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Trump Taps Loyalists With Few Qualifications For Top Jobs; Trump Taps RFK Jr. For Health And Human Services Secretary; Biden Heads To Peru for APEC Summit; At Least 43 Palestinians Killed In Israeli Strikes; Israel's Forced Displacement In Gaza Amounts To War Crime; Russian TV Praising Some Trump Picks; South Africa Refusing to Help Hundreds of Illegal Miners; Authorities Say Worst is Over after More Torrential Rain; Measles Cases Rise as Vaccination Rates Drop; Combatting the Side Effects of Weight-Loss Drugs; Scientists Discover World's Largest Coral. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired November 15, 2024 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[01:00:23]
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome, everyone. I'm Michael Holmes. Appreciate your company. Coming up here on CNN Newsroom. U.S. President-Elect Donald Trump follows through on another campaign pledge and picks RFK Jr. to head up the important Department of Health and Human Services.
President Biden heading to his final APEC summit, aiming to reassure world leaders worried about the incoming Trump administration.
And scientists discover the world's largest coral, so big it can be seen from space.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from Atlanta. This is CNN Newsroom with Michael Holmes.
HOLMES: A conspiracy theorist who has loudly spread misinformation about vaccines has been tapped by incoming U.S. President Donald Trump to take over America's Department of Health and Human Services. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. the scion of one of America's most famous families is vowing to make America healthy again.
Trump praising him on Thursday, saying he'll do unbelievable things. A lot of people wonder what they might be. After RFK Jr. ended his independent campaign for president, he threw his support behind Trump even campaigning with him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT-ELECT: He wants to make people healthy. It's driven him pretty wild over the last number of years, and the Democrats didn't treat him well. He was doing fantastically well. And I think they came out with some rule that you had to do this, Mike. You had to get 70 or 75 percent of the vote to qualify to be in the primary. That was a pretty tough thing to get.
And he was doing incredibly well. And he decided he can't do it, went independent. Now he's with us all the way. And today I nominated him for, I guess if you like health and if you like people that live a long time, it's the most important position.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: The Department of Health and Human Services regulates drugs and oversees the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as health insurance through Medicare and Medicaid. Former Health Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said RFK Jr. is unfit for the job and his appointment would be terrifying for the American public.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KATHLEEN SEBELIUS, FORMER U.S. SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES: He has no organizational management experience, and HHS is one of the largest domestic organizations, over 83,000 employees, a $1.7 trillion budget.
He's never worked directly with Congress or a legislative body. And many previous secretaries, Republicans and Democrats, have been governors and worked very closely with HHS.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: RFK Jr. S controversies are almost too many to count from denying the efficacy of proven vaccines to strange encounters with dead animals, even suggesting at one point there was a worm in his own brain. CNN's Brian Todd picks up the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TRUMP: I'm going to let him go wild on health. I'm going to let him go wild on the food. I'm going to let him go wild on medicines.
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The person Donald Trump's going to let go wild. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is the 70-year-old son of Democratic icon Robert Kennedy and has become known mostly for espousing outlandish false conspiracy theories about the COVID virus.
ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR., FORMER U.S. INDEPENENT PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: COVID 19 is targeted to attack Caucasians and black people. The people who are most immune are Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese.
TODD (voice-over): And he's repeatedly, baselessly called the COVID-19 vaccines unsafe.
LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: There could be widespread disinformation to the public about what they should or shouldn't be doing in terms of their public health.
TODD (voice-over): The co-chair of Trump's transition team told CNN's Kaitlan Collins this about what Kennedy might try to do with the COVID vaccines that are in place now, which have been proven to be mostly safe.
HOWARD LUTNICK, CO-CHAIR, TRUMP-VANCE TRANSITION TEAM: He says, if you give me the data, all I want is the data and I'll take on the data and show that it's not safe. And then if you pull the product liability, the companies will yank these vaccines right off of the market.
TODD (voice-over): In May of this year, it was revealed that Kennedy once claimed in a deposition that a parasitic worm had once entered his brain and died, which he said led to, quote, severe brain fog and trouble with his short term memory. He actually joked about it.
KENNEDY: Maybe a brainworm ate that part of my memory.
TODD (voice-over): Earlier this year, in a rambling video posted on X, Kennedy admitted that about 10 years ago he was driving in upstate New York when he found the carcass of a dead bear that had been hit by a vehicle.
[01:05:05]
KENNEDY So I pulled over and I picked up the bear and put him in the back of my van because I was going to skin the bear.
TODD (voice-over): But Kennedy said he got sidetracked by several events that day, couldn't go home, didn't know what to do with the bear. So he decided to leave the carcass in New York's Central Park and make it look like a bike accident.
KENNEDY: So went and did that and we thought it would be amusing for whoever found it or something.
LARRY SABATO, CENTER FOR POLITICS, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA: The whole the wild, weird story that RFK Jr. told about the bear cub and how it got into Central Park has really made an impact and not a positive one for him.
TODD (voice-over): This summer, an article in Vanity Fair had a photo of Kennedy appearing to pantomime eating a dog carcass. Kennedy denied it was a dog.
KENNEDY^ It's actually me eating a goat in Patagonia.
TODD (voice-over): That same Vanity Fair article published allegations that Kennedy had sexually assaulted a former nanny for his family. Kennedy sidestepped the accusation.
KENNEDY^ I am not a church boy.
TODD: Robert Kennedy Jr. has already floated ideas for major turnover at public health agencies. In one recent interview, he said he would cut the number of employees in nutrition departments at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. And at a recent conference, he proposed replacing about 600 officials at the National Institutes of Health with handpicked staff. Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE) HOLMES: Donald Trump has announced several other picks for his new administration. He named former Congressman Doug Collins to run the Department of Veterans Affairs. Collins is a lawyer and veteran who served in Iraq. He's currently an Air Force Reserve chaplain.
Trump announced North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum as his choice to be Secretary of the Interior, and he looked to his personal defense team to fill a key slot at the Justice Department, tapping Todd Blanche as his deputy attorney general.
Blanche played a central role in the Manhattan hush money and classified documents cases against Trump.
Meanwhile, outrage growing over Trump's audacious choice for Attorney General, Matt Gaetz. After getting the nod from Trump, the Florida House Republican resigned from Congress. And a House Ethics Committee that was supposed to release a report into his behavior as early as Friday has now cancelled plans to do so.
Democratic members of the Senate Judiciary Committee are insisting that findings be released.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. DICK DURBIN (D-IL): And timing of Mr. Gaetz resignation from the House raises serious questions about the contents of the House Ethics Committee report. We cannot allow this valuable information from a bipartisan investigation to be hidden from the American people.
SEN. RICHARD BLUMENTHAL (D-CT): I am going to demand release of the Ethics Committee report all of its findings and recommendations.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Gaetz is facing a series of allegations about some salacious behavior. And at least one Senate Republican says he faces a difficult path to confirmation in the Senate. CNN's Tom Foreman with more details.
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MATT GAETZ, FORMER FLORIDA CONGRESSMAN: It is a horrible allegation and it is a lie.
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Having sex with a teenager, paying for sex, using illicit drugs, accepting improper gifts and dispensing special favors. Those are just some of the accusations that have swirled around. The former Florida congressman. Matt Gaetz has always denied them, saying political enemies and even extortionists have pushed the claims.
GAETZ: I am the most investigated man in the United States Congress.
FOREMAN (voice-over): To be sure, a Justice Department probe into whether Gaetz was involved in sex trafficking produced no charges last year, even as another Florida politician in Gaetz circle pled guilty. But there is more. Former speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy says Gaetz helped push him out precisely because McCarthy would not derail the House probe into Gaetz's behavior.
KEVIN MCCARTHY, FORMER U.S. HOUSE SPEAKER: A member of Congress wanted me to stop an ethics complaint because he slept with a 17-year-old. 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.
MAETZ: Chaos is Speaker McCarthy.
FOREMAN (voice-over): A conservative firebrand, Gaetz was also a firm ally as Donald Trump faced his own legal troubles.
GAETZ: Our friend President Trump.
FOREMAN (voice-over): Standing with the embattled former president when he was convicted of dozens of felonies, which Trump also disputed.
TRUMP: The people of our country know it's a hoax.
FOREMAN (voice-over): But lawmakers left and right are saying Gaetz is not Trump and they want to see the House investigation report into his behavior.
SEN. JOHN CORNYN (R-TX): I think there should not be any limitation on the Senate Judiciary Committee's investigation, including whatever the House Ethics Committee has generated.
BLUMENTHAL: Matt Gaetz has chosen to resign from the House, but he can't choose to conceal that information.
FOREMAN (voice-over): But he can choose, as he has in the past, to fight.
GAETZ: I face down tougher than these folks and I'll do it again.
[01:10:03]
FOREMAN: All of this has some members of the Republican Party clearly squirming. And if the revelations continue, we'll see if they start squirming even more. Tom Forman, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Jamie Metzl is a senior fellow with The Atlantic Council. He's also the author of "Superconvergence: How the Genetics, Biotech, and AI Revolutions Will Transform Our Lives, Work, and World." It's good to see you, sir.
I guess if we wanted a Preview of Trump 2.0, we just need to look at these appointments, the main ones. Attorney General Gaetz, you've got Health and Human Services Secretary RFK Jr. DNI Tulsi Gabbard, Defense Secretary Hegseth. What are the risks of picking loyalists over substance, fealty over qualification to do these top jobs? JAMIE METZL, SENIOR FELLOW, ATLANTIC COUNCIL: Thank you, Michael.
These are really important jobs. In the early days of the Trump appointments, John Radcliffe, Marco Rubio, I started to think, hey, maybe this isn't going to be as bad as some of us had feared.
But now seeing some of these appointments, what it really looks is it almost feels like sabotage. I mean, to put somebody like Matt Gaetz in charge of the Justice Department, given all of his issues of pedophilia and drug use. And Tulsi Gabbard, who has been praising America's adversaries, made a secret trip to meet with Assad, spreading lies and what Mitt Romney has called dangerous falsehoods about America and America's actions.
It almost feels like some of these appointments are trying to burn these institutions to the ground from the inside, which is what some people in the Trump camp are saying.
And the real question for us in the United States is not whether these people are qualified for these jobs. Some of them are, as I mentioned, but some of them very clearly are not. It's whether we still have a functioning United States Senate that can review these kinds of appointments. If we do at least checks, the checks and balances of our system might apply. But if not, this is going to be a real blow to our democracy.
HOLMES: Yes. Russian state television was calling Tulsi Gabbard an asset. So, I mean, that's a good start for your director of national intelligence. You mentioned Matt Gaetz. I mean, he could be and the whole Senate thing is important. He could be rejected in a Senate confirmation process.
But how much pressure will Republican senators be under now when it comes to confirming these choices, bearing in mind that Trump can at least initially postpone confirmation hearings with rid recess appointments?
METZL: There's huge pressure on particularly Republican senators. Yes. There's the issue of recess appointments. If recess appointments become the norm, that is basically abrogating the role of the United States Senate in our Constitution.
But even more than that, Senator Tommy Tuberville has threatened to primary any Republican senators who oppose any of the Trump picks. And there are rumors swirling around that Elon Musk will fund those primary challenges.
So the question is, are there enough Republican senators who have the patriotism and the backbone to help steer a safer course for America?
HOLMES: Yes. Yes. I think people sometimes look at Trump and think it's a reality show. It is not. I mean, this time around, to that point, as opposed to last time, in a way, he's in a kind of echo chamber now, surrounded by the faithful. He's in full control of Congress. There aren't the provision, proverbial adults in the room who were there last time around. Some say these picks are a test of sorts. If he gets away with these
nominations, then he will know he can go further. Would you agree with that?
METZL: I completely agree. If the Senate can't hold the line, if it turns out that we don't have a functional legislative branch that's able to fulfill its responsibilities, already there are questions about the legitimacy of some of the members that currently seated, members of the Supreme Court as a result of Republican politicization of the court.
Every big society, every great empire, has started to have issues, and there's no natural floor. People feel there's a natural floor for a democracy falling apart, but there really isn't. Lots of democracies have fallen apart, lots of societies have fallen apart, empires have fallen apart.
And America is not built on some kind of rock solid foundation. The foundation is our culture. It's our norms, our structures, our institutions. It's people coming together to build a future. If we have cabinet officials, no less, who are -- who see their primary goal as either going to war with the American government or expressing fealty to the authoritarian, a potentially authoritarian president of the United States above their responsibility to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.
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We are really in trouble. And when America's in trouble, the world is in trouble.
HOLMES: Always good to get your thoughts, although actually I'm not sure I do feel good now. Jamie Metzl, thank you so much as always.
METZL: Thank you, Michael.
HOLMES: And we've just received video of new Israeli attacks in Lebanon. Lebanese state media say southern Beirut was hit for a fourth consecutive day on Friday morning. The strike coming after Israel's military issued a warning to residents to evacuate.
Meanwhile, at least 43 people are dead after a separate barrage of strikes across the country on Thursday. Lebanese officials say more than 90 people were wounded in those strikes that included southern Beirut.
The IDF claims it went after Hezbollah targets that threaten Israeli civilians. This in a heavily built up residential area. The militant group says it managed to strike back launching 30 attacks on Israel and its troops in Lebanon. The U.S. State Department says it is not on board with what Israel is doing in Beirut.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VEDANT PATEL, DEPUTY SPOKESPERSON, U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT: You've heard us say time and time again that we do not want to see these kinds of consistent operations in Beirut, especially as it relates densely populated areas. This is something that we're going to continue to stress with our partners in Israel.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Meanwhile, Syria also taking fire from Israel. This attack leaving 15 people dead in Damascus. Syria's state news agency says 16 others were wounded in attacks on two targets in and near the capital.
Israel claims it hit a command center and other facilities belonging to Islamic Jihad, the second largest militant group in Gaza. Israel stepped up its strikes in Syria last weekend.
Now a new report by Human Rights Watch is accusing Israel of deliberate and systematic demolition of homes and infrastructure in Gaza. It also says the mass displacement of Palestinians basically amounts to war crimes and crimes against humanity. Israel strongly denies the accusations.
Jeremy Diamond with details and a warning, some images in his report are graphic.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For more than a year, this scene has played out in Gaza day after day on an endless loop. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians forced to flee their homes in an elusive quest for safety spurred by Israeli bombs and missiles as well as military evacuation orders.
REAR ADM. DANIEL HAGARI, IDF SPOKESPERSON: For your immediate safety, we urge all residents of northern Gaza and Gaza City to temporarily relocate South.
DIAMOND (voice-over): Israeli officials say these leaflets and the other warnings are evidence of its efforts to minimize civilian casualties. Human Rights Watch, a U. S based watchdog, says Israel's evacuation system has not only failed to keep Palestinians safe, but amounts to war crimes and crimes against humanity.
In a 154-page report analyzing 184 evacuation orders, Human Rights Watch concluded that Israel's actions have intentionally caused the mass enforced displacement of the majority of the civilian population of Gaza.
The report calls Israel's evacuation orders inconsistent, inaccurate and frequently not communicated to civilians with enough time to allow evacuations, and says designated evacuation routes and safe zones were repeatedly attacked by the Israeli military.
NADIA HARDMAN, HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH: I've spoken to people who yes, they saw the evacuation orders to leave, but they couldn't follow them because the attacks had already started. The routes that they were told to take to get to so called safe areas were being bombarded at the same time and once they got to those safe areas, they weren't safe. Attacks that we verified happened in those so called safe zones.
DIAMOND (voice-over): The Israeli military said its evacuation orders are part of significant efforts to mitigate harm to civilians and that it is committed to international law and operates accordingly.
The United Nations estimates 1.9 million Palestinians have been displaced during the war, more than 90 percent of Gaza's population. Today, northern Gaza is the focus of that displacement as the Israeli military mounts one of its most devastating offensives yet.
This woman says Israeli loudspeakers blasted a warning to residents. It was saying either get out or die, one of the two. So we left with our children, taking only what we could carry. She says they left without food or water, just the clothes on their bags.
Fleeing is one thing. Finding safety is something else altogether.
[01:20:05]
Yet another school turned shelter for the displaced was struck Thursday by the Israeli military. Emergency rescue officials say four people were killed, including two children. Yet another reminder that nowhere in Gaza is truly safe. Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Tel Aviv.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Joining me now from Amman, Jordan. Shaina Lowe is communication advisor for the Norwegian Refugee Camp Council. It's always good to see you. The head of your organization, Jan Eglan, was recently in Gaza and he found it almost impossible to put into words. He said it was something like out of Stalingrad. The destruction beyond belief, humanity being erased.
Can you describe what's happening to civilians in Gaza right now?
SHAINA LOWE, COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR, NORWEGIAN REFUGEE CAMP COUNCIL: Civilians in Gaza are continuing to be pushed from place to place. We're seeing in north Gaza in particular, very tight siege that has allowed very little if any food, water, medicine to somewhere around 75,000 people.
We as aid agencies have not been able to get sufficient aid in for the last year, but have seen the number of aid trucks entering Gaza drop precipitously in the month of October. Starvation is on the rise. People continue to die. Even that school that was mentioned in the report just before I came on, we've been water trucking to that school and that is the second time that it's been hit in just a couple of weeks.
HOLMES: Yes.
LOWE: These are civilians trying to seek safety, but they know that there simply is no safe place in Gaza.
HOLMES: The U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken sent a letter recently to the Israeli government demanding Israel improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza within 30 days, set out steps. That deadline is long passed. None of the demands have been met.
U.S. law bans supply of weapons when humanitarian aid is being deliberately blocked. What does the U.S. need to do now is obligated to do in light of those demands being ignored?
LOWE: Well, U.S. law is extremely clear. When American humanitarian assistance is being obstructed, military aid must be stopped to the offending party. And in this case, we've seen time and again the Biden administration just completely neglect their obligations under even domestic law, let alone international law, and continue to pump weapons to Israel that are killing civilians and destroying Palestinian infrastructure.
HOLMES: Human Rights Watch, as we just said, we reported on, you know, saying Israel mass of displacement of Palestinians, quote, deliberate demolitions of homes and infrastructure as a systematic campaign that amounts to a war crime and a crime about against humanity that it fits the definition of ethnic cleansing. The Israeli newspaper Haaretz openly called what's happening in northern Gaza ethnic cleansing.
How would you define what's happened and continues to happen?
LOWE: Well, we've come to similar conclusions. And we've been saying since that first so called evacuation order, which in fact does not meet the legal definition of an evacuation on October 13th of last year, that civilians have been forcibly transferred. This is a war crime. And in the case of when it's done at a massive scale, as we've seen in Gaza, this is a crime against humanity.
We've seen that civilians are not being able to flee safely, that the places that they're being told to flee to are not safe and do not provide adequate supplies to sustain human life. And we've seen through Israeli efforts that they are making that there is no opportunity and will be no opportunity for many of these civilians to return home once hostilities have ended.
HOLMES: Yes, a lot of people think that this is a clearing out of the northern sector of Gaza and it will not be repopulated by Palestinians. Donald Trump has in the past said Israel should his words were finish the job now that he's won the election.
Do you think that's what we're seeing, an empowered Netanyahu government, quote, finishing the job in Gaza, no matter the human cost?
LOWE: It appears that way. I mean, we've seen even under the Biden administration, very little if any restraint from the Israelis in terms of the way that they are conducting hostilities. And it appears with the people that Trump has selected for his administration and already announced this week, and the actions that we've seen the Netanyahu government take, that they really do feel emboldened that they can do whatever they want, continue to violate international humanitarian law without any accountability or consequence.
HOLMES: Norwegian Refugee Council certainly trying to do its part. Shaina LoweAloh in Amman. Appreciate you and the work of your organization.
LOWE: Thank you.
HOLMES: U.S. President Joe Biden arrives at the APEC summit in Peru and he'll be meeting there with China's President Xi for what could be a difficult conversation.
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Also, thousands of extra security personnel on the streets of Paris, Thursday. We'll tell you why tensions were high at a national football match. We'll have that and more when we come back.
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HOLMES: U.S. President Joe Biden has arrived in Peru for the APEC summit with its focus on Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation. The president will seek to reassure who are talking about how to insulate their economies against potential challenges posed by President-Elect Donald Trump's economic policies.
In particular, Biden will be meeting with Chinese President Xi on Saturday. What reassurance there will be remains an open question. CNN's Steven Jiang is following developments from Beijing.
So what can we expect from this meeting? How important is it to Biden and to Xi?
STEVEN JIANG, CNN BEIJING BUREAU CHIEF: Yes, Michael, this is very likely their final meeting. Now, of course, as you mentioned, the result of the U.S. election looming large, and so is some of the recent personnel choices announced by President-Elect Trump, because he has select quite a few China hawks in his new cabinet and national security team.
But the way the Biden administration sees is no matter who is in the White House, this tough and complicated relationship between two superpowers needs to be managed. So that's why they say the U.S. president is expected to mention some of the progress they have made in recent months, including the resumption of military to military talks and the joint effort in fighting the global fentanyl trade.
Of course, the U.S. is going to continue to raise concerns when it comes to China's backing of Russia's war effort and the more recent alleged Chinese hacking of U.S. telecom companies, not to mention tensions around Taiwan and in the South China Sea.
And from Beijing's perspective, Xi Jinping is going into this really trying to project an image of stability and China's global leadership. The message here being China is now the biggest certainty in the world, full of growing uncertainties, especially with Trump's impending return.
Of course, they are worried and concerned about these potential massive tariffs on Chinese imports promised by Trump on a campaign trail. But if anything, they are probably more angry or at least irked by the Biden approach in the past few years of forming a united front targeting China on numerous issues with U.S. allies and partners.
So in that sense, Trump's America first going alone approach in foreign policy may still be seen as something potentially beneficial to them strategically.
[01:29:47]
That's why analysts say this kind of multilateral settings like APEC gives them a perfect opportunity to drive a wedge between the U.S. and its allies and partners before Trump takes office.
And of course, the setting of this meeting in Peru is not lost on a lot of people because China had just unveiled a multi-billion-dollar mega port built by one of its own state-owned shipping companies and that kind of really is a testament to China's growing economic clout in this region really fast replacing the U.S. as the biggest trading partner with a growing number of Latin American countries.
And that kind of stark contrast between China's continued and growing investments versus the U.S. many say neglect and disinterest in its so-called backyard is something certainly Xi Jinping wants to highlight and take advantage of, Michael.
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Appreciate the preview there. Steven Jiang in Beijing.
All right. Donald Trump is steadily building his new administration. Some of his picks not going over well with U.S. voters. But Russian state media seems enthusiastic about one of them. We'll have details next in a report from Moscow.
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You're watching CNN NEWSROOM with me Michael Holmes.
With 65 days to go before his inauguration, Donald Trump wants all options on the table when it comes to getting his nominees through Congress. That includes recess appointments, which would allow him to install some officials without the traditional congressional hearings and floor votes.
It would dramatically increase the odds of controversial picks like Matt Gaetz, Tulsi Gabbard, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. making it through without a significant challenge.
But the idea is getting a mixed response from Senate Republicans.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. TODD YOUNG (R-IN): It's our obligation to try and confirm these nominees quicker than we've seen in recent history.
SEN. JOHN CORNYN (R-TX): I don't think we should be circumventing the Senate's responsibilities but I think it's premature to be talking about recess appointments right now. SEN. JAMES LANKFORD (R-OK): Quite frankly, the Senate should be here
to do its work. A recess has to be more than two weeks already. And that would say that Congress is not here already doing its task.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: While many of Donald Trump's picks for his new administration are drawing criticism in the U.S., some are getting a more favorable reaction in Russian state media.
Our Frederik Pleitgen with more from Moscow.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Kremlin- controlled TV praising some of President-Elect Trump's cabinet picks, calling designated attorney general Matt Gaetz quote, "a Trump loyalist", and also speaking favorably about Trump's pick for director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard for repeatedly parroting Kremlin talking points on the war in Ukraine.
[01:34:54]
PLEITGEN: "She, from day one, clarified the reason for Russia's special operation in Ukraine," the anchor says, criticizing the actions of the Biden administration.
Gabbard's words in 2022 right after Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine caused even panelists on Russian state TV to cynically ask if she's a Kremlin agent.
"Yes," the host said, without providing any evidence.
But the Russians ripping into designated secretary of defense Pete Hegseth and national security advisor Mike Waltz.
Waltz at the Republican convention proposed deploying more American drones in the Black Sea and bragged about how Trump threatened to bomb as he put it, Putin's Kremlin. The anchor says, "That is what's called a Russophobic dream team, or the American dream team."
Of course, there's a lot of discussion here in Russia about the new Trump administration that's taking shape and what some of the picks could mean for relations with Russia especially when it comes to possibly ending the war in Ukraine.
Donald Trump said that he definitely wants to resolve the conflict in Ukraine. Do you think this is possible through talks, through military action, what do you think?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't know how Donald Trump can resolve this. But I would really like this to be resolved as soon as possible, and resolve din the most peaceful way possible, that is, through negotiations and not through the actions that are happening now.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, there's still a bit of ambition here with those in power. And I don't know if Trump will stick to his line. But I hope there will be a good agreement between Russia and Ukraine.
PLEITGEN: Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he's willing to talk to Donald Trump even before Trump takes office.
The Russians praising some of the president-elect's appointments as officials who could help normalize relations with Moscow.
Fred Pleitgen, CNN -- Moscow.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: "The New York Times" reporting Elon Musk met with Iran's ambassador to the U.N. this week. The talks between the world's richest person and Iranian envoy, Amir Iravani, were apparently held at a secret location.
According to the newspaper, Iranian officials said the discussion was focused on how to defuse tensions between the two countries. A U.S. official says the Biden administration was not given any heads up about the meeting.
Musk has been chosen to head up a newly-conceived department of government efficiency under Trump, but is not a current government official. And it's not clear why he would or should be involved in foreign policy conversations, especially with an adversary.
Tensions were high in Paris Thursday when Israel played France in the Nations League football match.
At least one skirmish broke out during the game. Video showing a brief altercation between a small number of fans, some with Israeli flags on their back. It's not clear what caused the fight.
French officials deployed thousands of extra security personnel after a recent violence in Amsterdam. At least five people were injured and dozens arrested after Israeli fans were attacked last week. In turn, some Israeli fans were accused of inciting the incidents with violent attacks of their own as well as tearing down Palestinian flags.
French President Emmanuel Macron had this to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EMMANUEL MACRON, FRENCH PRESIDENT (through translator): We won't give in to anti-Semitism or to violence anywhere including in the French Republic. It will never prevail and the same goes for intimidation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: As for the match, it ended in a nil-all draw.
Families anxiously wait for their loved ones who are stuck in an underground mine in South Africa. Why officials are refusing to help the miners.
[01:38:50] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: In South Africa, families of illegal miners are waiting for news after the government cut off supplies and said it would not help get the miners out.
Several hundred, possibly even thousands, are believed to be running out of food and water in the underground mines.
Illegal gold mining has been a problem in South Africa for decades. It's reported to cost the country hundreds of millions of dollars in lost sales, taxes and royalties.
Police closed off the entrances in a bid to crack down on illegal mining.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KHUMBUDSO NTSHAVHENI, SOUTH AFRICAN CABINET MINISTER: We're not sending help to criminals. We're going to smoke them out. They will come out.
Criminals are not to be helped. Criminals are to be persecuted.
HOLMES: More now from CNN's Victoria Rubadiri.
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VICTORIA RUBADIRI, CNN CORRESPONDENT, CONNECTING AFRICA: This is an operation that's been going on for a couple of weeks now. What we do know, according to local authorities is 1,000 miners have surfaced to date.
Local residents have been camping at the mine entrances that have been blocked off by police. They've been pleading and asking for the authorities to intervene and to even hold off arresting some of these miners that are coming up. But that seems to be falling on deaf ears.
This is what some of the local community had to say earlier on.
AGNES MODISE, COMMUNITY MEMBER: No, we only want the police to help -- to help us so that we can take those people from underground, so that they can come outside. because there they've been trapped without food, without water, without nothing.
EMILY PHOTSOA, COMMUNITY MEMBER: So if the sick (ph) persons are down there, what is going to happen to them? They are going to die if they don't get medication, water to sustain them.
RUBADIRI: The ministry of police and ministry of defense will be making their way to the site, they say to quote, "reinforce the government's commitment to uphold law and order and stop any unlawful activity", end quote.
SABATA MOKGWABONE, NORTH WEST POLICE SPOKESPERSON: Well, we don't know who opened it to allow the illegal miners to mine. So as a result, we are not even getting assistance from the mining companies because according to them, the place is not safe.
RUBADIRI: That doesn't seem to be deterring many of these individuals who are migrants from neighboring countries and young people in South Africa who are looking to make some extra money.
It's what's considered a last resort job. It's low-paying, it's dangerous. It's also prone to extortion by local criminal gangs. And yet you see them flocking to these old gold mines to earn a living.
Victoria Rubadiri, CNN -- Nairobi.
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HOLMES: Maori members of New Zealand's parliament staged a haka to disrupt the vote on a bill that many claim would undermine their rights.
(MAORI MEMBERS OF NEW ZEALAND'S PARLIAMENT STAGING A HAKA)
HOLMES: The measure would limit interpretations of an 1840 treaty between the British crown and Maori chiefs. Some argue it's led to discrimination against non-indigenous citizens.
Protests are ongoing across the country. An estimated 10,000 people have joined a march towards the capital dressed in traditional Maori garments and chanting songs, they are expected to arrive on Tuesday.
The Philippines, caught in the middle of a record-breaking typhoon season. Tropical storm Man-Yi has now strengthened into a typhoon with the potential to rapidly intensify further.
It's expected to make landfall this weekend and it will be the country's fourth typhoon in just 11 days.
The last storm Usagi, just hit the northern part of the weather-torn nation on Thursday as a super typhoon. It's since weakened significantly and it's now off towards northern Taiwan.
[01:44:54]
HOLMES: And turning to Central America, Tropical Storm Sara is expected to hug the coast of Honduras for the next couple of days. It'll bring heavy rain, life-threatening and potentially catastrophic flood -- flash flooding and mudslides.
The U.S. has some better news from the storm, though, the odds of it reaching the Gulf of Mexico and the U.S. appear to be dropping. Tropical storm activity should be winding down this month, but Sara is now the third named storm in November alone. Scientists pointing to exceptionally warm waters because of yes, climate change.
And parts of Spain have been hammered with even more heavy rainfall. But authorities say the worst appears to be over without a repeat of the deadly flash flooding that occurred two weeks ago.
Now, one embattled regional leader is set to explain the slow emergency response before parliament.
CNN's Pau Mosquera has the latest from Madrid.
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PAU MOSQUERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Authorities say that we have already seen the worst of the cold drop that has affected Spain over the last two days. But its effects can still be felt in some parts of the country.
That's the case at the south west where this phenomenon has been moving. Spain's meteorological agency has activated this Thursday some orange warnings for the regions of Sevilla, Cadiz and Huelva (ph) due to the risk of torrential rains.
More specifically, this agency estimated that in some towns they can accumulate up to 30 or 40 liters of water per square meter in just one hour.
That's why the authorities have suspended all school activities for the day, and also recommended the population not to move around until the rains have come to an end.
Also, many were paying attention to the situation in Valencia where other warnings were active. But in this case, lower warnings. Fortunately, the authorities reported no injuries or personal damages over the day.
Now, this Friday, many will fix their eyes in what happens inside of Valencia's parliament. And this is because regional President Carlos Mazon will appear before the deputies to provide political explanations on the response that his government offered to the emergency.
We should recall that last Saturday, thousands protested in Valencia against the response that the regional government has offered because they considered that it was slow and not enough.
And that's why many were asking him to resign. But we will have to wait until this Friday to see what will be next.
Pau Mosquera, CNN -- Madrid.
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HOLMES: You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. When we come back, a group of scientists working aboard a vessel in the Southwest Pacific Ocean make a remarkable discovery. We'll have the details after the break.
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HOLMES: The Pentagon has just seen a drastic rise in accounts of new UFO sightings, with hundreds made in a span of just 11 months. That's according to a just-released annual report from the office established to track claims about unidentified anomalous phenomena as UFOs are now known. [01:49:48]
HOLMES: The report says many accounts are everyday items like balloons or drones and several hundred are either pending review or lacked enough data to draw firm conclusions. But some 21 cases remain open and have not been plausibly explained.
One official said analysts have been unable to identify the objects although no evidence of alien activity has been found yet.
The World Health Organization and the U.S. CDC say measles cases are on the rise globally. Infections surged 20 percent last year to more than 10 million.
The disease had been largely eradicated thanks to vaccines, but misinformation and lack of access have caused immunization rates to fall. Measles is highly contagious and killed more than 100,000 people last year, most of them young children.
The WHO calling these deaths unacceptable and preventable.
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DR. NATASHA CROWCROFT, SR. TECH ADVISOR FOR MEASLES AND RUBELLA, WHO: Since 2000 alone, the vaccine has saved more than 60 million lives. That's five lives every second.
Two doses of the vaccine is nearly 100 percent effective at protecting people against the disease. But despite the effectiveness of this vaccine, we're continuing to see another year of stalled measles vaccine coverage and countries and communities that need to reach 95 percent of children with two doses are not reaching that level.
And that's what's needed to protect communities from outbreaks and also to achieve our elimination targets.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Global vaccination rates have declined since the COVID-19 pandemic correlating with the rise in cases. Measles can cause lifelong disabilities including blindness and brain damage, but can be avoided through vaccination.
Anti-obesity drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy have grown into a multi- billion-dollar global business.
CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta has been looking into the side effects of weight loss drugs and has this report with some answers to some important questions.
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DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, this week we asked our audience what questions they had about weight loss drugs and we got a lot of questions. Many of you, like Laurie, asked this. I've been on Mounjaro since
August of 2024. My biggest concern is the unintended consequences of taking this. What are the potential side effects of taking this medication?
Well, Laurie, I think the best answer to this question it is worth giving just a little bit of background on how these medications work.
First of all, they stimulate your pancreas to make insulin that helps you absorb the calories. The medications also send a signal to your brain that you are full so as a result, you eat less. And they slow down your digestion.
And I think it's this last effect that has been associated with the most side effects, GI-related side effects, constipation, but also nausea and vomiting.
For most people, that's pretty manageable. But there was this recent study of Wegovy patients that found for close to 20 percent of those patients these types of side effects alone were enough to make them stop using the medications.
Now incidentally, it doesn't seem to make a difference which medications you take when it comes to having these side effects -- Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, Zepbound.
Another important thing to keep in mind, Laurie, is that along with weight loss, people are likely to experience muscle loss, not just fat loss.
So remember to keep doing weight-bearing exercises, lifting weights, yoga. The goal is to maintain your muscle mass.
Overall, you should know this. More than half of people who start these medications stop them within 12 weeks because of side effects, yes. But also in some part because of cost. Or it could be the fact that they're building up a tolerance and the medications just seem to stop working for them.
Like the rest of you, I have to tell you I have had a lot of questions about these medications. So I spent the past year investigating how they affect our health and our understanding of obesity and weight overall.
Join me and watch everything that I learned in the documentary "IS OZEMPIC RIGHT FOR YOU?" It's this Sunday, 8:00 p.m. only on CNN.
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HOLMES: Japan now grappling with the behavior of yet another ill- mannered tourist, a 65-year-old American in custody after he allegedly defaced a sacred Tokyo shrine.
Police say security camera footage showed him using his fingernail to carve letters representing his family members into a wooden pillar at the shrine. The tourist was arrested at his hotel and U.S. embassy staff are
providing consular assistance.
Unbelievable.
Japan has been experiencing a tourism boom this year, but vandalism, misbehavior and overcrowding at popular sites have sparked discussions about how to best handle the influx of visitors.
[01:54:51]
HOLMES: And the Italian city of Florence has also had to deal with too many outsiders, and they've come up with a new way to battle so-called overtourism.
Officials have approved a plan to restrict lock boxes often used by short term rental landlords and golf carts used by tour guides. It will also ban the use of loudspeakers and amplifiers. The move coming as Florence gets ready to host tourism ministers from the G7 group.
Nearly 8 million people have visited Florence in the first nine months of this year. Pompeii, Venice and Rome also taking steps to limit mass tourism.
And scientists have discovered the world's largest coral in the Southwest Pacific Ocean it is three times bigger than the previous record holder, and longer than a blue whale.
Laura Patterson with more.
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LAURA PATTERSON, REPORTER: Measuring more than 100 feet long, this mega coral can be seen from space.
Newly-crowned as the world's biggest coral it's three times bigger than the previous record holder, roughly 300 years old, and consists of nearly one billion tiny individual animals. It's all a single coral, unlike a reef, which is made up of many colonies.
A group of scientists and filmmakers discovered it in the Southwest Pacific Ocean in October at first, mistaking it for a shipwreck.
Corals are key for the ocean's ecosystem and for humans, providing a buffer against storms and sea level rise, as well as being vital for the fishing industry.
But scientists warn that this coral is at risk due to the human-caused climate crisis.
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HOLMES: Conservators at a Dutch museum are in the middle of a painstaking process to restore Rembrandt's night watch painting. A small team working to remove a layer of varnish on the giant piece, which is several meters tall and wide. It's a slow process where they apply a small amount of solvent to
tissue, which dissolves on top of the paint. The experts studied the painting for five years, and re-stretched its canvas before getting to this point.
Sounds like me doing stuff around the house.
Thanks for watching everyone. I'm Michael Holmes.
CNN NEWSROOM continues with my second favorite Canadian, Paula Newton, after a short break.
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