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Michigan GOP Rocked By Financial Turmoil And Infighting; U.N. Security Council To Vote Today On Resolution About War In Gaza; Airports Brace For Record-Breaking Crowds This Week. Aired 11:30a-12p ET
Aired December 22, 2023 - 11:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:30:00]
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): The Michigan Secretary of State, but in February was elected chair of the state's Republican Party. Since then, her critics say the state party has been bogged down with infighting, dysfunction, and according to documents, dismal fundraising.
WARREN CARPENTER, FORMER MICHIGAN GOP DISTRICT CHAIRMAN: We're bankrupt. That's provable.
CARROLL: You're broke?
CARPENTER: Yes, correct. Now, she ran it into the ground.
CARROLL (voiceover): Warren Carpenter is a former party district chair and former Karamo supporter who shares her election-denying views and conservative values. Her disdain for the establishment and lack of political or business experience was also part of her appeal to her supporters.
CARROLL: You understand what's -- what some of your critics will say? They'll say, you got what you asked for. This is the person --
CARPENTER: I was wrong. Yes, full stop, I was wrong. I was on her team until I saw the financial situation.
CARROLL (voiceover): Warren shared documents with CNN that appeared to show the party had a net income of about $71,000 between March and November of 2023. Compare that to how much Karamo said she hoped to raise.
KRISTINA KARAMO, MICHIGAN GOP DISTRICT CHAIRMAN: That will require I believe, at least $50 million. And I'm very confident that I will be able to raise out.
CARROLL (voiceover): Millions needed and little to show for it. Couple that with what critics call questionable spending decisions like taking out a $110,000 loan to pay actor Jim Caviezel, who has pushed false Q-anon conspiracy theories to speak at a major event the party hosted in September. This situation is so dire, some members of the party's Budget Committee have resigned.
A member, Warren, the party faced imminent default on the line of credit. And now, worries the dysfunction in Michigan could have broader implications in a state where Trump won in 2016, then flipped, and Biden won in 2020, both by narrow margins.
DOUG HEYE, FORMER RNC COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: When a state party is falling short on its fundraising, it can have an impact on anybody who's on that ballot. President, Senator, Mayor, member of Congress.
CARROLL (voiceover): Karamo wouldn't speak to CNN.
JOEL STUDEBAKER, DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF, MICHIGAN GOP: We come to the table with almost no political experience. And we don't view that as a bad thing.
CARROLL (voiceover): But her deputy chief of staff, Joel Studebaker, and Ken Beyer, a district Chairman say Karamo's critics have not given her a chance.
CARROLL: How much have you raised this year?
STUDEBAKER: Far less. It's been a challenge. It's been a challenge.
CARROLL: How much? Can you put it into --
STUDEBAKER: I don't know the exact dollar amount. But it's -- you know, I don't know. But it's over a million.
KEN BEYER, MICHIGAN GOP DISTRICT CHAIRMAN: She's not a businessperson. We knew that when we elected her.
CARROLL: But is that now starting to come back to sort of to bite chip because the business of this is not working, it's failing?
BEYER: What she's doing is she's motivating a bunch of people within the community to get active inside their own neighborhood.
CARROLL (voiceover): Beyer says the Republican establishment set Karamo up to fail by sending their donations to other GOP state organizations.
BEYER: These folks are pulling the rug out from Kristina and then blaming her for falling.
CARROLL (voiceover): But Karamo's critics say she's not making enough effort to reach traditional Republicans. Arguing she has gone out of her way to alienate them with statements like this.
KARAMO: The Michigan Republican Party operates like a political mafia.
CARROLL (voiceover): A conference volunteer list leaked to the press also has not helped. It ranked potential volunteers one to four. One being Patriot to four being Me First or Rhino. State committee member Bree Moeggenberg was ranked to four. BREE MOEGGENBERG, MICHIGAN GOP STATE COMMITTEE: She's disenfranchising the voters. She's disenfranchised us. And that is not how you build up a team. That is not how you unite the Republican Party.
CARROLL (voiceover): Karamo's detractors took steps to try to remove her from office in this meeting.
BEYER: If they would stand down and take the energy that they're using to try to destroy us and try to help us with the experience that they have, we'd be unstoppable.
CARROLL (voiceover): Too late for former supporters such as Warren Carpenter.
CARPENTER: I don't want her to do anything except for resign. And I'll tell you what. If she doesn't, then we'll remove her.
CARROLL (voiceover): Jason Carroll, CNN, Dearborn, Michigan.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Jason Carroll, thank you so much for that.
SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: All right, former Trump attorney and once referred to as America's Mayor, Rudy Giuliani filed for bankruptcy yesterday because of his lies in part just days after he ordered -- was ordered to pay $148 million to two Georgia election workers for defaming them. And really, as they testified, ruining their ability to have a life free from fear. Giuliani may ask the bankruptcy court to excuse his debt.
But in the meantime, lawyers for the former election workers say they plan to move very quickly to attempt to claim his properties and assets to try to get some of that bill paid. The disgraced lawyer lists his assets as up to $10 million and his debts at $500 million.
CNN's Kara Scannell is here with more. This is such a fall from grace. You could not have predicted this after 911 when he was being called America's mayor for the way he handled that. What do you make of the timing of this bankruptcy case? Can we just say it plain and simple that he's trying to get rid of this huge, huge finding?
[11:35:01]
KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, I mean, his lawyers are saying just the same. They're saying there's no surprise why he filed yesterday when the day before a judge said that he should start paying these women nearly $150 million. Those Georgia election workers.
So, it's no secret. It's also called bankruptcy court protection --
SIDNER: Right.
SCANNELL: For a reason because people are trying to get protection from their creditors. And what he is saying is he's got a lot of creditors. They are by far the biggest ones. But he also is facing a tax belly. He hasn't paid taxes at one million dollars -- just about one million dollars. That's pretty significant. And that's for two tax years.
He also has $1.7 million in unpaid legal bills. And a lot of that stems from a lot of the same, you know, election denial conspiracy theories that he was pushing over the past couple of years. And he also has a $30,000 unpaid phone bill.
Now, he lists $10 million in assets. He hasn't detailed that. We do know that he owns two properties.
He's trying to sell his New York apartment for six million dollars right now. But it seems like his assets could be tied up in these properties.
SIDNER: Yes.
SCANNELL: And he is facing the unknown ultimate bill, is all of these lawsuits that are still outstanding. He's got three defamation lawsuits, all stemming from the election. He also is facing a lawsuit from Hunter Biden who's accused him of hacking into his laptop.
Also, facing a lawsuit from a former employee who alleges harassment. And a two-million-dollar lawsuit from a grocery store worker who's accused Giuliani of getting him arrested under false pretenses. So, potential here is really big.
Now, the lawyers for those Georgia election workers say that you know -- they call this a maneuver by Giuliani, but they say that they are not giving up. They are going to continue to push to get their collection of what the jury awarded them. And you know, as a reminder, on Monday, they filed a second defamation lawsuit --
SIDNER: Right.
SCANNELL: Against Giuliani for repeating the same lies that he has already been found liable for.
SIDNER: Right before another court date, he started saying the same things over and over again that were flat lies and the jury said they were. So, we will see what happens. But this is a crafty move on his part to try to save himself from these huge bills. Kara Scannell, thank you so much.
BOLDUAN: Coming up for us. A new look and new analysis on the impact of Israel's fight to take out Hamas. And what has one intelligence analyst saying that the density of Israel's first month of bombardment in Gaza had not been seen since Vietnam?
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SIDNER: Hey, look at work. You're looking at live pictures where moments from now, the U.N. Security Council, hard work, expecting to hold a meeting or a vote is expected today on a resolution about the war in Gaza. A source telling CNN the language about suspending fighting allowing more aid into Gaza has been softened a bit. And the U.S. is ready to support it.
That's what we are hearing. And it's been 11 weeks of war in Gaza with no end in sight and the humanitarian crisis is getting worse by the day. By all accounts from people who have been there and experienced that who are living there.
The U.N. says the entire population of more than two million people is facing acute hunger now and warns a full-scale famine is not far off. According to the Hamas-controlled health ministry, more than 20,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war since October 7 when Hamas went into Israel killing 1200 and taking 200 more. That is in Gaza. 10 times more than any Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the last 15 years that have been killed.
And CNN is investigating why that death toll is so high. We know how densely populated it is. But there's more. Nima Elbagir has a closer look.
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NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): Even at a distance, the devastation wrought on Gaza is unmistakable.
ELBAGIR: We are a few hundred meters here from the boundary with Gaza. But even here, you get a sense of the degree of the Israeli bombardment of Gaza, the sheer intensity and scale.
ELBAGIR (voiceover): This is what that looks like up close. Scenes of destruction have become all too familiar. Here, the aftermath of another Israeli airstrike, this time in late October at the Jabalia refugee camp, one of the most densely populated residential areas in Gaza.
The bomb that caused this damage is a 2000-pound bomb, likely made in the USA dropped by the Israeli Air Force. At least four times as powerful as the vast majority of the bombs used by the U.S. in its fight against ISIS. In densely populated Gaza, the human cost is incomparable. The whole family is wiped out in one blow.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (TEXT) These are their names. They were blameless. They are all innocent.
ELBAGIR (voiceover): Jabalia refugee camp is one of the epicenters of Israel's bombing campaign. To understand the complete picture and scale of the destruction in Gaza, you need to look from above. In coordination with artificial intelligence company, Synthetic, CNN was able to locate over 1900 crises left behind by bombardment in just the first month of the war.
Using AI, we analyze the diameter of these craters. Over 500 of which were greater than 40 feet in diameter, consistent with American-made 2000-pound bombs used by the Israeli Air Force. Our analysis covers the one-month period to November 6, in which case, a staggering 10,000 people are believed to have died.
The U.S.'s most senior Middle East diplomat testified on November 9, the number of dead could be even higher.
BARBARA LEAF, ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF AFFAIRS FOR NEAR EASTERN AFFAIRS: Then a -- his period of conflict and conditions of war, it is very difficult for any of us to assess what the -- what the rate of casualties are. We think they're very high, frankly. And it could be that they're even higher than are being cited.
[11:45:08]
ELBAGIR (voiceover): Yet the U.S. continues to back Israel's bombardment. So, why is the death toll so staggering? Because it's not just about the point of impact.
This is a crater caused by a 2000-pound bomb. The potential kill zone from that crater can spread up to 365 meters. That's 1200 feet, an area equivalent to roughly 60 Soccer pitches or around 90 American football fields.
The IDF told CNN, in stark contrast to Hamas's intentional attacks on Israeli men, women, and children. The IDF follows international law and takes feasible precautions to mitigate civilian harm.
But is that true? This is just north of the Shati refugee camp along the main coastal road. When you go in closer, you can see in just this small neighborhood, at least nine craters consistent with 2000-pound bombs, which means the potential kill zone could encompass this entire area.
CNN and Synthetics analysis of the devastation of Gaza shows extensive bombardment. In an area this densely populated and using these bombs, it's inherently indiscriminate. And the human cost continues to soar. Surpassing 20,000. Many of the dead still unburied, still under the rubble with no end in sight. Nima Elbagir, CNN, Sderot.
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SIDNER: Horrible pictures to look at. That was CNN CHIEF international investigative correspondent Nima Elbagir reporting. Much more on CNN NEWS CENTRAL is coming up after a quick break.
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[11:51:10]
SIDNER: This is nuts. Right now, a damaged Norwegian cruise ship is making its way to port after a violent storm sent huge waves slamming into the ship off the coast of Denmark. The storm broke windows, it flooded the bridge with water, and completely knocked out power for a while. Passengers say they were told prepare yourself to man a lifeboat. Jane Bennett says it will be her first and last cruise on the sea.
Take a look at this footage. It shows -- it shows the ship as she filmed it, making its way through those rough waters. Another passenger, Karen Barrett, said there were chairs flying around, cutlery and crockery falling all over the floor. We all had to sit on the floor.
Denmark's maritime authorities who responded to the ship said while "all is well on board, the ship's navigation and radar systems are down." And two support vessels are accompanying the MS Maud to its final port. We hope they get there safely.
BOLDUAN: And also, today, millions of people are heading out and heading off for the holidays. Of course, the travel period all experts are essentially saying could break records, which is great news. Maybe -- we hope. Let's just put it that way. Between now and New Year's Day, AAA says it expects 115 million Americans to travel by car or plane. And that is over two million more than last year.
Let's get back to Reagan National Airport because that is where Pete Muntean. We find him again. Mayor, what are your constituents telling you today?
PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: Well, we just have seen a few ground stops and departure delays go into play. So, it's not as smooth as we hoped. Departure delays in place in Seattle, in Miami. A ground stop in place for flights going to San Francisco.
The good news is the cancellations are relatively low. Only in the double digits. About 40 nationwide. We've seen the delays go up to about 1400 nationwide.
Today is going to be even bigger than yesterday. Yesterday, it was forecasted to be two and a half million people in airports nationwide, according to the TSA. It was closer to 2.6 4 million people.
Today, that's going to be closer to 2.7 million people. 44,000 flights. Remember the mayhem of last year, still on the minds of a lot of folks. So, you may want to consider driving. 111 million people planning to travel 50 miles or more according to TSA -- or AAA rather, 103 million of them driving.
And so, you may want to play with the days a little bit because if the holiday falls on a Monday, New Year's falls on a Monday. So, the message from AAA is that Saturday is going to be bad. Sunday, Monday a little better. And then it's going to get bad again on Thursday.
So, you really don't want to meet with that confluence of holiday traffic and commuters who don't have the full week off. And you may want to play with the schedule a little bit according to Aixa Diaz of AAA. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AIXA DIAZ, AAA SPOKESPERSON: Obviously, Thanksgiving is a shorter amount of time. You don't have a lot of options. With this, you do have options.
So, if you've got more time -- depending on your work schedule. If you didn't take off a whole week from work, then you might be more locked in.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MUNTEAN: Good news here. The national average for a gallon of gas down a little bit, $3.12. Still a few cents off from where we were this time last year. Kate.
BOLDUAN: Pete, it's not the holidays unless we're together. And you're at an airport. I love you. It's good to see you. Thank you, Pete.
MUNTEAN: Thanks
BOLDUAN: We'll be checking back in.
MUNTEAN: Appreciate it.
BOLDUAN: We're going to take the good news. We're going to take all the good news. It could be worse. That's the good news.
SIDNER: Yes. But then there's this. This is just in. This is going to make some people happy. Deers have been spotted flying across -- flying.
Yes, I said that. Across parts of Utah. There are no delays for them. Just days before Christmas.
Do you see those sweeties? They must be terrified. OK.
[11:55:02]
So, these aren't Santa's flying deer, kids, don't worry. That's not how he does it. But the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources says there are some of the nearly 1200 deer that are captured and tagged with GPS collars every single year.
BOLDUAN: And it's not just fun, folks, there's science behind it. State officials say that this is a process they do annually that helps them study deer and other game migration patterns. And they also say that helicopters are used because it's the most efficient way to move the animals and to limit their exposure to stress in the process of the capture and the transport.
So, keep your eye to the sky if you're in Utah's backcountry right now. Not only could you see the meteor shower that Derek Van Dam has told us so much about reaching its peak tonight. But you may also see some flying deer.
SIDNER: In my childhood, my mother would definitely have said look at the reindeer. Those are -- and I would have been traumatized for life. But it would have been OK because I would have still believed -- there they are.
They're lying down on the ground which is what I do as well. But there you are. They didn't get up. They were scared. What are you going to do?
BOLDUAN: They still have to be released. Thank you all so much for joining us. This is CNN NEWS CENTRAL. "INSIDE POLITICS" is up next.
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