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CNN International: Biden Allows Ukraine To Use Long-Range U.S. Weapons In Russia; Biden Attending His Final G20 Summit In Rio De Janeiro; Trump Doubles Down On Provocative Cabinet Picks. Aired 11a- 12p ET
Aired November 18, 2024 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:00:00]
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RAHEL SOLOMON, HOST, "CNN NEWSROOM": Good morning or good evening, depending on where you're watching. I'm Rahel Solomon live in New York.
Ahead on CNN Newsroom, missile decision, President Biden lets Ukraine use long-range American-made weapons inside Russia. We're live at the Pentagon and in Moscow with the latest. Plus, Trump's controversial cabinet picks rattle Congress with a tug of war on Capitol Hill over whether to release an ethics report into Matt Gaetz. And world leaders are in Brazil for a meeting of the G20 group of nations with uncertainty looming in the face of a new U.S. administration.
We begin with a significant development in the Ukraine-Russia conflict. U.S. President Joe Biden authorizing Ukraine to use powerful, long-range American missiles inside of Russia. It's a move that the White House had resisted for months, fearing that it would escalate the conflict. The Biden administration says that the deployment of thousands of North Korean troops to fight for Russia on the frontlines fueled its decision, and that this is the U.S. response to Moscow's escalation. Now, the weapons are expected to be used primarily in Russia's Kursk region, where the North Korean troops have joined the Russian offensive. The Kremlin has responded to the White House's change of policy by accusing the Biden administration of wanting to, quote, "throw oil on the fire". Here is what Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (Interpreted): Today, there is a lot of talk in the media about us receiving permission for respective actions, but strikes are not carried out with words. Such things are not announced. Missiles will speak for themselves. They certainly will.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOLOMON: All right. We have team coverage for you. Oren Liebermann is at the Pentagon.
But first, let's go to Fred Pleitgen, who is in Moscow. Fred, good to see you. What reaction do we have from Russia?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. This came from the Kremlin, but also, Russian media have actually just come out of watching Russian state-run media, which obviously are up in arms about all this. In fact, at the start of their main talk show, they came out and said that the Biden administration, as they put it, has decided to continue the war in Ukraine, which Trump wanted to end. So, that's sort of the message that we're getting here out of Russia. You also heard and said about what the Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said about pouring oil into the fire.
And so, essentially, it's two things that the Kremlin is trying to telegraph in all of this. One thing is that the Biden administration is trying to fan the flames of all of this, but also that Western involvement in all of this would be increasing. And I think that's something very important, because Russian President Vladimir Putin, in the run up to all of this, has said that this could lead to a direct war even, as he put it, between Russia and the West, between Russia and NATO, and of course, also between Russia and the United States.
And the reasoning for that was, Rahel, that he said that he believes weapons like the ones that we're talking about, ATACMS, surface-to- surface missiles, that the targeting for those missiles cannot work without the help, as he put it, of Western specialists from the countries where these weapons are delivered from, obviously, in the case of U.S.-provided weapons, meaning specialists from the United States. And so, therefore the Kremlin is essentially saying that they consider strikes deep into Russia conducted by Ukraine using these weapons as strikes from NATO countries or the U.S. against Russian territory, which then could pit Russia and the United States directly against one another.
And Rahel, we have heard from the Russians in the past various red lines when new weapon systems were delivered to the Ukrainians. But, one of the things that they did this time, and I think it just goes to show the campaign that we've seen from the Kremlin to try and dissuade the Biden administration from making exactly the decision that it has now made, they've even changed the country's nuclear doctrine, with the scenario that if Russia is attacked with long-distance weapons by a non-nuclear country, but aided by a nuclear country, which, of course, could mean the United States, that that could trigger a nuclear response from the Russians.
So, certainly, some tough talk coming from the Kremlin, but they have not said what exactly their response would be and will be if and when these weapons are actually used, Rahel.
SOLOMON: OK. Fred, stand by. Let me bring Oren into the conversation now. Oren, sort of touching on something Fred just mentioned there, the timing of this, why has Joe Biden decided to make this call now?
[11:05:00]
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rahel, this has been under consideration for months, according to U.S. officials. In fact, when Volodymyr Zelenskyy was here in September, he presented a list of targets he wanted to hit with long-range ATACMS missiles to President Joe Biden. Biden didn't refuse or dismiss the request. The agreement was effectively that it would remain under consideration, and it would remain under discussion.
At least part of the reason we are now seeing this shift, the U.S. viewed the deployment of thousands of North Korean troops into Russia as an escalation and one that merited some sort of response. So, this appears to be a part of that response, as Russia escalates with North Korean troops, the U.S. gives Ukraine the ability to use long-range missiles against targets in Russia. The expectation, according to a U.S. official, is that most of these will be used in the Kursk region, where Russia has amassed 50,000 troops, including some 10,000 North Korean troops, in what appears to be an attempt to take back the Kursk region from Ukrainian forces.
So, that would be an environment rich with targets for a missile like this, and that would include headquarters logistics nodes, concentrations of Russian, and perhaps North Korean troops. This would allow Ukraine to better control the battlefield itself and perhaps hang on to that territory in anticipation of a potential push from incoming President-elect Donald Trump to go for negotiations. This would allow Ukraine to hold that and give them more leverage.
It's worth noting that for months, we heard from the Biden administration and from defense officials all the reasons they're not going to change this policy, not enough missiles to make a difference. Ukraine has better long-range drones. Ukraine is using the missiles they do have to effectively hit Crimea. Those are the reasons we were given. It's unclear if those are simply now viewed as excuses, or if Ukraine will get more of these missiles to be able to hit targets, but here you see in the waning days of the Biden administration that policy change that Ukraine has wanted for a long time.
SOLOMON: Yeah. All right. Fred Pleitgen, thank you. Oren Liebermann, thank you as well.
And President Joe Biden and other world leaders are in Brazil for the G20 Summit. Mr. Biden heads into his final G20 summit one day after announcing that policy shift on long-range weapons for Ukraine. A short time ago, he urged leaders to continue making progress on a range of issues, including the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, even after he is no longer in power. Over the next two days, world leaders are expected to discuss such issues such as poverty and climate change and what a second Trump term might look like.
Let's go to CNN's Kayla Tausche, who joins us live from Rio. Kayla, talk to us about what's on Biden's schedule today.
KAYLA TAUSCHE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, he met with world leaders earlier this morning from the Group of 20 nations. Earlier today, he delivered remarks where he talked about the legacy that he and the United States leave after his four years in office, and he called on world leaders, despite consensus sometimes being elusive, to continue the progress that has been made on a host of issues. Here is Biden in his own words.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: This is my last G20 summit. We've made progress together, but I urge you to keep going. I'm sure you will, regardless of my urging or not. This group has immense power to usher in a new era of sustainable development to go from billions to trillions in assistance of those in need. This all may sound wealthy, but this group can lay the foundation to make that achievable.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TAUSCHE: It comes just one day after Biden was in the Amazon rainforest, saying that no one could reverse the clean energy revolution and the progress that his administration has made there. And it also comes as the U.S. has made a significant policy shift in allowing Ukraine to use longer-range missiles to strike up to 200 miles inside Russia, reversing some questions that the administration had weighed in recent months, as they have been withholding those weapons for Ukraine's use. But, now with the war being protracted and Russia expanding its efforts with the recruitment of tens of thousands of North Korean troops, administration officials say that they simply could not stand back and watch that take place.
So, certainly, they're finding themselves at odds with other countries here on that very issue, but trying to burnish President Biden's legacy on these very many issues that have been close to home for him and very important for him on the world stage, even though Donald Trump may have different ideas, Rahel.
SOLOMON: Yeah. And to that point, Kayla, I mean, how much of influence do you think Trump's second term will have over talks today?
TAUSCHE: Well, it is looming very large over this summit. It looms large over the APEC Summit that just concluded in Lima, Peru. When you look at the list of G20 leaders, nearly every single one of them, with the exception of perhaps just one, have picked up the phone and called Donald Trump to congratulate him, to pledge cooperation, to try to work together with the incoming administration.
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Part of that is because they sense that a change is afoot in the United States, and they want, in some cases, a fresh start. In other cases, there is a fear of retribution on trade or on foreign policy, where Trump has made some of these threats on the campaign trail, and they want to put themselves in pole position for friendly relations going forward, although, of course, personnel that Donald Trump is choosing in Mar-a-Lago, Florida, will have a very important impact on that, and that is still a work in progress. Rahel.
SOLOMON: Yeah. OK. Kayla Tausche live for us from beautiful Rio. Thank you.
Let's continue this conversation now and bring in Ravi Agrawal, who is the Editor in Chief at Foreign Policy magazine, and joins us now in Washington. Ravi, great to have you. I want to pick up where Kayla left off there, saying that 19 of the 20, she believes, leaders have already called Trump. So, safe to say, it's a topic of discussion or at least on the minds of leaders there. How do you think his re- election is being viewed?
RAVI AGRAWAL, EDITOR IN CHIEF, FOREIGN POLICY: With some trepidation, but also with excitement. I think a Trump presidency brings turbulence. It brings risks. He is a known quantity for many of these other world leaders, many of whom have worked with him before in his previous term. They understand what works with him. They understand that he likes deals, that he is often nakedly transactional. They understand that bigger sort of alliances. Multilateralism are not really his cup of tea. So, they know the differences from Biden.
And as your reporter just pointed out, there are already emerging sort of fissures between how Biden sees the world and Trump, and people are reacting to that. So, Argentina's President Milei reportedly has been trying to put a spanner in the works in one of the things that the G20 was trying to achieve, in terms of a tax on the super-rich. So, expect to see more of that, but it's a mixed picture in terms of what the world wants from Trump.
SOLOMON: Yeah. It's interesting on Argentina. I mean, that seems like a reversal of some of his positions not too long ago. So, it's sort of an interesting 180.
Ravi, let me ask, as you talk about sort of how some may view Trump compared to Biden as more transactional versus ideological, what do you think that might look like in the future --
AGARWAL: I think --
SOLOMON: -- those relationships?
AGARWAL: So, Biden, for example, spent a lot of time and investment and energy on the G7, a smaller group, a smaller alliance than the G20, which is mostly rich industrialized countries. And part of the reason behind that was that he saw an ideological sort of cohesion there in these rich countries. It fitted into his democracies versus autocracies framework.
Trump actually is much more likely to pay more attention to the G20 than the G7. He attended the G20 when he was President in 2017, 2018, 2019. I think he will, in some senses, find common cause with many leaders in the global south, whether it's India, whether it's countries from Africa, many of whom actually are not that scared of a more nakedly transactional President, in part because they too are a little bit tired of what they see as American lecturing and posturing on democracy promotion or human rights. And in some senses, they don't see it as the worst thing to have a President who might strike a deal in Ukraine, even if it's not in Ukraine's favor, who might be more deal-based with them. It's kind of what they're looking forward to.
SOLOMON: Yeah. That's an interesting point, and sort of reminds me of maybe the way some other countries are sort of viewing geopolitics right now and relationships right now. But then, how do the conversations about tariffs sort of factor in? Because if it's America First, if it's tariffs across the board, we'll see what ultimately happens. I mean, how are other nations viewing that and how that impacts them?
AGARWAL: So, again, get ready for a very turbulent ride. There is going to be a scenario where some countries will benefit. Some will absolutely struggle in an environment where Trump could impose tariffs anywhere. I mean, so, he has talked about 20 percent blanket tariffs for countries with some exceptions. So, the United Kingdom, for example, is already trying to discuss an exemption for itself. Countries that have a trade surplus with the United States, look out, Trump is coming for you. Mexico could be in trouble. China, of course, which could have tariffs increased to as much as 60 percent. There is a lot of turbulence coming.
However, I think it's quite clear, economists, bipartisan, nonpartisan economists, will say that if Trump puts in place all of these measures, it just won't work. So, he won't put in place all of these measures, and will likely look for market signals, so, stock market reactions, the bond markets reactions. A lot of these will be early tells as to whether he will calibrate some of these proposals or actually go through with them. The other tells, of course, are who he puts in place and keepers positions.
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SOLOMON: Yeah.
AGARWAL: The delay in naming a Treasury Secretary so far, by the way, is a real example of how Trump cares about what the market thinks.
SOLOMON: That's a really interesting point, because I was thinking about U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, who is obviously very pro-tariffs, and the reporting being that he is not being considered for Treasury Secretary because apparently he is too pro- tariff. And so, domestically, we have spent a lot of time on some of the cabinet picks that have already been announced. But, talk to me a little bit more about what you think those around the world might be actually cluing into, whether it's Treasury Secretary or whether it's another position that might impact them more directly.
AGARWAL: So, Treasury will certainly impact them. The USTR, the trade position you mentioned, will impact them. Lighthizer, by the way, the FT reported that he was offered that role. Others didn't quite confirm that. Notably, he hasn't accepted that if he was offered that role. I can't confirm it myself. But, they're looking out at a number of other key positions. I mean, anything on immigration will have immense economic consequences for the countries that may be recipients of some of the people who end up being deported from the United States. So, there is trepidation on a lot of these issues.
Leaders around the world, as I said, they know Trump. They understand him. And they've spent the last four years poring over all of the books that have been written about him. They know everyone in his orbit. They have a real understanding of what he likes to hear, of how flattery often works, of how he likes to think of deals as deals that he has won or deals that he can put his name on. They understand. And so, it will be fascinating to see how that plays out, a world that is, for once, actually prepared for a Trump presidency.
SOLOMON: Yeah. Ravi, you took the words out of my mouth. Fascinating. It's certainly a really good way to put it. Ravi Agrawal, great to have you. Thank you.
AGARWAL: Pleasure.
SOLOMON: And during his campaign, Donald Trump said that he had nothing to do with Project 2025, but his latest cabinet pick actually wrote part of the blueprint for the controversial initiative. Plus, brand new developments regarding an Ethics Committee report on sex allegations against Trump's choice for Attorney General.
We'll be right back.
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SOLOMON: Welcome back. Donald Trump is adding another controversial name to his growing list of transition picks. He has chosen Brendan Carr to head the Federal Communications Commission. Carr is an FCC Commissioner appointed by Trump in 2017. He also authored a chapter on proposed changes to the agency and Project 2025. That is the same Project 2025 policy blueprint that Trump tried to distance himself from during his campaign.
And the President-elect is also refusing to back down over his cabinet picks, amid signs that some of them may face an uphill confirmation battle in the Senate. Sources tell CNN that Trump will push extra hard to make sure that Republicans approve his nominee for Attorney General.
[11:20:00]
And a short time ago, we learned that the House Ethics Committee will meet on Wednesday to discuss the Gaetz case. It's possible that his fate will come down to Republican Senator Markwayne Mullin, who was highly critical of Gaetz when they served in the House together. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. MARKWAYNE MULLIN (R-OK): I got to set my personal situation with Matt to the side and look at the facts. If he is qualified, he is qualified. I'd be quite frank, I didn't even know he was an attorney until after he was appointed Attorney General, and I did do my research on him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOLOMON: OK. For more on all things Team Trump, let's turn to CNN's Steve Contorno from West Palm Beach. Steve, good to have you. So, what are we learning this morning?
STEVE CONTORNO, CNN REPORTER: Rahel, Donald Trump is back in Palm Beach this week, where we expect him to continue to fill out his cabinet. He is doing that at quite a rapid speed compared to where he was in this process eight years ago, and he is running out of jobs for some of the loyalists in his entourage and his orbit, and was creating some tension behind the scenes, especially in this fight over who will be his Treasury Secretary. There are people who are close to Wall Street who want him to go one way, and then there is Elon Musk and people on the outside who want him to go another way.
There are some new names who are being floated in there. It just shows you how, as these number of roles is shrinking, the intrigue around them is growing. He also still has to fill his Commerce Secretary, Secretary of Labor, Housing and Urban Development, Transportation as well as Education. That's another one to watch, because Donald Trump has said he wants to eliminate the Department of Education. Now, over the weekend, some of Trump's allies spent time trying to defend the picks that he has already made, saying that Trump deserves the cabinet that he wants. Take a listen to what Speaker Mike Johnson said on State of the Union.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA): These are disruptors. They are. I think that's by design. Any President has the right to name their own cabinet, to nominate persons that they think will fulfill their agenda, and the people that are on this list will do that. They will go into the agencies that they're being asked to lead, and they will reform them. These agencies need reform, and I think the vast majority of the American people understand that. You can't have status quo appointments in a moment like this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CONTORNO: Of course, Johnson, as Speaker of the House, will not ultimately get a say in whether these individuals are confirmed. That will come down to the Senate, and where the Republican Party has a 54- member majority, and some people in the Republican side are already saying they are skeptical about whether Gaetz can get the 51 votes he needs to get across the finish line.
SOLOMON: Yeah. And Steve, I mean, it's not just the intrigue that's growing. I mean, for some of these candidates, it's also the controversy that's growing on Hegseth and on Gaetz. Where do things stand right now?
CONTORNO: Let's start with Hegseth. Over the weekend, a lawyer for him acknowledged that he paid a woman in his settlement related to a sexual assault allegation from October 2017. Now, we don't know how much that was for, and his lawyer maintains that he only did that so that he could hold on to his job at Fox News. He was concerned that it would jeopardize him in the middle of the Me Too movement, and he claims that it was a consensual encounter and there was no wrongdoing.
But, this did catch his transition team by surprise, and many of his allies on the Hill who were already shocked by this pick are now wondering what exactly his team did to vet Hegseth coming into this process. And then Matt Gaetz, obviously, has a number of questions hanging over his head, number one being, will the Ethics Committee release the investigation into sexual misconduct, alleged sexual misconduct, and other issues that he has -- that they were investigating over the years? They could potentially allow senators to give it a look without releasing to get to the public. That would be a somewhat unprecedented situation, though, there are some Republicans who have already said that they want to see that report before they weigh in on whether or not Matt Gaetz should get the nomination for the country's top prosecutor.
SOLOMON: And that's the interesting point, that even with the majority, if there are still a few who are skeptical, it just remains to be seen how it's all going to go down.
Steve Contorno live for us there. Steve, thank you.
Let's continue the conversation now. I am joined by Fred Upton, a long-time Republican congressman from Michigan who left the House after serving for more than three decades. Fred, wonderful to have you. Thank you for being here. I want to start off where Steve left off, the nomination of Matt Gaetz. Speaker Johnson against releasing the findings of this ethics report. Take a listen to what he said on Sunday on State of the Union.
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JOHNSON: The Senate has a role, the advising consents role under the Constitution, and they perform it. They will have a rigorous review and vetting process in the Senate, but they don't need to rely upon a report or a draft report, a rough draft report that was prepared by the Ethics Committee for its very limited purposes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOLOMON: And Fred, we've learned this morning that the Committee is expected to meet Wednesday. How do you see this going down?
FRED UPTON, FORMER U.S. HOUSE REPUBLICAN: Well, you got to remember that the Ethics Committee, it's a purely bipartisan Committee, equal number of Republicans and Democrats.
[11:25:00]
They are solely chosen, not by the Steering Committee or by the members of the Republican or Democratic caucuses. They're picked by the Speaker of the House on the Republican side and the Democratic leader on the Democratic side. Now, it just so happens that the co- chair, I guess you could say, of the -- for the Democrats, she lost her election. So, that will have to be reformed again in the next Congress beginning in January.
But, those members, I mean, as a member of Congress, the last Committee we actually want to serve on is the Ethics Committee. Usually, there is some plum when the Speaker sort of taps you on the shoulder and says, I'd like you to serve. Like, what did I do wrong? What are you going to give me to make it all that worthwhile? Because the Ethics Committee is a thankless Committee. I mean, take the case of George Santos. I mean, here was an open and shut case of a guy who has now pled guilty to falsifying records, lying. I mean, all these different things, pretty easy to figure out within about a week's time, and yet, he survived month after month after month until finally, years later, the Ethics Committee finally brought a vote to expel him, and he was tossed.
In the case with Matt Gaetz, this case has been pending for years. And I would imagine, even though you've got the Senate, certainly the Senate Democrats and most Democrats are demanding to see the release of this draft report, when the Speaker said on Sunday that that's not likely going to happen, and he is going to insist that the Chairman and the Republicans vote to release the report, they're not going to release it. It doesn't get released on a five-five tie vote. It's got to be a majority vote, and I just don't see that happening when the Ethics Committee reconvenes Wednesday this week and discusses whether or not they should proceed and perhaps release the report. So, that's going to stay silent.
And frankly, even though the Senate might say, well, why don't you share a copy? We'll keep it under wraps. We know that doesn't happen. That just doesn't in today's world.
SOLOMON: Is it that simple? Is it open and shuttered? Do the Senate have any options? I mean, we should say, I mean, Steve talked about it there. There are some Senate Republicans who have said they think the report should be released.
UPTON: That's right. But, at the end of the day, how are they going to force its release? You got the prerogatives of the House, I think, will supersede any court action to release a report that's not been voted on in the Committee. So, I would be stunned if, for some reason, the House Ethics Committee would actually release the report in advance of the hearings that will take place in the Senate.
SOLOMON: More broadly, do you think come January Trump gets his way, and he gets these nominations through, whether we're talking about Pete Hegseth, whether we're talking about RFK Jr.? I mean, how do you see this going?
UPTON: Well, there is clearly a pathway for President Trump to get his nominees confirmed. I mean, when you look at the makeup of the committees, so, take the case of Matt Gaetz, it goes to the Senate Judiciary Committee. You've got such stalwart MAGA members as Marsha Blackburn, Josh Hawley, Mike Lee. Lindsey Graham serves on that Committee. Ted Cruz serves on that Committee. I mean, traditionally, both the House and the Senate Judiciary committees are made up of what I'll call the hardcore die-hard Republicans or Democrats way to the right or way to the left, and that's certainly the case in the Senate with the Senate Republicans.
The other thing is, remember that the Senate flipped. So, you can have a new Chairman, or you can have the -- the Republicans are going to be in the majority, so that the margin will change. So, a majority on the Committee will be Republican, not Democrat. They'll have to add a member or two to the current standing members of the Committee, and chances are, they'll say, whoever it is that's going to be added to the Committee, they'll say, by the way, you're not going to get on the Committee unless you pass the litmus test and be supportive of the Trump nominees. So, that'll be there.
Well, also look, even -- remember, Vance is still a member of the Senate until January 20th. So, he could easily be made a temporary, in essence, a temporary member of the Senate Judiciary Committee for about three weeks and provide the key vote to getting them done. Then, once he gets out of Committee, then, in fact, you go to the issue of, is there going to be a recess appointment?
[11:30:00]
May not have the votes in the full Senate to pass some of these folks, but John Thune, John Cornyn and Rick Scott, all candidates for the Majority Leader spot in the Senate agreed that they would pursue recess appointments if, in fact, things got stalled. So, that's the pathway that Trump could see to get all of his nominees approved, even the ones that are most controversial, like RFK and Matt Gaetz.
SOLOMON: Yeah. One thing that's interesting is that, yet, you have to imagine that Trump would have known that some of these appointments would create the shock value, and yet he chose anyway. And so, you have to wonder sort of what the thinking was.
But, we'll have to leave it here. Former Congressman Fred Upton, so good to have you today. Thank you for the time.
UPTON: You bet. Thanks.
SOLOMON: All right. And coming up, could there be relief soon for the people of Lebanon, even as the IDF rains bombs and shells on Beirut? An Israeli source says that there may be progress in ceasefire talks. We're going to have the details straight ahead. Plus, a popular airline is filing for bankruptcy protection. We're going to have a live report on what this means for the future of Spirit Airlines, but also its customers.
We'll be right back.
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SOLOMON: Welcome back. You're watching CNN Newsroom. I'm Rahel Solomon live in New York.
Lebanon's Prime Minister announcing that a U.S. envoy will visit Beirut after Hezbollah responded positively to an American proposal for a ceasefire inside Lebanon. This as Israel's military says that it is using artillery batteries inside Lebanese territory. It's believed to be the first time that Israel has admitted to doing that since its troops began their ground operation. on Sunday, Israel pounded Beirut for a sixth straight day. Lebanon's Health Ministry says that one attack on the capital left at least two people dead. Israeli forces say that they killed a Hezbollah spokesperson. Mohammed Afif had been an advisor to the late Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah.
Meanwhile, in northern Gaza, at least 50 people were killed in Israeli strikes over the weekend. That's according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Let's go to the region now and bring in CNN's Nic Robertson, who joins
us from Jerusalem with more. Nic, it sounds like there may be some movement now in these ceasefire talks in Lebanon, but in the meantime, Israel continues to strike Beirut. What's the latest here?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yeah. It does sort of sound as if the mood music is a little more positive. But, as with all the sort of mood music here, it swings, and we seem to be in a point right now where there is some differences of opinion about the language that might be in the deal. What we're hearing from an Israeli government source is that that there has been some positive movement. They've heard back from the Lebanese. But, there is something in it, a direct action that Israel wants to be able to take if there is a violation in the ceasefire. This is what the Israeli government source is saying, this direct action.
But, we're also hearing from members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing cabinet, saying that this sort of direct action they're framing it as full operational freedom if there is violations in the terms of the ceasefire.
[11:35:00]
And it's not quite clear what that means, direct action, full operational freedom, but it does certainly seems to imply that the Israeli forces would have the ability to intervene directly in Lebanon if there was a violation in the ceasefire. But, here is the bit where it gets a little bit confusing, because both the Lebanese Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, and the -- Nabih Berri, the Speaker of the Lebanese Parliament, whose party, the Amal party is closely aligned with Hezbollah, both of them say they haven't seen that type of language in this U.S. proposed deal.
So, is the deal sort of breaking down or faltering at the moment, as we certainly don't seem to be at the breakdown moment, but we seem to be in a moment where there is some kind of breakdown in the understanding between the two sides about this issue, that for the Israeli side, is a very, very substantial and important issue, the right to be able to strike back if the ceasefire is broken, and that's where we seem to be at, at the moment, until we get some more definition on this gray zone here, where there is a gap opening up. We don't know which direction this is going in.
SOLOMON: Nic, how about the killing of this Hezbollah spokesperson? What more can you share there?
ROBERTSON: Yeah. Mohammed Afif, I mean, he was a senior figure within Hezbollah, an advisor to Hassan Nasrallah, the former leader who was killed in a very heavy Israeli airstrike on the 28th of September. Subsequent to that, Afif had become really sort of one of the go-to people for the media to approach on Hezbollah's positions. It held at least three press conferences since Nasrallah's assassination, had formally run Al-Manar TV, which is, if you will, Hezbollah's mouthpiece, its TV network inside of Lebanon, but it taken a sort of a much more forward position. So, he wasn't a military part of Hezbollah, more on the political
side, and he wasn't necessarily really hidden away because he was meeting with journalists. So, it sort of begs the question, why was he assassinated over the weekend? And it does seem to be really part of the ongoing Israeli effort to really take out many or as many as possible, it appears, Hezbollah leaders as part of its pressure to get the deal that it wants, while it continues to strike against Hezbollah positions, Hezbollah's tunnels, Hezbollah's weapons storage facilities, which it continues to strike in many different parts of Lebanon.
SOLOMON: Yeah. OK. Nic Robertson live for us there in Jerusalem. Nick, thank you.
SOLOMON: Popular low-cost airline Spirit is filing for bankruptcy protection. Spirit Airlines faces ongoing losses, mounting debt, and increased competition for bargain airline seats. The airline has attempted two different mergers in recent years, but they've been blocked by a federal judge. The bankruptcy filing will allow Spirit to negotiate with its debt with creditors. Spirit will continue to book new passengers and continue previously booked flights.
Let's bring in from Washington, CNN's Aviation Correspondent Pete Muntean. So, Pete, obviously, holiday season is right here. Thanksgiving is a week from now, two weeks from now. Christmas right behind it. How is this going to affect people's holiday travel plans?
PETE MUNTEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we just got a message from Spirit CEO Ted Christie, in fact, a lot of consumers got this message into their emails, saying that the bankruptcy proceedings will not be complete until the first quarter of 2025 at Spirit Airlines. So, that should keep things relatively smooth, at least through the holidays. People love to hate on Spirit, but you should really care about this, even if you don't fly on the carrier, because it really changed the industry, ushered in the term ultra-low-cost carrier, which forced major airlines to introduce the notorious basic economy fare.
The bottom line here is that this could really have big implications for every other U.S. airline in a competitive industry. So, this might lead to ticket prices going up on other airlines. Here is the good news. If you have a ticket or credit on Spirit Airlines, you will not notice any change for now. Spirit insists in a statement this morning that guests can continue to book and fly without interruption, and can use all tickets, credits and loyalty points as normal. Also no impact to workers. We're hearing from Spirit's flight attendant union that they will remain on the job. Their contract is in place. No changes to benefits or pay. So, no immediate job furloughs like we saw the airlines begin to do during the pandemic. Also, Spirit underscores that its vendors will continue to be paid through all of this.
But, the big question now is, what will happen to Spirit Airlines in the long run? Remember, Frontier Airlines trying to merge with Spirit in 2022.
[11:40:00] Just a few months after that, JetBlue tried to do the same thing, but its acquisition of Spirit was blocked by the Justice Department on antitrust grounds, and Frontier ended its merger plans with Spirit earlier this month. So, no apparent lifelines left for Spirit Airlines, saddled with about $3 billion in debt. It's really now on passengers to pay big attention here. A top airline consumer advocate, Rahel, tells me that flights could be eliminated in the months ahead. So, it's especially important to sign up for those alerts and check the flight status online. The silver lining I mentioned at the top, no big impact on Thanksgiving or holiday travel. Hard to believe that the Thanksgiving rush is only about a few days away now, Rahel.
SOLOMON: Yeah. I mean, as you say, people love to hate on Spirit, but certainly important to pay attention to.
Pete Muntean, we appreciate you breaking it down for us. Thank you.
And still to come, we will take a look at the future of the crypto currency industry after Donald Trump returns to the White House. We'll be right back.
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SOLOMON: Welcome back. A civil lawsuit in a Florida court is detailing allegations of sex parties involving underage girls, drug use and Matt Gaetz. The case could have a major impact on whether Gaetz is confirmed to be Donald Trump's Attorney General. Now, Gaetz has denied any wrongdoing and has not been charged, but if the House Ethics Committee's report on Gaetz includes information from that civil case, well, its release could torpedo his chances of being confirmed. And we learned last hour that the House panel will meet to discuss the matter on Wednesday. Gaetz, you might remember, resigned from the House shortly after Trump chose him to be the chief law enforcement officer in the U.S.
Let's dive deeper now into the story with CNN Senior Crime and Justice Reporter Katelyn Polantz. Katelyn, what more are we learning from the Gaetz investigation?
KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE REPORTER: Well, Rahel, we're getting glimpses, but not the full story yet, of what the House investigators have. That would only be in their report that they're not releasing at this time. But, what built that report appears to include details from still secret depositions of women who were at parties with Gaetz, including the female victim whom he allegedly had sex with while she was still underage.
So, some of what the House Ethics Committee has comes from a lawsuit in Florida where these witnesses, young women, made statements under oath in their depositions. These are the same women who also participated in the criminal inquiry against Matt Gaetz. They were all at a party in 2017 where an alleged sexual encounter took place with an underage girl. And they've never spoken about publicly what was happening with Gaetz. But, in one deposition of a man who brought this lawsuit, a friend of Gaetz, attorneys asked him about what the women had to say, about a then-underage girl having sex with Gaetz while his friend watched, and about an array of drugs at the party. We know this because we can see that friend's transcript, but not the other deposition transcripts of the women.
The friend of Gaetz, Christopher Dorworth, suggested in his testimony that the women were making up their stories about this party, but Gaetz has denied any wrongdoing. He was never charged with any crime.
[11:45:00]
At the same time, a source familiar with the congressional investigators was telling CNN that if the House Ethics Committee's work includes information from this litigation, presumably the part that's still secret, what the women were saying, it would be, quote, "highly damaging" for Gaetz. So, now there is pressure mounting in Washington on the House Ethics Committee. Do they release this report, or will the Senate get access to it?
Their investigation in the House ended whenever Gaetz announced he was Trump's nominee for the Justice Department last week, he was resigning from Congress, but that meeting on Wednesday, there could be more to come all, at the same time, though, Rahel, there is House Speaker Mike Johnson out there saying he is in the corner of not releasing things. Here is a little bit more from him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHNSON: My understanding is that the report is not finished. It's in a rough draft form. It was not yet ready to be released. And since Matt Gaetz left the Congress, I don't think it's appropriate to do so. There have been, I understand, I think two exceptions to the rule over the whole history of Congress and the history of the Ethics Committee, but I don't -- I wasn't the Speaker at that time. I'm the Speaker now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
POLANTZ: He is the Speaker now, but stay tuned for what the House Ethics Committee and its members are going to want to do on Wednesday. Rahel.
SOLOMON: OK. We will. Katelyn Polantz, thank you so much.
I want to turn now to a different aspect of Trump's return to the White House, how it may impact the future of crypto currency. The crypto industry plowed tens of billions of dollars into U.S. congressional races this cycle to help elect more pro-crypto lawmakers. This as individual billionaires with crypto interests spent millions to help re-elect Trump. Bitcoin, the world's largest cryptocurrency, hit record highs after his win, in anticipation of more pro-crypto policies from his administration.
For a closer look now, let's bring in CNN Business and Politics Correspondent Vanessa Yurkevich. Vanessa, the last few years, to say the least, have been extremely volatile for crypto. What is the industry expecting or hoping for with this new administration?
VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN BUSINESS AND POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Well, they're hoping for a return on their investment. Crypto super PACs invested $131 million into congressional races this season, and they're saying that that ultimately resulted in 274 crypto-friendly members in the House and 20 crypto-friendly senators.
Now, President Trump took -- won the election, obviously. Soon after, wow, we saw Bitcoin just skyrocket to new highs, crossing $90,000 per coin, per Bitcoin, for the first time ever. So, the industry really riding the high of the Trump administration that will be coming into office in January. But, President Trump wasn't always a crypto fan. He said initially that it was based on thin air, but in the last year or so, he has really warmed up to crypto, accepting donations to his campaign in crypto form. He spoke at Bitcoin 2024 in July.
He has also surrounded himself with crypto-friendly advisors, including Elon Musk, Howard Lutnick, who some are saying might be the next Treasury Secretary, and other VC investors and crypto-friendly folks who have been advising the President on this. The President also, he started and helped create a business with his family called World Liberty Financial, which is a crypto business.
I spoke to the head of U.S. policy at Coinbase. I wanted to hear what she thought about President Trump's administration and how the industry would be reacting to it. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KARA CALVERT, HEAD OF U.S. POLICY, COINBASE: I think what President Trump did was lay out a very robust and a very clear vision, and that, I think, was something we had not seen. So, it was a very stark choice from the previous administration.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
YURKEVICH: And there is a lot of misconception about the crypto industry that they don't want any regulation. That's not quite true. They just want regulation that better works with their industry, which, as you mentioned, Rahel, really is quite volatile. I think they're looking for a little more stability to attract even more investors.
SOLOMON: And to that end, I mean, what do we know about Trump's pick for SEC Chair? I mean, this has to be really important for the industry.
YURKEVICH: It is, and President-elect Trump said himself that he is going to replace the current SEC Chair, Gary Gensler, and some of the people he is looking at are former SEC commissioners, Dan Gallagher, who is now heading up Robinhood, and also Paul Atkins there. This is actually bipartisan. Dan Gallagher was appointed to the commissioner post by Obama, looking to bring him back as Chair. And ultimately, the crypto industry is going to like this, because currently you have Gary Gensler in place right now, and he is someone that has gone after the crypto industry, especially FTX head Sam Bankman-Fried.
[11:50:00] He helped take him down. Of course, this is the gentleman who was defrauding millions of people, but essentially, the crypto industry looking for a partner that they can work with, looking for someone that will help bring crypto into the U.S. banking system. Not everyone, Rahel, very happy with that. Jamie Dimon has spoken out about this, saying that he really opposes crypto and he doesn't think the government should get involved with it at all, but the Trump administration signaling that they very much will be.
SOLOMON: OK. Vanessa Yurkevich, thank you.
And Beyonce is making some big plans for Christmas. In today's one more thing, we will tell you where she plans on being and how you can watch her, when we come back.
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SOLOMON: And before we go, one more thing. Beyonce is making some hometown plans for Christmas Day.
(VIDEO PLAYING)
SOLOMON: Beyonce will be performing at the NFL halftime show for the Houston Texans versus the Baltimore Ravens. Houston is Beyonce's hometown, and it will be the third NFL halftime show in which he has performed, although the other two have been Super Bowl games. The game will stream live on Netflix, as it pushes deeper into live events. Netflix, you might have seen, came off Friday's boxing match between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul.
CNN's Clare Duffy joins us now with more on Beyonce and the Netflix live streaming event. Clare, we should sort of put this in the context of the Friday night game, which I watched a bit of it. Most people who saw it probably witnessed some technical issues. How is Netflix trying to ensure that those issues don't happen again with the football game and the halftime show on Christmas? Because Beyonce fans are very serious. So, they got to come correct, Clare.
CLARE DUFFY, CNN BUSINESS WRITER: Yeah. Rahel, it really is going to come down to Netflix having enough computing power to handle all the people who are going to want to watch Beyonce and, of course, the NFL on Christmas Day, not to get too technical, but it means that the company is going to have enough -- need to have enough computers running in the cloud, ready to deliver the content for all the people who want to tune in. And it's clear that despite the fact that the company really hyped up this Tyson and Paul fight on Friday, the company didn't correctly anticipate how many people were going to tune in to watch. Netflix said that 60 million households around the world tuned in to watch the stream, and that meant that many of us, you and I alike, had issues, buffering. You had to log out of Netflix and log back in to get those stream to reload.
Now, Netflix did acknowledge that it had these issues. It called the fight a mega event and said that its buffering systems were on the ropes. And we've seen these kinds of issues with Netflix in live events before. Last year, a Live Love is Blind reunion had delays and technical glitches. But, this is something that Netflix is really going to have to get a handle on, as it tries to make these live events a bigger part of its business. I can imagine there were some unhappy customers if people had signed up for Netflix just to watch this fight and then they couldn't watch all of it because of these technical issues, Rahel.
SOLOMON: Yeah. It's an interesting point, Clare, about sort of having to forecast the demand. I mean, you think about the traditional networks and they carry the sports games. I mean, this is obviously an important priority for Netflix. Love is Blind is a great example, but this game as well. I mean, can we expect to see more of this in the future, as they clearly seem to prioritize this?
DUFFY: Yeah. I mean, live events is increasingly a big part of the company's business, as it seeks to sort of displace traditional TV and cater to these folks who have cut the cord, who have moved to streaming platforms like Netflix.
[11:55:00]
So, it really is important. The technology underlying traditional cable TV versus these streaming platforms is different. And so, it is in many ways more challenging to host these really significant live events where millions of people are tuning in. But, this is something the company really is going to need to get a handle on these technical issues, so that, as you said, you and I, that's Beyonce fans, aren't let down on Christmas day when we try to watch.
SOLOMON: Yeah, and the Love is Blind fans, because they're intense as well.
Clare Duffy, thank you. Not to say anything about the football fans, because we know they too are intense.
OK. Thank you for being with me today. We know your time is money. Thank you for spending some time with me. I'm Rahel Solomon live in New York. Stick with CNN. One World is coming up next.
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