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CBP: 192, 000 Migrants Apprehended Between Ports of Entry in Nov; Detroit News: Trump Recorded Pressuring Michigan GOP Canvassers Not to Certify 2020 Election; DeSantis: Trump Indictments Sucked Oxygen From Primary; 14 Killed, 25 Wounded in Prague University Shooting; Police Release Dramatic Bodycam Footage in Prague Shooting; AAA Forecasts Record-Setting Air Travel This Week. Aired 9:30-10a ET
Aired December 22, 2023 - 09:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[09:30:00]
PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: As they see consecutive days of 10, 000 migrants crossing the U.S. Mexico border. Now, to give you some context, I have some new numbers here. The seven day average reported on November 28th was around 6, 800 migrant encounters in December. The seven day average is over 9, 600 daily encounters. That goes to show this is one of the highest recorded totals that we've seen when it comes to these averages in the month. And the challenge here and the unique challenge is that multiple regions of the U.S. Southern border are being slammed by the number of arrivals, which makes it all the more difficult to navigate logistically. And the president speaking to his Mexican counterpart to place more pressure on his neighbor, Mexico, to do more to stem the flow.
SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: Priscilla Alvarez, thank you so much.
Coming up, quote, "we can't let these people take our country away from us." New details about the pivotal phone call from Donald Trump to Michigan state electors in 2020 in his effort to change the 2020 election outcome there, especially and American Airlines, the country's largest carrier expects today to be its busiest.
I say this again. It's busiest holiday travel weekend. Oh, please be prepared. Bring snacks for live at LaGuardia as passengers are lining up there, although doesn't look too terrible just yet.
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[09:35:39]
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Donald Trump recordings revealed for the first time publicly. Again, recordings of the former president and the head of the RNC pressuring local canvassers in Michigan to not back down and not sign the certification of the 2020 election. Now, these audio recordings are from November 17th of 2020.
They've been reviewed by the Detroit News. They've not been reviewed by CNN, but in them, the Detroit News reports that Donald Trump is speaking directly to workers in Wayne County, the most populous county in Michigan. Trump telling the two canvassers in this call, in these segments, that it would look, quote, "terrible if they signed off on the election results."
RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel saying, quote, "do not sign it, we will get you attorneys." To which Trump added, "we'll take care of that." Joining us now, CNN Political Commentator, former Trump White House Communications Director, Alyssa Farah Griffin, and CNN Senior Political Analyst & Anchor, John Avlon.
Alyssa, we have talked for years about Donald Trump getting on phone calls and pressuring people in phone calls from the president of Ukraine to the Georgia Secretary of State, more immediately related to this. What do you hear? If you will, in what is being reported of this phone call?
ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: It's kind of the classic sort of mob boss tactics that Donald Trump uses. He goes for more junior officials like a canvas, or this isn't the secretary of state of Michigan.
BOLDUAN: Yeah.
GRIFFIN: This isn't a more senior official who would feel a little more, you know, probably strong to push back or whatever. He also, then, three days after this call went after some Michigan state representatives to further push his sort of pressure campaign against him.
He does this. We've seen it play out in nearly every one of the indictments that have come down. I think if someone like a Cassidy Hutchinson, 23 years old at the time, that he made sure that his people were pressuring her rather than going after the more senior officials. It's classic Donald Trump, but also the effort here, you can't overstate this, it was to set a precedent of Pennsylvania, one of a key battleground state, throwing out these results so that other states would come and follow suit.
BOLDUAN: Hearing Ronna McDaniel, John, lean into this one. This is the new bit. A kind of, if that's the Donald Trump that people knew --
JOHN AVLON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST & ANCHOR: Yeah.
BOLDUAN: The new bit is Ronna McDaniel saying, do not sign it, we'll get you attorneys. What are you hearing then?
AVLON: That's a protection racket. It's do our bidding and we'll make sure you don't get sued. It's also an admission of what they're being asked to do. Could be seen as at least unethical, if not illegal --
BOLDUAN: Right.
AVLON: And charged. So, the idea that this was simply a concern about election integrity, is self evidently nonsense. And we need to say that really clearly and that detail is one of the the most, the prime evidence. GRIFFIN: Can I also mention when I saw this news break, I went back and looked at the statement the White House put out at the time following the November 20th meeting?
BOLDUAN: Yep.
GRIFFIN: So, this is the Michigan State Reps. Because I was there at the time --
BOLDUAN: Mm-hmm.
GRIFFIN: The statement was saying the former president engaged in no political efforts that this was purely about him meeting with local officials.
AVLON: Uh-huh.
GRIFFIN: We certainly learned that that was not the case.
AVLON: You're saying there's a lie?
GRIFFIN: Very similar to this. Stunning, of course.
BOLDUAN: There's also -- so, I think we can smartly avoid the trappings of wondering what the political impact of this being revealed is, as we know that Donald Trump's core support has not budged, no matter what phone call is revealed or what criminal charge is levied.
But even before all of this came out, Ron DeSantis offered something interesting that I think gets to what is happening now with this latest thing in an interview with David Brody. Let me play this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RON DESANTIS, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I wish Trump hadn't been indicted on any of this stuff. It distorted the primary.
DAVID BRODY, CBN JOURNALIST: Because it's helped him? Is that what you're saying?
DESANTIS: It's both that, but then it also just crowded out, I think, so much other stuff, and it sucked out a lot of oxygen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BOLDUAN: Trump's rivals, Trump's legal problems, making it impossible for his rivals to break through. Hearing one of his rivals acknowledge that in an interview, I thought that was really interesting.
GRIFFIN: It's interesting, but counterpoint --
BOLDUAN: But not!
GRIFFIN: Shouldn't we have hoped that Trump never engaged in this behavior that led to multiple indictments -- AVLON: Right.
GRIFFIN: Not the indictments themselves? But I think, listen, I think that's actually true for DeSantis.
BOLDUAN: Yeah.
GRIFFIN: I think he was someone who thought he could be the heir apparent to Trump and kind of take the oxygen his direction that didn't work, because the core base stayed with Donald Trump. But it's, I think, helped Nikki Haley. I think she has kind of leaned into the Trump fatigue and the chaos that surrounds him.
[09:40:09]
BOLDUAN: What do you? DeSantis has, in another breath, DeSantis has tried to do that. I've heard him on the trail saying to do when it comes to the latest and greatest.
I think it was after the Colorado Supreme Court, saying I don't agree with the Colorado Supreme Court, but this is another reason why we need to turn the page and move on. Is that?
AVLON: Yes.
BOLDUAN: Is that the way to do it? I mean, if Trump is sucking energy out of the primary with every bad thing that comes out about him, what should they do? This is like a kind of weird damned if you do, damned if you don't.
AVLON: Or--
BOLDUAN: I don't know, maybe not.
AVLON: Just have the courage of your convictions and draw a clear contrast and tell the truth, which is that Donald Trump's unfit for office and the things he's doing that have led to these indictments and court cases--
BOLDUAN: Or--
AVLON: Are disqualifying--
BOLDUAN: But don't--
AVLON: Because they're going (inaudible)--
BOLDUAN: Don't do it if you clearly think the political strategy in Iowa, that is not going to help you.
AVLON: Well, you know, there's people respond to the certain Trumpets, people respond to clear leadership, and that requires conscience and the courage of your convictions. And if your core argument in most elections are not only the contrast between the other candidates, but electability. And if you say, look, Donald Trump. Yeah, newsflash. He sucks the oxygen out of the room. He's going to do that even if he's not indicted. But the fact that he's indicted in an undue one counts. The fact that his candidacy is up in question because of the Supreme Court is just more evident of how much of a chaos agent he is, and that self evidently drags down the Republican Party as we've seen in every election since 2016.
BOLDUAN: I do agree.
GRIFFIN: And that was said better than any candidate on the field, though, which I think is the problem.
BOLDUAN: Have you written speeches before?
AVLON: Maybe.
BOLDUAN: I agree with you that Nikki Haley seems to be, I don't know, I'll call it (inaudible) but maybe not, handling this better than Ron DeSantis. Why do you think she's handling this better than Ron DeSantis?
GRIFFIN: I think that she has carved out a more nuanced place in the GOP as kind of the future of the party and taking some of the good of Trump and leaving some behind. Whereas DeSantis kind of position himself almost to the right of Trump, so it made him very hard--
BOLDUAN: Yeah, he's not conservative enough is what he keeps saying about him.
GRIFFIN: Right, so with the people he was going for, it was never going to work to do much of a distance act from Donald Trump. Now listen, I think that we all recognize Nikki Haley's threading a needle. The only way to do what John said is you would have had to do that over a year ago. I would argue you should have done it about three years ago and started paving the way for saying he's unfit.
He's a chaos agent. He hasn't won since 2016 and has lost across the board for Republicans. It's much harder when you kind of wait to lean into those things until a month out from Iowa.
BOLDUAN: Hmm. 24 days I think was the last on my ticker countdown.
AVLON: I mean, it's Christmas. Magical thinking's okay, but not in politics.
GRIFFIN: On that note.
BOLDUAN: I love you. Thanks, guys. Thanks for coming in. Coming up for us, police are releasing body camera footage showing the urgent moments of the police response after a gunman opened fire at a Prague University. And also this morning, Czech authorities are making a new plea to the public. We have the new details coming and we'll bring that to you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:45:19]
BOLDUAN: It's the deadliest mass shooting in the modern history of the Czech Republic, and it played out in terrifying fashion yesterday. Now, police this morning are making a plea to the public. Don't give the perpetrator publicity, and don't give him a chance to inspire others. The shooter killed 14 students and staff at Charles University in the heart of Prague yesterday.
25 other people were wounded. Before he died. That gunman by suicide. CNN's Melissa Bell is following the very latest here, and she's joining us now. Melissa, police are also releasing some body camera footage from the response. And those chaotic moments of people were trying to figure out what was happening and get to safety. What are you learning from it?
MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, these images really give you an opportunity, Kate, to see, get a sense, really, of what the chaos inside this campus university would have been yesterday afternoon in the very heart of Prague. You follow the first responders, the policemen and women, as they come in through the chaos. The gunman is still active.
You can see the students trying to head for cover. And perhaps one of the most chilling and harrowing parts of this body camera footage that was released, as you say, in a press conference earlier today by the police is when the first responders arrived in some of the classrooms, Kate, were tragically all of those bodies were found.
Now, you see them going about the initial triage, trying to save who they can save. We now know, of course, that in the end, 14 people lost their lives. Most of them were students who had just a couple more days to go for their term before their end of year exams and before they went back to their families for the holidays.
A couple of them were staff members. But this, we learned from the body camera footage of the immediate chaos, but we also learned in that press conference from the police chief who delivered it, that they had been surprised to see the amount of ammunition, weaponry the young man had with him.
And what this suggested was that this could have been far, far worse if the police hadn't been as effective as they had. But now, to put it into context, these are exceedingly rare here in Europe compared to in the U.S. And yet, what Czech police are saying is that they'd been preparing for this for years.
Ever since what happened in Norway in 2011, when a far right extremist killed 77 people, they'd been running drills, and this is what really prevented them from preventing -- allowed them to prevent this massacre being even worse than it was. And as you said a moment ago, I think this is important. They've also said that they are not naming the killer.
We know he was a 24 year old philosophy student. We know he killed his father before killing himself, killing all those students and staff members in between. They're not naming him to deprive him of the oxygen of publicity. They don't want some sort of macabre desire for fame to prompt any more of these students from going on the rampage to prevent also any kind of copycat killing. So for now, we don't know his name and they've urged people to avoid any kind of speculation, Kate.
BOLDUAN: Yeah, and it's good to not give that publicity, not name him while the investigation is into how best, best to prevent this hopefully from ever happening again, though as we know what's happened here in the United States. Melissa, for continuing to follow the investigation.
Really appreciate it.
[09:50:38]
SIDNER: And still ahead. Are you really all clear for takeoff? We'll look at the holiday travel status as American Airlines is warning today. Get there early. Because guess what? They think it's going to be the busiest holiday they have seen yet.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SIDNER: Holiday travel crush officially in full swing. Millions of Americans are planning to travel now through the new year. Yesterday's rush seemed to go quite smoothly despite bad weather in the forecast. That's the good news.
Will today's traveler have the same good fortune? CNN's Polo Sandoval. That is his photographer there just showing you the pictures. He's at the LaGuardia airport this morning. Polo, what are you seeing so far? Things look like they're moving. I mean, the TSA line looks pretty good.
[09:55:18]
POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There was a lovely lady that wheeled right by a little while ago with carry on in hand.
She used the word smooth to describe her passenger experience. Now keep in mind that is just one woman in one airport, part of a larger system. So the passenger experience may differ from one person to another, but largely when you look at the map and you look at the statistics from FlightAware, you do see, yes, some cancelations and delays.
But it's really not what you would expect. Now, in terms of what we're seeing here at New York's LaGuardia, you would know that it's supposed to be one of the busiest travel seasons in recent time. That's because what we've witnessed here is a sort of a steady flow of passengers outbound passengers coming in, checking their bags rolling to TSA in terms of what we saw yesterday, some 2.64 million passengers using TSA checkpoints in the U.S.
That is a telling figure as it was slightly higher than was expected. That number expected to be in even higher today. In terms of what we saw last year, you recall that 10 day nightmare that Southwest Airlines experienced having to cancel close to 17, 000 flights.
The federal government really has been urging airlines, not just southwest to make sure that their systems are resilient enough to handle any sort of factors that get thrown their way. Of course, the airlines can't control the weather. But there is certainly an expectation this year from the federal government that airlines will be able to handle and at least minimize the potential impact that we might see this travel day -- that this holiday season because people will certainly be out there some 115 people.
115 million people, according to AAA expected to travel this holiday season, Sara.
SIDNER: That's a whole lot of humans trying to get somewhere. Brace yourself.
SANDOVAL: Yeah.
SIDNER: I'm staying here. I'm not going to lie. I'm just grinching it out. I'm not taking the chance.
SANDOVAL: Same.
SIDNER: I am here with my green suit on drinking my hot cocoa. Polo Sandoval, I hope you get to do--
SANDOVAL: I'll join you (inaudible)
SIDNER: The same. All right, already looks okay. We don't know what's happening everywhere, so take it easy. Thank you.
BOLDUAN: Not grinching. Just hanging.
SIDNER: Okay.
BOLDUAN: Coming up for us, Donald Trump on tape. What he really said to local election officials as he tried to stop them from certifying the 2020 election and what this could mean for the criminal cases against him now.
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