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Rep. Jeffries Vows To Fight Extremism Within The GOP; Five Killed, 25 Injured In Mass Shooting At LGBTQ+ Club In Colorado Springs; Twitter Closes Offices, Suspends Employee Access Amid Exodus. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired November 20, 2022 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:00:33]

JIM ACOSTA, CNN HOST: You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Jim Acosta in Washington.

And we begin with yet another mass shooting in America. This time in Colorado Springs, at least five people are dead and 25 are wounded after the shooting inside an LGBTQ nightclub.

Police say the suspected shooter, a 22-year-old man entered Club Q just before midnight opening fire with a long rifle. Right now, police are still working to identify the victims and deliver the horrific news to their families.

The incident itself lasted only minutes and police say, that's thanks to heroes inside who quickly stepped in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF ADRIAN VASQUEZ, COLORADO SPRINGS POLICE: We are actively processing the scene at Club Q. Initial evidence and interviews indicate that the suspect entered Club Q and immediately began shooting at people inside as he moved further into the club.

While the suspect was inside of the club, at least two heroic people inside the club confronted and fought with the suspect and were able to stop the suspect from continuing to kill and harm others.

We owe them a great debt of thanks.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: In just a moment, I'll be joined live by the Governor of Colorado, but first let's go to CNN's national correspondent, Nadia Romero who is tracking new information about the suspect and this investigation.

Nadia, what can you tell us?

NADIA ROMERO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Jim, we are still learning so many more details and things have been changing rather quickly. Overnight, morning hours, we were told that there were five people dead, 18 injured, that number jumped up just within the last hour to 25 people injured and that's because there were just so many moving parts. People transported themselves to the hospital, some went in police patrol cars we were told, others went in many ambulances to at least three area hospitals.

So at last count, we are at 25 people injured, five people dead, but we know that some of those injured are still in the ICU, in the intensive care units right now fighting for their lives.

I want you to hear from a man and how he learned about the shooting and the impact on his friends. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSEPH SHELDON, FRIEND OF COLORADO SPRINGS SHOOTING VICTIM: I picked my cousin up, took her to the hospital so that way she can meet up with her friends, and then I myself actually went down to Club Q you to try to make contact with my friends, which some of them, I was successful making contact with, some of them I had to do some digging in order to find them, and then some of them through the grapevine, I found out had been shot and passed away.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMERO: Just horrific news for the entire country and even the world as people watched yet another mass shooting. You're taking a live look outside of club Q there in Colorado Springs where this happened today.

They were supposed to be honoring Transgender Remembrance Day and having a drag show, of course now, they are in a state of mourning.

Here is what we know about the suspect: Twenty-two-year-old Anderson Lee Aldrich, police say they found at least two guns inside of the nightclub. They say he used a long rifle. That was as much as they will share about the guns that they found and what they believe he used.

The District Attorney there says that they believe that he acted alone. A motive, Jim, though is still unclear. Now of course, people are looking into this as being a potential hate crime because this was an LGBTQIA nightclub. This is a gay nightclub, and we all remember what happened at the Pulse nightclub and the gay club there in Orlando back in June 2016 when 49 people were killed there.

So now, we still have questions about the motive, but the District Attorney says they will be pursuing all avenues and likely first- degree murder charges against the suspect who is still alive and in police custody -- Jim.

ACOSTA: All right, Nadia Romero, thanks very much.

With me now is Colorado Governor Jared Polis.

Governor, thanks so much for being here. Our sympathies obviously, go out to people of Colorado and I know you called this shooting "sickening." Is there anything more you can tell us about the victims? Where this investigation stands? What is known about the potential motivation for what happened?

GOV. JARED POLIS (D-CO): You know what, what a shocking thing to wake up to just around midnight, just horrific tragedy occurred really, really an act of unmitigated evil. And, it looks like we've lost five people and I know there are a couple others who remain in critical condition, our prayers are with them, and many more injured, traumatized, and an entire community traumatized and frankly, really, LGBTQ people across the country, seeing what happened in Orlando and now happened here.

[15:05:13]

POLIS: This was just a place of safety for people. It was a place where people could, in a conservative community often get the acceptance that too many of them might not have had at home or in their other circles and to see this occur really just put us all in a state of shock here in Colorado and across the country.

ACOSTA: No question about it, and police are trying to determine if the suspect was the same Anderson Lee Aldrich, who was arrested in 2021 on charges of felony menacing and first-degree kidnapping after his mother said he threatened her with a homemade bomb, multiple weapons, and ammunition. No weapons were found at that time.

Can you tell us anything more about this? We believe this is the same person.

POLIS: Yes. Everything that I've heard indicates it is the same person. We don't yet know the motivation for this particular attack, but there is no good motivation, right? I mean, this is an act of evil, a horrific act, whether they were targeted because it was an LGBTQ gathering place, or whether it was targeted for other personal reasons, we simply don't know that at this hour.

For those who want to help across the country, you can go to ColoradoHealingFund.org. ColoradoHealingFund.org. We're putting together resources for the victims, for their families. I spoke to the club owners this morning.

Colorado is strong, we are resilient, but this is really a time of need for so many people that were directly affected by this.

ACOSTA: And you said we don't understand clearly what the motivation was behind this, but police say they are investigating whether or not this was a hate crime. And as you were just saying, places like Club Q supposed to be safe spaces from discrimination.

You're one of the few LGBTQ Governors in the nation right now. Can you describe the impact a tragedy like this has on the community?

POLIS: Well, you know, Colorado Springs, a city of about 500,000 people has a strong LGBTQ community, but it's also very intimate. People know one another, right? I mean, I think almost everybody in the El Paso, County community, either know somebody or know somebody who knows somebody who was injured or was there that night.

There are only two gay bars, gay clubs in the city of 500,000. So, this was one of the main venues. Everybody knew it. I knew it. You know, I know this venue and it's just shocking, and that is still setting in for people.

But I know we're going to bounce back. We're showing love for one another. We're showing healing for one another. There is already a vigil this morning. I attended virtually at a Universalist Church in the area.

People are coming together with love and an outpouring of support for the victims and the families and those who are traumatized.

ACOSTA: And police say, two heroes inside the club confronted the suspect, fought with him, was able to stop him. Have you spoken to those people? What more can you tell us about that?

POLIS: Yes. I'm sure that there'll be more information and identities coming forward, but I've publicly thanked the several people that were responsible for physically apprehending the suspect and containing him until police arrived within minutes, by the way. I want to thank the Colorado Springs Police Department responding within minutes of the call.

But yes, the carnage would have been worse if not for the heroic acts that occurred, and I'm confident that in the coming hours and days, we will have a more detailed timeline to express our gratitude more specifically.

ACOSTA: And Governor, in a statement about the shooting, President Biden said we must address the public health epidemic of gun violence in all of its forms.

As you know, Governor, you've been a public official there in that State for quite a number of years now. And this is obviously not the first mass shooting like this in Colorado. It seems to keep happening over and over again. What more needs to be done?

POLIS: Well, again, we'll learn about the specifics of this instance, just as we do for any. Colorado has a Red Flag Law. What that means is, if you have a loved one or friend that is experiencing a mental health crisis, that you believe could be a danger to themselves or to others, they can temporarily have their custody of their guns removed. That could have been something that might have been available to those who saw warning signs, if there were warning signs in this case.

We need to do a better job as a State publicizing and getting information out about what to do if your son or daughter if your neighbor, if your friend is acting in a way where you feel that they might use their weapons to cause harm to themselves or others.

That law was successfully used several hundred times, and I know that it has prevented self-harm and violence in our State. We need to make sure more people are aware of what it can do.

[15:10:04]

ACOSTA: And let me ask you this, I know we've been saying that we don't know the true motive here, as of yet, or at least police have not released that to the public, but as you know, in recent weeks, a lot of anti-LGBTQ commentary has been out there in the public discourse, it was out there leading up to the Midterm Elections.

Again, we don't know whether or not that had anything to do with this, but that kind of commentary, that kind of activity, those sorts of vile remarks appear to be on the rise in this country and I wonder if you had any thoughts on that?

POLIS: Well, look, I think we really need to show our love and respect for one another, regardless of somebody's ideology or faith, regardless of who they are, who they love. We're all in this together. We're all Americans. We all have this great sense of unity.

We need to show that love for our brothers and sisters and overcome those forces of hate to try to pit one group of people against another.

ACOSTA: Absolutely, no question about it. We need more of that in this country desperately right now.

Governor Jared Polis, thanks so much for your time. All of our thoughts are with the folks out there in Colorado. Appreciate you taking the time to join us this afternoon. We appreciate it.

POLIS: Thank you. I wish it was under happier circumstances.

ACOSTA: Me too. All right, thanks, Governor. Thanks so much.

All right, six years ago, we were covering another mass shooting at a gay nightclub in America. Coming up, a survivor of the Pulse Nightclub shooting in Orlando reacts to the tragic events in Colorado Springs.

Stay right there.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:15:40]

ACOSTA: Updating you on our top story, five people are dead, 25 injured after a mass shooting at an LGBTQ club in Colorado Springs. The motive remains unclear, but this is not the first time a gay club in the United States has been the scene of a mass shooting.

My next guest is a survivor of the Pulse Nightclub shooting in 2016 that left 49 people dead in what is the second deadliest mass shooting in American history.

Brandon Wolf is now a gun safety advocate and the Vice President of the Dru Project, a nonprofit named in honor of the friend he lost in the shooting. Brandon, thanks for joining us so much in such difficult news to hear out of Colorado Springs.

We just heard from the Governor there a few moments ago. What are your thoughts on what happened there? We don't -- obviously, we don't know the motive at this point. But obviously, this just shatters what had been a safe space for people in that community.

BRANDON WOLF, GUN SAFETY ADVOCATE AND VICE PRESIDENT OF DRU PROJECT: Yes, that's right. Thanks so much for having me.

You know, I know that the term "safe space" has sort of become perverted over time, and that right-wing trolls online use it almost like an insult toward people that if you need a safe space, you must not be tough enough to handle the world as it is, but the truth is that for us, for our community, safe spaces, our lifelines. They are the refuges we carve out, especially in a world that treats us with hatred and discrimination every time we walk out the door.

So, when I heard the news this morning, first, of course, I was heartbroken. Heartbroken for those who will have an empty seat at their Thanksgiving dinner table this week, heartbroken for those that will have a missing stocking from their fireplace, heartbroken for those that had to call parents and tell them that their children were not coming home.

And then I was filled with rage and fury, because we've spent the last two plus years being told by right-wing extremists in this country and the politicians who serve at their pleasure that LGBTQ people are a threat that must be contained.

And when you pump that kind of dehumanizing, demoralizing rhetoric into the atmosphere, when you supercharge the political environment to make it as hostile as possible toward LGBTQ people, eventually, someone has to pay the price. For these politicians, it may be short- term political gain, but for our community, it comes with real lived consequences.

So I'm feeling heartbroken today. My heart goes out to that community and I'm also feeling very angry that we live in a society, in a world, in a country that continues to put LGBTQ people in danger.

ACOSTA: And why do you suppose that is because I was talking about this with the Governor a few moments ago, a lot of that kind of anti- LGBTQ rhetoric was in the public discourse and the political discourse, right up until the Midterms. It was being used as a wedge, obviously, by some on the right unsuccessfully, it looks like because that red wave never materialized.

And we don't know the motive, obviously in what took place in Colorado Springs just yet. Police have not disclosed it. But as you said, it has an impact on society.

WOLF: Yes. It does. And you know, what's unfortunate is that it's very short sighted from those politicians. Now, right-wing extremists have always wanted to rollback progress on LGBTQ Civil Rights. They saw the marriage equality ruling, the non-discrimination protection ruling from the Supreme Court, those things as assault on their agenda.

And so they were in their war rooms, they were sitting around tables, trying to figure out how to peel back the layers of that progress. And they discovered that, you know, there may be a path there to build it on the backs, especially of transgender and non-binary people.

But for the politicians who have sold out to this agenda of hate, I think it is a couple fold. First of all, they don't have any real policies to run on. They are not solving people's actual problems. They complain about a lot of things, but they don't put real solutions forward, and they are looking for the cheapest, fastest way to help shore up their base, to stir up fervor so they can win future election cycles.

And again, while it is cynical and short sighted on their part, we have to pay the consequences for that we have to live the consequences of militarized hate violence that's then been emboldened by this dangerous rhetoric.

ACOSTA: And Brandon, you've also written extensively about the trauma and guilt that comes with surviving a mass shooting, what would you say to sort of lives in Colorado Springs right now who are dealing with that?

[15:20:03]

WOLF: Well, part of what breaks my heart is that I know what they're going to go through. I know what it's going to feel like when the world descends on them for a week or so and it feels like there's chaos. And then I know what it feels like when those cameras go away.

So, you know, what I would recommend, first of all, is ask for the help that you need, even when the cameras go away and, you know, folks go back about their daily lives. There are communities like ours that are going to be here for you. You just have to reach out, ask for the help you need, seek out the resources that you deserve.

And second of all, lean on each other. I think, you know, I've said it very often that communities saved my life more than once, and it wasn't just the big shows of community, it was the little things like someone bringing me some fresh food or offering to help me do my laundry. It was people showing kindness and care for me.

So you're going to need each other right now and in the days, weeks, and years that are to follow. Don't be shy about leaning on each other and asking for the help that you need. We're all here for you.

ACOSTA: It's a very important message.

All right, Brandon Wolf, thanks for your time. We appreciate it very much.

WOLF: Thank you.

ACOSTA: All right, coming up, a split Congress and members of the far right-wing of the GOP are now pushing moderate members to adopt their agenda inside the wrangling now underway and the few weeks left before the new Congress takes over.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:25:45]

ACOSTA: Democratic Congressman Hakeem Jeffries is beginning to speak out on how he will be carrying the party's agenda moving forward now that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is stepping back from her leadership post.

On CNN's "State of the Union," Jeffries addressed one challenge as the likely new Minority Leader dealing with a Republican-controlled House.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: There is going to be because of the narrow majority that House Republicans are going to have, the far right wing, the MAGA Caucus is going to be empowered and emboldened. It's going to make it tougher for McCarthy to govern as Speaker if he does in fact become Speaker.

If Kevin McCarthy needs votes to pass essential legislation, such as keeping the government open or raising the debt limit, will Democrats be willing to help him if the Freedom Caucus folks, the Marjorie Taylor Greene's of the world refuse to participate?

REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-NY): Well, it seems to me that that's a case by case basis, but Democrats have always been willing to lean in on making sure that we fully fund the government and Democrats have always been willing to lean in in making sure that we meet our nation's obligations and do not default on our debt for the first time in American history.

I think it's also important to point out, Jake, that we have consistently fought against extremism on the Republican side, including when it manifested itself often during the former President's tenure, while at the same time being able to find common ground to make progress for the American people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: And joining me now is a man who has held many titles in his career, including Secretary of Defense, CIA Director, White House Chief-of-Staff. He also served 16 years in the House, Leon Panetta. Thanks so much for being with us once again.

Let me just start with President Biden and what the Democrats are facing. A GOP-controlled House where Kevin McCarthy because of his slim majority is facing pressure from far-right members who want to investigate everything from the Biden family, business dealings to the Afghanistan withdrawal to the FBI's search at Mar-a-Lago.

If you're in Ron Klain's shoes over there at the White House, what are you thinking, looking down Pennsylvania Avenue right now?

LEON PANETTA, FORMER US SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: Well, the most important question to answer is whether or not the Republicans are interested in governing, or are they interested in raising hell?

You know, I think the message coming out of these Midterms is that the American people are tired of extremism, they are tired of undermining our democracy. They really do want both parties to work together in order to govern.

And so I think, it is very important for the White House to try to reach out to the Republicans, obviously, to the Democratic leadership, and see whether or not there is a willingness to work together on major issues facing the country. That'll be the test, not only for the Congress, but for the White House.

ACOSTA: And if not? I mean, could this be a Godsend to Joe Biden, if he's thinking about running for reelection?

PANETTA: Well, you know, I was Chief-of-Staff when, when the Congress went Republican after the first two years of the Clinton administration, and although the President obviously was despondent at the time, he also recognized that it might be an opportunity to be able to work together with Republicans, and try to get some things done, and that is exactly what happened and it led to the President's reelection.

So, I think that President Biden understands that message. I think, you know, in his guts, he wants to be able to see if he can try to work with both sides to get things done. He knows that the purpose of being President, the purpose of being elected, is to try to solve the problems in the country.

So I think President Biden is going to try to explore opportunities for trying to see if there can be compromise.

ACOSTA: And in a single week, we learned that former President Donald Trump was running for President again and that a Special Counsel have been appointed to investigate both his actions around the January 6th attack and his handling or mishandling of classified documents taken to Mar-a-Lago. Trump had this response. Let's listen.

[15:30:14]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This horrendous abuse of power is the latest in a long series of witch hunts. They want to do bad things to the greatest movement in the history of our country, but in particular, bad things to me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: I guess adding to that, his tweets leading up to January 6th are visible again, because his Twitter account was restored by Elon Musk.

What do you think? I mean, you know, is this -- are we seeing the potential for Trump to wreak more havoc over the next couple of years? PANETTA: Well, I don't think there is any question. That's the way Trump operates. It is through chaos and through havoc. And as you heard in his remarks, there is absolutely no kind of argument with regards to his innocence, but with regards to the charges that are being investigated.

He is just basically accusing whoever is investigating him of being political. I think that the reality is that this President -- President Trump has to be held accountable for the things that he did. And he has spent a lifetime avoiding accountability. And he's going to try to do that, again, by trying to just raise chaos in the political world.

I think that game has been overplayed by President Trump and I think the American people recognize that and I don't think it's going to play the same way it has played in the past.

ACOSTA: Do you think the Attorney General Merrick Garland was being a tad too cautious in naming a Special Counsel?

PANETTA: Well, he was in a difficult position no matter what he did. If he went ahead with the prosecution on his own, I'm sure that President Trump would make the same accusations against the Attorney General.

On the other hand, I do think that, frankly, in order to be fair and objective in this investigation a Special Counsel, I believe is warranted. It's going to take some additional time. I recognize that, but I really do think that the better course here is to have a Special Counsel handle the prosecution on both Mar-a-Lago as well as January 6th.

ACOSTA: I want to move to another story. The US has determined that the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman should be granted immunity in a case brought against him by the fiancee of Jamal Khashoggi, "The Washington Post" journalist who the Biden administration has said was murdered at the Prince's direction.

The argument was that MBS is a sitting head of government, but the reaction has been fierce. Amnesty International, saying the US government should "hang its head in shame. This is nothing more than a sickening, total deep betrayal." What's your take on this?

PANETTA: Well, I think what the administration did, what the White House did was to basically follow precedent in this situation with regards to a world leader.

Now it doesn't mean that they have to give up in terms of putting pressure on the head of Saudi Arabia, particularly with regards to the Khashoggi matter. I do think that there are other ways to approach this in terms of making sure that the full story comes out as to what happened.

I understand though, the precedent issue, when you start deciding to prosecute the head of a nation, it can backfire on a lot of countries, including the United States. So I understand the reasoning for why they took the position they did, but it is not an excuse for letting up on the pressure that has to be brought on Prince Salman for what happened with Khashoggi.

ACOSTA: All right, Leon Panetta, great to have those insights, as always, we appreciate your time.

PANETTA: Thank you. Good to be with you, Jim.

ACOSTA: All right. Good to see you, sir.

All right, up next, the continued chaos at Twitter may be about to get even more chaotic.

Scott Galloway joins me next to discuss.

You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:38:35]

ACOSTA: It hasn't even been a month since Elon Musk took over Twitter, but it has been an onslaught of absolute chaos. Just in the past three weeks, Musk has laid off thousands of employees and finding out by being remotely logged out of their work laptops. The paid verification service, Twitter rolled out then was delayed just days later.

He sent an ultimatum telling employees to work extremely hardcore or leave. Musk closed all Twitter offices until Monday and suspended badge access amid reports of a mass exodus of staff.

He then summoned software engineers to the headquarters for an urgent meeting and last night, oh yes, by the way, he restored former President Donald Trump's Twitter account.

And with me now to talk about all this is Scott Galloway, Professor of marketing at NYU Stern School of Business and cohost of "The Pivot Podcast." He's also the author of "Adrift: America in 100 Charts."

Scott, just running through everything that Elon Musk has done over the past few weeks, I'm just exhausted reading the list. You were saying on the show last week that you wouldn't be surprised if Twitter went down in the next week. What are you thinking now?

SCOTT GALLOWAY, PROFESSOR OF MARKETING, NYU STERN SCHOOL OF BUSINESS AND COHOST OF "THE PIVOT PODCAST": Yes, I was tempted to buy a head of lettuce and do the same thing they did with Prime Minister Truss, and I want to be clear, you know, Twitter will survive in some form, but when you lay off this many people this quickly, it seems to me that there is real collateral damage or there is a nonzero probability you have a fairly significant technical glitch.

You're already seeing it kind of on the edges. The site feels a little bit more buggy right now, but yes, I don't -- I just wouldn't be surprised if the site went down. [15:40:10]

GALLOWAY: And also, Jim, I think it's important to remember, Twitter is not a national treasure. If Twitter were to go away, and I don't think it will, I think we'd be all right. I think you're going to see a bunch of competitors pop up in the next few months, because so many advertisers are looking for an option as are consumers.

But yes, it's the agent of chaos. I think you'd rather kill a live puppy on Twitter space and not be the headline every 48 hours and he manages to do it and we take the bait.

ACOSTA: Yes. You just have to wonder because it's the kind of platform I think people want to use. But this this one, maybe not so much after everything that has been going on. And last night, case in point, Musk restored former President Donald Trump's Twitter account after hosting a poll asking users whether to reinstate it.

He used a Latin quote that means the voice of the people is the voice of God. I guess he didn't, maybe the voice of the bots doesn't translate from Latin or into Latin. But I mean, you've spoken about some of these issues before with Musk. He has got a cult following and so on, and then he puts Trump back on.

What do you think? What were your thoughts? When you saw that? I guess it was not a shocker.

GALLOWAY: Well, the statement in Latin that the people have spoken, I would argue that the GRU has spoken. We don't know who voted in this poll, and also his polls are kind of like a drunk using a lamppost more for support than illumination.

He took a poll around whether he should sell Tesla stock, and then it came out in subsequent filings that he had been selling all along. This was just purely a stunt. And also, Jim, we don't know what this means. We don't know if the account is going to be restored.

It is just he said so many things that he goes back on or reverses on. Now, there is some question as to whether Trump can even be on the platform because of his agreement with Truth Social. But again, the key here is that he manages to be in the headlines every 48 hours.

The other thing we have to remember is among a small group of influential people, kind of the chattering class in media and in academia, you know, we're addicted to Twitter. I don't know how you feel about it, but I will get off this segment, Jim and the first thing I will do is check Twitter, right?

People under the age of 25, Twitter is pretty much irrelevant. I mean, everything from Snap to Instagram to much less TikTok, absolutely dwarf it. So, it gets a lot more attention and heat than the actual size of the landmass here.

It's mostly irrelevant to an emerging generation of consumers.

ACOSTA: But let me ask you this, because I was -- you know, I thought it was interesting when Trump's account was restored, it was put back on the site, and you could go through the tweets leading up to when his account was suspended indefinitely.

And I was at the White House. I remember covering this when his account was suspended. But if you go back and look at the tweets now leading up to I think it was January 8th, it's almost like following the breadcrumbs to the scene of the crime of what happened on January 6, you know, just inciting people, telling them to come to the Capitol and all this stuff about overturning the election results.

How dangerous, do you think it is to allow Trump back on Twitter?

GALLOWAY: Well, I think it's getting less dangerous because I think quite frankly, he is just becoming less relevant and losing followers as you've been reporting for the last 48 hours.

You know, when crazy leaves crazy town, when Lauren Boebert decides to endorse DeSantis you know, he's in trouble. So, I think he's actually less of a threat.

But let's be clear, this free speech blather he has been talking about has absolutely no resonance, it is totally illogical. This is the private square, not the public square.

If anything, he has reduced free speech and when Trump's account was removed, we saw 30 to 60 percent of election misinformation and disinformation go away overnight. And if you were to look, if you were to take the least moderated platform, 4chan, to the most moderated, TikTok, and then fill out in between with Gettr, Rumble, Parler, Twitter, Instagram, there is a direct correlation between more moderation and growth and profitability.

So the notion -- so he is putting him back on the platform, fine. I don't think it's a good business move. I personally am going to enjoy it because I like watching -- I want a front row seat to the continued undoing of the former President, but it's not a responsible thing to do. You're not serving stakeholders of the country by putting -- by massively increasing election misinformation across a platform. That will start the moment this account that Trump is back tweeting misinformation.

ACOSTA: That's right. And to think that he's going to do otherwise is just not dealing with reality. I mean, that is just who he is.

And before we go, I have to ask you about another part of the tech world that is having some issues, and maybe frustrating more Americans and letting Trump back on Twitter and that is Ticketmaster.

GALLOWAY: Yes.

ACOSTA: The Justice Department has launched an antitrust investigation amid this fiasco with the Taylor Swift tickets. I will tell you something, over the last -- what -- 48 to 72 hours, if there is one thing that I heard over and over again, it is just, you know, people, their blood boiling over what happened with Ticketmaster and Taylor Swift. What was your reaction to that? And what is the deal with Ticketmaster just being like this, I mean, this monopoly that just dominates our lives? If we want to go to a concert, we've got to go through these guys and they charge us out the yin-yang.

[15:45:29]

GALLOWAY: War in Ukraine, a peaceful transfer of power being threatened -- these are meaningful. But what's profound is the risk that you might not be able to get a ticket for the Taylor Swift concert. It has been unbelievable how much attention this received.

The interesting thing is you referenced what will come out of this, this antitrust scrutiny and that is when Live Nation merged with Ticketmaster in 2010, they consolidated 70 percent of the market. And if you want to understand the power of a monopoly on consumer harm, or how it increases consumer prices, just look at the fees that are added to your ticket, when you check out almost anything, when you're going to a sports game or a concert, they have 70 percent of the market.

So while we're focused on Big Tech, there's Big Ag, there's Big Pharma and there's Big Event and that is Live Nation. Seventy percent of a sector this big is just -- you've got to believe that this is going to get the scrutiny it deserves.

It should likely be broken up. These fees need to come down and also kind of exhibit number one will be that this company doesn't have a lot of incentive to make the requisite investments in technology, because at the end of the day, we're all going to pile back in on Monday when the site is back up.

This is overdue scrutiny across a variety of sectors because the DOJ and the FTC have been asleep at the switch and have forgotten our proud legacy of antitrust.

ACOSTA: Yes. All right, well, we'll see what happens because obviously I mean, people -- if there is one thing that just about everybody can agree on, it is that this is a system that does not work.

All right, Scott Galloway, thanks very much as always. We appreciate it.

Up next, the 2022 World Cup is officially underway. We will take you live to Doha next for the highlights and the controversies and why a British comedian shredded $11,000.00 in cash in protest. That's next.

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[15:51:38]

ACOSTA: World Cup soccer officially underway right now in Doha and the US Men's National Team is getting ready for their opening match with strong support from the American soccer-fan-in-chief, President Biden called the team to wish them well as they face off against Wales on Monday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It says "POTUS" that's where it's coming from.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sir, you have US Men's National Soccer Team.

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Coach, put me in, I'm ready to play. You guys, I know you're the underdog, but I'll tell you what, man, you've got some of the best players in the world on your team and you're representing this country and I know you're going to play your hearts out so let's go shock them all.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Let's go.

The first batch of the World Cup is already in the books with host team Qatar, losing to Ecuador in the opener and although sports is the whole focus of the World Cup, the tournament's location is creating controversy that threatens to eclipse some of the athletics on the field.

Our Don Riddell joins me now from Doha. Don, what is the atmosphere been like so far?

DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT HOST: The atmosphere around Doha, Jim, is building up really nicely. I can tell you I've been wandering around in the souk behind me and it's a lot of fun. You can hear the drums and the trumpets and there's more and more people coming in, and it's quite a lively atmosphere.

The atmosphere at the game tonight, though, not so much. It was pretty flat if you had kind of an overview of the Stadium especially with the home team playing so badly. They actually had the ball in the back of their own net after three minutes VAR saved them The goal was ruled out. But Ecuador were up thanks to a penalty after 15 minutes.

A terrific opening ceremony here by the way, which was more like an Olympic opening ceremony than a World Cup opening ceremony, which don't tend to be that good, but this one was very well produced. Not such a great night for the home team though, losing two nil to Ecuador and, Enner Valencia scoring ties for the Ecuadorians.

This was a game that Ecuador really needed to win. It was their easy game in this group. Their next games are going to be much harder against Senegal and the Netherlands. And so Ecuador, I'm sorry Qatar are becoming the first host nation ever to lose the opening game. Really not a good night for them at all.

It looks like we've got the highlights now that we can take a look at. Yes, that was a terrific goal there from Enner Valencia putting the Ecuador side two nil up and that is how this one finished --Jim.

ACOSTA: And Don, a British comedian tweeted a video of himself shredding $11,000.00 Because he didn't get a response from David Beckham about Beckham's role as a Qatar World Cup Ambassador. Help me out here. What's going on? Did he really shred that kind of money? RIDDELL: Yes, he did. I mean, the point he was trying to make here is that 10,000 pounds, $11,000 really isn't that much given the amount of money that David Beckham has earned throughout his career.

Beckham has been criticized in many quarters for partnering with Qatar to promote this country, especially given the Human Rights situation. The fact that homosexuality is illegal in this country. David Beckham has gained a lot of fame out of being a gay icon and this comedian, Joe Lycett basically said to him, "If you don't disengage yourself from Qatar, you are shredding your reputation as a gay icon and therefore I am going to shred 10,000 pounds to make a point."

And he did it. He didn't get a response from Beckham, so he did it tonight. It was just an extraordinary scene, wasn't it? Quite surreal and I would argue, it's the most memorable thing involving a chipper since Fargo. Is that your $11,000.00 in the chipper?

[15:55:16]

ACOSTA: Yes. That was not $11,000.00 in the woodchipper in Fargo, but I do get the reference. It will say no more. This is a family program.

Don Riddell, thanks so much. Thanks, sir. We really appreciate it.

We'll be right back.

RIDDELL: Thanks.

ACOSTA: We're back in a moment.

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