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CNN International: Embassies in Kyiv Closed Over Potential Attack; U.S. To Send Anti-personnel Mines to Ukraine; Trump Taps Wrestling Executive to Head Education Department; TV Talk Show Doctor to Lead Medicare and Medicaid Services; J.D. Vance and Matt Gaetz to Visit GOP Senators Today; House Ethics Panel Considers Release of Gaetz Report; HK Activist Jimmy Lai Takes Stand During National Security Law Trial; Funeral for Pop Star Liam Payne to Be Held Today; Israeli Pm Offers $5 Million to Anyone Returning a Hostage; Bomb Cyclone Slams Washington State, Parts of Canada; Researchers Discover Exciting Meat Alternative Microbe; Rafael Nadal Ends Iconic Career With Loss at Davis Cup; Cher Reveals Personal and Career Details in New Memoir; Cambridge Dictionary Names "Manifest" as Its Word of 2024. Aired 8-9a ET

Aired November 20, 2024 - 08:00   ET

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

[08:00:00]

AMARA WALKER, CNN ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWSROOM": Hello, everyone. Welcome to our viewers all around the world. I'm Amara Walker. This is "CNN Newsroom." Just ahead, embassies in Kyiv tell people to stay at home after warnings of a significant attack on the Ukrainian capital. Then Donald Trump stirs more controversy with his latest cabinet picks, including tapping Dr. Oz to run Medicare and Medicaid. And Hong Kong media tycoon and pro-democracy campaigner, Jimmy Lai has appeared in court for the first time on charges including colluding with foreign forces. We'll have all the details.

The U.S. embassy in Kyiv is shut today, saying it received information about a potential air attack. The embassy has told its staff to shelter where they are, and it's not alone. The Greek and Spanish embassies in the Ukrainian capital have also closed for security reasons. Now, this comes as you get word The Biden White House is sending anti-personnel mines to help defend Eastern Ukraine. Just days ago, the U.S. gave Kyiv permission to launch longer-range American- made missiles at targets in Russia.

Our Chief International Security Correspondent, Nick Paton Walsh has more from Kyiv.

NICK PATON WALSH, CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv closed for the first time, really since the invasion of February 2022. Diplomats not coming to work, many warned to shelter in place because of the fear they say of an air assault. Very untypical, this kind of warning to Americans and their diplomats to essentially take cover and not something that Kyiv itself would find that abnormal.

Look at the streets around me here, there's no signs of life really changing at all despite the specific nature of this warning indeed. But it is a sign of the escalating tensions between Washington and Moscow, since Ukraine has started using in the last 48 hours, U.S.- made and supplied ATACMS longer-range missiles to hit targets inside of Russia.

Is it likely that there will be a direct attack on this building? That would be an extraordinary escalatory move by Russia, in just the closing months of the Biden Administration, and I'm sure Vladimir Putin frankly, would not want to take a move like that when he knows President-elect. Donald Trump may engage in more favorable discussions with him. But other European embassies we are hearing are at least restricting their services, some closed to visitors. And it may be, I think, a reflection of how there's increased anxiety in all of NATO's ranks about what may follow the stark move by President Joe Biden to allow the ATACMS to be used.

Overnight, we're hearing that Ukraine's defense intelligence says it has hit further targets inside of Russia, but still it's Russia on the front foot across the Eastern battle zone here, making incremental progress over the past months. But you do get a real sense here in Kyiv of the heightened tensions between Washington and Moscow because warnings like this are just so rare.

Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Kyiv, Ukraine.

WALKER: All right. CNN's Natasha Bertrand is standing by at the Pentagon with more now on the U.S. plan to give anti-personnel mines to Ukraine for the first time. Natasha, could you first start off by talking about what anti-personnel mines are, how they work, and how the U.S. is hoping that this could impact Ukraine's defense, its frontlines?

NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Amara. So these are different from the anti-tank mines that the Biden Administration has been sending to Ukraine since the earliest days of the war. These are designed to essentially blunt the advances of personnel of Russian troops. And the reason they're giving these mines to the Ukrainians now, according to Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, who just confirmed this news earlier today, is because the Russians have changed their tactics in recent weeks and months to lead with those personnel, with those troops instead of those mechanized forces, tanks, for example, that they had been leading with before.

So now, basically, the United States is trying to keep up with the Russians changing tactics here by giving the Ukrainians these mines that can essentially stall these advances by these troops. Now, importantly, the U.S. says that these anti-personnel mines, they are different from the kinds of mines that the Russians are using, for example, in that they are battery powered and they can become inert basically from a preset period.

So basically, they can only last anywhere from two hours to two weeks according to U.S. officials. And that in turn, of course, would blunt the impact that they might have to civilians once the war ends, because that is one of the major concerns, of course, of human rights groups who say that these kinds of mines, they can really pose a threat to civilians who may come across them at a later date. [08:05:00]

And so, the Administration is saying, look, these kinds of mines are going to be only used in Eastern Ukraine, not inside Russia. The Ukrainians have assured us that they're not going to be used in areas that are heavily populated by civilians. And importantly, they don't last that long. Right? The battery will run out of them eventually. And so, now the Administration in the waning days, of course, trying to give Ukraine everything that it needs and that it will need in order to fight off the Russians who are making pretty significant advances.

WALKER: But Natasha, these anti-personnel mines are controversial right there. There is an international treaty that bans the usage of them, although the U.S. is not a part of this treaty. Tell us more about the controversy surrounding it and why arms control groups object to this.

BERTRAND: Yeah. So interestingly, the Biden Administration is basically reversing its own policy here. The Trump Administration before the Biden folks, they had loosened the restrictions on anti- personnel mines. Biden, when he came into office, he reimposed those restrictions saying that these actually need to be completely eliminated from U.S. stockpiles, and the use of them worldwide really needs to end.

So the reason for that was because, of course, they could pose that risk to civilians, right? I mean, if civilians came across them later, if they did not explode, then the personnel -- then the civilians who come across them could be maimed and injured. The Biden Administration is now saying that they're accounting for that by sending this version, which the battery can run out and they won't last as long as, for example, a traditional land mine would for decades. So that is how they're explaining this at this point.

WALKER: All right. Natasha Bertrand, thank you so much, live there for us at the Pentagon.

Well, Donald Trump has made more controversial picks for key posts in his administration. Trump has tapped Linda McMahon to head up the Department of Education. McMahon is well known for running the WWE Professional Wrestling Organization, but she has no practical experience in the field of education.

Now, during the campaign, Trump often spoke about dismantling the Department of Education, and that could be McMahon's chief job. Trump also tapped TV talk show host, Dr. Mehmet Oz to head up the agency that oversees Medicare and Medicaid. Oz has a medical background, of course, but no administrative experience. The agency oversees government medical programs for millions of senior citizens and low- income Americans.

With more on the Trump transition, let's bring in CNN's Alayna Treene. Alayna, it seems having experience in an area that is -- in these particular posts, it's not something that really matters much to Donald Trump, is it? ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: No. And it's also similar to what we saw him do in 2016. However, of course, this time now, he has been -- he was president for four years. He knows Washington very well, and he is still making some of these same decisions. But I do want to break down some of these latest picks and also the picks that we're still waiting to see, which is he has not yet announced who is going to be the Secretary of Labor or his Secretary for the Treasury Department.

But I do want to start with Linda McMahon. I mean, her role as being the lead now of the Education Department is very interesting, especially if you look at what we know has been happening behind the scenes. McMahon is someone who is helping run Donald Trump's transition process. She's doing that alongside Howard Lutnick, who was also just recently announced to be leading the secretary -- to become the Secretary of Commerce.

And there's been some infighting almost behind the scenes there. McMahon had really wanted to be the Secretary for Commerce. She was actually told that she was likely going to have that role. And then behind the scenes, there was a lot playing out with regard to what was going to be happening at the Treasury Department. Howard Lutnick as well as another big Wall Street businessman, hedge fund manager, Scott Bessent, were kind of gunning for the role for the Treasury Department.

That didn't work out behind the scenes. There was a lot of contention. But, essentially he was -- Howard Lutnick was made -- or is named to run Commerce. And now, McMahon has the role of Education Secretary. I will add as well. You said that she was a big name in the WWE world. She also was Donald Trump's former Administrator of the Small Business Administration. And so, she has some experience in Donald Trump's former administration, but it's very unclear what she would do in the role at the top of the Education Department.

And again, Donald Trump has made very clear that he wants to gut the Department of Education. He had thought at one point saying, he wanted to dissolve it all together. So it's going to be interesting to see how that role ends up shaping up and what happens, and if she ends up actually having a lot of power in a future administration.

And then to get to Dr. Mehmet Oz, it's fascinating that Donald Trump has picked him for this role to head up the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services. That is an area, Medicare in particular, one where Donald Trump has said that he really wants to see a lot of cuts. And he has promised that Dr. Oz would carry those through.

[08:10:00]

And I'd remind you as well, Donald Trump had had a great relationship with Dr. Oz in the past when he had run to become Senator of Pennsylvania, Donald Trump had endorsed him over Dave McCormick. That was back in 2020. Of course, we just saw Dave McCormick now become the Senator for Pennsylvania in the most recent election. But, they have long had a good relationship and Donald Trump is sliding him in there, even though of course he doesn't have as much experience as we know others do. Amara? WALKER: Alayna Treene, good to see you. Thanks so much.

Well, Donald Trump is dispatching his top surrogate to make the case for his most controversial cabinet picks, Vice President-elect J.D. Vance will be in Washington to visit with Republican Senators today, and he is bringing several of Trump's cabinet picks with him. Among them, Trump's two most contentious picks -- for Attorney General, Matt Gaetz and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. who he has chosen to be nominated as Secretary for Health and Human Services.

Now, it could be a significant day for Gaetz as a House Ethics Panel is due to vote on whether or not to release a report on allegations of sexual misconduct and drug abuse by Gaetz. CNN Congressional Correspondent Lauren Fox is tracking all of this. Lauren, let's start with the report on Matt Gaetz. What are the options on the table for the Ethics Panel here?

LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, the House Ethics Committee is expected to meet today. Now, when they do meet, we don't often get a lot of detail about what specifically is on their meeting minutes, if you will. Instead, they're going to go into a room and have a conversation about exactly what, it remains to be seen. It also remains to be seen if they decide ultimately to have a vote today or not to release the report on Matt Gaetz.

Now, there is sort of this past practice where when a member leaves Congress, the ethics investigation into them ceases. In this case, I think there's a lot of question right now on what that gray area is, if they have a preliminary report prepared, do you move forward with releasing that to the public? And there's a lot of pressure right now from Senate Republicans, Senate Democrats, House Democrats to get that report into either the public's eyes or at least the hands of some of the Senators who are going to have to make a decision about whether or not they think Matt Gaetz is up for this job.

So this meeting today is going to be really high stakes for the House Ethics Committee because House Speaker Mike Johnson has made clear that he doesn't think the Ethics Committee should release this report. Now, Michael Guest who's the top Republican on that Committee says he's not feeling any pressure or influence from the Speaker of the House. Typically, the House Ethics Committee is very separate from anything that the Speaker's office does. The Speaker doesn't provide any direction. The Speaker doesn't technically have any power over the House Ethics Committee in terms of what its decision making process is.

But look, I think ultimately, this is a really significant meeting. We're going to see how they decide to proceed in the hours ahead. Amara?

WALKER: And we were mentioning that J.D. Vance, Vice President-elect, he will be joined by Matt Gaetz and several other cabinet picks to basically push for support from Senators on the Hill. What are we expecting to see from them?

FOX: Yeah, I mean, this is really part of a typical process on Capitol Hill, right? You technically have sort of a Sherpa type person. In this case, it's going to be VP Vance who's going to be taking folks around, introducing them to members. What makes the situation unique obviously, is that Vance is a former Senator. He is currently a voting Senator of the United States Senate and he does have some relationships with some members.

I will say, Vance is a relatively new member of the United States Senate. So he doesn't have the kind of deep-coursing relationships that you might expect from other Sherpas in the past when it came to someone who was going to take a member or a nominee from one office to another. This is going to be a really interesting moment. These are some of the most controversial nominees that Donald Trump has selected so far. The vetting process is just getting underway, but Vance is going to likely come into contact with some people who have a lot of questions for him about what is in this ethics report, why it shouldn't be released if it clears his name?

There's a lot of argument from some Republicans that he should want it out there himself. So, Gaetz should be prepared for some tough questions today as he begins to have these conversations with Senators. We should note that Gaetz has been having some direct conversations with Senators, having phone calls over the course of the last several days. Donald Trump obviously, also making calls on behalf of his cabinet picks. Amara?

WALKER: All right. Lauren Fox, thank you very much, there on Capitol Hill for us.

Turning to Hong Kong and democracy activist Jimmy Lai, took the stand in his own national security trial there. This is the first time we are hearing from jailed media tycoon, Jimmy Lai, since his arrest back in 2020. He faces charges under the sweeping national security law that Beijing has imposed on Hong Kong.

[08:15:00]

According to an indictment seen by CNN, Lai is charged with colluding with foreign forces and sedition. He could spend the rest of his life in prison if convicted. Lai has pleaded not guilty to all counts. CNN Senior International Correspondent, Ivan Watson is following the developments from Hong Kong. Ivan, what more did we hear from Jimmy Lai today?

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. Well, he -- this is the first time that anybody has really heard from him in years, since he's been held behind bars, nearly four years now. And he came into the courtroom. He was visibly thinner than he had been in the past. He's 77 years old. His wife and daughter were in the gallery watching. He waved to them.

And during the questioning from his own lawyer, at one point, he was asked about the core values of Hong Kong which he described as rule of law, freedom, pursuit of democracy, freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of assembly. He was the founder of the "Apple Daily" newspaper, which was a highly influential, popular newspaper here, which shut down amid the crackdown that Hong Kong authorities and the Chinese national government endorsed on kind of opposition political parties and political organizations and independent press in this city.

But the charges against him are very, very serious. And they've been put under this controversial national security law that Beijing helped ram through into Hong Kong amid many, many street protests, a year of protests, and they are of sedition and two counts of collusion with foreign forces, to which Jimmy Lai has pleaded not guilty. And the Chinese government is not mincing words about what it thinks about this former newspaper publisher. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LIN JIAN, SPOKESMAN, CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY (through translator): Jimmy Lai is the main planner and participant of the anti-China and Hong Kong rebellion, as well as an agent and front runner of the anti- Chinese forces.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATSON: So in his testimony today, Lai talked about how, in 2019, he traveled to the U.S., met with senior officials in what was at that time, the Trump Administration, the Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, the then Vice President, Mike Pence, and Senators, as well as the then House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. He was asked about what kind of message he gave to Mike Pence. This was at a time when there were weekly street protests that were increasingly deteriorating into riots with a lot of damage and clashes between anti-government protesters in the streets of Hong Kong.

And Lai insists that all he did was ask Pence to speak out in favor of Hong Kong, that he never donated any money to any U.S. politician, only to religious organizations and to think tanks. But it's that kind of activity that certainly infuriated the Chinese government and the Hong Kong authorities. And it is during the Trump Administration, in that period that Hong Kong lost with the U.S. a special trading status, and also that the Trump Administration then imposed sanctions on several top Hong Kong officials, one of whom is the highest ranking official in Hong Kong today, who still is under those U.S. sanctions.

So this is part of that -- the whole trial concerns Lai's contacts with the U.S. government at that time. A final note, this is the second day of an important trial taking place in Hong Kong. Yesterday, we saw 45 pro-democracy activists all get sentenced with more than 245 cumulative years in prison. Part of a bigger picture of just how kind of freedom of expression has really changed in this city in the past four years. Though the Chinese and Hong Kong authorities would argue all that they have done is brought stability back to this international financial hub. Amara?

WALKER: Yeah, and we know the U.S. and British governments have condemned Lai's arrest and have called for his release. And I think it was a few weeks ago that President-elect Trump said in a podcast that he would get Mr. Lai out of prison, saying that it would be easy. So let's see what happens on that front. Ivan Watson, appreciate your reporting as always, from Hong Kong. Thank you. Friends and family say goodbye to a shining star, One Direction's Liam Payne is laid to rest more than one month after falling to his death. The details are coming up. Also ahead, Israel's Prime Minister offers money and a safe passage out of Gaza, but there is a catch. What he wants in return is after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:22:10]

WALKER: Singer Liam Payne will be laid to rest today in his native, England. We want to show you new pictures here from Amersham near London, of his coffin arriving at the church for the funeral service. It's been more than a month after the former One Direction singer fell from the balcony of his Buenos Aires hotel. Several people face charges in connection with Payne's death.

CNN's Salma Abdelaziz joining me now live from outside the church. Salma, tell us more about what you've seen during this very somber occasion. Salma, can you hear me? It's Amara Walker here. OK. It looks like we're having some audio trouble, but you can see here, the coffin for Liam Payne being carried, as we said that he will be laid to rest in England today. His coffin just arrived at the church for his funeral service. Here's Salma Abdelaziz. Salma?

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: -- that we saw his casket arrive at this 13th century church just behind me here. If you have those pictures for us to roll as well.

Yes, I believe you have me now. It is just moments ago, and I believe we have those images to show you that we saw Liam Payne's casket arrive here in this very quiet, very sleepy English town of Amersham, at this church just behind my shoulder, the 13th century church where we saw his family arrive.

I know we have those pictures as well. His mother, clearly very emotional, in tears. We also saw his bandmates, his former One Direction band mates arrive one by one, again at this church here to pay their respects. This is a closed ceremony. This is a private ceremony. But we journalists, we the media have been given this very limited access to the front door. And that very private, very closed, very quiet ceremony, of course, stands in stark contrast to his life as a global pop star with mega fame.

It was just over a month ago that the tragedy of his death shocked not just his fans, but the world. At age just 31-years-old, Liam Payne died of injuries sustained after falling off a balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina. But perhaps it's the details of that fall, the toxicology report, which showed that there was drugs, alcohol, and anti-depressants in his system that caused really this debate about childhood fame to be reignited.

[08:25:00]

For his family though, of course, he was a son, a loved one, someone separate of that global persona, and that's why they're holding this very private ceremony here, again, in this very quiet town, to give those loved ones an opportunity to say goodbye away from the limelight, to again, a young man who first rose to fame, first appeared on screen when he was just 14-years-old and spoke openly about the cost and consequence of that fame.

WALKER: All right. Salma Abdelaziz outside the church there for Liam Payne's funeral service. Thank you. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WALKER: The Israeli Prime Minister is offering money for hostages. During a visit to Central Gaza on Tuesday, Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would pay $5 million and ensure safe passage out of the Palestinian territory to anyone returning a hostage. He also issued this warning to the captors.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): I want to say to those who are holding our hostages, whoever dares to harm our hostages, his blood is on his head. We will pursue you and we will get you.

I also say to those who want to get out of this maze, whoever brings us a hostage, we will find a safe way for them and their family to get out. We will also give a reward of $5 million for each hostage returned. You choose. The choice is yours, but the result will be the same. We will bring them all back.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: Separately, in a move that is fueling more discontent, Israel's military issued arrest warrants for more than 1,100 ultra orthodox Jews who have not responded to draft orders. In June, Israel's supreme court removed their exemption from military service. CNN's Paula Hancocks is tracking the story now from Abu Dhabi. She's joining us. Hi there, Paula. First, can you talk to us about this offer and how the hostage families are reacting to this?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. So Amara, the hostage family's forum is giving an official no comment to this offer by the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. It does come as somewhat of a surprise, announcing it while he was at the Netzarim Corridor in the center of Gaza, which -- this area which cuts north and south Gaza in half, saying that there would be $5 million for each hostage.

[08:30:00]

Now, it is a departure from what we have heard from the prime minister before, saying that Hamas would be completely destroyed. Of course, the assumption is that militants, or at least those affiliated with them, would potentially be holding these hostages at this point. So there is some questions about what the details would entail. We've reached out to the Prime Minister's office about how this would be done logistically and any more details they can give us. We're waiting to hear, but we have spoken to two families of those that are being held still in Gaza. We spoke to Ruby Chen, he's the father of Itay Chen, a U.S. hostage, who the Israeli military believes was killed in the October 7th attack, but his body taken into Gaza. And he said, that he criticized Netanyahu's plan saying that it shows he doesn't have a strategy to bring all of the hostages back. He only, potentially, could bring just a few of them back.

We also spoke to another family member, the mother of Matan Zangauker saying, "The Prime Minister is trading the hostages' lives," criticizing the fact as she sees it, that Netanyahu is offering money to Hamas. Amara? WALKER: Paula Hancocks, thank you very much, live for us there in Abu Dhabi.

Let's return now to U.S. politics and the transition to a new Trump Administration. Now, during the campaign, Donald Trump claimed he would fix a U.S. economy that just last month the IMF said was the strongest in the world. He now needs to assemble his economic team, which will likely be headed by the Treasury Secretary. Whoever it is, they will be tasked with implementing the tax and tariffs plan that helped to get Trump elected, but that experts say could also dramatically spike U.S. inflation.

CNN's Matt Egan is looking into the economics of a second Trump term. Hi, Matt. Let's talk first about the position of the Treasury Secretary and how significant and important that will be.

MATT EGAN, CNN REPORTER: Yeah, Amara, listen, this is a serious job for a serious person. A Matt Gaetz type appointment would not go over well with investors around the world or business leaders for that matter. Now, sources have told CNN that the remaining contenders for Treasury Secretary under Trump include hedge fund executive, Scott Bessent, Senator Bill Hagerty who has a finance background, former Fed official Kevin Walsh, and billionaire Marc Rowan.

Now, whoever ends up getting this role and getting confirmed is going to almost immediately face a series of deadlines and pressure starting with the debt ceiling, which is returning early in January. Remember, that is the borrowing limit that Congress has to avoid. Otherwise, there's a default which would be just catastrophic for the economy and for financial markets. And listen, this is kind of like the Treasury Secretary is going to basically be inheriting a ticking time bomb, that they not only have to diffuse by getting Congress to raise the debt ceiling, but then also figure out the accounting maneuvers to keep paying all the bills on time.

But this is not just about the debt ceiling because there's also a looming fiscal cliff at the end of next year related to taxes. Remember those 2017 tax cuts, they expire at the end of the year unless Congress takes action. And so, it's going to be up to the Treasury Secretary to convince lawmakers to do what Trump wants, which is fully extend those 2017 tax cuts at a cost of maybe $4 trillion. And Trump has also called for trillions of other dollars of tax breaks. And lastly, the Treasury Secretary has to figure out how to finance all this because there's estimates that the Trump agenda could add almost $8 trillion to the national debt. And treasury is kind of like the government's banker, right? They have to figure out how much money to borrow and how to do it in a way that does not freak out the bond market. So, there's no shortage of tasks on the to-do list for whoever the next Treasury Secretary is. Amara?

WALKER: All right. Matt Egan, yeah, it's going to be challenging -- a challenging pick. Thank you so much, Matt.

EGAN: Thanks.

WALKER: Some Trump voters are questioning their support after the President-elect has made controversial picks for his cabinet. CNN's John King revisits some of these Trump supporters in Iowa to hear their thoughts on Trump's win and their hopes of his Administration.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SHANEN EBERSOLE, IOWA VOTER: There's some right at the gate right now.

JOHN KING, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Shanen Ebersole loves her land and her cows, rain or shine.

EBERSOLE: Sometimes, if you want to play cowboy, you got to do cowboy things like stand in the rain.

KING (voice-over): Her vote for Donald Trump, a vote to protect her way of life.

EBERSOLE: The vast majority of people who voted for Trump are not the far right crazies. That is not who we are. We're simple Americans who want to live our lives and do our jobs and make our own choices in our own homes.

[08:35:00]

And we want that for our neighbors who feel differently than us too.

KING (voice-over): You have to be an optimist to run a family cattle ranch. And Ebersole says she hopes Trump sees his mandate as the economy and the border. Hopes he understands a lot of his voters didn't like all that campaign talk about the enemy within and retribution.

EBERSOLE: We have spoken. We are not letting him be a bully, but we want him to stand firm.

KING (voice-over): She is more bullish about Trump now than when we first met. Back then, Trump had competition in the Iowa caucuses, and Ebersole wanted a Republican who could be both president and role model.

EBERSOLE: He didn't bring us together because of the divisiveness, because of my liberal friends that were literally scared for their safety.

KING (voice-over): But when Trump rolled to the nomination, Ebersole's choice was easy because of Biden-Harris farm and climate policies. Trump won 75 percent of the vote here in rural Ringgold County.

EBERSOLE: We felt as though Washington and the far edges of our country were governing the rest of middle America.

BETSY SARCONE, IOWA VOTER: OK, come over here. KING (voice-over): Betsy Sarcone is another now proud Trump voter who initially wanted something very different.

KING: So, how did you get from I can't take it, I'll vote for Biden to --

SARCONE: Yeah.

KING: -- I'm going to vote for Donald Trump and I'm actually relieved and happy about it.

SARCONE: I think I've come to the conclusion that I don't love Donald Trump as a person. But I do think that he is right for the country right now, and that he is going to chart a different course than we're currently on.

KING (voice-over): Sarcone lives in the Des Moines suburbs, says her real estate business is slow, and she hopes Trump somehow helps. Lower grocery prices also high on her wishlist.

SARCONE: I'm a mom, single mom of three kids, so that does make a huge difference in my life.

KING (voice-over): Sarcone finds some of Trump's cabinet picks disappointing, but she frames it this way. She could not support Vice President Harris. So now, she thinks she has to be patient with a president-elect who is calling card is unpredictable.

SARCONE: The Kristi Noam, the Matt Gaetz, not necessarily excited about it. Worried, I wouldn't say I'm worried. I voted for change, as did the majority of the people, and that's what we're going to get. So I don't think worrying about it every day is going to do me any good.

KING (voice-over): That Trump won the popular vote emboldens his most fervent supporters. People like Chris Mudd.

CHRIS MUDD, IOWA VOTER: And I think it's important that we round up every illegal and ship them out. And we have to come -- we have to figure out a way to get them back to work. I do believe that we do need immigration. A country needs immigration, it just needs to be legal.

KING: What would you say to Democrats who say that they're literally fearful, that they think that mass deportation is mean-spirited, or they think his ads about transgender Americans were mean? What would you say to them? MUDD: I would say get over it. There's -- I don't believe that there's anything to be scared of.

KING (voice-over): Mudd owns Midwest Solar, a startup that benefited from Biden clean energy incentives. His vote for Trump could hurt his business.

MUDD: It's possible. But like I've said since I started talking to you, I sell value. I'm selling saving money. I'm not selling the green energy side of the business. I'm selling value.

KING (voice-over): Some big solar jobs require parts made in China. But again, Mudd says Trump should go full steam ahead with trade tariffs.

MUDD: Most of our stuff is tariff-free. So I want to see more products and services get built in this country. I want to see our pharmaceuticals get produced here instead of in China. I think that we need an American economy that's building things, creating things.

KING (voice-over): Trump's critics call it sloganeering, but the America-first thing echoes in the small cities and rural outposts where Trump ran strongest.

EBERSOLE: Why are we bringing Argentinean beef in? Why are we bringing New Zealand and Australian beef in, and then exporting some of our beef? Why don't we first just feed our beef to our Americans?

KING (voice-over): Maisy (ph) helps keep the cows on track in the pastures. Tia is a show cow, so grooming is an everyday chore.

EBERSOLE: Let me live my life in the middle of nowhere, where there's more cows than there are people. DoorDash isn't a thing. Pizza delivery is not a thing. You can't even get pizza delivered. Hey, mamas (ph).

KING (voice-over): Ebersole's hope is that Trump changes a lot in Washington. She needs her happy place just as it is.

EBERSOLE: I just stand here and watch my cows and enjoy it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALKER: That was John King reporting.

Still to come, a once-in-a-decade bomb cyclone hits the U.S. and Canada. The damage it has caused so far is just ahead. Also, Rafael Nadal wasn't the only one crying as the tennis great bid farewell to the sport from Spain.

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[08:42:00]

WALKER: At least one person has died and hundreds of thousands of people are without power in the Northwest U.S. and parts of Canada. This comes after a once-in-a-decade bomb cyclone swept through the West Coast area late Tuesday. This was the scene in Washington State where hurricane-force winds and snow wreaked havoc. Here's why it's called a bomb cyclone. The storm combines an atmospheric river with heavy wind to unleash a deluge of rain. CNN Meteorologist Derek Van Dam joining us now. The picture is like ominous. What's the latest from this bomb cyclone?

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yeah. These bomb cyclones are very powerful storm systems, and their terminology of bomb cyclone may sound very bombastic, right? But it actually has some deep meteorology roots behind it. And I'll get to that in just a second. But look at how the winds associated with this storm system toppled trees, took down power lines. Unfortunately, some of those trees have landed on top of people's homes in the state of Washington, actually cutting this home in half almost, right along the roof here, because the tree and its force just bringing that damage to that particular building.

Now, this is a storm system. You can see the low pressure, don't have to be a meteorologist to understand that this is a powerful, powerful storm. Notice it's wrapping around itself, that is characteristic of a hurricane, although it's not a hurricane. The winds, however, have been equivalent to hurricane status. A bomb cyclone has to reach a specific criteria for it to be called that, and it has to do with the pressure within the center of this low pressure or this cyclone. It has to actually drop a certain amount, 24 millibars in 24 hours.

This particular low pressure system over doubled that criteria to be met. So, two times the amount of that bomb criteria, so certainly fulfilling that and tie in (ph) for the record lowest pressure off the Pacific Northwest. That's saying something. 77 miles per hour winds near Mount Rainier. You factor in the snowfall that caused the blinding conditions, the near zero visibility in some of the areas. And then the other thing about this storm system, there it is, but notice the trail of moisture tracking all the way back towards Hawaii. You see Honolulu there in the bottom portion of the TV screen.

This is called the Pineapple Express. And it's a tropical atmospheric river that takes this moisture across the Pacific, and then it drops that deluge of precipitation over the Western U.S. So we're not done with this storm just yet. Several more days, in fact, of mountain snows and heavy rainfall, particularly across the state of California, from San Francisco northward into Eureka. You could see one after another storm system continuing to impact the western portions of the United States. The radar very busy right now. Of course, the shades of white, that being the snow, but the heavy rainfall continues across California and so does the wind.

In fact, we have high wind warnings and advisories all over the western parts of the U.S. associated with this very powerful bomb cyclone. Amara?

WALKER: Wow. All right, Derek Van Dam, thank you very much. Good to see you. In front of the Spanish fans who adore him, Rafael Nadal retires from tennis. Coming up, farewell to the king of the clay.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [08:46:45]

WALKER: Our appetite for meat comes at a cost. Despite feeding humans for centuries, cheap protein has left our planet in significantly worse shape. But researchers continue to make huge strides in meat alternatives. Veronica Miracle travels to Chicago to see how one tiny fungi, microbe could start a food revolution. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VERONICA MIRACLE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the United Arab Emirates, Al Safadi eateries have been serving up traditional Lebanese food for more than two decades. But I've come to sample something new on the menu, plant-based meat alternatives sourced locally from FoodTech startup, Switch Foods.

EDWARD HAMOD, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, SWITCH FOODS: Today, if you look at statistics, people globally consume three to four times more meat than they used to 50 years ago. So, we are excessively over consuming meat. FoodTech is the solution.

MIRACLE (voice-over): When they opened in 2022, Switch Foods was the first plant-based meat production facility in Abu Dhabi. Today, the company uses pea protein to create products for more than 100 restaurants across the country.

MIRACLE: Why did you decide to go into Lebanese cuisine?

HAMOD: I think the more offers or the more products you put on the market for consumers, the more they're able to lay off a little bit of their beef intake, which means a lot less imports, more local food production, more local food consumption.

MIRACLE (voice-over): In the ever-evolving landscape of protein alternatives, a lot of effort goes into crafting food that tastes like the meat products we know and love. With novel protein sources ranging from algae to insects and even air, one company found inspiration in the most unlikely of places.

THOMAS JONAS, CO-FOUNDER & CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, NATURE'S FYND: Nature's Fynd started from NASA-sponsored research on the origin of life, and that took us to studying the very different life forms that managed to evolve at least a few hundred thousand years ago in the volcanic springs of Yellowstone.

MIRACLE (voice-over): Thomas Jonas is the Co-Founder and CEO of Nature's Fynd. In his hand, a wonder of nature, a fungi-based microbe with bold ambitions.

JONAS: What's really exciting to me, every time I come here, I look at this fridge and out of this fridge, we can literally feed the world.

MIRACLE: That is so mind boggling.

JONAS: Well, that is really the magic of biology. MIRACLE (voice-over): That's because at the heart of Nature's Fynd is a natural process of fermentation. It harnesses the power of the microorganism to create a protein-rich ingredient known as Fy.

MIRACLE: How did you think to create it into a sustainable source of food?

JONAS: As we started cultivating the microorganism, we realized that it's not only about 50 percent to 60 percent protein, but it also has fibers. It has a bunch of nutrients that are really very, very exciting. We talk about fungi-powered nutrition.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[08:50:00]

WALKER: All right, very cool. Rafael Nadal, one of the greatest tennis players to play the game, has officially retired. The 22-time Grand Slam winner lost his singles tie in the quarterfinals of the Davis Cup in Malaga yesterday, as Spain bowed out to the Netherlands, marking the end of his 23-year career.

You can see there are lots of emotions, understandably. Nadal had tears in his eyes, pre-match, as did many in the crowd and many watching from home. For more, let's bring in CNN World Sport's Patrick Snell. I mean, it really is emotional because I think he's a favorite for people all around the world, including myself. How did all unfold?

PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: Yeah, Amara. I remember meeting Rafael Nadal as a raw 17-year-old back in 2003 as he played his first- ever Wimbledon. Fast forward to where we are now, it's just so hard to even process the fact that this is now the post-Nadal era. Tuesday's opening match of the quarterfinal clash with the Dutch, seeing Nadal playing, as you say Amara, in the singles.

Remember, there had been speculation he'd be kept back for the doubles, but that wasn't the case. And you can see the emotion there just etched right across his face. The fans as well, really emotional. It's just a constant struggle throughout to fight back tears. The Malaga crowd showing their love and their respect for this 38-year-old icon of the sport. He was playing in his first competitive match in over three months. Nadal, perhaps no surprise in the end that he would eventually succumb to a dangerous opponent, Botic van de Zandschulp.

Rafael beaten, but at that point, he didn't know whether his career was over or not, or whether it would actually continue because it all depended on how Spain did in the deciding doubles rubber (ph). Nadal anxious to see if his career would carry on. Spain needed to win to make that happen, but they would fall short in the end. Let's give the Dutch team huge credit here. They were written off by so many, but this was all about Rafael Nadal though, as the realization there sinks in that the dust is about to settle once and for all on his amazing career.

Remarkable, truly inspiring, 23-year career now at an end, as Spain are beaten by the Netherlands. And then this is the moment that really got me, the retirement ceremony. It all just came out there. Just an outpouring of just sheer emotional grief in a sense, really that retirement ceremony. Nadal, remember, he won 22 Grand Slam singles titles, 14-time French Open Champ at his beloved Roland Garros. Amara, you know as well as I do, this is a man who is a class act on and off the court.

Tributes coming in there, the iconic Raul, the Real Madrid legend, and of course, former rival turned friend, the great Roger Federer as well, paying his respect. And Rafael through it all, so very, very humble.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RAFAEL NADAL, 22-TIME GRAND SLAM CHAMPION: Just a kid that follow their dreams, worked as hard as possible to be where I am today. And at the end of the day, being honest, a lot of people work hard, a lot of people tries their best every single day. But, I am one of these, that I have been very lucky that the life gave me the opportunity to live unforgettable experiences because of tennis. So I just want to be remembered as a good person and a kid that followed their dreams and achieved more than what I ever dreamed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SNELL: He most certainly will be remembered as a good person. What an impact, Amara, on and off the court. As I said, love to see him come back as a coach maybe one day, who knows. But I think for now, time just to reflect with his family (inaudible).

WALKER: A class act till the very end, really spoken from the heart. Patrick Snell, thank you so much.

Well, a new release is coming from a true pop icon.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: That of course is Cher, who is turning back time with her new tell-all book. "Cher: The Memoir, Part One" is out now and offers an in-depth look into her life and career. In it, she opens up about her childhood and her divorce from Sonny Bono, whom she met when she was just 16 and he was 27. In a recent interview with CBS, Cher revealed that she was unaware of Bono's company called Cher Enterprises, which collected all the revenue from the duo's work for almost 12 years without her knowledge. Part two of Cher's memoir is due out next year.

[08:55:00]

And the Cambridge dictionary is putting its "Word of the Year" out to the universe, and that word is "Manifest." And it refers to the practice of using "Methods such as visualization and affirmation to help you imagine achieving something you want." Pop star, Dua Lipa and the all-conquering gymnast, Simone Biles, have both said they use manifestation to help them achieve their goals. Now, manifest is enjoying its own success, putting the other shortlisted words, 'brat' and 'resilience' in their place.

Thank you so much for being with me here on "CNN Newsroom." I'm Amara Walker. "Connect the World" with Eleni Giokos is next.

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[09:00:00]