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GOP Flips Senate, Confident of House Control; Pentagon Plans for Illegal Trump Orders; Qatar Honors U.S.' Request to Expel Hamas; Suicide Bombing in Pakistan Train Station; Trump Promises Massive Tariffs on Imports; Firefighters Fight "Mountain Fire". Aired 3-3:30a ET
Aired November 09, 2024 - 03:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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ANNA COREN, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hello and welcome to our viewers all around the world plus everyone streaming us on CNN Max. I'm Anna Coren in Hong Kong.
Just ahead, Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy had a phone call this week and Elon Musk joined in. Details on the conversation amid a precarious moment for U.S. support of Ukraine.
Trump's incoming second term has top military officials worried he'll use American troops on U.S. soil.
And residents flee as wildfires rage in California. We'll have the latest on the battle to tame the flames and what firefighters are prioritizing.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from Hong Kong this is CNN NEWSROOM with Anna Coren.
COREN: It's the first weekend after America decided who will be their next president and it could be a busy one. Donald Trump and his team are looking forward to appointing key positions in his cabinet and we could get announcements on those White House hopefuls very soon.
While Democrats held on to a Senate seat in Nevada, Republicans are closing in on a trifecta in Washington after reclaiming the White House and the Senate. The Republicans are bullish that they can retain their majority in the House, where 18 seats are still undecided.
Well, one person who will have the president-elect's trust and ear is Elon Musk.
When Trump was connected on the phone with the Ukrainian president the day after the election, Musk was also in the room. CNN's Kristen Holmes has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: New details on the call between president-elect Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Zelenskyy.
We now have learned that Elon Musk was involved in that call. Now sources close to the former president and now president-elect tell me that Elon Musk just happened to be at Mar-a-Lago at the time that Zelenskyy called. They insist this was not a planned situation.
They also say the call was polite and cordial and that Donald Trump put the call on speakerphone. And Zelenskyy thanked Musk for his help with Starlink and communications. Musk has assisted with bringing communications to Ukraine during the Ukrainian-Russia war.
Now also, these same sources again say it was positive, cordial but also a very quick conversation. They said it was roughly seven minutes and that there was no policy discussed.
Obviously all of this is notable. One of the things Donald Trump has promised is that he would put an end to the war in Ukraine in a matter of hours after he became president. However, no one has seemed to get an answer from him on how exactly he would do that.
He has just essentially praised his relationship with Vladimir Putin of Russia and now has said that he has a good relationship with Zelenskyy as well. We'll obviously have to wait and see how all of this plays out -- Kristen Holmes, CNN West Palm Beach, Florida.
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COREN: Pentagon officials are worried about what orders Donald Trump might issue when he's commander in chief again. Of particular concern is the threat to deploy active duty troops domestically, which he said he'd be open to. They also fear the possibility of mass firings of Department of Defense staff. CNN's Natasha Bertrand has the details.
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NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Pentagon officials have begun to have informal and preliminary discussions about just how the department would respond if president Trump issued an unlawful order to the military.
Or if president Trump deployed active duty U.S. troops to American cities for domestic law enforcement purposes as well as to help with his mass deportation plan that he has promised to enact when he is in power.
Now top of mind for Defense officials, here is, of course, just how the future president plans to deploy the U.S. military domestically, something that is highly controversial here within the Pentagon.
And, you know, Trump has hinted many times -- and he has outright said at times -- that he does intend or that he would support the use of the U.S. military to conduct domestic law enforcement here in the United States.
So the U.S. military officials that we have been speaking to say that they are gaming out scenarios under which that would occur and how they would respond. For example, what that chain of command would look like and how they would push back or accommodate other requests made by Trump that were deemed more controversial.
Another aspect of this, of course, is Schedule F, which is an executive order that Trump issued during his first term.
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That essentially would reclassify a huge swath of apolitical government employees to make them easily -- more easily fireable. And that is something that the Pentagon is also bracing for and has been scrambling to try to address before president Trump takes office on January 20th.
So the bottom line here is that given the very hostile relationship that the Pentagon had with Donald Trump during the first Trump administration and the fact that so many of Trump's former senior military officials have spoken out against him in recent weeks, months and years.
With John Kelly, his former White House chief of staff and a retired general, going as far as to call him a fascist, Pentagon officials, largely at the senior level here, are bracing for a potentially similar relationship with the incoming White House -- Natasha Bertrand, CNN, the Pentagon.
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COREN: Special counsel Jack Smith has apparently taken the first step in preparing to wind down the federal election subversion case against Donald Trump.
Smith told the court he will decide by December 2nd how he plans to resolve the criminal case against the new president-elect related to attempts to overturn the 2020 election.
Smith also asked the federal judge in the case to remove all upcoming deadlines in the case so that his office can assess how to move forward as Trump returns to the White House.
Meantime, House Republicans who have been investigating the former January 6th committee have officially told Smith to preserve his records and comply with previous requests for documents.
We're learning more now about another plot to assassinate Donald Trump. The U.S. Department of Justice has charged a man it says was directed by Iran to kill Trump in the days leading up to the presidential election.
Authorities say that man is still at large in Iran. The news is likely to create problems during the second Trump presidency. When Trump found out in September about a previous attempt by Tehran to have him killed in retaliation for the 2020 airstrike that killed a top Iranian commander, he threatened to destroy the nation.
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TRUMP: We've been threatened very directly by Iran. You do any attacks on former presidents or candidates for president, your country gets blown to smithereens.
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COREN: U.S. authorities say this was part of a wider plot by Iran to carry out assassinations against several American and Israeli citizens inside the U.S. Iran's foreign ministry described the claims as completely baseless.
We're following multiple developments from the Middle East right now.
More than a dozen Israeli attacks hit Beirut's southern suburbs overnight. It's unclear at this point whether there were any casualties in what are densely populated residential neighborhoods.
The strikes came about one hour after the Israeli military posted maps and images online, ordering residents to evacuate. Israel claimed it was targeting buildings affiliated with Hezbollah.
Meanwhile, sources tell CNN that Qatar has agreed to expel Hamas from the country following a request by the U.S. Let's now go live to London with CNN's Nada Bashir.
Nada, what more are you learning about the strikes on Beirut?
NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the situation in Lebanon, in the capital, Beirut, is growing increasingly distressing for the civilian population. As you mentioned. 13 airstrikes taking place last night in the southern suburbs of Dahiyeh.
According to state media, targeting the districts of Haret Hreik and Bourj el-Barajneh. These are areas which are known to be Hezbollah strongholds. But as you mentioned also densely populated areas filled with civilians.
And, of course, we have seen this enormous mass displacement of civilians since Israel began its airstrikes on Lebanon and ground incursion in the south. But still an area that is known to be filled with civilians.
There had been prior warning about an hour's warning from the Israeli military for civilians to evacuate the area. Again, unclear whether all civilians are receiving these warnings. Many, of course, are relying on word of mouth actually to get that heads up, to get out and to get into a safe area.
But as I said this is a very densely populated area so deeply concerning and troubling as we continue to see Israel targeting Lebanon's capital.
COREN: As for the news that CNN has received, that Qatar will be kicking out the remaining Hamas leadership, I guess, what are you learning from that?
But also, why has it taken so long for the U.S. to make this request?
BASHIR: Well, Qatar has been a longstanding partner and mediator in the ongoing ceasefire negotiations. Or I should say that the stalled ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas.
And according to sources, it is understood that the U.S. has pressed Qatar to use the presence or residence of Hamas leaders in its capital, Doha, as a sort of leverage.
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Essentially to push forward these negotiations with the looming threat of expulsion if there isn't any sort of forward progress or coordination from Hamas officials.
But according to sources, this situation has changed since the killing of hostages held captive in Gaza, particularly U.S. held hostages, including Hersh Goldberg-Polin, of course, which sent shock waves.
And also because the situation with regards to the ceasefire negotiations has essentially stalled. We haven't seen any forward progress, according to sources familiar with the talks. Now it's unclear when exactly these Hamas leaders or officials are expected to leave Qatar, when we will see them -- that happen, where they may go after that.
It's understood, according to sources, that the U.S. requested Qatar to take this action about two weeks ago and that the decision was taken by Qatar and confirmed about a week ago and they notified their U.S. counterparts. But again, unclear what those next steps will look like.
COREN: Nada Bashir in London. We appreciate the reporting. Thank you.
Tensions over the Middle East conflict have flared up on the streets of Amsterdam. Officials have banned public protests in the city for three days and implemented other security measures.
The crackdown on demonstrations comes after Israeli football fans were beaten and injured in violent clashes. Dutch authorities on Friday condemned the attacks as anti-Semitic.
Others have said they were sparked by anti-Arab songs and chants by the Israeli fans. Israelis began streaming back to Israel after the clashes.
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COREN (voice-over): This was the scene at Israel's Ben-Gurion airport as football fans arrived back in the country on Friday.
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MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): These were some of the appalling acts of violence against Israeli soccer fans.
"I'm not Jewish," this man screams, as hooded attackers kick and beat him to the ground. One person is mowed down by a car. Another lies motionless on the street as he is rudely kicked.
Israeli and Dutch officials expressing their shock.
FEMKE HALSEMA, MAYOR OF AMSTERDAM: Amsterdam looks bad on a pitch- Black night and it is still dark today. Hateful antisemitic rioters and criminals attacked and beat up Jewish Israeli visitors to our city last night. My heart goes out to the victims, to their families, here and in Israel.
CHANCE: These were the scenes ahead of the match between Maccabi Tel Aviv and the Dutch team Ajax on Thursday night. Some Israeli fans can be heard supporting the Israeli military, chanting, "Let the IDF win," and cursing Arabs.
One Israeli fan is reported pulling down a Palestinian flag.
Later, there were clashes with pro-Palestinian protesters, Dutch police deploying extra personnel but Israeli officials tell CNN, more should have been done by police to protect the fans amid prior warnings of anti-Israel protests.
JONI POGREBETSY, ISRAELI SOCCER FAN: They came when a lot of people were already hurt, injured, some of them probably got to the hospital.
MICHAEL ASUSS, ISRAELI SOCCER FAN: We have nothing to do with the war, we come to support Maccabi Tel Aviv and we got (INAUDIBLE).
CHANCE: But Israeli officials tell CNN they see this rampage in Amsterdam as part of a broader upsurge in antisemitic violence and are now reviewing security for all Israeli sports fixtures abroad --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Where are you from?
Where are you from?
CHANCE: -- making sure that Israeli fans are not targeted like this, ever again -- Matthew Chance, CNN, Jerusalem.
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COREN: A suicide bombing at a train station in Quetta, Pakistan, has killed at least 24 people and injured 53.
Well, that's from a senior official in the local government. And a warning, you may find this video disturbing. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COREN (voice-over): The blast went off as a crowd was waiting on the platform for an express train for Peshawar. The Baloch Liberation Army issued a statement claiming responsibility for the attack, saying it was targeting a Pakistani army unit.
Well, Pakistan has been hit by a surge in militant attacks in its northwest and a growing separatist insurgency in the south. The separatist group was responsible for an October attack on Chinese engineers and investors in Karachi that killed two.
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COREN: Well, there's much more here on CNN, including what we know about Donald Trump's tariff proposals and how they could impact the global economy. Stay with us.
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COREN (voice-over): U.S. markets rallying again on Friday and capping their best week of the year. Stocks closed at record highs with the Dow temporarily crossing the 44,000 point for the first time. Experts say markets are reacting to Trump's victory and the expectation of his business friendly policies.
Investors are also happy that he will not challenge the election results, which they feared could lead to a prolonged uncertainty. But some experts warn the rally may be short-lived because it's still unclear how Trump will execute his policies.
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COREN: While campaigning, Trump vowed to impose massive tariffs on imports to the U.S. He promised a 60 percent tariff on everything that comes from China. Tariffs between 100 percent and 200 percent on cars shipped from Mexico and a 10 percent across the board tariff on all imported goods.
Economic experts expect the higher costs to be passed along. A recent study by the National Retail Federation said U.S. consumers could lose up to $78 billion in annual spending power if all of Trump's tariff proposals are implemented.
But multiple sources tell CNN that there's no strategy for transforming promises into policy. No one knows how or when any tariffs would be imposed or what legal authorities would support them. Advisers say Trump may try to link China tariffs to tax reform negotiations expected next year.
Well, last hour I spoke with Bert Hofman, director of the East Asian Institute and professor in practice at the School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore. I asked him if he believes Trump will try to impose 60 percent tariffs on all imports from China.
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BERT HOFMAN, DIRECTOR, EAST ASIAN INSTITUTE: If you look at last time around, Trump won. He had a campaign promise of a 45 percent tariff on China, imports from China.
Turned out half of India and half of goods were tariffed and it was about 25 percent. And some at 10 percent. So there's some wiggle room if you want.
The main -- the main reason for that was there was a negotiation for China to import more. That was Trump's real goal. What the goal is now is actually quite uncertain. And, either China's domestic policy changes or is it, again, China, more buying from the U.S.
Until we know that it's very hard to see whether that 60 percent is actually going to stick.
COREN: Well, but as you mentioned Trump's love of tariffs is nothing new. And I now want to play this clip for you and our audience.
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TRUMP: We're taking in billions of from China in the form of tariffs.
As you know, we're charging China tariffs. We've never taken in 10 cents from China. Now we're taking in billions and billions of dollars. We took in billions and billions of dollars in taxes and tariffs from China. They never gave us 10 cents.
I took in hundreds of billions of dollars in tariffs from China, hundreds of billions of dollars. No president ever took in 10 cents.
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COREN: Yes, his love of tariffs, he certainly made that very clear on the campaign trail and obviously during his first term in the White House.
But what would be the ramifications for the U.S. economy this time around?
HOFMAN: Well, first, let me correct Mr. Trump.
There's about $250 billion tariff from China, which gives about $40 billion in revenues. That's not nothing but it's the United States public that actually pays that. If it becomes 60 percent, of course, the United States people will pay more.
But for China, it's quite -- it's damaging but maybe not too damaging. First, China relies now less on the United States than before. What Trump wanted was about 20 percent of exports that went to the United States. Now it's about 14 percent.
If that is tariffed at 60 percent, frankly, there's very little you can export with 60 percent. And China would have to divert a lot of exports to other places but it would still be damaging for China's growth. And there's some estimates out there that it would cost 2-3 percentage points in GDP level over time.
That's not immediate but over time. So that's damaging. But China, of course, will also react. And they will react by placing tariffs on U.S. goods just like they have done last time.
They would also react by potentially react by limiting sensitive exports, such as rare earths, to the United States, which makes the United States production more difficult.
Third, China could, as they have done in the past, encourage Chinese companies to move elsewhere, so basically to make China exports, Mexican exports or Thailand exports. And that we've seen over the past 4-5 years, a lot of diversion of trade and a redirection of foreign direct investment from China to other countries.
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COREN: That was East Asian Institute director Bert Hofman, speaking to me earlier from Jakarta, Indonesia.
As firefighters battle a fast moving wildfire fueled by gusty winds, California residents are returning to their burned-out ruins and what's left of their homes. We'll hear from one devastated couple after the break.
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COREN: In California, firefighters are hoping to gain more control of the so-called Mountain Fire now that the fierce winds have died down for a while. Officials say the fast-moving fire has burned more than 20,000 acres and destroyed dozens of properties since it started Wednesday, about 45 miles northwest of Los Angeles.
Officials say the blaze is now about 14 percent contained. We get more now from CNN's Camila Bernal.
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CAMILA BERNAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We are seeing improvements in this fire and the containment number going up. And part of the reason is better weather conditions but also the attack, both in the air and on the ground, from these firefighters.
CAL FIRE telling me they have two priorities.
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One is getting to the fire in those hard to reach areas where it's very steep and trying to control the flames there. But also trying to get people back into these neighborhoods safely. They've done assessments and out of about 300 houses that they've checked, 132 destroyed, about 88 damaged.
And it's not going to be easy for those families to come back into these homes. You take a look at the house here behind me. I spoke to the homeowners. They've been here for three years and they were actually on vacation in Minnesota when this fire came through.
So they were not able to save any of the belongings that they wanted to. The homeowner telling me that she wanted to pass things down to her kids and it's all burned to the ground. They got very emotional explaining what it's like to live through this and what it's like to see their home gone. Take a listen.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's devastating.
You know and you look around at your neighbors.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're just glad that everybody was OK.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You know, we have had to deal with insurance companies. Nothing like this, believe me. But they've been difficult to deal with. They haven't been helpful. They've made our life difficult instead of better. And that's one reason we're speaking out.
None of these people deserve that. They've been through enough. They're at ground zero and we need the help.
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BERNAL: And so many families are going through those emotions. Fire officials saying that they're going to continue to work around the clock. They want to do as much as they can over the weekend because of the better weather conditions.
We no longer have those red flag warnings but we do see them in the forecast for next week. So what they want to do is get a handle of this fire before the red flag warnings come back into effect -- Camila Bernal, CNN. Ventura County, California.
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COREN: Well, before we go, a bright spot from the Mountain Fire in Ventura County. Dozens of ducks rescued from danger.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) COREN (voice-over): Some 80 ducks made it out of the fire zone to safety.
Workers at Ventura County Animal Services were able to corral the ducks into pens at a safe distance from the fire. Fire officials say the cause of the Mountain Fire is yet to be determined.
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COREN: They are certainly very lucky little animals.
Well, thank you so much for your company. I'm Anna Coren. "QUEST'S WORLD OF WONDER" is up next. And Kim Brunhuber will have more from CNN NEWSROOM from Atlanta at the top of the hour. See you then.
