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CNN International: Trump's Cabinet Taking Shape as He Taps Loyalists for Key Positions; Focus is on China, Immigration in Latest Staff Picks; Aid Groups Sound Alarm Over Deteriorating Conditions in Gaza; Melania Trump to Skip White House Meeting Wednesday; Second Day of Climate Conference in Azerbaijan; Biden Administration Finalizes a Major Climate Rule; 35 Dead After Car Plows Into Crowd in China; Port- au-prince Airport Closed After Bullets Hit Two Jets; Trump's Hush Money Conviction Could Be Thrown Out; Russia Sends Nearly 50,000 Troops to Kursk Says Ukraine; New Zealand PM Apologizes to Victims of Institutional Abuse; Chinese Authorities Shut Down Students' Night Cycling Craze. Aired 8-9a ET

Aired November 12, 2024 - 08:00   ET

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

[08:00:00]

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": Governor Kristi Noem is expected to be Trump's pick for Secretary of Homeland Security. And Trump is clearly focused, as you can see, on filling out key national security positions. First, Florida Congressman Mike Waltz is expected to be his National Security Adviser. Longtime aide Stephen Miller, who was central to Trump's immigration policies last time, is expected to be his Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy this time. And --

AMARA WALKER, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWSROOM: Hi, everyone. Welcome to our viewers all around the world. I'm Amara Walker. This is "CNN Newsroom'. Just ahead, President-elect Donald Trump assembles a team of loyalists and reportedly taps former rival Marco Rubio for a key role. We will have all the details. Plus, dozens are dead after a car rammed into a crowd in China. We are live in Beijing this hour with fresh details on the shocking incident. And two passenger planes are struck by gunfire in Haiti. We're going to tell you which airlines are suspending flights to the country's capital.

It is clear from Donald Trump's latest series of transition moves that he is focused on two things, combating China and pushing for the deportation of large numbers of undocumented migrants. Sources say Trump is likely to pick Marco Rubio to be his Secretary of State. Now, Rubio has been one of the loudest voices in the U.S. Senate speaking out against China, and his appointment could strain relations between Washington and Beijing even further.

Trump has also asked Congressman Mike Waltz to serve as his National Security Adviser. Waltz is also a vocal China hawk in Congress and has a deep military history with multiple tours of duty in Afghanistan and the Middle East. Separately, Trump has tapped South Dakota Governor Noem for the powerful position of Homeland Security Secretary.

Noem has been in lockstep with Trump on the issue of immigration and would likely be tasked with working on plans for mass deportations. The man who Trump has tapped as his Border Czar are says it would be a good idea for illegal immigrants to start planning to leave.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM HOMAN, FORMER ACTING ICE DIRECTOR: Criminals and gang members get no grace period. But while we're out prioritizing the public safety threats and national security threats, if you want to self-deport, you should self-deport because again, we know who you are and we're going to come and find you.

But for those others, the non-criminals, you want to self-deport, I'm all for it because when they self-report, they can put their orders -- put everything in order, their family, business, if they got homes or whatever, they can put all that in order and leave with their family altogether.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: Let's talk more about the transition and go to CNN's Alayna Treene at Mar-a- Lago. Good morning, Alayna. Let's start with President-elect Trump tapping a former rival, Marco Rubio for Secretary of State. Was that a surprise, or is this a job that Rubio had been angling for?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: It was certainly a job that Rubio had been angling for. And I'd remind you as well, Amara, that Marco Rubio was actually on the shortlist for Donald Trump's vice presidential pick. It really came down to him, J.D. Vance, and a number of other people. But, Marco Rubio and Donald Trump had long since patched things up.

And I think one key thing to keep in mind as well with Rubio is he has vast foreign policy experience. In the Senate, he's currently on the Intelligence Committee, one of the ranking members there, and also on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. And when it comes to foreign policy, him and Donald Trump are like-minded on a number of areas. You mentioned China, he's a hawk on China. I think it's very clear with his pick as well as the other pick, another man from Florida, Mike Waltz as National Security Adviser, that they are going to have a very hard-line policy when it comes to China, but also when it comes to being aggressive toward Iran about their views on Ukraine and funding for the war in Ukraine.

They are alike on many of those things. And I think as well, we really saw Marco Rubio become one of Donald Trump's fiercest defenders and allies throughout the 2024 campaign trail. He had brought Rubio to many of his rallies, had him speak for him, including his last rally or one of his last rallies, the day before the election. And so, this isn't entirely surprising.

Now, one thing as well that's interesting to note is that, from our conversations with those close to Trump, he was really wrestling with this decision yesterday. There were a number of names on his list for who he wanted to select for Secretary of State. That also includes Ric Grenell, his former Ambassador to Germany, as well as Senator Bill Hagerty. We are told that really as of yesterday morning, Donald Trump had actually been preferring or had been thinking that Ric Grenell would be the one, who would be more likely to be his pick for the role.

And then throughout the day, many people who are allies of Rubio's, who believed that Rubio should be his choice for Secretary of State, kind of convinced Donald Trump in a number of calls and other conversations, that he was the one. So, I also want to note that this is not a done deal. It is unclear as of now to us through our reporting if Trump has actually offered Rubio the role. But all indications are that, that he is the man that he is going to select.

[08:05:00]

And I think one thing as well, and you'll see this with all of the picks across the board from Susie Wiles of Chief of Staff to Stephen Miller as his Deputy Chief of Staff. I mean, Donald Trump is really trying to surround himself right now with those who are loyal to him, and those who he believes are like-minded enough to carry out his agenda. A big goal of his this time around is to make sure that he's surrounding himself with people who are yes man, people who will not hold him back. And that has always been a big regret of Donald Trump's.

He often said that his biggest regret from his first term was making the wrong hiring decisions. And so, you can very much see in some of these picks that he's making as well as the reporting we're getting from inside Mar-a-Lago, that that is his number one priority in mapping out how he wants his second term to look like.

WALKER: Yeah, that is absolutely the common denominator with his picks, right, that they have been ultra loyalists to Trump, including Kristi Noem, who has been picked to be the Head of Department of Homeland Security. Tell us more about what kind of role she will have, especially when it comes to Trump's vow of these mass deportations.

TREENE: Well, I think it's very clear as well with Kristi Noem. He recognizes that she's going to be a loyalist. It is exactly what I was just saying, and that she will not prevent him at DHS from carrying out his vow for that mass deportation of undocumented immigrants. Look, Kristi Noem, she is the Governor of South Dakota. She was also floated at one point back in the spring as a potential vice presidential pick for Donald Trump.

Their relationship kind of soured a bit, or I should say more so Donald Trump's view of Noem soured a bit after she had published a memoir where in it, she detailed how she had killed her 14-month-old dog Cricket because he wasn't showing the signs of a hunting dog. That kind of ended her hopes in Donald Trump's mind of becoming his VP pick. However, she has continued to remain very loyal to him. You have seen her all over television, all across the airwaves, throughout the campaign, really fiercely defending him. And that's what he wants in DHS.

Now, I will also say, when it comes to immigration, it's very clear from him selecting Stephen Miller as his Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy, as well as putting Tom Homan, the former Acting ICE Director as a Border Czar. A lot of the discussions around what is going to happen with immigration are actually going to stem from the White House itself, in addition to having DHS help carry out that agenda. So that's going to be a big part of this as well, seeing the three of them work together on that plan. Amara?

WALKER: All right. Alayna Treene, tracking the Trump transition for us. Thanks so much. Live for us there in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Well, U.S. President Joe Biden will meet Israeli President Isaac Herzog at the White House in a few hours from now. Now last month, the Biden Administration called on Israel to boost aid into Gaza, giving it a 30-day deadline that expires today. Failure to comply could put U.S. military aid to Israel in jeopardy. And now, a group of eight aid organizations say that Israel not only failed to meet that criteria, but also took actions that dramatically worsened the situation on the ground.

For weeks, eight organizations have sounded the alarm about what they describe as apocalyptic conditions, particularly in Northern Gaza. We are covering all angles of this story. Arlette Saenz is at the White House. But let's begin with CNN's Paula Hancocks who is tracking this story from Abu Dhabi. Paula, so today marks the Biden Administration deadline for Israel to improve the humanitarian conditions inside Gaza. What are you hearing from these aid groups about what they're experiencing?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Amara, the eight aid groups that put together this effective scorecard, they called it, as to how Israel had done were extremely damning, saying that they have failed to meet the conditions that the Biden Administration had put forward with that 30-day deadline. Also pointing out that in some cases, the actions that they were taking made things even worse.

And they're specifically talking there about what has happened in Northern Gaza. And that's really where we should focus at this point, because for over a month now, we have seen a significant Israeli military operation in Northern Gaza. The IDF saying that they believe that Hamas is regrouping and rebuilding there. And we have seen a devastating impact on the civilian population.

Now, we're hearing from this group of eight NGOs that up to about 95,000 civilians are still in this area in Northern Gaza where very little food and humanitarian aid supplies are getting in. In fact, just on Friday, we have another report saying that they believe it's likely -- that there is a strong likelihood that famine is imminent in areas within Northern Gaza.

Now, we've heard from the Israeli side, they say that they have been evacuating thousands of people. They say they have killed about a thousand Hamas militants as well.

[08:10:00]

We understand that three aid trucks have got through to one particular area of Beit Hanoun. But then shortly afterwards, many of those residents were evacuated from the area by Israel. One of the points on this letter was 350 trucks a day should be getting into the Gaza Strip. We've also heard from Israel that they have moderately expanded the humanitarian zone, which is in the south, southwest of Gaza.

It's an area where we've heard on the ground many Palestinians don't want to go to because they know it has been targeted a number of times by Israel who say that Hamas is hiding out there as well. So, it is a desperate situation on the ground. We're hearing from eight groups saying it is ever more apocalyptic, Amara.

WALKER: All right, Paula, thank you for your reporting. Let's turn it over to Arlette Saenz at the White House. And Arlette, this deadline falls on the same day that President Biden, as we said is, is -- will be meeting with the Israeli President Herzog. What are we expecting from that meeting?

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, President Biden will host Israeli President Isaac Herzog in the Oval Office a bit later this morning in the 11 o'clock hour. And it comes at a time when the U.S. is still quite eager to achieve some type of resolution in this conflict in the Middle East, both between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, and Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon. But so far, the talks for a ceasefire and hostage deal as it relates to Israel and Hamas really appear to be at a complete standstill.

Over the weekend, Qatar had announced that they were pausing their roles as a mediator in these negotiations, saying that they had not seen actual movement from either side in these talks. So it really begs the question of whether President Biden will be able to see through what has become a top foreign policy priority for him in trying to find an end to this conflict.

Now, as Paula was talking about, as Biden is heading in to meet with Herzog today, it comes as these aid groups are warning that Israel did not meet those standards set out by the U.S. last month to try to surge additional aid into Gaza. Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken and Defense Secretary, Lloyd Austin had sent a letter to Israel last month outlining some of the requirements that they wanted to see achieved. But they also warned that if they did not comply, it could risk violating U.S. law that governs foreign military assistance, really raising the question of whether the U.S. might cut off military aid to Israel if they did not comply.

Now, so far, we don't have any reaction or any readout of what the United States' next steps will be. The State Department spokesperson, Matthew Miller last week, said that he didn't want to speculate either way what would or would not happen if Israel did not comply. But the U.S. has been in touch with their Israeli counterparts in recent weeks to try to talk through some of these steps, try to talk through the movements that they want to see -- have Israel make. And so, we will see if the U.S. does decide to take any further steps to consider restricting military aid to Israel at a time when these aid groups are warning that they simply did not meet these requirements to get more aid into Gaza.

WALKER: And Arlette, tomorrow, all eyes will be on this White House meeting between President Biden and President-elect Trump. This is obviously a traditional move in any presidential transition. But as we understand it, Melania Trump won't be in attendance. SAENZ: Yeah. President Biden has extended this invitation to President-elect Trump to meet in the Oval Office tomorrow. That will be moving forward. But we are told that the invitation from First Lady Jill Biden to have incoming First Lady Melania Trump to the White House is not moving forward. The First Lady -- the current First Lady did extend that invitation last week.

But sources tell us that Melania Trump will not be coming to the White House in part citing a scheduling issue, but it also highlights the unconventional role that Melania Trump can sometimes take as it pertains to the White House. This decision not to come to the White House tomorrow, which is not completely set in stone, they could change their mind at the last minute, but it really points to the kind of autonomy that Melania Trump could have heading into a second term for President-elect Donald Trump.

Now with Biden and Trump meet in the Oval Office tomorrow, they're expected to discuss a host of domestic and foreign policy issues, including Biden really trying to stress to Trump that the aid for Ukraine should continue beyond this administration. That comes at a time when Trump has really cast doubt about what future U.S. support for Ukraine will look like. But this conflict in the Middle East is also something that could be front and center in this meeting at a time when Trump stands to inherit this conflict after Biden leaves office.

[08:15:00]

WALKER: All right. Arlette Saenz, thank you very much.

Well, the world is now in the final countdown, those ominous words from the U.N. Secretary General speaking at the COP 29 Climate Conference in Azerbaijan. It comes as U.S. President-elect Donald Trump selected Lee Zeldin to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, also known as the EPA. The former Republican Congressman is expected to roll back climate regulations. Still, Antonio Guterres also struck a hopeful tone, saying no group, business or government can stop the transition to clean energy. But the head of the U.N. said there is no time to waste.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTONIO GUTERRES, SECRETARY-GENERAL OF THE UNITED NATIONS: The sound you hear is the ticking clock. We are in the final countdown to limit global temperature rise to 1.5-degrees Celsius, and time is not on our side.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: Meanwhile, the outgoing Biden Administration just finalized a major climate rule aimed at cracking down on emissions of methane, which is a key contributor to global warming. CNN's Bill Weir is following this story. Joining me now live from New York. Hi there, Bill.

BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Amara. WALKER: So you heard the U.N. Secretary General issuing that stark warning there. We've heard this message so many times before. At this summit, is there any prospect for real change?

WEIR: Well, Amara, I had to remind myself this morning thinking about this of 2015 in Paris, when the entire world came together, allies and enemies alike, and agreed that they were going to cut fossil fuel emissions and try to hold the line at a certain temperature. And the alternative from that is not talking and not getting anything done. The Paris Accords have given rise to enormous strides in clean energy and policies around the world. But every time they come together, it seems like there's more frustration and lack of action, meaningful action.

This year, really more than ever, the cards are stacked against them because the goal of this entire COP is to try to get the wealthier countries in the world to create $1 trillion fund for developing nations to brace for the ravages of a warmer planet, that they did not contribute to by any large measure. But the biggest richest country at the table, the United States has a new president who probably will try not to (inaudible) $0.01 of money going into these green funds for the rest of the world.

He shows no empathy, no understanding, or really just scorn and disdain for the entire topic, calls it a hoax. And the idea that other countries might get some largess from the United States without some transaction is not something Donald Trump is used to thinking about. Right? So diplomats, earnest diplomats, there are thousands of them trying to negotiate and set these really meaningful limits and move the ball a little bit at a time.

These methane rules that we're talking about are vital. But it seems to be that the specter of Donald Trump, a second term has deflated a lot of that optimism.

WALKER: Yeah. And, as we know, ex-Congressman Lee Zeldin, who has been picked to run the EPA, shares a lot of the same views as Trump on climate change. What do you know about his positions, Zelda's positions on climate issues and previous legislations that, for a greener earth that did not pass?

WEIR: Sure. Well, he as a Congressman on Long Island and then as a candidate for Governor of New York, he was very much sort of the pro- fracking Republican, business above all else, for the environment. He gave a quote back in 2014 that expressed climate skepticism as to whether the issues were real. We asked their spokesperson whether he still holds those attitudes about climate change. And the response was Congressman Zeldin was outspoken leader in the House advocating for clean air and water throughout his time in Congress.

That's actually not true. He voted several times against environmental regulations around methane and air pollution and pesticides, and gets a 14 percent from the League of Conservation Voters out of scale of a hundred, actually better than most Republicans in some cases. But it seems that like many of the rest of the cabinet we're seeing, his main resume item he is a huge Trump loyalist, and it was a big defender, voted not to certify the 2020 election, but has no real record in terms of environmental policy.

The first time around Donald Trump appointed coal lobbyists and oil executives into these EPA roles and energy roles. This one is different. This one, Lee Zeldin has no real climate or environmental record, but now will be in charge of the Environmental Protection Agency.

WALKER: Yeah. Perhaps, Zeldin's track record doesn't matter as much because we just -- it'll be Trump's opinions that will obviously be carried out during this administration. Bill Weir, good to see you as always. Thank you so much.

WEIR: You too. Thanks, Amara.

[08:20:00]

WALKER: All right. Still to come, dozens are killed in China after a car plows into a crowd of people. We will bring you all the details after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WALKER: At least 35 people are dead, dozens injured after a car plowed into crowds at a sports center in Southern China on Monday night. Videos of the aftermath geo located by CNN show scores of people lying on the grounds. According to Chinese media, an SUV crashed into multiple fitness walking groups. CNN's Marc Stewart joining us now live from Beijing with more. The pictures are awful. What do we know?

MARC STEWART, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Amara, this is such a horrible story to have to report, and as we come on, Chinese leader Xi Jinping -- Chinese President Xi Jinping is now weighing in on this, saying that all efforts must take place to help those in need, including those who are dealing with the emotional scars from all of this. This happening in the Chinese city of Zhuhai. That's in Southern China.

We are also now hearing from police who are giving us some insight as to what may have prompted this. A 62-year-old man is now in custody after trying to flee from police. And according to officers, he may have been dissatisfied after a divorce. That's the basic phrasing that they are using here. This man, the 62-year-old man is also injured. He has injuries to his neck and is actually unconscious and in the hospital.

He apparently had a knife in his vehicle and he injured himself while trying to flee. So obviously, there are still some gaps in the story that need to be addressed. But, some important context here. China, obviously a very large country, a population of more than one billion people. Violent crime, if we look at the statistics, is very low. Guns are very difficult to get.

I mean, as someone who lives here, this feels like a very safe place. But we have seen some situations, especially in recent months, where we see situations where people are being injured. on a very large scale. There have been knife attacks, some of have then have been deadly, happening at very public places such as schools. And that has obviously raised a lot of conversation here in China.

In September, there was a bus that plowed into a crowd near a school. 11 people were killed there, 13 people were injured. We don't know if it was an accident or if it was something deliberate. But Amara, regardless of what the statistics say, this is a very difficult moment for China and one that is getting the attention of top leadership such as Chinese President Xi Jinping and likely, will cause an introspection and some reflection, not only on this event, but just on where society stands on many levels, especially within the government, Amara.

[08:25:20]

WALKER: All right, Marc Stewart in Beijing for us, thank you.

The airport in Haiti's capitol is shut down after two passenger jets were struck by gunfire. A Spirit Airlines plane was hit while trying to land in Port-au-Prince, forcing it to divert to Santiago in the Dominican Republic. Spirit says one crew member had minor injuries as a result.

Later on Monday, a JetBlue flight that had arrived in New York from Haiti was found to have been damaged by a bullet. Let's bring in our Aviation Correspondent, Pete Muntean. Thankfully, no one was seriously injured in either incident. What more are we learning? I mean, this is alarming. And what are the airlines doing in response?

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: Pretty terrifying, Amara, and very significant with other airlines now shuttering their flights to Haiti. And now, the U.S. government is on high alert. The U.S. Embassy in Haiti just published a warning to travelers saying it is aware of what it calls gang-led efforts to block travel to and from Port-au-Prince. The embassy says the security situation in Haiti is unpredictable and dangerous. It also says travel within Haiti is conducted at your own risk.

Remember, Haiti has been in a state of unrest for months and a new prime minister is just sworn in yesterday. Historically, flights have been hit by gunfire before, but it's very unlikely that flights have been hit back to back. This is likely very unprecedented. This was the scene inside Spirit Airlines Flight 951, and you could see the bullet holes there that were created as the flight was apparently about to land in Port-au-Prince.

The crew aborted the landing, pulled up, and diverted to safety, ultimately landing at the Santiago Airport in the Dominican Republic. Spirit does say that one flight attendant received minor injuries, but thankfully no passengers were hurt. We're also now hearing from JetBlue that it discovered a bullet hole in one of its planes leaving Haiti. JetBlue says Flight 935 from Haiti landed at New York's JFK without any problems. But after landing yesterday, a crew inspected the plane and found it had apparently been struck by a bullet.

JetBlue says it's investigating the incident in collaboration with relevant authorities, but it kind of goes without saying here, Amara, that both JetBlue and Spirit have suspended their flights to Haiti. American Airlines also suspending flights there. So U.S. airlines right now really taking this into their own hands, not taking any chances. Delta, Southwest, United, they do not fly to Haiti.

Toussaint Louverture International Airport is the official name for the airport in Port-au-Prince. In a notice to pilots there, it says operations are suspended until further notice. This situation and story developing all the time, Amara.

WALKER: That's so frightening. Just quickly, Pete, I'm sure it depends on the weapon, but when it comes to bullets hitting commercial planes, how much impact does it have on the integrity of the plane?

MUNTEAN: It can be really dangerous. Remember, a commercial airliner is pressurized. That means the air inside is more dense than the thin air outside, making it breathable for you inside the plane. And so, if a bullet hole goes completely through the passenger cabin, then that could create a bit of a leak, and that ruins the integrity of the pressured vessel. So that can be really dangerous. That could lead to oxygen mask dropping. We've all heard it in the safety brief beforehand.

Seems like this was relatively minor, all told, the damage to these planes, and wasn't significant enough in that JetBlue flight apparently to be noticed until after landing. But this can be really significant and there is a bit of a history here. A U.N. helicopter in Port-au-Prince, not all that long ago, was hit by gunfire. So, this is a really dangerous situation and it's really fluid, changing all the time.

WALKER: All right, Pete Muntean, thank you. Good to see you.

Still to come, who will be America's top international diplomat under Donald Trump? It appears the president-elect is ready to name a former rival. You see him there. Plus, a judge could bring Donald Trump's hush money convictions from 34 to zero. Coming up, why he is reconsidering the charges against the president-elect.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:31:52]

WALKER: It appears Donald Trump is ready to tap a former rival turned close ally for his most important foreign policy post. Sources say he will likely pick Marco Rubio to be Secretary of State. Now, Rubio is the top Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee and has been among the most vocal members of Congress in speaking out against China. Here he is in Washington last year.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MARCO RUBIO, (R-FL): China today is the single most-formidable adversary the United States has ever faced. Soviet Union was not an industrial power, technological power, commercial power.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: And Trump is ready to tap another China hawk to be his National Security Adviser. Mike Waltz is a former Green Beret with multiple tours of duty in war zones. Let's get some perspective now on all these names that are slowly emerging for Trump's cabinet positions. We're joined now by CNN Political and National Security Analyst, David Sanger.

David, good morning. It's good to see you. Let's start with Marco.

DAVID SANGER, CNN POLITICAL AND NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Hey, good morning.

WALKER: Good morning. Let's start with Marco Rubio being the likely pick for Secretary of State, the nation's top diplomat. What message does this signal then to China when it comes to Trump's foreign policy priorities?

SANGER: Well, overall, the, the picks in the foreign policy arena are fascinating because Mr. Rubio comes out of the traditional sort of neoconservative Republican tradition, exactly a tradition that President Trump was moving away from. You'll remember that when the Russians invaded Ukraine, Rubio was not only live tweeting the military moves, but he was describing how painful this was going to be for Russia. And he basically fully supported President Biden's approach of sending arms, sending aid, but no American troops.

He only began to back away from that in recent months. And so, I think what you're going to find is that he comes out of the same tradition that say Mike Pompeo, President Trump's last Secretary of State who is rejected now, came from. And the question is, how do you square this with a president who is clearly interested in striking a deal with Vladimir Putin? Now, it's possible that Rubio having been a late convert to the idea that there should be a deal, will come together on that.

On China, to answer your question, he and Mike Waltz are pretty much of a piece, but so is much of Washington as the hawkishness on China has accelerated.

WALKER: And back to Russia, do you expect Marco Rubio and Waltz to fall in lockstep with Trump when it does come to Russia? Because for Mike Waltz's part, I mean, he did support sending weapons to Ukraine at some point. And then he said, hey, maybe we need to reassess the situation.

SANGER: I do. We've learned in the first term there's only one foreign policy decider in a Trump White House and of course, it's Mr. Trump.

[08:35:00]

On the other hand, we also learned that behind the scenes, his Secretary of State, Pompeo during most of the time, Rex Tillerson before that, and his series of national security Advisers tried to back the president away from some of the crazier ideas that popped up in conversations in the Oval Office, like shelling cartels in Mexico from the U.S. border.

So, I think what you're going to see is that they will struggle to try to keep the president in the lane. But I also think they will pressure Ukraine at this point to basically do a lands for peace deal, which President Zelenskyy says he's not ready to do.

WALKER: It'll be interesting to see as well, right, how much influence Elon Musk will have on foreign policy, especially when it comes to the Ukraine war. I do want to jog our memories, David, back to the 2016 primaries, when Marco Rubio was vying for the Republican nomination, and Trump and Rubio, I mean, they went at it. They mocked each other, they attacked each other, listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUBIO: Have you seen his hands? They're like this. And you know what they say about men with small hands?

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES: Little Marco would say, I think he's gone. I think he's gone. But who knows? You never know. But Marco, they hate him in Florida. I want to tell you, in Florida, he doesn't show up to vote.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: I mean, I guess that's politics, David, although Nikki Haley and his former Secretary of State you just mentioned, Mike Pompeo, they weren't able to patch things up with Trump.

SANGER: Yeah. So, what have we learned about Donald Trump? We have learned that as long as you declare complete fealty, he's usually willing to do forgiveness here and let you back in. Now, it's interesting that in the case of Haley and Pompeo, he is not. Pompeo, I think you could argue, whether you agree with his positions or not, had -- he was relatively deeply experienced in the Senate. He ran the CIA before he was Secretary of State.

I think the one here that's a little bit of the mystery to us, Amara, is going to be Mike Waltz. He was a ranger in the military. He's espoused some fairly hard-line China views and served on a special China Committee in Congress. But he's never run anything as big and complex and multi-departmental as the National Security Council. And we really don't know his thinking on the hardest questions of the day, including the coming together of Russia and China, or much on the Mid- East.

WALKER: So I guess, there's this contrast, right, with more mainstream picks when it comes to foreign policy and national security in this upcoming administration. But let's talk about Stephen Miller because obviously, he's going to help Trump usher in this more radical approach, especially when it comes to immigration. Let's not forget that in Trump's first administration, he was the architect of Trump's hard-line immigration policies, separating families, that Muslim ban.

His pick of Steven Miller as a Deputy Chief of Staff; Tom Homan as the Border Czar. And of course, you have Kristi Noem, the Governor of South Dakota to head DHS. This obviously signals that Trump intends to deliver on his promise for these mass deportations.

SANGER: Absolutely, and you know what's really interesting is that on immigration, an issue that the president feels much more strongly than most foreign policy topics, he has picked complete hardliners. He's done the opposite of what he has done in the foreign policy arena, and he has made sure that he's putting in people at the head of DHS with Kristi Noem, despite the issues that came up with the publication of her book and so forth, and in Mr. Homan to run the immigration operations as some kind of a Border Czar. He has picked people who will implement this mass deportation policy and who will roll over any resistance to it.

WALKER: David Sanger, really appreciate your perspective, as always. Thank you.

SANGER: Great to be with you.

WALKER: Thanks, David. Well, Donald Trump's 34-count conviction in his hush money trial could vanish in the coming hours. The judge in the trial is expected today to decide whether to toss out the conviction, and it all follows the Supreme Court's decision to grant presidents partial immunity.

[08:40:00]

Trump was found guilty of falsifying business records to cover up a payment to an adult film star. CNN's Kara Scannell joining us now from New York to explain this one. Hi there, Kara. So, tell us more about what we're expecting from Judge Juan Merchan today and when do you think we'll hear?

KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Amara, I mean, this is a significant decision that will come from Judge Juan Merchan in this case. He will essentially decide whether Donald Trump enters the White House as a convicted felon and potentially get sentenced two weeks from today, or if this case goes away like so many of these criminal cases against Trump are heading in that direction.

The issue, as you said, relates to the Supreme Court's decision related to presidential immunity. And what Trump's lawyers have done is they've asked the judge who oversaw this trial to throw out the conviction and toss the indictment in this case based because they said that they violated the Supreme Court's order, which followed the trial. Essentially what the Supreme Court said was that evidence of official acts when someone is in office cannot be used at a trial.

And so, Trump's trial on these hush money payments and the cover-up occurred when he was a private citizen Judges have found that those acts were personal, not official, but prosecutors used in their evidence testimony from White House aides, including Hope Hicks and Madeleine Westerhout, as well as the tweets that Trump made while he was in the office about his former fixer, Michael Cohen. And so, what Trump's lawyers are saying is that because that evidence was used, it has tainted this case. And so, the conviction should be set aside, the indictment thrown out. Now, prosecutors say that the evidence that the Trump's legal team is focused on was a sliver of a mountain of evidence and documents and testimony, and that the evidence in this case was overwhelming and that the conviction should stand. Now, that is the decision, an unprecedented decision the judge will have to make of whether or not to throw out this case against the former president or does he -- and if he does so, does he say that it should be retried? What does he say about this evidence in the case and how this will proceed going forward? And if in fact, Trump will be sentenced in the coming weeks?

Now, his lawyers are expected to move immediately if they lose this ruling, to ask this judge and appellate judges to stop the sentencing for a few reasons. One, they're going to say that a state judge can't sentence a president-elect because of the supremacy clause of the Constitution. Also, they're going to say that the -- that Trump shouldn't be sentenced in this case because they want to appeal the immunity decision. All this will be playing out in quick order following this decision. A big question will be if the DA's team loses, do they appeal the decision? It's really unclear how this is going to play out and certainly, a momentous decision for the judge overseeing the case, Amara.

WALKER: Yeah. Absolutely, a significant decision. Kara Scannell, thank you very much. Live for us there in New York. In the days since the election, leaders around the world have been calling to congratulate Donald Trump and some are getting -- going even further to get into his good books. Take South Korea's president, he's taking up golf again after an eight-year hiatus in preparation for Trump's second term. Now, golf has proven to be a reliable path to the President-elect. He has visited more golf courses than any recent president during his first year in office in 2017.

All right, still to come. CNN speaks to Russians in Moscow. Find out why many are reacting to Donald Trump's election victory with optimism.

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[08:45:30]

WALKER: Ukraine says it is preparing for a massive Russian offensive. Kyiv says Russia has sent nearly 50,000 troops to Russia's Kursk region, where Kyiv launched a surprise counteroffensive in the summer. A source has told CNN recently arrived North Korean troops are involved in this operation. The Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is again appealing to Western allies to lift restrictions on how deep inside Russia Ukraine can hit with Western-supplied weapons.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Our forces strikes on Russian arsenals have reduced the amount of artillery used by the occupier, and this is noticeable at the front. That is why we need decisions from our partners, America, Britain, Germany, on long-range capabilities. This is vital. The further our missiles and drones can hit, the less real combat capability Russia will have.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: And while Ukraine is worried, it could see U.S. aid dry up after Donald Trump takes office. Some in Russia are optimistic about Trump's return to the White House. Our Frederik Pleitgen reports from Moscow.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): Russian State TV feasting on Donald Trump's election victory, the main talk program showcasing a social media post by Donald Trump's son, Donald Trump Jr. mocking Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, saying his so-called allowance from the U.S. will soon run out. The message from Russian media, Ukraine is concerned U.S. aid could dry up and Russia will win the war. On Moscow streets, optimism about the incoming administration in Washington.

PLEITGEN: Since the war in Ukraine, relations between Moscow and Washington have continued to plummet to new lows. But now, many people here hope and believe that a new Trump presidency could bring those relations back on track.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I don't think he can directly stop the war, but I feel he can set ultimatums to both sides, which will definitely bring this conflict closer to an end.

PLEITGEN (through translator): Trump also said he wants to end the war in Ukraine?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): We all want that. We really want the war to end now. this situation is impossible. I hope we get to a mutual understanding.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): But what could a so-called mutual understanding look like? This video from Ukraine's military purporting to show Kyiv's forces hitting Russian troops in the Kursk region of Russia, where the Ukrainians say they are now facing off against nearly 50,000 Russian and also North Korean troops.

The Ukrainians acknowledge they probably wouldn't be able to sustain their operations without U.S. military aid, aid Donald Trump has in the past insinuated he might cut altogether in an effort he claims to end the war.

TRUMP: They're dying, Russians and Ukrainians. I wanted to stop dying and I'll have that done -- I'll have that done in 24 hours.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): A Ukrainian source now saying Trump was joined by billionaire Elon Musk on a recent phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Musk, who while helping Ukraine by providing Starlink satellite internet, has in the past also criticized military aid for Ukraine, ridiculing Zelenskyy in posts on his platform X. The Kremlin is vehemently denying "Washington Post" reporting claiming a Trump-Putin phone call has already happened, still Vladimir Putin openly praising the President-elect's stance on Ukraine and on Russia. 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, Putin said.

The incoming Trump Administration certainly has the attention of many in Russia hoping for improved relations with the U.S. and even possible sanctions relief.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Moscow.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALKER: Still to come, the bike riders say they're just having fun. The government says it's a nuisance and a potential threat to public safety. The crackdown on China's night-time rides when we come back.

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[08:51:15]

WALKER: New Zealand's Prime Minister has offered a national apology to hundreds of thousands of victims of physical and sexual abuse. A report found that more than 200,000 children and vulnerable adults were abused in state- and church-run institutions between 1950 and 2019. The abuse included rape, forced sterilization, and electric shocks, and a disproportionate number of the victims were either from the indigenous Maori community or people with mental or physical disabilities. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon spoke in parliament earlier.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTOPHER LUXON, PRIME MINISTER OF NEW ZEALAND: Today, I'm apologizing on behalf of the government to everyone who suffered abuse, harm, and neglect while in state care. Today, I make this apology to all survivors on behalf of my own and previous governments. You deserved so much better, and I am deeply sorry that New Zealand did not do better by you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: The Royal Commission that looked into the abuse also called on Pope Francis and the Archbishop of Canterbury to apologize publicly.

Huge numbers of university students in China have been taking night- time bike rides to an ancient city known in part for its soup dumplings. At first, the government was encouraging the trend, but now it says it has gotten out of hand. Will Ripley has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Pedaling under the glow of streetlights, tens of thousands of Chinese students on a 40-mile impromptu adventure from Zhengzhou to the ancient city of Kaifeng. Students have been biking here for months, most joining for the thrill, some for the popular and juicy jumbo soup dumplings. Others just letting off steam under the intense pressure of finding a job, China's economy is spiraling, youth unemployment is skyrocketing.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We wanted to take the challenge of riding a shared bike to Kaifeng city. We're only young ones.

RIPLEY (voice-over): Some riders carry Chinese flags. Others sing the national anthem. State Media even released this viral video, students chanting about their passion. Then came the crackdown. Authorities closed key bike lanes this weekend, citing safety and traffic concerns. Bike sharing companies issued warnings. Some colleges restricted students from leaving campus. All temporary measures, Police say.

Authorities insist the situation became unmanageable. Traffic disruptions from abandoned shared bikes, massive youth gatherings, all of it happening in China, an authoritarian state led by a party that itself came to power with the help of mass movements, often led by students.

From Tiananmen Square in 1989 to the COVID lockdown protests of 2022, large organized student gatherings rattle the ruling party's nerves, even if participants insist they are not political. It also happened in Shanghai, the site of huge Halloween celebrations last year. This year, heavy crowd control, police escorting away plenty of people in Halloween costumes, one of the most conspicuous, President Donald Trump.

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RIPLEY (on camera): Chinese censors have been working overtime to get this scrubbed off the internet. Every time we mention this topic, our signal inside China goes to bars and tone, and it likely has to do with the sensitivity of this imagery. In the spring of 1989, for example, university students in Beijing rode their bikes to Tiananmen Square to join pro-democracy protests.

[08:55:00]

Of course, we know that ended in a bloody crackdown by the Chinese military. In late 2022, it was mostly young people who took to the streets in major Chinese cities protesting the COVID-era lockdowns. And so, to see young people gathering even for something as benign as a craving for dumplings not happening in today's China.

Will Ripley, CNN, Taipei.

WALKER: Will, thank you. And thank you for being with me here on "CNN Newsroom." I'm Amara Walker. "Connect the World" with Becky Anderson is next.

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