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Rep. Omar Slams Boebert Over Making Up Anti-Muslim Story; Americans Are Quitting Their Jobs In Record Numbers; Best Movies And Shows To Watch This Holiday Season. Aired 12:30-1p ET

Aired November 26, 2021 - 12:30   ET

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

[12:30:00]

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Alex, you know, there is this real threat that is posed to Ukraine by Russia. But you also have to look at what's going on inside Ukraine. President Zelensky is cracking down on oligarchs, the rich businessmen that control a lot of economic power and a lot of political power in Ukraine as well. It's kind of an anti-corruption drive from him. His critics say that he's not just cracking down on people that are controlled by Russia. But he's cracking down on anyone who's critical of him and his government. And so that's the criticism of President Zelensky right now.

ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN HOST: All right, thanks to Matthew Chance.

Now to politics and more evidence that bigotry is really a feature, not a bug of the Republican Party that former President Donald Trump is very much in control of. In Colorado Congresswoman Lauren Boebert thought to use a vile anti-Muslim trope as what she thought would be an applause line, implying that Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, who is Muslim, is a suicide bomber. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. LAUREN BOEBERT (R-CO): I was getting into an elevator with one of my staffers. And he and I are we're leaving the Capitol. We're going back to my office and begin the elevator and I see a Capitol Police Officer running currently to the elevator. I see fret all over his face. I look to my left. And there she is, Ilhan Omar. And I said well, she doesn't have a backpack, we should be fine. So we only had one Florida go, and I was like, I will say it will not, and looked over. And I said I look, hotspots decided to show up for work today.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARQUARDT: And you can hear both laughter and applause after the Congresswoman said that. CNN's Melanie Zanona joins me now. Melanie obviously goes without saying these comments are absolutely disgusting beyond the pale. We have heard from her fellow Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger. He just tweeted that Boebert is trash very simply. But of course we're hearing nothing from Republican leaders, at least so far. Did you expect that we will? MELANIE ZANONA, CNN CAPITOL HILL REPORTER: I wouldn't hold your breath. We asked their office for comment and we have not heard back yet. But I suspect we won't hear from Kevin McCarthy until I find them in the hallways in Congress and ask them about this. And even then I fully expect that he's going to stand behind Lauren Boebert just like he stood behind Paul Gosar when he was under fire for posting a video depicting violence against Democrats, including Alexandria Ocasio- Cortez.

But as you mentioned, there is at least one Republican standing up for Ilhan Omar, and that's Adam Kinzinger. He's someone who voted to impeach Donald Trump. He also has announced his retirement. And he called Lauren Boebert trash. And he also took a swipe at Kevin McCarthy for embracing GOP extremists in the conference like Marjorie Taylor Greene, saying, this is what happens when you try to hug a skunk.

Meanwhile, Ilhan Omar is coming out and not only condemning this language, but also saying it never happened and that the story was made up. But whether it was made up or not, it doesn't really matter, Alex, I mean, it's problematic. It's dangerous. And I wouldn't be surprised to see Democrats try to censure her or kick her off her committees when they return next week.

MARQUARDT: Yes. And in today's Republican Party, it really doesn't hurt you to say things like that, in fact that it can only help. Melanie Zanona, thank you so much.

ZANONA: Thanks.

[12:33:22]

MARQUARDT: Coming up, millions of American workers are quitting jobs and they're not looking back or coming back. A drive of what's, a look at what's driving them away. That's coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MARQUARDT: Well, Americans are quitting their jobs in record numbers virtually across all industries as well. Right now, job openings are plentiful nationwide, amid the mass exodus from this workforce, which has been dubbed the great resignation. CNN's Vanessa Yurkevich is live with more details. Vanessa, where all these workers going?

VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN BUSINESS & POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Well, listen, everyone is going to have their own reason for why they're quitting. But we found three general buckets. Women who are looking to stay home with their children, folks who want to start their own businesses, and more Americans retiring early. One thing they all have in common. If not for this pandemic, they probably wouldn't have quit their jobs.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

YURKEVICH (voice-over): A simple task, Kate Santangelo picks up her seven-year-old daughter Grace from school, something she's waited years to do.

(on camera): Do you recall how often you were able to pick your daughter up from school?

KATE SANTANGELO, QUIT HER JOB IN APRIL: Oh, my gosh, never.

YURKEVICH (voice-over): But that all changed in April. She quit her 15-year career in sales to be home full time with her kids.

SANTANGELO: I was working endless hours and traveling a lot.

YURKEVICH (on camera): If COVID didn't happen, do you think that you still would have quit your job?

SANTANGELO: No, no, I think I'd still be there. Yes, without a doubt.

YURKEVICH (voice-over): he's one of millions quitting the workforce in recent months. A record 4.4 million quits in September. It's being called the great resignation.

SANTANGELO: We have like had so much time that you know he had to sit in our homes and spending time with, you know, people that we live with and just shifting priorities.

YURKEVICH (voice-over): And she's one of 4.7 million business applications filed from January through October of this year. A 34 percent increase from the same time period in 2019. She founded Monmouth Moms, a resource guide for parents.

[12:40:06]

SANTANGELO: It allows me to take off if I need to bring, you know, my kids to the doctor or, you know, offer more flexibility in terms of when I can even schedule appointments for them.

YURKEVICH (voice-over): It's not just moms leaving the workforce. Americans are retiring in greater numbers too.

(on camera): What am I looking at behind you guys right now?

SCOTT BANKS, RETIRED EARLY: That's our RV. Yes, that's our RV, you got in the background.

YURKEVICH (voice-over): Scott and Mary Banks retired early this September at 57 and 59, respectively, and are road tripping across the country.

S. BANKS: Packed up, strapped down, and ready to head down the road.

YURKEVICH (voice-over): Scott quit his finance job, Mary left real estate.

S. BANKS: I said, what would you think if we did it now instead of waiting three more years?

MARY BANKS, RETIRED EARLY: And I'm like, I pushed all my chips. And I'm all in.

YURKEVICH (voice-over): 1.5 million Americans, we're on pace to retire during the pandemic. Instead, that number more than doubled to 3.6 million.

S. BANKS: And it was just that thought of, gosh, wouldn't it be just a tragedy, if we spent all this time working for retirement, and then right near the finish line, you catch a horrible disease and die and never get to enjoy your retirement.

YURKEVICH (voice-over): So they capitalized on the hot housing market, sold their home and hit the road.

(on camera): How is life on the road compared to the jobs that you left behind?

S. BANKS: Gosh, I wish I could say it was tough. But no, it's great. I do not miss at all working right now.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

YURKEVICH: Now, the industries with the highest quit rates are transportation, leisure and hospitality, and education. These are industries that were suffering with labor shortages before the pandemic and now they're feeling them much more acutely. Americans who left those industries said that they did so to find higher wages and more flexibility. Alex, we're just seeing how this pandemic is completely transforming the way that Americans are willing and want to work right now. Alex?

MARQUARDT: Who hasn't thought of just hitting the open road? Vanessa Yurkevich, thank you so much for that reporting.

YURKEVICH: Thank you.

MARQUARDT: All right, well, joining me now to discuss this further is Bloomberg's Washington bureau chief Peggy Collins. Peggy, thank you for joining me today.

PEGGY COLLINS, WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF, BLOOMBERG: Thanks so much for having me, Alex.

MARQUARDT: So let's just pick up where Vanessa left off there. What do you think the leading factors are why Americans are quitting their jobs in such big numbers?

COLLINS: Well, I think your reporter was right on the mark, in terms of we've seen women be a driving force between their desire to stay at home where they were working at home during the pandemic and want to keep that availability with their families. But also the retirees this is something that policymakers are watching very closely, people are retiring earlier in bigger numbers.

And that's driving down what we call the labor participation rate. Something that policy -- figure out, will it last? Or is this something that some early retirees want to, you know, take a road trip, but a couple of years from now may actually want to come back into the workforce.

So I think there are a lot of things driving that. And of course, that's affecting employers in two big ways. One is in terms of how much they have to raise wages in terms of getting workers back and then certainly at this holiday season, trying to keep up with demand when they have not -- when they may not have the ability to hire essentially.

MARQUARDT: Yes, at the same time, Peggy, we're seeing all these unemployment claims fall, 21 million unemployment claims filed ahead of last Thanksgiving. This year, just 2.4, so 21 to 2.4, it's the lowest jobless claims in half a century and still at the same time, you have the majority of Americans barely but still the majority, 52 percent, who are disapprove of Biden's handling of the economy. That's according to a new NPR-Marist poll. Does that surprise you?

COLLINS: Well, as I said, the jobless claims data that came in on Wednesday was a really strong up arrow. Now, just the caveat there, there was a seasonal quirk to that. But we have consistently seen the jobless claims numbers really plummet over the last several months. I think what's really driving those consumer sentiment numbers is the inflation that we're seeing.

So consumers are seeing prices rise on everyday goods like, you know, fuel and food prices. And that is really, you know, bleeding into consumer sentiment about the overall state of the economy, even though we're seeing a lot of positive signs about consumer spending and growth going into the end of the year.

MARQUARDT: I also want to get your take on what we've been talking about so much today, this newly detected coronavirus strain initially out of South Africa. They're really sounding the alarm. We've seen the Dow Jones drop over 1,000 points today though it is back up. I understand the worst day of the year. Global Markets not just here in the U.S. are rattled. So what are you going to be watching in the weeks ahead as we learn more about this string?

[12:45:00]

COLLINS: So certainly, our reporters around the world will be watching for how much of an issue this is and how quickly it may spread like other variants around the world. As you said, the markets are really reacting to it today. You know, it is traditionally a lighter trading day. So that can be adding to the volatility, but certainly global investors are taking note. And that could have issues in terms of any drag on economies around the world.

And we've seen how connected economies are today versus in the past. And we've seen that come out in terms of the supply chain crunches we're seeing around the world, but also in terms of how much a slowdown in Europe may affect the U.S. and companies in the U.S. or vice versa.

MARQUARDT: Yes, a very rocky financial start to this very busy shopping season. Peggy Collins, thanks very much.

COLLINS: Thanks for having me.

MARQUARDT: All right, well, it's the day after Thanksgiving. You've eaten Turkey. You've shopped online. What's next? How about a good movie or a T.V. show? Entertainment Tonight's Nischelle Turner is going to join me next with her top picks.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:50:45]

MARQUARDT: Tis the season not just to shop but to kick back, relax and catch new movies and T.V. shows whether it's at home and -- whether it's at home streaming or at the movie theater. There are a lot of great options coming up this holiday season. Joining me now to discuss all this is CNN contributor and Entertainment Tonight co-host, Nischelle Turner. Nischelle, thanks so much.

NISCHELLE TURNER, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Hey, Alex, I feel like I'm just waking up from like a long winters nap after yesterday.

MARQUARDT: I know and you're on the west coast. So you're three hours behind us. And definitely the turkey coma is affecting a lot of people today. But we've got a fun few days and weeks ahead of us. So what are your, let's talk first about movies and then and then your T.V. picks. Give us your favorites in both those categories?

TURNER: Well, first of all, before I start tweeting me and writing me, these are just my opinions, there's a ton of great movies that are coming out, especially at this time. We've got all of the award season movies that are going to come out in the next few weeks. So there's a lot that you can pick from. But for movies that I really think that people will love and that I've thought were phenomenal are number one "King Richard," I know everyone has heard about this. It's Will Smith playing the father of Venus and Serena Williams.

And it's really, it's not his story. It's not their story. It's Richard Williams' story. And it's really kind of encapsulating the man that so many people villainized for a very long time and they didn't understand him. They didn't understand what his motivation was pushing his daughter to their greatness. This movie really dives deep into that, dives into their family.

And Will Smith is already getting Oscar buzz for this role along with Aunjanue Ellis that plays their mother, must see. It's a must see for me. It's a must see. I think, it's spot on. It's just a fantastic movie. It will be out on Christmas Day and also will stream it at the same time. Oh no, it's out now. I'm sorry. It's out right now. And it's streaming right now on HBO Max.

Also, I think "West Side Story." It's coming out on December 10th. I know a lot of people say don't mess with a classic. But Steven Spielberg decided to, Rita Moreno is back for this 60 years after the original. And I'm ready for it. You know it comes out December 10th. It's the same song and dance, fantastic storyline. And it's a show in a movie that we all love. I'm anxious to see what audiences think because again, when people are so connected to an original, it's hard to sleep with. But I think anybody can do it -- on December 10th.

The third movie that I think is a must see right now is "A Journal for Jordan." That's Michael B. Jordan, Denzel Washington directing and introducing Chante Adams to us. She's spectacular. The film will be out Christmas Day. And it's, you know, based on a memoir, and it was written by based on a memoir by Dana Canedy.

And she wrote it about her husband that had died in the war. And it was based on a term that he prepared young -- and so this movie is coming to life. It looks heart wrenching. It's a love story. It's everything wrapped up into one I think it's perfect for the holiday season.

And the fourth movie that I think folks would want to see and would need to see is "The Tragedy of Macbeth." That is Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand going head to head. It's directed by Frances McDormand's husband. And, you know, I mean, when you have those two heavy hitters together on screen, it's a master class in acting. And Alex, there's a lot of really fun storylines that are encapsulated in all of those movies.

First of all, Denzel is getting Oscar buzz for this role in "Macbeth," Will Smith in "King Richard," the last time those two went head to head was when Will was nominated for "Ali" and Denzel was nominated for "Training Day." We saw what happened, that's when Denzel won the Oscar, so that will be really, really interesting. Also, "The Tragedy of Macbeth" opens on Christmas Day. And also "A Journal for Jordan" opens on Christmas Day. So the movie that Denzel was directing in and starring in will be going head to head at box office, really fun.

MARQUARDT: Nischelle we have less than a minute left but just quickly run me through your favorite, your top T.V. picks.

TURNER: Oh my gosh, I talked too much. OK, here we go. So if you're sitting at home, you want to stream some stuff, first of all, season two of "The Morning Show" so good, I didn't know how they would top season one. This season is much more dishy. They also deal with coronavirus. Jennifer Aniston is fantastic this season along with Billy Crudup. He was fantastic last season. He's even better this season. So check that out.

[12:55:12]

Number two, "Maid" on Netflix, if you have not seen it run to the television, Margaret Qualley, Andie MacDowell, Anika Noni Rose, it's fantastic. And it's also based on a memoir by Stephanie Land.

MARQUARDT: Nischelle, we're going to have to leave it there. I'm sorry. We are running out of time. "King Richard" is definitely on my top my list for this afternoon this weekend as well. Nischelle Turner, thank you so much for all your thoughts.

TURNER: I told you there was a lot to watch.

MARQUARDT: There absolutely is. Take care, we'll get you back soon.

TURNER: Thanks, Alex.

MARQUARDT: All right, bye-bye.

A quick programming note, you can join Fareed Zakaria for an in depth look at Chinese -- the China's leader Xi Jinping, China's Iron Fist: Xi Jinping and the Stakes for America, that begins Sunday night at 9:00 p.m. Eastern time.

Thank you so much for joining me on this Friday. My colleague Jessica Dean picks up our coverage, that's right after a quick break. Take care.

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