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Ukraine Fires Longer-Range Western Missile At Russia; U.S. Envoy Reports Progress On Israel-Hezbollah Ceasefire; Trump Has Promised To End The War In One Day; Matthew Whitaker Picked to Be U.S. Ambassador to NATO; Linda McMahon Selected to Become Secretary of Education; Trump Readies His 'Made For TV' Cabinet Selection; Family, Friends, One Direction Bandmates Gather for Liam Payne's Funeral; Iceland Volcano Erupts for Sixth Time This Year; Australia Moving to Bank Kids Under 16 From Social Media; 2024 Coachella Lineup Announced. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired November 21, 2024 - 02:00   ET

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

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[02:00:40]

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world and to everyone streaming us on CNN Max. I'm Rosemary Church. Just ahead. First attack ends, now Storm Shadow. Ukraine wastes no time in unleashing longer-range Western missiles on targets inside Russia.

Hope could be on the horizon in the Middle East, as an American envoy heads to Israel hoping to seal a cease fire deal with Hezbollah.

And could Elon Musk's cozy relationship with China drive a wedge between the Tesla CEO and Donald Trump?

ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta. This is CNN NEWSROOM with Rosemary Church.

CHURCH: Good to have you with us. Ukraine is turning to a powerful new weapon in its war with Russia, Storm Shadow missiles supplied by the U.K., a Russian military blog and Reuters report Ukraine fired the Storm Shadow missiles like the ones shown here, into Russia's Kursk Region. CNN has confirmed video released on Wednesday is from that area, although it's not clear if the explosions you're seeing here are the result of Storm Shadow strike.

That comes as U.S. defense officials report Ukraine used eight longer- range ATACMS missiles to successfully hit an ammunition depot in Russia's Bryansk region earlier this week. Moscow had claimed the missiles did not cause any damage. Ukraine has yet to confirm or deny using the longer-range missiles.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUSTEM UMEROV, UKRAINIAN DEFENSE MINISTER: We are very good planners. We plan and we'll be defending and giving punches back.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK.

UMEROV: With all the means available.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: The U.S. Embassy in Kyiv has resumed services one day after shutting down because of a threat of a possible attack on the capital. Ukraine accuses Russia are spreading a fake warning as part of a psychological attack. More now from CNN's Nick Paton Walsh in Kyiv.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Ukrainian special forces fighting up close and taking prisoners. Rare footage of them still inside Russia's Kursk region where British Storm Shadow missiles were claimed to have hit Wednesday, these fragments found by locals. Just hours earlier, American-supplied ATACMS missiles also plowed into Russia, marking a stark new escalation in the war.

Yet it was also in Kyiv that fear grew. The U.S. Embassy closing here for the first time since the invasion, citing a threat of air attack.

WALSH (on camera): Reflection of the heightened tension here felt in the capital Kyiv. It's been under regular bombardment for over two months, but other European allied embassies are also limiting their function today, perhaps a sense across NATO here that we're entering a new chapter of this conflict.

WALSH (voice-over): As Kyiv braced for another sleepless night of sirens, the bereaved planted flags into this sea of loss in central Kyiv. Anya's father died of his injuries three weeks ago after five months in a coma. She is raw from both the talk of peace and fear of sirens.

ANYA IVANINA, LOST HER FATHER IN THE WAR (text): I will be honest, we went down to the basement during every air raid siren today. It was really scary indeed. I want peace very much. I don't want our country to be hurt, I want it to be as it was but without the Russians, without all of this.

WALSH (voice-over): But it's never over. In Kyiv, the air raids intensifying in the past two months and the weekends seen here the worst for a while. So, the heightened anxiety behind several NATO embassies reducing operations this day sparks Ukrainian officials to plead, they hold their nerve and deride this piece of Russian misinformation online, a detailed and fake warning of wide scale attacks.

This situation should be interpreted, he says, as Russia's attempt to use any elements of psychological influence. They have one instrument, which is to scare. This has always been a classic element of Russian politics. So, I'd like our partners to be more careful as to the information coming from Russia.

(END VIDEOTAPE) [02:05:04]

WALSH: Now be in no doubt while the misinformation that the Ukrainian government highlighted fake warning essentially, may have contributed to anxieties today amongst some people in the capital. We don't really know the information behind the U.S. Embassy's warning. There is still a severe threat to the Ukrainian capital that has been since the start of the war intensifying in the past months.

I think there is a concern amongst Ukrainians, potentially, and their allies too, that this escalatory move by the West, American and British missiles, it seems, being fired into Russia now by Ukrainians may see some kind of Russian response in the weeks ahead. And the concern is the form that's going to take.

Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Kyiv, Ukraine.

CHURCH: Joining me now from London. Malcolm Davis is a senior analyst of defense strategy and capability at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. Appreciate you joining us.

MALCOLM DAVIS, SENIOR ANALYST OF DEFENSE STRATEGY AND CAPABILITY, AUSTRALIAN STRATEGIC POLICY INSTITUTE: Thank you for having me, Rosemary.

CHURCH: So, the temporary closure of the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv in response to a potential attack came after President Biden approved Ukraine's firing of long-range missiles inside Russia, which it is now doing, and in response, President Vladimir Putin is intensifying his threat to use nuclear weapons. The U.S. says that's just rhetoric, but some national security experts worry that this could lead to global war. What do you say to that?

DAVIS: Look, I would never say never in regards to Russia using nuclear weapons, I mean, clearly there are circumstances where they would use them. Are we at those points now? I don't think we are. I think that Putin recognizes that if he holds off on anything drastic for a few weeks, the Trump administration coming in will probably give him everything he wants in a political deal.

So, I think if he were to use tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine, that would certainly require a NATO military response against Russia, and then you're into an escalation cycle all the way into global nuclear war. Russians wouldn't want that and certainly in Beijing, Xi Jinping would tell Putin you are not going to use nuclear weapons. So, I'm not yet convinced that we're at an imminent risk of nuclear weapons, but I do think it's a danger that should not be discounted.

CHURCH: So, Malcolm, could the world see another wave of nuclear proliferation as a result of this unnerving moment that's playing out in Ukraine and in Russia more than 1000 days into this conflict, and what would be the consequences of that proliferation?

DAVIS: I most certainly will see nuclear proliferation coming out of this. I mean, one of the things that Putin has demonstrated is the coercive and intimidatory power of nuclear weapons and nuclear threats. He's made it clear that if a state has nuclear weapons and rattles nuclear savers, that can intimidate an opponent, and he's done that in regards to NATO. So, I do think you will see other states recognizing this and recognizing that to have nuclear weapons gives them real coercive and intimidatory power.

Now obviously we have nuclear weapons too, so, you know, the deterrence goes both ways, but the West does actually have to deter and we're not deterring at the moment. We are on the receiving end of Russian nuclear threats and we're not really doing anything in response. And I think China will take notice of that in terms of its own nuclear posture. Iran, North Korea, obviously focusing on that, but you will see other states looking at that and thinking, well, maybe we need to have a nuclear option as well.

CHURCH: And when you look to the battlefield, what role do you think more than 10,000 North Korean troops are playing in this war? And what would Putin's likely strategy be here?

DAVIS: The 10,000 North Korean troops are to essentially be thrown into the battle in Kursk to try and help the Russians push the Ukrainians out of Kursk. I think if that succeeds, what you will see is a much larger North Korean force entering the battle, potentially up to 100,000 North Korean troops, supposedly, according to discussion among strategic policy communicators. And they will then be thrown into the battle in areas such as the Donbas or other areas of Ukraine to try and force the Ukrainians back quickly to create a situation where Ukraine has lost even more territory.

And that's even before Trump comes up with some sort of deal that essentially rewards Russian aggression by giving Russia control of territories that gets captured. So, I do think that the North Koreans are there to add to the Russian forces and to essentially turn that tide in a tactical battle around first, but as a testing ground for a much larger force down the track.

CHURCH: And you mentioned Donald Trump, but given where things stand on the battlefield right now, how do you think Trump will end this war once in office, as he promised he would do on the campaign trail?

DAVIS: Well, he won't end it in 24 hours. I think that's a nonsense. Everyone understands.

[02:10:00]

I do think that he will try and do a deal with Putin, basically that seeds Ukrainian territory. So, the Donbas, Crimea, Zaporizhzhia, Kerson, captured areas of Ukraine. He'll cede those to Russia. They will be seen as a reward for Russian aggression and in return, he'll accept some sort of ceasefire agreement that basically sees Ukraine frozen out of membership of NATO and the E.U. for an extended period of time.

There's some discussion about a demilitarized zone, or DMZ, that could be patrolled by European forces, but really what the ceasefire does at this point is give Russia time to recover, rearm and regroup, so that it can launch the war again in a year or two, to take more territory, or, even more worryingly, embolden Putin to try his luck by taking on NATO directly. So, I think a cease fire agreement at this point in time, the sort of cease fire that Trump is pushing is a fool's game. It's basically rewarding and emboldening Putin.

CHURCH: Sobering words. Malcolm Davis joining us from London. Many thanks for being with us. Appreciate it.

DAVIS: Thank you.

CHURCH: European and U.S. officials are not on the same page about what happened to two undersea internet cables deep in the Baltic Sea. Both cables were cut within hours of each other on Sunday and Monday, but it's still unclear how or by whom. Germany and Finland believe it was no accident, and they are pointing a finger at Russia as a possible culprit. Moscow denies any responsibility.

Finland launched a criminal investigation on Wednesday, but two U.S. officials tell CNN Washington's initial assessment is that the cables were accidentally hit by a vessel dragging its anchor. Tracking data shows this Chinese cargo ship crossed both cables around the time they were cut.

We are following developments out of Northern Gaza where one medical official says Israel launched deadly strikes overnight on the city of Beit Lahia. The director of the Kamal Adwan Hospital says 65 bodies have been pulled from the rubble. He says doctors and medical staff are digging with their bare hands, because there are no rescue teams and no ambulances to provide assistance, and he expects the death toll to rise.

He's making a desperate request to international organizations to bring in much needed medical supplies. The U.S. has vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution that called for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in Gaza. Only the U.S. voted against the resolution on Wednesday, Ambassador Robert Wood said the US has made clear it could not support a ceasefire that failed to secure the release of hostages still being held by Hamas.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT WOOD, DEPUTY U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N.: A durable end to the war must come with the release of the hostages. These two urgent goals are inextricably linked. This resolution abandoned that necessity, and for that reason, the United States could not support it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Palestinian officials condemned the veto, saying the move only emboldens Israel to continue its crimes against innocent civilians. The Palestinian deputy ambassador had this reaction.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAJED BAMYA, PALESTINIAN DEPUTY U.N. ENVOY: A ceasefire doesn't resolve everything, but is it is the first step towards resolving anything. And what is the answer of those who are still unwilling now after all this death and destruction, not to call for an unconditional ceasefire?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: We are also following a diplomatic push to reach a ceasefire in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon. U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein is expected to meet Israeli leaders after spending two days in Beirut, working on efforts to try and broker a truce. CNN's Nic Robertson has more.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Well, Israeli officials are saying the very fact that Amos Hochstein, the U.S. negotiator in the talks here is still in the region, indicates to them, at least that the United States believes that there is some positivity to be had here, that possibly the gap between the sides, between Hezbollah and Israel, can be narrowed. Hezbollah's leader spoke on Wednesday and he said that they were prepared to continue on two tracks on the battlefield, as well as the negotiations.

He also said that strikes on Beirut would lead to strikes on Tel Aviv indicating that the war for Hezbollah is very much on, he said. The priorities for them were a cease fire and sovereignty, and it appears to be that area of sovereignty where the gaps need to be closed. He said that he wasn't going to negotiate and talk -- and talk through the issues with the media. From the Israeli perspective, we continue to hear from officials here that the priority for them is not just the ceasefire, not just having Hezbollah so far back from the border, north of the Litani River where they cannot easily strike into the north of Israel.

[02:15:12]

Not just that, but the ability for Israel, the right for Israel to be able to strike back if there are ceasefire violations. And that appears to be where the gap is, what the Lebanese, what Hezbollah would call sovereignty and what Israel would say -- would be their need and the ability in the negotiations to be able to have the right to strike back when Hezbollah strikes and breaks the ceasefire.

That's where the gap seems to be. Amos Hochstein Wednesday traveling to Israel to continue talks, to listen to what the Israeli side have to say, to continue to try to narrow those gaps. At the moment, though, the war absolutely in the South of Lebanon and Hezbollah rockets coming into Israel absolutely still continuing. Nic Robinson, CNN Jerusalem.

CHURCH: The U.S. envoy, says the Biden administration is working with the Trump team to let them know everything that's underway amid the diplomatic push for a ceasefire, but the President-elect will also be coming into office as the war in Gaza shows no signs of ending. One former U.S. ambassador weighed in on what kind of impact Donald Trump could have on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the conflicts in the Middle East.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANIEL KURTZER, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO ISRAEL: There's no question he'll have substantial leverage given not only what We have provided to Israel since last October, but the ongoing wars in Gaza, Lebanon and the possibility of escalation with Iran suggests that Israel will require additional American assistance. His spokespeople, however, have not been sending that signal.

They've been talking about having Israel score a decisive victory, letting Israel decide for itself what constitutes victory. So, unless the president-elect decides to get a hold of what his spokespeople are saying and to send the message to the prime minister that it's got to come to an end. It doesn't look as though there's going to be pressure to bear. And if there's not that kind of pressure to bear after January 20th, well, we're certainly not going to see it before January 20th.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: In the coming hours, U.S. Vice President-elect J.D. Vance will be back on Capitol Hill this time with Trump's pick for Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth. Sources tell CNN they will be meeting with key Republican senators hoping to drum up support for Hegseth, one of several Cabinet nominees facing a rocky reception from lawmakers. Vance was in similar meetings Wednesday with Matt Gaetz, Trump's controversial pick for attorney general.

His nomination is in limbo over sexual misconduct allegations and a looming House Ethics report, one in which House Republicans have so far blocked from being released. But Democrats are not backing down, trying to ensure the report is made public. More now from CNN's Manu Raju.

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: House, Republicans on the ethics committee voted to block the release of this ethics report. The chairman of that committee, Michael Guest told me ahead of that meeting that he had some reservations about releasing it because he contended it was not completely done yet. Democrats said this is all an effort to bury damaging allegations against Matt Gaetz, potentially undercutting his ability to become the attorney general of the United States, and they argue that it should be released,

Now, this is not over yet, because Democrats say that they plan to force a vote on the House floor and that vote will have to occur under the rules of the House. It would have to happen within two legislative days, meaning that this could happen, since we're running up to the Thanksgiving recess, it could be punted until after Thanksgiving, but the vote would have to happen in some form, at least by that point, when they return after the Thanksgiving holiday.

The question will be, if Democrats have the majority of the House to force a vote to actually force this report to be released. That means they would have to ensure that at least three Republicans break ranks, join with them to move ahead on this issue. One Republican earlier this evening indicated he would, in fact, vote with Republic -- Democrats on this issue, believing that the public and Republicans and Democrats need to see this information.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) RAJU: There might be a vote in the House to release that report. Would you vote to release that report?

REP. DERRICK VAN ORDEN (R-WI): I think it's very important that everybody has as much knowledge as possible so that they can make an informed decision.

RAJU: It sounds like yes.

ORDEN: That's a yes.

RAJU: So, if what the -- if the rumors are true about Mr. Gaetz's conduct, then there should be referrals to other agencies, and if they're not true, then there's a whole lot of people that owe him an apology.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RAJU: Now that Republican Derrick Van Orden has had a fraught relationship with Matt Gaetz over the years, and also underscores how Matt Gaetz, after years of battling with his colleagues, could potentially lose this vote on the House floor.

[02:20:09]

We'll see if it ultimately comes to that or if Senate Republicans will get access to this information, because a lot of GOP senators, particularly on the Senate Judiciary Committee who's considering this nomination want to see this information -- all this information, so they can understand the gravity of these allegations as they assess this critical decision about whether to move ahead with this nomination vote to confirm him.

One person who is not concerned with the blocking of this report, though, is Senator John Thune, the incoming majority who told me earlier in the evening that it was "their call," the House Ethics Committee's call not to release the report did not object to that decision at all.

Manu Raju, CNN, Capitol Hill.

CHURCH: Anti-transgender rhetoric was a rallying cry that Trump pushed during the campaign. Now, House Republicans are bringing the fight to Capitol Hill. On Wednesday, House Speaker Mike Johnson announced that he is banning transgender women from using the women's restrooms at the Capitol, but he didn't say how he would enforce the rule. The first transgender House member, Congresswoman-elect Sarah McBride, says she will follow Johnson's rule.

Her post on social media, said she's not there to fight about bathrooms, but to fight to bring down costs for families. Meantime, Republican congresswoman Nancy Mace has introduced a resolution to ban transgender women from women's bathrooms at the Capitol, and she wants the rule to apply to every federal building and federally funded school. Billionaire Elon Musk went all in to help Donald Trump win the election, but Trump's plan for huge tariffs on Chinese imports could have a negative impact on Musk's businesses. We'll take a look at that after the break. Stay with us.

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CHURCH: The leaders of China and Brazil inked dozens of trade and other cooperation agreements on Wednesday. Xi Jinping is currently on a state visit to Brazil where he and Lula da Silva upgraded the status of diplomatic relations between their two countries. The two leaders signed nearly 40 deals on everything from agriculture to communications to energy. The agreements paved the way for more than $150 billion in bilateral trade, according to Brazil's president.

Xi's meetings with Lula da Silva came after he attended the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro and the APEC meeting in Peru.

President-elect Donald Trump campaigned on a pledge to impose tariffs of 60 percent or more on products imported from China. But China is a major market for Elon Musk, who invested significant resources in Trump's reelection. CNN's Will Ripley has more on how Trump's approach to U.S.-China relations could create friction with his billionaire backer.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[02:25:03]

WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTENATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Elon Musk was making moves in China years before stepping into U.S. politics. China is Tesla's second biggest market.

ELON MUSK, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, TESLA MOTORS: We are looking for the very best talent in China.

RIPLEY (voice-over): Tesla's Shanghai giga factory churns out nearly a million cars a year. The company's most productive plant. Musk built strong ties with Chinese leaders, making Tesla the first foreign automaker with full factory ownership in China. Musk even got the government to officially used Tesla vehicles.

MUSK: We intend to make, continue making a significant investment and increasing the investment in China.

Roi And he's not done yet. A $200 million mega battery factory is coming soon to Shanghai.

MUSK: Fight, fight, fight, vote, vote, vote. Thank you.

RIPLEY (voice-over): But in the Trump 2.0 era, Musk may find himself navigating tricky terrain. President-elect Donald Trump is promising a 60 percent tariff or more on Chinese imports, a move that could create friction for Tesla's China operations.

LEV NACHMAN, POLITICAL ANALYST: This is the classic conflict of interest with having someone like Elon Musk in politics. He's not a politician.

RIPLEY (voice-over): And he's definitely not a China Hawk that could put him at odds with Trump's incoming cabinet, widely seen as the toughest on Beijing in U.S. history.

MARCO RUBIO, UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF STATE NOMINEE: They allow the Chinese Communist Party to gain access to all of the private data.

RIPLEY (voice-over): Take Secretary of State nominee Marco Rubio, a staunch critic of China, sanctioned twice by Beijing. Rubio has championed human rights in Hong Kong and democracy in Taiwan, positions that clash with Musk criticized for these comments last year, seen as siding with authoritarian Beijing over the self- governing Island.

MUSK: The policy has been to reunite Taiwan with China. From this standpoint, you know, it may be (INAUDIBLE) like Hawaii.

RIPLEY (voice-over): Two power players, two very different views on China, both potentially shaping policy in the second Trump administration.

NACHMAN: The potential for fallout is very real.

RIPLEY (voice-over): Some say Musk may serve as a bridge between Beijing and Washington. Others warn his business interests could outweigh U.S. national priorities, creating more problems than solutions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RIPLEY: The real wild card here is President Elect Donald Trump. He'll likely be getting completely opposite advice on China from musk and Rubio. So, nobody really has a clue as to which way he's going to go. And that unpredictability, that uncertainty, is really being felt right now on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.

Will Ripley, CNN, Taipei.

CHURCH: Syrian state media is now reporting that at least 36 people are dead after Israeli air strikes targeted several locations in the central city of Palmyra. Video from social media shows large smoke plumes rising on Wednesday after the strikes. State media also says more than 50 people were injured, and there was significant damage to buildings in the area. The strike would rank among the deadliest Israeli attacks in Syria in recent years. The IDF said it does not comment on foreign reports.

Still to come, Donald Trump's cabinet casting call from pro-wrestling to reality T.V. to Fox News. We will look at some of Trump's camera- ready picks for key government roles. Back in just a moment.

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[02:30:50] CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. U.S. allies are paying close attention to America's future in NATO, which could face radical changes when Donald Trump returns to the White House. And now, we know who Trump has picked as his Ambassador to the Alliance, Matthew Whitaker. He served as Acting Attorney General during Trump's first term, and briefly led the Justice Department after Trump forced Jeff Sessions out of the job in 2018.

Whitaker has no foreign policy background, but he will likely be tasked with pressuring NATO allies to increase their defense spending which has long been a big sticking point for Trump. Well, critics of Trump's cabinet picks and nominees for crucial posts are seeing a very clear trend. Many of them have been TV personalities and right-wing media darlings. CNN's Brian Todd looks at what could be motivating Trump's camera-ready choices.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEPHANIE MCMAHON, DAUGHTER OF LINDA MCMAHON AND RETIRED PROFESSIONAL WRESTLER: This is going to hurt me a lot worse than it hurts you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get her.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Ladies and gentlemen, meet the woman who could be your new Secretary of Education, Linda McMahon in the beige jacket in a WWF SmackDown with her daughter, Stephanie. She's a mom who can get as good as she gives.

LINDA MCMAHON, FORMER UNITED STATES ADMINISTRATOR OF THE SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION AND RETIRED PROFESSIONAL WRESTLER: You're simply a conniving (EXPLETIVE DELETED).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What? That's her mother. Stephanie struck her mother down.

TODD (voice-over): McMahon, former CEO of the WWE, which she co- founded with her husband, Vince McMahon. She's been tapped by President-elect Donald Trump to lead the Department of Education and is one of several Trump cabinet picks with a common thread, experience on television.

BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: This is officially the television cabinet, the "Made For TV" cabinet.

JACKIE KUCINICH, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: They seem to have two things in common. They look the part and they are loyal to President-elect Trump.

TODD (voice-over): Something Trump has even mentioned.

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: This guy is central casting. He is perfect. He is central casting.

TODD (voice-over): Dr. Mehmet Oz, who Trump just selected to head the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, had appeared as a health expert on the Oprah Winfrey Show for years and hosted his own syndicated TV show. Many of Trump's cabinet picks come straight from Fox News, like Fox and Friends host, Pete Hegseth, Trump's choice for Defense Secretary, who interviewed Trump several times on Fox. There's Sean Duffy, Trump's pick for Transportation Secretary, who was a cast member of MTV's reality shows "The Real World" and "Road Rules."

SEAN DUFFY, FORMER UNITED STATES REPRESENTATIVE: Stand up and stick up for yourself. Do you feel that way?

TODD (voice-over): Duffy was also a host on Fox Business and a CNN Contributor.

STELTER: During Trump's first term in office, there were 20 different occasions of Fox to Trump hires. This time around, there's already about half a dozen Fox-related hires.

TODD (voice-over): Former Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, Trump's nominee for Director of National Intelligence, has guest hosted on Fox. Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, the choice for U.S. Ambassador to Israel, hosted his own show on Fox. Gabbard, Huckabee, Duffy and Linda McMahon do have experience in government. Others like Hegseth, don't.

KUCINICH: There could be a drawback when it comes to the lack of experience with some of these nominees. That said, there will be other appointees that are under them, that could actually do the day-to-day running of the organization.

TODD (voice-over): CNN has reported that Trump picked many of these people for their messaging abilities.

STELTER: He wants people who can communicate and defend him on TV, and that's what he is getting.

TODD: Analysts say in some cases, some of the TV personalities chosen for those positions actually appear to be auditioning for government jobs when they were on TV. Brian Stelter points out that Pete Hegseth had been putting on shows trying to appeal to Trump for years. And he says, Tom Holman Trump's choice for Border Czar, had previously spent a lot of time on Fox talking about how he'd handle the border.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Family and Friends of former One Direction singer, Liam Payne, gathered to pay tribute to him on Wednesday. A horse-drawn carriage brought Payne's casket to the church for a private funeral in Amersham, northwest of London. Payne's former One Direction bandmates, Zayn Malik, Harry Styles, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson, all attended the service.

[02:35:00]

One Direction became the first group to have its first four albums debut at number one on the Billboard 200 chart. The 31-year-old singer died last month after falling from the third floor balcony of a hotel in Buenos Aires in Argentina. Officials say Payne had alcohol, cocaine, and a prescription anti-depressant in his system at the time of his death.

Australia makes what it calls a trailblazing move to protect kids from the harm posed by social media. Still to come, details on a proposed ban and an uphill battle to enforce it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: A volcano in Iceland is spewing lava and smoke for a sixth time this year. The latest eruption happening about 30 kilometers from the capital, Reykjavik. But the city itself is not affected and the volcano is not expected to disrupt international air traffic, unlike another volcanic eruption in Iceland 14 years ago. This volcano was dormant for about 800 years before it started erupting in 2021. Scientists say it's now likely to stay active for decades to come.

Australia is moving to ban anyone under 16 from using social media, calling it a world-leading reform to protect children from harmful content online. New legislation introduced today would force social media companies to verify users' age or face hefty fines. As Hanako Montgomery reports, the move came after a string of suicides by children who were bullied online.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For all the positive connections, the joy social media can create, it can also quickly strip it away, destroy it forever.

KELLY O'BRIEN, MOTHER OF CHARLOTTE O'BRIEN: I will miss your hugs, your kisses, your laugh, your beautiful, beautiful smile.

MONTGOMERY (voice-over): In September, 12-year-old Australian girl, Charlotte O'Brien took her own life, after years being bullied on social media. Her parents quickly joined a political fight to protect children from online harm. The Australian government says the best way to do that is to ban anyone under 16 from using social media.

ANTHONY ALBANESE, AUSTRALIA PRIME MINISTER: Social media is doing social harm to our young Australians, and I am calling time on it. The safety and mental health of our young people has to be a priority.

MONTGOMERY (voice-over): Under new legislation introduced to Australia's parliament, there would be consequences for social media companies caught systematically breaching the age restriction and other safety measures, fines reaching tens of millions of dollars. But children or parents won't be punished for breaking the new rules.

[02:40:00]

Instead, the government says the ban will help moms and dads to say no to young people who want to stay online.

BEN KIOKO, 14-YEAR-OLD SOCIAL MEDIA USER: Yeah. So being autistic, I have a really, really hard time connecting with others and doing that online makes it a lot easier.

MONTGOMERY (voice-over): Some experts too say that a catch-all approach may not be helpful.

JUSTIN HUMPHREY, UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY: Even though the age is really fundamentally important that we need to get right, what we're talking about when we say we're going to introduce a ban by age is that it negates the fact that young people have very, very different levels of maturity.

MONTGOMERY (voice-over): But advocates of the ban point to age limits on alcohol, gambling and smoking, arguing social media can be equally damaging for those too young to use it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MONTGOMERY (on camera): Now, Rosemary, as you just saw, for grieving parents and for those who support this proposed legislation, these regulations are long overdue. They believe that these new rules would make the internet a safer place for kids and protect them from potentially very harmful content online. But critics argue that there are still many questions the Australian government needs to answer, such as how these regulations will actually come into play and how they'll be enforced.

For now, the next step would be for this legislation to pass through the Senate next week, where it will be further deliberated. Rosemary?

CHURCH: We will watch for the impact of this. Hanako Montgomery joining us live from Tokyo with that report, many thanks.

The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival has announced its 2025 lineup. Lady Gaga will headline on Friday, Green Day on Saturday, and Post Malone on Sunday for both weeks of the two-weekend festival. Charli XCX, Missy Elliott, Megan Thee Stallion, and the Go-go are also set to perform among several other artists. It will be Lady Gaga's second time headlining the famous Southern California festival. Coachella will run April 11th through the 13th, and April 18th through 20th.

I want to thank you so much for joining us. I'm Rosemary Church. "World Sport" is coming up next. Then I'll be back in about 15 minutes with more "CNN Newsroom." Do stick around.

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