Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Transitioning To Trump; Russia's War On Ukraine; Middle East Conflict; Spain's Deadly Flood. Aired 12-1a ET

Aired November 10, 2024 - 00:00   ET

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

[00:00:28]

BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN HOST: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from around the world. I'm Bianna Golodryga. This is CNN Newsroom.

We begin with the final state to be called in Tuesday's presidential election. CNN can now project Donald Trump will win the state of Arizona. That means he has swept the seven battleground states that were the main focus of the campaign for both parties. And it puts his total electoral vote at 312 against Kamala Harris.

It comes as the president-elect's transition process is in full swing. We now know at least two major players from Trump's last term will not have roles in his new cabinet. Trump says he is not inviting his former rival, Nikki Haley, or his former Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, to join his administration.

CNN has also learned that Trump's team has not yet submitted a series of transition agreements with the Biden administration. A source says the holdup revolves in part around the mandatory agree over ethics issues. Meantime, we're learning more about who may be Trump's next US attorney general. The list so far includes a senator, a former intelligence official, and three state attorneys general. Here's Alayna Treene.

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: President-elect Donald Trump spent his Saturday locked down at Mar-a-Lago, meeting with his transition team and going through a series of candidates that he is considering selecting for top cabinet roles as well as White House positions. Now, on Saturday, he did not announce new people that will be serving in his second administration, but he did announce who would not be.

He talked about not wanting his former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo or his former UN Ambassador, Nikki Haley to have any part in his second term. I'm going to read for you some of what he wrote. He said, "I will not be inviting former Ambassador Nikki Haley or former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to join the Trump administration, which is currently in formation. I very much enjoyed and appreciated working with them previously and would like to thank them for their service to our country. Make America great again."

Now, to give you a little bit of context on where some of this is coming from. Mike Pompeo is someone who many people in Donald Trump's inner orbit still are close to and believe that he did a good job as Secretary of State. However, his relationship with Donald Trump has really soured in recent years, particularly because Pompeo had, in many ways, distanced himself from the former president after he had left office in January of 2021.

I'd remind you as well that Pompeo did not endorse Donald Trump until after the Republican primaries this year. Something that, as we know, Donald Trump viewed as not being as loyal to him. And in my conversations with senior advisors, they argued that in private conversations over the past days now, Donald Trump had asked them whether or not Pompeo would be loyal to him or whether he could trust him in a second term.

Now, as for Haley's part, Donald Trump has said that he appreciates that she had gotten up on stage at the Republican National Convention in July, called for unity. And also remember, she had actually been in discussions with the Trump campaign in the final weeks before Election Day about potentially meeting for a joint appearance and helping him campaign. That never materialized. But again, Donald Trump had said he appreciated that on some level.

However, I am told that the president-elect still harbors a lot of animosity toward Haley for the attacks that she had lobbed at him during the Republican primary, but also that she had remained in the primary for so long. Donald Trump has remarked that he believes that she hung on longer than was appropriate. Alayna Treene, CNN, West Paul, Palm Beach, Florida.

GOLODRYGA: Well, the president-elect is set to meet President Joe Biden at the White House on Wednesday. The meeting is a political tradition that projects a peaceful transfer of power. Here CNN's Arlette Saenz with more.

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: President Biden is looking to bring back a White House tradition as he hosts President- elect Donald Trump in the Oval Office on Wednesday morning. Biden extended this invitation to Trump in their phone call on Wednesday when the President congratulated the former president on his victory in the 2024 election. Biden has said that he directly told Trump that he is committed to a peaceful and orderly transition, which is not something that occurred when Biden beat Trump back in 2020. At the time, Trump put up many roadblocks in the transition process, never conceded the race and did not extend this same invitation to Biden.

[00:05:06]

Now, Trump did come to the White House in 2016, days after he had beaten Hillary Clinton and was hosted by then President Barack Obama in the Oval Office. Now we're also told that an invitation was extended to First Lady Melania Trump to come to the White House to meet with First Lady Jill Biden. It's unclear if and when that meeting will take place.

This is all part of the Biden White House's efforts to try to show that they will assist in this transition. It could be an interesting meeting between the two men given the fact that one of their last substantive in-person engagements was back on that debate stage in June, which really derailed Biden's candidacy and eventually prompted him to drop out. The two men have spoken since then. Biden had called Trump following the assassination attempts against him, and they were both at the same New York City 911 event a bit early earlier this fall.

But this will be an interesting meeting as the two men are set to meet face to face in the Oval Office. Biden is now facing this reality where the man who preceded him, who he had beat in the 2020 election, will now be returning to the White House in January. Arlette Saenz, CNN, Washington.

GOLODRYGA: Well, earlier I spoke with Scott Jennings. He's a CNN senior political commentator and a former special assistant to President George W. Bush. I asked him about the decision to exclude Mike Pompeo and Nikki Haley from future administration positions.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SCOTT JENNINGS, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I don't think he needs either one of them, not that I think either are particularly bad people. It's just Trump has a mandate to build the kind of government that he wants to build. He doesn't really need to put together coalitions here.

He won the national popular vote and overwhelmingly in the Electoral College. And so, there's plenty of good people who support Donald Trump's agenda that can fill some of the kinds of roles that Haley and Pompeo could have filled. So no, I don't think it's a mistake.

And from what I've heard, there are plenty of very talented people in the national security and diplomatic space, and from a lot of other areas who are really talking to Trump and his team about coming on board in senior roles. So I'm actually very optimistic about what they're doing with the transition.

The fact that he chose a chief of staff, Susie Wiles, so quickly tells me that he's in a decisive mood and that building the administration quickly will allow him to get off the ground quickly, which will allow him to pursue the agenda quickly. So I got no concerns about this.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. And a lot of people praise the decision to name Susie Wiles as his chief of staff, really the gatekeeper for this administration to the president. He has worked with her as she ran his campaign over this last year-and-a-half. He had four chiefs of staff in his previous administration. Are you concerned that her time and tenure may not be that lasting if past is prologue in the second one?

JENNINGS: Well, I think it would be good to look at Susie Wiles arc with Donald Trump. She's been with him for several years. She was with him from soup to nuts in this particular campaign.

Remember, he hired Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita, another seasoned Republican operative, there he is on the screen now, to co-manage this campaign at the beginning. And they were there the whole time. He didn't make any changes at the top of his campaign leadership.

And Susie, in particular, is credited with running an extraordinarily organized and disciplined operation. And he was obviously very appreciative of her on election night. So number one, I think she earned this job. Number two, she's proven that she knows how to exist in and around Donald Trump in a way that he believes is a value add and that gives her staying power.

Number three, they obviously trust each other. And these are the kinds of things you need in the office of chief of staff.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GOLODRYGA: Well, Donald Trump's victory looks different this time around. He is said to feel that his popular vote win gives him a mandate. Recently I spoke with Olivia Troye, who worked in the first Trump White House. She focused particularly on homeland security and was an adviser to then Vice President Mike Pence. I asked her about the dangers of unchecked presidential powers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OLIVIA TROYE, FORMER ADVISER TO MIKE PENCE: This is someone who does not believe in basic rule of law and he doesn't believe in our legal measures or rules and institutions. This is someone who undermines our government institutions, and he did undermine them during his first presidency.

And so, I think when you have unchecked power, there is not going to be congressional pushback when he tries to do things where they're not congressionally mandated or what if he's trying to transfer funds to actually carry out these mass raids and deportations. It can manifest itself in different ways.

And while I understand that people will say, well, the courts will hold, we can litigate this, the lawsuits. Well, what happens when he has full control over the legislative and like judicial process as well? Then who puts the brakes on? Who are the guardrails at that point is my question then.

GOLODRYGA: We know that he's just appointed chief of staff, and she had run his campaign. Susie Wiles had run his campaign as well. And we're hearing some of the same rhetoric from her that we heard from previous chiefs of staff.

[00:10:07]

We should note that Donald Trump had four chiefs of staff over his course -- tenure at the White House. And the last, John Kelly, four star general, who also said that he was going to maintain order, that he was going to control access to and from the president, and that he will be driving the car and not anyone else. And we see where things landed there.

Talk to us about who Susie is and what are the expectations you think she brings to the job?

TROYE: Well, look, Susie has been well-respected in Republican circles, and I think she, you know, she ran a solid campaign for Donald Trump. She got him elected. And I think she has a lot of trust by the Trump team, and rightly so given what she was able to carry out.

But I would say that Susie is falling into the classic mentality of like, I will have control and I will be able to manage this situation when it comes to Donald Trump. But the reality is that no one can. And I don't know how many examples people have to have before they realize that no one is different than anyone else.

At some point, you will either get thrown under the bus or you will have to abide by his bidding and you will have to bend to what he wants you to do. And like I lived, you know, I was there for John Kelly as a chief of staff. I was there for Mick Mulvaney as a chief of staff. I was there when I saw him take a stand against Trump at times, especially during the COVID pandemic.

And then he got removed from his role after some pretty strong pushback. And then it was Mark Meadows, and then I lived the Mark Meadows era, so. And everybody goes in saying, I'm not going to let the clown car, I think that's how she referred to it. I'm not going to have a clown car. I'm not the charlatans come into the White House.

But the reality is that all of these circles are intertwined and Donald Trump listens to them. So they're going to have a direct link to the Oval Office and an ear there, no matter what. And she may try to put measures, but from what I saw firsthand, those measures only last for a short while.

And just -- if there's any more visible case, it was also for my former boss, Mike Pence, who did try to manage the situation. He was sometimes the voice of reason, but it didn't matter because What Donald Trump is going to do what Donald Trump is going to do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: Protesters in Israel hold pictures of loved ones as they push for a deal to release hostages held by Hamas. We'll talk to a father whose son has been in captivity for more than 400 days. Plus, some fear that Donald Trump will be an easy pawn for Russian President Vladimir Putin to manipulate. But how does Putin view the US president-elect and his chances for negotiating peace in Ukraine? We'll ask an expert ahead.

And tensions at an all time high in Valencia, Spain, after the country's worst natural disaster in its history. All of that and more when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:17:31]

GOLODRYGA: According to Russian state media, President Vladimir Putin has signed into law a mutual defense treaty with North Korea. Putin signed the treaty while visiting North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang in June before sending it to parliament for approval. Now, the new law calls for both countries to come to each other's aid if either are attacked. And this comes as thousands of North Korean troops are already helping Russia in its war against Ukraine. Kyiv says they are engaging in combat along Ukraine's northern border.

Well, one critical issue Donald Trump will face when he returns to the White House is the war in Ukraine. Trump had previously said he would bring an end to the two-and-a-half year war within just one day, but he said next to nothing about how he would actually do it. Earlier this week, Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his willingness to deal with the US president-elect.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translation): I was under the impression that he was bullied from all sides. They didn't let him move. He was afraid to take a step to the left, to the right, to say an extra word.

This is his last term after all. What he will do is a question for him. But what was said concerning the desire to restore relations with Russia to help end the Ukrainian crisis, in my opinion, seems to me to be at least worthy of attention.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: Well, my next guest writes that Putin "feels he is starting out with Trump from a position of strength." Nina Khrushcheva is a Professor of International Affairs at The New School and is the great granddaughter of former Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev. And she joins me from Moscow. Nina, it has been a while. Good to see you.

First of all, your reaction and the reaction of Russians in general to the news of Donald Trump's victory in the US presidential election this week.

NINA KHRUSHCHEVA, PROFESSOR OF INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS, THE NEW SCHOOL: Well, the Russians seem to be not surprised. I think they're much less surprised than many Americans. Were -- there's a cautious -- it's not even optimism but sort of, you know, Trump has the right to come back because Biden has been the way the Russians look at it or the way the Kremlin looks at it. Biden has been such a disaster for the relationship. So there is some sort of thinking that it's hardly to can get any worse.

But at the same time, Trump is a chaos president. And in this sense for the Kremlin, it's even better because the more chaotic the United States is, the better it is for Russia. It has been as we've discussed many times before, Putin's modus operandi is that there is a -- when there is chaos somewhere, the Russians just sort of the Kremlin would come in and add to those problems that appear elsewhere.

[00:20:20]

GOLODRYGA: It's different to see the reaction and response from Trump's victory this time from Vladimir Putin versus in 2016. I believe then President Putin was one of the first world leaders to congratulate Donald Trump. Here, it was a few days in, he was at the Valdai Summit, and there we heard some of his commentary.

He also went on to say that he will take the opportunity to congratulate him in that moment. And that if basically the United States wants to speak with Russia, Russia would be open to speaking with the United States. And you described that as coming from not only a place of strength, but the message is if you want a deal, you're going to have to crawl on your knees for it.

How does that square with Donald Trump, the way he positions himself and the fact that he says he can bring this war to an end on day one?

KHRUSHCHEVA: Well, that quote about crawling on your knees was a bit strong. I mean, I was qualifying it in other terms. But yes, I mean, Putin does feel that the Ukrainian war now is going in his direction, so to speak.

And so, if anybody wants a deal, and they've been consistent about this, the Kremlin has been consistent saying that the reality is on the ground should be recognized. And we see that the realities on the ground are getting worse and worse for Ukraine. So I think in the last few weeks, about 10 villages that the Russians took in the Donbas Region.

So Putin does feel that he is strengthened by the success, well, not success, but the fact that the Russian troops are moving forward. And as he says, our goals are going to be achieved. And so, he feels that if anybody wants a deal and he doesn't mind, and I'm sure he doesn't mind, that should be absolutely deal that benefits Russia in all this.

Ukraine is not joining NATO. Ukraine is not joining any international organizations. The Donbas is coming is going to be the Russian. Crimea is not going to be discussed ever again and whatnot. That's certainly going to be Putin's demands.

The problem with this amount of great demands is that, the West can only do so much. Even Trump, who may want to end the war, can do only so much. If Putin refuses, then when we'll start all over again despite the fact that Putin now is cautiously optimistic or potentially optimistic that Trump can bring some sort of results beneficial to Russia to end this war.

GOLODRYGA: Well, it's worth noting one of the first world leaders to congratulate Donald Trump was President Zelenskyy. I think he may have been the second or third world leader to call him and congratulate him. And in their meeting earlier this fall, in September, when President Zelenskyy was in New York, there's been reporting that coming out of that meeting.

Donald Trump told Zelenskyy, I promise you will be happy with me. And there are reports among Zelenskyy's camp, even Ukrainians reporting that there is a sense of perhaps some optimism that President Trump won't completely turn his back on Ukraine. How is that viewed within Russia? KHRUSHCHEVA: Well, it is possible. And that's why I think one of the

reasons we started this, I mean, one of the points we made that started this conversation with is Putin is cautiously optimistic, is that he doesn't really believe or the Kremlin doesn't really believe that it's going to be all great. And you mentioned that the first celebration was champagne in 2016, and now it's very muted.

So potentially -- and that's something that Trump actually brings to this conversation, is that he's unpredictable. He can turn either way. And the Russians are cautious about it. And there were reports, one of the Trump advisers just recently said that Crimea is a goner in the Ukrainian -- Crimea, and the Trump camp said, no, no, no, he doesn't speak for us. He was just assisting us.

So they do seem to be, at least at this point, trying to play both sides. And that's why there is certain optimism for Ukraine, but also remaining optimism for the Russians.

GOLODRYGA: We have new reporting that during their phone call on Wednesday, Donald Trump invited someone else to take part in the conversation with President Zelenskyy, and that is Elon Musk. And he has played an outsized role not only in this campaign, but is promising to in the administration as well. I believe they've given him the title, perhaps maybe he's given himself the title of the deputy of government efficiency, basically cutting wasteful spending. But it appears he's going to have much more on his plate there working alongside Donald Trump.

[00:25:04]

He is a mercurial figure, as you know. There had been previous reporting that he's had numerous conversations with President Putin over the last few years. But he's also known to have given Ukraine valuable Starlink satellites. How is he viewed in the Kremlin, I'm wondering?

KHRUSHCHEVA: I think very positively. I mean the Kremlin thinks well, the greatest inventor in the world, the richest man in the world is sort of, if not entirely on our side, not entirely against us, so favorably. And also Elon Musk, although of course he was helping Ukraine, but he was also, remember, I forgot exactly what the details of that were at that point because it was a while ago, but he also refused some usage of it in Crimea because he said I don't want World War III. So he's also trying to mercurially walk both sides.

But also he was there during the call with the Vladimir Zelenskyy. But then his statement, Musk's statement was that finally there's Donald Trump and he's going to bring peace. So there must be some conversations. And Musk, if he did talk to Putin, Musk would know what Putin would demand and not demand.

So once again, Trump can play this war both ways, either way, and I don't think it's hard to say at this point what exactly which side he is going to go. But that's Putin said, it's his last term and as his last term he would want a legacy. I bet he would want Nobel Peace Prize. And he was already promised to be nominated by another strong man in Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko. So I'm sure something like that in Trump's mind because he's, as we know, quite a vain man.

GOLODRYGA: Nina Khrushcheva, always good to see you. Thanks so much for taking the time. Appreciate it.

Well, a federal emergency aid worker has been fired for playing politics during a disaster relief mission. Just ahead, what FEMA's leader is saying about the employees actions after Hurricane Milton.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:31:34]

GOLODRYGA: Well, the race for the White House is over, but the battle for Congress still rages. Republicans have secured the Senate, but the House is still up for grabs. Democrats right now have 205 seats with Republicans at 213.

Now remember, the magic number to reach A majority is 218. Republicans are now just five seats away from a unified government, but Democrats still have a chance with a majority of the remaining races in California.

And in the Senate, Republicans will have at least a 52 seat majority. Vote counting is still underway in two swing state races.

President-elect Donald Trump named his chief of staff for his new administration. Susie Wiles is one of his longest serving advisors. She's been involved in all of his presidential campaigns and she will be the first female in the key White House role. CNN's Randi Kaye introduces us to this veteran Florida Republican operation.

I believe we had an issue with that report in package. Turning to other news, a federal emergency worker has been fired for letting her politics get into the way of helping hurricane victims. Her name was not released, but she apparently told a disaster relief team to skip homes in Florida with signs supporting Donald Trump for president.

Hurricane Milton had just slammed the area. FEMA's chief called the actions reprehensible and a clear violation of FEMA's core values and principles to help people regardless of their political affiliation. The agency says it believes it was an isolated incident. The House Oversight Committee has invited FEMA's chief to testify at a hearing this month to discuss the incident.

Demonstrators in New York and Washington gathered Saturday to protest against the reelection of Donald Trump. Organizers in DC hosted what they called a rapid response time to resist action. Demonstrators gathered at Columbus Circle in front of Union Station and marched to the Heritage Foundation, the conservative think-tank that published Project 2025.

This was the scene in New York City as marchers there focused heavily on what Republican campaign promises could mean for immigrants and other groups. I believe we wanted to show you some video, we don't have that for you right now. Well, a rally in Israel marks a somber occasion 400 since Hamas took hostages during its rampage on October 7th in that vicious attack. Still ahead, we talk to a father whose son has been held by Hamas since last year.

[00:34:17]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GOLODRYGA: Qatar is pressing a pause button on its efforts to mediate a ceasefire in Gaza. The kingdom has reportedly concluded that neither Hamas nor Israel are serious about talks anymore. One diplomat says Qatar has also decided to close the Hamas office there, but it could reopen if talks start again.

Earlier, US and Qatari sources told CNN that Qatar is kicking Hamas out after a request from the US, which Hamas denied. Sources did not give a timeline for when they believed Hamas officials would actually depart.

Well, the Biden administration has seen the limits of America's power to influence even its chief ally in the Middle East. Now change is coming to Washington. And as Matthew Chance reports, the second Trump term will meet with high expectations in Israel, but concerns elsewhere.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: History's greatest comeback, that's how the Israeli prime minister described Donald Trump's win. His first presidency is remembered here for a series of policies favorable to Israel, like moving the US Embassy to Jerusalem.

From a second Trump term, Israelis are expecting full throated support for military action in Gaza, in Lebanon, and, of course, in Iran. President-elect Trump says he wants peace in the Middle East. But across much of the region, there's trepidation at what his presidency will bring.

[00:40:11]

In Iran, firmer US support for Israel is likely to be a major concern. And meanwhile, amidst the rubble of Gaza, where more than 100 hostages are still being held, some Palestinians have expressed hopelessly that Trump will help bring the conflict to a close, while many others doubt the next US President will do much to make their lives any better.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: Our thanks to Matthew Chance for that report. Well, it is hard to believe it's been 400 days since Hamas launched its killing and kidnapping spree in the horrific in Gaza last year. And some Israelis are using the occasion to say it's time to bring the hostages back home. They've been saying that for 400 days. They staged a rally in Tel Aviv, Saturday night, pressing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reach a hostage deal. About 1,200 people were killed and 250 others kidnapped during the Hamas rampage on Israel on October 7th last year. More than 100 hostages are still being held in Gaza.

We're joined now by Malki Shemtov, whose 22-year-old son, Omer, is among the hostages still held by Hamas. He's speaking with us from Herzliya, Israel. Malki, thank you so much for taking the time.

You and I have gotten to know each other quite well over the last year. And I have to say, when we hear that it has been 400 days, most people can't even fathom what that is like to be separated from family members, from loved ones, knowing the conditions they're held in. You and your wife, Shelley, and your family have been out there every single week.

So I think you're the best person to ask, what have these past 400 days been like for you?

MALKI SHEMTOV, SON HELD HOSTAGE IN GAZA: Well, it looks like endless 400 days, you know? We never believed that we will come to 400 days. And for us it's a very, very long nightmare.

But I want you to try to imagine what is it to be 400 days under the ground, in the dark, in the fear, no fresh air and totally by yourself, depend by the guards that -- guard that watching you. And every day, another day, another in this condition. I believe that no one, normal people cannot imagine this kind of situation.

So for us, it's a long, long nightmare. And I guess for them, for the hostages, it's a million times nightmare. It's something that I don't know how to describe.

GOLODRYGA: I've gotten to know you as an incredible father, Malki, who is so resilient. And your son, Omer, what I've heard about him, what you've told me about him, what the other hostages, Itay Regev, who was held with Omer for 50 plus days together before Etay was released back in November.

He told me it was Omer who got him through. It was Omer who was like an older brother, who he counted on. And every single day that he stayed there in captivity, it was Omer who kept him going.

So just knowing that about your son speaks volumes about the person that he is. Malki, he has had two birthdays now in captivity. He turned 22 just a few days ago. And you and your family once again were celebrating, marking his birthday because you didn't want the world to forget.

As so much has changed now, we've had a presidential election. We know that President Biden said that it was his mission as president. He still has a few months left. We'll see what happens to bring these hostages home. Seven of them, we should note, are American citizens as well. We have an incoming president here, President Trump, who has also expressed interest, obviously, in bringing this war to an end and demanding that these hostages be released. Can you find any hope now in this transitory process that perhaps an incoming administration can work with the current administration at putting pressure on all the sides here?

SHEMTOV: Well, yes, I want to say something. The hostages story never, never was political issue. It doesn't matter for them if you are right, left, Democrat, Republican, it never was an issue of politics -- it was never a political issue.

[00:45:13]

Just, you know, there are people in a prison in a very bad condition. So for them it doesn't matter who is there, they need to go out. And I really want to thank President Biden and, of course, wish a huge success to Mr. Trump. But both of them, they still need to do everything to help, to do everything in order to help them and take them out from this hell.

GOLODRYGA: The families of the American hostages held in Gaza sent a letter and wrote a letter to both incoming President-elect Trump and President Biden following the election results here in the US. And they stated this, "We implore President-elect Trump and his transition team to work together with President Biden and his administration officials to secure the immediate release of the hostages and end this nightmare for the hostage families."

What is your message to both the Biden administration right now and to President-elect Trump in really telling them how important it is right now? Every day is crucial here for a hostage deal and ceasefire deal to finally be agreed upon.

SHEMTOV: Yes, that's what I say to Mr. Biden and Mr. Trump. I know there is a about two months that still Mr. Biden is the president. And the hostages, they cannot wait another two months until Mr. Trump will come to with his administration. So I wish and I hope that both of them, they will do now together everything in order to bring them back home.

As I say, it's not a political, it doesn't matter if it's a Democrat or Republican, they need to come back home. And I believe that these two people, Mr. Biden and Mr. Trump, they are the leader of the world and they can do that and it needs to be above all political issue.

GOLODRYGA: Very well said. Malki Shemtov, I have told you personally, I'm telling you now, we will continue to cover the hostages and their plight until they all come home, until they are all released. Thank you for spending some time with us and talking to us about your wonderful son, Omer Shemtov. We appreciate your time.

KHRUSHCHEVA: Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you.

GOLODRYGA: We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:52:47]

GOLODRYGA: The fallout continues from Spain's deadliest floods in modern history. On Saturday, people took to the streets in Valencia, the hardest hit region, to demand government accountability. Our Michael Holmes reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Valencia, Spain is spilling over once again, not from the recent floods that devastated the region killing more than 220 people, but with anger. Protesters clashing with police following a rally demanding accountability for the deadly floods, including the resignation of regional leader, Carlos Mazon.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The regional government didn't warn on time for the flooding, didn't respond on time, didn't get the help from the central government on time, and they just did everything that they could wrong.

HOLMES: Mazon has defended his administration's response to the disaster, saying he respects the march, but now is the time to clean up and rebuild. But many residents say lives could have been saved if the government had acted faster.

On the day of the floods, the Spanish weather agency issued a red alert for heavy rain about 12 hours before the regional government sent out a text alert, warning people to shelter in place. But by then, many residents say the water was already at their doors.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translation): We're alive and I don't know how, and the only thing I want to say is that this abandonment and institutional negligence must be held accountable. And even though I'm exhausted, haven't slept at all, and I'm anxious, I'm here to demand answers because this is not normal.

HOLMES: This isn't the first show of anger by infuriated residents. A week ago, crowds threw mud and shouted insults as Mazon, the king and queen of Spain, and the Spanish prime minister visited the hard hit area. Locals say they're frustrated by what they say has been a slow and uncoordinated response by the government.

So far, about 8,500 soldiers have been deployed to clear debris, guard against looters and search for the missing. Divers scouring river bottoms for bodies. But many of the troops have only arrived in the past week, too little, too late for a disaster many people say the government of Valencia should have known was coming. Michael Holmes, CNN.

[00:55:18]

GOLODRYGA: That does it for us this hour, thanks so much for joining me here on CNN Newsroom. I'm Bianna Golodryga. My friend Erica Hill has more news after a quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)