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America's Choice 2022; Russia's War on Ukraine; Biden in Asia for ASEAN and G20. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired November 12, 2022 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Hello and welcome to our viewers watching all across the United States and all around the world. Live from Studio 7 at the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Michael Holmes. Thanks for your company.
There have seen some dramatic changes in vote results over the past several hours in two key Senate races in Arizona and Nevada, both favoring Democratic candidates. CNN now projects incumbent Democrat Mark Kelly will win re-election in Arizona against Republican challenger Blake Masters.
The governor's race still too close to call. But hundreds of thousands of ballots remain to be counted in that race. Final results not expected until early next week.
In Nevada that Senate race is virtually tied. Have a look at those numbers there. Republican Adam Laxalt has watched his narrow lead slip away to Democrat Catherine Cortez Masto, about 800 votes behind.
Approximately 68,000 ballots in the state are yet to be counted. Election officials say all votes will be counted by early next week.
Kelly's projected win in Arizona will give Democrats 49 seats in the Senate; a win in Nevada would secure Democratic control of the Senate. A Democratic win in the Georgia runoff would give the party an outright majority without needing the vice president as a tiebreaker, as has been the case for the last few years.
Democrats have also picked up more House seats, though Republicans only need seven more to retake control of the lower chamber. Let's get straight to Arizona with CNN's Kyung Lah in Phoenix.
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KYUNG LAH, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The vote count here in Maricopa County is still continuing. But CNN is now projecting that senator Mark Kelly, the Democratic incumbent, will defeat a challenge from Republican Blake Masters.
The vote count here is 82 percent complete, as workers, here you can see, are still going through the ballots. About 265,000 to 275,000 votes still remain to be counted.
The Masters campaign had hoped that this latest vote result would be the turnaround, clearing a path, a possible path to victory, where he could catch up and overtake the Democratic senator. That simply did not materialize.
Senator Kelly released a statement after multiple news organizations projected that he would indeed win, saying, quote, "I'm humbled by the trust our state has placed in me to continue this work."
And we're also getting reaction from Republicans here in the state of Arizona. The party here increasingly has seen a divide between the moderate McCain Republicans and the Trump wing.
Republican analyst and operative Barrett Marson tweeted, quote, "Arizona is a conservative state but not a Trump state and voters keep telling us that." -- Kyung Lah, CNN, Phoenix.
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HOLMES: And with us now from Phoenix is Mary Jo Pitzl, who covers state politics for "The Arizona Republic."
Appreciate you sticking around for us. Obviously a massive result for Mark Kelly and the Democrats as they try to keep control of the Senate.
So how did the count play out?
What's been the reaction there in Arizona, if any yet?
MARY JO PITZL, "THE ARIZONA REPUBLIC": You know, sort of depends where you stand but a lot of relief, you know, from the Kelly camp and its supporters. They see this as making a statement about where Arizonans want common sense government.
They don't want fringe politics coming into their Senate representation. And, of course, on the Republican side, a lot of disappointment. This would have been a win for them. It would have helped to give the Republicans control of the Senate as you've noted. But now they're knotted up even Steven and all eyes turn to Nevada and Georgia.
HOLMES: And you make -- Republicans had viewed the Mark Kelly seat as a pickup opportunity not so long ago.
But what went wrong for them?
PITZL: I think it's the tone of -- you know, Blake Masters was the Trump endorsed candidate. Voters have not been kind to some of those candidates during the election. I mean in the primary, yes; they did very, very well.
[01:05:00] PITZL: But with the general electorate, I mean, if you know Kelly has led ever since the vote tally started to be released on Election Night. Masters was able to close that. But apparently not enough to seal the deal.
HOLMES: I'm curious your thoughts on this, because Donald Trump not only endorsed Masters; he campaigned for him.
Did that work against him in a state like Arizona?
PITZL: Perhaps, yes; I think there's been a little bit of a blowback. But Kelly's been fairly popular. He's tried to put some distance between himself and President Biden. Notably Biden did not come to this state to campaign for the Democrat.
It was former president Barack Obama who did, a week ago, to sort of rev up the base. And Kelly has just not been seen as a far left extremist, which also helped -- he's more in the mold of that moderate, that they like to call themselves, common sense Democrats in the mold of Kyrsten Sinema.
HOLMES: Still more counting to be done in the governor's race.
What are you seeing there trendwise?
PITZL: Interesting; there was -- the first two weeks of ballots from those 292,000 early ballots that were dropped off on Election Day, there's been a lot of speculation about who those votes are going to favor.
There's a lot of messaging that Republicans should perhaps return their ballots in person. Don't trust the mail, don't trust drop boxes. But these ballots that come in on Election Day are also from people who sort of procrastinate, you know, maybe forget their ballot; a lot wait to the end of the campaign to see how things play out.
And the first tranche of votes released tonight benefited the Democrats, much to the surprise of many people, who expected that instead it would benefit the Republicans. It's too early to say if that sets any kind of a trend.
But it bumped up the lead for Katie Hobbs, the Democrat in the governor's race. And it put Kelly over the top, as well as Adrian Fontes, who's the Democratic nominee for secretary of state and now apparently Arizona's next secretary of state.
HOLMES: One interesting thing, Republicans tried to focus by and large on the economy and Biden's handling of the economy. The Democrats focused a lot on abortion. And a lot of people thought that might have been a mistake.
Was it a mistake when it comes to Arizona?
How much did that play into this?
PITZL: I haven't seen any good exit polls out of Arizona. But certainly looking at broader national exit polls, it seems like abortion did remain top of mind for many voters. And I think hanging over all this was the sense of, you know, is democracy in peril?
A lot of people pooh-poohed that notion. It's not a real hard apocryphal (ph) kind of issue. But it appears that's stuck in the back of voters' minds. And I think this is a vote for -- you know, let's get back to some stability; let's get rid of some of this crazy stuff, which the Trump era characterized.
HOLMES: What perhaps surprised you or did not surprise you in these Arizona races?
PITZL: Sure, good question. I mean I've been surprised by how the Republicans so far are still trying to play catch-up. I do think they will, especially for many of the down ballot races.
But even in our state legislature, which has been almost evenly split but still controlled by Republicans, there are still some races yet to be decided and a slim chance that Democrats could take control or at least share power, something that has not happened in this state for decades.
HOLMES: Terrific to get your analysis and your perspective there on the ground. Mary Jo Pitzl, thanks so much.
PITZL: Thank you very much.
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HOLMES: The Ukrainian city of Kherson is enjoying the first full day of freedom after months of Russian occupation.
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HOLMES (voice-over): Still to come, Ukrainians rejoicing, as you see there, after Russian troops leave their city. We'll be right back.
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HOLMES: A city that president Vladimir Putin said would be Russian forever now firmly back in Ukrainian hands and its residents couldn't be happier about it.
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HOLMES (voice-over): That's how people in the city of Kherson welcomed Ukrainian troops on Friday following months of Russian occupation. Hours earlier Moscow announced it pulled out from the west bank of the Dnipro region.
Ukrainian troops also swept through other towns in the area, as you see there, holding up the Ukrainian flag to mark the end of Russia's occupation. At the same time they also displayed ammunition and other military gear the Russians left behind, contradicting claims that they took all their equipment with them.
Ukraine says Russian troops destroyed critical infrastructure on their way out, however, including at least seven bridges. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy saying Ukrainians endured hardship because they always knew the invaders would be driven out.
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VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): The people of Kherson waited. They never repudiated Ukraine. They were right to pin their hopes on Ukraine and Ukraine always returns its own.
I'm glad to see those people, despite all dangers of repression and suffering inflicted by occupiers, held onto Ukrainian flags, believed in Ukraine.
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HOLMES: CNN was quick to get into some of the newly liberated areas in southern Ukraine. Nic Robertson, the first reporter to arrive in one town less than 48 hours after the Russians left. He found that residents there were overjoyed the occupation is over.
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NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Their long-awaited liberation, sweet, savored with the soldiers who gave it to them. Moments for all those who survived rushes repressive rule in Kherson, to celebrate, a day like no other.
Putin's forces vanquished across the river. Freedom like this, coming in cities and towns all around. Arriving at Snihurivka on the road to Kherson, remnants of Russia's rapid rivers under fire two days ago.
Lots of unexploded ammunition here, deadly mortar rounds, indications they could have fought longer if they hadn't been told to retreat.
Driving in everyone, waving. So many feelings all at once. Celebration, relief and traumas relieved.
It was terrible, she tells us. The Russians threatened to kill me, to smash out my brain.
Raw emotions everywhere, tearful relatives embrace saying, knowing each other survived. And stories of survival, bone-chilling.
A few days ago, the Russians kidnapped me. This 15-year-old girl tells us. They put a hood on me, took me to a house, asked me about the Ukrainian troops. Told me, they had cut my fingers off. I thought I was going to be raped.
They behave like animals in the last few weeks, she says. They took people away for interrogation, beat them, accusing them of being, Ukrainian spies.
They stole cars, looted too.
At the town's bank, the security doors ripped off, the cash too.
You can see inside here, the bank is completely trashed, looted, there are money boxes. They're forced open.
At the town square, people gathered and jubilation part in uncertainty. The city, without water and electricity, for months. The newly arrived Ukrainian administrator, telling them, humanitarian supplies are on their way.
On the outskirts of town, residents benefiting from Russia's rapid retreat, abandon ammo cases, collected for winter firewood.
Nearby, the bridges to the south, destroyed. The Russians blew these bridges up just two days ago, trying to slow down the Ukrainians advance south toward Kherson.
The tactic doesn't seem to be working. Ukraine's advance has been cautious, pauses to regroup and re-energize but still relentless.
MYKHAILO, UKRAINIAN SOLDIER (through translator): Everything that's happening according to the plan. Russians are leaving so fast they're losing their boots on the run. We'll take Kherson in two or three days.
ROBERTSON: It may be even sooner. Seconds after we talk, they get the call to move forward. On their way, it appears to join the liberation and celebrations in Kherson -- Nic Robertson, CNN, Snihurivka, Ukraine.
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HOLMES: The U.S. President Joe Biden is on the next leg of his international diplomatic mission. He's in Cambodia, preparing for meetings with Asian leaders. We'll have the latest in our live report from Will Ripley in Cambodia when we come back.
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HOLMES: Welcome back.
U.S. President Joe Biden says the climate crisis is a matter of human, economic and national security and that the world must rise to the challenge.
These remarks came at the COP27 climate conference in Egypt Friday. Mr. Biden highlighting his administration's recent environmental victories as evidence that the U.S. is ready to be a good partner in that fight.
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JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The United States is acting. Everyone has to act. The United States government is putting our money where our mouth is to strengthen accountability for climate risk and resilience.
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HOLMES: Mr. Biden also met with Egypt's president during his brief visit. He's now set for summits in Asia and will have a meeting with the Chinese leader, Xi Jinping, next week.
Our own Will Ripley is in Cambodia, where President Biden will attend the ASEAN summit of Southeast Asian nations in the hours ahead.
Tell us about his program, his schedule and the priorities on this trip.
WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, first up on the agenda, it will be basically a meeting with the Cambodian prime minister. They are obviously the hosts this year.
And it's interesting because you have this big meeting coming up at the G20 next week with Xi Jinping of China. And the Cambodian Prime Minister just met with the Chinese premier yesterday and now he's meeting with the U.S. President today.
China is a huge economic influencer here in Cambodia. It's one of the economies which China is pumping huge dollars into infrastructure investment. You can walk around and see examples of Chinese businesses that are popping up, Chinese owned enterprises.
And so as China kind of solidifies its economic influence here, it also gives them, you know, someone said, far greater diplomatic leverage on controversial issues, including the issue of Taiwan and also, potentially, you know, the growing tensions between the United States and China.
So it's crucial for President Biden to be in places like this, meeting face-to-face with leaders, which is certainly a priority of his.
[01:25:00] RIPLEY: The Xi Jinping face-to-face meeting will be the first since Biden became president. And he'll also be meeting in person with the leaders of Japan and South Korea and talking about, of course, the upcoming China meeting but other hot issues in this part of the world, potentially North Korea, which may on the verge of a seventh underground nuclear test at any time.
Also Ukraine and climate on the agenda here and in the coming days when he'll head to Bali for the G20. This is a usual moment for President Biden. He is stronger than expected in terms of the performance of Democrats in the U.S. midterm elections.
So he's kind of coming in here with the wind at his back. The question will be, can he solidify these U.S. alliances with crucial allies in this region and develop new relationships, even though they're not expecting any major breakthroughs on the U.S.-China issue from the viewpoint of the United States and the Biden administration.
A face-to-face meeting and laying out very clearly each other's expectations and agendas in terms of communication during a particularly tense time in this part of the world, Michael.
HOLMES: Good to have you there covering it for us. Will Ripley in Cambodia, thanks so much.
Now we will take a quick break. For our viewers in North America, more news in just a moment. For our international viewers, "CONNECTING AFRICA" is up next.
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HOLMES: A reminder of our top story this hour. Democrats just one seat away from retaining control of the U.S. Senate. CNN projects that incumbent Mark Kelly will win re-election against Republican challenger Blake Masters. This gives both parties 49 seats each with two races remaining.
Democrats also hoping they will keep their seat in Nevada. Right now that's a tight race. You couldn't get any tighter. Have a look at those numbers. Incumbent Catherine Cortez Masto trailing slightly the Republican Adam Laxalt.
Meanwhile in the House, Democrats have picked up more seats. The Republicans only need seven more to control the chamber. CNN's John King analyzed the Senate battle with our Wolf Blitzer and explained what each party still needs to control the chamber.
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JOHN KING, CNN HOST: We just projected Mark Kelly the winner here. Right?
So when you bring this map out, now I'm going to come here. This is ahead. Right. So I'm going to do this. These are the races we have called. Right?
So right now, Democrats have two shots. Two shots. They win either here or here. They get the Senate majority. Republicans need now to win them both because Republicans need 51. Democrats only need 50 because they have the Vice President of the United States. Right?
So the Democrats, it's possible, Wolf, as Nevada results continue to come in, it's possible Democrats can clench the majority before the December 6th runoff in Georgia.
And some new votes just came in here in Washoe County, right?
First, let me come back to show you this. Last time we spoke about this race, Adam Laxalt the Republican challenger was up more than 1,700 votes. Now it's back to 821 votes, 821 votes. Why?
Because when the votes came in from Washoe, let me come down here and pull this out for you, Nevada Senate and bring it up. Let's move it over a little bit here.
OK, let me find my pencil. It just has to pull away. We'll get that. Here we go. Boom. This is what just happened. This is a swing county. Republicans needed to make up ground here. Instead, here's what happened. Five thousand two hundred -- sorry. And 21 votes, 53 percent, right?
She's leading -- he's leading, he needs to -- he's leading statewide, 4,691, 43 percent. So she's trailing. You got to make up ground. That's how you do it. You've -- by 10 points in this installment of vote, right?
That's 10,000 votes right there, 10,000 votes.
So what does that mean?
That means in a swing county, number one, she's taken the lead and she's holding her lead at 50 percent to 47 percent.
Often in Nevada, we talk a lot about Clark County because that's where most of the people live, 70 percent plus of the population but often in Nevada politics in this swing county, Reno, Tahoe, a lot of relocated people from California. The color of this county in the end is very often an indicator of who's winning statewide in Nevada.
Let's come back. Eight hundred twenty-one votes now and most of the outstanding votes are here in Clark County. Again, he is still leading statewide, fewer than a thousand votes but she is leading by 52 percent in the largest and most populous county. And that's where most of the outstanding votes are.
Now it guarantees nothing but that math tells you, that if it -- if the votes continue to follow, even that pattern, she has plenty of opportunity to catch up with the outstanding votes.
I make that point because if you come back on our map, if you look at where people are ahead right now, not all these races are called but they're all -- they're all called on the map except for Georgia, where the Raphael Warnock won on election day. That almost should go back to gray in the sense that we have to start over on December 6th.
But if that red turns to blue, then Democrats keep their Senate majority and Georgia will be gravy, if you will, for the Democrats trying to get to 51. Republicans desperately need to win that and then that.
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HOLMES: Another close race we're following is the contest for Colorado's 3rd Congressional District. The incumbent Republican Lauren Boebert barely edging out her Democratic challenger Adam Frisch at the moment. CNN's Lucy Kafanov taking a look why.
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LUCY KAFANOV, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, this race now taking a surprising turn. We could potentially be looking at the possibility of a recount, something that's not going to be more clear until at least next week, in part because government offices here are closed for the Veterans Day holiday.
And also because outstanding military and cured ballots have yet to be returned and counted. That deadline November 16th. But Lauren Boebert was trailing behind her opponent until early Thursday morning.
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KAFANOV: As of Friday afternoon, she was ahead by roughly 1,100 votes. A mandatory recount in the state of California is triggered if the margin is 0.5 percent or less. Here's the state's secretary of state weighing in on the possibility of a recount.
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JENA GRISWOLD, COLORADO SECRETARY OF STATE: It's too early to tell. We need to be able to process the rest of the ballots. And then after that we will do a bipartisan risk limiting audit which confirms the results followed by a bipartisan canvas and then only then do I certify the election and it's determined whether we go into recount.
There's two ways to do a recount in the state of Colorado. One is mandatory, which you just mentioned. But then candidates can also pay for a recount if they so choose.
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KAFANOV: But the fact we're talking about this race, the fact that the margins are so very thin took at least political experts by surprise. Lauren Boebert entered this race in a strong position, the 3rd Congressional District she represents was made more favorable to Republicans when its borders were redrawn last year.
Unlike most of the Colorado delegation, she entered the race with a sizable campaign war chest and she also had national name recognition, making headlines as a staunch ally of former president Donald Trump, a major big gun rights advocate.
Which when she was sworn in, she released a video of herself walking around Capitol Hill with a gun. She's promoted conspiracy theories, for example, about the outcome of the previous presidential election.
And some analysts say one of the reasons why this race became so close is, in part, because her opponent used her behavior against her. Now Adam Frisch served on the Aspen city council. He ran a pro-business, pro-energy platform.
He also asked voters if they wanted two more years of what he described as her angertainment brand. It also didn't hurt that he outraised and outspent Boebert. She, for one, is expressing optimism about her chances.
She blamed the closeness of the race on a lack of voter enthusiasm for the Republican candidates for Senate and governor. But she did start fund-raising for a possible recount on Friday -- Lucy Kafanov, CNN, Colorado.
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HOLMES: We are almost nine months into the war in Ukraine, no end in sight, of course. CNN's Christiane Amanpour sat down with Ukraine's president and first lady for an exclusive interview. They spoke about the state of the war and the motivation to keep fighting.
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CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: President Zelenskyy, First Lady, welcome to the program.
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: Thank you so much.
AMANPOUR: Mr. President, it has been nearly nine months of this war now, did you expect it to last this long?
Do you have any idea of how long it might last?
ZELENSKYY (through translator): Thank you for the question and thank you for the meeting. You asked whether I thought this war would last so long.
No, because I didn't start this war and I'm sure there isn't a single Ukrainian who knew what this will be and what tragedy this would bring to every home in our country. Because, I repeat, we did not start this war.
But Ukrainian society united and showed that it was ready for what, unfortunately, was such a tragedy showed that it was ready for these challenges. I was really impressed by the power of one nation. And was impressed by the swiftness of the response of Europe, the whole world and the whole international community that rallied around Ukraine for this challenge.
AMANPOUR: First Lady, what motivates you to get up in the morning?
How do you feel that you have endured this war?
OLENA ZELENSKA, UKRAINIAN FIRST LADY (through translator): Well, thank you. It's a big question. It covers many spheres of my life. And what helps me get up in the morning, surely as you said, is my husband's example.
I know that if he endures then I have to endure. If the day has begun, then we have to keep fighting. That keeps me going.
It's not easy every day but you know, you need to keep running. You cannot stop. As Alastair (ph) said, in order to stay in place, you have to run even faster. That is why we run and I get some inspiration from the kids, from the children.
First and foremost, there are some ordinary things that every family is doing. You need to get your son ready for school, you need to make sure he has had breakfast. Well, unfortunately I don't have the assurance that my child would go to school every day because of those strikes with missiles and drones.
There is a lot of work. A lot of humanitarian projects that we will continue after the war. That helps a lot.
AMANPOUR: Mr. President, I wanted to ask you how you react. And I know that you all monitor Russian casualties and Russian activity on the Ukrainian battlefield.
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AMANPOUR: But the Pentagon, actually, its very senior defense official said and I'm going to quote to get it right, that "Russia has probably lost half of its main battle tanks. Used up most of its precision guided weapons in this war. That 80 percent of their land force is bogged down here, is stuck here in Ukraine."
Does that match your figures?
And what is your answer to that?
ZELENSKYY (through translator): I think this, more or less, corresponds to reality. Although, frankly speaking, nobody knows the full reality, especially as regards personnel.
Because nobody can tell you precisely how many people died. Nevertheless, we clearly understand that the artillery that was provided as assistance to us for the United States and Europe, it definitely had to break this initiative which Russia launched to us 24th of February. And we did break this military initiative. We stopped them. We de- occupied a large part of our territory. And, this indeed, was helped by the artillery and the new technologies. We never resorted to any of the lies that the Russian Federation produces about dirty bombs or nuclear challenges and so on.
And I'm very pleased that we're working jointly and responding quickly to that. Straight after Russia's allegations we invited the IAEA and they verified everything and said it is just another lie from Russia. So I cannot confirm those numbers for sure. But I can say for sure that it is a stunning number, both in terms of heavy weapons and personnel.
AMANPOUR: Their loss is heavier than your losses?
ZELENSKYY (through translator): Yes, 10 times. I think so. Approximately. I can't give you the exact numbers but there's a very significant difference. Because our war tactic is not to throw people. Because people are most important. Not to use people as cannon fodder.
And that's why it is very important to us. Whenever we asked our partners for artillery or armored vehicles, that it is not just about the weapons but first of all protection for our military.
AMANPOUR: Madam First Lady, you just returned from a major tech conference in Lisbon. And I think the world has noted that Ukraine has used technology in a really innovative and effective way.
What was your message there and what do you want the tech world to do for this country?
ZELENSKA (through translator): Well, my message was pretty simple and I hope it was heard. The people gathered there were people who pushed technology forward. These people have an impact on which direction technology and the whole world will move in the future.
So my appeal to them is to choose a side what technology they will invent or design.
Will this be a technology that kills or a technology that defends?
Because we have a wonderful and vivid example. For example, Bellingcat recently conducted their latest investigation and they found a group of IT experts from Russia, young people aged 23, 25. Before the war they worked in private 90 companies. And now, they're targeting missiles at our buildings.
And this is a choice. A conscious choice made by people who know this technology, who have the expertise, are narrow specialists. They chose to be murderers and terrorists.
So my appeal to all those thousands of people gathered at the web summit was to make their choice from a moral and ethical standpoint as to what they will do in the future. And really the technologies help.
AMANPOUR: Mr. President, you've obviously heard there are all these articles being written.
There are these foreign policy analysts, who are saying, isn't enough already for you?
Do you -- should you go to the negotiating table?
Some of these countries with economic pressures on their own who are supporting you now, are they -- are you feeling any pressure to go to the negotiation table?
ZELENSKYY (through translator): Look, they don't want this war to be finished. Now before having any fatigue, everyone has to understand that it's only the Kremlin and only one person, the head of the Russian Federation, who's not tired of the war.
He might be tired of life, in principle because of his age but he's definitely not tired of the war. Now this person and the Russian political and military leadership need a pause.
Believe me, they can feel it. They've begun to feel the effect of the sanctions. They have begun to feel dissatisfaction in their society. This person and all of them are afraid only of our society. These people, unfortunately, have no voice.
[01:45:00]
ZELENSKYY (through translator): Because if they weren't afraid of going to the streets, they would exert pressure. And this is what the Russian leadership is afraid of.
And then for our part, we say, please respect our principles of the U.N. charter. Please respect our territorial integrity. Please respect our people, our rights, our freedom, our land and our choice. That's it.
So this word fatigue is a big word. You can't get fatigued. So it's too early for all of us to get fatigued. But when Russia truly wants peace, we will definitely feel it and see it.
But you know, you can't wish for peace with words alone. Words are not enough. Stop the war, withdraw from the territory, stop killing people.
Start reimbursing the damages inflicted on our country. Criminals must be prosecuted. So words are not enough.
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HOLMES: And we will be right back after this.
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HOLMES: In three days, former U.S. President Donald Trump is set to make what he calls a special announcement in Florida. His team has hinted he could declare a presidential run in 2024.
But some Republicans are urging him to hold off, especially after the party underperformed in the midterms. Some conservatives say Mr. Trump is to blame for their losses and they want him to delay any announcement, at least until after the Senate runoff in Georgia.
Others say it's time to move on altogether and support Florida governor Ron DeSantis instead. Some Georgia Republicans also believe DeSantis could help them on the campaign trail, citing his lopsided win last week.
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HOLMES: Mark Preston joins me now from Washington, D.C., a CNN senior political analyst.
I want to ask you this in the broader picture because you're a big picture guy, the GOP. How they see Florida governor Ron DeSantis. They're already say he's the shining light of the midterms. But Donald Trump already attacking him as, quote, "Ron DeSanctimonious." He called him average.
How is that likely to play out?
Trump's Truth Social feed smacks of desperation in many ways.
MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Beyond desperation at this point. Michael, in politics, you're only as good as your last win, what can you do for me. You're only as good as the biggest check you're going to write me.
What we're seeing right now is Ron DeSantis, very disciplined, very well educated. He's a former JAG in the military, a lawyer. He's someone right now who Republicans are starting to really get attracted to.
And the reason why is because he won resoundingly on Tuesday night, beat Charlie Crist by nearly 20 points. In Florida, DeSantis was able to make huge inroads with Hispanic voters. As everyone knows around the world, Florida is a microcosm of the United States, if not the world.
HOLMES: Whether those policy positions will translate nationally but, as you say, he's sitting pretty.
I want to ask you, too, Kevin McCarthy facing a rocky road to the Speakership -- and we don't even know yet if the House is going to be won by the Republicans -- but he would to have a rocky road. He could be vulnerable to the power of the Freedom Caucus.
PRESTON: Interesting; right now if we look at where we stand, you need 218 votes in the House to become Speaker of the House, to control the House majority. Right now Democrats have 200 seats. The Republicans have 211.
You say that's great for Republicans. And it is. They only have 25 seats that are outstanding that is considered competitive.
If you look at the Democrats, though, they have 37 seats that are outstanding that are competitive. So let's just tie up all these crazy numbers in a bow and just explain it this way.
It looks like Republicans are going to go on and take the House majority. If they do so, it could be only by four or five votes. Kevin McCarthy right now has to try to please everybody, every flavor of Republican who is in Congress right now.
And you noted the Freedom Caucus, these are ultraconservatives and they are out there publicly saying right now, unless Kevin McCarthy gives in to what their demands are, then they're not going to support him. If that's the case, we're looking at a Republican Party that will be in great disarray at the end of the next week.
HOLMES: It's all still playing out in real time. Great to have you, my friend. Thanks so much.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Well, Twitter's time under new ownership has been rocky, to say the least. It's been a bit over two weeks now since Elon Musk assumed control. And as Brian Fung reports, things are likely not to get any easier for the billionaire.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN FUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The chaos continues. Elon Musk has now owned Twitter for two weeks and the company's future has never seemed so in doubt. In recent days, Twitter has seen an exodus of top level executives, alienated powerful advertisers, blown up key aspects of its product and it has launched and then unlaunched other features designed to compensate for those choices repeatedly.
Also in the early days, Twitter has battled a wave of fake, verified accounts posing as Donald Trump, Rudy Giuliani, LeBron James, Nintendo and others. Impostors have even forced Eli Lilly, the pharmaceutical company, to apologize for misinformation spread under parody accounts it didn't create.
In response, Twitter has temporarily stopped taking assignments for Twitter Blue, the new paid subscription service it launched just days ago, offering a verified blue check mark to anyone who pays $8 a month, no questions asked.
[01:55:00]
FUNG: According to multiple reports Musk has canceled the company's remote work policy and even warned the company could potentially face bankruptcy.
That's not all. According to legal experts, Twitter's layoffs and resignations have jeopardized its ability to comply with government regulations that protect the security and privacy of user data.
Violations could lead to hefty fines and even personal liability for Musk that would tie his hands at Twitter and wherever he may go next -- Brian Fung, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Thanks for spending part of your day with me. I'm Michael Holmes. You can follow me on Twitter and Instagram @HolmesCNN. Do stick around. I'll have more news on the other side.
