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Lawmaker Trying to Ban Trans Women from Female Restrooms; U.S. Envoy Arrives in Lebanon Amid Ceasefire Progress; Thieves Break into Grounds of Windsor Castle; UFC Fans Explain Why They Support Trump. Aired 4:30-5a ET
Aired November 19, 2024 - 04:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SHEILA ROSS, PROSECUTOR: Her encounter with him was long. Her fight with him was fierce. And that is what the Garmin data shows.
RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The state played a jailhouse call in Spanish between suspect Jose Ibarra and his estranged wife, Layling Franco, in which she asked him what happened with the girl.
ABEISIS RAMIREZ, TRANSLATING COMMENTS FROM JOSE IBARRA'S ESTRANGED WIFE: She tells him that he has to know something and he just continues to tell her, like, Layling, enough, Layling, enough.
ROMO (voice-over): Body camera video played in the courtroom showed the moment officers found Ibarra. It was late February, the morning after Riley was killed as she jogged on the University of Georgia campus. A UGA police officer on scene testified Ibarra and his brothers seemed to be in a good mood.
CPL. RAFAEL SAYAN, UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA POLICE DEPARTMENT: It seemed very relaxed. There was a lot of laughing, giggling.
ROMO (voice-over): But another officer noticed something wrong.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Look at the man.
ROMO (voice-over): He told the court Ibarra's injuries looked like defensive wounds, including fingernail scratches and a puncture.
SGT. JOSHOA EPPS, UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA POLICE DEPARTMENT: I could see like wet flesh, like almost like it was fresh.
SAYAN: I could see there was a little bit of pus in it.
ROMO (voice-over): Ibarra has pleaded not guilty. He waived his right to a jury so the judge will decide his fate.
ROMO: The prosecution said in open court they expect to wrap up their case on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the defense says it should take them less than half a day to present their testimony. The trial resumes Tuesday at 8:30 in the morning here at the Athens-Clarke County Courthouse.
Rafael Romo, CNN, Athens, Georgia.
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CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN ANCHOR: Now, a U.S. Republican lawmaker is trying to prevent transgender women from using women's restrooms in the U.S. Capitol building. On Monday, Nancy Mace introduced a resolution to amend the rules of the House of Representatives. This comes two weeks after the first transgender woman was elected to the U.S. Congress. Democrat Sarah McBride takes office in January when the new Congress is sworn in. Mace says she will continue pushing to keep McBride out of women's restrooms.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. NANCY MACE (R-SC): This is a biological man. He does not belong in women's spaces, women's bathrooms, locker rooms, changing rooms, period, full stop. I am not going to allow that kind of thing to happen, not up here on the Capitol and not anywhere across the country.
MACE: I'm going to be standing up here. I will file this again next congressional session. Sarah McBride doesn't get a say. This is about women. This is about girls. This is about our rights and being protected in our private spaces. I don't want to see a man in a women's restroom.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACFARLANE: Well, in response, McBride posted this on social media.
Every day, Americans go to work with people who have life journeys different than their own and engage with them respectfully. I hope members of Congress can muster that same kindness.
Now, nearly a hundred aid trucks carrying food and supplies looted in Gaza, who the U.N. is blaming for the collapse of law and order.
Plus, Rafael Nadal heads into the quarterfinals in the Davis Cup. And the tennis superstar says he won't be distracted by the emotion of his impending retirement. We'll hear from the 22 time Grand Slam champion.
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MACFARLANE: Hi, welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Christina Macfarlane. If you're just joining us, here are some of the top stories we're following today.
Hong Kong has sentenced 45 democracy leaders to prison terms of up to 10 years on charges of subversion. This comes after Beijing imposed a sweeping national security crackdown four years ago. The U.S., Australia and Amnesty International are among those who have condemned the sentences. Novo Nordisk will begin selling its popular weight loss drug Wegovy in
China. The Danish pharmaceutical giant estimates more than 180 million people live with obesity in China. The move intensifies competition with drugmaker Eli Lilly, which has approval for its weight loss drug in China but has yet to launch it.
And in the U.S., California and the Pacific Northwest are bracing for extreme weather this week. A so-called bomb cyclone is expected to bring damaging winds, heavy mountain snow and soaking rain in the region just in time for the Thanksgiving holiday travel.
Now, the U.N. reports that nearly 100 aid trucks were looted in Gaza over the weekend. It happened at the Kerem Shalom crossing on Saturday. The U.N. says drivers were forced to unload trucks at gunpoint, aid workers were injured and vehicles were damaged extensively.
The head of the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees didn't say who did the looting but blamed the collapse of law and order and Israeli authorities for creating a perilous environment.
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PHILIPPE LAZZARINI, UNRWA COMMISSIONER-GENERAL: We have the latest on the situation in Gaza. I've been warning a long time ago about the total breakdown of civil order until, you know, four or five months ago, we still had local capacity, people who were escorting the convoy. This has completely gone, which means we are in an environment where, you know, local gangs, local families are struggling among each other to take control.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACFARLANE: Well, the attacks on the convoy comes as the U.N. warns that a severe shortage of food and aid in Gaza will only get worse without intervention.
Meanwhile, Gaza officials say at least 50 people have been killed in the latest Israeli strikes. That includes 17 members of the same family in Beit Lahiya.
The city's hospital director says his facility was attacked as well. CNN has reached out to the Israeli military for comment. The IDF previously said it was targeting terrorist infrastructure in the area.
Lebanese authorities say they expect the death toll to rise after at least five people were killed by an Israeli attack on central Beirut. The strike hit a densely populated neighborhood a few hundred meters from the prime minister's office and parliament. It's the third Israeli attack in the heart of the Lebanese capital in two days.
Again, CNN has reached out to the IDF for comment.
Well, meantime, a U.S. envoy has arrived in Lebanon hoping to broker a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. CNN's Paula Hancocks joining us from Abu Dhabi. And Paula, it does
feel like there is some momentum and optimism now towards this ceasefire deal getting done, but there are still sticking points that remain.
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Christina, we're hearing from all sides, really, from the Israeli, the Lebanese, and also the American sides that there is positivity, that there is this optimism. And when you have the special U.S. envoy, Amos Hochstein, arriving in Beirut, it lends itself to that optimism. We are hearing words of caution, though, saying that there has been progress made, this from Biden administration officials, but they're not there yet.
We did hear, though, from the national security advisor, Jake Sullivan, that they had had, from the Lebanese side and the Israeli side, a show of willingness that they wanted to go towards this ceasefire proposal. But as always in these situations, it is the details that can trip up those final days or weeks of negotiations.
One of those we understand to be Israel wanting to have a clause in this proposal, which allows them to target Hezbollah if they feel that the ceasefire has been violated.
Now, that is unlikely to be something that Hezbollah itself would want to sign on to.
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But we do understand from the Lebanese prime minister that they have agreed to an awful lot of this proposal. They are going back and forth and getting clarification on the final details.
So there is optimism at this point, but at the same time as we're seeing that optimism, we're also seeing this escalation in hostilities. We are seeing Israel seeming to reach deeper into Lebanon than we have seen since October 1st.
We're seeing the artillery batteries being moved from Israeli territory across the border into Lebanon itself and being fired from there. So we are seeing an escalation.
Coming the other way as well, we've heard from the Israeli military that at least 50 projectiles have been fired from Southern Lebanon into Northern Israel since midnight last night. And we know that in a Palestinian town in the north, one person was killed from a projectile fired from Lebanon.
But there is optimism, as I say. It is a very different situation when you consider the possible ceasefire in Gaza, which has been talked about now for over a year.
But at the G20 meeting, we did hear the U.S. President Joe Biden make sure that that is not being forgotten.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're going to keep pushing to accelerate a ceasefire deal that ensures Israel's security, but brings hostilities home, and ends the suffering of the Palestinian people and children. I ask everyone here to increase the pressure on Hamas, which is currently refusing this deal.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANCOCKS: So at this point, we know that Hochstein will be meeting Lebanese officials in Beirut. We have heard from the Lebanese Prime Minister saying that there are specific questions that they would like to ask him in a face-to-face discussion to try and hammer out the final details of this deal -- Christina.
MACFARLANE: All right, Paula, appreciate it. Thank you.
Now, a major security breach on Royal land after thieves broke into the grounds of Windsor Castle in the U.K. and stole farm vehicles.
CNN's Max Foster has the details.
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MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR AND ROYAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): You would have thought it was one of the most secure compounds in Britain, a base for all the U.K.'s senior royals. But that didn't stop burglars from breaking into Windsor Castle grounds. Police say thieves entered a farm building on the Crown Estate land late on Sunday, October the 13th, stealing a pickup truck and a quad bike before making their escape.
The farm, just minutes away from Windsor Castle and from Adelaide Cottage, where the Prince and Princess of Wales have a family home, and they were likely there that night.
FOSTER: There's no indication that the royal family were targeted or ever in any danger, but the incident does show another security breach surrounding the royals. Kate and William live on the estate in a cottage during school term time with their children, and they don't live with any staff, so it does raise questions.
And for their part, Kensington and Buckingham Palace both say they don't comment on security matters.
FOSTER (voice-over): The break-in just days before King Charles and Queen Camilla's long flight to visit Australia and Samoa. The couple weren't at Windsor when the break-in took place.
Incidents like this aren't new, and this one certainly not the most serious. In 2021, a man broke into Windsor Castle itself wearing a mask and armed with this weapon, a crossbow. The 19-year-old was hoping to kill Queen Elizabeth II, but he was stopped before he could harm her.
Still, the incident raising serious concerns about security around the royal family. Max Foster, CNN London.
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MACFARLANE: Now, Spirit Airlines has filed for bankruptcy and says it expects to be delisted from the New York Stock Exchange. It comes after two failed mergers in recent years, mounting losses and increased competition. In a statement Monday, the low-cost airline said it will continue to operate as normal as it restructures its debt, and passengers can still use all tickets, credits, and loyalty points as usual. Workers' wages and benefits will also not be impacted, and vendors will continue to be paid.
Young fight fans in New York City talked to CNN about why they were in Donald Trump's corner for the election and why they don't get their news from mainstream media. Interesting piece, and we'll hear from them next.
And later, Americans may be tightening their belts and their purse strings on Thanksgiving. We'll break down how inflation is affecting the national holiday.
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MACFARLANE: Welcome back. Social media influencers and podcasters played a key role in the run-up to this year's presidential election and a new study shows why. According to the Pew Research Center, more young American adults are getting their news from online influencers. Nearly 40 percent of those aged 18 to 29.
A study also found that news influencers space was dominated by men who lean to the right. Most influencers have never been employed by or associated with a news outlet. 77 percent report they have no past or present affiliation with news media organizations.
Well, young male voters proved to be a key demographic for Donald Trump in his quest to retake the White House. Some of his supporters spoke to CNN outside a UFC event in New York City while the president- elect sat ringside with an entourage that included Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Tulsi Gabbard, and Elon Musk, as you can see there. Here's our Donie O'Sullivan.
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DONIE O'SULLIVAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Are you guys excited for tonight?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Of course, bro. Chandler knocking out Oliveira in the second round. Mark my words.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pow, pow, pow!
O'SULLIVAN: Pow!
We are here at Madison Square Garden for the UFC with special guest President-elect Donald J. Trump. And we are speaking to some of the young men who helped get Trump elected.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Saving our country. I don't got no taxes on my tips now. So thank you Donald Trump, love you, pookie.
O'SULLIVAN: You guys both vote for Trump?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Of course.
O'SULLIVAN: Yeah?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've been working at the same restaurant for four years. I've been a waiter, I've been a busser, I've been a bar back. You know, I just don't. All the taxes that -- can I curse -- no, I'm going to --
O'SULLIVAN: Oh, curse as much as you would.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They (BLEEP) you up, man.
O'SULLIVAN: Where did you get most of your news and information?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Most of it through --
O'SULLIVAN: I know it's not CNN. That's why I'm here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Actually, most of the information I got was listening to Joe Rogan.
O'SULLIVAN: Joe Rogan?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Joe Rogan.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The legend man.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But mostly like social media, If you want to be honest, it's social media.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah, that's --
O'SULLIVAN: TikTok?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah, usually that's what everything spreads around, man.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: TikTok is everywhere, bro.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't watch a lot of mainstream stuff.
O'SULLIVAN: Yeah. Where'd you get your news?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Like Reddit, a lot of podcasting.
O'SULLIVAN: Yeah, like who?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Joe Rogan.
O'SULLIVAN: Yeah.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Joe Rogan Experience.
O'SULLIVAN: Do you think it was a mistake for Harris not to go on Joe Rogan?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Probably. Honestly. I think like a long conversational talk is better than a debate.
O'SULLIVAN: Right.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Honestly. You see how a person actually interacts.
O'SULLIVAN: Yeah.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think Trump's good at interacting. I don't know. He doesn't need a script.
O'SULLIVAN: You're a New Yorker?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, born and raised.
O'SULLIVAN: Nice.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Brooklyn, New York.
O'SULLIVAN: Right.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: From the hood.
O'SULLIVAN: Did you ever consider voting for Harris?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I actually voted for Obama.
O'SULLIVAN: You did?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah, that was the last time I ever voted for somebody that's not Trump.
O'SULLIVAN: Yeah, so -- so what changed?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My level of thinking. Me not thinking that the police are above me and white men are above me. And I'm all good about like, yo, we can learn about history and all that stuff. But don't tell me or don't try to put it in a way that it's like our country is racist. Our kids are important, guys, you know?
And if we're not teaching them well, if we're not teaching them about credit, if we're not teaching them about how to get a home eventually.
[04:50:47]
And all we're talking about is racism and, you know, trans and gays, which, like I said, I'm all good. Like, you do what you do. Just don't force it on poor people.
And that's where we're about. Like, as long as you're not forcing it, we're good.
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): The power of the alliance between Trump and the UFC was on full display here in Madison Square Garden.
Trump was flanked by Elon Musk, Kid Rock, House Speaker Mike Johnson and some of his new cabinet picks including RFK Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard.
As he made his way into the arena, Trump embraced UFC commentator and the world's most famous podcaster Joe Rogan who endorsed him after Trump appeared on his podcast.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MACFARLANE: All right, now later today, Trump is expected to join Musk in Texas for the launch of the SpaceX Starship, the most powerful rocket ever built. This will be the rocket's sixth test flight and will include the landing of the super heavy booster back at the launch pad. The rocket will then orbit Earth before landing in the Indian Ocean. It's a busy day for Trump and his entourage.
Now a day at the amusement park turned into a frightening experience for more than a dozen people in California. How rescue workers got them to safety just ahead.
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MACFARLANE: Now, Thanksgiving dinner in the United States could look very different this year thanks to inflation. Experts warn those banking on finding good deals to prepare the family meal might be out of luck. Jen Sullivan explains why.
JENN SULLIVAN, CNN REPORTER (voice-over): Hosting Thanksgiving this year may gobble up your wallet. Shoppers are expecting to spend an average of about $431 this year. That's up 19 percent from last year, according to LendingTree.
MATT SCHULTZ, CHIEF CREDIT ANALYST, LENDING TREE: 19 percent is a big jump.
SULLIVAN (voice-over): Matt Schultz with LendingTree says inflation is a big concern for consumers. A recent LendingTree survey found 27 percent of shoppers say they'll change food choices because of high prices.
SCHULTZ: Anybody who is going into this Thanksgiving season expecting that they're going to be able to get a little more bang for their buck this year than they did last year is going to be pretty disappointed.
SULLIVAN: The latest Consumer Price Index shows inflation ticked up to 2.6 percent in October from last year, with housing-related inflation accounting for half.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This was about what people expected. It shows that inflation is not where it was a couple of years ago.
SULLIVAN (voice-over): So how will all of this affect your grocery bill this Thanksgiving? Finance Buzz looked at Butterball brand turkey prices across the country earlier this year and found a 15-pound turkey, which serves about 10 people, will cost an average of around $31. That's down 12 percent from last year.
Other items that have dropped in price, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, potatoes and white bread. Here's what will cost you more. Milk, butter, and cheese.
SCHULTZ: Making Thanksgiving a potluck is such a great way to control costs. If you're hosting Thanksgiving, it's already enough of a production just with all the work that you have to put in.
SULLIVAN (voice-over): For Consumer Watch, I'm Jenn Sullivan.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[04:55:00]
MACFARLANE: Now, it's been a horrible season for the NFL's Dallas Cowboys, and things just kept getting worse on Monday. A three-meter piece of sheet metal fell from their stadium's retractable roof just before their Monday night football game. Luckily, no one was hurt.
Then the Houston Texans came to town, leading their division. Joe Mixon ran for 109 yards and scored three touchdowns on the night. Texans held on for a commanding 34-10 victory. Quarterback Cooper Rush led the Cowboys with more than 350 yards passing. The loss for Dallas is now their fifth in a row.
And tennis superstar Rafael Nadal says he won't dwell on his impending retirement as he heads into the men's doubles quarterfinals against the Netherlands at the Davis Cup. The 22-time Grand Slam champion said he'll retire from the sport after representing his home country, Spain, at the tournament in Malaga. Nadal says the emotions of retiring will come at the end of the competition.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RAFAEL NADAL, 22-TIME GRAND SLAM TENNIS CHAMPION: I am not the kind of guy that I will say, no, I will not change things because for me it looks arrogant. No, of course I will change things. But one thing has been so important for me because I'm going to leave this professional tour with the calm and with the personal satisfaction that I give my best almost in every single moment.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACFARLANE: A consummate professional. Nadal's glittering career spans more than two decades. The 38-year-old played at the Paris Olympics, but injuries, of course, have severely limited his time on the court over the past two seasons. And I'm still in denial that he's leaving us in the tennis world.
Now, nearly two dozen people got more than they bargained for when a trip to the amusement park turned out to be a little too thrilling. They were stuck in the air for more than two hours when the ride at Knott's Berry Farm in California malfunctioned.
I think this is my worst nightmare. Park mechanics were able to crank the ride down to the ground manually. No one was seriously hurt, although two people were taken to the hospital out of an abundance of caution. There's no information about what caused the ride to get stuck.
And from the stage to the big screen, the worldwide premiere tour for the new movie, Wicked, arrived in London on Monday night ahead of the film's release to a torrent of rain here in London. Lead actors, Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, were joined by co-stars Jonathan Bailey, Michelle Yeoh, Jeff Goldblum and Ethan Slater, as well as the film's director.
Wicked is based on the musical of the same name, a prequel to the classic musical The Wizard of Oz.
At least they didn't get the snow we received this morning. Thanks for joining us here in CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Christina Macfarlane. Stay tuned, CNN "THIS MORNING," up next.
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