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CNN International: Biden: We Accept the Choice the Country has Made; Wildfire Scorches Southern California; Trump and European Policy on Trade and Defense; Trump Names Susie Wiles as White House Chief of Staff; Thousands Flee Mountain Fire, Dozens of Homes Destroyed; Three Face Preliminary Charges in Death of Liam Payne. Aired 8-9a ET

Aired November 08, 2024 - 08:00   ET

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

[08:00:00]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers all around the world. I'm Fredricka Whitfield, and this is the CNN "Newsroom". Just ahead, Donald Trump makes his first key appointment as President-Elect, announcing the mastermind behind his campaign as his new chief of staff.

And Russia's Vladimir Putin, says he's ready for dialog with Trump as fighting in Ukraine intensifies. And the Israeli Foreign Minister is traveling to Amsterdam after Israeli football fans were ambushed and beaten in what Dutch officials say was an antisemitic attack.

Donald Trump is moving quickly to get his team in place for his new administration. Step one is naming a chief of staff who will run the White House. And he did that on Thursday, tapping Susie Wiles, a political operative who has been close to him for years and who was co-chair of his 2024 campaign. Trump praised Wiles earlier in the week when declaring victory in the presidential race.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND CURRENT PRESIDENTIAL- ELECT: Susie likes to stay sort of in the bag. Let me tell you the ice baby. We call it the ice baby.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: CNN sources say Wiles wants complete control over who has access to Trump once he is back in the Oval Office. According to the source, Wiles does not want a quoting now clown car of people coming into the White House. Let's bring in now CNN's Alayna Treene in West Palm Beach. Alayna, good morning to you. So, what do we know about Susie Wiles?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: Well, look, she is a very loyal person, and has been very loyal to Donald Trump. She has been with him now for several years. She stuck by him, really, when he left the White House in disgrace, and then has maintained a very high-level position of power over the last several years. Of course, being at the top of that hierarchy throughout his campaign. And that's one of the key reasons Donald Trump had selected her. He knows that she has his back, that she is going to be loyal to him. And another thing as well is not only is she disciplined, but she also doesn't like the limelight.

You just played that clip of Donald Trump on election night, and she -- he called her up to give remarks. She said, no, she wanted to hang in the back. That is something that Donald Trump also appreciates. Now, another key thing I would, you know, I think it's important to keep in mind with her, is that she has had this position of power for a long time within Donald Trump's orbit.

And she's done so while also earning and keeping the respect of the people beneath her, not only in Trump world, but also people outside of, you know, MAGA politics, and that is something that is very hard to do. I cannot overstate enough how, if you look back in 2016 in his past campaigns, but also his time in the White House.

It was very hard to keep your position of power for that long when you are in Trump world, but she has been able to do so. Now I think the part you read some of that quote about the clown car not wanting that to come to the White House. I think that's going to be a crucial thing when we look ahead to how she's actually going to operate once in the role and once he is sworn into office.

One thing that Susie Wiles has done incredibly well is while she recognizes you can't control Donald Trump, you can control the people around him. She has very much tried to cut off access to some of the more controversial figures that have tried to line themselves to Donald Trump and get access to him. And we know that was a big problem for him his first time around, when he was in office, back following 2016. That's going to be a big goal for her as well.

And so, I think, if you keep that in mind and how she's operated on the campaign, and her role really, in trying to insulate Donald Trump from some of the, you know, harsh rhetoric and the people who might be sowing seeds of doubt in his ear about certain things. That's going to be a key thing that she tries to do again, as we look to head to her in the White House.

WHITFIELD: All right, Alayna Treene. Thanks so much. All right, for the first time since Donald Trump's election victory, Joe Biden addressed the nation, speaking in the Rose Garden on Thursday. Mr. Biden promised a peaceful transition of power, and he drew implicit comparisons to four years ago when he was declared the winner, and Trump refused to concede.

President Biden struck a note of optimism, telling Americans they are going to be OK, but urged them to stay engaged. The president also touted his administration's accomplishments and thanked the American people for all that they have done.

[08:05:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I spoke with President-Elect Trump to congratulate him on his victory, and I assured him that I would direct my entire administration to work with his team to ensure a peaceful and orderly transition. That's what the American people deserve. You're hurting.

I hear you and I see you, but don't forget. Don't forget all that we accomplished. It's been a historic presidency, not because I'm president, because what we've done, what you've done.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: CNN's Arlette Saenz is joining me now from the White House. Arlette, good morning. So, Joe Biden, you know, eager to talk about his accomplishments, but will this election loss, you know, potentially tarnish his legacy?

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That is the big question right now, especially as Democrats are engaging in this debate about what exactly went wrong for them that ultimately led to the re- election of Former President Donald Trump.

Now, a lot of the finger pointing and blame has been directed squarely at President Biden with people Democrats frustrated that he decided to run for a second term, and even that he took so long to drop out, even as it became clear that there were a lot of limitations that he was facing, especially relating to his age and the way that the American public viewed his age, and also the policies of his administration.

But for President Biden's part, so far, he really hasn't publicly engaged in any of this blame game or questioning that's been going on. When he spoke yesterday, he acknowledged the results of this election, saying that the election was secure and also stressing that he would engage in a peaceful transfer of power, something that was not afforded to him by Trump back in 2020.

But the President also had this message for Democrats to continue to stay engaged moving forward. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: Setbacks are unavoidable, but giving up is unforgivable. We all get knocked down, but the measure of our character, as my dad would say, is how quickly we get back up. Remember, a defeat does not mean we are defeated. We lost this battle. America of your dreams is calling for you to get back up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAENZ: Now, the president and his allies have noted that there are a number of accomplishments from his administration that they believe will have lasting legacy. But one thing Biden said in his speech was that it could take time for a lot of this to still go into effect.

And in these final weeks that he is in office, part of the administration's goal will be trying to move forward on safeguarding some of those initiatives. He has said he wants to get additional aid to Ukraine before leaving office. He also is looking to implement a lot of the legislation that was passed relating to the CHIPS bill, infrastructure and other initiatives.

So, for the Biden Administration, there will be a big focus in the coming weeks on trying to shore up that legacy, trying to safeguard some of these initiatives, especially at a time when President-Elect Trump has indicated he would try to undo many of the policies of the Biden Administration.

Of course, another item to watch in the coming weeks is when exactly President Biden will be meeting here at the White House with President-Elect Trump, who yesterday said that he plans to have lunch with him shortly. The details for that date still being finalized, but it comes as the administration.

The White House, is trying to stress that they will engage in this transition process and be helpful where they can.

WHITFIELD: All right. Arlette Saenz at the White House. Thanks so much. All right. While Republicans have won the White House and the U.S. Senate, we still don't know final results for all the House races. But Republicans say they are optimistic that they will keep control there. CNN's Manu Raju reports from Washington.

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We still don't know which party will have control of the United States House for the next two years, on the first two years of Donald Trump's second term in office. But at the moment, Republicans are favored to hold on to the House.

They are confident that they, in fact, will keep their House majority. There are still a number of states races that are outstanding. In fact, the Republicans have picked up more seats than Democrats so far. And then Republicans and Democrats each are leading in a handful of states, complicating the democratic path to get to 218 seats.

I talked to people, members on both sides of the aisle. They expect the Republicans will, in fact, hold on to the House. Bidenomics is a done deal. Some Democrats, including the House Democratic Leader, believes that there is still a path, a feasible path, to the majority. In fact, that's a message that they led.

They gave to their members in a conference call only of the day on Thursday, but in talking to a lot of people on both sides of the aisle, they do acknowledge that it's more likely than not that it will be Republicans currently led by Speaker Mike Johnson, who would be in charge in that first two years. Now, again, this would be a narrow majority, a razor thin majority.

[08:10:00]

That's what Mike Johnson had to contend with during the last year or so than the Republicans have had over the last two years. Remember, the first speaker of this current Congress is Kevin McCarthy. He was ousted in an uprising caused by his own party that Mike Johnson, the new speaker came in, had a very difficult time legislating with this narrow majority, because Republicans were in fighting most of the time.

And they scuttled even basic things trying to do basic things to rely on Democratic votes for on a lot of issues. This will be a different dynamic if the Republicans do keep the House, because now they'll have a party in their Senate, in their party's control, also a White House in their party's control.

It would be one party rule in Washington, which is why Democrats are hoping that they can salvage some of these races, that they can turn things around in California and in Arizona in particular, that's where a lot of votes is still in coming California districts that are suburban districts that are currently held by Republicans, that Joe Biden carried back in 2020.

They are hoping they can flip them. But in some of those districts, they are now trailing, which is making their path to the majority difficult. They're hoping things will change when more ballots get process, but we may not know the majority until next week, or maybe even later, if these races continue to be tight. Manu Raju, CNN, Washington.

WHITFIELD: All right. The Dutch government is condemning what it calls antisemitic attacks on Israeli citizens. Israeli football fans were beaten and injured in violent clashes in Amsterdam late Thursday, local time. I do want to warn you the following video is very graphic.

Israeli officials say at least 10 Israeli citizens have been hurt in the violence which broke out after a match between the Dutch side Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv. The Israeli Foreign Minister is on his way to Amsterdam to meet with his Dutch counterpart. I want to bring in now. CNN's Nada Bashir. Nada, what more are we learning about these attacks?

NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We've been getting updates from the Dutch authorities and police regarding the violence which ensued overnight in Amsterdam, as you mentioned, the Israeli Foreign Ministry saying at least 10 people were injured. Dutch police saying in the statement earlier today that five -- at least five people were taken to hospital for their injuries.

And so far, at least 62 people have been arrested. But that investigation is said to be ongoing into the violence which -- last night, as you mentioned, targeting supporters of the Tel Aviv based Maccabees soccer team, which was taking part in a Europa League game in Amsterdam.

Last night, we've been hearing from Israeli officials expressing their concern the Dutch Prime Minister as well speaking to his Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu, both of whom have characterized these attacks as being antisemitic. We've also heard earlier today, in a statement from the city's mayor, expressing the shame that the city feels at this incident. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) FEMKE HALSEMA, AMSTERDAM MAYOR: Well, you know, we're an old city with tumultuous history. We are an international city and as an international city, we also have the international tensions in our city. And we are used to it, that we pride ourselves, that we are a peaceful city and a tolerant city. And last night, we were very much ashamed, because tolerance and peace were not there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASHIR: Attentions had been building ahead of last night's match, we had seen video circulating online of supporters of the Tel Aviv based soccer team tearing down Palestinian flags in the city. Video emerging of some supporters chanting anti-Arab slogans and other chants with rhetoric regarding the war in Gaza, somewhat distressing rhetoric.

So there certainly had been some tensions there and an increased police presence ahead of this match. We have been hearing from the local authority as well, saying that despite these increased police presence, there were continued attacks. They said that at some point police were required to support -- protect supporters, and escort them back to their hotels, and that many were injured despite their presence.

But at the scale of the injuries of the victims and the arrests is still being determined. So, we will be getting more updates throughout the day from officials on the ground.

WHITFIELD: All right. Nada Bashir, keep us posted. Thank you so much. All right. Still to come, what Russia's president is saying about Donald Trump's imminent return to power, a live report on that and the implications for Russia's war with Ukraine, when we return. And we'll look at efforts to stop a fast-moving wildfire in Southern California, we'll have a live report from the scorched region.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:15:00]

WHITFIELD: Russian President Vladimir Putin says he's ready for dialog with President-Elect Donald Trump. During a forum in Sochi, President Putin congratulated Trump on his election victory. He also said Trump's comments on Russia's war in Ukraine, quoting now deserve attention, end quote.

Trump has said he would end that war in quote, 24 hours, end quote. Meanwhile, Ukraine's President urged the world to put more pressure on Russia. Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, hugs with Putin won't help. He spoke to European Leaders in Budapest, Hungary.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE: We are defending ourselves not against Russian words, but against Russian attacks. Therefore, we need sufficient weapons, not supporting talks. Hacks with Putin will not help.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All this comes as Russia escalates its attacks on Ukraine. CNN's Fred Pleitgen is joining us now from Berlin. Hello to you, Fred, so what has Vladimir Putin's reaction been to Donald Trump's victory? Beyond what has just been said?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, first of all, Fredricka, you're absolutely right. Another really big drone and missile attack happening by Russia against Ukrainian cities. Overnight, the Ukrainians saying that they shot most of those drones and missiles down.

But it certainly does show, as you pointed out, that there is that escalating aerial campaign that the Russians are conducting. At the same time, of course, they, like everybody else, are confronted with what will be a new Trump presidency. And the Russian President has said that he's taken note of some of the things that Donald Trump said during the election campaign.

That he wants to essentially bring ties with Russia, at least to a certain extent, back on track. He praised his relations with Vladimir Putin. And Vladimir Putin then did indeed also congratulate Donald Trump, which was also interesting in that there wasn't an official congratulatory phone call.

But the Russians have said that the congratulations that he sent at this forum yesterday in Sochi are to be seen as an official congratulations. Here's what Vladimir Putin said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VLADIMIR PUTIN, PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA: I take this opportunity to congratulate him with his election to the post of the President of the United States of America. I have said already that we will be working together with any head of state who would be trusted by the American people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PLEITGEN: So, there's Vladimir Putin saying that the Russians would work with any head of state, as he put it, so that's trusted by the American people. He also said that right now, there really aren't -- there isn't much in the way of contact between the United States and Russia.

However, he did say that if those contacts were to be initiated, that he wouldn't be against it. It was quite interesting, and that the message there seemed to be that the Russians are opening to the U.S., knocking on the door again, possibly then President Trump, when he becomes president, calling Vladimir Putin.

But it didn't seem as though the Russians were willing to initiate all of that themselves. It seems as though they were saying they're waiting, but they're not going to initiate all that themselves. Of course, at the same time, the Ukrainians are indeed very concerned about some of the things that Donald Trump and also J.D. Vance said on the campaign trail, Fredricka.

[08:20:00]

WHITFIELD: OK, meantime, you know, Putin is, you know, criticizing NATO's eastward expansion, and said a New World Order is taking shape. What does he mean?

PLEITGEN: Well, you know, first of all, he's criticized NATO's eastward expansion for a very long time. But I did, I watched hours of Vladimir Putin speaking about this yesterday, and he once again reiterated how angry the Russians were and how it's a threat to them this eastward expansion by NATO.

And obviously saying that, he claiming that, that culminated with NATO essentially sticking its feelers out towards Ukraine as well. Of course, there was no debate about Ukraine joining NATO prior to Russia's full-on invasion of Ukraine. However, he is also now talking about what he calls a New World Order.

What he's been talking about is sort of a multi polar world. He claims that there has been a world in the last more than 20 years that's been dominated by the United States, dominated by the West. And now he's claiming that he's sort of the centerpiece of a New World Order where there's other polls in the world that are also beginning to get strong.

And of course, we've talked a lot about Russia's relations with China. We've spoken about Russia's relations with other countries as well. But one of the things that he keeps showcasing as sort of an alternative for what he believes is that Western domination is the BRICS group of countries, sort of up-and-coming economies at least many of them up and coming economies that are debating incident amongst themselves.

And that group is, of course, getting larger. And he kind of seems to see himself as the galleons figure of that alternative world that is shaping up right now, that New World Order, as he puts it, which he believes will see Western countries, at least to a certain extent, sidelined at other countries coming up.

He kept talking about in his speech that he gave about Russia now being a truly sovereign country. Of course, one of the things that we also have to take into account into all of that is that the Ukrainians at the same time saying that he needs North Korean soldiers to beef up his forces on the ground that there have indeed, now already been clashes between Ukrainian forces and North Korean troops in the Kursk region.

WHITFIELD: All right. Fred Pleitgen, thank you so much. Goldman Sachs is predicting Donald Trump's proposed policies, including hefty tariffs will hurt Europe's economic standing. The Investment Bank is also pointing to what it sees as pressure on Europe to increase defense spending.

With that in mind. CNN's Nic Robertson brings us the bigger picture of what the next Trump Administration could mean for America's European allies.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR (voice-over): Raging wars in Ukraine and the Mideast. An informal alliance of enemies, Russia, China, Iran and North Korea are the obvious changes in world order, President-Elect Donald Trump inherits. Less talked about since he left office in 2021, the political weakening of some of his former putative allies, particularly in Europe.

Elections in France undermined President Emmanuel Macron standing Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz has a tanking economy and a collapsing governing coalition. Both of these EU power houses losing political ground to right wing populists. They're on the rise across Europe.

In Italy, a right-wing populist Giorgia Meloni won elections, is a fan of Trump, but Trump also lost supporters.

BORIS JOHNSON, FORMER PRIME MINISTER OF THE UNITED KINGDOM: Thank you all very much.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): U.K. PM, Boris Johnson gone from power. The Conservative Party trounced in recent elections by trend bucking, Keir Starmer, left leaning Labor party where all these changes get tested first, likely over Trump's campaign promise to end Russia's war in Ukraine in a day.

TRUMP: I'll have that done in 24 hours.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): And threats to pull America's Ukraine funding. As almost 50 European leaders gathered in Budapest just two days after the U.S. elections, Trump's victory and Ukraine a top topic. Trump ally and meeting host Hungarian PM Victor Orban in close conversation with Macron and Starmer.

Starmer then with Macron, just the tip of the iceberg of debate on this frosty issue. And Starmer later with Ukraine's Zelenskyy.

KEIR STARMER, PRIME MINISTER OF THE UNITED KINGDOM: As you know, our support from Ukraine is unwavering.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): The unspoken question in Budapest, can Europe go it alone?

ALEXANDER DE CROO, BELGIAN PRIME MINISTER: We should be very clear on this, European security is not something that we outsource to someone else, for example, to the United States.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): Macron said the same thing, but already clear the opening pitch to Trump, we need you.

CROO: We are open to discuss with the United States on how we can work better together.

[08:25:00] ROBERTSON (voice-over): And at the sharp end of Europe sell, NATO's new chief, another change for Trump.

MARK RUTTE, NATO SECRETARY GENERAL: I look forward to sit down with Donald Trump to discuss how we can face the threats collectively.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): It's a bold gambit, but read through it, Europe isn't ready to stand up to Putin alone. Nic Robertson, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right. Still to come, Donald Trump made border security the focal point of his campaign. Now his allies are quietly laying the groundwork for a mass deportation of illegal migrants. Details on that straight ahead. Also, the Head of the U.S. Federal Reserve defends his position days after Trump's election, more on the tensions between Jerome Powell and Donald Trump.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Donald Trump's government is starting to take shape. He has named Susie Wiles as his chief of staff. Wiles co-chair Trump's 2024 presidential campaign, and has been close to him for years, she will be the first woman to occupy the powerful chief of staff role.

This as Trump allies are said to be engaged in an all-out battle to outmaneuver each other for other top jobs. And throughout Donald Trump's campaign, he repeatedly promised to carry out the largest mass deportation in American history upon his return to the White House.

And now his allies are starting to lay the groundwork for what experts say will be a complicated and costly endeavor. Our Priscilla Alvarez has more.

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE 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 their 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 there 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.

[08:30:00]

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 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, addition to the need, for example, for more personnel. Now the Department of Homeland Security has reprogrammed 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 are 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.

WHITFIELD: All right, for more on the people and policies that will define Donald Trump's second term. We're joined now by Larry Sabato. He is the Director of the Center for politics at the University of Virginia. Good morning to you, Larry.

LARRY SABATO, DIRECTOR AT THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA CENTER FOR POLITICS: Good morning, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Do you see President Trump delivering on that campaign promise in his -- you know, in day one of office a mass deportation?

SABATO: Well, not on day one. I'm sure it will start. Remember the wall, the big wall that he --

WHITFIELD: That Mexico would pay for.

SABATO: Yes, that Mexico would pay for. Well, Mexico never paid a cent, and in the end, he built a wall covering a tiny portion of the actual border. But remember, his base was thrilled, and they'll be thrilled if he just deports three people, three people convicted of crimes.

But it will be bigger than that, because this is being managed by one of the less appealing people around Donald Trump that we remember from his first term, Stephen Miller. And they will find and detain probably thousands of people. They say millions, but I think thousands is probably closer to it, and it will prove very costly. And Fred, I predict you right now, there will be sympathetic stories in there that the media will correctly bind and cover, and it will bring into question the whole program. And this will end up like the wall in the first term.

WHITFIELD: So, Trump, and you know, and many of his backers believe his win overall was a mandate, a mandate on all his ideas, or if it's some of the ideas, how will his administration determine what voters want prioritized the economy, immigration, what?

SABATO: Well, that's easy. It's whatever Donald Trump says that day. That's -- that will be -- you know, whatever he pronounces the quote, mandate to be. Look, every -- elect and produces a mandate. Even when a president like Nixon in 68 or Clinton in 92 gets 43 percent of the vote.

There's still a mandate there, and Trump will interpret it as broadly as possible. All presidents do that that is truly something that's bipartisan. But even with a Republican Congress, and he will have a Republican Congress in both Houses, even they will think twice about measures that may cost them in the next election, which is only two years away.

I need to mention that two years away, and it's a midterm election where the incumbent party almost always loses seats.

WHITFIELD: All right, so first order of business for Trump, thus far, he's elected as chief of staff that in Suzy Wiles, she's been with him for a very long time. But here's a refresher on how many chiefs of staff went through the rotation in Trump's first administration.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're following breaking news tonight, the biggest shake up yet in the tumultuous Trump White House. The White House Chief of Staff, Reince Priebus, forced out and replaced now by the current Homeland Security Secretary, retired Marine Corps General John Kelly.

WHITFIELD: We begin with this breaking news, a major shakeup coming to the White House. President Trump last hour confirming that Chief of Staff, John Kelly, will leave his post at the White House at the end of the year.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let's get quickly back to Jim Acosta.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yeah.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mick Mulvaney is gone.

[08:35:00]

ACOSTA: He's gone. He was an Acting Chief of Staff. Never became a permanent chief of staff over here at the White House.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: OK. So, Larry, you know, has Susie Wiles, perhaps already laid some groundwork establishing her tenure as chief of staff that it might be a little different, or perhaps more enduring.

SABATO: Well, reportedly, Trump respects her and listens to her, even contradict him and suggests that he's moving in the wrong direction. Whether that lasts with the glow of the presidency, we'll just have to see. But she seems stable. She seems like someone that Trump does respect.

How long the respect lasts? You know, who knows? Now, very few chiefs of staff stay for four years. I mean, it just, it's a job that would burn anybody out. But she's gotten along with Trump, and she's even been on the plane with him a lot during the campaign. And there were plenty of people who, if they didn't absolutely have to be on that plane, we're happy to avoid it.

WHITFIELD: All right. Larry Sabato, great to see you this morning with the University of Virginia Center for Politics.

SABATO: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. U.S. interest rates are a quarter point lower than they were this time yesterday, courtesy of the Federal Reserve. The central bank is gearing up for a second Trump Administration, relations between the Federal Reserve Chair and the President-Elect were rather tense the first time around. Listen to what Jerome Powell had to say when a reporter questioned his future at the Fed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Some of the President's elect advisors have suggested that you should resign if he asked you to leave. Would you go?

JEROME POWELL, CHAIRMAN OF THE FEDERAL RESERVE OF THE UNITED STATES: No.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can you follow up on? Do you think that legally, you're not required to leave?

POWELL: No.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Firm no's. CNN's Julia Chatterley joining us now, live from New York. So he is, you know, to be unshaken here, he is not stirred at all. He's pretty emphatic that he's there, and Donald Trump couldn't push him out.

JULIA CHATTERLEY, CNN ANCHOR, FIRST MOVE: There are very few mic-drop moments at these meetings --

WHITFIELD: -- like twice.

CHATTERLEY: Yeah.

WHITFIELD: It was like, two mics --

CHATTERLEY: I know. Yeah. And then the reporter was like, wow, I just use both my questions, but I got no one word answers. Fantastic! Look, this relationship we know in the first Trump term was very contentious. Quite frankly, the President-Elect was downright rude to the Fed Chief.

The irony this time around, of course, is that they're on the same team because we know the President-Elect likes interest rates to come lower. And that's ultimately what the Fed Chair is trying to do, and he sort of reiterated that this time around. The irony also is that the one of the big factors that could change that, or at least make that complicated, is the President-Elect's own policies, with perhaps limits to immigration, with the tariffs that we've talked about now endlessly.

And for that, we just have to wait and see. And by the way, the Fed is an independent body. The law is a little gray on this, but it would be Congress that gets to remove him, not the White House. But for now, it seems that they're on the same page. It's going to be an interesting couple of years --

WHITFIELD: A bumpy ride. Buckle your seat belts people.

CHATTERLEY: Yep.

WHITFIELD: OK, so with that, you know, quarter point drop. What are the real takeaways? I mean, what does this perhaps potentially forecast?

CHATTERLEY: Yeah, great question. So, he left the door open to a further cut in December, which there was a little bit of concern that perhaps he wouldn't, and that's based on really the solid economy that we're now facing, the fact that inflation is coming back to target, and he talked about that too, that he can see some underpinnings to the labor market.

So it was for the most part, good news. Again, he left the door open to what happens next year. Even one journalist asked him whether there's a risk as a result of policy from the next government that they could even hike interest rates. He wouldn't be drawn on that, as you can imagine.

But one of the most interesting things for me, Fred, ties to those exit polls that we got after the election with. Around 75 percent of Americans saying, look, they feel the same or worse off than they did at the beginning of the Biden Administration. Just listen to what he had to say about wages and wages catching up really, to the rate at which prices have risen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

POWELL: It takes some years of real wage gains for people to feel better. And that's what we're trying to create. And I think we're well on the road to creating that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHATTERLEY: It's really important because there aren't people looking through rose-tinted spectacles or how they felt under the Trump Administration. These four years has been very painful, and I've got a great chart to show you. Just bear with me as I explain what you're seeing.

Now wages rose under the Trump Administration. You can see that by more than 15 percent. They also, in fact, rose more under Biden.

[08:40:00]

But look at those blue bars that shows you how much prices rose as a result. And what you want to see is the gap between those things as big as possible, because that's ultimately how much money you take home after you've paid for all the essentials. People feel poorer, and this is for manufacturing workers and non-supervisory workers.

People on average, feel poorer under the Biden Administration, and that's true, and that's something that you just can't fight, Fred. And as the Fed Chair said, it's going to take years for people to feel better. And of course, the President-Elect is going to benefit from that in a way that President Biden hasn't.

WHITFIELD: Right, because there was that COVID factor, you know.

CHATTERLEY: Yeah.

WHITFIELD: So that was a different circumstance in which an administration is beginning with that.

CHATTERLEY: -- hurt.

WHITFIELD: And it hurt.

CHATTERLEY: Yeah.

WHITFIELD: And you know there's still pain from that. All right. Julia Chatterley, thank you so much.

CHATTERLEY: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right, at this hour, thousands of people in Southern California are out of their homes as a fast-moving wildfire, rages. We'll look at when firefighters might get a helping hand. And then authorities in several states are investigating racist text messages that were sent to black Americans after the election, including one that refers to quote, picking cotton.

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WHITFIELD: About 14,000 people in Southern California are under evacuation orders as a wildfire, rages in Ventura County, the fast- moving mountain fire has charred more than 8000 hectares and already has destroyed dozens of homes, warm, dry and windy conditions have been fueling the fire.

Ventura County's Sheriff says 10 people have reported non-life- threatening injuries, mostly smoke inhalation. CNN's Camila Bernal is in Camarillo, California with an update on the conditions there. What's the situation?

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Fred, so we are seeing some progress, and they expect more of that throughout the day. Yet, a lot of work still to be done here, containment is at 5 percent. Officials saying that overnight they were going to fly those helicopters.

And the good news is that the weather conditions are improving. We no longer have red flag warnings everywhere. We now only have them in the mountains. So, you are seeing winds of 25 to 35 miles an hour, possibly 50 mile an hour wind gusts, but that, surprisingly, is still an improvement from 60 mile an hour wind gusts and red flag warnings in the high and in the low area.

So, you have that wind, those Santa Ana winds, in addition to the very dry conditions here, and that's what fueled this fire so quickly, giving a lot of the people here essentially no time to leave their homes. I want you to take a listen to a conversation that my colleague Nick Watt had with one of the residents here, and this is what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICHARD GALANTE, LOST HOME IN MOUNTAIN FIRE: I am going to rebuild.

NICK WATT, CNN REPORTER: You are?

GALANTE: Where the -- am I going to go? Where am I going to the views? Incredible!

[08:45:00]

The house was full. There's dead bear from my lip, from my den, right there, laying over flat. You see him, burnt?

WATT: Yeah. That was your den there?

GALANTE: Yeah.

WATT: With the views out across

GALANTE: Yeah.

WATT: And how's your wife holding up?

GALANTE: Barely, because it's all our mothers, all our children, all our -- she -- we walked out with nothing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERNAL: And the Ventura County Sheriff called it devastation. That is just heartbreaking. They had 10 teams of people yesterday going around to about 300 homes. And unfortunately, they found that about 132 of them look like what you see here behind me, families who will come back and find not much left.

It's even hard to tell you what's behind me, because it is all burned to the ground and it's almost impossible to decipher what was there. Some people chose to stay despite the evacuation orders. Officials saying they went to about 250 homes where they just refused to leave.

They helped about another 400 homes get out quickly, and they said by the time they got there, about 800 of these homes had already evacuated. So again, they're telling people that it's just not safe to be here. It's not safe to return. There is some hope for the weekend.

Conditions are expected to be a lot better starting at 11:00 a.m. when that Red Flag Warning expires, 11:00 a.m. local time. And then over the weekend, more humidity in the forecast. So that will be very helpful. The concern, though, is those Santa Ana winds return next week.

So, they're hoping to get that containment up over the weekend, so that they're in better shape come next week, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Incredibly awful! All right. Camila Bernal, thank you so much. All right. The FBI is investigating a spate of racist text messages being sent from random phone numbers to people across the country. Dozens of black Americans, including children, were sent the offensive texts across at least eight states.

One of them makes references to slave catchers and picking cotton at plantations. One mother says her daughter, a university freshman, was left in tears after receiving the vile text. The messages came just one day after the polarized U.S. presidential election. Let's talk more about all this. CNN's Gabe Cohen joining me now from Washington. So how will this be investigated?

GABE COHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, right now it's under investigation by agencies all across the country. But look, these messages aren't just upsetting, they're really alarming because they are personalized. And it appears in most of these cases, they are specifically targeting black and brown individuals, some of them students, as you mentioned, some of them children.

I want to show you one of those texts. Let's put it back up on the screen, if we could. This was sent to us by Telaya Jones (ph), a black woman in New Jersey. And you can see the texts have the person's name at the top of them, and then the one sent to her and several others, references picking cotton.

It references slave catchers and plantations, and some of these messages are then signed at the end from a quote, Trump supporter, or from quote, Former President Trump. Now to be clear, the Trump Administration or the Trump campaign, I should say, has told several media outlets, Fred, that they have nothing to do with it.

But it speaks to how many people are really on edge right now in these days since the election. Here is what a Colorado mother said after her 16-year-old son caught one of those texts.

It seems we may not have that sought that sound there, but I can tell you, the NAACP President Derrick Johnson, also put out a statement saying, these messages represent an alarming increase in vile and abhorrent rhetoric from racist groups across the country, who now feel emboldened to spread hate and stoke the flames of fear that many of us are feeling after Tuesday's election results.

And look, Fred, as I mentioned, investigations underway all across the country. It does appear that whoever is doing this may be using a service called text. Now it allows people to create phone numbers. That service text now has put out a statement saying that they are working with authorities trying to stop whoever is behind this.

And the FBI also has put out a statement at this point saying they're aware of these messages. They're in contact with the Justice Department and other federal authorities. So, Fred, a lot of people are working on this right now, but they are still trying to get it under control and stop whoever is sending these really aggressive, harassing messages.

WHITFIELD: Very horrible. All right. Gabe Cohen, thank you so much. All right, Rudy Giuliani's garage is going to get a little bit emptier. That's because a federal judge has ordered the Former New York Mayor to hand over his car to two poll workers he defamed after the 2020 election.

[08:50:00]

Before the end of next week, Giuliani also has to send the two Georgia women, watches, furniture and sports memorabilia. Giuliani calls 145 million, the $145 million judgment punitive and ridiculous. He faces a contempt of court charge if he does not comply. All right, still to come, we'll take a closer look at the three arrests made in the death of Former One Direction Singer Liam Payne.

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WHITFIELD: Three people are facing preliminary, but not formal charges so far in the death of Singer Liam Payne. They're being investigated for abandonment before death, and supplying narcotics. The Former One Direction Singer fell from his third-floor balcony last month.

Prosecutors say Payne had alcohol, cocaine and an antidepressant in his system when he fell. Stefano Pozzebon is joining us now live from Bogota, Colombia with details. What are you learning?

STEFANO POZZEBON, JOURNALIST: Yes, Fredricka, well, we're learning that these three people, just like you said, are facing two types of charges. Facing abandonment of a person before a death, and supplying and facilitating narcotics to Payne. One of them is an employee at the Casa Sur hotel in Buenos Aires, where Payne was staying in in Buenos Aires when he died last month.

And he's accused of facilitating cocaine to Payne at least twice in that fatal week. Just like you said that we're talking here of preliminary charges, which is a different concept than what we may include in the United States or in the United Kingdom with a charge.

It means that the investigators are advancing and they brought their results in front of a judge. At a -- date, the judge may decide to either dismiss these charges or indeed to apply formal charges against these three people. This means also that we don't know at this point if any of these three people are currently under detention, but we know that the investigation, Fredricka, is advancing.

And frankly, is advancing fast, that the prosecutor's office said that their officers have reviewed over 800 hours of CCTV footage from both inside and outside the hotel. And maybe the final results of this investigation when we will know them, hopefully soon, can also bring some closure and some solace to the family of Liam Payne, who only last week were able to bring the body back to the United Kingdom, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And then while the investigations continue into Payne's death, are there any more details about the events leading up to his final moments?

POZZEBON: Yes, Fredricka, the prosecutor's office, yesterday also released a preliminary toxicology report saying that Payne had a mix of alcohol, cocaine, and it prescribed antidepressant in his body when he fell from the third floor of that hotel in Buenos Aires.

That meant that led the analysis to conclude that Payne might have been unconscious when he fell from the third floor. The analysis also ruled out an altercation or the intervention of a third person. So that means that Payne died. There was not another person involved in his death. Two other people have been investigated. I have been interviewed.

[08:55:00]

Sorry, by police these are two escorts, both age 25 who have said that Payne did not assume substance in front of that but he did indeed consume alcohol in the preliminary in the hours before that tragic fall. Of course, we know that Payne had struggled with substance abuse in the past in his rise to fame.

And that he has been in and out of rehab in the years past. And that is what we can say right now about these preliminary investigations, surely more to come in the days and weeks ahead, as the investigation done in Buenos Aires proceeds, Frederica.

WHITFIELD: Yeah, so sad. All right. Thank you so much. Stefano Pozzebon, appreciate it. All right. Thank you so much for joining me here in the CNN "Newsroom". I'm Fredricka Whitfield. "Connect the World" with Becky Anderson is up next.

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