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Trump Taps Susie Wiles as Chief of Staff; Biden delivers Upbeat Message after Trump Victory; U.S. Braces for Tariffs, Deportations, Government Cuts; Russian President Signals Willingness to Talk to Trump; Israelis and Palestinians React to Trump Election Victory; Trump Allies Lay Groundwork for Mass Deportation; Latinos in Arizona Weigh in on Trump's Win; Officials Investigating Cause of Fast-Moving California Fire; Massive Cleanup Underway after Floods in Spain; Fed Chair Refuses to Discuss Election. Aired 12-1a ET
Aired November 08, 2024 - 00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm Michael Holmes, coming to you live from Atlanta. Appreciate your company.
[00:00:58]
Coming up here on CNN NEWSROOM, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump feeling emboldened and believing he has a mandate after winning his country's popular vote.
Russian President Vladimir Putin declares a new world order is underway while congratulating a, quote, "courageous Trump" for his victory.
And powerful winds, combined with bone-dry conditions, fuel dangerous wildfires ripping through Southern California.
ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Michael Holmes.
M. HOLMES: And we begin here in the U.S., where Donald Trump is reportedly reveling in his election victory, feeling emboldened by winning the popular vote.
Sources and aides telling CNN Trump feels he now has a mandate and that most Americans want his policies.
Trump has also reportedly been basking in the flattery he has received in calls with more than a dozen foreign leaders, with another source adding, quote, "He feels like he's getting the respect and recognition he deserves."
The president-elect has picked campaign manager Susie Wiles as his White House chief of staff. That coming as sources say Trump allies and the private sector are quietly preparing for large-scale plans to detain and deport migrants living in the U.S.
More now from CNN's Kristen Holmes.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday named his first White House position and potentially the most important one, naming Susie Wiles the chief of the --
K. HOLMES: -- the chief of staff to the White House. She's actually going to be the first female chief of staff in the history of the country.
She is somebody who has been loyal to him for years, somebody who served as his co-chair of his campaign, and somebody who was really there next to the former president. And when he was --
K. HOLMES: -- saw Republicans across the party try to distance themselves from the former president.
Now, I do want to read you the statement that Donald Trump put out on his naming of Susie Wiles. He said --
K. HOLMES (voice-over): -- "Susie Wiles just helped me achieve one of the greatest political victories in American history, and was an integral part of both my 2016 and 2020 successful campaigns."
President Trump said, "Susie is tough, smart innovative and is universally admired and respected. Susie will continue to work tirelessly to make America great again. It is a well-deserved honor to have Susie as the first ever female chief of staff in United States history. I have no doubt that she will make our country proud."
K. HOLMES: The one thing to keep in mind about Susie Wiles is that we have learned from sources that she did have some stipulations in taking this job, essentially saying that she wasn't -- she wanted to make sure she had control of the clown car, that they wouldn't have access to the White House at all times.
And that is something that we saw in the first administration, that these controversial --
K. HOLMES (voice-over): -- outside figures who caused problems for Donald Trump had free reign at the White House. And something Susie did during the campaign was essentially try and stop that kind of chaos around former President Donald Trump.
She always had said to sources that she knew she couldn't control candidate Trump. However, she felt she could control --
K. HOLMES: -- some of the people and circumstances around him.
This really sets the tone for what the administration is going to look like. Susie is well-respected across the political spectrum. We'll obviously see how the rest of these namings of appointments, of putting forward candidates goes in the next several days.
Kristen Holmes CNN, West Palm Beach, Florida.
(END VIDEOTAPE) M. HOLMES: The current U.S. president, Joe Biden, is trying to calm fears, meanwhile, about the Democratic process as he prepares for a visit from President-elect Trump.
He addressed the nation from the Rose Garden on Thursday, saying Americans must accept the choice the country made.
CNN's M.J. Lee with details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
M.J. LEE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Over the years, we've heard President Joe Biden frequently use this following line when talking about --
LEE (voice-over): -- former President Donald Trump.
Quote, "You can't love your country only when you win." This was always a reference to Donald Trump's refusal to accept his loss in 2020 and questioning the integrity of the American election system.
[00:05:06]
But on Thursday when we heard President Biden saying this line in the Rose Garden here at the White House, the audience was clearly not Donald Trump this time, but the millions of Americans across the country disappointed --
LEE: -- by this week's election results.
And the president said, look, I know that a lot of people are feeling disappointed, and they are upset. But despite those feelings being valid, the president said, everybody has to accept the results of this week's election. This is what he said.
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Campaigns are contests of competing visions. The country chooses one or the other. We accept the choice the country made.
Remember, a defeat does not mean we are defeated. We lost this battle. The America of your dreams is calling for you to get back up.
LEE: Now, over the course of the last few days, we have spoken with a number of Democrats who are fully blaming President Biden for Kamala Harris's defeat to Donald Trump --
LEE (voice-over): -- saying that Democrats would not be in this position, had President Biden decided not to seek a second term and really held to his promise initially of being a transition and a bridge president.
There has been anger particularly directed at the president and some of the close advisers around him for having questioned and really not tolerated any kind of criticism or questions about his health and his age. This is what one senior Harris campaign official told me. They said,
"The lack of a competitive process for a replacement, that he didn't allow for that to happen. People are still angry about the shunning that they took for speaking out earlier about him."
LEE: As Democrats are clearly starting this soul-searching process, the president's role in all of this is clearly going to be a big part of that.
M.J. Lee, CNN, at the White House.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
M. HOLMES: Joining me now is Ron Brownstein. He's CNN's senior political analyst and also senior editor for "The Atlantic."
Yes, here we are, sir. I mean, Trump -- Trump ran on radical plans from, you know, mass deportations to what economists say will be damaging policies, to gutting the federal bureaucracy, exacting revenge. What are you going to be looking for in his first weeks or months back in office?
RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Yes. You know, well, I think pretty clearly, what happened in the electorate was that people favored an unpredictable future over what they viewed as an unacceptable present.
You know, it wasn't, Michael, as if they did not hear the arguments against Trump. If you look at the exit polls and the vote cast, which is the other survey that's done of voters, you had a majority agree that he was going to steer the country in an authoritarian direction. You had a majority agree that he was too extreme.
A majority opposed mass deportation. A majority, a big majority, supported legal abortion. And a majority said government should be doing more to provide people with health care.
The problem for Democrats was that a significant slice of people in each case who held those views voted for him anyway --
M. HOLMES: Yes.
BROWNSTEIN: -- out of the belief that he would improve the economy, and he might not do all of those things that they didn't like.
Meanwhile, Trump is telling us on day one he is going to start deportations.
M. HOLMES: Yes.
BROWNSTEIN: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is kind of swaggering around about his influence over federal healthcare agencies. There might be a lot more breaking of windows than even the last few points of voters who voted for Trump expect.
M. HOLMES: Yes, yes. Listen to what he says, I think, is the -- BROWNSTEIN: Yes.
M. HOLMES: -- is the lesson, then. And we'll see what's going to happen.
The first time around -- and I was just talking about this with a professor -- that there were those around him who tempered his worst instincts. That's not going to happen this time. He's bringing the loyalists and the faithful, and some say, the extremists.
Do guardrails still exist to safeguard democratic and other institutions, to -- to stop the worst of what he's promised to do?
BROWNSTEIN: Well, I think they are almost completely eliminated. I mean, on every front.
You know, most importantly, this Supreme Court has -- with the six Republican appointees, have told him that he is essentially immune from criminal prosecution for anything that he does in office.
And in doing so, they also sent him a signal that they are probably not going to be reversing him very often on policy.
Obviously, you don't have Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan, who were the Republican leaders when he came in, who were resistant to many of his more extreme idea.
And he doesn't feel, in making appointments, that he has to make concessions to other power centers in the Republican Party, which -- which resulted in the appointment of some of those folks you mentioned, like John Kelly and Jim Mattis, who resisted many of his more extreme ideas.
[00:10:08]
In every possible way, he comes into office unbound.
And I mean, look at it even politically. I mean, he ran -- his central domestic policy proposal was mass deportation of undocumented migrants.
One quarter of Latinos exist, and are in mixed-status families, where at least some portion of the family is undocumented. And yet, his vote among Latinos increased notably from '20 to 2024. One-quarter of Latinos who said they oppose mass deportation voted for
him.
M. HOLMES: Wow.
BROWNSTEIN: He doesn't feel a lot of political constraint either, is my point. Not only is there not institutional constraint, there's less political constraint.
So, in a lot of different ways, you could see a much more aggressive Trump term, especially -- even right out of the gate. M. HOLMES: Yes. And he's not even -- and he doesn't -- he doesn't get
to run again. So -- well, he theoretically doesn't get to run again. I mean, this is the man.
BROWNSTEIN: Let's see. Let's see.
M. HOLMES: Yes. On the campaign trail, he also said, don't worry. You won't have to vote again if you reelect me.
In terms of the presidency, it's changed hands for the third time in eight years now. I think that's the biggest period of White House instability since the '70s.
How would you assess the political landscape in the U.S. right now, and where you think its headed or could be headed over the next four years?
BROWNSTEIN: Yes, I'm so glad you asked that, because we don't talk about it very much. We don't even really think about it very much.
But I believe we are living in the longest period in American political history where neither party has been able to establish a durable advantage over the other.
It's not only how frequently the White House has been changing hands. The Senate, neither party has controlled the Senate for more than eight consecutive years since 1980. That's never happened in American history. We've never gone 44 years when neither party has been able to control the Senate for more than eight consecutive years.
The last five times a president went into unified control of government, which Republicans might have again after this election, voters revoked it.
M. HOLMES: Yes.
BROWNSTEIN: The House majorities and the Senate majorities are becoming historically narrow.
We are in a period of extreme flux, because neither party really has been able to deliver the kind of stable economic growth and overall stability in the country that might allow them to build a lasting advantage over the other.
And this is by far -- this is not the last turn of the wheel. I mean, this was pretty much a reaction against disappointment in the economy and Biden's performance. I think that was the biggest single factor here, more than an affirmation of Trump and -- and other than the idea that he's going to bring down prices.
And if, you know, prices don't come down, and people don't feel economically more secure; and he goes ahead with some of the more polarizing ideas in his agenda, it wouldn't be a surprise to see this wheel turn again in 2026 and 2028.
M. HOLMES: Yes, let's see how those tariffs work. Ron Brownstein, good to see you, my friend. Thank you so much. Let's buckle up, and we'll talk again.
BROWNSTEIN: Thanks for having me.
M. HOLMES: Russia's president says a new world order is taking shape, Vladimir Putin claiming the Western-led post-Cold War era is giving away to a, quote, "complex world of multilateral cooperation."
During a forum in Sochi, {resident Putin also said he'd be willing to talk to Donald Trump, because his comments on Russia's war in Ukraine deserve attention.
However, the Kremlin downplayed earlier claims by Trump that under his leadership, the war could be resolved quickly.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DMITRY PESKOV, KREMLIN SPOKESPERSON: I proposed something in order to solve the Ukrainian crisis even before his inauguration. Of course, there was a little bit over-exaggeration that you would be able to do it overnight.
Certainly, there -- there's nothing that can heal this problem overnight.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
M. HOLMES: During the forum, President Putin said Russia is willing to work with any head of state who can, quote, "garner the trust of the American people."
CNN's Frederik Pleitgen picks up the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): After launching a massive attack aimed at the heart of Kyiv, Russian leader Vladimir Putin praising President-elect Donald Trump.
"I would like to take this opportunity to offer my congratulations on his election as president of the United States," Putin says.
"So you're willing to talk to Trump?" the moderator asks.
"Yes, we're ready," Putin says.
Indeed, President-elect Trump seems willing to talk to Putin, as well. Legendary journalist Bob Woodward writing in a recent book that the two men have had a number of phone calls, up to seven since Trump left office.
Trump reportedly gifting Putin COVID tests in the early days of the pandemic when those tests were scarce. And Trump himself has often praised his relations with the Russian president, even siding with Vladimir Putin over the U.S.'s own intelligence services after Russia's interference in the 2016 presidential election.
[00:15:07]
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES: My people came to me. Dan Coats came to me and some others. They said they think it's Russia.
I have President Putin. He just said, it's not Russia. I will say this. I don't see any reason why it would be.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): As Russia continues its full-on invasion of Ukraine, gaining ground especially on the Eastern front, the president-elect still saying he'd be able to end the war fast.
TRUMP: They're dying. Russians and Ukrainians. I want them to stop dying. And I'll have that done -- I'll have that done in 24 hours.
If we had a real president, a president that knew -- that was respected by Putin, he would have never -- he would have never invaded Ukraine.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): But the Ukrainians fear Trump might cut off military aid to Ukraine altogether, forcing the country into a de facto surrender and loss of territory.
TRUMP: Every time Zelenskyy comes to the United States, he walks away with $100 billion. I think he's the greatest salesman on earth.
But we're stuck in that war unless I'm president.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): And when pressed to answer whether he even wants Ukraine to win the war, Trump simply won't say.
TRUMP: I want the war to stop. I want to save lives.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Berlin.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
M. HOLMES: Jill Dougherty is a CNN contributor and former CNN Moscow bureau chief, as well as an adjunct professor at Georgetown University. Always good to see you, Jill.
We'll get to Ukraine specifically in a moment, but Vladimir Putin on Thursday hailed a new world order and the end of what he called unipolarity. How do you think Vladimir Putin is viewing Trump's election win and why?
JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, I mean, he's been talking about multipolarity for many, many years, so that's nothing new.
But I think, you know, it was quite obvious that Russia wanted Trump to win, but I thought the -- let's say, the theatricality of today was very interesting.
Because, again, he did not immediately jump in and say, "Congratulations, Mr. Trump." He waited a bit. And I would interpret that as, you know, Putin a little coy. He is a leader of a big country, too, and he doesn't have to wait on pins and needles for another president.
But that said, this relationship is extremely important and Ukraine at the top of the list, no question.
M. HOLMES: Yes. And to Ukraine, then. Donald Trump claimed he would end the war quickly if he was elected. In a day, he said. The Kremlin calling that an overexaggeration. No kidding.
But what could Trump's, quote, unquote, "end it in a day plan," in theory, look like. Presumably, not one Volodymyr Zelenskyy would like.
DOUGHERTY: Yes. Although we do not know the details. He hasn't really fleshed those out.
But from what people understand of it, it essentially would freeze everything in place, which means that the Russians would be holding the territory, the Ukrainian territory that they have, that they've won; and then they would somehow come to territorial concessions.
In other words, the Ukrainians would have to give up probably Donbas, that Eastern region, and -- and Crimea. And then there might be peacekeepers. It's a little unclear.
But you're right, Michael, that this would not be to the advantage of Ukraine at all. And that's why you see this kind of maneuvering right now by Zelenskyy to try to, you know, talk to Trump and say, you have to know that, you know, peace through strength. Mr. President, you've used those words yourself. And now have peace through strength. Strength for supporting Ukraine.
M. HOLMES: Yes.
DOUGHERTY: I don't know whether it will work, but that's -- that's what he's trying to do.
M. HOLMES: And there are any number of congressional Republicans who have, over the last couple of years, called for a reduction to or a stopping of U.S. aid to Ukraine completely.
I mean, the vice president-elect, J.D. Vance, said after Russia invaded in 2022, quote, "I don't really care what happens to Ukraine one way or another."
What -- what would a -- even a major cut, what would a major cut, let alone a cutting off altogether, of aid do on the battlefield?
DOUGHERTY: Well, the Ukrainians say that it would be disastrous.
And I think most outside observers believe that it would, because right now they're, you know -- they're getting as much as they can from the United States. They're getting help from Europe.
But if that -- if the United States stopped giving aid, it would be really very, very difficult. And that's a nightmare scenario for Zelenskyy.
M. HOLMES: And for Europe.
[00:20:00]
DOUGHERTY: Yes.
M. HOLMES: Yes, yes. You know, you mentioned, you know, the -- the idea of giving up Crimea or giving up the Donbas, that's not something that Zelenskyy would entertain.
But also, would it be something that -- that Putin would be OK with? Because the sense is he's not going to stop. He's going to -- he's going to want it all. And he might want, you know, places like Moldova or Georgia, where you were just at.
DOUGHERTY: Yes, well, he can continue to do that. He can try to nibble around the edges of those countries that used to be part of the Soviet Union; now are independent countries. Moldova and definitely Georgia.
But I think with Ukraine, you know, it's hard to say exactly what would satisfy Putin. But he ultimately will need a win, too. And he's already said Crimea is a no-go. We have to have Crimea. He's very, very serious and insists on keeping Donbas.
Maybe that would satisfy him, but you can bet that he would want to essentially freeze any possibility for Ukraine to join NATO. There would be no way that he would accept that. And probably just kind of neutralize Ukraine.
M. HOLMES: Yes. Yes, absolutely. Jill Dougherty, always good to see you. Thank you, my friend.
DOUGHERTY: Sure. Thank you.
M. HOLMES: As Mr. Putin hints at his readiness to talk to Trump, Ukraine's president says the Russian leader can't be trusted.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke at a European leaders' summit in Hungary on Thursday, saying that people like Mr. Putin always want more and more, and that making any concessions to him would be, quote, "suicidal for the whole of Europe."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: Insufficient weapons, not supporting talks. Hugs with Putin will not help. Some of the leaders have been hugging him for 20 years, and things are only getting worse.
He thinks only about wars and will not change. Only pressure can put limits on him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
M. HOLMES: Mr. Zelenskyy also said Ukraine will stay on track with its policy of peace through strength, not through concessions. And he said, while it's still unclear what Trump will do about the war, Ukraine hopes the U.S. will become stronger.
Israel's government demanding answers after Israeli football fans were reportedly attacked following a match in Amsterdam.
The Israeli government says hundreds of fans of the squad Maccabi Tel Aviv were, quote, "ambushed and attacked" overnight after a Europa League match against the Dutch side Ajax.
You're watching social media video shared by the Israeli embassy to the U.S. that CNN hasn't been able to verify. There is also video on social media of the Maccabi fans chanting anti-Arab slogans before the match.
Israel's foreign minister says ten nationals were injured, and police arrested about 30 people.
Prime Minister Netanyahu calling the violence serious and ordering two rescue planes to help evacuate those affected.
Still ahead, Donald Trump's election victory is sending shockwaves through the Middle East. His looming return to the White House likely to impact the war in Gaza and shake up the region. Israelis and Palestinians react after the break.
Also, Trump retook the White House with a promise to carry out the largest deportation in U.S. history. It will come with a heavy price tag, but his allies are already getting things started. That's also after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[00:25:56]
M. HOLMES: Israeli attacks killed dozens of Palestinians across Gaza in the last 36 hours, according to Gaza officials, including 27 people in one attack alone.
Local authorities say more than 50 people were sheltering in the building when it was hit.
CNN has asked Israel's military for comment.
New evacuation orders, meanwhile, imposed in Northern Gaza as the IDF carries out its weeks-long offensive, forcing thousands of civilians to flee South.
On Thursday, an Israeli airstrike hit a former school turned refugee shelter in Gaza, killing at least ten people. That was in Gaza City.
As it often does, the Israeli military claims the site was a Hamas command center.
Meanwhile, Israeli operations continue in central and Southern Gaza, the IDF claiming Thursday that what it said was a number of armed terrorists were killed in the Rafah area.
Some Israelis are celebrating, meanwhile, Donald Trump's return to the White House because of what it could mean for Israel's war in Gaza.
But many Palestinians say they have no hope there's going to be any change.
CNN's chief global affairs correspondent, Matthew Chance, with more from Jerusalem.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On the occasion of Donald Trump's presidency, God bless America. God bless Israel!
(GUNSHOTS)
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Some Israelis are feeling unleashed, like this soldier in Gaza, who the Israeli military says will be disciplined for this.
On Israeli TV, a pro-government news show celebrates with song.
An anchor toasts the U.S. president-elect. "We congratulate Donald Trump. The success of Israel is his success," he says.
For many here, it is a new era, free of Biden administration restraints on the Jewish state.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it's good for Israel. Yes, no doubt. It's better than Kamala Harris.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it's going to be a new era for the world, for Middle East, for Israel. Things are going to be -- things are going to change.
CHANCE (voice-over): In Gaza, that change couldn't come quick enough. This, the chaotic aftermath of an Israeli strike on the Nuseirat refugee camp.
Israel says it targets Hamas fighters, but the civilian cost continues to climb.
Trump has called on Netanyahu to end the conflict quickly, arguing Israel was losing the P.R. war. But few Gazans believe a Trump presidency will save them.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Trump will not be different than Biden. It's the same policy, the same mentality.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I hope he will be better, and the war will stop and reach a truce. We're already exhausted.
TRUMP: We had no wars. They said he will start a war. I'm not going to start a war. I'm going to stop wars.
CHANCE (voice-over): And it's that promise to stop war that may prove Trump's biggest challenge in the region where conflict shows little sign of easing. Matthew Chance, CNN, Jerusalem.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
M. HOLMES: When we come back, we'll take a closer look at some Latino voters supporting Donald Trump, despite his anti-immigration rhetoric. That's after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[00:31:51]
HOLMES: You're watching CNN NEWSROOM with me, Michael Holmes.
Well, he's got 73 days before he returns to the White House, but Donald Trump is already busy getting ready. The president-elect naming one key member of his transition team, and the speculation grows about who might be next on the list.
Brian Todd reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TRUMP: I love loyalty.
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Donald Trump's first pick for his new administration is a testament to his value of true loyalty.
TRUMP: Susie likes to stay in the background. She's not in the background.
TODD: Susie Wiles, Trump's co-campaign manager for 2024, who's just been named White House chief of staff, is called, quote, "tough, smart and innovative" by her boss and has been praised for running an efficient campaign.
LARRY SABATO, DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR POLITICS, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA: You want somebody, ideally, who knows you, who understands you, who can give you good advice, but who can also implement well, who can carry out directions. And she seems to be that type of person.
TODD (voice-over): A source says Wiles told Trump she would only take the job if she could have more control over who could reach him in the Oval Office.
KAROLINE LEAVITT, TRUMP CAMPAIGN SPOKESWOMAN: Hello, everybody. Hello.
TODD (voice-over): As for the public face of the Trump administration, Karoline Leavitt, who was Trump's campaign spokeswoman, is said to be in strong consideration for the significant job of White House press secretary.
For the position of attorney general, one of the most sensitive, important jobs in any administration, and one that Trump might use to go after his enemies, a name being floated is Ken Paxton, Texas's attorney general.
SABATO: I'd like to open a betting pool as to how many days -- not weeks, months or years -- it will take for Ken Paxton to start doing very controversial things that even Trump won't like.
TODD (voice-over): Like Trump, Paxton has been both indicted and impeached. Paxton was acquitted by the Texas state Senate for alleged retribution against whistleblowers, interference in federal investigations, and inappropriate favors done for donors.
For secretary of state, a key national security position, Trump's reportedly thinking of Florida Senator Marco Rubio, who's hawkish toward China and was a finalist to be Trump's running mate.
SABATO: I think most people think that would be a responsible choice. It would be somebody who does know international relations, who's been around these issues now ever since he got into the Senate.
TODD (voice-over): But what to do with Robert Kennedy Jr.? Trump's promised him a top public health position, but Trump advisers tell CNN Kennedy's already caused headaches for the Trump team. Like an interview he did with MSNBC just hours after Trump's victory speech.
ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR. (I), FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Their entire departments, like the nutrition department at FDA, that are -- that have to go.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: RFK Jr., if he has the president's ear, could put in place anti-vaxxers, anti-fluoride people above scientists.
TODD: CNN is reporting that inside Trump's camp, questions have been raised about whether Robert Kennedy Jr. could get confirmed or could get a security clearance if Trump wants to tap him for a cabinet-level position. And some doubt whether Kennedy would want to go through those processes.
One former Trump official briefed on the discussions tells CNN, if you dump a bear in Central Park and you think you're above the law, you don't want to go through that gantlet.
Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
M. HOLMES: Donald Trump made border security a key centerpiece of his campaign. And on Thursday night, he told NBC News that, when it comes to his plan to carry out what he describes as the largest deportation effort in American history, there, quote, "is no price tag."
[00:35:15]
As our Priscilla Alvarez reports, Trump allies are already starting to lay the groundwork.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Donald Trump has been clear that his first order of business is mass deportation. And now we are learning that quietly, behind the scenes, Trump allies, and some in the private sector, have been preparing for exactly that; essentially detaining and deporting migrants on a large scale.
Now, a key component of that is detention space. Of course, if the federal authorities arrest someone, they would also have to detain them before repatriating them to their home country.
And the private sector is involved, because the federal government often relies on contractors to manage these detention spaces. And that is part of the quiet preparations that are happening behind the scenes. And they are expected to ramp up in the days and weeks to come.
But current and former officials I've spoken with say that their -- the challenge here is also the money and the resources. That is why the federal government has not been able to do mass deportations in recent memory.
In addition to other concerns: for example, the impact it would have on the economy.
But practically speaking, the amount that it costs to apprehend, detain, process, and remove an undocumented immigrant, according to some analysis, is nearly $11,000. That's for one individual.
Now, a former official I spoke with said that, to do something at a big scale, the way that Donald Trump has said he wants to do, would cost millions, if not billions of dollars, and therefore, would be difficult to execute on, in addition to the need, for example, for more personnel.
Now, the Department of Homeland Security has reprogramed funds before, essentially, moving funds around to try to bolster their immigration enforcement. But again, doing something as big as mass deportation is costly.
All the same, though, preparations, sources say, are underway to try to execute on this, part of the discussion being to focus on those undocumented immigrants who have committed crimes in the U.S.
Another part of the discussion is whether to also include those undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as children, known as DREAMers.
Now that segment of the undocumented population has typically had bipartisan support, and some are protected -- temporarily protected -- under an Obama-era program.
But certainly, a lot of discussion underway as to how this first order of business would look like, one that Donald Trump has repeatedly talked about and has indicated that he intends on doing.
Priscilla Alvarez, CNN, Washington. (END VIDEOTAPE)
M. HOLMES: Latino men embraced Donald Trump at the ballot box, despite his anti-immigrant rhetoric and campaign promises of mass deportations and camps.
CNN's Ed Lavandera spoke with Latino and immigrant voters in Arizona about why they supported the president-elect.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In 2016, this happened at a Donald Trump rally in Arizona.
TRUMP: Look at that sign. "Latinos Support Trump." I love you. I love you.
LAVANDERA (voice-over): Next thing Betty Rivas knew, she was on stage with the future president.
TRUMP: I love her. I've fallen in love. Melania, I've fallen in love with her.
LAVANDERA (voice-over): Eight years later, Rivas remains fully enamored with the president-elect. Betty Rivas told us she felt a connection with Trump on that stage when they looked into each other's eyes.
Betty and her husband, Jorge, own Sammy's Mexican Grill near Tucson.
In this temple to Trump, they serve tacos and enchiladas and the popular MAGA Burger.
LAVANDERA: If someone were to come up to you and say, you're a Latino immigrant, how can you support Donald Trump?
JORGE RIVAS, OWNER OF SAMMY'S MEXICAN GRILL: I will tell him that the man loves this country.
LAVANDERA (voice-over): He says Trump speaks about the things he cares about: faith, family, and the economy.
J. RIVAS: I know he's not perfect. I know he's not like the pope.
We believe in, you know, teaching our kids about God, our Christian values, family values. And -- and the Democratic Party is embracing all the woke, left-leaning ideas that it doesn't go with our values.
LAVANDERA: I think there's going to be a lot of people who have a hard time hearing you say, I like Trump because of family values.
J. RIVAS: I don't go by his lifestyle. I don't go by what he has done.
LAVANDERA: Do you think it's the Democrats pushing Latinos to Trump, or is it Trump bringing in Latinos?
J. RIVAS: I think more Democrats are pushing Latinos to Trump.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
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LAVANDERA (voice-over): Tony Arias and Idelfonso Armenta are the host of a radio show called "Los Chavorrucos," which loosely translates to "Young Geezers," on Campesina radio network, which airs in five states.
They take dozens of calls a day on a radio station founded by the iconic labor organizer Cesar Chavez. And they've sensed Trump winning over Latinos in the last few years.
"Democrats did not impress people," said the caller. "Donald Trump spoke well and stole their hearts."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
LAVANDERA (voice-over): Another caller said, "I fought with my oldest son. He told me Trump is better than Kamala. I said I cannot accept that."
LAVANDERA: Are you seeing that it's a generational divide?
TONY ARIAS, RADIO HOST: I see a lot of young people voting for -- for Trump, because they -- they're thinking about the economy.
RAQUEL TERAN, FORMER DEMOCRATIC LEGISLATOR: We need to do a better job of engaging our communities.
LAVANDERA (voice-over): Raquel Teran is a former Democratic legislator in Arizona. She recently ran for Congress and spent months knocking on doors, trying to turn out Latino voters.
TERAN: What they're hearing from Trump is that there's going to be a better economy under his administration.
LAVANDERA (voice-over): The night after Donald Trump won reelection, Jorge Rivas told us about their path to becoming U.S. citizens.
He was born in El Salvador, granted asylum in the U.S. at age 17.
Betty immigrated from Mexico. Now, she thinks many migrants are lying and trying to take advantage of the asylum process. They want the immigration crisis fixed.
J. RIVAS: If they let in hundreds or thousands of people who already have criminal records, if deporting them creates a mass deportation, I'm all for it.
LAVANDERA: But what if, rounded up in all of that, are people who work on a farm? They're doing the jobs that Americans don't want to do. Does that -- does that worry you?
J. RIVAS: That wouldn't be fair. Of course, you know, they need to make sure that they don't throw away, they don't kick out, they don't deport people that are -- that are family-oriented.
LAVANDERA: The question that persists is why Donald Trump's history of offensive comments hasn't fully turned off Latino voters.
Some pointed out to us that younger Latino voters, in particular, don't know much about Trump, that they simply see him as a celebrity businessman.
And others also pointed out that many Latino immigrants come from countries with truly dangerous and evil political leaders, and they view Trump as much more harmless.
Ed Lavandera, CNN, Phoenix.
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M. HOLMES: A fast-moving fire is threatening the lives and property of millions of people in Southern California. We'll have details on that after the break.
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HOLMES: Fire officials say they're still trying to determine what caused the so-called Mountain Fire that is raging out of control in Southern California.
The fast-moving blaze began on Wednesday. At last check, it was only 5 percent contained.
Now officials at the main electric company are considering shutting off power to an additional 180,000 customers to prevent fallen power lines from starting or helping to spread the flames. Power has already been cut to nearly 70,000 customers.
[00:45:07]
More now from CNN's Nick Watt, in Southern California.
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NICK WATT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Millions of Californians facing extreme and life-threatening fire behavior. At the Mountain Fire just Northwest of L.A., nearly 20,000 acres burned.
More than 14,000 people under evacuation orders. Schools closed, a major highways closed. Still no count on just how many homes have been lost.
Another blaze burning in Malibu. Firefighters have somehow kept that contained.
Power intentionally cut to nearly 70,000 customers for fear of sparking even more blazes in bone-dry vegetation.
RICHARD GALANTE, LOST HOME IN MOUNTAIN FIRE: You can't even pick it up. WATT (voice-over): Richard Galante smelled smoke when he woke up
Wednesday.
GALANTE: The wind was so fierce it was unbelievable. I lived here all my life, and we're always used to winds, but lately, the last five years --
WATT: It got worse?
GALANTE: It got worse.
WATT (voice-over): By lunchtime, his house was gone.
GALANTE: There was no getting anything. My wife got one handbag. She didn't have any shoes.
WATT (voice-over): We were around here yesterday when wind-whipped flames ripped through this neighborhood.
WATT: This is not a back-country wildfire. We are in a city right now. The city of Camarillo, population around 70,000. These firefighters right now are trying to contain this blaze.
WATT (voice-over): This is a satellite image of the fire within an hour of ignition. And this a time lapse, showing how fast the blaze spread, scorching a football field's worth of land every three or four seconds, for seven hours.
Embers on the wind can burn one house to the ground while others around sit untouched. On his street, Richard Galante just happened to be the unlucky one.
WATT: Are you going to try to rebuild here?
GALANTE: I am going to rebuild.
WATT: You are?
GALANTE: What the (EXPLETIVE DELETED) am I going to go? Where am I going to go? The view's incredible. I knew it would happen someday.
You pay for certain things.
Unbelievable.
WATT: These fires are exceptionally hard to fight because of the wind. So, embers can travel three miles on that wind, land, and set another blaze.
There are other neighborhoods like this where, look, I mean, the wall of flames just barreled through here, destroying everything on this side of the street.
There are ten teams out right now, trying to figure out just how many homes have been lost. The wind has dropped. The wind will drop over the weekend. The
problem: the Santa Ana winds are forecast to pick up again at the beginning of next week.
So, people are anxious here and elsewhere in Southern California that there may be more of this to come.
Nick Watt, CNN, Camarillo, California.
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M. HOLMES: Hurricane Rafael is now in the Gulf of Mexico after landing a devastating blow in Cuba. It hit the island as a category 3 storm on Wednesday, temporarily knocking out power to the entire country.
Power now back on in parts of Eastern and central Cuba as hundreds of workers scrambled to restore service.
Since then, Rafael has moved West and weakened to a Category 2 storm. Forecasters expected to weaken further to a tropical storm in the coming days.
People in parts of Spain still struggling to clean up the destruction left from those deadly historic floods that swept the region more than a week ago.
Thousands of Spanish troops were deployed to the Eastern region to help volunteers clear mud from the streets and to help distribute supplies, including food, clothing and other items.
At least 219 people were killed. About 93 people are still missing.
CNN's Pau Mosquera with more on the search-and-rescue operation.
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PAU MOSQUERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As has been done over the last days, Lieutenant Colonel Juan Jose Gonzalez and Lieutenant Ruben Vasquez (ph) are getting ready at Valencia's airport for another flight over the areas most affected by recent rainstorms and flooding.
LT. COL. JUAN JOSE GONZALEZ, HEAD OF THE CIVIL GUARD AIR SERVICE IN VALENCIA (through translator): We have six helicopters deployed in the area affected by the floods. Most of them are dedicated to locating the missing, while another one is dedicated to carrying out daily flights to the Civil Guard laboratories in Madrid to deliver biological samples.
That DNA is analyzed and compared with the relatives of those who are missing.
MOSQUERA (voice-over): The main goal today is to assist the search- and-rescue teams deployed on the ground, and we are joining them.
GONZALEZ (through translator): We are now heading to the West to the area of Chiba and Cheste (ph). There we will find the Barranco del Pollo, and then we will continue East, following the natural course of the water.
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MOSQUERA: The magnitude of the devastation caused by these floods is much easily appreciated from this altitude. Look over there.
Many streets of (UNINTELLIGIBLE) are still covered in brown mud.
But that's not all. From this height, you can easily see many other areas that are really difficult to access by foot.
MOSQUERA (voice-over): Destruction is everywhere. Even though it has been more than a week since all this area got flooded, we can still see piles of cars, debris all around, and collapsed bridges.
GONZALEZ (through translator): Approximately 20 people were rescued with this helicopter, a number that gets bigger if we keep in mind the work done by other five helicopters that have participated in search- and-rescue operations.
So, the volume of people rescued is significant.
MOSQUERA (voice-over): Nevertheless, it's been days since the last person they rescued alive. Nowadays, they are focusing on the mouth of the Turia (ph) River and Valencia's lagoon to check if any of those missing were swept out to sea.
GONZALEZ (through translator): If the mud has buried them, we cannot see them anymore. So, what we do is wait for ground teams to notify us any finding. Then, we take them out with the crane.
MOSQUERA (voice-over): The search is intense, but there's nothing new in the area. So after an hour hovering around, we get back to the airport base.
This will be it for now, but in a matter of hours, they will get back to the skies until, as they say, every single missing person has been found.
Pau Mosquera, CNN, Manises, Spain.
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M. HOLMES: Well, billionaires are already doing better under Donald Trump. We'll look at who and by how much when we come back.
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M. HOLMES: Prosecutors say three people are facing preliminary, but so far not formal, charges in the death of the beloved singer Liam Payne.
A hotel employee and a suspected drug dealer are among those being investigated for abandonment before death and supplying narcotics.
As tributes continue for the former member of the band One Direction, tests suggest he may have been semi-conscious or unconscious when he fell from that hotel balcony in Argentina. He did have alcohol, cocaine, and an antidepressant in his system.
Now, amid slowing inflation and a cooling job market, the U.S. economy is set to face a new direction under a new administration.
The U.S. Federal Reserve is cutting interest rates by a quarter of a percentage point, the new rate, now between 4.5 and 4.75 percent.
This coming as the Federal Reserve chair says he will serve the rest of his term, even if the president-elect has other plans.
CNN's Julia Chatterley, with more on that.
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JULIA CHATTERLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Good news for American borrowers once again. As expected, the Federal Reserve unanimously deciding to reduce interest rates by a quarter of a percentage point.
That was the easy part of today. The harder part was the press conference and the questions that the Fed chief was asked about the impact of the president-elect and what his future policies would look like.
And he made his response pretty clear. And I can give it to you here.
He said, "I'm not going to talk about anything that relates directly or indirectly to the election." Nonpolitical power, we'll call him.
[00:55:06]
But of course, this is going to be the challenge going forward, because the rate path of future cuts got more uncertain.
At its worst, if we do see huge limits to immigration, if we see a blanket wave of global tariffs, the expectation is that could weaken growth. It could also raise prices for American consumers.
The consensus among economists is it could raise inflation by around one percentage point in 2025. That will slow the Federal Reserve down. And we're already seeing the market adjusting to that in some way.
But I reiterate again, Jay Powell not touching that with a bargepole today. What he did decide to focus on was the solid economy; that they do appear to have engineered this soft landing, raising interest rates without creating a recession.
And they're bringing inflation very close to target now, and they have more room to cut. The question is how much and when they can do it. And that remains an open question.
The other thing is will he remain in the seat as Fed chair? He was asked that question. Listen to this.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Some of the president-elect's advisers have suggested that you should resign. If he asked you to leave, would you go? JEROME POWELL, FEDERAL RESERVE CHAIR: No.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can you follow up on -- Do you think that legally, that, you're not required to leave?
POWELL: No.
CHATTERLEY: Not pulling his punches.
It is a legal gray area. I will say that. And they did have a really contentious relationship in the first iteration of the Trump administration.
But the irony this time around, of course, is that they're kind of on the same team. The former president, the president-elect, wants to see interest rates lower. And that's what the Fed chair and the Federal Reserve are trying to do. They're trying to cut rates.
And one of the real big issues that could interfere with that is the future president's policies, like tariffs, for example; like tax cuts, too, and potential immigration limits.
So, I'll say it: ball in your court, Mr. President-elect.
Back to you.
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M. HOLMES: The U.S. election provided a boom to billionaires as the wealth of the world's ten richest people rose by a record amount the following day.
As stock markets soared, Trump supporter Elon Musk was the big winner, with $26.5 billion added to his balance sheet, climbing to 290 billion.
Other big gainers were Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, with 7.1 billion. These are all with a "B," by the way. And Oracle's Larry Ellison with 5.5 billion.
All in all, the top ten richest people did better to the tune of $64 billion. Because they needed it, didn't they?
Thanks for watching CNN NEWSROOM, spending part of your day with me. I'm Michael Holmes. I'll have more news for you right after this.
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