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Trump Transition; Iranian Plot to Kill Trump; Voters Sour Despite Strong Economic Fundamentals; Pentagon Plans for Illegal Trump Orders; California Governor Calls Special Session to "Trump-Proof" Laws; Suicide Bombing in Pakistan Train Station; Israeli Strikes Pummel Beirut; Blacks Receive Racist Texts after U.S. Election; Trump Win in Part Credited to Black Males; Stocks End Election Week at Record Highs; College Hoops Highlights. Aired 5-6a ET

Aired November 09, 2024 - 05:00   ET

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

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KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Live from CNN headquarters in Atlanta. Welcome to all of you watching here in the United States, Canada and around the world, I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN NEWSROOM.

President-elect Donald Trump already raising eyebrows with his diplomacy choices. Why his call with Ukraine's president included billionaire Elon Musk. There are questions about Trump's plans for the U.S. economy. We'll take a look on both right now and what the future could bring.

Plus some U.S. leaders are already preparing to clash with a Trump presidency. How California plans to safeguard its state laws.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from Atlanta this is CNN NEWSROOM with Kim Brunhuber.

BRUNHUBER: It is 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.

Trump's preparations, as he heads into his second term, also included key meetings. Sources tell CNN that Elon Musk joined Trump on a phone call with Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday.

Musk's Starlink satellites have been critical for Ukraine's fight against Russia. Democrats, on the other hand, are looking inward and, in many cases, playing the blame game in Washington. They're trying to understand how they lost an election they expected to win.

Despite their top of the ticket loss, Democrats have earned a win in the U.S. Senate. CNN projects Nevada Democrat Jacky Rosen will win reelection and retain her Senate seat. Her victory will hold off Republicans from adding to their incoming 52-seat majority.

In the still hotly contested Senate race in Pennsylvania, Republican candidate David McCormick is suing election officials over how they count provisional ballots in his race. McCormick currently has a narrow lead over Democratic senator Bob Casey.

McCormick is seeking a court order that would allow him to challenge large groups of ballots that he thinks should be disqualified, instead of having to file individual challenges.

Iran is rejecting a U.S. Justice Department claim that it plotted to kill Donald Trump in the days before the presidential election. This after U.S. authorities charged a man they say was directed by Tehran to assassinate Trump.

Iran's foreign minister says the allegations are part of a malicious conspiracy aimed at further complicating the issues between the U.S. and Iran. Our Evan Perez has more.

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EVAN PEREZ, CNN SR. JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: The Justice Department says that the latest Iranian plot to try to kill Donald Trump was part of a broader effort to carry out attacks on a prominent critic of the Iranian regime as well as against U.S. and Israeli citizens.

U.S. prosecutors unsealed in federal court in Manhattan a complaint against an alleged IRGC operative living in Tehran and two U.S. citizens, who allegedly -- he allegedly recruited in at least one of these assassination plots.

The two Americans are in custody and have been ordered held, pending trial. Now according to the court documents, Iranian government officials tasked Farhad Shakeri, 51 years old, to focus in recent weeks on surveilling and ultimately assassinating Trump.

He couldn't come up with a plot in a short timeframe before the election and the Iranians apparently believe Trump would lose and that they could target him later. Shakeri is still at large in Iran, according to the Justice Department.

Now also on the Iranian target list was journalist and activist Masih Alinejad. She's a prominent critic of the Iranian regime, who the FBI says that the Iranians have been trying to kill several other times.

Prosecutors say Shakeri told the FBI in voluntary interviews about the various tasks that he was given by the IRGC. Now this includes plans for a mass shooting that targeted Israeli tourists in Sri Lanka.

And Shakeri also told the FBI that he was tasked with surveilling and assassinating two Jewish businesspeople living in New York City. The U.S. government has repeatedly raised concerns that Iran is trying to retaliate for a 2020 U.S. drone strike that killed IRGC general Qasem Soleimani.

Now they say that he is plotted to kill Trump, who ordered the strike as well as a number of Trump administration officials.

More recently in this summer, a Pakistani national was arrested and charged with seeking to hire assassins to target Trump, as well as other U.S. political figures, including some in the Biden administration -- Evan Perez, CNN, Washington.

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BRUNHUBER: A Florida congressman says investigators foiled a potential plot against his life.

Democratic representative Jared Moskowitz says police told him they'd arrested an armed convicted felon near his home in the city of Margate. He reportedly had a manifesto with anti-Semitic language and the representative's name on it.

Moskowitz is Jewish. Police confirmed that they arrested 41 year old John Lipinski on firearms charges. They said evidence suggested he may have been planning some kind of criminal act.

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.

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.

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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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BRUNHUBER: Donald Trump's election paid off big for him this week, $0.5 billion jump for his stake in the Truth Social media platform. Shares in the company were down by 42 percent at yesterday's market open. That was until Trump sent out a post, denying he planned to sell any shares, saying rumors to the contrary were fake.

Well, the stock turned around immediately. The 4.4 percent gain over the five days translated to a $500 million boost, at least on paper, to Trump's net worth.

Well, Trump will begin his second term with the economic wind in his sails.

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BRUNHUBER (voice-over): U.S. stocks closed at record highs on Friday, ending their best week of the year. If you look at the fundamentals, the U.S. economy is rock solid. But that's not how many voters saw it.

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BRUNHUBER: And they blame President Biden and, by extension, Vice President Kamala Harris. Julia Chatterley explains why voters gave thumbs down to an economy that's strong on paper.

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JULIA CHATTERLEY, CNN ANCHOR: The election result this week putting the economy and American voters' financial well-being front and center at the Federal Reserve meeting this week.

So it was some comfort for borrowers that the Fed cut rates by yet another quarter of a percentage point. And good news, they left the door open to another cut in December.

Now that wasn't a given really heading into this meeting because, as Jerome Powell said, even if people aren't feeling it, the economy is solid. Inflation is coming back to target. The jobs market is slowing, yes. But it is supported now by these rate cuts. And they can be quote, "patient," he said in bringing rates back down.

So why are so many Americans impatient about the economy and why did CNN's exit polls show three out of four Americans feel that they're the same or worse off than they were four years ago?

Well, the truth is, because many of them are. Just take a look at this chart. It shows wages for people in manufacturing or not supervisory jobs. They actually rose under both president Trump and President Biden. In fact, as you can see, it's actually more under President Biden.

But look at the price rises.

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They were so huge under this administration. And the bigger that gap between the blocks, the richer you are and the richer you feel. The smaller that gap, the poorer. And as Jerome Powell said, feeling richer again is going to take time years.

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JEROME POWELL, CHAIRMAN, FEDERAL RESERVE: 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.

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CHATTERLEY: So the good news is wages are still rising so people are going to continue to feel better, we hope. But president-elect Trump is going to benefit from that, not Biden nor Harris.

Now assuming, of course, that policies like mass immigration limits, blanket tariffs don't end up forcing prices higher again and then the Federal Reserve is forced to slow down their rate cuts as a result.

Now Jerome Powell refused to talk about politics. He refused to talk about future policies. And that's a good decision, of course, because we simply don't know enough yet. But what we do know is he's staying in the chair. And he made that very clear when he was asked this week.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Some of the president's elect advisors have suggested that you should resign.

If he asked you to leave, would you go?

POWELL: No.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can you follow up on it?

Do you think that, legally, you're not required to leave?

POWELL: No. (END VIDEO CLIP)

CHATTERLEY: Yep. That was a mic drop. Look, president-elect Trump likes lower rates. He made that clear. Borrowers also like lower interest rates. It makes things like credit cards a little bit cheaper.

And the Fed is trying to cut rates until perhaps next government's policies forces them to do otherwise. It's going to be an interesting year -- Julia Chatterley in New York.

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BRUNHUBER: Well, there's nothing unusual about Pentagon officials gaming out scenarios but this time they're preparing in case the next president gives them an order they consider illegal. That story when we come back.

Plus California's governor is preparing for the incoming administration and he's calling on the legislature to Trump-proof state laws. We'll explain.

And then later, tensions over the Middle East flare on the streets of Amsterdam. Officials describe anti-Semitic attacks, while others chanted anti-Arab slogans. Next, we have new details, plus the major investigation now underway. Stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: Some Pentagon officials say they 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 doing.

They also fear the possibility of mass firings of Department of Defense staff. CNN's Natasha Bertrand reports.

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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.

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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BRUNHUBER: A federal judge overturned an Illinois state ban on semi- automatic weapons on Friday. His decision was based on recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings that strictly interpret the Second Amendment, which protects the right to keep and bear arms.

The Illinois law bans AR-15 rifles and similar guns, large capacity magazines and many attachments and just went into effect this year. It was passed after the 2022 Independence Day shooting outside Chicago that left seven people dead and dozens wounded.

The judge's order takes effect in 30 days. Both the state's governor and attorney general are vowing to appeal.

Well, immigration was a cornerstone of Donald Trump's 2024 campaign. And on the trail, he repeatedly pledged mass deportations of undocumented immigrants.

Now dozens of migrant support groups in New York state are getting ready for the president-elect to keep his promise or perhaps go further than his stated aim of deporting only undocumented migrants who've committed crimes. Sources recently told CNN that Trump allies in government and the

private sector are quietly preparing for large scale detentions and deportations. The sources say one key issue under consideration is whether to deport immigrants brought to the U.S. as children, commonly known as Dreamers.

California's governor is calling for a special session to, quote, "Trump-proof" state laws. Gavin Newsom is a fierce critic of the president-elect and he's calling for lawmakers to convene in December to safeguard state laws on climate change, abortion and immigration.

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The move effectively reignites California's resistance to conservative policies that began during Trump's first term. Newsom is also calling on the state legislature to give the attorney general's office more funds to fight federal challenges.

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BRUNHUBER: And joining us now from Sacramento, California, is Dan Walters. He's a political columnist for calmatters.org.

Thank you so much for joining us here. So Gavin Newsom's calling that special session. From what I read from your writings, you think it has more to do with Newsom's own ambition than necessarily with Trump.

DAN WALTERS, POLITICAL COLUMNIST, CALMATTERS.ORG: Yes, I really do. The calling of the special session is kind of a stunt because there's nothing that the legislature can do in special session that they couldn't do when they're going to reconvene in December anyway.

And so it's kind of a way of kind of amping up the publicity angle. And he, you know, they're looking for media attention. Look, it's no -- it's no secret. Gavin Newsom has been trying to build his national political profile. Whether he intends to run for president or not that's another thing.

But at least he's trying to kind of boost up and make himself kind of the leader of the resistance to Donald Trump. This is kind of a replay of what had happened in Trump's first presidency and it's going to be cranking up again.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, exactly. I was living in California during that first term and we did see that idea of California as a bulwark against Trumpism in that first term. So I want to talk about some of the main fronts of the battle. Immigration might be at the top of the list, with Trump promising mass deportations.

So how will California fight back?

Will it be sort of a massive sanctuary to protect thousands, who might fear being rounded up?

WALTERS: Well, their state is already a sanctuary state. In California, undocumented immigrants are basically -- have all the rights and privileges and services of -- that legitimate immigrants have. Except they can't vote, supposedly. But that's another thing.

No that's -- be one front because there are about 3 million, I believe it's about 3 million undocumented immigrants in California to begin with. And they're vital parts of industries.

Farmers, for example, they can't operate without those folks working out in the fields. That's not the only conflict, however. There are conflicts over water. Trump, during his first presidency, tried to help the farmers get more water while the state was trying to reduce water to farmers.

The state has a very ambitious climate change program that would include banning all gasoline-powered -- sale of gasoline-powered cars by 2035. That's -- they clashed over that issue during his first presidency. And it's probably going to happen again.

So there's a there's no shortage of issues. California, after all, is the nation's largest state and is a -- has a global sized economy. And so this is a -- this is going to be kind of a, I don't know, mano a mano between the governor of California and the incoming President of the United States over who calls the shots.

And it's going to be a very interesting thing. You got -- obviously, Donald Trump is what he is. And Gavin Newsom is also a kind of a publicity seeker, likes to be the center of attention and that sort. So it'd be a very interesting conflict as it -- as it develops in the next Trump presidency.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, absolutely. We can expect sparks to fly. But California, as you well know, far from monolithic. There are huge sections of the state that are -- that are red. Millions voted for Donald Trump. In fact, he did better percentagewise in California this time around than he did in 2020.

So will there be resistance to the resistance, do you think?

WALTERS: Well, there's already -- Republicans are already kind of denouncing the special session as a stunt and as a publicity thing. And that Gavin Newsom wants to run for president in 2028. And this is his way of doing so.

So there's already that criticism. And you're right. The -- actually, Trump did fairly well in California. I think about 4 million people voted for Trump in California. We may have more Trump voters in California than any other state, as far as I know.

So there, however, the Republican Party is very weak in California. The Democrats hold all the levers of power. Huge majorities in the legislature, huge majorities in the congressional delegation, every single statewide office.

So the Republicans really, they can talk about it and they can complain about it. But they have actually absolutely zero power to do anything about whatever the governor and the legislature wants to do on this on this issue.

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BRUNHUBER: Yes, we'll have to see how it affects the state, because, obviously, Donald Trump loves to punish his enemies. We've seen him, you know, float the idea of holding back funds for California.

So, as you say, it's going to be a fully pitched battle and it'll be interesting to see how that develops. I really appreciate getting you on this, Dan Walters in Sacramento, thanks so much for joining us.

WALTERS: You're welcome.

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BRUNHUBER: Well, when the new Senate convenes in January, some Republicans known as conservative firebrands will be in charge of major committees for the first time in their careers.

Texas senator Ted Cruz is in line to lead the Commerce, Science and Transportation committee, as well as approve more than 100 Senate confirmed positions. Senator Mike Lee of Utah will likely get control of the Energy Committee and senator Rand Paul of Kentucky will chair the Senate Homeland Security Committee.

Now all three have often railed against their leaders and committee chairs over government funding and other hot button issues.

Now some of the top Hamas leaders will reportedly have to look for a new place to call home.

Still ahead, why they may have to bid goodbye to an opulent city where they've lived so far.

And hateful, racist text messages were sent all around the United States after the election. Now authorities are trying to figure out who sent them and why. Stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN NEWSROOM.

Local officials in Pakistan say a suicide bombing at a train station has killed at least 25 people and injured more than 50.

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I just want to warn you, this video might be disturbing for you.

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BRUNHUBER (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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BRUNHUBER: Tensions over the Middle East conflict have flared on the streets of Amsterdam. Officials have banned public protests in the city for three days and implemented other security measures.

The crackdown comes after Israeli football fans were beaten and injured in violent clashes. Dutch authorities on Friday condemned the attacks as anti-Semitic. Others say they were sparked by anti-Arab songs and chants by the Israeli fans. I'll go live now to Amsterdam and CNN's Melissa Bell.

So Melissa, what is the latest on the aftermath and the response?

MELISSA BELL, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That investigation now continues into how the violence could have reached the levels that it did on Thursday night.

Those 63 people arrested; several of the victims found themselves in hospital. All have now been released. And, of course, the Israeli fans have now been evacuated and repatriated to Israel.

But you're right to point out, Kim, that the tension had begun as early as Wednesday night and we'd seen already videos emerge of the Maccabi Tel Aviv fans arriving in Amsterdam, some filmed tearing down a Palestinian flag, others shouting violent anti-Arab slurs.

And it was that that rising of tension online and in terms of the social media videos that had led Dutch police to add extra policemen and women to the streets for Thursday night. But it proved too little to protect the Israeli fans from these hit and run attacks that targeted so many of them.

Those fans then evacuated to Ben-Gurion. We've also seen the images of their return with more anti-Arab chants that were -- that were sounded there. Now Israeli authorities are working with Dutch police. They're very keen that prosecutions should be brought in terms of those very violent attacks of Thursday night.

And many of the questions now surround what's likely to happen next week, because this very, very same football team, Maccabi Tel Aviv, will be traveling to Paris to take on Paris Saint-Germain in a match there.

French authorities have said, despite what happened here in Amsterdam this week, they are going to go ahead with that match and not bow to what one of their ministers described as anti-Semitic pressures. Still, given France's very large Muslim community, its very strong

pro-Palestine views that have often been expressed in protest, there are questions about just how safely French authorities are going to be able to manage the fallout from that fixture.

There was another match that was planned to take place in Turkiye; again, Maccabi Tel Aviv. That, say UEFA officials, will now be placed, taking place somewhere more neutral than the planned match in Turkiye for -- that was due in November. Kim.

BRUNHUBER: All right. I appreciate those updates. Melissa Bell in Amsterdam. Thanks so much.

U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken has talked on the phone with key foreign counterparts after Donald Trump's election victory. America's top diplomat has spoken recently with French, Saudi and Emirati foreign ministers, as well as the U.N. secretary general.

They discussed the wars in Gaza and Lebanon, efforts to secure a ceasefire and hostage deal and plans for the so-called day after the conflict ends.

The Biden administration is working to achieve as many of its foreign policy goals as possible before Donald Trump's inauguration in a little over two months.

Meanwhile, Israeli strikes on Lebanon are not showing any signs of letting up. The country's national news agency says at least 13 airstrikes pummeled neighborhoods in southern Beirut overnight. The targets included an area that's considered the seat of power for Hezbollah.

Elsewhere, U.S. and Qatari sources say Qatar has agreed to boot Hamas leaders out of the country after a request from the U.S. But the militant group just came out with a statement saying it's not going anywhere. Nada Bashir is watching those developments from London.

So Nada, let's go back.

First to the strikes in Lebanon, what's the latest there?

NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. As you mentioned, Kim, at least 13 airstrikes by the Israeli military taking place overnight, targeting the southern suburbs of Beirut. In particular, according to state media, the neighborhoods of Haret Hreik and Bourj al-Barajneh.

These are areas which are considered to be Hezbollah strongholds. But also important to note, these are areas that are residential as well, that are still filled with civilians. According to Israeli officials, a warning was issued about an hour before these airstrikes took place.

But again, as we have seen in previous instances where airstrikes have taken place, it isn't clear how many of these civilians are actually getting these warnings that are being issued by the Israeli military.

[05:35:00] Whether enough time is given for civilians to actually get out and get to safety, many of them relying on word of mouth oftentimes during these overnight airstrikes.

And what we've seen over the course of Israel's aerial campaign, particularly in Beirut, is areas that are not only filled the civilians but also key civilian infrastructure being targeted or at least within the targeted area.

CNN analysis has shown that a number of hospitals have been within lethal proximity to the airstrikes taking place in parts of Beirut and other areas of Lebanon. Of course, this is taking place as the country continues to grapple with a significant mass displacement of the population there as a result of these airstrikes.

Still, many civilians, of course, bearing the brunt of Israel's military campaign. Again, Israel says it is targeting Hezbollah infrastructure. But important to note that this is a very densely populated area filled with civilians, as is so often the case in Lebanon, as we have seen, of course, in Gaza as well.

BRUNHUBER: All right. And then on the reporting of Hamas being expelled from Qatar and the questions around that, now take us through what's being said and what it might mean.

BASHIR: That's right. We are getting updates from sources and officials telling CNN that the Qatari officials have now confirmed to the Biden administration that they will agree to the expulsion of Hamas leaders from the country, many of whom have taken residence in the country for some time now.

And, of course, Qatar has played a crucial role in the stalling ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas.

It is understood, according to sources, that the possible expulsion of Hamas leaders has been used -- or at least the U.S. has pressed Qatar to use the possible expulsion as a sort of leverage in these negotiations, to try and push the talks forward, to try and pressure Hamas leaders to continue with these negotiations.

It is understood, according to sources, that the Biden administration informed the Qatari officials about two weeks ago that they wanted to see Hamas leaders expelled in response to both the killing of Israeli hostages held captive in Gaza and also in response to the stalling nature of these negotiations.

We haven't seen any progress in weeks, if not months now with regards to those talks. And sources tell CNN that Qatar about a week ago agreed to this expulsion.

However, important to note that we have been getting updates from a senior Hamas official as well, saying that these claims are, in his words, baseless, that they are being used as a pressure tactic and that similar claims have been made in the past. So a differing message there from Hamas officials.

BRUNHUBER: So a lot of confusion. All right. Nada Bashir, thanks so much.

After the break, Democrats are trying to understand why Kamala Harris lost. The former House Speaker says she may know why. More on that next.

Plus Donald Trump won with the help of his loyal base and the increased support of Black male voters. What some say motivated them to make the change. We'll have that next here on CNN NEWSROOM. Stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: U.S. authorities are probing racist texts sent to Black Americans all across the country. CNN's Gabe Cohen has details on the disturbing messages, which were filled with hateful rhetoric.

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GABE COHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Investigators are trying to track down whoever is behind a series of personalized racist text targeting people of color in roughly two dozen states, from New York to California, some of them children.

TALAYA JONES, RACIST TEXT RECIPIENT: It's disgusting. It's really -- it doesn't even seem like something that a human with a heart and soul would even do.

COHEN: Talaya Jones, one of many who received the text personally addressed referencing picking cotton and slave catchers. And today, she received an email calling her the N-word.

When you saw yet another message, what went through your mind?

JONES: That was insane, so that's what I was thinking like, somebody hacked my phone, like you don't feel safe in anything that you do, because you don't know who is doing it.

COHEN: Some of the messages specifically referred to President-elect Donald Trump.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am one of Donald Trump's associates and your cotton picking starts from 6:00 am to 8:00 pm. You will drop out of school and become a full time cotton picker, making 75 cents an hour, sounds good.

COHEN: The Trump campaign denouncing those texts in a statement, saying the campaign has absolutely nothing to do with them.

But the president of the NAACP says, quote, 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.

JENNIFER GREEN, RACIST TEXT RECIPIENT: It's very scary for a lot of individuals, the fact that it happened the day after Election Day, it really speaks to what I think is going on here.

COHEN: At least some of the messages were sent using TextNow a service that allows users to create phone numbers for free and the company says it believes this is a widespread, coordinated attack.

LIZ MURRILL, LOUISIANA ATTORNEY GENERAL: don't click on it, delete it.

COHEN: Louisiana's attorney general telling CNN that the people behind this are using software that obscures their location, writing the messages through Poland, though the senders could be anywhere.

MURRILL: We have no way of knowing where the individual is that is sending the mills but we will continue to investigate it.

COHEN: And we've now learned the FCC is conducting an investigation, working with federal and state law enforcement to figure out who's behind this and how to stop them -- Gabe Cohen, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: On the eve of the election, the polls were still tight but Democrats thought they had the momentum and the winning ticket. Now they're trying to sort out what went wrong. The former U.S. House Speaker suggesting that Joe Biden's late exit from the race may have contributed to the loss.

Nancy Pelosi says it didn't allow time for a proper selection process to fill the vacancy. She says she expected a competitive primary after Biden stepped aside in July. But Biden immediately endorsed Kamala Harris instead. Democrats quickly united around her. Here she is.

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LULU GARCIA-NAVARRO, PODCAST HOST: You had reportedly said you wanted a sort of an open primary when if Joe Biden stepped down.

Did you change your mind because you saw all the excitement around Kamala Harris?

REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA), FORMER U.S. HOUSE SPEAKER: No, I didn't change my mind. We had an open primary and she won it. Nobody else got in the race.

Yes, people could have jumped in. There were some people who were sort of preparing but she just, took off with it. And, actually, it was a blessing because it -- there isn't that much time. There wasn't that much time between then and the election and it sort of saved time. So it wasn't that we didn't have an open process. It's just that nobody got in. (END AUDIO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Donald Trump's return to the White House can be credited in part to his increase in support from Americans of color.

[05:45:00]

CNN analysis shows the president-elect won more Black votes than any Republican candidate has in nearly five decades. Nationwide, one in five Black men cast their ballot for Trump. Omar Jimenez looks at some of what motivated the change.

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OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Have you actually noticed a shift among Black men here in Pennsylvania?

LINWOOD HOLLAND, REPUBLICAN WARD LEADER, PHILADELPHIA: Definitely.

JIMENEZ: And what do you mean?

HOLLAND: I mean, when I was growing up, people used to say that the Republicans were for businesses and the Democrats were for the regular and working class. I don't think that's the same right now. I think maybe the roles have flipped a little bit.

JIMENEZ (voice-over): Linwood Holland is a Republican ward leader here in Philadelphia. This election, he says, he has more Republican voters in his community than he's used to.

HOLLAND: And I've been in some places where some guy says, you know, I kind of like what he's doing. And they might talk, smack too, you know what I mean?

So it doesn't bother them what he's saying. They, you know, like his macho image, I guess or whatever he's doing. And they just want to be like, I want to be part of something different.

JIMENEZ: Now to be clear, the overwhelming majority of Black men in Pennsylvania supported Vice President Kamala Harris for president and supported President Joe Biden in 2020.

JIMENEZ (voice-over): Now in 2020, based on CNN exit polls, just 10 percent of Black men in Pennsylvania supported Donald Trump. This election though, that number jumped to 26 percent in the state. That's the biggest increase of any of the swing states.

Nationally though, the shift was much smaller, going from 19 percent of Black men in 2020 to 21 percent in 2024.

JIMENEZ: Have you noticed a shift within the Black community just in conversations you've had over the last four to eight years?

CALVIN TUCKER, CHAIRMAN, PHILADELPHIA BLACK REPUBLICAN COUNCIL: Yes, absolutely. From 2016, you know, there was quiet support but it was groundbreaking to vote another way. In 2020, it became more of a reality, you know, that there is an option here, right?

In the next cycle, if that doesn't work, then we do something else but we can't be permanently buried in the morass of voting one way for the rest of our life.

JIMENEZ (voice-over): Calvin Tucker is a Trump ally and chair of the Philadelphia Black Republican Council. He also believes economic reasons ranked above anything the former president has said.

TUCKER: You may misinterpret something someone says or, you know, you may -- I'm not voting for your attitude. I've worked for people that have not been as favorable to my -- to me as an individual but at the end of the day, I can get a check and feed my family.

JIMENEZ: Now we do know the economy was a top concern for a lot of voters this election cycle but those two voices and their profiles aren't necessarily representative of the majority of Black voters here in Pennsylvania or in Philadelphia or of Black women.

More than 95 percent of them supported Vice President Kamala Harris and President Biden, according to CNN exit polling.

But their answers do give a little insight to some of what we've seen from Black men this election cycle, even if not the majority -- Omar Jimenez, CNN, Philadelphia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: All right. Coming up, the Cleveland Cavaliers looking for a perfect 10-0 start.

But could they keep it going against Steph Curry and the Warriors?

Find out next. Stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: Donald Trump's election appeared to push U.S. stocks to record highs at the close on Friday. The Dow gained 260 points. The S&P briefly crossed 6,000 and tech stocks also rose.

It appeared to be based on a perception the incoming administration will be more business and tax friendly. Analysts say investors were also reacting to the clarity provided by Trump's swift victory, which they hope avoids uncertainty.

All right. In sports, the Cleveland Cavaliers winning yet again on Friday. The team off to its best start in history. Andy Scholes has more.

And he's -- you know not many had the Cavs being so dominant this season.

Can they carry it off?

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORT CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Well, Kim, you know the Cavs, they were a good team last year. But in the off season, they changed coaches, bringing in Kenny Atkinson. And he has just turned them into an offensive juggernaut.

The Cavs were hosting Steph Curry and the 7-1 Warriors last night. And they just pounced on them from the get-go. Starting the game on a 20-2 run. Cleveland was up 17 after the first. They were up 41 at halftime.

Cavs are the first team in NBA history to start 10-0, scoring at least 110 points in every single game. They walloped the Warriors 136 to 117, to remain the NBA's only undefeated team.

Now Kevin Durant and the Suns, they have only one loss this season and it remained that way last night in Dallas, tied at 113 in the closing seconds. The Suns have the ball here. They're going to miss.

But Jusuf Nurkic is going to end up with the rebound. And he gets fouled with less than a second left. He hits one free throw to give him the lead. And then Luka Concic's prayer at the buzzer not answered. Suns win 114 to 113.

And Mavs head coach Jason Kidd was not very happy with his team's effort afterwards.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JASON KIDD, HEAD COACH, DALLAS MAVERICKS: Whatever reason, we're getting off to a slow start. It's got to be addressed. We've talked about it. There's got to be action. There's got to be some energy.

Somebody's got to come with some (INAUDIBLE) energy. (INAUDIBLE) flat. Our bench stinks right now. And so, as deep as we are, we've got to get someone (INAUDIBLE) to participate off the bench. Somebody.

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SCHOLES: All right. LeBron, meanwhile, recording the 114th triple double of his career last night against the Sixers. The 39 year old, 21 points, 13 assists and 12 rebounds in the 116-106 win.

Bronny James, he played one minute in this one. He's now heading to play for the Lakers G League team, the South Bay Lakers, who start play this weekend.

Rough times continuing for Philly. They were without Joel Embiid, who's suspended, and Tyrese Maxey, who's now injured. They're now 1-7 on the season.

[05:55:00]

All right. College hoops now, huge matchup. Top ranked Kansas and ninth ranked UNC met for just the 13th time in history. Jayhawks jumped out to a 20- point first half lead but the Tarheels came all the way back. Actually led by three with under four to go.

Kansas big man Hunter Dickinson coming through with the big time bucket there. Jayhawks back up two with a little over a minute left. North Carolina now down three in the final seconds and their shot to tie it at the buzzer no good.

Kansas survives winning 92 to 89, giving Bill Self his 590th win, tied for the most in program history.

And finally, 11th ranked Auburn jumped on a plane to head to their big game with fourth ranked Houston today. But get this. According to multiple reports, the plane had to turn around and go back because the players were fighting each other.

Per ESPN, the apparent scuffle was over before it became a serious situation. But the flight personnel still decided to divert the plane back to Auburn. They then did take a replacement flight late Friday night.

But I'm not sure ever heard this one before, where the team was fighting each other and the plane had to turn around. We'll see how they do because today's game was -- it's a big one in Houston.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. And not ideal preparation, to say the least. Andy Scholes, thanks so much. Appreciate it.

All right. Well, we'll leave you with this. A mother lion at the Copenhagen Zoo delivered a rare litter of five very cute cubs. Have a look at this.

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BRUNHUBER (voice-over): The quintuplets were introduced to the public for the first time this week, two girls and three boys. Zookeepers, as you can imagine, pretty excited. Listen to this.

ZACO SONNE, ZOOKEEPER: This litter is actually a little special because it's our second time in 25 years we had a litter of five cubs. That's not very normal. Normal would be like three or four cubs in a litter.

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BRUNHUBER: All right, that wraps this hour of CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Kim Brunhuber. For viewers in North America, "CNN THIS MORNING" is next. For the rest of the world, it's "AFRICAN VOICES: CHANGEMAKERS."