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Trump Walks Back Promises To Bring Down Prices: "It's Hard"; Trump Previews His Presidency In "Time" Magazine Interview; CNN Captures The Moment A Syrian Prisoner Is Freed; Trump Names Kari Lake To Lead Voice Of America. Aired 2:30-3p ET
Aired December 12, 2024 - 14:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[14:30:00]
MATT EGAN, CNN REPORTER: And then we had Covid happen and prices just went through the roof.
Since February of 2020, supermarket prices are up by 27 percent. You can see it on that chart right there, just a significant move higher.
Now, thankfully, they're no longer skyrocketing, but they're also not coming down. And some items have gotten more expensive over the last 12 months. Butter prices are up by 4 percent, pork chops 5 percent.
And look at that, eggs, almost 40 percent more expensive. That, of course, is largely due to bird flu.
Now Trump, during the campaign, he did talk about making prices plunge. And I know that made some economists scratch their heads. Because even though falling prices sounds great, it's not really how things work.
And actually, when you have prices plunge too much, that can become a negative because people will stop buying things. And that can be a tough thing to get out of.
So I do think it makes sense for Trump to kind of tap the brakes here, because it's not going to be easy to make supermarket prices fall dramatically.
BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Yes, it's the first part of that promise that would help alleviate inflation. It's bringing wages up. Right?
But to the point of other campaign promises that Donald Trump has made, he's talked about raising tariffs on imports that could actually exacerbate inflation.
EGAN: Yes. That, of course, is a major concern, Boris. Now the president-elect has said that his tariffs would not be inflationary. And mainstream economists say otherwise.
And one thing that we do import from other countries is food, in particular. from Mexico. You look at 89 percent of the avocados that are imported into the United States, they come from Mexico, 91 percent of the tomatoes.
And don't forget, the president-elect has said that on his first day in office, he could put a 25 percent tariff on all goods from Mexico. So it's easy to see how that could cause prices to go even higher.
We also know that the United States imports some food from Canada, including peppers and mushrooms.
And there's one other point here, Boris, is it's not just about tariffs. The president-elect has also threatened mass deportations. He said in that "Time" magazine interview that ran today that he would use the military to the maximum extent allowed for these mass deportations.
And let's not forget, a large number of the people who work on farms in the United States are unauthorized workers. And so if there's fewer workers, that could mean there's less food and ultimately higher prices -- Boris?
SANCHEZ: Yes. Important to remember, a majority of agriculture workers in this country are actually undocumented.
Matt Egan, thank you so much,
Brianna?
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: President-Elect Trump is also talking about another promise that he made on the campaign trail, and that is pardons for January 6th rioters.
He told "Time" magazine, quote, "I'm going to do case by case. And if they were nonviolent, I think they've been greatly punished. And the answer is, I will be doing that. Yes, I'm going to look, if there's some that really were out of control."
The reporter pushes, quote. "So you will not include those who committed violent acts?"
Trump replies, quote, "Well, we're going to look at each individual case and we're going to do it very quickly. And it's going to start in the first hour that I get into office."
CNN chief national affairs correspondent, Jeff Zeleny, is joining us with more.
A little bit of a dodge on that last question, although it seems like he's going to get started on this quickly.
JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: He says very quickly. Look, the things are sort of mounting of the things he intends to do on the first day. But pardons was not just the first day. He said in the first hour, even in the first nine minutes.
Of course, as we know, watching inaugurations and swearing in, the president is very busy during the first nine minutes.
KEILAR: Yes.
ZELENY: There's a ceremony. They have a Senate lunch.
But look, his point is that this is a top priority for him. But it's unclear which suspects or which criminals will be pardoned. There's no doubt, though, that this is among the things that his aides are preparing a list on.
So I would not be at all surprised, in fact, he's telegraphing that they are going to have the paperwork ready for at least some of them on day one. So I think that day one will be a very busy one, certainly for President Trump.
KEILAR: We should be expecting that.
And then this interview also gave us some insight into just how much I guess respect or attention Trump is going to give the controversial anti-vax views of RFK Jr, his HHS pick.
ZELENY: He absolutely does. And of course, this is something that the Senate will be deciding upon if he is confirmed.
But let's look at a couple of those answers there.
On childhood vaccinations, the reporter asked if "he moves to end a childhood vaccination programs, would you sign off on that?"
And the president-elect says this. "We're going to have a big discussion. The autism rate is at a level that nobody has ever believed possible. If you look at things that are happening, there's something causing it."
The reporter goes on to say, "Do you think it's linked to vaccines?" And Trump says this? "No, I'm going to be listening to Bobby, who I've really gotten along with great. And I have a lot of respect for, having to do with food, having to do with vaccinations.
"He does not disagree with vaccinations, all vaccinations. He disagrees, probably with some."
[14:35:03]
The reporter goes on to ask, "So that could include getting rid of some vaccinations?" And Trump says, "It could if I think it's dangerous, if I think they're not beneficial. But I don't think it's going to be very controversial in the end."
This will be controversial. There's no doubt about that.
KEILAR: Of course.
ZELENY: Because, of course, many scientific studies -- all scientific studies have shown that there is no link to autism.
So this will be a central part of Mr. Kennedy's confirmation hearing. There is no doubt about that. So we'll be -- I'm certainly going to be hearing a lot more about vaccinations.
This is not just the president and Bobby Kennedy's own decision on this. I mean, this will be thoroughly vetted in the court of public opinion and his Senate hearings.
KEILAR: And just really quickly, it's a print interview, but there's a transcript of it. And we were just talking in the break.
Let's pull back the curtain on this. A couple of interesting moments of him and his staff trying to kind of cut off the interview, but also he offered snacks.
ZELENY: Look, it's a very substantive interview. This is "Time" Person of the Year, something that Donald Trump probably holds higher than most any other type of news media interview he could get.
But he is talking about Russia and Ukraine. In the middle of that train of thought, he asked the reporters from time and the editors if they would like any hor d'oeuvres. They said, "No, sir, thank you."
And he asked again if they would like any hor d'oeuvres. Just, you know, they're sitting in Mar-a-Lago there. So that's sort of the setting of it. And again, his aides trying to end the interview several different times. He keeps going.
So again, this is the most extensive interview we've seen. But it also lays a roadmap for how he'll be held accountable and what he actually accomplishes or doesn't in the first day or even in nine minutes.
KEILAR: You can get hungry during a long interview.
ZELENY: Sure.
KEILAR: You know, we know this.
Jeff Zeleny, thank you so much.
ZELENY: Sure.
KEILAR: Next, a CNN crew captures just an amazing moment that you really have to see. A Syrian prisoner abandoned by guards for days in a locked cell, found trapped inside. See what happened after our own Clarissa Ward helped lead him to daylight for the first time in months.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:41:40]
SANCHEZ: Syria's interim government says it's ready to work with the U.S. to locate Americans who went missing during the Assad regime.
And that includes journalist, Austin Tice, who was abducted back in 2012 and was believed to be held by the Syrian government.
Now, Tice's whereabouts are still unknown. But four days after the collapse of the Assad regime, prisoners are still being found locked inside their cells.
CNN's Clarissa Ward takes us inside a secret prison in Damascus, where people had been held captive under Assad's brutal dictatorship. This is a report you want to watch closely.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Deep in the belly of the regime's Air Force Intelligence Headquarters --
(on camera): These are English letters.
WARD (voice-over): -- we are hoping to find traces of Austin Tice, an American journalist held captive in Syria since 2012.
It's one of many secret prisons across the city. This specific branch was tasked with surveillance, arrest and killing of all regime critics.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These are all cleaned up.
WARD: We don't find any hints of Tice but come across something extraordinary.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can't tell, though. It might just be a blanket, but it's the only cell that's locked.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is he going to shoot it?
WARD: The guard makes us turn the camera off while he shoots the lock off the cell door.
(GUNFIRE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Lights up.
WARD: We go in to get a closer look. It's still not clear if there is something under the blanket.
(on camera): Oh, it moved. Is there someone there? I thought I saw it move. Is someone there? Or is it just a blanket? I don't know.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Touch it. There is someone. Hello?
WARD: OK. Let me just (INAUDIBLE).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. I told you. It's OK. It's OK. It's OK. It's OK. Journalist, journalist, journalist, journalist.
WARD (voice-over): "I'm a civilian," he says. "I'm a civilian."
um (ph): It's OK. It's OK. It's OK. It's OK. (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
WARD: He tells the fighter he's from the city of Homs and has been in the cell for three months. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.
WARD (on camera): OK. You're OK. You're OK. You're OK. You're OK.
WARD (voice-over): He clutches my arm tightly with both hands.
ADIL KHURBAL (ph), PRISONER HELD IN SYRIA: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
WARD (on camera): OK. Does anyone have any water? Water?
KHURBAL (ph): (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
WARD: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE): OK, it's water. It's water. OK. OK. OK. You're OK.
KHURBAL (ph): (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
WARD: You're OK. You're OK.
(voice-over): We start to walk him outside.
"Thank God you are safe. Don't be afraid," the fighter says. "You are free."
KHURBAL (ph): (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
WARD: "This is the third prison they brought me to," he says, "the third prison."
After three months in a windowless cell, he can finally see the sky.
KHURBAL (ph): (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
[14:45:05]
WARD: "Oh, God the light," he says. "Oh, God, there is light. My God there is light."
(on camera): OK. OK. Sit, sit, sit. OK. You're OK.
KHURBAL (ph): (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
WARD (voice-over): "Stay with me, stay with me," he repeats again and again.
(on camera): OK.
KHURBAL (ph): (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
WARD (voice-over): "For three months, I didn't know anything about my family," he says. "I didn't hear anything about my children."
KHURBAL (ph): (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
WARD: The fighter hands him something to eat. He can barely lift it to his mouth. But his body can't handle it. WARD (on camera): OK. You're OK.
(voice-over): His captors fled during the fall of Damascus, leaving him with no food or water. That was at least four days ago.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
KHURBAL (ph): (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
WARD: "I'm shaking. My face is shaking," he says.
KHURBAL (ph): (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
WARD: The rebel tells him there's no more army, no more prisons, no more checkpoints.
KHURBAL (ph): (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
WARD: "Are you serious," he says. "Syria is free," he tells him. It's the first time he has heard those words.
KHURBAL (ph): (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
WARD: He tells us his name is Adil Khurbal (ph) and that officers from the much-feared Mukhabarat Intelligence Services took him from his home and began interrogating him about his phone.
"They brought me here to Damascus. They asked me about names of terrorists," he says. Did they hit you, the fighter asked. Yes, yes, he says.
KHURBAL (ph): (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
WARD: As a paramedic arrives, the shock sets in.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
WARD: "There's nothing. Everything's OK. The Red Crescent is coming to help you," this man assures him. "You are safe. Don't be afraid anymore. Everything you are afraid of is gone."
Tens of thousands of Syrians have disappeared in Assad's prisons. Up until 15 minutes ago, Adil Khurbal (ph) was one of them. He is still petrified.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
WARD: "Don't be afraid. Don't be afraid," the ambulance worker reassures him.
KHURBAL (ph): (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
WARD: "Every car I got into, they blindfolded me," he says.
It is the end of a very dark chapter for him and for all of Syria. But so many ghosts remain. Clarissa Ward, CNN, Damascus.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: Yet another incredible report by Clarissa. Thank you so much to her.
President-Elect Donald Trump says he wants to install his ally, election denier, Kari Lake, as director of the nation's largest and oldest international news broadcaster, a move that has employees concerned, to say the least.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:52:30]
SANCHEZ: New today, President-Elect Donald Trump says he wants his ally, Kari Lake, to be the director of Voice of America, a U.S.-funded international news broadcaster.
KEILAR: Lake, of course, is a former local news anchor and 2020 election denier who lost her gubernatorial and Senate races in Arizona and has railed against the news media for years.
The choice to name her as director, one presidents do not typically make, by the way, is sparking fears inside of VOA.
CNN chief media analyst, Brian Stelter, is with us now to talk about this.
What are you hearing from people inside of Voice of America about this pick, Brian?
BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: Yes. One employee said to me overnight, "We're just hoping the guardrails will hold."
Another employee said, "A lot of us are very disturbed by the idea of Lake coming in."
Mostly because of her media bashing over the years, as you just mentioned. You know, Lake is a former local TV anchor and two-time failed candidate in Arizona known for her election denialism and her media bashing. She once likened journalists to monsters.
The idea that she would be overseeing this U.S. government-funded international broadcaster is certainly eyebrow raising. But it's exactly the kind of thing that Trump has been doing in his picks.
The difference with this pick, though, this announcement last night, is that presidents don't ordinarily have anything to do with choosing the Voice of America director. This job has historically been an independent post.
VOA is very proud of having a firewall so that it's news coverage of foreign news all around the world is taken seriously and is respected by the viewers and by the public. So historically, that firewall has existed.
But during Trump's first term in office, he did install someone on the top of the agency that runs VOA that basically went through and did a purge, investigated journalists for loyalty to Trump and that sort of thing.
Federal investigators later found that laws might have even been broken during Trump's first term in office at that agency.
So now here we are again on the start of a second Trump term, Trump has not yet named the person that's going to run that global agency, but he has said he wants Kari Lake to run VOA.
SANCHEZ: So, Brian, you kind of hit on this a bit, but I wanted you to expand on it. This this is not something Americans typically watch. It's intended for an overseas audience.
So who is watching and why is that firewall of political independence so important?
STELTER: Yes. Historically, VOA produces award-winning journalism and promotes democratic values. In some cases, telling America's story to the world.
It exists as a counter to foreign propaganda. The idea is to provide real, fair, factual news and not propaganda.
[14:55:02]
The risk, of course, is that if it seems like propaganda, if the channel or the network is turned into something that's just pro-Trump as a pro-Trump organ, then it would just be seen like any other kind of foreign broadcaster that's out there pushing one nations agenda.
VOA, the journalists there are very proud of their independence. But whether they'll be able to keep that independence is going to be the question.
Now, the current director of the VOA told me he will cooperate with the transition. But actually, removing him will be difficult. Because after Trump's first term, after that meddling that I was describing, Congress put new rules in place to make it harder to meddle in the future.
There's now a board of seven people, split between Democrats and Republicans, that have the power to hire or fire the VOA director. Again, we will see what that board ultimately does. This will take some time.
But the fact that Trump already came out and announced that he wants Kari Lake to run this department, it goes to show that he's doing things differently this time.
He seems, or his allies around him have seemed to think through this ahead of time. And they have a plan. Now, will they turn VOA into a propaganda organ for Trump? Time will tell.
But there's a lot of people inside that newsroom that want to make sure that doesn't happen.
KEILAR: Yes. All right. We'll keep an eye on this.
Brian Stelter, thank you so much.
STELTER: Thanks.
KEILAR: Next, Luigi Mangione's online trail shows repeated praise for the Unabomber. Today, the brother of Ted Kaczynski has a message for the 26-year-old accused of killing the UnitedHealthcare CEO.
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