

NICHOLS: Look, I do expect to see him in a full bodied attire at the Super Bowl for a couple of reasons. First of all, it's the Super Bowl. He is a Super Bowl champion himself. He is a lock for the Hall of Fame. I think his respect for the game and what it is and what it stands for

will make him put a shirt on. But also, I've got to tell you, it is supposed to be in the mid-60s For Superbowl Sunday in Las Vegas. That's boring to be shirtless for that. No one gives you props for that. It's when it's subzero like it was in Buffalo, that's when you get to show how tough you are.

ACOSTA: It is Vegas. I mean, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. I mean, don't tell Jason Kelce that.

What about -- all right, let's actually talk about the outcome of the game because I mean, this was what every Baltimore Ravens fan has been living for. We are in the DC area. You know this. They thought this was Lamar Jackson's year, MVP, and so on, and they just could not put points on the scoreboard. And the Chiefs defense, which has been questionable at times this season actually showed up.

NICHOLS: Yes, both defenses were phenomenal, especially the Ravens defense in the second half, the Chiefs defense throughout the game, but that is not why people tune into the TV.

ACOSTA: Yes.

[15:40:00]

NICHOLS: As you said Lamar Jackson such an incredible MVP level season and yet today, they had two huge offensive mistakes that would have won them the game if they had gone through right. They had a certain touchdown that was fumbled right at the goal line and poked away and then they had a key interception all the way down field.

So unfortunately, they can only look in the mirror that offense and its collective. It's obviously not Lamar Jackson's fault, but it is a disappointment for a team and a community. And I grew up in Maryland, as you know, that really did expect that Super Bowl berth this year.

ACOSTA: Absolutely. I know you are a local girl. There is no question about it.

And right now let's talk about the Lions and the 49ers. I mean, this game is probably going to go back and forth as well. I was surprised see the Lions jump out to a pretty early lead. It's the 9ers. The Lions just scored again, they're telling me in the control room. I really thought the 9ers are going to roll away with this, but maybe not. I don't know, maybe?

NICHOLS: Yes, they were heavy favorites. But Detroit, as you said came out super aggressive right from the start and one of the biggest problems the 49ers have had in the postseason reared its head early in this game, their rookie kicker missed a field goal wide right and so there you have it, he has missed three of his last four field goal attempts.

Obviously, it is something that they would address after the season. They're hoping after the season doesn't start today. But with the way this is going, even though they're favored, even though they have much more experience than the Lions getting to this stage, they are behind the eighth ball right now and they are going to have to make a pretty big comeback.

ACOSTA: Yes, and wouldn't it be something just to see the Detroit Lions in the Super Bowl, I mean, that is something we have not seen before. So we would get to see something we have not seen before.

NICHOLS: Very, very special. I mean, the Super Bowl has been going on for nearly 60 years. The Lions were the only team that's been a franchise for that long that has never played in it.

So I think those fans certainly deserve this kind of opportunity to go root on their team at a Super Bowl. We talked last week about how united the city is behind these guys and we'll just have to see if they can finish it off.

ACOSTA: All right, Rachel Nichols, great stuff as always. I promise, next time we will talk basketball. We didn't get to do it this time. We will do it next time.

NICHOLS: Look, man, Jason Kelce's shirt, Taylor Swift. I'm good.

ACOSTA: Yes, we're full. Our cup overfloweth. All right, Rachel. Great to see you. Thanks a lot.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:46:41]

ACOSTA: The 2024 presidential race is offering up plenty of content to the folks over at "Saturday Night Live."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: After Ron DeSantis endorsed Donald Trump, he called DeSantis a really terrific person and promised to stop calling him Ron DeSanctimonious. Well, it is like a wise man once said --

GOV. RON DESANTIS (R-FL): You can be the most worthless Republican in America, but if you kiss the ring, he'll say you're wonderful.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, Haley also called Trump totally unhinged, and called for him to take a mental competency test. And here's some footage of Trump trying to buzz in with his answers.

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Bing, ding, ding, ding, shh, poof.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: See, he is fine. Never lost a step.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: With me now is comedian and impersonator, Matt Friend.

Matt, great to have you back. We loved it when you were here right around Christmas last year. Apparently, Trump wants a competency test.

MATT FRIEND, COMEDIAN: That's true, Jason. Excuse me, Jim. Let me just say it right now, please, okay. Not only do I want a competency test, but I will tell you that Jim Acosta, I have said it once, and I will say it twice. Okay, Jim, let me around the country, you run fake news CNN. If you did that, maybe the ratings would be a little bit higher.

But we have to have competency tests for these failed candidates. You see birdbrain Haley, you see all these nasty people falling down the stairs like a dead dog. So let's do the competency. Bring it back and CNN knows it, Jim.

ACOSTA: And what was this -- the bing, bong, bing, bong, the pushing of the buttons. What was that? Do you know what that was?

FRIEND: It's probably -- it was probably some elevators. Trump makes the craziest noises. I have no idea where it comes from.

ACOSTA: I don't either, and he does this quite often.

Let me ask you this back, because just to stay with politics for one more moment. We heard Ted Cruz this week about the border bill that Trump is trying to get rid of. Cruz saying we don't need a border bill. What do you think about that?

FRIEND: Well, you know, I just find it amusing. You know, as Texas Senator Ted Cruz, I find it funny that the Democrats have given the Republicans exactly what we want.

But still due to our egos, we have to simply refuse. The only part of the country that we have to protect against is Cancun, and that is to keep me from going back there in the first place.

I just find it -- Jim, I just find it ironic, though, that Democrats have finally given Republicans what they want. I had a theory. It's like Joe Biden could say he's suddenly pro-life, and then somehow Republicans would say, I don't think so. It's okay, that's enough.

ACOSTA: Yes,. I mean, it is something else to watch. I mean, the other thing that came this past week were the Oscar nominations. And I know you had a run in recently with Paul Giamatti and Cillian Murphy from "Oppenheimer."

FRIEND: Yes, I did.

ACOSTA: And how did that go with Giamatti? Let's see. Can we show any of that? Yes, there you are there together. We have a soundbite. Let's play the soundbite and talk on the other side.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FRIEND: All I wanted to say was that Paul Giamatti is not only one of my heroes, but I am doing you to you right now. What do you think about that?

PAUL GIAMATTI, ACTOR: That's very good. That's very good. FRIEND: Very good.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Matt, he is so good in that movie, "The Holdovers," but what was that moment like?

[19:50:03]

FRIEND: Well, Jim, it was very insane because we are talking about current politics, but my favorite president to cover in history is the second president of the United States, also known as John Adams.

So it was very, very surreal, and Giamatti was the greatest person. I do think though I was sad that Mitch McConnell wasn't nominated for an Oscar or a Golden Globe for best phrase of the year. I think you know what I'm talking about right here, yes.

ACOSTA: Are you still there?

FRIEND: I appreciate it. I know that you are thrilled with that.

ACOSTA: Matt, are you still there?

FRIEND: I'm still here, Jim. I am still here.

ACOSTA: No, no, no. And I have to ask you, I do want to get to one more impersonation. That just kills me every time. But before I do that, because I don't want to laugh hysterically.

When you talk to these celebrities like Paul Giamatti, I know you said he was just a gentleman about it, has anybody been offended? Or does everybody pretty much by and large, just love it?

FRIEND: Everyone loves it. Lindsey Graham was a little strange. I'm kidding, that hasn't happened yet.

However, everyone has been really kind and it was a dream doing it at the Golden Globes. And working there on the carpet for the second year. The row was incredible.

I want to have a better moment with Andy Cohen. I met CNN's Andy Cohen on the street, and he was really nice. Yes, he was incredible. Just kind of shaking his head being that's a good impression. I mean, you're young and cute. I like it. Yes. It's amazing.

But everyone has been so good. It depends on how you approach it. And no better person to talk to about that than Jim Acosta who handles our politicians with the highest of class, I would say.

ACOSTA: Well, I appreciate that. Opinions vary, but I try to.

FRIEND: Yes, yes.

ACOSTA: All right, we have to get to the -- we were just talking about Taylor Swift in the previous segment. FRIEND: Yes.

ACOSTA: And apparently, Howard Stern had some interesting advice for her and her boyfriend, Travis Kelce saying he should marry her.

FRIEND: Well, Jim, let me tell you, right? I've got to tell you this, right? It's so obvious to me that this Travis Kelce -- Robert, you hear about this, Travis Kelce guy? Right? This Travis Kelce guy, he has got to marry her.

I mean, if he doesn't do it, where does his career go? Right? I mean, it's clear that Taylor Swift is driving the whole thing, right? He may have -- you know, he can catch a football, but can he catch a movie career? That's the question, right?

And, hey, now, right? So basically, Travis, if you want to be the next rock, put the ring on the finger. Right? You've got to do that.

ACOSTA: And what would happen? Would a black hole emerge? Would with the universe explode? Will there be a massive implosion if Howard Stern were at this point to interview Donald Trump, what would that be like?

FRIEND: Right? Well, well, here's what I will tell you, right? So Howard Stern want to ask Donald Trump this. He would say, so Donald, let me ask you, right/ So you know, you think that you would beat me in a debate because I'm the only guy on the planet that could beat Donald Trump in a debate.

Howard Stern would beat Donald Trump, right? And I'll tell you why. Howard used to be a lot funnier before he became a liberal dog. I used to do this show, now he had terrible questions.

But let me tell you something right now, Donald, okay. It's just not fair what you're doing, right? Because you used to be this guy who was funny. And now you are just such a divisive --

Let me tell you about divisiveness, Howard, you're a dead dog. Okay, the ratings used to be a lot bigger before the new wave.

ACOSTA: It's always a dog.

FRIEND: You should go back to the basement.

ACOSTA: Matt, it is always a dog with Donald Trump. It always comes to bury somebody to a dog.

FRIEND: It's always a dog. Yes, it is.

ACOSTA: But I guess if it works, can you keep doing it?

FRIEND: I don't know if what he needs is a puppy dog. Maybe that's where the bing, bing, bong, bong thing came from. Very weird patterns in the Trump mind, I am not sure where it comes from?

ACOSTA: Well, Howard Stern has always been like one of those guests that I've always wanted to have on the show. So as we continue to pursue, Sir Howard, and I ask him to come on the show.

FRIEND: Right, right.

ACOSTA: Matt, you have to stand in his place.

FRIEND: Well, here is here and the fake Howard Stern is here anytime you need it, Jim.

ACOSTA: Right, right.

FRIEND: You know, among many others, though, I know it's a sore subject. But I will say the following, that Stanley Tucci may have been picked up by somebody else.

But in the meantime, to CNN, I would like to say the following, Jim, are we rolling?

ACOSTA: We're rolling.

FRIEND: Are we filming? Because today, I am preparing a delicious chicken cacciatore and a spaghetti al olio peperoncino, because Jim Acosta, I'm Italian on both sides, and I will never forget it.

ACOSTA: Amazing stuff.

FRIEND: I don't know what's happening, anyways.

ACOSTA: Matt, come to Washington anytime. We'll have you on set. And I'll try to keep my composure.

FRIEND: I would love to. Howard Stern won't be there, but I will. Thank you.

ACOSTA: That's right.

FRIEND: Right. Right. That's right.

ACOSTA: All right, Matt Friend, thanks a lot. Good to see you. We will be right back.

FRIEND: Thank you, Jim. You're the best.

ACOSTA: You are as well. Take care. Thanks a lot.

We will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:59:08]

ACOSTA: Get an inside look at the luxurious and exclusive world of super yachts. That's next on a new episode of "The Whole Story" with Anderson Cooper. Here's a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: They are a higher caliber of wealth than

even a beautiful penthouse apartment, a private plane. That's all chump change compared to this.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I mean in the end, expensive art is perhaps $200 million for a Warhol. The most expensive apartment ever sold in New York City was $240 million.

In yacht terms, that's pretty ordinary money.

Actually, these things can become three hundred, four hundred, five hundred million dollars.

A Giga yacht in the end is the most expensive thing that humans have figured out how to own.

CAMEROTA: Giga yachts are the largest kind of super yacht. We will show you the different sizes, but on board it seems no expense is spared.

We saw mosaics made of Italian leather, a working spa, complete with a hair and nail salon and massage rooms.

Dive centers with walls that open onto the ocean, wooden flooring made from a 16th Century monastery, glass encased pools to swim laps and a swimming pool in a bedroom ceiling.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: All right, we are all jealous of Alisyn Camerota right now.

An all-new episode of "The Whole Story" with Anderson Cooper airs next right here on CNN.

Thanks very much for joining us this evening. I'm Jim Acosta. I'll see you back here next weekend. Have a goodnight.