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New York Stabbings; Laken Riley Murder Trial Continues; Ukraine Fires Long-Range Missiles Into Russia; Trump Pushing Republican Senators to Support Matt Gaetz as Attorney General. Aired 11-11:30a ET

Aired November 19, 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]

JIM ACOSTA, CNN HOST: We have some good news to report.

One of the hardest-hit areas Asheville, North Carolina, folks there finally have safe drinking water. I know you and I have both been tracking this for weeks, but the city finally lifted its boil-water notice yesterday morning, finally some good news for the folks there.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: Yes, I mean, they could use that good news.

ACOSTA: Yes.

BROWN: It has been such a rough seven weeks. And just looking at this video here, this was from September 29. Just to think about all that they have been going through. So, we welcome that good news, for sure, Jim.

ACOSTA: So true. We will take it when we can get it, right?

BROWN: That's right. We sure will. Thanks so much.

ACOSTA: Yes.

BROWN: Lots of news happening today, so we're going to jump into that.

There is a major escalation on the 1,000th day of war. Russia says Ukraine fired U.S.-made long-range missiles inside its borders. We are standing by for Russian President Vladimir Putin's response.

And happening today, President-elect Donald Trump heading to Texas to attend Elon Musk's SpaceX launch. How the world's richest man stands to benefit from Trump's return to power. I will speak to someone who has covered Musk's business career extensively for some unique insight on this budding bromance.

Also, Texas officials are voting today on a controversial new public school curriculum. It would incorporate Bible lessons as early as kindergarten. I know I got a lot of responses from you from my interview yesterday with the Oklahoma superintendent. So we're going to have that discussion later in the show. Hello to everyone. I'm Pamela Brown in Washington, and you're in the

CNN NEWSROOM.

And we have some breaking news just coming in on Donald Trump's transition team. The president-elect has settled on a pick for commerce secretary, we're learning.

Alayna Treene joins us now.

So, Alayna, tell us more about this. Howard Lutnick, who has been helping with the transition, he was seen as in the running for Treasury secretary, but now he's getting the commerce secretary role.

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN POLITICAL REPORTER: That's right.

And, yes, I mean, he's getting a role, but it's not necessarily the one that he had been wanting. For a while, he was kind of locked in a battle with Scott Bessent, someone who many people in the business world had thought would be a good pick to run Treasury. They had kind of had this contentious behind-the-scenes fight going on about who would beat Donald Trump's pick to lead the Treasury.

However, I'm told, and I know we have a lot of great reporters at CNN as well who have been hearing this, which is that a lot of people in Trump's world, those very close to the former president and now president-elect, had been getting really frustrated with Lutnick.

He's been running the transition process, but a lot of people thought he was leaking to the press. He's continuing to do that, they think. That he has too much of an ego is something I was told directly from one of Donald Trump's advisers.

And so there was some, I think, tension behind the scenes around that. But now we're learning that he is going to be winning kind of another battle that we saw playing out between Linda McMahon. She's been also doing Treasury. She was a co-chair with Howard Lutnick. Lutnick was on more of like the messaging, politics side. She was on more of the policy.

She had been wanting the role for Commerce as well, that also Robert Lighthizer, Donald Trump's former trade representative, was also seen as a potential pick for the Commerce Department role. But now it's going to Howard Lutnick.

So he is now out of the running for Treasury, going to be running the Commerce Department. And I think we will see probably in the coming days and weeks what exactly he will do with that department and what it will look like under him, but also under Donald Trump overall.

BROWN: Yes, that's right. And, of course, he will now be under scrutiny, right, as the other Cabinet picks have been. I know he is head of Cantor Fitzgerald.

But it is interesting that the Treasury secretary role is still open. It has been kind of dragging out, right? We thought we might get a decision last week. Today, we still don't know. They're widening the net. At the same time, Donald Trump and Elon Musk will be in Texas today for the launch of SpaceX.

This joint appearance comes as Musk is also weighing in on the Matt Gaetz nomination for attorney general and all the controversy surrounding that.

TREENE: Yes, I mean, I think what's happening with the Gaetz pick is absolutely fascinating. One, we know that Donald Trump over the last 24 hours or so has been personally reaching out to Republican senators, really pressuring them to get behind him and to support Matt Gaetz through the potential confirmation process.

There's no question that Matt Gaetz faces an uphill battle with that. And Donald Trump and his team, we're told, also recognizes that it's going to be very, very hard to get Gaetz through, particularly depending on what happens with this House Ethics report that is to come out tomorrow.

But Donald Trump has made clear that he wants Matt Gaetz as his attorney general. It's also the role that he believes is most important. It's also one that he personally handpicked Gaetz for. And that's why Donald Trump is so committed to seeing him get through.

Now, we also saw Musk, as you mentioned, kind of weigh in on this. Musk has had an incredibly influential role, particularly in the last couple weeks since Donald Trump won the election. He made it clear, he's making it clear, I should say, privately that he thinks Gaetz should also be attorney general, but he also made clear publicly.

[11:05:03]

And he posted this early this morning. I'm just going to read some of it for you. He wrote -- quote -- "Matt Gaetz has three critical assets that are needed for the A.G. role, a big brain, a spine of steel, and an axe to grind."

Another post went on to say: "As for these accusations against him, I consider them worth less than nothing."

Look, to be clear, the allegations against him, we saw some of these women who have alleged that Matt Gaetz had paid them for sexual favors, that he had sex with underage girls, all of this to be seen of whether or not any of this becomes public from that report.

But, again, to have someone like Elon Musk, who is in Donald Trump's ear speaking with him on a daily basis, will be traveling with him later for that SpaceX launch, and then also Donald Trump himself behind the scenes kind of pushing Gaetz, there's no question that this is someone Donald Trump wants to get through.

And I'm told he's not someone, Gaetz is not someone he will sacrifice. He would rather sacrifice some of the other controversial potential nominees that we know Donald Trump has looked at and selected than someone like Matt Gaetz.

BROWN: Yes, I'm hearing that as well, that he is all in on Matt Gaetz. It is interesting, though, when it comes to Musk, he had also pushed for Lutnick to get Treasury secretary. That didn't happen.

(CROSSTALK)

TREENE: Yes.

BROWN: But as we're reporting out this morning, he is getting the commerce secretary role. That is what Trump wants for him.

All right, thanks so much, Alayna. We appreciate it.

Joining me now is CNN political commentator and Republican strategist Kristen Soltis Anderson.

So, first of all, let's just get your reaction to the news this morning about Howard Lutnick being picked by Trump to be his commerce secretary and this whole infighting that Alayna just laid out about the -- over the Treasury secretary role.

KRISTEN SOLTIS ANDERSON, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, it seems as though the signal being sent here is full steam ahead on tariffs.

And this is something that, in all of my post-election research, I found that voters think Donald Trump was going to follow through on that promise, that, if they think anything of Donald Trump's first 100 days in office, it's tariffs and it's immigration were the two things they were expecting.

And so, to me, this is a signal that Donald Trump is making good on one of those promises. There is likely to be pushback from a variety of folks in sort of the business world, saying that this is probably going to drive up costs for voters. And this is really going to be a challenge that Trump will face during his first year in office, is he's made a lot of promises about economic growth, wanting to jump- start the economy.

And with bold moves like putting in place big tariffs, it was really going to put to the test, does his vision actually make things cost less for Americans or make things cost more? He will be judged accordingly by the voters.

BROWN: Certainly.

And as we were just talking about, Donald Trump has been investing a lot of political capital trying to get Matt Gaetz confirmed, I mean, capital that could be used on less controversial picks or perhaps his presidential agenda. Is Gaetz worth it?

SOLTIS ANDERSON: So it's certainly the case that, for Republicans in the Senate, they want to get to yes on as many of Trump's picks as possible. Right now, the Republican Party is pretty unified. Victory is a unifying force. Republicans feeling very good. They do not want to cross Trump.

And I think if the objection to Gaetz was on policy grounds, as you're hearing some of these nominees who are a bit controversial, oh, I'm not sure that I like their position Ukraine, so on and so forth, I think if it was a policy objection, you would see senators get to yes.

I think, with Gaetz, the difference is this is really about character. It's about legal status. And I think that's what makes this one a little bit different. So if there was one nominee that I can imagine getting -- not getting through, it would be this one.

BROWN: Right.

I mean, because he would be, if he got nominated -- or got confirmed, the chief law enforcement officer in the country, and there's a lot more coming out, and we still don't know a lot that was in that Ethics report that hasn't been released yet, something some senators are saying they need to see before they vote to confirm him.

And sources are saying that Trump is calling senators directly, asking them for their support on Gaetz. We know some of them have concerns, but how much pressure is on these GOP senators to get Gaetz confirmed?

SOLTIS ANDERSON: Well, there's certainly pressure coming from Donald Trump, and he's a very popular figure in the party. He's just won election. He is the leader of the Republican Party, and, frankly, is the establishment of the Republican Party now.

With that said, the Senate is a unique animal, right? Only a third of the body is up for reelection in two years, and some of the senators you have seen come out the most vocally saying no, I would like to see this Ethics report, or I want to make sure we have a thorough investigation, are those senators who are up for reelection in two years.

But you have got folks who are in the U.S. Senate now who they're not going to be on a ballot for six more years. For them, the pressure from Donald Trump, from an electoral perspective, may not be as great, because once you're elected, you have got a six-year term.

BROWN: That's really good context and very important as we look to see what happens on that front.

Kristen Soltis Anderson, thank you so much.

And new this morning, just days after President Biden gave the green light, U.S. officials tell CNN that Ukraine is firing the first powerful U.S.-made longer-range missiles inside Russia. Moscow has said this constitutes direct U.S. participation, and it's being seen by the Kremlin as a major escalation of a conflict that began 1,000 days ago.

[11:10:00]

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is warning about what's ahead if Vladimir Putin isn't stopped.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: Now Putin has brought 11,000 North Korean troops to Ukraine's borders. This continent may grow to 100,000.

While some European leaders think about some elections or something like this, at Ukraine's expense, Putin is focused on winning this war. He will not stop on his own.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: Cedric Leighton joins us now. He is a CNN military analyst and retired U.S. Air Force colonel.

Previously, President Biden held off approving the use of these longer-range U.S.-made missiles out of concern it could escalate the war. Is that still a real possibility amid these threats from Russia now?

COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Well, especially with those threats, Pamela, yes, it is a possibility, and so that's why the U.S. is kind of threading that needle.

Now, what they have seen, of course, in the past with every single weapon systems, whether it was the HIMARS systems or the F-16s or the Abrams tanks, they would have to get to yes at some point. And at first it was a firm no from the United States, and then, as developments occurred, each one of those weapon systems became part of the Ukrainian arsenal, sometimes, like in the case of the Abrams tanks, too late to have an impact on the battlefield as the Ukrainians had originally intended.

But when it comes to the ATACMS, it remains to be seen. A lot of people are saying that this is a bit too late and a dollar short. However, it has had an impact already. And you showed the graphic of the attack on Bryansk, which is just to the west of Kursk, which is the region that Ukraine has occupied a part of.

So all of this is an incredible movement on the part of the Biden administration to try to get a foothold in the area, a firm foothold, that is basically a forcing mechanism to get the Russians and the Ukrainians basically to the negotiating table. And that's I think what we're seeing.

So this can feed into what Trump wants to do when he assumes power, but it is also a situation where the Ukrainians have to have some tactical successes if they're going to have a successful effort at a peace conference and a viable cease-fire at least.

BROWN: I want to get your reaction. As this is escalating right now, Ukraine is using these U.S.-made attack ATACMS. Russia has these threats.

We're now learning that it has updated Russia's nuclear doctrine to theoretically lower the threshold for Russia to use nuclear weapons. What do you think about that? Is Russia genuinely ready to do that?

LEIGHTON: Well, that really remains to be seen. There are a lot of things, Pamela, that the Russians do that are in essence bluffs. And what they have found is that their conventional forces are not up to the level that they need them to be in order to provide a credible conventional deterrent to actions by NATO countries or the United States or even Ukraine.

So the Russians are moving back to their nuclear weapons systems and they're, in essence, ditching a no-first-use doctrine. They used to have a no-first-use doctrine. And now what they're doing is, they're saying, we will use nuclear weapons when our country is threatened, when the existence of the Russian state is threatened.

And that means also, of course, the regime. So that is one of those areas where this could potentially put Russia in a corner. But there are certain things that can be done to get them off the escalatory ladder. And that is, of course, what the Biden administration is, I think, trying to do at this point.

BROWN: All right, thank you so much, Cedric Leighton. We appreciate it.

LEIGHTON: Thank you, Pam.

BROWN: And still ahead this hour: new forensic evidence in the trial of the undocumented immigrant accused of killing nursing student Laken Riley.

We are live in the Georgia college town at the center of the case of next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:18:32]

BROWN: It is day three of the murder trial for the man accused of killing Laken Riley on campus at the University of Georgia, this as we learn heartbreaking new details about Laken Riley's last text message before she was murdered.

CNN's Rafael Romo is right outside that courthouse in Athens, Georgia.

Rafael, catch us up on today's testimony.

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Pam, as you described it, it was just another heartbreaking moment here in court this morning when the prosecution called to the stand a sergeant with the University of Georgia Police Department.

She was the one who analyzed communications in Laken Riley's smartphone the morning she died. Sergeant Sophie Raboud testified that Laken Riley's last communication was a text message to her mother. That happened on February 22 at 8:55 in the morning, when she texted her mother.

This is how the sergeant read what Laken Riley wrote that very morning. Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SGT. SOPHIE RABOUD, UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA POLICE DEPARTMENT: Eighty- fifty-five.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. And do we see that here where my pen is?

RABOUD: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And what is the text?

RABOUD: It says: "Good morning. About to go for a run if you're free to talk."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: And, Pam, Laken Riley called her mother again at 9:03 a.m., but there was no answer.

The next call, and this is significant, Pam, happened at 9:11 a.m. to call 911 for emergency help. The police sergeant also testified that Laken Riley's mother called her back, returned her call at 9:24 a.m., got no answer, then texted her again at 9:37 a.m.

[11:20:15]

And just so you can get an idea of what happened inside the courtroom, as this testimony was being read, her mother, Allyson Phillips, was there, a very emotional moment. We heard a loud sobbing, not only from her, but also a sister. It was just a very difficult moment.

The prosecution says that they may be able to rest their case today. The defense says that it's only going to take about half-a-day for them to present the testimony -- Pam.

BROWN: Yes, I mean, your heart just breaks for her mother to think that she texted her and then she called the mom. The mom didn't answer. And then the mom called back when it was too late. You just feel so bad for her. And that's just something she's probably never going to be able to let go of.

Rafael Romo, thank you so much.

And, in New York, three people are dead after a series of these random stabbings that took place across Manhattan on Monday. The suspect was taken into custody and is now under arrest. Ramon Rivera is facing three counts of first-degree murder, and he's been arrested eight times prior, the most recent for grand larceny in October.

So this raises all kinds of questions. He appears to be homeless and has a history of severe mental health issues.

I mean, John Miller, I'm going to bring you in on this. This is just a clear breakdown of the system, right, that this could happen.

JOHN MILLER, CNN CHIEF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: It is.

And it's a breakdown we have seen before. And as Mayor Eric Adams put it today, what you're seeing here is a breakdown of two systems, the mental health system in New York City and the criminal justice system. The mayor complaining that the police department is out there doing its job, but there is a criminal justice system behind it and a Criminal Justice Reform Act where there's basically a revolving door of people who are arrested multiple times for the same crimes and let out again and again.

In this case, Ramon Rivera was sentenced to a year in jail, actually 364 days, so that kept him in the city jail, instead of a longer sentence that would have put him in state prison for a longer period, and he served what looks like about eight months of that when he was released with time served.

We also know he had two encounters with police where they had medical personnel bring him to a hospital for mental evaluation, but it seems that he was turned out of both of those places fairly quickly.

One of the things that city officials are looking at is, what was his pathway through the system? Did the district attorneys and the judges handle those cases the right way? Did the mental health treatment he got in two hospitals equate with anything that addressed his condition?

Was there something that could have been done that would have prevented these three deaths?

BROWN: Yes, I mean, now three innocent people are dead and all kinds of questions are raised about how this could happen.

John Miller, thank you so much.

MILLER: Thanks.

BROWN: Still ahead this hour, officials in Texas are voting today on a new public school curriculum, Bible verses for kindergartners in public schools. And that's regardless of whether the students are Christians. It is the latest in a string of school policies that some say violate the Constitution.

This important conversation next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:28:16]

BROWN: Well, today in Texas, officials are set to vote on a controversial new public school curriculum which would incorporate Bible lessons starting in kindergarten.

One of the state's largest teachers unions has criticized the proposed materials, calling them not only a violation of the separation of church and state, but of academic freedom. Proponents, including Republican Texas Governor Greg Abbott, say it's important for students to better understand U.S. culture.

The vote comes less than a week after Oklahoma Superintendent Ryan Walters made headlines for both announcing the state was bringing the Bible back to the classroom, specifically the Trump Bible that cost $60 a Bible, much more expensive than other Bibles, and requiring that schools show a video that included him praying for president-elect Trump. You see this video right here.

I spoke with Walters yesterday and here's some of that interview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: Your critics are saying that by requiring Bibles in every classroom and requiring this prayer video, you're trying to impose your religion on students, in violation of the Establishment Clause.

They say the Constitution, scholars say the Constitution is crystal clear on freedom of religion, not enforcing one religion, your religion, on students.

What do you say?

RYAN WALTERS, OKLAHOMA SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION: Look, CNN doesn't have to like it. Left-wing activists don't have to like it.

BROWN: I'm just talking about facts. It's not my opinion.

(CROSSTALK)

WALTERS: It's a historical document. The Bible is a historical document. You can't rewrite history, OK?

The reality is, is the Bible was what drove so much of -- so many of the consequential events in American history.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: Joining us now for more on this is Rachel Laser. She is the president and CEO of Americans United for Separation of Church and State.

All right, so you just saw a clip of my interview with the superintendent, Walters. Your organization is currently suing him over this mandate that we were just talking about.