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Deadline Arrives For White House Impeachment Hearing Participation; Nine Dead In South Dakota Plane Crash During Blizzard- Like Storm; Ten Wounded In Shooting Rampage Near New Orleans' French Quarter; "Anonymous" Author Pledges To Reveal Identity Soon; Victims And Killer In London Attack Were Attending Same Event; Young Elephants Captured In Zimbabwe For Chinese Zoos. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired December 01, 2019 - 18:00   ET

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

[18:00:00]

ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN NEWSROOM: Good evening. I am Alex Marquardt in for Ana Cabrera this evening.

After weeks of Republican complaints that the impeachment inquiry has only told the Democrats' side of the story, an important deadline has just arrived. The House Judiciary Committee gave President Trump until 6:00 P.M. Eastern tonight to let the committee know whether or not the White House will be sending a lawyer to its first hearing on impeachment on Wednesday.

As we wait for word from the White House about what they will do, whether or not they will send a legal team, the president also faces a second deadline on Friday on whether the White House plans to attend the proceedings overall after that first hearing on Wednesday in these final weeks before what is expected to be a historic vote.

Now, this will just be the third time in American history that the House of Representatives votes on whether or not the president should be impeached. Democrats have set a deadline to get that vote done by Christmas day.

One Republican on the Judiciary Committee believes that the president should not only take advantage of this chance to respond to the impeachment accusations but also allow his top aides to testify.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. TOM MCCLINTOCK (R-CA): I think it would be to the president's advantage to have his attorneys there. That is his right, absolutely.

And in fact, yes, I think it would be to the president's advantage to have him testify now. But, of course, he has to weigh that against the enormous catastrophic damage that would do to the doctrine of executive privilege.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARQUARDT: CNN's Sarah Westwood joins me now from the White House. Sarah, we are just 1 1/2 minutes past that 6:00 P.M. deadline. Do we know whether the White House plans to send a lawyer to that first hearing on Wednesday?

SARAH WESTWOOD, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, Alex, the White House is being tight-lipped about how they are going to respond to this overture from Chairman Nadler. So far, we've been checking in with officials at the White House. They haven't said whether they are going to respond by the 6:00 P.M. deadline, which, as you mentioned, we're just on the other side of now.

But on Friday, a White House official speaking to CNN was slamming Nadler for scheduling the hearings on Wednesday, the first of these Judiciary Committee hearings, because President Trump will actually be in London at the NATO summit when this important next phase of the impeachment proceedings begin.

But, obviously, this presents a dilemma here for the White House. Because on the one hand, we've heard President Trump and his allies complain about the lack of legal representation for Trump throughout the hearings and depositions so far. But on the other hand, sending a counsel to that hearing on Wednesday would legitimize proceedings that President Trump and others have described as a witch hunt. So that is putting the White House in a tough position as to how they are going to respond to this overture from the Judiciary Committee.

Now, as you mentioned, they also are facing another deadline for Friday. That's whether, overall, the White House wants to participate in more judiciary proceedings going forward, whether they want to start presenting a public defense to the case that House Democrats have spent weeks laying out.

Of course, the White House would also have the chance to do that if the House votes on articles of impeachment and sends this over to a Senate trial. House Democrats are trying to get that done by Christmas day, so within weeks, the White House could get yet another opportunity to present a public defense.

But right now, Alex, the White House really not giving any indication as to how they are going to handle this next move from the House Judiciary Committee.

MARQUARDT: Sarah, one more thing that has to happen before the House Judiciary Committee takes over is that the House Intelligence Committee actually has to submit a report on its findings of its eight-week investigation. What is the status of that report?

WESTWOOD: Well, Alex, members can expect to see that report as soon as tomorrow. That is going to contain the results of the fact-finding that primarily the House Intelligence Committee but also a little bit the Judiciary Committee and the Oversight Committee have been doing for weeks.

That's the closed-door depositions, the document collection and what we've heard from those public hearings all compiled into this one report as House Democrats try to make this case as airtight as they can to present to the American people, especially, Alex, as public opinion appears stalled with the country divided nearly in half over whether the president should be removed at this point in the process.

MARQUARDT: All right. Sarah Westwood at the White House, now four minutes after this deadline passed. Thanks very much.

So let's discuss. Joining me now are CNN Legal Analyst, Paul Callan and CNN Presidential Historian, Tim Naftali.

Gentlemen, this deadline has now passed. We've been saying four minutes. It's, again, to remind our viewers whether the president wants to send a legal team to that first hearing on Wednesday. Paul, you reaction? Are you surprised that we haven't heard anything yet?

PAUL CALLAN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: I'm not surprised at all. What would surprise me is if the president sent a lawyer to participate. Remember, he's already got lots of lawyers in the room. He's got the Republicans on the committee. And they're all going to be leaking information back to the White House. And if the White House has something that will help the president in the hearings, he can channel it through them. By sending his own lawyer, he legitimizes the process.

[18:05:02]

And if you look at the example of what he did with Mueller, he would always say, I'm going to -- I'd like to testify, possibly, I'll answer all of your questions, put them in writing. And then by the end, he gave practically no information directly to Mueller.

MARQUARDT: So you expect them not to respond at all? They could even just respond saying it's an illegitimate process.

CALLAN: I would think that they would respond by saying it's an illegitimate process and we're not going to participate, but we'll see. But they won't participate is my prediction.

MARQUARDT: Tim, we keep talking about the historic nature of all these hearings, and they really are but in different ways. So now, the Intelligence Committee part is over, we move to Judiciary.

But let's be honest. The first one might be a little bit boring. It's nuts and bolts. There are going to be legal scholars there, academics. So how important is it for -- I'm sorry, I don't mean to insult you.

TIM NAFTALI, CNN PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN: No, no, I think it's -- go ahead.

MARQUARDT: But how important is for the White House to send lawyers to that?

NAFTALI: Actually, I don't think it's that important for this first hearing.

You know, it mattered in the Nixon case that President Nixon was represented because the hearings were closed hearings. So the president needed someone in the room who could also select witnesses. One of the things that President Trump has to consider is whether to accept the second deadline, which is the end of next week, and allow his lawyer or lawyers to request a set of witnesses who could provide information in his defense.

I do hope the president says yes to that, because I think it's very important for the president to take this process seriously enough to at least provide his side of the story. One of the arguments that the Republicans have made is that this is not a level playing field, this is totally unfair. This is an opportunity for the president to get people who could explain why it was not a quid pro quo and they can talk to the Judiciary Committee.

One other point I'd like to make, understandably, the public, and I among them, were a little confused by how this impeachment inquiry started. Normally, you don't start an impeachment inquiry with the Intelligence Committee and then you move it to the Judiciary Committee. This is the first time in history that they moved from one committee to another this way.

In many ways, there is time to do more investigation. Usually, the Judiciary Committee has an opportunity to call more witnesses. I do hope they take that opportunity and they don't leave it all with the Intelligence Committee.

MARQUARDT: Can you speak a little bit more to the advantages, Tim, of the White House -- what they would gain by participating?

NAFTALI: Well, this is a serious matter. And if the White House is going to consider this all a game, then they are not living up to their constitutional responsibilities.

The president -- I know the president has not shown much respect for the Constitution. This is his opportunity to show that he's been misunderstood. I'm sorry if I sound naive but this is a very important moment in our history. It is in the interest of the White House to show that they take it seriously. Even if they think it's unfair, they should take it seriously.

What can he gain, he can ask for people around him who know that it wasn't a quid pro quo.

CALLAN: And this assumes that the president has a case to present of his innocence of these charges. And if you were to compare it, for instance, to a criminal case, when the case is a very, very strong case, many times the defense doesn't present anybody and just tries to poke holes in the prosecutor's case. And I think that's the strategy the president is pursuing, poke holes in the prosecution's case through the Republican members of the committee.

NAFTALI: But I think it's really important for the American people to believe and to see that this is actually a grand jury, where these folks are supposed to take the evidence in front of them. This is the president's opportunity to provide evidence that might help him. If there isn't such evidence, fine, but let that be on the record. MARQUARDT: There is an argument from some that this next phase could be rushed and not fair to the president. Let's listen to that quickly.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRIS WALLACE, FOX NEWS HOST: Wait, wait. Let me pick up on that. How can you ask the White House to participate in a hearing three days from now when they don't even know who the witnesses are going to be? And by your owned admission, three of them are going to be for you and one of them is going to be for President Trump. I mean, how is that a fair process?

REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-NY): Well, it's not my understanding that three of them are going to be for me. We're for the truth.

WALLACE: But I say you, I'm -- for the impeachment for -- are going to side with the Democratic view of impeachment.

JEFFRIES: Well, three witnesses consistent with the congressional rules will be called by the majority on the House Judiciary Committee and then one witness, as Congressman Collins indicated, will be called by the minority. That is --

WALLACE: Why it's 3-1? Why not 2-2?

JEFFRIES: -- consistent with our House rules.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARQUARDT: Paul, what's your take?

CALLAN: Well, I think he makes a legitimate point. And I think you could add to the picture that the case has already been presented largely by the Democrats against the president in the House Intelligence Committee. That's where all the key witnesses were interviewed. And sometimes they were interviewed in secret proceedings, which the president was complaining about.

[18:10:00]

This is just now the end of the process. Judiciary is going to look at it, they're going to come up with the rules they'll proceed with, but I don't think you'll see a lot of very new, spectacular witnesses adding much to the table at Judiciary unless Bolton shows up, or there is still the possibility of a couple of big witnesses floating around out there. But I don't think those witnesses will be helpful to the president.

So I understand why the president and why he is pursuing this strategy.

MARQUARDT: All right. Well, gents, we've got to leave it there. A lot more discuss, we've got a busy few days ahead of us and I'm sure you'll be back with us very, very soon. Tim Naftali, Paul Callan, thanks very much. NAFTALI: Thanks.

CALLAN: Thank you, Alex.

MARQUARDT: All right. We're also covering some severe weather, which has left over 50 million plus people under winter weather alerts from Oregon all the way to Maine and believed to be behind a deadly plane crash in South Dakota. Details on that, next.

Plus, the senior Trump administration official who wrote a book about the inner workings of the White House is now pledging to come forward before Election Day.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MARQUARDT: We're learning more about the victims of a deadly plane crash near Chamberlain, South Dakota. Nine people were killed when their plane went down in blizzard-like conditions on Saturday. Among the dead are two brothers, Jim and Kirk Hansen. They are members of a prominent Idaho business family. Two children and the pilot were also killed. Three passengers did survive. The National Weather Service says that visibility was just half a mile at the airport when the plane took off.

[18:15:01]

The weather system that brought that heavy snow to South Dakota is far from finished. Blizzard-like conditions are hammering much of the great lakes region with forecasters predicting more than a foot of snow from the Dakotas to Michigan. And more than 50 million people are under some sort of winter weather alert on what is the busiest travel day of the year, right after Thanksgiving.

Traffic is finally moving again on Maryland's Interstate 68 some five hours after a 25-car pileup that stretched for a mile. Police are now saying the drivers were going too fast for the wet roads and the foggy conditions. Luckily, no one was seriously injured.

And in the air, thousands of flights have been delayed or cancelled so far with more trouble expected as winter storm hits the northeast. And that's where we find out Athena Jones. She's at New York's La Guardia Airport, where snow is expected to start falling in the coming hours.

Athena, what's the situation there right now?

ATHENA JONES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Alex. Well, it's been raining here. We do expect that rain to turn into snow overnight, and that is going to lead to problems.

We've been talking a lot about how this is the biggest travel day of the year. Well, according to an Airline Industry Association, this is a record number of travelers who are expected to fly today alone, 3.1 million passengers expected to be flying. And the story for a lot of those passengers is delays. Now, we got here several hours ago and things looked okay. The delays hadn't really begun to ramp up. Well, now, just a few minutes ago, I checked the board here in this terminal, this is the American terminal, and at least half of the flights are delayed by whether it's a few minutes or a couple of hours.

And we're seeing that across the country at major hubs, Newark, JFK, also Toronto, San Francisco, Minneapolis, you name it. A lot of the areas in these large portions of the country that are seeing this bad weather are experiencing delays sometimes of up to more than four hours, like in the case of San Francisco.

So the real issue though here, of course, is the icy runways. And that's the same problem you're going to have on roads throughout the area around here. And so emergency officials are saying to the folks who are driving be careful when you're out on the roads. When it comes to flights, people here are just going to have to pack their patience because, as I said, those delays here at La Guardia are really stacking up.

MARQUARDT: And, Athena, the worst of this weather really hasn't hit here in New York just yet. But I understand that there's already been a problem with a plane that left La Guardia earlier.

JONES: That's right. This morning, a plane left La Guardia, Delta connection flight, flying to Buffalo, so upstate New York several hours from here driving. It landed fine. But then as it was taxiing to the gate, it slid off the runway.

We confirmed with the operator of that airport that that was weather related. And so that is exactly the kind of problem that obviously travelers hope to avoid. And that's the challenge, the icy road, icy conditions and they're only expected to get worse as the hours progress, at least here in this area.

MARQUARDT: All right. Well, our thoughts are with everybody trying to get home today. Athena Jones at La Guardia Airport, thanks very much.

And this week, Wall Street is awaiting a new jobs report, as well as the trial of tech billionaire Elon Musk. CNN's Christine Romans has your Before the Bell report.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Alex. It's a big week for the economy. Lately, recession fears have faded on Wall Street. That's part of the reason stocks hit record highs last week. This week, we'll see whether that optimism is warranted.

On Friday, the November jobs report is due. In October, the U.S. economy created 128,000 jobs, much better than economists predicted. The unemployment rate rose slightly to 3.6 percent, but it was for a good reason. 325,000 Americans started looking for work.

Now, reports on manufacturing and services are also due. Manufacturing has contracted for three months in a row. We'll see whether that streak is broken. Finally, watch shares of Tesla this week. CEO Elon Musk is expected to take the stand this week in a defamation lawsuit. The suit was brought by a British cave diver after a Musk called him a pedo guy on Twitter, short for a pedophile.

Musk later deleted the tweet and apologizes. The suit seeks more than $75,000 in damages.

In New York, I'm Christine Romans.

MARQUARDT: All right. Thanks to Christine Romans there.

We're also following the latest out of New Orleans where a shooter injured ten people on the edge of the French Quarter. The latest on that investigation, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:20:00]

MARQUARDT: A shooting rampage near the famous French Quarter in New Orleans this morning left ten wounded and police scrambling to find the gunman. Two people are in critical condition. The city's mayor is calling it a cowardly and senseless act.

CNN's Natasha Chen joins us now from New Orleans. Natasha, are there any leads? Where does the investigation stand?

NATASHA CHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. The police told us, Alex, that the person they had detained earlier for questioning has now been released and they currently do not have a suspect identified. Now, of those ten wounded, like you said, two of them are critically injured. Police said one of them was shot in the chest, the other shot in the torso.

Now, police say they already had a large law enforcement contingent out last night as this street was completely covered with people, and that's because of the bayou classic, a football game that was played at the Super Dome about a mile away.

So police say that they were within feet of the shooting just about a block behind where we're standing. Here's the police chief describing the moment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF SHAUN FERGUSON, NEW ORLEANS POLICE DEPARTMENT: We had officers right there within that very block that actually thought they were being fired upon and took a position to respond to this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHEN: And the mayor, of course, is also sharing her statement today, saying the shootings on Canal Street early this morning were an ugly disruption of an otherwise beautiful holiday weekend. We will do everything we can to wrap the victims and their families with our love and support and to bring the criminals responsible to justice. The City of New Orleans will not allow incidents like this to derail the progress we have made or to further disrupt our community.

[18:25:02]

Now, we also heard from a witness who was here overnight. He told me that he was just across the street from where the shooting happened and he heard some verbal altercation, then at least five or six shots. He said he saw the sparks but did not see where the shots came from because of how overwhelmingly crowded it was. And that matches the police's description of the crowded nature of the street last night.

This witness also said that after that point, people started running in all directions. They were tripping and falling over each other to move away from the scene, so a very scary moment.

At this point, police are trying to review surveillance footage and trying to talk to witnesses to figure out what happened. And they do have support and help from state and federal law enforcement. Alex?

MARQUARDT: Yes, a very scary moment and a very popular and fun place. Natasha Chen, thanks very much.

Coming up, the White House official who goes by anonymous now says he or she will reveal their identity before the 2020 election. What's behind that decision?

Plus, what the person says they got dead wrong about the Trump White House.

And Join Anderson cooper and Kelly Ripa live as they name the 2019 CNN Hero of the Year. CNN Heroes, an All-Star Tribute, airs next Sunday at 8:00 P.M. on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:30:23]

MARQUARDT: It is the big mystery that really has captivated Washington, D.C. Who is the anonymous op-ed writer who became an author who claimed to be a member of the resistance inside the White House? It turns out we will find out, according to this person, before election day. CNN's Kristen Holmes reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN NEWSOURCE NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): There is more to come, those words from the person identifying themselves as Anonymous, who wrote the new White House insider book titled, "A Warning."

The book publisher confirming to CNN that the anonymous author answered questions on Reddit, defending their decision to remain anonymous and suggesting that President Trump will know his or her identity by the 2020 election. I will not keep my identity shrouded in secrecy forever, Anonymous

writes. I am not afraid to use my own name to express concerns about the current occupant of the Oval Office. Donald Trump has not heard the last of me.

Anonymous claims to be a senior official in the Trump administration. And last September, a person identified as the same official captivated the nation's attention after writing an op-ed in the "New York Times" titled, "I Am Part of the Resistance," vowing to thwart parts of President Trump's agenda and his worst inclinations.

But in the Q&A, Anonymous says that was, quote, dead wrong, writing, no one can thwart his attraction to wrongdoing.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The latest active resistance is the op-ed published in the failing "New York Times" by an anonymous -- really an anonymous, gutless coward. You just look, he was -- nobody knows who the hell he is.

HOLMES (voice-over): The newly-released book portrays a White House in crisis, with Anonymous claiming that senior administration officials threatening to quit en mass to call attention to the President's alleged mismanagement and erratic behavior. And anonymous also says there are fears within Trump's inner circle that he does Putin's bidding.

The author teasing on Reddit that more bombshells could be released before next November, claiming to one questioner, quote, other people who are currently serving and who have left are also considering adding their voices before votes are cast in 2020.

REINCE PRIEBUS, FORMER WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF: Nobody really knows whether these quotes or these accusations are true because we don't know who it is. There's no way to judge the veracity of what this person is saying.

HOLMES (voice-over): The White House earlier this month calling Anonymous, quote, a gutless coward who doesn't have the spine to put his or her name to their shameful lies.

On impeachment, Anonymous telling Reddit users bluntly that President Trump demanded a quid pro quo from Ukraine to disrupt the 2020 election, adding, quote, everyone in the White House knows this, even the President himself, but warning how impeachment could further divide the country and saying he believes the country must defeat President Trump at the ballot box in 2020 by a convincing margin.

In West Palm Beach, Florida, Kristen Holmes, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MARQUARDT: All right. Well, joining me now are CNN's Senior Media Reporter, Oliver Darcy; and CNN chief media correspondent and anchor of "RELIABLE SOURCES," Brian Stelter. Gentlemen, thank you so much for joining me. Obviously, everyone wants to know who this person is. They cannot

show up on the late-night shows and do the kind of promotional tours --

BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: Yes, right.

MARQUARDT: -- that one might if they are putting out a blockbuster book like this, but the author did do a Reddit AMA.

STELTER: Yes, right.

MARQUARDT: And on it, Brian, the author said, Trump will hear from me in my own name before the 2020 election. What was the reaction to that?

STELTER: A very curious way of saying stay tuned.

MARQUARDT: Right.

STELTER: And if you haven't bought the book yet, buy the book.

MARQUARDT: Very Trumpian, by the way.

STELTER: You know, this book did reach the number one spot on the "New York Times" bestseller -- best-selling book list even though the person's name isn't out there. Although, perhaps that's helped this book.

This person describes, instead of a deep state, a so-called steady state trying to keep the government functioning and running amid the dysfunction of the Trump years. And this person clearly thinks they are part of that steady state, but I do think they would have more power by naming themselves.

MARQUARDT: And, obviously, everybody has -- every name has been thrown out there including George and Kellyanne Conway. Kellyanne Conway, of course, being a senior advisor in the White House; George Conway, her husband, obviously becoming a very, very vocal critic of the President on Twitter. He tweeted -- George Conway tweeted, I wish but no.

(LAUGHTER)

MARQUARDT: And apparently, the author, Anonymous, is also complaining about this Washington guessing game over their name. So, Oliver, if they're complaining, then why not just reveal themselves now?

STELTER: Right.

OLIVER DARCY, CNN SENIOR MEDIA REPORTER: Well, in that Reddit AMA, the author said that they don't want to reveal themselves because the President, when he hears a name of someone criticizing him, he focuses on that person's identity. He makes personal attacks.

[18:34:58] And the author is saying that they want the focus to be on the

substance of what the book is about, the corruption inside the White House, the President's behavior. That's what this person wants the book to be about. And they're saying that if they reveal themselves, they're going to be attacked, and that's just going to shift the focus away from that.

That said, like Brian alluded to, I think also perhaps being anonymous has helped boost sales, right? If it --

(LAUGHTER)

DARCY: If it's not a household name, if it's not a cabinet official that's written this book, maybe it's an aide or someone that no one really knows, I don't know if the book is going to be number one on Amazon.

STELTER: Right. But what a strange environment that, you know, one of the best-selling books for Christmas is going to be this expose from inside the Trump administration from someone who says the President is a threat to the country? It just shows how nuts this situation is that it's going to be one of the best-selling books for Christmas.

MARQUARDT: But in general, Trump books have done very well, have they not?

STELTER: Yes, although, you know -- I mean, Donald Trump, Jr.'s book did very well. These books that are polarizing, that are partisan, that either you love them or hate them, that's what does well these days.

MARQUARDT: Brian, obviously, a lot of talk amid the impeachment hearings about the President's legal team.

STELTER: Right.

MARQUARDT: You on your show today took a look at where the President seems to be getting his legal advice during this impeachment inquiry. In fact, it seems to be the -- a case of two dueling Fox News personalities, Judge Napolitano and Jeanine Pirro. Let's take a look at some of that from earlier today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDREW NAPOLITANO, FOX NEWS SENIOR JUDICIAL ANALYST: Well, the Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee have unearthed enough evidence, in my opinion, to justify about three or four articles of impeachment against the President.

JEANINE PIRRO, FOX NEWS HOST: But after two weeks and 17 witnesses, Adam Schiff and his gang of political malcontents failed miserably.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARQUARDT: Brian, the President obviously would much prefer to get his advice or at least hear what Pirro has to say than Napolitano.

STELTER: Yes, and she was at the White House twice in the past week visiting with the President, going up to the residence at one point.

Look, I think the President has all of these legal defenders on Fox and elsewhere on right-wing television that are telling him this is all a coup, a hoax, a sham. They're not actually doing him any favors by filling his mind with these kinds of buzzwords.

Napolitano actually has a very reasoned argument and has been, I think, giving the President pretty good advice through the television. But he doesn't want to hear even from, you know, reasoned critics. He only wants to hear sycophants.

DARCY: It's also worth noting that Napolitano is not some liberal judge, right?

STELTER: Right, no, he's libertarian.

MARQUARDT: Right.

DARCY: He is -- he's been libertarian.

STELTER: Yes.

DARCY: He's been a Fox staple for a long time. The network knows him, you know, and -- even he is criticizing the President here.

STELTER: Right.

MARQUARDT: Right. Do we know why should -- are we assuming that she was there for legal advice? We don't think that there was something else going on?

STELTER: Well, you were looking into this, and the White House wouldn't say why Pirro was visiting two days in a row.

DARCY: Yes. And neither would Fox, apparently, so, you know, we have no real idea why she was there. She -- it is certainly unusual and raised a lot of eyebrows as to why Pirro would be there.

She has apparently, according to reports, talked to the President about jobs in the administration in the past. Perhaps they're talking about some sort of federal judgeship. We really have no idea --

STELTER: But --

DARCY: -- because the White House won't say.

STELTER: Yes. But we're head into this next week of impeachment hearings, and one thing is clear. The Fox firewall is mostly holding.

MARQUARDT: Right.

STELTER: People like Napolitano, they are the exceptions to the rule right now. MARQUARDT: Right.

STELTER: The President's defenders on television are with him 1,000 percent.

MARQUARDT: The -- speaking of hearings, and there is a certain expectation that the hearings that we're going into will lack some of the drama that -- from the hearings that we already saw. That said, there were a lot of people who did not think they were very, very dramatic.

Early on, they were criticized by one outlet saying they lacked pizzazz. One of the Trump -- one of the Trump boys, one of the President's sons, also said that they were incredibly boring. A lot of the President's allies have criticized those hearings as boring rather than looking at their merits and the substance. Let's take a listen to that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LAURA INGRAHAM, FOX NEWS HOST: Day one of this impeachment farce --

SEAN HANNITY, FOX NEWS HOST: It was such a disaster.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A triple-fold disaster for the Democrats.

INGRAHAM: A complete and utter disaster for Adam Schiff.

HANNITY: But it was a Schiff show.

RUSH LIMBAUGH, HOST, "THE RUSH LIMBAUGH SHOW": A bunch of professional nerds.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Two homeless guys.

CHRISTIAN WHITON, FORMER SENIOR ADVISOR TO THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION: They look like people who sat by themselves at recess.

STEVE DOOCY, FOX NEWS HOST: It was kind of boring to watch on television.

LIMBAUGH: Flat out boring.

TUCKER CARLSON, FOX NEWS HOST: This is stupid.

HANNITY: The Republicans had a great day all the way around. This circus, this sham, this charade, honestly, for the sake of the country, should be shut down immediately.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARQUARDT: Oliver, as always, the truth is in the pudding. Did the viewers actually find it boring?

DARCY: Well, according to Nielsen, you know, more than 70 million people did tune in throughout the five days to hear these impeachment hearings, so, you know, people can read into the numbers what they will.

I think it's also very interesting that the Fox messaging doesn't really line up. They say it's boring, yet they program the entire network around impeachment. They call it a circus. Circuses aren't usually boring.

(LAUGHTER)

STELTER: But -- you know, it just doesn't make any sense. It just seems like they're throwing stuff out there. They want to make sure that they have the President's back and the viewers think there's nothing actually going on while, at the same time, telling their audience that there's this circus happening. It doesn't make much sense to me.

MARQUARDT: All right. Well, more hearings for them to criticize starting on Wednesday.

(LAUGHTER)

MARQUARDT: Brian Stelter, Oliver Darcy, thanks so much.

DARCY: Thank you.

STELTER: Thanks.

MARQUARDT: All right, police in London have identified two people killed who were killed in the terror attack on London Bridge on Friday as new questions are being raised about how the attacker was released early from jail. We'll be live in London.

[18:40:11]

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MARQUARDT: We're learning more about the two young people who were tragically killed in the terror attack Friday near London Bridge. One, right there on the left, is Jack Merritt. He was 25 years old. And then on the right there, Saskia Jones. She was 23.

They were both graduates of Cambridge University. Both were taking part in a conference on rehabilitating prisoners that was hosted by Cambridge's criminology institute. In a real, terrible twist, the man who killed them was a former prisoner who had been invited to attend that conference.

CNN's Europe Editor Nina dos Santos has the latest from London.

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NINA DOS SANTOS, CNN EUROPE EDITOR (voice-over): Twenty-five-year-old Jack Merritt and 23-year-old Saskia Jones, both were Cambridge graduates, both passionate about giving even the most serious offenders a second chance.

It was this belief that brought them to an event near London Bridge to discuss rehabilitation with former prisoners and a belief that put them into contact with Usman Khan, a convicted terrorist out on license.

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[18:45:06]

DOS SANTOS: The fact he was freed early has been seized upon by the Prime Minister, already pledging to get tougher on law and order with a general election now less than two weeks away and days before a NATO summit in the U.K. which will see the country welcome world leaders including the U.S. President.

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BORIS JOHNSON, PRIME MINISTER OF THE UNITED KINGDOM: I think it's repulsive that individuals as dangerous as this man should be allowed out after serving only eight years. And that's why we are going to change the law.

JEREMY CORBYN, LEADER OF HER MAJESTY'S MOST LOYAL OPPOSITION: I think there has to be an examination of how our prison services work and, crucially, what happens upon release from prison.

DOS SANTOS (voice-over): Over the weekend, authorities have increased their surveillance of 74 criminals out on license like Khan. That led to the arrest of a 34-year-old man on Sunday night.

In a statement, Jack Merritt's family described him as a beautiful talented boy who believed in redemption, not revenge, and they urge Johnson not to politicize his passing.

We know Jack would not want this terrible isolated incident to be used as a pretext by the government for introducing even more draconian sentences, they said. A legacy captured in Jack's own words describing his work in this radio interview earlier this year.

JACK MERRITT, KILLED DURING THE LONDON BRIDGE ATTACK: Our students in prison often have a very firsthand, very real but also very nuanced idea of how the law works. We essentially start talking to our students about ideas of justice and access to justice.

DOS SANTOS (voice-over): Khan's lawyer says longer sentences aren't the answer. The focus instead should be on rehabilitation before release.

VAJAHAT SHARIF, ATTORNEY FOR USMAN KHAN: The point to learn from this is that the system could benefit by reviewing its position on something like this and having offenders interact with deradicalizers sometime before they are to be released in the community.

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DOS SANTOS: Police are still trying to understand the events leading up to Friday's attack. What they learn may have important consequences for how and when offenders are released in the future, even if that may not necessarily have been the reform that Friday's gathering had been hoping to achieve.

Alex, there will be vigils held across the city of London, especially in the Guildhall just on the other side of the banks of the Thames not far from London Bridge tomorrow morning.

London, yet again, will pick itself up when the busy working week will start. London Bridge may even be reopened, the police say. Either way, though, this city will try and shrug off the specter of deadly terror two years after London Bridge was attacked in 2017. Back to you.

MARQUARDT: And, yes, it will pick itself up. That is a resilient, resilient city. Nina dos Santos, thanks very much.

Now, they were once roaming free. Now, dozens of baby elephants are IN cages destined for life in captivity in China. A CNN exclusive report is next.

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[18:51:26]

MARQUARDT: Leonardo DiCaprio says he is not going to let Brazil's President get in the way of his support for the Amazon Rainforest. The actor and environmentalists released a statement responding to Brazil's leader who had falsely accused him of bankrolling groups that he claimed contributed to the devastating fires in the Amazon Rainforest.

DiCaprio's statement reads in part, the future of these irreplaceable ecosystems is at stake, and I am proud to stand with the groups protecting them. While worthy of support, we did not fund the organizations targeted.

Two of the largest environmental groups working in the Amazon also released statements condemning the accusations.

And now, to a CNN exclusive video showing dozens of young baby elephants being held in cages in China after being born free in Zimbabwe only to be later separated from their herd and sold.

Despite widespread outrage, Zimbabwe's government says it needs to sell the wild elephants to fund its conservation efforts. CNN's David McKenzie went to the heart of elephant country to investigate.

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DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Thirty young wild African elephants captured, sold, and sent to China to fill amusement parks and zoos. But first, they will be broken here.

This cellphone video is an exclusive look at the latest shipment from Zimbabwe. In cage after metal cage, the signs of suffering are clear. Just weeks ago, they were among family groups in Hwange National Park.

MCKENZIE (on camera): So what they do when they come and capture these elephants is they separate the youngsters, not the very youngest but the young elephant, from the rest of the herd.

And scientists say that elephants are incredibly social animals. They develop bonds for a lifetime. And by ripping them away from their families and sending them off to a foreign country, they say it's extremely traumatic for the elephant that go and the elephant that remains.

Despite these concerns, the trade up until now has been legal. But that window is closing. New rules preventing overseas shipments from countries like Zimbabwe come into full effect at the end of November. Zimbabwe park officials say they will abide by those new rules.

CHRISPEN CHICKADEE, SENIOR INSPECTOR, ZIMBABWE NATIONAL SOCIETY FOR THE PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS: There's no transparency anymore.

MCKENZIE (voice-over): But animal rights inspector Christen Chickadee says he's already seen a shift towards secrecy.

CHICKADEE: Something is not right.

MCKENZIE (voice-over): For the past year, officials blocked his team from entering the park, claiming they needed special permits that were not actually required. He fears that the already opaque sales won't end; they'll just go underground.

MCKENZIE (on camera): What was it like being pushed away?

CHICKADEE: I'm a government-appointed inspector, and it's our mandate to see the welfare of those animals. They don't belong to national parks. They belong to the people of Zimbabwe.

MCKENZIE (on camera): So now, we've got the GPS coordinates of where we think these elephants had been kept. The some-30 elephants that were shipped to China caused global outrage.

MCKENZIE (voice-over): Animal rights activists and park sources told us that just beyond this boom gate, elephants were left behind and were getting prepped to be sent away.

MCKENZIE (on camera): But is it not possible to come in now with you just to have a look?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, nothing we can do.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's in -- you know, this place, for all the clients who come here, they are cleared by the manager.

MCKENZIE (voice-over): We went to management and were repeatedly refused entry. They told us there was nothing to see, but they did agree to an on-camera interview.

MCKENZIE (on camera): Why is Zimbabwe selling elephants to China?

[18:55:01] TINASHE FARAWAY, SPOKESPERSON, ZIMBABWE NATIONAL PARKS AND WILDLIFE

MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY: It's part of our management plan. We have rangers in this park who will spend 21 days in the bush protecting these animals. They don't have uniforms, they don't have boots, they don't have tents, and they don't have food.

As an authority, it's -- we believe that the elephants must pay for their upkeep. They must also pay for their protection.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's one of the elephants affected on the drought?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

MCKENZIE (voice-over): But protection for Zimbabwe's wild elephants is far from assured. Elephants are dying, more than 200 in just the last few months, succumbing to the severe drought that's hit the region. In this lean season, elephants in the wild are suffering to you, but Ranger Oscar Sibanda says better to let nature take its course.

MCKENZIE (on camera): And do you think it's good that some elephants are sent away to zoos in China, Pakistan, the U.S.?

OSCAR SIBANDA, RANGER, HWANGE NATIONAL PARK: No, I don't think it's wise. We have to be proud of our country. These are our animals, our children. They're children.

MCKENZIE (voice-over): But these elephants taken from Zimbabwe remain trapped far from home.

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MARQUARDT: Thanks to David McKenzie. Coming up, the President is back in Washington tonight after the Thanksgiving weekend. And as we wait to hear whether his team will send lawyers to the Judiciary Committee's first impeachment hearing on Wednesday, that deadline passing just about an hour ago.

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