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Trump Wades Into MAGA Debate, Defends Foreign Worker Visas; Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA) Discusses Trump Backing Musk On H-1B Visas, Biden's $2.5B New Security Aid For Ukraine, Some Dems Blasting "Seniority" As Means Of Choosing House Leadership & Dealing With A Second Trump Term; Top-10 Media Stories Of 2024; Weekend Tornado- Spawning Storms Batter Parts Of The South; Rain In The Big Apple To Ring In The New Year Tomorrow Night. Aired 2:30-3p ET
Aired December 30, 2024 - 14:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[14:30:00]
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: So just a couple things to note here. One, this is not true just in the sense of I've always liked the visas. I've always been in favor of the visas. It's personal opinion. Perhaps that is true.
But if you look at what he did in his actual first term, they severely restricted these kinds of visas. So clearly, he has new voices in his ear.
But the most important thing that this does is it goes to show you that there are going to be a lot of rifts in various policy proposals, particularly when it comes to something as difficult as immigration, something Donald Trump wants to handle on day one.
And I would note that this is unlikely the last we're going to hear about this -- Brianna?
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: I think you are right, as usual.
Kristen Holmes, thank you very much for the report.
Let's talk a little bit more now with Democratic Congressman Gerry Connolly of Virginia. He's the ranking member on the House Oversight Committee.
Thanks for being with us.
You hear President-Elect Trump now --
(CROSSTALK)
KEILAR: -- siding with Elon Musk on H-1B visas. What do you think about this sort of kerfuffle that he's now weighing in on? And do you also think that maybe it's something you could see some bipartisan progress on?
REP. GERRY CONNOLLY (D-VA): Well, I think, first of all, it underscores immigration is complicated. And lots of different categories to meet lots of different needs, from farm workers to H-1B skilled laborers.
We're not graduating enough skilled workers in America. And there's a ready solution at hand, which is the H-1B one visa program.
So I support the program. And the irony of somebody wanting to crack down on immigration has himself benefited from that program coming into the United States.
We need those skilled workers in high tech, in engineering, in architecture, across the board. They can fill a gap that our economy desperately needs.
KEILAR: So you think now that it seems like Trump is stating he's on board with that, you might see Democrats and Republicans making headway on -- on that particular issue when it comes to immigration. Maybe some others?
CONNOLLY: I definitely do. There's - that -- that opens up common ground. The possibility of common ground. And if Republicans want to work with Democrats, I think we can come to some agreements in terms of the utilization and, indeed, the expansion of the H-1B1 visa program.
KEILAR: So today -- and just making a turn here to Ukraine -- President Biden announced this new $2.5 billion round of defense funding for Ukraine, about half of it coming from the funding that Congress passed back in April, about half of it coming from the administrations drawdown authority, tapping U.S. weapons stores.
Is the lag time on that a potential problem as you see it? Meaning, are these weapons really going to get out the door to Ukraine before Trump takes office? Couldn't he just cancel a shipment if he wanted to?
CONNOLLY: I think that's a real risk, Brianna. I mean, if I had my way, Joe Biden would be announcing new shipments of supplies and weapons every single day left in his tenure.
The situation in eastern Ukraine is critical. The Ukrainians desperately have to be resupplied. We're the major source of that supply. And we ought to be doing everything possible while the window is still open.
KEILAR: There were concerns from the last allotment in December that the U.S. wouldn't have enough weapons stores to replace what it was drawing down to supply Ukraine.
So where is this stuff coming from? Are there enough weapons on the shelf and on the production line to really get this done quickly?
CONNOLLY: Well, there is a lag time in terms of production and production capacity -- it's a worldwide problem, especially with things like artillery shells.
But right now, the situation is dire. The United States is not in any danger of drawing down weapons to the point where we are vulnerable ourselves.
And right now, we -- you know, we've got just less than a month to try to resupply the Ukrainians while we can in the Biden administration under Democratic control. And I think we have to do it.
KEILAR: You said it. You worry that Trump is going to pull support for Ukraine. Is the goal here with these announcements by the Biden administration, as you see it, to paint Trump into a corner so that if he does yank support, any failure of Ukraine becomes his failure. How do you see it?
CONNOLLY: I don't think it's that Machiavellian. I think it's a matter of trying to make the resupply, re-equipment of the Ukrainians a fait accompli before Trump takes the oath of office.
I think that's really what is going on here. I don't think it's trying to box him in politically.
[14:34:59]
But it is anticipating the fact that he has said he can end the war in one day, which, of course, he can't. And that he's got this odd bromance with Putin, which raises alarm bells all over the NATO world.
KEILAR: And making another turn here, congratulations on becoming the ranking member --
CONNOLLY: Thank you.
KEILAR: -- on House Oversight.
There are many in in your party, I should note, who are firmly behind you. There are, as you are well aware, a vocal number who were not against you taking that position. Nothing against you personally. They'll say they wanted to see some new blood with Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez, who is also in the running.
That's the message, they say, of the past election. What do you say to that?
CONNOLLY: Well, I think that the decision about leadership ought to always be based on a proven record, skill set, competence, capability, and your plan for moving forward.
I've never had my chance to be a ranking member or chairman of a full committee. This is it. And I've got the bona fides and the credentials over 16 years that my -- my colleagues, you know, looked at, examined, validated, and decided that's what we need.
We need the best general we can put on the battleground with four more years perspectively of Donald Trump. And that's what the Democratic caucus overwhelmingly decided to do.
That's not a negative statement about anyone else, but it is a positive reaffirmation about my credentials. KEILAR: And, you know, I wonder, as -- and it seems like Democrats are
still reeling a bit from the election. But do you think that they've learned the lessons of the 2024 election? And what do you think the lesson is?
CONNOLLY: I really think we have some regrouping to do. I don't think the election was as dire as initial press reports made it. Democrats kind of held their own across the country.
We had some significant losses in the Senate because of bad geography. We picked up one seat in the House, and we kind of held our own, mostly in state legislatures.
But that doesn't mean that we can't improve and we can't learn, upon reflection, lessons from this recent election.
I think how we use language is really important. I've succeeded here in northern Virginia in building a Democratic majority by talking common-sense language that makes sense at the kitchen table, progressive ideas.
But not lecturing, not elitist, not judgmental, but an invitation to join us in these policies and these programs. That works here. And I believe it can work across the country.
So regrouping, kind of examining how we message and the language we use, I believe, will serve us well. And being on, you know, on the trenches, on the bulwark over these next two years will serve us well for a midterm comeback.
KEILAR: Oh, that feels like so far away. But I do know it is just around the corner.
Congressman Connolly, always great to have you.
CONNOLLY: Right.
KEILAR: And a Happy New Year to you. Thank you.
CONNOLLY: Thank you.
KEILAR: All right --
CONNOLLY: You, too, Brianna. Thank you.
KEILAR: Thank you.
And we'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:42:20]
KEILAR: 2024, what a year, right? Take a breath. It's almost over. But before we let it go, let's reflect on the year in media, from the power of online personalities to the growing threat posed by artificial intelligence.
Here's CNN chief media analyst, Brian Stelter, with the top-10 media stories of 2024.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST (voice-over): Coming in at number 10 on the list of the top 10 media stories of 2024, a royal photo-editing scandal. In an era of deep fakes and deep distrust of media, the Princess of Wales made some edits that backfired.
RICHARD QUEST, CNN BUSINESS EDITOR-AT-LARGE & CNN ANCHOR, "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS": Princess Charlotte's sleeve isn't where it should be. The zipper on Kate's sweater is misaligned.
STELTER: The manipulated photo added to the mystery about Princess Kate's absence from public view.
MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT: They are now caught in this storm, which is pretty unprecedented because it's blown up in such an extraordinary way.
STELTER: She took the blame for it and said she was just experimenting with photo editing.
And then, weeks later --
ERIN BURNETT, CNN ANCHOR, "OUTFRONT": And we begin with the breaking news out of London tonight and the outpouring of concern around the world for the Princess of Wales. Her stoic announcement that she has cancer, addressing some of the health questions she's been facing for weeks.
STELTER: And that led the world to wish her well and lay off the conspiracy theories.
Number nine, the Caitlin Clark phenomenon. The Iowa superstar supercharged TV ratings for the NCAA tournament.
UNIDENTIFIED CNN CORRESPONDENT: Interest in women's college basketball is skyrocketing, and Caitlin Clark is such a huge part of that.
STELTER: And her WNBA debut at the Indiana Fever set ratings records, too.
CAITLIN CLARK, BASKETBALL PLAYER: This league is a league I grew up admiring and wanting to be a part of.
STELTER: Sports TV is a unifying force in a splintering world, as the Paris Olympics showed. Complete with new ways to watch, like the picture-in-picture Gold Zone. It was a multitasker's dream.
At number eight, big battles over A.I. 2024 was the year of the chat bot with tools like ChatGPT becoming a part of everyday life with A.I. tools now baked into phones and web browsers.
UNIDENTIFIED CNN CORRESPONDENT: Artificial intelligence is the bright new shiny object of the tech world.
STELTER: But while A.I. fever drove tech stocks higher, some media companies sued OpenAI and other firms, accusing them of stealing content.
CHRISTINA VEIGA, SENIOR DIRECTOR, NEWS LITERACY PROJECT: This is clearly trying to copy a lot of the hallmarks of what might be a quality news site. That's why it's so tricky right now for news consumers.
STELTER: The battles will continue for years to come.
[14:44:59]
Number seven, streaming finally turns a profit. Companies like Disney and NBC have spent fortunes trying to catch up to Netflix. And now, after losing billions, the streamers are turning a profit.
CARTOON CHARACTER: What was your name again?
CARTOON CHARACTER: Oh, I'm sorry. I can get ahead of myself. I'm Anxiety. I'm one of Riley's new emotions, and we are just super jazzed to be here.
STELTER: And it's making the whole media business stronger.
Disney's "Inside Out 2" and "Moana 2" were two of the biggest box office hits of the year, thanks in part to all the people who knew the originals from streaming.
As the cable business contracts --
LESTER HOLT, NBC NEWS ANCHOR: There is breaking news tonight about our parent company, Comcast, and the future of its cable networks.
BRIAN CHEUNG, NBC NEWS BUSINESS & DATA CORRESPONDENT: It's a big shakeup in the media industry. Two sources confirmed to NBC News that our parent company, Comcast NBC Universal, will spin off the bulk of its cable networks.
STELTER: Investors are betting big on streaming growth.
Number six, life imitates succession art.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am surrounded by snakes and (INAUDIBLE) morons.
STELTER: It really is like something out of an HBO script.
FOX patriarch, Rupert Murdoch, secretly petitioning a Nevada court to let him rewrite the family trust that he created 25 years ago. Murdoch wanted to take away power from three of his kids and make his eldest son, Lachlan, his permanent successor.
UNIDENTIFIED CNN CORRESPONDENT: Rupert Murdoch is concerned that his other three children, if given control of these companies, might try to moderate a place like FOX News. STELTER: The family fought in court for days and a judge sided against Rupert and Lachlan, leaving the future of FOX News up in the air.
At number five, another courtroom drama, this one with Alex Jones.
ALEX JONES, FOUNDER & HOST, INFOWARS: This is probably the end of Infowars here very, very soon.
STELTER: The Infowars conspiracy platform was up for auction to pay Jones' debt to the Sandy Hook families he defamed.
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: And this just in, the satirical news website, The Onion, has won the bankruptcy auction to buy conspiracy theorist Alex Jones' Infowars.
STELTER: But in December, a judge put the deal on hold. The Onion says it is still serious about taking over Infowars.
At number four on the list, a presidential debate that rewrote history.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're live from Georgia.
STELTER: Joe Biden and Donald Trump met on CNN's stage in June.
UNIDENTIFIED ANCHOR: In their rematch for the nation's highest office.
STELTER: And Biden's weak performance changed everything.
JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This was a game changing debate, in the sense that, right now, as we speak, there is a deep, a wide, and a very aggressive panic in the Democratic Party.
STELTER: When V.P. Kamala Harris stepped up weeks later, she put on giant, made-for-TV events.
KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: With your help, this November we will win. We will win.
(CHEERING)
HARRIS: We will win.
STELTER: But her campaign was up against, not just Trump, but also people like Elon Musk.
And that brings us to number three on the list. Musk transforms the site formerly known as Twitter.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES: His name is Elon Musk.
STELTER: As other social networks shifted away from politics, X went all in, promoting right-wing voices.
TRUMP: He saved free speech, he created so many different great things. Take over, Elon. Just take over.
STELTER: This was led by Musk himself, who endorsed Trump right after the Butler assassination attempt.
ELON MUSK, OWNER, X & CEO, SPACEX: Who do you want representing America?
(SHOUTING)
MUSK: Yes.
STELTER: And spent hundreds of millions helping Trump win the election. Some Twitterers have fled for bluer skies.
ROSE WANG, CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER, BLUESKY: Since the election, we've seen more than 10 million U.S. users join Bluesky.
STELTER: But X remains a dominant real-time source of news and views.
At number two, adjusting to the new Trump normal. Even as 2020's election lies were litigated in the courts --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: An election denier is now admitting that he was wrong.
STELTER: -- media outlets and owners figured out how to recalibrate in this election year, given Trump's history of threats and pressure.
Jeff Bezos outraged "Washington Post" staffers by blocking the paper's endorsement of Harris. A quarter million subscribers canceled, with some saying Bezos was appeasing Trump.
But --
JEFF BEZOS, OWNER, "THE WASHINGTON POST" & FOUNDER, BLUE ORIGIN: I'm proud of the decision we made.
STELTER: -- Bezos said opinion sections should not be endorsing presidents.
BEZOS: We knew there would be blowback, and we did the right thing anyway.
STELTER: ABC settled a defamation lawsuit with Trump by giving $15 million to his presidential museum. Media experts fear that Trump will file more suits to punish the press.
And the number-one media story of 2024, it's the rise of the influencers.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Joe Rogan Podcast, check it out.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The Joe Rogan experience.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Join my day, Joe Rogan Podcast by night, all day.
STELTER: The influencer election showed the power of podcasts, YouTube, TikTok, and other new media platforms.
(SINGING)
[14:50:01]
STELTER: Both Harris and Trump did lots of outreach to podcast stars.
HARRIS: I was the first vice president or president to ever, in office, go to a reproductive health care clinic, ever.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Really?
HARRIS: Yes. Yes. Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I didn't know that, but I guess that makes sense.
TRUMP: My son's a big fan of yours, Barron.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Really? Barron is?
TRUMP: Yes, he knows you very well. He said, dad, he's big. You're a big one.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's cool.
STELTER: Traditional media is now battling for relevancy in this social media age.
(on camera): But we're still breaking all the news and giving those influencers something to talk about.
Brian Stelter, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KEILAR: And coming up, after a weekend of tornado outbreaks, we are tracking how a new round of stormy weather could impact your plans between now and New Years.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:55:04]
KEILAR: At least four people are confirmed dead after severe storms tore through parts of the southeast over the weekend. Dozens of tornadoes touching down from Texas to Alabama, and crews are still assessing the damage.
Let's go now to Meteorologist Chad Myers in the CNN Weather Center.
Chad, what's the forecast as we're heading into the new year?
CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, so far so good for us. I mean, airports are acting very, very well. It will be a windy day in the plains with a fire threat and also a little bit of snow, like Omaha changing from rain over to snow. But the airport's doing really well. Clouds are very thin. Not much
rainfall over big airports. There's your Omaha rain at this point in time, but it does change over to snow overnight.
Now this is the storm that will affect New York City around 10:00, 11:00 or 12:00 tomorrow night. Kind of a special time in New York City. And here it comes. I'm going to stop you right at 11:00. You see, the yellow could even be some orange in there. Could be thunder and lightning around Times Square.
Otherwise, the coldest spot I can find for midnight tomorrow night, nine degrees in Minot. Temperatures should be fairly mild in New York. In fact, about as warm as we've been for a couple of years.
The record highest we've ever been is 58. It will be 50. That's not bad. The coldest was one. At least we're nowhere near that.
Now, fireworks in L.A., in the area will be a really bad idea tomorrow night, because we do have that fire weather there for even the San Gabriels and some of those cloudy areas, some of those windy areas through the canyons. Those are the areas that you really don't want to be setting any fires off at all.
It will be rain and snow for the Pacific Northwest. Chicago, you get cold. Temperatures for the morning low down to 11 degrees next Sunday morning. Bundle up -- Brianna?
KEILAR: All right, we will. I saw Carpinteria, California, on your map there, Chad.
MYERS: Yes.
KEILAR: I've never seen that on any map anywhere. My parents both went to Carpinteria High School, so shout out, I love it.
MYERS: Never want your name on the map. That means something bad might happen there.
KEILAR: I'm sure it won't. Nothing bad happens there.
(LAUGHTER)
MYERS: But you know, you don't ever see sunny and 72 on my San Diego forecast.
KEILAR: I don't know. You have some pretty good news today for Chad Myers being Chad Myers.
All right, Chad, thank you so much.
MYERS: See you.
KEILAR: Happy New Year.
And so, when we come back, how the nation's capital and other places important to the late Jimmy Carter plan to honor the former president's extraordinary life in the days and weeks ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
