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Trump Lays Out Aggressive Agenda for First Days of Second Term; Interview with Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-PA): Trump Says He Will Work with Democrats to Help DREAMers Stay; Daniel Penny Acquitted of Criminally Negligent Homicide; Taylor Swift Wraps Up Record-Breaking Eras Tour. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired December 09, 2024 - 15:30   ET

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

[15:30:00]

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: President-elect Trump laying out a sweeping list of his biggest priorities for his first days in office, which includes a plan to immediately tackle immigration, everything from aggressive deportation efforts to protecting DREAMers. CNN's Priscilla Alvarez has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: President-elect Donald Trump previewed his immigration actions in an interview that aired on Sunday. And in that interview, he stood by his pledge of mass deportation, suggesting that it would go beyond criminals, but not detailing who exactly he was referring to, but also saying that it is, quote, a very tough thing to do.

Of course, there are limited resources for detention, deportation and challenges when it comes to repatriating some individuals back to their home countries. All of that lies ahead for the president-elect and his incoming administration. But he stood firm on the idea that they, quote, came in illegally. But he made an exception, or appeared to make an exception, for those undocumented immigrants who came to the United States as children.

They're often referred to as DREAMers. And on them, the president- elect said that he would work with Congress to potentially provide protections.

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT, 2024 PRESIDENTIAL ELECT: And we have to do something about the DREAMers, because these are people that have been brought here at a very young age, and many of these are middle-aged people now. They don't even speak the language of their country.

I will work with the Democrats on a plan, and if we can come up with a plan. But the Democrats have made it very, very difficult to do anything. Republicans are very open to the DREAMers.

ALVAREZ: Now, for years, Congress has tried to extend protections through legislation for that group of undocumented immigrants, again, who came to the U.S. as children, and many of whom are now adults, but they have not been able to do so. So significant that the president- elect showed a willingness to work with Congress to do that.

But he also detailed some of his controversial plans, including, for example, ending birthright citizenship that, according to experts, would require Congress. And more than two dozen other countries also offered that, though the president-elect suggested that it was only the United States. So, certainly, the president-elect working on these immigration actions ahead of January and his team planning on what exactly will take effect and when in those early days.

Priscilla Alvarez, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Our thanks to Priscilla Alvarez for that report.

Let's discuss this and more with Congresswoman Madeleine Dean, a Democrat from Pennsylvania, a member of the Judiciary Committee, and a former Trump impeachment manager. Congresswoman, thank you so much for sharing part of your afternoon with us.

[15:35:00]

So President-elect Trump expresses this openness to DREAMers, saying he wants to work with Democrats to protect them. He made similar remarks in his first term, expressing some openness. But when a deal fell through, his administration tried to end DACA. I wonder what you envision a bipartisan agreement on DREAMers might look like.

REP. MADELEINE DEAN (D-PA): Well, good to be with you. Thank you for inviting me today. I welcome the president-elect and his hope to find a pathway to citizenship for DREAMers.

But, as you point out, we have been down this road before. And it's in direct, very strange, incoherent conflict with what he said later in that interview around birthright citizenship. Imagine he's open to DREAMers' path to citizenship, as am I. It is the right thing to do. It is the economically right thing to do. It is the humane, correct thing to do for this country and for those people.

But to say he wants to end the constitutional protection of birthright citizenship, it simply makes no sense.

SANCHEZ: There were three senators who called on the White House recently to take steps to protect DREAMers and TPS holders before January 20th, when Trump is said to be sworn in. Is there much President Biden could do that a President Trump couldn't just undo?

DEAN: Well, whether or not President-elect Trump undoes, I really do call upon President Biden in these final days to make sure as many folks can be protected as possible. I'm thinking of Ukraine citizens who are here and many other citizens who are here under temporary protective status. So, regardless of what Mr. Trump might do in an upcoming administration, President Biden should do everything to protect TPS holders. SANCHEZ: I also want to ask you about a portion of his "Meet the Press" interview in which he said that he would not direct his Department of Justice to go after those who investigated his role in January 6th, though he did say that members of the January 6th committee should go to jail. I wonder what your reaction is to that and whether you think President Biden should issue preemptive pardons for those lawmakers.

DEAN: I thought maybe you were playing a clip. I apologize. Again, this didn't make much sense.

What is it that President-elect Trump believes the January 6th committee is guilty of? What crime was committed in doing their job of marking for history exactly what happened to that point that we could know as to what happened on the attack of the Capitol January 6th incited by the former president?

As you know, two members of that committee were Republicans, extraordinary public servants, but, much more importantly, everybody who came in front, or just about everyone who came in front of that committee and offered their testimony at their own peril were Republicans, many of them who wanted to see President Trump succeed, many of whom were heartbroken and challenged by the fact of what he did on the days leading up to January 6th, what he did during January 6th. 187 minutes of watching the attack on the Capitol, watching an attack on Capitol Police, his own vice president in known jeopardy.

And so I just would ask Mr. Trump, what crimes did they commit in their oversight and historic duty of making sure America knows what happened on January the 6th?

SANCHEZ: Congresswoman, you were an impeachment manager responsible for laying out the case alleging that Trump incited the insurrection. Are you concerned that you might be a target? And would you like a preemptive pardon from President Biden?

DEAN: I'm not concerned for myself. I have to tell you, Boris, that was one of the highest, saddest honors I will ever have serving in Congress. I'm sorry we had to ever come to a point of a second impeachment of Mr. Trump, especially for those actions which were so evident of high crimes and misdemeanors as anticipated by our founders. So I'm not worried for myself. I was doing what I was charged with doing in the course of my responsibilities as a member of Congress. I'm not worried for myself at all.

SANCHEZ: Congresswoman Madeline Dean, we have to leave the conversation there. Look forward to picking it up sometime soon.

DEAN: Thank you very much.

SANCHEZ: Thanks.

Still to come, a not guilty verdict in the case involving a fatal chokehold on a New York City subway car. Details in just minutes.

[15:40:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: After deadlocking on a manslaughter charge against a former Marine accused of choking a homeless man to death on a New York City subway, today a jury acquitted Daniel Penny of a lesser charge, criminally negligent homicide. The more serious manslaughter charge was dismissed Friday after the jury could not agree on a verdict following 19 hours of deliberations. But it only took about 90 minutes today for the jury to find Penny not guilty.

There were protests outside the courtroom that grew louder on both sides after the verdict came in and the district attorney says prosecutors had received threats. CNN national correspondent Gloria Pazmino has more on today's controversial verdict.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Now the fact that this jury was hung on that first charge, the more serious charge of the two, certainly reflects a lot of the views of New Yorkers. This was a very politically charged case and New Yorkers here are divided about what to do, about some of the issues that were exposed by this case.

[15:45:04]

Specifically homelessness, mental illness and public safety, especially when it comes to the public transit system. Now the charge here was criminally negligent homicide and the prosecution simply failed to prove to the jury that Penny should have known that there was a risk in placing Jordan Neely in that chokehold.

Now we have gotten some reaction from the Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg, who issued a statement shortly after the verdict saying that his office respects the process and also saying quote, the jury has now spoken. At the Manhattan DA's office we deeply respect the jury process and we respect their verdict. Unfortunately over the duration of this trial, talented career prosecutors and their family members were besieged with hate and threats on social media, by phone and over email. Simply put, this is unacceptable and everyone, no matter your opinion on this case, should condemn it.

So that again shows you just how much attention and how much political tension there was around this case by New Yorkers who were divided on the case. Some who believed that Penny did the right thing by stepping in and intervening because he felt that Jordan Neely posed a threat. And others who said that Jordan Neely was simply a person who needed help, was asking for food and water at the time and should have been let go by -- from Penny as soon as he put him in that chokehold.

In the meantime, the family of Jordan Neely filing lawsuit against Daniel Penny for the death of their son.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KEILAR: Gloria Pazmino, thank you so much for that. It could end up being the highest grossing tour in history. Taylor

Swift closing out her final Eras tour show last night. We'll have it next.

[15:50:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Taylor Swift wrapped up her Eras tour last night in Vancouver, Canada, bringing a significant chapter in modern music history to a close. Swift's tour didn't just break records. It smashed them, selling more than $2 billion in tickets. And last night, Swift told fans that her Eras tour had been performed before more than 10 million people.

CNN Entertainment correspondent Elizabeth Wagmeister has more on Swift's epic Eras tour.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Taylor Swift takes her final bow of the Eras tour in Vancouver, wrapping up 152 sold-out shows in 21 countries on five continents over a span of almost two years in front of 10 million screaming fans singing along to every lyric. While taking in the epic productions, shows lasting more than three hours, the pop superstar performed an impressive set list up to 44 songs each night. The Eras tour launched in March 2023 as the world was emerging from the COVID pandemic.

When tickets first went on sale, Ticketmaster's site crashed. Taylor's estimated take? In the ballpark of $2 billion, easily the highest- grossing tour in music history.

In fact, Swift already made history before the tour was even halfway over, when Eras became the first tour to ever cross the $1 billion mark. The tour covering her entire 18-year career, the set list representing the many hits from each era of her music repertoire. Swift's star power now right up there with Elvis Presley and the Beatles.

And her personal connection to her fans, the Swifties, is unrivaled. They've made her Spotify's most streamed artist for two years running. They've even made the Earth shake.

Swifties dancing to the beat of Swift's performance of Shake It Off during her tour stops in Seattle caused seismic activity, equivalent to a 2.3 magnitude earthquake. Swift's influence setting off shockwaves in politics too. Please register to vote for something else that's very important.

Fans rushed to theaters for her Eras blockbuster movie in 2023. And to buy the Eras tour book when it was released last week, becoming the fastest-selling new book released of the past four years. A phenomenon coined the Taylor Swift effect boosted hundreds of industries, venues, and even local economies where her concerts were held.

But Swift's Eras tour isn't just about the music. It's also about the unforgettable memories.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Then we pinky promise to be best friends for life.

WAGMEISTER (voice-over): As Swift ends one Era to enter another, she now gets to focus on her family and friends.

TAYLOR SWIFT, SINGER, SONGWRITER: My boyfriend, Travis.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: Our thanks to Elizabeth Wagmeister for that report.

We do have breaking news in the CNN. Republican Senator Joni Ernst appears to have changed her mind about Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump's pick for defense secretary.

In a new statement, Ernst says this about Hegseth's confirmation, quote, As I support Pete through this process, I look forward to a fair hearing based on truth, not anonymous sources.

Senator Ernst, the sexual assault survivor herself, had been publicly apprehensive about Hegseth, who's been accused of sexual misconduct and alcohol abuse.

Stay with CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

[15:55:00]

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: Breaking news, a musical inspired by CNN NEWS CENTRAL's favorite Olympic break dancer, Raygun, was shut down hours before it was set to open. What a disappointment. Australian comedian Stephanie Broadbridge wrote and intended to star in Raygun the musical, but she later posted on social media that the break dancer's, quote, lawyers got in touch with the venue and threatened legal action.

Broadbridge says Raygun's legal team was, quote, worried I was damaging her brand, which I would never do, she says.

SANCHEZ: Yes, the comedian added that Gun's lawyers trademarked the musical's poster, which featured a silhouette of the break dancer's famous kangaroo hop. There it is. They told Broadbridge that she couldn't perform the dance as Gun owns it.

Broadbridge said that that puzzled her because she said, quote, I mean, that's an Olympic level dance. How would I possibly be able to do that without any formal break dancing training?

According to a listing on Eventbrite, the musical was advertised as including songs like you may be a B girl, but you'll always be an A girl to me. I'm breaking down and I would have won, but I pulled a muscle. [16:00:00]

I mean, given how much respect and esteem she's earned around the world, you would think people wouldn't be fooling around with an iconic image like her doing that kangaroo.

KEILAR: No, you wouldn't. But listen, I just think that could have brought so much joy.

SANCHEZ: Joy yes.

KEILAR: We love Raygun.

SANCHEZ: It's art. I think you should be concerned about legal action, given that you did that kangaroo hop here.

KEILAR: I don't know what you're talking about, Boris. You know what? Let's go to Jake Tapper because "The Lead" is starting right now.

END