Return to Transcripts main page

CNN News Central

Americans are Cutting Back on Alcohol; Dr. Jeff Gardere is Interviewed about the Alcohol Consumption Drop; Keltie Knight is Interviewed about Taylor Swift. Aired 9:30-10a ET

Aired August 14, 2025 - 09:30   ET

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

[09:30:00]

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Right now considering the history that President Trump has in joint press conferences with Vladimir Putin?

SEN. JEANNE SHAHEEN (D-NH): Well, as you point out, the history has not been good. We remember Helsinki, when he sided with Vladimir Putin over our own intelligence community. So that -- that is not a good sign. Hopefully he's learned something. His rhetoric seems to have toughened on Vladimir Putin and the Russians in recent weeks. So, we'll see what happens.

But I think the important thing is, if nothing happens at this summit, if we don't see any action, that Congress is ready to act. We have a sanctions bill that has over 80 sponsors, bipartisan, that would take strong action against Russia, against China, against those countries that are enabling this unprovoked war in Ukraine. And I think Congress is ready to pass that. And if the president can't get any progress, then we intend to act.

BOLDUAN: Well, what Congress has been essentially waiting for is for Donald Trump to say that he supports this secondary sanctions bill. When he says yesterday that severe sanctions -- severe consequences are coming if Putin doesn't agree to end the war, do you have any indication that that means that he now does support and will throw his support behind the secondary sanctions measure that has broad bipartisan support but is sitting in Congress?

SHAHEEN: Well, he's been willing to say he's going to sanction India for their continued purchase of Russian energy. I think that's a positive sign. And -- and what's important here is that our adversaries are watching what we do. What happens at this summit, what happens with Ukraine, matters to Xi in China as he's thinking about and calculating what he's going to do on Taiwan. It matters to the North Koreans as they're looking at how they're continuing to support Russia. So, there are ramifications that go beyond just the war in Ukraine.

And it's important for America. You know, what -- what this president has done by setting one red line after another and then allowing Vladimir Putin to cross it has been an embarrassment. It's an embarrassment to Donald Trump. It's an embarrassment to the United States, that he has not been willing to stand up for what he said he was going to support. BOLDUAN: President Putin spoke out this morning with new comments

ahead of the summit, in part saying that "the current American administration is making, in my opinion, quite energetic and sincere efforts to stop the hostilities, stop the crisis and reach agreements that are of interest to all parties involved in this conflict."

Senator, how do you interpret that?

SHAHEEN: Listen, if you believe what Vladimir Putin has to say, I have some wetland in Madbury, New Hampshire, that I can sell you. You can't believe anything Vladimir Putin says. He is a former KGB agent, who was trained in manipulation. He's going to do everything he can to string along Donald Trump, to string along America and to continue this war in a way that allows him to continue to build up, continue to make gains on the battlefield. And until we put some real pressure on Russia, until we provide additional weapons and support to Ukraine, and I have legislation, bipartisan legislation to do that, until we crack down on those people, like China, who are enabling Russia to continue its war machine, I have bipartisan legislation with Senator Cornyn on that, he is going to continue to play us along.

BOLDUAN: Senator Jeanne Shaheen, thank you so much for coming in.

Still ahead for us, is happy hour going extinct? New information coming in that shows just how many people are giving up drinking alcohol and what's driving that trend.

And do you remember that viral -- that video that went absolutely viral of a Florida officer punching and dragging a black man from his car? Well, why prosecutors now say that officer was justified in his actions.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:38:34]

BOLDUAN: New this morning, Americans appear to be giving up drinking. There's a new Gallup poll out showing big decline in how many people are drinking alcohol these days.

Harry Enten is back with this.

What do the numbers show?

HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA ANALYST: Yes, I mean, my goodness gracious. This is a huge decline. Americans who drink alcohol. We are looking at the lowest level since the 1930s. What are we talking about? Just 54 percent on occasion Americans say that they drink alcohol. That's down from four points last year. That's down from 62 percent in 2023. And it is way down from the record high the last year that that happened when it was 71 percent back in 1978. These -- this record low is being driven by younger folks and Republicans as well as they increasingly view the idea of drinking as an unhealthy habit.

BOLDUAN: The poll also asked about smoking. What does that show? ENTEN: Yes, same exact idea. It turns out we're giving up our vices a

little bit. What are we talking about? Smoked a cigarette in the last week. Look at this, in 2025, just 11 percent. A decade ago it was 19 percent. Two decades ago, 25 percent. You look back, 1974, about 50 years ago it was 40 percent. What is that? That's one-fourth the level. My goodness gracious. And again, younger folks are the ones who are saying that they are smoking less. And even when you combine in e- cigarette, we're still looking at considerably lower levels than we have in past decades, Kate.

BOLDUAN: And people watching are also going to see this tab. And are you -- you're saying that people are giving up vices, and you think sex is a vice?

[09:40:03]

ENTEN: I'm not saying that sex is a vice. According to some people perhaps it's a vice. It is not a vice according to the Harry Enten school of thought. But bow chickie wow wow going down.

BOLDUAN: Too much.

ENTEN: What are we talking about? No sex at all in the last year, as Kate's off on the side laughing it up. Back in the --

BOLDUAN: I don't know what I'm doing. I'm not laughing. I'm not entirely sure.

ENTEN: She's doing something. She's not even sure.

BOLDUAN: I'm blushing under all of this makeup is what I'm doing.

ENTEN: She's -- she's blushing. There we go.

In the 1990s, among all adults, no sex at all in the last year was 18 percent. In 2024, look at that, no sex at all, up again ten points. Look at here, those 18 to 21, look at that, 24 percent in the 1990s. It's the younger folks who are giving up sex. Look at that percentage. Doubled. Doubled. No sex in the last year. Maybe they do need a little bit of alcohol. Maybe those two are related.

BOLDUAN: I have so many things -- so many things I could say and I'm' going to keep my job today.

Jessica.

DEAN: I'm just going to take that from you and we're going to move on to this next segment.

We're going to bring in Dr. Jeff Gardere, a clinical psychologist.

Doctor, thanks for being here with us.

I want to focus on those alcohol numbers because that's where I think the health and the numbers kind of intersect. Does it surprise you that fewer people are drinking regularly? DR. JEFF GARDERE, CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST: No, it doesn't surprise me. But I do want to say that after listening to Harry, and I listen to him all the time, I may need a drink just to calm down.

But, yes, there was -- there is absolutely a relation between the two. I think people really are focusing on being healthier and therefore we're seeing less consumption of alcohol as Harry talked about. And it's been a big, big drop. So, I think this is really excellent news.

DEAN: Yes, and young people are driving a lot of these numbers. Why do you think that is?

GARDERE: Absolutely. Well, I think there are a couple of things going on with young people. First of all, they weren't exposed to what a lot of the experts, health experts, said many years ago, that red wine was heart healthy. Now we know that there's a lot of controversy there, and that even moderate drinking can probably put you at risk for some sort of chronic disease or liver disease, or even some forms of cancer.

The second thing is, we know that younger people, of course, are much more concerned about being -- overall, being healthy. So, they are driving that trend. And I think a lot of us have been exposed to what Surgeon General Vivek Murthy talked about a couple of years ago, which was that even that moderate consumption of alcohol can be hurtful to us. And I think that is a campaign that really did help. And this idea that alcohol may actually be a poison to our system, we're finally getting it, just as we got it in the 1960s that tobacco is something that is poisonous to our -- to our health.

DEAN: Yes.

GARDERE: So, we're finally seeing that this is something that we need to focus on.

DEAN: It's such a shift in thinking, much like your -- with -- with cigarettes and tobacco because socially it was -- it has been so -- so, well, you know, accepted. And then also to -- to your point, these studies that show that red wine does this or that. But you say doctors are discussing drinking more with their patients. That patients are noticing this. Doctors are noticing the data and they're talking about it in that context as well.

GARDERE: Absolutely. I did a major study with one of my colleagues, Abigail Smurzynski, and Dr. Ogunsakin, over at the Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine. And what our study actually showed is just warning our patients that drinking alcohol can be hazardous to your health, as smoking can be. Now, we're actually seeing if they give very specific advice on how to get substance abuse treatment and how to cut down on drinking. That is helpful. And we want to see more physicians, more psychologists, more health advocates putting that information out there.

DEAN: All right, Dr. Jeff Gardere, thank you so much for being here. Great to see you. And Taylor Swift breaks the internet, sharing new details on her

boyfriend's podcast on everything from their relationship, to her new album.

Also, "South Park" is setting ratings records with its continued roasts of the Trump administration.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:49:03]

BOLDUAN: So, prosecutors will take no further action against a Florida sheriff's deputy in the arrest of a black college student. Video recorded by William McNeill shows him being pulled from his vehicle and punched by an officer during a traffic stop in February. In this new report, prosecutors called the cell phone footage that he recorded incomplete in scope and said that the traffic stop was lawful and the use of force, justified. Attorneys for McNeil are now asking the Justice Department to step in and investigate not only the incident but the Jacksonville sheriff's office.

"South Park" setting new records decades into its run. "Comedy Central" says that last week's episode, which made fun of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, was the show's highest rated episode since 2018 and scored the biggest audience share in series history. Almost 16 percent of all cable viewers were watching that. The show kicked off its 27th season last month, and so far has made mocking the Trump administration a central focus.

[09:50:06]

Pokemon pandemonium is leading to a huge mess in Japan. Fans were buying McDonald's Happy Meals to get their hands on these limited edition Pokemon cards. They didn't want the food, and so they just dumped it apparently on the streets. That led to McDonald's ending the Happy Meal deal and apologizing for all of the food waste. The company promised to make sure that this does not happen with future promotions.

Jessica.

DEAN: Taylor Swift, like we've never seen her before, getting candid and emotional in a two hour interview on her boyfriend Travis Kelce's "New Heights" podcast. And since it aired, that episode has more than 9 million views on YouTube. It aired last night, by the way. Swift talked everything from her relationship with Travis, to her glitzy new era and album "The Life of a Showgirl."

And here now to talk everything Taylor Swift, Keltie Knight, Emmy Award winning host of "E! News." Also the host of the "LadyGang" podcast and creator of the upcoming "Lady World Festival."

Keltie, it's so great to have you here.

I think what's important for people to understand is, we've seen Taylor Swift. She had a huge tour. She is everywhere. But it is very rare she gets this personal and this open, and to do it with Travis Kelce and his brother really speaks to where they are as well.

KELTIE KNIGHT, HOST, "E! NEWS": Really Taylor Swift broke the internet. We were worried about YouTube last night when we were watching it live. There was 1.3 million people when I was watching it. YouTube actually shut down. They broke the internet. And there's a good reason. Oh my God, the love of these two. It was like watching a rom com in real life. They talked about how they met. They talked about their first date. Travis Kelce couldn't stop saying, I'm the luckiest man in the world. You felt the love radiating from them, and the pride they have in each other's careers.

BOLDUAN: It was also fascinating. At one point she, Taylor -- Taylor became emotional in talking about buying all of her music from Shamrock Capital, that deal -- in a major deal that was announced in May. Let me play that part for you.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TAYLOR SWIFT: I get a call from my mom and she's like -- she's like, they -- they -- we -- we did -- we -- you got your music.

JASON KELCE: Yes.

SWIFT: And -- I'm so sorry -- that this is -- it's literally been so long since this happened. It's -- every time I talk about it. She was like, you got -- you got your music. And I just, like, very dramatically hit the floor for real. Like, honestly just started --

TRAVIS KELCE: It's been a long time coming.

SWIFT: Like bawling my eyes out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: I love the musical interlude from Jason Kelce there.

Keltie, it's been a long road for getting here for Taylor Swift. Talk about why this is so important for her.

KNIGHT: Well, everyone knows Taylor Swift has the greatest fan base in the world. And when she didn't own the master recordings of her first six albums, she went and rerecorded them. That's why when you went on Apple and Spotify you saw "The Taylor's Version." And she wanted her fans to support the music that she owned.

So, this is unheard of. No one had ever done it before. People said it was a horrible idea, that it was worthless. She ended up doing it because she really wanted to own those things.

And so, she's been trying for years. Her music, the publishing portion of it. Here's the great thing about Taylor is that she gave us a masterclass, not only in love, but also in the music business and the behind the scenes. Like, fans should not know what a publishing contract is versus the songwriters contract, but now we all do. But she basically explained that it took her many, many years to do it. It's very expensive, by the way. This is a huge asset. And what she said in the "New Heights" interview that I thought was very meaningful is, she said, when someone passes away, if they own my masters, they could leave my -- all my music, my music videos, my photos, my, you know, images to their children. I want to be able to do the same. And that, to me, was like, poof (ph). And so, of course she's emotional. But I love Travis', you know, excitement for her. She explained that he was playing video games when she found out. She liked knocked on the door. She's like, Travis. And he thought -- he was like, what happened? What happened? And he came to her and she just, like, passed out in his arms crying. So excited. So, the life of the -- "Life of a Showgirl" is, you know, complex. And now we're just free and ready to enjoy the feather sparkly era.

DEAN: I know. I think that's going to be really fun. And it definitely sounds, based on what she's describing, it's going to be quite poppy and -- and really, like she talked about how important it was that she wrote these songs that really just like caught your ear.

It was also interesting to see kind of the two of them on display, and we got to know a little more about, you know, the origins of their relationship. We can play that clip too.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TAYLOR SWIFT: So, I was like, if this guy isn't crazy, which is a big if, this is sort of what I've been writing songs about wanting to happen to me since I was --

JASON KELCE: Yes.

SWIFT: A teenager.

[09:55:01]

TRAVIS KELCE: Yes. And I was sitting there at the Eras Tour listening to every single one of those songs, like she -- I know what she wants me to do.

J. KELCE: I'm -- I feel that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: I -- it's honest. It's smart. Keltie, it was -- it was a very -- a lot of those cute moments.

KNIGHT: It was so sweet. They talked about going out for the first time, and he said, I just felt like I'd known you forever. And she said it was the easiest conversation I've ever had. I mean, I've been married, you know, 15 years now and I -- I felt the same way about my husband on our first date. So, I can kind of feel that, like, when you know you know. I mean it was so end game. I just couldn't stop cheesing from side to side.

And I think what was really special is watching Travis' brother Jason, his co-host on "New Heights," like kind of be the interviewer. And then Travis just like blushing and looking at Taylor and, like, doing, like, winks and like little side eyes. It was so cute. But you could tell how much also Jason loves her. She talked about making confetti sourdough for his children. Like, it was the ultimate interview. And I love that Taylor Swift has entered her podcast era too.

DEAN: Yes.

KNIGHT: I mean it is the celebrity safe space. Celebrities love doing podcasts. We were like, Taylor will never do a podcast. And this was a perfect opportunity for her to come out and show us the new album. Twelve songs, twelfth album. And what you were talking about, this is going to be a very pop album. She's back (INAUDIBLE).

DEAN: Yes. Yes.

BOLDUAN: Very poppy. And we're now getting our walk off music.

KNIGHT: (INAUDIBLE).

BOLDUAN: We're also getting in trouble.

Thanks so much for joining us. "SIT ROOM" up now.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)