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Republicans to Pick New Senate Leader; Trump to Meet with Biden; Inflation Rose in October; Infowars to be Auctioned in Court- Mandated Sale. Aired 9:30-10a ET

Aired November 13, 2024 - 09:30   ET

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

[09:30:00]

MJ LEE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: "Him great success."

As you said, the first lady had extended this invitation, but there had been some talk of a scheduling conflict.

You know, this decision today from Melania Trump to not join her husband at this White House visit could be emblematic of some bigger dynamics that could be coming as the first lady returns to the White House a second time. Our colleagues have reported that she could be spending a good amount of time actually in New York City and Palm Beach, and that actually she may not even be moving to Washington, D.C., full-time. This, of course, could end up effecting where Donald Trump spends his time on the weekends, for example. This was something that we saw during the first term and not so different from how the Biden's have spent a lot of time on the weekends in Rehoboth or Wilmington.

So, again, I think this is just one more reminder of a way in which we fully expect the Trump presidency to, in many ways, not be traditional,

Kate.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. If there was going to be any question of that.

MJ, thank you very much. A lot going to be happening at the White House coming up as we're watching, John, at Joint Base Andrews, Donald Trump's plane is there, and soon the stairs shall move.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: They, in fact, are - I can report, the stairs are moving, Kate Bolduan. The stairs are moving. Look, I hope we do keep one eye on this as Donald Trump deplanes to see if he speaks on this arrival in Washington.

BOLDUAN: Yes.

BERMAN: But as we said, there's a ton going on right now, including a vote on who will be the next Senate majority leader. The first Republican leader not named Mitch McConnell in like 165 years.

BOLDUAN: Geez. Not.

BERMAN: I want to get to Capitol Hill. CNN's Lauren Fox is there.

And you've been seeing people go into this room, including the vice president-elect, J.D. Vance.

LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, J.D. Vance just came through the Ohio Clock Corridor here in the United States Senate, heading into that old Senate chamber where just, in a couple of minutes, they will begin their deliberations to select their next Republican leader.

And this race has largely been seen as wide open between John Cornyn, John Thune, and Rick Scott, who has gotten a last minute surge in MAGA world support.

Now, despite the fact that Vance is in the room today, this ballot is going to be a secret. That means that no one is going to know how senators voted.

I will say that we have seen a large number of lawmakers going in. And I was just tabulating in my head, some of them, many of them have not said publicly who they are backing. That is intentional, because the reality is, whoever wins this race today, they're going to have to work with. And the last thing you want to do is irritate or frustrate the man who is going to eventually lead your Republican conference.

Now, it may take some time, John, to be able to tabulate these votes. And they may have to do multiple ballots of voting if no one gets the majority. And today that special number is 27 right off of the top. So, this could take a considerable amount of time.

We expect nominating speeches for each of the men running. And just a couple of notable speeches that will be happening behind closed doors today. Steve Daines, who led the Republicans to win the majority just last week, he is going to be giving a nominating speech for John Thune, the current Republican whip who's vying for this job. We also expect that Marco Rubio, a fellow Floridian, is going to be giving a nominating speech for Senator Rick Scott.

So, a lot happening just in a couple of seconds at this point, John.

BERMAN: Yes, a couple of seconds. We're watching those senators go into that room. The beginning of the votes will take place soon. It could be more than one round, but it won't take hours. So, this could all develop in the next several minutes.

Lauren, put your ear on the door again. Tell us what you hear.

In the meantime, we're going to keep our eye on that plane that just landed at Joint Base Andrews. Inside, Donald Trump and his new best friend, Elon Musk, who is traveling with him. They are arriving in Washington for a big series of events.

And I should note, Kate, you know, we want to listen to Donald Trump too, because he could actually say something that has an impact on where Lauren is right now and this Senate vote.

BOLDUAN: We have cameras there. He can easily, as we've seen every president, president-elect, we've got - we've got cameras there, he can walk and he - he can walk up and talk if he so pleases and so desires.

So, let's keep our eye on the TV and our ear now to our friends who are joining us right now. Spectrum News political anchor and host of "The Big Deal with Errol Louis," big deal himself, Errol Louis. CNN's senior political analyst, Mark Preston, and CNN's Kristen Holmes.

So, Errol, since you are -

MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: A big deal.

BOLDUAN: A big deal and you are right here with me, you see these images of Trump is now heading back to Washington. This is going to be, you know, the first time he seen Joe Biden since they met on the CNN debate stage. And I was talking with Dana Bash about what kind of Washington he is returning to. And Dana's take is, she's been thinking about this a lot, if there's - could be a counterintuitive argument of maybe it's a more difficult Washington that he is returning to, and she says she can't come up with an example of how it's going to be a harder Washington to deal with and control.

[09:35:07]

I mean, is there evidence to the contrary that he has - he's going to have less power, less control, less say on how it's going to run in Washington once he takes office?

ERROL LOUIS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I think there's an argument that he's going to have a more focused fight than in the past. There - if you go back to when he first took office in 2017, there was a lot of chaos. People didn't know what he was going to do. All of a sudden there's a Muslim ban. People are almost rioting at the airports. Does he mean it? Does he not mean it? What's going to happen next? The chaotic scene that we later saw described by journalists of people literally flowing in and out of the Oval Office without anybody there to sort of stop them, so that people are almost - almost casually dropping in and sort of helping him make policy on the spot.

I think now that people know what can go wrong and what can happen, I think people are going to adjust their strategies, and people are going to be very focused and very determined to get specific policies accomplished and to let a lot of the rest of the chaos go. So, I don't know that this is necessarily - you know, and, you know, the other big factor, of course, is this this is a president who cannot run again.

BOLDUAN: Right.

LOUIS: So, this is, you know, he's kind of a lame duck, but it's also kind of a, you only live once kind of presidency that we're going to see. So -

BOLDUAN: Lame duck, and freeing, and empowering all at once. PRESTON: Swing for the fences on day one.

BERMAN: The door is now open to Donald Trump's plane. We expect to see him very shortly. We will wait to - we will wait. There is he. Let's watch for a second.

All right, it looks -

BOLDUAN: To the SUVs.

BERMAN: Yes, it looks like he's getting right in the SUV, and about to begin on his agenda for today, which includes meeting with House members, then ultimately going to the White House at the invitation of President Biden.

And I do think we have to say this every time. This was not an invitation that Donald Trump extended four years ago when Joe Biden won. And he won the popular vote by 7 million people, we should add. But Donald Trump now in that SUV, beginning a very big day.

Kristen Holmes, to you.

What is it that Donald Trump wants to accomplish by the end of this day?

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is really the Donald Trump show, John. He expects to have all eyes on him. And for him it is somewhat of a coming home. Obviously, Washington is not his actual home. But this looks a lot different than the Washington that he left in 2020, as well as the Washington that he entered into in 2017.

Just a reminder here, sure, Donald Trump controlled the House and the Senate when he came in, in 2017, but he didn't really control the House and the Senate. What I mean by that is that he now has allies in every level of government. He has senators that he hand-picked who won their election. He has people who have supported him throughout the last two years in both the House and in the Senate.

And one thing to keep in mind here, we have talked for two years about how the Republican Party has shifted to the party of Donald Trump. This is going to be a culmination of that.

The other part of this is that Donald Trump essentially stormed out of Washington in 2020. He refused to accept the results of the election. And as we know, and as we continue to say, he never extended one invitation to President Joe Biden. He never afforded him that. And instead, just left. It was an unprecedented move of not even showing up at the inauguration.

Now he is coming back to a Washington that is essentially going to come around Donald Trump. The wagons are circling when it comes to the Senate and to the House. And he wants to show that off today. He also wants to show off being at the White House.

I mean one thing to keep in mind is when I'm talking to people close to him, he has been reveling in his win. This is his first opportunity for him to kind of show himself.

Just a reminder, Donald Trump has largely been behind closed doors since he won the election. He's been sitting with the transition team. He played golf. He's been meeting with club members at Mar-a-Lago, as well as various allies. Taking phone calls. But he hasn't been in the public eye.

And I was told again that this is Donald Trump's show. He is putting on his, I am going to be president, I am the president-elect, I am now landing in Washington, and that's where he wants the focus to be.

One thing to keep in mind, he has not weighed in on that Senate leadership fight, and that is intentional. We have seen all of his MAGA allies over and over again trying to slam everybody but Rick Scott, built up Rick Scott, even privately, I am told, that they were trying to get him to endorse Rick Scott. He has not done so yet. So, we'll see what happens and the impact of that moving forward.

[09:40:04]

BOLDUAN: To that exact point, Mark, you know, you've got - in terms of who is up for the job in the Senate, you've got John Thune, John Cornyn and Rick Scott. And if you don't know their names, you could argue that what they represent is maybe this is a real test, a first test of what's going to be the prevailing motivation, and what's going to rule the day in the Senate and beyond, which is MAGA Republican versus traditional Republican. Is that - do you think that is kind of at least part of what the test is today with this vote?

PRESTON: No - yes, no question, Kate. Look, if Rick Scott wins, it will, in fact, show that the outside MAGA influence is strong and will probably continue to be strong. That's because they've been making all of these telephone calls on Rick Scott's behalf. But that's not how politics work necessarily in the United States Congress, specifically, you know, the United States Senate.

Kate, you and I, back when we were a little bit younger, we both covered Capitol Hill. And - and we just know how things work up there. This is a secret ballot. You know, I'd like to say now that there are very few, if any, secrets left in Washington, except for this vote, because I can guarantee you, many of these senators have gone out and they have pledged that they would support multiple people quietly. But in the end, it's a secret ballot, and we'll never know who they voted for.

BOLDUAN: Just a quick shout out. We're looking down - we at the Ohio Clock Corridor. This is where the senators are meeting. We can put that shot back up. We should shout out one of the best reporters in the business, that tall drink of water right there, Ted Barrett. He's - he's our -

BERMAN: With one of the other best reporters in the business -

BOLDUAN: Oh, yes, and with Manu. I was just going to give kind of an unsung hero some singing. That's our Capitol - that's part of our team on The Hill who brings us all of that news. Sorry to interrupt (ph).

BERMAN: I should note one thing about Donald Trump not speaking and not saying anything about Rick Scott, probably doesn't speak well of Rick Scott's chances. Donald Trump - Donald Trump seems to not want to weigh in if there's not a good chance that the guy he's going to back is going to win.

BOLDUAN: Or maybe just a sign that he really can't get the intel on this secret vote. Is he -- how good his chances are, right?

BERMAN: That could be.

You know who's going to get that intel, Ted Barrett right there, or Manu Raju and our Lauren Fox, who are listening in right now. They're going to break this story, which is why everyone needs to stick around.

Errol, Mark, Kristen, thank you all very much.

BOLDUAN: Thanks, guys. Thanks, Errol.

BERMAN: All right, we've got brand new data just in. Inflation in the U.S. up a little bit for the first time in six months.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:46:56]

BOLDUAN: New this morning, markets just opened and this comes just after new data has shown that inflation is moving in the wrong direction right now. The first inflation report since the election just out showing price increases accelerated last month after slowing for six straight months.

CNN's Matt Egan has been looking at this data. He's joining us now.

So, Matt, Donald Trump, he ran on saying he would lower inflation. He'd bring things back down to where everyone wants it to be. I spoke with Treasury - former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers just last hour and he had a warning per say for Donald Trump about all of the economic promises that he made from the campaign trail.

Let me play this for you.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LARRY SUMMERS, FORMER TREASURY SECRETARY UNDER PRESIDENT CLINTON: If he carries through on what he said during his campaign, there will be an inflation shock significantly greater than the one the country suffered in 2021.

If you're talking about deporting millions of people, that is an invitation to labor shortage and bottle necks. So, I hope that he will get the message from this election and adjust his program so that it is not inflationary. (END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: So, we'll see on that. But what does today's inflation report, how does that add to kind of the picture of the economy that Donald Trump's about to inherit?

MATT EGAN, CNN REPORTER: Yes, Kate, well, today's report was a setback.

BOLDUAN: Yes.

EGAN: But perhaps just a temporary one. I'll explain in a second. Let's look at the numbers. Today's report showed that consumer prices increased by 2.6 percent year over year in October. That was exactly as expected.

BOLDUAN: Right.

EGAN: But this was an acceleration from the month before, when we saw the inflation rate at 2.4 percent. It was a three-year low. This is the first time in seven months that we've seen the rate of inflation go up. But what is really important to note is that on a monthly basis, prices only went up slightly.

BOLDUAN: Yes.

EGAN: And so that does suggest that this has to do more with the calendar. The fact that a year ago the rate of inflation was falling rapidly. And that was always going to be really hard to live up to.

And I think that because these numbers came in as expected, and because we knew there were going to be these calendar effects, that's why the market is not really freaking out. We saw stock futures turn positive. And, look at this, the U.S. market opening. The Dow up about 100 points in the first few minutes of trading.

BOLDUAN: Yes.

EGAN: So, no big concern there.

BOLDUAN: Yes.

EGAN: When we look into some of the categories, there was some good news. Prices fell for some things, like gasoline and clothes. But used cars went up significantly. Also airfare as well.

I think when we zoom out and we look at the big picture, it's clear, things have improved significantly from two years ago when the rate of inflation, look at that, was at 9 percent. Gas was $5 a gallon. But it's also clear that we're not back to normal, and that last mile of getting inflation back to normal is proving to be a bit challenging.

Kate.

BOLDUAN: Yes, it sure is. That's great. Thanks for running through it.

EGAN: Thank you.

BOLDUAN: Really appreciate it, Matt.

Coming up still for us, conspiracy theorist Alex Jones is going to lose his platform and hi Infowars empire in an auction today.

[09:50:02]

But some of the potential buyers may actually let him stay on camera.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: All right, this morning, Infowars, the media empire built by conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, will go up for auction in a court mandated sale. And a source familiar with the matter tells CNN that at least one bid is in the seven figure range.

CNN's Hadas Gold has been covering this from the very beginning.

So, what's - how's this going to work exactly today?

HADAS GOLD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, So, this will be a closed online auction. It starts in about an hour and a half. And everything is for sale. I'm saying everything from the studio mics, to the social media accounts, to even an armored truck and a Winnebago are for sale in this auction.

[09:55:04]

Now, it's part - it's to help pay for the more than $1 billion Alex Jones owes the families of the Sandy Hook massacre victims for defamation.

BOLDUAN: Right.

GOLD: Now, who is bidding for this? They have all signed NDAs, nondisclosure agreements. They've had to put 10 percent down of their bid. So, nobody has commented publicly. But I've spoken to several sources who are involved in this and it's a mix of allies of Alex Jones, who want to essentially keep Infowars as it is, and people who might feel a little bit differently. Some of those allies include people like Roger Stone, who has expressed interest. And I have, from a source familiar, that one of these allies, not necessarily Roger Stone, has put up a bid in the seven figure amount. So, that gives you an idea of how much this could potentially go for.

But on the other side of the spectrum, there's some people who might feel differently about Alex Jones continuing on Infowars. Amongst them, a source tells me, is The Onion, the satirical news site. You can imagine what they might want to do with a place like Infowars. Also, Media Matters has publicly expressed interest in bidding for this.

Again, we don't know exactly what is bidding because they have signed these - these NDAs. Alex Jones himself has said, if the, quote, "good guys" in his mind buy Infowars, and he will keep going as much as possible. But, obviously, he will no longer own it if the "bad guys," as what he says will buy it, perhaps a place like The Onion, he says he will continue broadcasting until the very last minute and then just move over to another platform.

But we are expecting to hear who is going to be the winner of this bid, either tonight or tomorrow.

BERMAN: All right, we'll be watching.

BOLDUAN: Wow.

BERMAN: Hadas Gold, thank you so much.

BOLDUAN: Thank you.

And thank you all so much for joining us. "CNN NEWSROOM" is up next.

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