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Trump Weighs More Picks For Incoming Cabinet; Trump Set To Meet Biden At The White House Wednesday; Control Of House Unclear With Several Races Yet To Be Called; FEMA Worker Fired For Telling Team To Avoid Houses With Trump Signs; Why Some Voters In Deep Blue New York City Turned To Trump; Senate Elect Steven Chan (R) Interview, Wildfires In New Jersey; Second Trump Term And The Environment. Aired 4-5p ET

Aired November 10, 2024 - 16:00   ET

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

[16:00:00]

MARC STEWART, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Show you some video from a government tour CNN went on last fall. We traveled to the port city of Dalian where we saw a massive factory complex. Across the country, these developments are large and they can adapt to change quickly. So in the case of a fashion company like Steve Madden, they can shift pretty fast to the latest fashion trends and styles which can shift season to season.

I remember going to China about 10 years ago and visited a cashmere factory. It was very efficient and high tech back then. And then the other factor at play is workforce. Labor here in the world's second largest economy isn't expensive.

As far as this threat of tariffs, the government has been asked about it. A government spokesperson wouldn't handle a hypothetical but broadly speaking said there would be no winner in a trade war and it is not good for the world.

Marc Stewart, CNN, Beijing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Thanks so much, Marc.

All right, hello, again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

In just over two months, Donald Trump will be inaugurated for a second time. And today the president-elect is celebrating a clean sweep of all seven swing states as CNN can now project Trump winning Arizona. Meantime Trump remains hunkered down in his Florida resort focusing on top positions and priorities for his second term.

And as we wait to hear his key administration picks, Trump is sending out a clear message that he is emphasizing loyalty in his new hires. The president-elect is now ruling out two former cabinet officials who criticized him in the past. In a statement on Truth Social Trump said he would not be inviting former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley nor former secretary of state Mike Pompeo to be part of his new administration.

The president-elect is now preparing for an Oval Office meeting this week with President Joe Biden, a political tradition that didn't happen four years ago when Trump was defeated by Biden in the 2020 election.

We've got a team of correspondents covering all of the angles. Sunlen Serfaty is at the White House. Let's begin, however, with Alayna Treene near Trump's Florida home.

So, Alayna, Trump continues to post on Truth Social. What he is thinking and feeling?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. And today he made it clear that he is thinking somewhat about Congress and specifically about what's going to happen in the Senate now that the Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell is on his way out. There is a fierce fight in the Senate right now among Republicans about who will take that role. And Donald Trump is weighing in.

I'm going to read for you some of what he wrote. He said, quote, "Republican senators seeking the coveted leadership position in the United States Senate must agree to recess appointments in the Senate without which we will not be able to get confirmed in a timely manner. Sometimes the votes can take two years or more. This is what they did four years ago and we cannot let it happen again. We need positions filled immediately."

Then he went on to say that he does not believe they should be -- Democrats should be able to pass judges during this time before he is sworn into office.

But look, I think when it really boils down to it, Fred, the reason this matters so much is because essentially what Donald Trump is trying to do is shatter norms here about how his cabinet and other top officials would get confirmed. Essentially he's saying he wants to be able to do this in a process in which his cabinet officials would not need Senate confirmation. And that's what this really comes down to.

There are some other things to keep in mind about how the processes of the Senate works. For example they don't normally actually go to recess even though that's what we call it. Normally they call for pro- forma session. Essentially that's because they want to prevent having to have a vote and doing so in order for every time Congress takes a break, they don't want to someone have to vote on it and especially to give the other party a chance to filibuster that.

So very interesting that he is saying this. I will also add that we did see one of the top Republican Senate leader candidates Rick Scott who is very much receiving a lot of support right now from some of the more conservative wing, although his bid for the leadership role is actually considered a long shot bid, he posted responding to Donald Trump today saying that he is with him 100 percent and that he would do whatever he needed to get his people elected.

And so we'll see what ends up happening with this. But again this is very much out of the norm for how the Senate has been operating for the past several years now -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: OK. And then, Alayna, any other like transition or job offer news?

TREENE: So I mean, while we did see, as you mentioned, that he did not make some new announcements this weekend, at least not yet, I am told that he continues to be working on this. This is really what's taking up all of his attention right now, and that we could see more announcements come really at any moment.

[16:05:06]

I'm also told that we may see some of the White House staffing positions announced first before some of the cabinet positions. But I will say as well that when I talk to Donald Trump's transition team they argue that his big priority right now is focused on filling out his cabinet, and specifically key roles that he views as being the most important.

That includes who will be his attorney general. He views his attorney general as having the most powerful job, as being the most critical job that he -- and decision that he will make. But also other secretaries that he's going to care a lot about. That is the Defense secretary, that is the secretary of Homeland Security, the CIA director. So those are the ones that I'm told he is spending the most time on.

Now like I said we did not see new announcements this weekend but we did see named two people who he does not want to be in a second term. And that includes Mike Pompeo and Nikki Haley. Again, I think your point, Fred, is spot on. A lot of this comes down to who is loyal and who he can trust. And both Haley and Pompeo waited a long time to endorse him, to support him.

Donald Trump has his own issues in those relationships. And so I think you're very right in your assessment that he is valuing loyalty right now above all else.

WHITFIELD: Alayna Treene, thanks so much.

Let's bring in Sunlen Serfaty.

So later on in the week, Trump and Biden will be meeting right there at the Oval Office. What do we know about that planned meeting?

SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Fred, this is certainly a big moment for the outgoing president, for the incoming president, and frankly the nation still reeling after that divisive election season. And this tradition, the tradition of the outgoing and incoming president to sit down and talk in the Oval Office, that was notably one that was not afforded to Biden in 2020 by Trump as Trump continued to fight the election results then.

So the White House aides going into this meeting between Biden and Trump at the White House on Wednesday they've been very explicit that Biden's message that he wants to deliver in this meeting is about the smooth transition of power, about the peaceful transition of power, how he wants to prioritize that and certainly working to bring the country together after the election season.

As far as a message that he will take into that meeting, here is his top National Security adviser Jake Sullivan talking this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAKE SULLIVAN, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: The first and most important message will be that President Biden is committed to peaceful transfer of power and to a responsible handoff from one president to the next, which is in the best tradition of our country and has been for the last 240 years. And then they will go through the top issues, both domestic and foreign policy issues, including what is happening in Europe, in Asia, in the Middle East.

And the president will have the chance to explain to President Trump how he sees things, where they stand, and talk to President Trump about how President Trump is thinking about taking on these issues when he takes office.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SERFATY: And that's certainly notable there, Fred. That the president plans to talk to the incoming president about his top domestic and foreign policy issues, while he's very clearly very mindful of his legacy, what he wants to accomplish in the final 71 days of his administration -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Sunlen Serfaty at the White House, thanks so much.

All right. Republicans now have both the executive branch and U.S. Senate but the U.S. House is still up for grabs with both Republicans and Democrats hoping to gain a full majority. Control of Congress will play a critical role in shaping or stifling Trump's big plans for immigration, the economy, and other policies. And Democrats are still holding out hope of being a check on the White House.

CNN's chief congressional correspondent Manu Raju has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Republicans have an edge in holding on to the House barely. They may barely hang on to power but there are still votes that left to be counted. And that's because right now to get to the magic number, that's 218 seats, they only need, Republicans do, five more wins. That's it. They're the majority.

Democrats, however, need to flip five Republican districts, much more difficult, especially since they're only dealing in two Republican districts. Republicans meanwhile are leading in two Democrat districts. So if that holds the Democrats are most likely going to be in the minority. And that of course will be a huge letdown for their party. They thought they were going to carry districts from Iowa to Nebraska to New York to California.

They left a bunch of Republican wins, pickup opportunities, on the table and that's what's going to cause a lot of handwringing, blame game of sorts, potentially at the top of the ticket, too. Some Democrats down ticket outperforming Kamala Harris's performance in some of the battle ground districts. But at the moment those votes still yet to be counted.

One thing is for certain, though, Republicans will have majority in the Senate, 52 seats at least. A couple seats yet to be called potentially adding one more seat. We'll see how the Pennsylvania Senate race turns out here. And another big question for Republicans, who will lead this new majority, because Mitch McConnell, the longtime Senate Republican leader, the longest serving Senate leader in the history of the Senate is stepping aside from his leadership post.

[16:10:08]

That means there are several candidates who are vying to replace him. Three specifically, that's Senator John Cornyn, Senator John Thune, and Senator Rick Scott. Now Cornyn and Thune are seen as the frontrunners, they have the edge given their experience, their ties to their colleagues. They both have served in leadership. Thune is number two. Cornyn used to be the number two. Cornyn a two-time campaign committee chairman. He's been raising millions for his colleagues. Thune has as well.

Scott is seen more as the Republican who was more aligned with Donald Trump. So does Donald Trump get involved in this or does he stay out? Because this is a secret ballot election. And senators at the end of the day can decide to ignore what Donald Trump wants and decide to pick someone based on their relationships, their experience, and the like. But a big question for Wednesday, who will Republicans pick to lead them into the future, to formulate their strategy, their agenda, and to work with the incoming president?

Manu Raju, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right. For more now, let's bring in Republican strategist and former spokesman for Governor Doug Burgum's 2024 election campaign, Lance Trover.

Lance, great to see you.

LANCE TROVER, FORMER SPOKESPERSON, DOUG BURGUM PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN: Great to see you.

WHITFIELD: So in your view, what is day one of the new Trump administration look like?

TROVER: Well, I think you need to take a look back at his campaign. And it is the most streamlined and disciplined campaign, Democrats and Republicans agree. And I think this first step of putting Susie Wiles who helped spearhead this election in charge of the White House is a great first start. And what Donald Trump has made it very clear he wants to hit the ground running.

My guess is immigration will be top of mind for him. I suspect he will put back in place a lot of those immigration executive orders that he had in place when Joe Biden took them out and they will start from there. There is a lot to be done. The next thing also on the agenda is the tax cuts and jobs act which will be the big things they've got to focus on on day one.

WHITFIELD: As Trump narrows his choices for key positions, you know, we're hearing that there is an all-out battle on the patio of Mar-a- Lago for people jockeying to be in the White House. We've already learned, you know, Mike Pompeo, Nikki Haley will not be part of his administration again because he said so on Truth Social.

So what is Trump looking for in terms of the criteria of those -- to work in the White House, among staff or even cabinet positions?

TROVER: Well, this angling for jobs in Washington is nothing new. It's got -- that's what you do here. But my -- I would point to you what the president said in that he wants to be a president for all Americans and that he has a big agenda, a lot of those things we just talked about that he wants to get done. So my suspicion is, though, with this new disciplined streamlined approach that they have, this back biting and infighting and drama and pitching stories against other people, I just don't think that's going to be tolerated this time around.

And my guess is if you're creating that kind of drama, you're going to be told to pack your bags and hit the road. I think he has a wealth of people that would step up, people from the business community, people who are already in government or people who have served. I think he has a wealth of people to choose from. And at the end of the day it's going to be his choice. And he has been president before. And so he knows what he's coming into. He knows -- he's learned from the mistakes he may have made before. And I think you'll see a very different second term for this administration.

WHITFIELD: Speaking of which, CNN is reporting that your former boss, North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, is under consideration for a role as energy czar in the second term of Trump's presidency according to a person familiar with current discussions.

Are you hearing that Burgum he doesn't necessarily want a cabinet position but that he would entertain a czar like an advisory position?

TROVER: I'm not going to get into the speculation over whose job and getting what. Here's what I'll say, I'm a huge fan of Doug Burgum. I worked for the guy. I was proud to work for him. He does have that level of experience that I think someone like Donald Trump would appreciate. He took -- grew up in a small town, he started a business with just 10 people, grew it into an international company and sold it to Microsoft.

I know he recently met with Bibi Netanyahu. So he has that type of international business acumen that someone like Donald Trump I believe respects. But moreover, he's been the governor for two terms of the second largest energy producing state in America. You put those two qualities together and you can see that's what I was talking about. Trump has a lot of quality individuals to choose from. But again at the end of the day, it will be Donald Trump's decision.

WHITFIELD: So there's been a lot of talk about, you know, Trump and his allies potentially going after perceived enemies as well. People like Special Counsel Jack Smith. Here's what House Judiciary chairman Jim Jordan said earlier today right here on CNN.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANA BASH, CNN ANCHOR: Will Jack Smith be called to testify?

REP. JIM JORDAN (R-OH): We'll have to see. I mean, I assume there's going to be some report. But all we're saying is preserve everything so we the Congress who have a constitutional duty to do oversight can see everything --

[16:15:04]

BASH: But do you think it would be beneficial for him to testify or could that --

JORDAN: He may be. He may be. That's been the norm. But we're not taking anything off the table.

BASH: OK.

JORDAN: We're not saying for sure but we want the information.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: What's your expectation in a Trump White House 2.0?

TROVER: Well, I think when it comes to those stuff with Jack Smith, and I heard what you just played, to me it's pretty evident that the country is ready to move forward. They spoke very loudly not just with President Trump's election but as Manu noted earlier, 52, 53-seat majority in the Senate, a very likely Republican majority in the House. And so I think all of this is really going to be moot here in just a few short days. Jack Smith is ending this stuff.

To me the voters spoke very clearly that they're ready to move forward from all of this and get focused on the issues at hand, lowering the cost of living, and getting the border under control.

WHITFIELD: So meaning you don't think Trump will have like an enemy list or use this as an opportunity to go after people that he thought didn't serve him well?

TROVER: Again, I think the country is ready to move forward. I think this president is ready to move forward. You've heard his priorities and what he's been talking about over the course of the last week. And so I think that's what their number one priority is going to be, is the border and getting the economy going again.

WHITFIELD: All right. Lance Trover, great talking to you. Thank you so much.

TROVER: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Still to come, the head of FEMA is being called to testify in Congress after the agency fired a worker who told a hurricane relief team to skip houses with Trump signs.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:21:18]

WHITFIELD: FEMA head Deanne Criswell is being called in front of the House Oversight Committee to answer for questionable actions of a now former employee. James Comer, chairman of the GOP-led committee, wants answers after it was discovered that a FEMA employee told a hurricane disaster relief team in Florida to avoid houses with signs supporting Donald Trump.

CNN's Rafael Romo is joining me with more on this investigation. Which direction is it going now?

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it's going to go apparently very deeply. But it's only the beginning. And we have the federal government and also the state of Florida looking into it. Then we reported, Fred, last month that losses from Hurricane Milton could reach as high as $34 billion. The category three storm claimed at least 25 lives in Florida and destroyed homes, roads, and power lines.

That's why so many people are angry about this incident that has also prompted House Oversight Committee chairman James Comer, a Kentucky Republican, to ask the FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell to appear at a hearing on November 19 to discuss the response to the last two hurricanes to hit the southeast.

What we know so far is that the employee has been fired. According to Criswell, the employee advised the disaster relief team to avoid homes with signs supporting former president Donald Trump while canvassing in Florida in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton. FEMA is now investigating how many houses were passed over, although the agency says it believes it was an isolated incident.

Criswell, the FEMA administrator, called what happened reprehensible. In a statement published Saturday, Criswell said the following, "More than 22,000 FEMA employees every day adhere to FEMA's core values and are dedicated to helping people before, during, and after disasters often sacrificing time with their own families to help disaster survivors." Criswell also added that this is a clear violation of FEMA's core values and principles to help people regardless of their political affiliation.

We have also heard from Republicans who are demanding swift action and condemning the incident.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. BYRON DONALDS (R-FL): Anybody involved with that should be fired immediately. Not asked to resign, not brought in front of a congressional hearing. They should be fired immediately. We are not going to have a country where we're going to decide who gets help and who doesn't based upon who you support politically or what you look like or anything else.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: The allegations first surfaced in a report published by "The Daily Wire" citing internal correspondence between the employee and workers canvassing homes in Lake Placid, Florida. A FEMA spokesperson told CNN the incident happened on October 27th and the agency has deployed a new team to knock on doors in the affected area to contact those who may not have been previously reached.

The spokesperson declined to provide additional information on the incident or detail how agency officials were notified of it, citing the investigation but said in a statement that FEMA officials are horrified that this took place and therefore have taken extreme actions to correct this situation and have ensured that the matter was addressed at all levels.

In a new development, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced that he has directed state officials to also investigate the incident. So again, not only at the state level but also at the federal level looking into this.

WHITFIELD: It's widening at most. All right. Rafael Romo, thanks so much.

All right. When we come back, New York City is known for liberal politics and being a Democratic stronghold. But this election cycle, some voters in the city turned to Trump. You'll hear from them, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:29:13]

WHITFIELD: All right. New York City is known for its liberal politics and winnable races for Democrats. Vice President Harris easily won the Big Apple but President-elect Donald Trump made inroads in every single New York district since he ran in 2020.

Joining me right now is our CNN correspondent Gloria Pazmino.

Gloria, which neighborhoods did Trump enjoy the biggest shifts?

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, he made gains literally in every single district across the entire city. 94,000 more people voted for Trump this time around than in 2020. That might not sound like a whole lot but it is a significant shift in a city where so many Democrats outnumbered the Republicans. Now Republicans here in the city tell us that they are just getting started.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[16:30:01] PAZMINO (voice-over): New York City just got a little more Republican.

STEVEN CHAN, (R) NEW YORK SENATE-ELECT: From corner to corner in New York city, we saw the Republicans gain traction.

PAZMINO: Here, in Brooklyn, Republican Steven Chan defeated state Senator Iwen Chu, the Democratic incumbent, in a race defined by public safety, opposition to a homeless shelter in the district, and concern about newly arrived migrants.

CHAN: People are not happy with the way things are going and they want change.

PAZMINO: While Harris easily carried the city with about 68 percent of the vote, compared to Trump's 30 percent, Trump made significant gains this election cycle. Roughly 94,000 more people voted for Trump than in 2020.

FRAN VELLA-MARRONE, CHAIRWOMAN, KINGS COUNTY CONSERVATIVE PARTY: If you look at a map of Southern Brooklyn now, after this election, it's going to be, actually, almost all red.

PAZMINO: Trump made gains across all of New York City. The most significant shifts were in neighborhoods with large Asian and Latino communities. He narrowed the gap in the Bronx, parts of Queens and here in the Bensonhurst section of Brooklyn, where Asians, generations of Italians and Latinos live and work side by side.

CHAN: When we came, nobody supported us. Nobody gave us a handout. We went to work.

PAZMINO: More than 200,000 migrants have arrived in New York City since the spring of 2022. The crisis has manifested across different cities but has been particularly heartfelt here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES: They're poisoning the blood of our country. That's what they've done.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAZMINO (on camera): Why are so many immigrants willing to support that language?

CHAN: They understand exactly what President Trump is talking about. He understands that President Trump is not talking about them.

PAZMINO (voice-over): This family from Ecuador agrees.

SILVANA SARI, TRUMP SUPPORTER: We need a change. The economy is really a mess right now. It's affecting all families.

PAZMINO: Sari and her husband say they've spent years working to open a barbershop and put their kids through school. SARI: He has to work 14 hours a day to have what he has right now. To

have a business open. And it's not fair another business open on the corner with no permit, with no insurance. I don't think it's fair at all.

PAZMINO: Republican operatives see Trump's inroads in New York as the beginning of what's to come. A chance to grow their party and elect more Republicans right here in blue New York.

VELLA-MARONE: Hochul better watch out. We're going to come after her. And I -- she's going to be in trouble. And I believe that we can win the governor's race in two years.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PAZMINO: Now, Governor Kathy Hochul is facing reelection in less than two years. We asked her about the results just a few days ago. She said Democrats across the state should not be taking their voters for granted -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: Yes, that's fascinating. So, Gloria, Manhattan still remains overwhelmingly blue but one small neighborhood downtown went red. Is that right?

PAZMINO: That's right. This is Knickerbocker Village and it's in the lower, east side of Manhattan. And it's a small neighborhood that's mostly made up of affordable housing.

But here, too, we see a large Asian-American population. And you can see just how close the margin is, 251 votes for Trump and 235 for Harris. And it's a little slice of Manhattan, but it's actually the only neighborhood that completely went from blue to red. A mini swing district, if you will, within the island of Manhattan.

So, it just gives us an idea of, perhaps, how the shifts are happening and how they might continue to develop in the next two years.

WHITFIELD: All right. Very eye opening. Gloria Pazmino, thank you so much.

All right. Still ahead, 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.

[16:33:53]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Trump's return to the White House can be credited, in part, to his increase in support from nonwhite voters. 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.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) 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 are for businesses and the Democrats were for the regular working class. I don't think that's the same right now. I think maybe the roles have flipped a little bit.

JIMENEZ: Lynnwood 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 guys 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.

(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.

[16:40:00]

JIMENEZ: 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.

(on camera): 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, it -- you know, there was quiet support, but it was ground breaking to vote another way. In 2020, it became more of a reality, you know, that there is an option here. Right?

In the -- 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 lives.

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 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 (on camera): 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 Joe 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)

WHITFIELD: All right. Up next, 2024 is set to be the hottest year on record. This comes as now President-Elect Donald Trump has promised to undo environmental policy. What it means for the climate crisis, next.

[16:42:12]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Stunning video shows a wildfire burning in New Jersey. Prolonged are drought conditions and high winds allowed the Jennings Creek fire to quickly torch 2,000 acres. Firefighters are hoping better weather conditions today might help them get the upper hand.

Police say a volunteer state park employee, in fact, died while battling that same fire in New York. He was just 18 years old.

CNN's Elisa Raffa is joining us now with more on the big picture here.

ELISA RAFFA, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I mean, we're still looking at some of that fire danger out there. There's some rain coming in right now but it's really light.

And the air quality has been so poor because of the smoke from the wildfires. You have air quality alerts in effect for the five boroughs in New York City, parts of New Jersey.

And then, going up the Hudson Valley up towards Albany through midnight, where we still have poor air quality from the smoke that we've been able to see from satellite. We've been able to see this smoke from the wildfires in New Jersey over the weekend.

When you look at it on the ground, I mean, look at some of these smoke plumes that have really glistened in the sunrise and the sunset, as that sun angle comes down. And it's coming from many of these fires. The Jennings Creek fire that's burned more than 2,000 acres already.

We have red flag conditions that continue for Connecticut and Massachusetts, winds still gusting up to 30 miles per hour. And that relative humidity is still on the low side.

But, like I said, we do have some rain coming in right now. It's on the light side, so it's not going to do much to kill this drought here. But at least some relief for those ongoing fires right now.

The drought conditions have been serious in the Northeast. More than half of the Northeast has drought conditions right now, from Maine down through the Appalachians here. Through New Jersey.

I mean, look at that. You've got extreme drought conditions for parts of southern New Jersey. And it's because we just haven't gotten rain. Since September first, the rainfall deficit is six, seven, almost eight inches in all of these places. It's just been an incredibly dry and warm fall. Temperatures have also been at record highs.

And when we look at the change in fire weather days, it is increasing especially in the Southwest. But it is also increasing in places, like New Jersey. We've added 10 more fire weather days in New Jersey since the 1970s.

WHITFIELD: That's a big number.

RAFFA: Yes.

WHITFIELD: All right. Elisa Raffa, thanks so much.

So, as we near the year's end, 2024 is set to exceed a benchmark that scientists have long warned about. New data reveals that 2024 will be the hottest year on record and will exceed the Paris Agreement threshold. A climate goal, set by nearly every country, to keep global warming under 1.5 degrees Celsius.

CNN Chief Climate Correspondent Bill Weir is joining me with more on this. Bill, America, you know, just elected a president who promised to undo its climate progress. So, why is this so critical?

BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT (via Webex): It is so critical, Fredricka, because this year, 2024, will be the first to shatter past that 1.5-degree ceiling that the world is trying to agree on.

Just back in 2016, the all-simpler days, when the world thought maybe we can hold it there, because we don't know how much we can adapt a world hotter than that. Well, we're there right now.

[16:50:00]

WEIR: Just as the richest, most powerful, historically biggest emitter elects a climate denier, in Donald Trump, who, for the first time, will have gutted environmental protection in the United States. And is threatening to do the same, this time around, to pay back big oil and fossil fuel companies that donated to his campaign. It's very transactional and it's very, sort of, naked (?) the way he's described it.

But what's interesting is the Inflation Reduction Act, under Joe Biden, the biggest ambitious -- the most ambitious sort of climate legislation, is much more popular with the public than what's even anticipated. And a lot of the climate states are urging Americans to take advantage of what's there now, before Trump tries to claw it all back.

Right now, depending on income, you can qualify for $14,000 to get induction stoves or heat pumps. Replace an old gas or, you know, oil furnace, $7,500 tax credits for some electric vehicles. Elon Musk is in -- is in his ear now, so who knows how Trump will come down on the E.V. market these days. But heat pumps, these sorts of things.

He'll certainly, probably declare war on offshore wind, which is just sort of catching on in the United States. So, so many unknowns domestically. And it feels like those who were look -- enjoying some climate momentum and environmental protection for delicate ecosystems will now be fighting on defense for another four years.

WHITFIELD: And then, COP29 starts tomorrow. How does the election result potentially impact progress there?

WEIR: Big time. You just have to imagine. So, last year, in a petrostate in the Emirates, the world agreed that it's time to turn the page on fossil fuels. That that age is over. To electrify and shift to clean energy, sunlight, wind, nuclear, all the -- all the cleaner non-emitting.

But now, we've got -- there was a hidden camera investigation that revealed one of the chief executives of the host nation, Azerbaijan, a petrostate on the Caspian Sea, talking about swinging oil deals. And then, Donald Trump, you know, squashing any American ambition on this. Joe Biden was not attending anyway.

There are still some American diplomats there, but other big countries, like Brazil and France, aren't sending their leaders. We'll see if a treaty is stronger than one powerful country, as we reach this pivotal time. With so much populism around the world, Fredricka, economic strains that people are just not prioritizing the planet.

And it's interesting that Donald Trump promised a healthier economy, and to fix the border crisis, and to unite Americans. Well, climate change is the hole in every one of those buckets. So much harder to repair an economy in a place like Asheville after these unnatural disasters or these wildfires we're seeing around Los Angeles. More immigrants from droughts and fires and other disasters in Central America. So, you can't deny it anymore.

But the only one that seems to be the loudest about this was just elected leader of the free world.

WHITFIELD: Yes. All right, Bill Weir, we'll leave it there. Thanks so much.

All right. Anger growing in Spain in the wake of deadly floods there earlier this month. Protesters hitting the streets of Valencia by the 10s of thousands, clashing with police to demand the regional president resign over the slow response to the disaster.

Local media estimated 130,000 people participated in the demonstration. Several buildings were vandalized but there have been no reports of serious injuries. Last month's flooding was the regions worst natural disaster in decades, bringing a year's worth of rain in less than eight hours and killing 220 people. Officials estimate that 70 people are still missing.

All right. New this hour, a 6.8 magnitude earthquake has hit off coast of eastern Cuba, causing landslides, damaging homes and power lines in several regions on the island. One resident described what she felt.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GRISELDA FERNANDEZ (translator): Strong as ever. On other occasions, we felt the earthquake but not as strong as now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: The quake comes on the heels of massive power outages that swept the island, and Hurricane Rafael that hit the western portion of Cuba just last week

We'll be right back.

[16:54:12]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: The heavy snow fall, that set daily records and stalled traffic across parts of Colorado and New Mexico, has finally ended. Colorado Springs received about two feet of snow while Fort Garland got hit with nearly 53 inches. In Santa Fe, New Mexico, they saw about 16 inches. And Angel Fire received a whopping 40 inches of snow.

And, before we go, some happy news to warm your hearts, to share about our growing CNN family. We'd like you to meet baby boy, Christian Francis. He's our guest producer Kelly's newest bundle of joy. Christian was born earlier this month at a healthy eight pounds three ounces.

And big brother, Charles, is so proud. You see them there. Mom and dad are already in love, just looking for a little more sleep these days. Baby Christian, we can't wait to meet you. Very nice.

And thank you so much for joining me today. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. The CNN NEWSROOM continues with Jessica Dean, right now.