Return to Transcripts main page

CNN News Central

Hegseth's Policies are Pushing Qualified Women Out of the Military; House Expected to Vote Tomorrow on Deal that Would Reopen Government; Fury Erupts After Group of Senate Democrats Break from Party; Top Border Patrol Official and His Agents Planning to Leave Chicago. Aired 2:30-3p ET

Aired November 11, 2025 - 14:30   ET

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

[14:30:00]

HALEY BRITZKY, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: Because it is clearly someone who is capable and has done extraordinary things and is being punished because of and I hate that I have to say it this way, weak ass men.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Yes, pretty blunt there. Some of the folks said. And we also spoke to more than a dozen active duty women along with our colleagues, Izzy Khurshudyan and Nick Robertson -- or Nicky Robertson and Andrew Seger. And they're currently serving in the military.

What we're hearing about this naval officer sort of speaks to an environment that they're also talking about.

BRITZKY: Yes, absolutely. I mean, these women who we spoke with who were active duty currently serving in uniform say that they just feel like their service is not being valued anymore, that they have really fought for a seat at the table. They've proven themselves physically capability wise within their jobs and that now they feel like their service is being diminished by the rhetoric that we're hearing from Secretary Hegseth and his team.

And I spoke with one enlisted soldier who was in a combat arms unit who told me that shortly after the secretary's remarks at Quantico, her non-commissioned officer, who's a leader in her unit, made a comment to her that all you women are getting out now. She told me I went nothing to do with the military after this. So it's having a real impact on the women who are serving.

KEILAR: What's the Pentagon saying about all of this?

BRITZKY: The Pentagon provided a statement saying that women are excited to serve under the strong leadership of Secretary Hegseth and President Trump. Talked about standards again.

Standards for combat positions will be elite, uniform and sex neutral. We, of course, put in more questions regarding this Navy captain and her situation and Secretary Hegseth potential role in her combat being revoked and did not get answers back about those questions. KEILAR: And they, yes, they also don't talk about specific instances of where standards have been reduced for women. Right. If you're looking for that, that was kind of puzzling.

And one of the things that I think really struck you and our colleagues was that these women, they're very concerned about the impact right now. They're reporting that, but they're also worried about the future. Right.

They're worried about recruitment and how this is going to affect the face and the strength of the military in the years ahead.

BRITZKY: Yes, I think this was something that came up in every conversation that Izzy, Nickey and Andrew and I and you were having with with the veterans and currently serving service members saying that, you know, this is something that could impact a young woman's decision to join later in the future. And we may not know the impact of that fully for a while because it does take time for people to join the military. So we may not really see those numbers play out until later.

But it's certainly something that advocates and veterans are really worried about. Many of them said, you know, the military will not be at its full potential. It will not really be ready without women in the ranks, if nothing else, by a purely a numbers game that women are necessary for the military to complete its mission.

KEILAR: Yes, they're a huge part of the military. Haley, great reporting. And thank you so much for being on to share it with us.

BRITZKY: Thank you.

KEILAR: I really appreciate it.

The number of Democrats who are calling right now on Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to step down are growing after multiple members of his caucus break rank and vote with Republicans to reopen the government without a single concession on health care. We'll have the fallout right after this.

[14:35:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: The political fallout is just beginning after a group of moderate Democratic senators voted with Republicans to end the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. Calls for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to step down and threats to primary lawmakers unwilling to firmly stand up to Trump's Republican Party are growing louder. Our next guest says that his organization is launching its largest ever primary campaign to send a message to the Democratic Party ahead of next year's midterms.

Ezra Levin is the co-founder and co-executive director of the political action group Indivisible. Ezra, thank you so much for being with us. Two of the Democratic caucus members who brokered this deal are retiring.

None of the group are up for reelection next year. So can you tell us who exactly you are planning to primary.

EZRA LEVIN, CO-FOUNDER AND CO-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, INDIVISIBLE: Look, that's by design, Boris. I think anybody looking at this and noting that none of the Democrats who surrendered with their votes are up for reelection. And if you think that that just happens to be the case, that those are the only Democrats who are to blame for this mess.

Look, you've got another thing coming. This was orchestrated. There were many more Democrats who were on board with a surrender who Chuck Schumer failed to get in line or orchestrated the surrender with.

I don't know which one of those it is, but I do know that we wound up surrendering at a time when we were winning for the first time in about a year. The regime was on defense. Democrats' approval ratings were up.

The Republicans were on the ropes. We had just had the largest peaceful protest in American history with No Kings II. We had an election night last Tuesday that gosh, best election night I've seen in a decade.

And then in that context, the Democrats in the Senate choose to surrender. I've spent the last year trying to convince this party to unify and fight back against the regime. At this point, the time for the argument is done.

We need new leadership. And any Senate candidate who is saying right now that Chuck Schumer is the leader that we need, they shouldn't get your vote, your donation, your attention. And there are a lot of Senate candidates on the map who we're interested in engaging with over the course of the next few months.

SANCHEZ: I want to dig into one aspect of what you suggested that this was all orchestrated. Schumer, of course, as you know, voted no on this funding bill. Those close to him, including Senator Durbin, who was part of the group that voted for it, said that Schumer wanted to keep fighting, that he was disappointed that this happened.

You don't believe that?

[14:40:00]

LEVIN: I actually think you don't have to not believe that or believe that to come to the conclusion that we don't have the leadership we need. So it could be that Schumer was complicit here and helped orchestrate this. I tend to think it's actually that he simply lacked the leadership skills we needed in order to corral his caucus. Now, remember, he is leader of the Senate Democrats.

His individual vote, that's not important. His job isn't his individual vote. If you're an individual senator from New York, yes, your vote matters and you should get credit for it. If you're a Senate minority leader, if you're a leader of the Senate Democrats, your job is to unify your caucus on key votes. This was a key vote that whether he meant to or he just failed to deliver, he did not unify the caucus for. So that is enough.

You don't have to make a decision about whether this was some orchestrated effort by him or just a failure of leadership to understand that. We are dealing with a regime that is invading and occupying American cities. They are terrorizing American communities with a secret police force. They are menacing our elections.

We can't afford to have a divided opposition party in this moment. And we can't afford for that party to be led by literally the least popular political figure in the country who doesn't know how to use a smartphone and engage in the modern media environment.

I think normal rank and file Democrats around the country want change and effective politicians asking for votes in the coming months are going to meet the public where they are.

SANCHEZ: When it comes to your assertion that Republicans were on the ropes as a result of the shutdown, some Democrats, even independent Angus King, would disagree with you. They would make the case that after 40 days, it didn't seem that President Trump was willing to budge. I wonder what it is that would lead you to think that after 40 days or so of this shutdown and more than a decade of campaigning against Obamacare, Republicans were eager to extend these subsidies.

LEVIN: Look, Angus King was against this ploy from the beginning. He was voting against the Democratic position and voting with Republicans from the very start. So it's not surprising to me that he said, eh, it wasn't working, and that's why we caved.

Here are the facts. After the election last Tuesday, when Democrats wiped the floor with Republicans from Mississippi to Georgia to New York to California, what we saw was Trump himself, Trump himself saying the reason the Republicans got their clocks cleaned was because of the shutdown and Republicans needed to figure out some way to end this. So this isn't my argument.

This is the president of the United States, the leader of the Republican Party, saying this shutdown isn't working out for us. And you know what? He was right.

The polling that we had said that the American people were overwhelmingly blaming the Republicans. Frontliner House Republicans were clamoring for a deal because they don't want to face the consequences of having the ACA subsidies be eliminated and having health care prices be increased on their watch. So, yes, we saw the Democrats actually winning this fight.

They had a winning hand and they folded it at the time when they had the most possible leverage. That's partly a problem of leadership. That's partly a problem with individual senators who joined the surrender. But ultimately, it's a problem for all of us, because if we do not demand a party that fights back, we're going to get more failed leadership in the future. And I don't think we can afford that.

SANCHEZ: Ezra Levin, we have to leave the conversation there. Appreciate you sharing your point of view.

Up next, some heartbreaking new details about a plane that crashed into a Florida neighborhood yesterday. It was on its way to deliver aid. We have more details next.

[14:45:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Gregory Bovino, the top Border Patrol official overseeing President Trump's immigration crackdown in Chicago is soon expected to leave the Windy City and he will be taking his agents with him.

Since the crackdown began, federal agents have been accused of using overly aggressive and at times violent tactics. Here's just some of the incidents that were caught on camera. In September, a pastor was struck in the head with pepper balls during demonstrations outside of an ICE detention facility.

KEILAR: In October, tear gas appeared to be deployed on residents in the old Irving Park neighborhood. Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker has cited witnesses describing elderly residents being pushed to the ground in the neighborhood. There was also this moment from October 21st when a local lawmaker says he was stopped at gunpoint by armed officials.

And a Chicago TV station employee said she was detained by federal agents while trying to walk to work.

CNN's Priscilla Alvarez is with us now. Bovino and his agents are leaving. What else are you learning?

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And it's important to note, Brianna and Boris, that it doesn't mean that immigration enforcement operations are ending in Chicago. They will continue, according to the Department of Homeland Security. But Gregory Bovino has been jumping city to city as the lead of the federal immigration crackdown in these cities.

And he has been traveling with some of his agents from the El Centro sector, which is actually where he is the lead. So he is expected to leave Chicago, head to Charlotte and then, I'm told, go to New Orleans. So this crackdown is expected now to continue to those cities.

Now, there's already been statements from local officials in Chicago who had criticized these aggressive tactics. While Bovino was there, we have the mayor of Chicago, Brandon Johnson, saying, quote, "Greg Bovino's legacy in Chicago is chaos, criminality and terror."

[14:50:00]

Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker also weighing in saying, "This has never been about improving immigration enforcement or public safety -- this is about normalizing military tanks and armed troops on American streets."

Now, you had shown there a lot of the incidents that occurred in Chicago. That's also an extension of some of the controversial incidents that similarly happened in Los Angeles. But it is this type of style, this aggressive, heavy-handed tactics in ramping up immigration arrests, that is what the White House and the Department of Homeland Security likes to see.

Gregory Bovino has their stamp of approval. He is, again, the lead in this effort. So while in Chicago he's been facing litigation on this front, he is now going to be moving on to these other cities.

At least that is what is expected. As always, plans are in flux until they are finalized. But certainly he has been a controversial figure.

And one of the federal judge -- as we have talked about here multiple times -- has questioned him and his tactics and has found that they have impeded on constitutional rights.

SANCHEZ: We'll see what happens in Charlotte and then New Orleans. Priscilla Alvarez, thank you so much for the reporting.

Now to some of the other headlines we're watching this hour.

A security camera video obtained by CNN shows the moment a small plane crashed into a Florida neighborhood, killing both people on board. And you can see the plane here at the top of your screen as it plunges into a small pond in Coral Springs, narrowly missing several homes in that community. We're now learning the two victims were a father and daughter.

Alexander and Serena Wurm were on a hurricane relief mission to Jamaica. They're being remembered by their ministry for their selflessness and courage.

Also, President Donald Trump asking the Supreme Court to review the $5 million verdict that found he sexually abused and defamed columnist E. Jean Carroll. In his appeal viewed by CNN, Trump claims Carroll waited more than 20 years until he became president to falsely accuse him, saying it was to maximize political injury to him and profit for herself. It's unclear if the Supreme Court will actually take up that case.

KEILAR: And a Portuguese soccer legend says next year's World Cup will definitely be his last. Cristiano Ronaldo asked about it by CNN's Becky Anderson during an event in Saudi Arabia today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN ANCHOR: So you expect this World Cup to be your last? CRISTIANO RONALDO, PORTUGUESE SOCCER STAR: Definitely, yes, because I will be 41 years old, and I think will be the moment and in the big competition that's to, I don't know yet. As I told you before, I'm enjoying the moment.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Ronaldo is the sport's all-time leading goal scorer in international competition. He didn't say when he would retire for good, just that he hopes his son, who plays for Portugal's under-16 club, becomes a better player than his dad. That's a tall order.

SANCHEZ: Yes, tall order, but it's sweet. You want to encourage it.

KEILAR: Yes, so sweet. And maybe it'll happen. We'll wait and see.

Ahead, an Arctic black blast, pardon me, is bringing frigid temperatures for much of the U.S. And it is so cold that in Florida, it's raining iguanas like this guy. Belly up. We'll have that next.

[14:55:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: New images from Hawaii on Sunday. Taking a look here at the stunning scene that unfolded during an eruption of Kilauea's volcano. It's one of the world's most active.

Look at that! Video showing lava shooting more than a thousand feet into the air. And then there's that so-called "Volnado" forming nearby, the tornado-like swirl of dust and ash. That forms when heated air near the lava collides with the cooler ambient air.

The U.S. Geological Survey says the volcano erupted continuously for nearly five hours on Sunday -- Boris.

SANCHEZ: An Arctic blast is bringing the first taste of winter to much of the continental U.S., the cold air bringing not only bitter cold temperatures, but also heavy snow to large portions of the Midwest. The record cold temperatures are pushing as far south as Florida, where frozen iguanas are falling from trees. The cold-blooded reptiles can sometimes lose muscle control and enter this temporary paralyzed state during cold weather.

Let's go to CNN meteorologist Derek Van Dam. Derek, the same thing happens to me when it gets sub-50 degrees. Fortunately, I've developed the ability to put on coats and that sort of thing.

But there were a lot of records broken today.

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, you learned to adapt, didn't you? The iguanas need to take a note out of your playbook, I think.

Look, the point being is that they're not dead. And the Fish and Wildlife Commission of Florida says, look, you don't want to put these scaly friends in the back of your car or inside of your house because they recover quickly. Can you imagine an iguana coming to life in the back of your car while you're driving home to try and save that animal? OK, that just has disaster written all over it.

This is what they had to deal with in Indiana yesterday as the lake effect snow associated with this Arctic blast of air moves across the eastern half of the country. We're talking about 100-year-old records or greater that have toppled this morning. That is significant.

This is some of the coldest air this early in the year for the southeastern U.S. Really impressive. Now the sun's come out, so we're starting to rebound quite nicely above the freezing mark for some of these locations. But, boy, it was bitter this morning.

Take it from me, in Atlanta, we had full winter coats on. But this is going to be kind of a sandwich season. And what I mean by that is we've got winter right now and then we've got fall on either side of it.

So watch this. As I animate this graphic, a lot of the blues go away and they're replaced with more browns and the milder temperatures that they're representing. So a warming trend into the rest of the work week.

And that is good news because if you didn't like the winter Arctic outbreak, look, it's only going to get better from here. Dallas will be all the way to 83. So ...

END