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Trump Taps Former Florida A.G. Pam Bondi for Attorney General; NFL Warns Athletes After Burglaries at Players' Homes; Texas Officials to Vote on New Curriculum With Bible Lessons for K-5. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired November 22, 2024 - 07:00   ET

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

[07:00:00]

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking every night, President-elect Donald Trump forced to make a new nomination for Attorney General after Matt Gaetz drops out. The new A.G. nominee, Pam Bond, who has promised to prosecute the prosecutors at the DOJ, plus new details about Team Trump's potential plan to shake up the FBI.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: The FBI is now investigating if home burglaries of several pro athletes, including Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, are all linked, and if all the break-ins are true a part of a transnational crime ring, a new warning for athletes this morning.

And a symbol of resilience amid devastation, deadly Hurricane Helene ravaged North Carolina's Christmas tree industry along with so much else. Now a tree from the region will stand tall at the White House this holiday season.

I'm Kate Bolduan with Sara Sidner. John is out today. This is CNN News Central.

SIDNER: Happening now, some sighs of relief and new scrutiny and a whole lot of questions as President elect Donald Trump suffers his first cabinet choice loss and rapidly replaces him. This morning, the Republican reviews, so far so good, as Pam Bondi, Florida's first female top prosecutor, takes embattled ex-Congressman Matt Gaetz's spot as Trump's new attorney general pick. Gaetz's downfall, the question is, will he be the only one to fall?

And there is new scrutiny this morning over other controversial picks with four key cabinet positions still left to fill.

CNN's Alayna Treene is covering it all for us. Alayna, just hours after Gaetz withdrew and people's jaws dropped, Trump announced Bondi will be his new A.G. pick. What's happened behind the scenes and why, Bondi, who is an A.G. in Florida?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: Right. Well, it was very clear, and we had already started picking this up yesterday, just very quickly after Matt Gaetz had withdrew his name as the A.G. pick, was that Donald Trump was going to put all of the other picks that he still has on the table aside and try to figure out who would be his next attorney general, because, as we know, this is the most important role to Donald Trump. He wants whoever is in the Department of Justice running that department to be very loyal to him and also to kind of be his attack dog when it comes to a lot of the legal issues that his administration or his incoming administration is expected to face.

Now, we have learned that. Pam Bondi, her name started circulating almost immediately after it was clear that Matt Gaetz was going to be out of the picture. Remember, she is someone that Donald Trump has known for years. She has very close ties, not only to him, but to also many other top people in Donald Trump's orbit and those working on the transition, including Susie Wiles, who is, of course, now Donald Trump's new incoming chief of staff, but also has been around in Florida politics for a long time. She knows Pam Bondi very well, as well as many others on the team.

Now, Donald Trump has always liked her. Her name had actually come up in consideration when he was first going through the slate of candidates before landing on Matt Gaetz. He had thought of her as well. He thinks she's very good on television. He thinks she has the look, as we have heard, as part of some of his requirements for some of these people.

But I'd also argue as well, if you look back at some of what she's done for Donald Trump in the past, she was previously a White House lawyer serving as part of his counsel when he was first in office. She helped defend him during his first impeachment during the Senate trial. And also, I will say, one thing that is very clear in talking to my sources who were -- some of who were in the room, some who have been talking to Donald Trump about this, there's been kind of a collective sigh of relief.

There was no question that they recognized Matt Gaetz was going to have a very difficult time going through his confirmation hearings. They believe Pam Bondi will be much better suited for that process, and she should have a much easier time, I'm told.

Now, another thing I just want to point out is that he did meet Donald Trump met with Pam Bondi before making his selection. He met with her at Mar-a-Lago and then offered her the position yesterday evening in person, we are told. And so very quickly a new decision for Donald Trump, but I think this was something he really wanted to get off his plates quickly and have an attorney general pick in place.

[07:05:07]

SIDNER: Alayna, thank you for going through all that with us. I appreciate you coming on this morning. Happy Friday to you. Kate?

BOLDUAN: And let's get the latest from the Hill right now, because a big part of all of this is really a math game. Cabinet picks need to be confirmed and need Republican senators to do that. The math for Gaetz very clearly did not add up. And his exit now raises some new questions about the confirmation chances in the math for some of Trump's other top picks for big jobs.

Lauren Fox is on this one. She's all over this one, tracking this one today. What are you hearing right now, Lauren?

LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Yesterday was a huge day for Pete Hagseth. He has been tapped to lead the Pentagon in the Trump administration. And he met with a number of members who serve on the Senate Armed Services Committee trying to make his case to them with J.D. Vance, the incoming vice president in the room. And I think one of the things that senators are trying to impress upon all of these nominees that are coming to Capitol Hill is, A, yes, they have an open mind about their nomination, but that this process is going to be rigorous.

This is a process that requires a public hearing, background checks, vetting of these nominees, as well as a series of questions that can range into the hundreds that they have to respond to all these senators in writing after the hearing has taken place.

And so I think part of this process, and I talked to somebody who had met with Gaetz the day before, is really trying to keep a sense of how serious this process is for these members, because, yes, members want to keep an open mind, but they also have some concerns. Yesterday, Kevin Cramer, who's a conservative from the state of North Dakota, said that he does have a lot of questions about Pete Hegseth's record, especially related to that police report that came out yesterday.

So, this is an issue that lawmakers are looking at. It is a long time for this vetting process to take place. And here is what Senator Mike Rounds said about what he's looking at right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MIKE ROUNDS (R-SD): My first impression was that it was a good pick. You've got an individual who has experience as a prosecutor and was an attorney general in Florida. Those are good signs. I think he trusts her. I think he would feel comfortable with her as the attorney general.

I want an opportunity to visit with Pete. I want to visit with him, see what his thoughts are, how he would handle the department. He's going to have to answer those questions with regard to anything that's in his record.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOX: I think one thing that can be overlooked sometimes is how important this advice and consent role is for a lot of these senators. You know, I was talking to Senator Susan Collins yesterday, a Republican from Maine, and we were talking a little bit about recess appointments. And she said, you know, one thing that I'm really concerned about is the fact that I have seen our power chip away in the Senate over the course of the last decade that I've been here in Washington.

And I think, Kate, we just can't overlook the fact that for senators, they do take this job seriously, they do have questions. And despite the fact many Republicans do believe Donald Trump has a right to have who he wants in his cabinet, the underlying reality is they have some questions about these nominees. They're going to be asking them and this is not going to be a cakewalk for the folks who are going before these committees and going through this process. Kate?

BOLDUAN: And you make a really great point. This isn't a one week vetting. It is a long vetting and thorough vetting process that these senators and their staffs take on. It's great to see you, Lauren. Thank you so much.

Coming up for us, the FBI is now investigating a series of burglaries at the homes of some NBA and NFL athletes. We've been talking about this, but why they think this all may be connected and part of a bigger international crime ring.

And a new warning from the FAA now, major staffing shortages among air traffic controllers could seriously be impacting holiday travel to come this year.

And alive and well, the husband and father who went missing after his kayak was found overturned in a lake, huge manhunt, huge -- not manhunt, huge search for him ensued. Well, it is now confirmed he did what police feared, faked his death and ran to Europe. How did he and why?

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[07:10:00]

SIDNER: This morning, the NFL and NBA are warning their players to be alert after a string of home burglaries targeting professional athletes. The recent break-ins include the homes of Kansas City Chiefs stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce and NBA players Mike Conley and Bobby Portis. Portis putting out a plea to his followers to help him get his stuff back.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BOBBY PORTIS, NBA PLAYER WHOSE HOME WAS BURLARIZED: While I was at my game yesterday, I had a home invasion and they took most of my prized possessions.

Any info that leads to the return of any of my belongings will be rewarded handsomely.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: The Athletic reported the NBA's memo to athletes overnight.

CNN Security Correspondent Josh Campbell following this story that is continuing to develop. What are you learning about the FBI joining now this investigation and why the FBI might be involved?

JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Sara, the federal investigators now working with law and local law enforcement because the concern here is that this may be global in nature. Law enforcement sources tell us that one theory is that these are transnational gangs, international criminal syndicates that are actually coming here to the U.S. in order to conduct these home robberies.

[07:15:00]

As you mentioned first, there was an NFL warning and then overnight, now the NBA I'll read you part of that statement. The NBA telling its players they received in a briefing from the FBI about these transnational groups. They say that, quote, these groups are reportedly well-organized, sophisticated rings that incorporate advanced techniques and technologies, including pre-surveillance, drones and signal jamming devices. The groups are primarily focused on cash and items that can be resold on the black market, such as jewelry, watches and luxury bags.

Now, in the previous NFL alert, they told players that they are seeing similar attributes with these home invasions. First, for example, burglars conducting this extensive surveillance, sometimes posing as delivery drivers or groundskeepers and even sometimes scaling walls to enter the second floor bedrooms.

Now, I've talked with law enforcement in the past about these groups. They've been a great concern. Let's listen to one prosecutor who explained that these aren't keystone crooks. These are professional, criminal operations.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TODD SPITZER, ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: They're very sophisticated. They lie and wait for days at a time in people's backyards.

They have Wi-Fi jammers to stop the alarm company from being notified because a lot of people have Wi-Fi systems. And then they have police jammers to jam the signal of the police departments.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMPBELL: And, of course, what is of concern here, Sara, as well, is that these are not just, you know, wealthy homes, but if you think about NBA and NFL players, they're also away from home a lot of the time, perhaps providing a window for these groups to actually conduct these attacks or these robberies.

SIDNER: What advice are players getting that they can use to try to deal with this?

CAMPBELL: Well, the leagues are asking players to have a relationship with local law enforcement in your area. Sometimes police will conduct additional patrols around some of these neighborhoods, if you have someone who might be a lucrative target to some of these burglaries. But they're also telling players to look, avoid social media, so called check-ins. You know, if you're going to go somewhere, don't go on social media and say, hey, I'm here, because that tells burglars I'm away from home.

And then also this doesn't just apply to athletes, but to anyone, you know, don't post images of your homes and expensive items. You're essentially telling potential burglars out there here are all the things that you could possibly get, you know, from my home if you were to stage one of these robberies. And you know, at the end of the day they're saying that, you know, have a home security system. Do some of the basic things to protect ourselves, because they know that so many of these groups are now going online to research everything they possibly can about their targets.

SIDNER: Josh Campbell, thank you so much for that reporting this morning.

Ahead this morning, a crucial vote in Texas will decide if elementary school curriculums will include Bible-infused lesson plans.

And wondering why you can't stop snacking. It might not be you, it's the food. This morning we have new answers from a groundbreaking study on ultra processed food. Those stories ahead.

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[07:20:00]

BOLDUAN: Today, Texas is going to decide whether or not to blend Christian Bible lessons into elementary school education. The issue is a new proposed statewide school curriculum, one that relies on teaching materials that focus on I'm going to talk to you a little bit about what's going to happen in the next couple of days on Christianity over other religions.

If adopted, the new curriculum would follow Republican-led efforts in neighboring states to make religion, specifically Christianity, a bigger presence in public schools.

CNN's Rosa Flores is following this one for us from Houston. She's here with us now. Rosa, what's expected to happen today with this vote?

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, so the State Board of Education is expected to vote today, and so far, Kate, the votes have been very tight. So, we'll have to see if this passes, but many in this state are expecting for this controversial curriculum to be approved by the State Board of Education.

But let me get you up to speed about what all of this means. Because what's happening today is the State Board of Education is voting on a menu of curriculum for K through 12 schools in the state of Texas. One of those materials is the state created material. It is called Bluebonnet Learning. It was created by the Texas Education Agency, and critics say that it is infused with Christianity more so than other religions, and that it just has a lot of references to the Bible.

Now, throughout this week, there have been dozens of people who have gone to Austin and presented public comment on both sides of this issue. Some say that this is a violation of the separation of church and state. Others say that there's nothing wrong with biblical teachings and that they should be included in school curriculum.

Here are some of those individuals who have spoken out in their own voices. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARBARA BARUCH, TESTIFIED AGAINST ADDING CHRISTIAN LESSONS TO TEXAS CURRICULUM: You see, I'm Jewish. I believe my grandkids should share our family's religion. I need help stopping the government from teaching them to be Christians.

GLENN MELVIN, SUPPORTS ADDING CHRISTIAN LESSONS TO TEXAS CURRICULUM: These biblical references do not constitute an establishment of religion. Instead, they serve as good examples of what we hope we all are, respectful, helpful, and brave.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FLORES: The Texas Education Agency defending their curriculum, sending us this statement saying, quote, religious source material comprises just a small part of the product and includes information from multiple faith traditions, including Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Greek and Roman polytheism and Native American religious traditions.

[07:25:08]

Now, in journalism school, they teach us to follow the money, and this story has a very nuanced money angle. And that is independent school districts in the state of Texas decide, Kate, what they teach in their independent school districts. But this particular state-funded curriculum comes with state monies. So, any independent school district in the state of Texas that chooses this controversial Bluebonnet curriculum will get $40 per student and an extra $20 for printing that material.

Now, here's the other thing, Kate. I spoke to an expert who say, you know, if you're sitting in another state, not in Texas and thinking all this is not going to impact me at all, well, this Bluebonnet learning is also open source, which means it's going to be free and out there. And we all know that across this country, there are a lot of budget-strapped school districts that could decide to use this curriculum. Kate?

BOLDUAN: Rosa, thank you so much for the reporting. Let's see what happens with this vote today.

Coming up for us, for the first time, the price of Bitcoin is reaching nearly $100,000. New reporting on what is causing the crypto surge and some answers if you're thinking that you want to get into crypto now, investing in crypto.

And the new warning to holiday travelers also for today, be prepared to wait. The FAA expecting major delays because of a shortage of air traffic controllers.

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