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Trump Picks Matt Gaetz As Attorney General; Trump Taps Tulsi Gabbard As Dir. Of Natl. Intelligence; Battle Brewing Over Trump's Defense Secretary Pick; Paris Ramps Up Security Ahead of France-Israel Soccer Match; Trump Picks Matt Gaetz as Attorney General. Aired 12- 12:45a ET

Aired November 14, 2024 - 00:00   ET

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

[00:00:10]

PAULA NEWTON, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, I'm Paul Newton live in Atlanta. Ahead, right here on CNN Newsroom.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

0:00:17 CHRIS MURPHY, U.S. SENATE DEMOCRAT: This is going to be a red alert moment for American democracy.

NEWTON: U.S. Lawmakers, including some Republicans, say they are shocked by Donald Trump's for attorney general, a man who has been both a critic and a target of the Justice Department. Plus, a suspected suicide attack outside Brazil's Supreme Court coming just days before the country hosts global leaders at the G20 summit. And right now, the Philippines being hit by a powerful super typhoon, already the third typhoon to strike the country in just a week.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from Atlanta, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Paula Newton.

NEWTON: And we do begin this hour with Donald Trump's most controversial pick yet for his new administration, Matt Gaetz as attorney general. The Florida Republican resigned from Congress just a few hours ago, effectively ending a House ethics investigation. Gaetz has repeatedly denied accusations including sex trafficking and having sex with a minor, illicit drug use and obstruction.

The Justice Department ended its investigation last year without filing charges. But Trump's decision to now choose Gaetz to be the nation's top law enforcement official has sent shockwaves through the halls of Congress.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Senator, your reaction to Matt Gaetz's AG.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah, I don't know yet. I think about that one.

SUSAN COLLINS, (R) MAINE: I was shocked that he has been nominated. MURPHY: This is going to be a red alert moment for American democr.

ALEX PADILLA, U.S. SENATE DEMOCRAT: Trump is following through on his threat to weaponized the Department of Justice clearly.

JOHN FETTERMAN, U.S. SENATE DEMOCRAT: What to me is interesting is the good ones are going to come by my colleagues on the other side, the GOP, on how they can justify voting for that jerk off.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON: Now the other pick getting a lot of attention is former Democratic presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard, and she is set to be nominated as the Director of National Intelligence. Now, a Republican, Gabbard has a history of positions at odds with U.S. Foreign policy.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KASIE HUNT, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Do you think Assad is our enemy?

TULSI GABBARD, FORMER. U.S. HOUSE DEMOCRAT: Assad is not the enemy of the United States because the United Syria does not pose a direct threat to the United States.

What we have is unfortunately, Democrats, Republicans, the mainstream media, the Washington elite essentially in the pocket of the military industrial complex.

Now, here's something you are not going to hear on the mainstream media. What you do hear is warmongers arguing that we must protect Ukraine because it is a quote, unquote "democracy". But they're lying. Ukraine isn't actually a democracy.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON: Okay. And with that, we go to Los Angeles and Jessica Levinson, she's professor at Loyola Law School and host of the Passing Judgment podcast. Really good to see you. It is difficult to even take a breath here. It has been quite a 24 hours.

Matt Gaetz now seems to be that tipping point, right, where even Republicans are wondering what President Trump has in store for his new administration. You know, I want to ask you firstly, do you believe he'll actually be confirmed?

JESSICA LEVINSON, PROFESSOR OF LAW, LOYOLA LAW SCHOOL: I'm really not sure that he will be. And that in and of itself is really saying something because we know Republicans have achieved the trifecta, the Oval Office, the Senate, and of course, the House, although the House doesn't weigh in on these types of appointments. I think some of this, obviously this is speculation what I'm going to say, but some of this may be about the fact that the House committee that was investigating Matt Gaetz for ethics violations, potential ethics violations, was set to release a report on Friday. Now, he stepped down, he's no longer a member, and arguably that House committee no longer has jurisdiction over him. That might mean that report just never sees the light of day.

At which point you could imagine a situation in which the nomination is pulled back, but it's already a bit of a win for Trump. Who said, okay, I heard you, I'll pull this back. Then we're spending less time talking about somebody like Tulsi Gabbard and Matt Gaetz avoids that ethics report going public.

NEWTON: Yeah, going public. But so many issues here just in terms of even the confirmation and if they can strategize on that and how to get it through. Now, look, Gaetz, by Republicans own admission, is not well liked by members of his own party. I want you to listen now to former Republican Speaker Kevin McCarthy, House speaker, who says he's not liked for good reason. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KEVIN MCCARTHY, FORMER U.S. HOUSE SPEAKER: Speakers because one person, a member of Congress, wanted me to stop an ethics complaint because he slept with a 17 year old. An ethics complaint that started before I ever became speaker. And that's illegal and I'm not going to get in the middle. Did he do it or not? I don't know, but ethics is looking at it. There's other people in jail because of it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[00:05:13]

NEWTON: Pretty categorical there. Earlier this year, I have to say. I spoke with a former speaker in September, and I talked to him about the transition. He has been in close contact with the president. I think he would say he, too, is surprised by this appointment. The move seems almost mercenary. But what does it tell you more broadly about what Trump is trying to do here?

LEVINSON: Well, the reporting indicates that this came as a surprise to Trump's team as well, that there were people that he was vetting, and they were vetting up until essentially this morning when he came out with this announcement. And if that's true, it tells us that he makes impulsive decisions. It tells us that he's looking for somebody who will be deeply loyal to him. It tells us that he might be looking for somebody who views the Department of Justice as perhaps more of a law firm for the president as opposed to a government entity that serves the public.

I think there's no question that if Matt Gaetz is confirmed that he would be deeply loyal to the president and his policy wishes and desires and use the Department of Justice to try and further those things.

NEWTON: Yeah. And given the whole blanket of immunity that the Supreme Court has already basically given to all presidents, including President Elect Trump, it would be interesting indeed.

I do want to move on to Tulsi Gabbard, a former Democrat. You know, when Russia invaded Ukraine, she actually said Russia had legitimate security concerns. So now she could be, if confirmed, the Director of National Intelligence, distilling and analyzing very sensitive intelligence for Donald Trump each and every day. What do you expect to be the fallout of that?

LEVINSON: Well, I think that she will follow potentially. I mean, what we've heard from her in the past, which is she seemed to sympathize with the Russian government. I believe the vast majority of the Intelligence Committee disagreed with her vehemently and said there was no basis for that invasion. And this is elevating somebody to a position obviously of significant power where, as you said, she does have the ability to brief the president, I believe, every day on national intelligence issues. And she has a worldview that seems to be at odds not just with mainstream Democrats, but frankly, I think with the mainstream in terms of security professionals, national security professionals. And that could have significant consequences for all of us.

NEWTON: You know, before I let you go, I have to ask you, many Americans may just gloss over all of this and just say, you know, we'll wait and see. They usually do not see the alarm that perhaps Democrats have greeted some of these appointments. Do you think that's valid to just kind of give this cabinet as it's forming a chance?

LEVINSON: Well, I mean, constitutionally, it's valid in the sense that the president gets the power to appoint. And when it comes to certain positions, the Senate has the ability to provide advice and consent. And if the Senate thinks there's something like a national security risk or risk to the Department of Justice, then they owe it to all of us not to confirm.

You know, in terms of the public saying, essentially saying not much at all potentially, I think one line of thought is elections have consequences and this is the consequence that a majority of people who voted chose. But I'll say I think it more has to do with the fact that people are waiting for the Trump administration to deliver on economic promises.

If you look at the election, I think it was largely about the idea that Trump would deliver on bringing inflation down. And that's something people feel in their daily lives. They may not feel a difference in their daily lives, at least not yet on who a national security adviser is or who the attorney general is. I think it feels amorphous.

NEWTON: Absolutely. And we will wait to see. We still have that treasury secretary pick that will be upcoming, maybe even in the hours to come. Professor Jessica Levinson for us in Los Angeles. Thank you.

Now another battle is brewing over Pete Hegseth. He is Donald Trump's pick to be defense secretary. Critics are blasting his lack of government experience in controversial positions on diversity and women in the military. CNN's Alex Marquardt has our report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALEX MARQUARDT, CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): It's among the most surprising of Donald Trump's picks so far. Pete Hegseth, a Fox News host set to now run the U.S. military at the Pentagon. The 44 year old veteran a stunning choice for defense secretary after Trump named several more classic experienced national security hands to other posts.

PETE HEGSETH, FOX NEWS HOST AND U.S. ARMY VETERAN: I'm straight up just saying we should not have women in combat roles.

MARQUARDT (voiceover): He's someone who has flaunted his controversial views.

[00:10:03]

HEGSETH: Men in those positions are more capable.

MARQUARDT (voiceover): And railed against what he sees as a woke military, as he did in this interview that was posted just last week.

HEGSETH: Any general that was involved, General, Admiral, whatever that was involved in any of the DEI woke shit has got to go.

MARQUARDT (voiceover): Hegseth's crusade on the culture war in the military appears to be what he has most in common with Trump.

DONALD TRUMP, USA PRESIDENT ELECT: The woke generals should be fired immediately.

MARQUARDT (voiceover): Trump's decision was met with shock by current and former military officials, the choice seeming to come out of left field. Hegseth has been a weekend host of Fox and Friends after serving the military for nearly two decades, with tours in both Iraq and Afghanistan. While in the National Guard, he claims he was barred from serving at President Joe Biden's inauguration because of a cross tattoo that the Guard unit found extremist.

HEGSETH: It's back to even the Crusaders. It's long been a Christian symbol. And so they used it as an excuse to frame me as an enemy of the state, effectively.

MARQUARDT (voiceover): Hegseth served at Guantanamo Bay and has defended waterboarding. He also advocated for three U.S. Troops accused of murder, including former Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher, who posed for a trophy photo with a corpse of an ISIS detainee.

HEGSETH: The murder of an ISIS dirtbag.

MARQUARDT (voiceover): Trump would go on to re promote Gallagher and pardon the two others. Hegseth has cast doubt on the 2020 election and praised January 6th insurrectionists.

HEGSETH: These are people that understand first principles. They love freedom and they love free market.

MARQUARDT (voiceover): Hegseth recently moved to Tennessee with his third wife and seven children, where he says he now lives on a farm. Alex Marquardt, CNN, Washington. (END VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON: We're joined now by David Sanger. He's a CNN Political and National Security Analyst, White House and national security correspondent for the New York Times, and author of the book New Cold Wars, China's Rise, Russia's Invasion and America's Struggle to Defend the West. And here we are again with new appointments that will be charged with defending the West.

David, I do want to go to first. Listen, we know Trump's intention with this. He wants to shake things up at the Pentagon. And to a certain extent, David, I'm sure you'll agree with me, many of Americans did vote for this, right? But what risks do you see in this appointment when you consider national security?

DAVID SANGER, CNN POLITCAL AND NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: So no problem in wanting to shake up the Pentagon. No problem in wanting to rethink their budget from the bottom up. No problem in thinking about new technologies, drones, autonomous weapons and so forth. That may have a big effect on the battlefield and are being fielded by American adversaries.

The problems come in, actually, at least what you're hearing from both Democrats and Republicans is Mr. Hegseth's own background. He obviously served in the military at a relatively low level. He's never had a management job that we can find that is related to one of the world's largest organizations, the Pentagon. He's never had to deal significantly with strategy. And we're entering a time when the U.S. is probably at its both most vulnerable and potentially most powerful as it deals with some of the biggest conflicts we have ongoing.

Ukraine, the Mideast wars, the buildup to try to keep the Indo Pacific from turning into an active conflict with China. And the big complaint you hear is very little experience on almost all of those issues.

NEWTON: Yeah. And you and I both know, because we attend the briefings, right, that this is a struggle to try and keep up with everything. And thankfully, you and I just have to report on it. We don't actually, as you said, have to really make judgments on strategy. I do want to talk to you about American foreign policy, though. And when this appointment happened, Jim Sciuto, our Chief National Security Analyst, said, you know, officials started texting him and calling him. And their point to him was that they see that Trump, with this and other senior national security appointments, are bringing out a team to put into action, in Jim's words, massive and lasting changes to U.S. Policy. What do you think the next four years could look like?

SANGER: Well, the president won a mandate, and he has a right to try to alter policy and get that argued out with Congress and the others who need to excision. But obviously the president's got a huge leeway when it comes to foreign policy. The complaints I'm hearing, and I think I've read what Jim's written on this, and I've looked at my own emails and fielded my own phone calls, actually have less to do with following the President's policies than following the president slavishly in a set of steps that they think could be disruptive or destructive to American security.

[00:15:22]

And what I'm hearing is people are putting together sort of two different categories of appointees. Marco Rubio, who was appointed today for Secretary of State, you may like his policy, you may not, but he's been around foreign policymaking now as a member of the Intelligence Committee, other steps, other posts in the Senate for 15 years. And while you may not agree with everything he has to go, say he is familiar with the structure of American diplomacy and is a serious choice.

Then you get to the Defense Department, to the Director of National Intelligence, for which we've seen Tulsi Gabbard nominated, and you see Attorney General. And I've got a lot of people saying to me, these are not serious players and serious nominees. Will they know how to run the department? And that's the concern I'm hearing.

NEWTON: And we don't have a lot of time left. And this is a huge issue that we saw in the first Trump administration. NATO. NATO itself. And funding for NATO. Do you believe it is more at risk today with these appointments?

SANGER: Definitely. Because you've had NATO skeptics out there. If it's just a negotiating position to get them to pay more, well, that's one thing that worked in the first term. But let's face it. We're in a very different situation than were in the first term, because we have now seen Russia and China coming together in a way that we had not seen for decades and decades, certainly since they've been -- since China's been a significant and rising power, a nuclear power, a major technological power.

That's exactly what Nixon and Kissinger were trying to avoid happen. The coming together of these two powers when they opened up to China in the early 1970s. This is a big strategic challenge. And I have not heard from any of these nominees, with the exception of Marco Rubio, how they would address it.

NEWTON: Yeah. And Marco Rubio himself, having so many years of experience, he's been in those briefings day after day, week after week. It is a completely different appointment than the others.

SANGER: He's been a very different category here.

NEWTON: Yeah. And David Sanger, we will leave it there. Thanks so much. Appreciate it.

SANGER: Thanks, Paula.

NEWTON: Now, Republicans will, in fact, enjoy a unified government in Trump's New Washington after earning enough seats to maintain control of the U.S. House of Representatives. Now they captured the magic 218 needed to cross that threshold on Wednesday, even though a handful of races are still undecided. Democrats are sitting at 208seats, so Republicans will once again have an extremely narrow majority, but a majority nonetheless. Republicans flipped several Democratic Senate seats last week to win control of that chamber.

South Dakota's John Thune will become the next Senate majority leader. He's currently the number two Republican there, serving as minority whip soon is considered part of the traditional Republican establishment and in fact was elected by a secret ballot, which may have offered political protection to Republicans fearful offending the President Elect Trump.

Meanwhile, Trump returns, in fact to the Oval Office Wednesday for the first time since January of 2021 to meet the U.S. President, who promised a smooth transition of power. It was a courtesy Trump did not extend to Joe Biden when he took office. CNN's Arlette Saenz was there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: Mr. President elect and former President Donald. Congratulations.

TRUMP: Thank you. Thank you.

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): two former competitors face setting the course for a presidential transition unlike any other in American history.

TRUMP: A transition that's so smooth, it'll be as smooth as it can get.

SAENZ (voiceover): President Elect Trump returning to Washington and the White House for the first time since his election victory, meeting President Biden for nearly two hours in the Oval Office.

TRUMP: Politics is tough and it's in many cases not a very nice world. But it is a nice world today and I appreciate it very much.

SAENZ (voiceover): The White House describing the sit down, which included their chiefs of staff, as cordial and substantive.

KARINE JEAN-PIERRE, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The president elect again was gracious, came with a detailed set of questions.

SAENZ (voiceover): Trump telling the New York Post they, quote, "We got to know each other again." And spoke about Ukraine and the conflict in the Middle East. "I wanted to know his views on where we are and what he thinks," Trump said. "And he gave them to me." The meeting restored a tradition last seen in 2016, when President Obama hosted the newly elected Trump at the White House.

[00:20:17]

BARACK OBAMA, THEN U.S. PRESIDENT: We now are going to want to do everything we can to help you succeed, because if you succeed, then the country succeeds.

SAENZ (voiceover): Trump shunned the protocol in 2020. Four years ago today, he publicly mused about who would occupy the White House despite Biden winning the race.

TRUMP: Whatever happens in the future, who knows which administration it will be? I guess time will tell.

SAENZ (voiceover): Trump ultimately refused to concede, watched as his supporters stormed the Capitol on January 6th and skipped Biden swearing in. Today's meeting, a full circle moment for the two men who fiercely brawled in the 2024 race.

BIDEN: Most importantly, and I mean this from the bottom of Trump is a threat to this nation.

TRUMP: He's a low IQ individual. Take his IQ. I guarantee you it's in the low 50s or 60s.

SAENZ (voiceover): With a historic handshake, Biden promising a peaceful transfer of power to his predecessor and now successor.

BIDEN: Looking forward to having a, like we said, smooth transition. We can make sure you're accommodating what you need, and we're going to get a chance to talk about some of that today.

TRUMP: That's good.

BIDEN: Welcome.

TRUMP: Thank you.

BIDEN: Welcome back.

SAENZ: One person who did not come to the White House today was former first lady Melania Trump. First lady Jill Biden had extended an invitation for her to meet here at the White House the same day that President-elect Donald Trump came. But ultimately, the former first lady decided not to come. Sources had cited previous scheduling issues for the reason why she did not attend. But first lady Jill Biden did present President-elect Trump with a handwritten note congratulating Melania Trump and saying that her team stands ready to help in the transition in any way. But this decision, Trump's decision not to travel to the White House for this customary meeting just highlights another example of the unconventional approach that Melania Trump has often taken to this role of first lady.

Sources say that she's unlikely to move to the White House full time in her husband's second term in office. Arlette Saenz, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON: Next on CNN Newsroom, police in Brazil are investigating two explosions outside the Supreme Court as a suicide attack. Plus, thousands of police officers deployed right across Paris to prevent violence ahead of a soccer match between France and Israel. I tell you how officials are planning to stop anti-Semitic attacks.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) NEWTON: Authorities in Brazil are investigating two explosions outside

the Supreme Court as a suicide attack. Officials say the first blast happened in a car, then a suspect tried but failed thankfully to enter the court building and the second explosion was detonated outside the door. CNN's Julia Vargas Jones has been following all of this for us from Los Angeles.

[00:25:07]

You know the nature of this, just the phrase, right, suicide attack. This would have profound implications. What more are you learning about the investigation?

JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Paula, it's still ongoing. Police are still on the scene. They've been there for hours because they are looking for potentially more explosives. Like you said, the first explosion was that car bomb that went off just outside the Supreme Court. Then the suspect goes, tries to into the Supreme Court. He apparently, according to CNN Brazil, he shows some explosives to one of the guards who does not let him in and he decides to detonate the bombs right there outside the Supreme Court steps.

We're also learning that inside that building Supreme Court justices were in session, Paula, just across the street, that's Congress also in session. All of these people had to be evacuated while police are conducting these sweeps. This is a large area, the Three Powers Plaza. It has both the Supreme Court Congress and also the Presidential Palace.

Now we are also learning that as this is being investigated as a suicide attack, they don't think there's anyone else involved here. But they found a backpack in the area, Paula, where it could be more explosives and then also more potential explosives scattered around that plaza. All of this, like I said, they're still looking for potentially other explosives in the area. Now we're also hearing from both CNN Brazil state run agency Agencia Brazil that this attacker comes from the south of Brazil and he did run for office in 2020 under former President Jair Bolsonaro's party.

Now representatives from that party said that they had never heard of this person to our affiliate CNN Brazil. But it does highlight the political nature of this attack.

It's impossible for me not to mention, Paula, and remind our viewers that almost two years ago a crowd of supporters of President Jair Bolsonaro marched into that plaza and stormed both the Supreme Court, the Congress Building as well as the Presidential Palace. Hundreds of people were arrested. Those investigations are still ongoing at the Supreme Court in fact. And former President Jair Bolsonaro himself is being investigated for his potential role in these protests.

It's just of course this area is usually under a law lot of surveillance. And right now, as Brazil readies to welcome world leaders next week for the G20 summit, we have President Biden of the United States, Xi Jinping from China, leaders from all nations coming to Brazil for the G20. Of course this raises questions about potential security threats and we can expect to see heightened security across Brazil as we see the summit unfold.

NEWTON: Yeah. And all of it pointing, obviously, as you said, to a very complicated investigation ahead. Julia Vargas Jones, really appreciate the update.

Now, a series of blasts rocked Ukraine's capital Wednesday morning as Russia bombed Kiev with missiles for the first time since August. Ukraine says air defenses intercepted two cruise missiles and two ballistic missiles along with dozens of attack drones. And one man in the Kiev region was wounded by falling debris. The city has endured nightly drone assaults for weeks now. Residents fear a major attack could cripple Ukraine's damaged energy infrastructure even further. And, of course, it's just ahead of winter.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is reassuring allies that the Biden administration is doing all it can to support Ukraine. Before Donald Trump enters the White House, Blinken met with NATO's secretary general in Brussels. He says the outgoing U.S.

Administration is working to ensure Ukraine gets the aid it has been promised so it can come to the negotiating table with Russia from a position of strength.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANTHONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: We've obligated just recently and pushed out the door another $8 billion in security assistance for Ukraine. That was in September, another almost half a billion dollars just a few weeks ago. And President Biden is committed to making sure that every dollar we have at our disposal will be pushed out the door between now and January 20th.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON: Lincoln also met with his Ukrainian counterpart, who is urging allies to act quickly and decisively on aid because, quote, "Ukraine's defense cannot be put on hold."

Israel's newly appointed defense minister says the country has expanded its military ground operation in southern Lebanon. Israel Katz comments come as Israeli airstrikes target what the military describes as Hezbollah infrastructure in southern Beirut. Nearly 20 strikes were reported in that area on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Meantime, Hezbollah says it carried out at least 20 attacks against Israel and its troops in Lebanon on Wednesday. Katz did not give any details on the move to expand operations, but said this during his meeting with troops.

[00:30:11]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ISRAEL KATZ, ISRAELI DEFENSE MINISTER (through translator): We will not make any ceasefires. And we will not stop, and we'll not take our foot off the pedal.

And we will not allow any arrangement that does not include achieving the goals of the war, which is disarming Hezbollah, withdrawing it from beyond the Litani River, and creating the true conditions for the residents of the North to return to their homes safely.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: Israel's offensive against Hezbollah has taken a heavy toll on civilians in Lebanon, and of course, that includes children. The Lebanese Health Ministry says airstrikes across the country have killed at least 20 children since Sunday.

In total, more than 2,600 people have been killed since Israel stepped up its campaign against Hezbollah in mid-September.

Paris, meantime, is ramping up security in the city ahead of a soccer match between France and Israel on Thursday. It comes after violent clashes in Amsterdam last week between Israeli fans and pro- Palestinian supporters, prompting a ban on public protests.

Pro-Palestinian groups gathered in Paris on Wednesday to oppose a controversial pro-Israeli gala by a far-right Israeli association.

Now, in the coming hours, thousands of officers will be deployed to ensure security in the city.

CNN's Melissa Bell has details now from Paris.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MELISSA BELL, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: A huge police presence will be around the Stade de France --

BELL (voice-over): -- here in Paris on Thursday to ensure that the planned match between Israel and France goes ahead as peacefully as possible.

It had already been described as an event that was likely to attract tension, but the events of last week in Amsterdam, which saw more than 70 people arrested after a night of violence against Israeli fans in the Dutch capital, has led to renewed fears that these kind of sporting fixtures can become lightning rods for pro-Palestinian support and possibly, as we saw in Amsterdam last week, tension and violence.

That's why French authorities are taking no chances: 4,000 policemen and -women, but also more than a thousand stewards in the Stade de France.

Twenty thousand tickets have been sold, rather than the 80,000 that can normally be taken inside that stadium.

And any pro-Palestine signs have been banned. The only signs that will be allowed are either Israeli or France flags, and French authorities say that will be closely monitored. We saw earlier this week a basketball match in Greece attended by a

Tel Aviv side, where the fans had displayed large "Free Palestine" signs. That is the kind of expression of support that the French are keen to avoid this time.

BELL: At the match also on Thursday will not only be the French president but two former presidents, Nicolas Sarkozy and Francois Hollande. There, we understand, to show their opposition to any form of antisemitism.

Melissa Bell, CNN, Paris.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON: U.S. Congressman Matt Gaetz has been accused of serious crimes. Now he's one step closer to becoming the top law enforcement official in the country. We will take a closer look at his political career when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:35:33]

NEWTON: Our top story this hour: Donald Trump's decision to pick Matt Gaetz as his attorney general.

The Florida Republican has now resigned from Congress just days before a House Ethics Committee report may have been released. Gaetz denies accusations that he engaged in sexual misconduct, illicit drug use, and obstructed government investigations.

Both Democrats and Republicans are expressing their shock over the pick.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: Here we are. What do you think?

REP. ERIC SWALWELL (D-CA): Well, to the president, I say, "No, seriously, who is your pick for attorney general?"

Because this pick is a middle finger to Democrats and sane Republicans.

JOHN BOLTON, FORMER U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: It must be the worst nomination for a cabinet position in American history.

Gaetz is not only totally incompetent for this job; he doesn't have the character. He is -- he is a person of moral turpitude. And notwithstanding how difficult it may be politically, this is a nomination the Republican Party should oppose.

CNN's Brian Todd has more on Matt Gaetz's controversial role in Congress and his unwavering support for Donald Trump.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES: Matt Gaetz is a great man.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In tapping Congressman Matt Gaetz to be his attorney general, President-elect Donald Trump could be swatting at the biggest hornet's nest of his transition.

MARGARET TALEV, SENIOR CONTRIBUTOR, AXIOS: It would be, like, the understatement of the year to say that this is an unconventional pick. This is a provocative pick of a provocateur, who has himself faced a lot of legal trouble and is highly polarizing, not just among, whatever, the American people or Congress, but inside the Republican Party himself.

TODD (voice-over): If confirmed, the 42-year-old from Florida would lead a Justice Department that he has criticized and been a target of.

MATT GAETZ (R), FORMER REPRESENTATIVE FROM FLORIDA: I'm a marked man in Congress. I'm a canceled man in some corners of the Internet. I might be a wanted man by the deep state.

TODD (voice-over): Gaetz, a 2020 election denier, has accused the Justice Department of being weaponized under President Biden against people like Trump. He's called for abolishing the department he's now been selected to lead and called for abolishing the FBI, often jousting with its director.

GAETZ: People trusted the FBI more when J. Edgar Hoover was running the place than when you are.

TODD (voice-over): Could Gaetz now weaponize the Justice Department and help Trump go after his enemies?

REP. JARED MOSKOWITZ (D-FL): I'm pretty sure with this pick, they're not just going to go around and shut down puppy mills. All right. This is -- this is a very serious pick. And Donald Trump is obviously telegraphing that he means business.

Matt Gaetz is one of his best weapons in Congress. He's taking him out of Congress, and he's giving him the attorney general's office.

TODD (voice-over): It was Gaetz who led the charge among some far- right Republicans in Congress to oust Kevin McCarthy as House speaker last year.

GAETZ: This House has been poorly led.

TODD (voice-over): But before that, the man who could become America's top law enforcement official had been accused of serious crimes.

The Justice Department investigated Gaetz over allegations that he violated federal law by paying for sex, including sex with women who were under 18 years old.

Gaetz repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, and last year, the Justice Department announced it would not bring charges against him.

One analyst says getting Gaetz confirmed could be a challenge, even in a Republican-led Congress.

TALEV: This seems destined not only to be a selection that is going to test the loyalty to President-elect Trump of -- of Republicans in the Senate, but that is meant to provoke.

TODD (voice-over): Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON: OK. Still to come for us, coastal Spain is once again struggling with torrential rain and severe flooding after getting nearly a month's rainfall in one hour. Look at those pictures. We will have details after the break.

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NEWTON: OK, so we are keeping our eyes on Super Typhoon Usagi in the Western Pacific.

Now, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center says the center of the storm could make landfall at any moment across the Northern tip of the islands, and this would make it the third -- the third typhoon to hit the North in just one week.

But it won't be the last. A fourth storm further East over the Pacific is expected to strengthen to a typhoon in the coming hours and, yes, hit the Philippines sometime this weekend.

Now, nearly a month's worth of rain fell in one hour in Southern Spain Wednesday. Severe thunderstorms and torrential rain battered the Malaga area.

Nearly 3,000 people and 1,000 homes were evacuated, and more rain is in the forecast.

Authorities have issued an orange warning for rain and announced that schools will be closed Thursday.

The same region was socked by deadly flooding that killed more than 220 people just two weeks ago.

I'm Paula Newton. I want to thank you for being with us. I will be back at the top of the hour with more CNN NEWSROOM, but first WORLD SPORT starts after a quick break.

[00:45:26]

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