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Storm Threatens to Snarl Thanksgiving Travel; Biden Administration Unveils Plan to Expand Anti-Obesity Drug Coverage; Today, Trump's Border Czar to Visit Crossing in Texas. Aired 10-10:30a ET

Aired November 26, 2024 - 10:00   ET

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

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[10:00:00]

JIM ACOSTA, CNN ANCHOR: Right now, get ready. Rain across the eastern part of the country, heavy snow in parts of the west, it's all making for a messy start to Thanksgiving travel.

Plus, we're watching the market reaction this morning to President- elect Donald Trump's new tariff threat, how it could impact your wallet.

And a potential game changer for those wildly popular obesity drugs, the Biden administration has a plan to make them more affordable for millions of Americans.

Good morning, I'm Jim Acosta in Washington. You are live in the CNN Newsroom.

Here we go. The holiday rush is getting underway. About 80 million people across the country are hitting the highways and airports during this busy Thanksgiving travel week. But the weather is showing up like an unwelcome guest this year. Some big storms and a blast of cold air could cause some holiday headaches out there.

CNN's Derek Van Dam and Ryan Young join us now, they're looking at all of this. Derek, this is sort of like that leftover Thanksgiving buffet. You can't -- you know, not everybody wants it, this weather that's coming our way.

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Or that relative you can't shake at the dinner table.

ACOSTA: The relative you can't shake. I mean, I love them all, but, you know, some folks have one out there, I guess, you could say.

VAN DAM: Right. We've got two storms that are impacting the country this week. One right now along the eastern seaboard that could bring kind of moderate delays to, let's say, JFK, LaGuardia, southward into the D.C. region. But this storm system out west that's bringing some mountain snow and rain to the coastal areas of California, this is what I'm looking at for more delays as we head into the day on Thursday. If you're getting that late last-minute trip into get to grandma and grandpa's house for Thanksgiving Day afternoon.

Okay, so here's the radar. The first storm that's currently impacting the East Coast, but it's moving quickly. So, that's a good news. It is mixing in some rain and snow, perhaps some freezing rain across the higher elevations of Vermont, New Hampshire and Northern New York. Heading further south, though, towards this I-95 corridor, Boston to New York, this is all rain. So, we'll keep this in the liquid variety. No frozen precipitation here, which is good news for the roadways, so many millions of Americans hitting the roads for this travel period as well, but the west, not the same situation. Any of these mountain overpasses here, very dangerous because of the snow that will be accumulating, not in inches, but in feet.

So, there's the two storm systems, they kind of separate the country, lots of clear conditions across the middle part. Let's advance this and forward it in time, and you can see that first storm access the East Coast. Wednesday could be your ideal time to travel for this holiday weekend to get to your destination and settle in for the long haul, because Thursday, this storm explodes along the East Coast. It will bring snowfall to Northern New England. It looks like to be a cool, damp and rainy day across the major East Coast cities once again. So, the storm system exits off the East Coast and then it draws in the coldest air of the season behind it. It kicks in the lake- enhanced snow machine into high gear.

And you won't believe these temperatures, Jim. We are going to bottom out into the 40s, even the 20s for Chicago, and well below freezing all the way to the Gulf Coast by out there in the early parts of next week.

ACOSTA: Yes, I noticed it's going to get really cold this weekend that cold weather that you said is coming in behind these storms.

VAN DAM: Yes.

ACOSTA: Not something to mess with. All right, thanks, Derek.

And, Ryan, AAA believes a lot of records might get broken this week, a lot of folks getting on the roads this holiday week, and they're going to have to pick their day, as Derek was saying.

RYAN YOUNG, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely Look, I want to play the role of the crazy uncle right now. As you talk about relatives, when I heard Derek Van Dam talking about that cold weather in Chicago, we're not having that sort of air here in Atlanta, pretty balmy right now.

If you look behind me, as we talk about the traffic, talk about all the people hitting the road, that might be buoyed by the economy to a certain extent. But right now, it's lighter than normal to the connector. You know, this area say, slam with cars normally, not seeing that.

[10:05:02]

But 71 million people are expected on the roads, that's 1 million more than last year. And gas prices are about $3.07 average. That's about down from $3.25 last year.

The news that we've been talking to where people on the road as they feel more comfortable sometimes getting in their cars because they didn't want to deal with the impact of the TSA. Listen to AAA talk about all the folks hitting the roads in the next few hours.

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SKYLER MCKINLEY, AAA SPOKESPERSON: It's going to be a little chaotic on the I-70 Corridor. We know the worst of the snow is going to come in Tuesday. It might linger into Wednesday. So, functionally, it's the perfect storm.

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YOUNG: Jim, I got to give you something here. You talk about best travel times, before 10:00 A.M., so right about now, and then between the hours of 1:00 and 7:00 today. Tomorrow, 1:00 to 5:00, they really think are the best hours.

You know, you're just trying to dodge that weather that you were talking about to get on the road before all that stuff hits, because nobody wants to be trapped in the car with screaming kids or anything else that's going on these days. You want to kind of plan ahead and kind of know your exits as you get along on that road, Jim?

ACOSTA: Yes, it's got Clark Griswold written all over it, if you aren't careful out there on the roadways,

YOUNG: Absolutely.

ACOSTA: Derek Van Dam, Ryan Young, thanks, guys, very much. I appreciate it.

Also new this morning, very interesting development here in Washington, a new government plan could make popular anti-obesity medications more affordable to millions of Americans. The Biden administration wants Medicaid and Medicare to cover the drugs. That could mean some people see their out-of-pocket costs slashed by up to 95 percent.

CNN Health Reporter Jacqueline Howard joins me now. Jacqueline, I mean, this is big news. A lot of people use these medications, and they're very expensive. So, this could be a huge relief for people.

JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER: That's right, Jim. What this is proposing is to require Medicare and Medicaid to cover weight loss medications, like Zepbound, like WeGovy, for all patients with obesity. How this proposal is different than what's currently the case is, currently with Medicare and Medicaid, these medications are covered for patients who are obese or overweight, only if they have another underlying chronic health condition, like diabetes or cardiovascular disease.

So, this is really the Biden administration proposing to treat obesity as a disease itself, make these medications accessible for all patients with obesity. And like you said, Jim, these medications are expensive. They can cost about a thousand dollars a month without coverage. So, having coverage would be a huge game changer for patients.

The only thing here is, Jim, this is a proposal. We don't know when it will be finalized, what that timeline might look like, if it's not made final before the end of Biden's term. Is this something that could roll over for the Trump administration to consider? And then could we see politics playing a role here? That's something to keep an eye on, Jim.

ACOSTA: Right, because RFK Jr., the pick for Health and Human Services secretary, has said he's not so sure about some of these medications. And how many people could this impact potentially over time?

HOWARD: Well, it is estimated that this potentially could help about 3.4 million people with Medicare and about 4 million Medicaid enrollees. And just in general, of course, we know that obesity has been an ongoing public health concern. It impacts about 40 percent of adults here in the United States. So, that's why the Biden administration is framing this as a way to really target and treat obesity. But like you said, Jim, we could see politics coming into play, so something to watch.

ACOSTA: Fascinating. All right, Jacqueline Howard, thank you. That's going to be a big relief to a lot of people of that actually goes through. Jacqueline, thank you so much.

Joining me now, CNN Economics and Political Commentator Catherine Rampell. Catherine, I mean, you know, you and I -- we see these ads all the time on T.V., and a lot of people use these medications. This could be a huge deal. That could just be a game changer for a lot of Americans if this actually goes through, if it doesn't get ensnared in politics, as Jacqueline was just saying a few moments ago, because you do have a different mindset when it comes to these medications when the Trump team comes in.

CATHERINE RAMPELL, CNN ECONOMICS AND POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Absolutely. Yes, I did some reporting actually earlier this year on the economic implications of these kinds of drugs. They are obviously very expensive, and if Medicare and Medicaid do start providing them just for weight loss, universally, which right now Medicare does not by law, there are lots of people who would not only potentially have access to these medications to lose weight, but also, potentially, there could be health savings down the line for all sorts of other diseases and illnesses that are linked with obesity. So, things like Alzheimer's, diabetes, joint problems, et cetera.

So, there are a lot of questions here about, you know, not only could this improve people's lives, but what would the impact be for the federal budget, right? They're going to spend a lot of money up front, especially if they don't (INAUDIBLE) these drugs, which they very may well, as they could under the Inflation Reduction Act.

[10:10:09] They'll to spend a lot of money up front, but there could be some savings to the federal government in the long run if they end up not having to pay for those kinds of health interventions that are linked to obesity.

ACOSTA: And let's talk about the other big economic news of the day, and that is Donald Trump's threat of new tariffs. He's talking about following through one of his core campaign promises, saying he's going to roll out a 25 percent tariff on all goods from Mexico and Canada, 10 percent hike on imports from China. What does that mean for prices, consumers will pay?

And, Catherine, I guess the other thing we have to talk about is, I mean, we're looking at the reaction on Wall Street a few moments ago. It doesn't look like Wall Street is freaking out over this just yet. Is it possible that this is just bluster or that the market is thinking that it's just bluster at this point?

RAMPELL: So, I'll take those questions one at a time. If in fact -- threatened tariffs, they would have huge effects on prices. Mexico, for example, is our number one trading partner. It surpassed China relatively recently in that regard. We get lots of consumer goods from China -- excuse me, from Mexico, whether we're talking about, you know, T.V.s produce, lots of vegetables come from Mexico. In fact, like 90 percent of avocados, for example, come from Mexico, about two- thirds of the fresh tomatoes that Americans eat. So, all of those things would see higher prices, not to mention the fact that we also get a lot of inputs, intermediate goods in the United States from Mexico and from Canada that are used by American firms to make and produce their own products.

So, housing, for example, you know, there's a huge housing affordability crisis in this country, but we get a lot of our lumber and a lot of our cement from Canada. So, those costs would -- unavoidable at this point. So, if you voted for Donald Trump because you thought he was going to reduce the cost of living, I may have some bad news in store for you.

But as you alluded, you know, there is some potential hope, I don't know what to characterize it as, that this is just bluster. And, frankly, I think we don't know. Trump carried out a lot of his tariff threats back in his first term. And there were plenty of things that he was itching to do by the end that his staff at the time basically restrained him from doing.

There were reports about one of his economic advisers, Gary Cohn, swiping trade documents off of Donald Trump's desk. And I don't think you will have that same kind of coterie of aides who are thwarting him, whether you call them the Deep State or anything else, because these are true believers, these are loyalists, and I think it's quite possible that Trump may carry out some of these threats.

I think the only thing that would restrain him at this point, it does believe him and does begin to freak out, which, as you point out, hasn't happened yet. ACOSTA: Yes. And Trump's pick for Treasury Secretary has said, oh, you don't need to worry about all this talk of tariffs from the campaign. You know, I think he's a free trader and so on. And then, lo and behold, we get this announcement from Trump before he's even sworn in as president that he wants to do these very large and potentially very impactful tariffs.

RAMPELL: There's a lot of --

ACOSTA: Yes,

RAMPELL: Yes, there's a lot of wish casting among many of Trump's aides and advisers, I think.

ACOSTA: Yes, absolutely. All right, Catherine Rampell, we'll be following. We know you as well. We'll be doing that as well. Thank you so much. I appreciate it.

All right, coming up president like Trump's pick for border czar is about to visit a crossing. In Texas, how the state is pivoting from feuding with President Biden to working with the incoming president. That's next.

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ACOSTA: Donald Trump's pick for his so-called border czar is about to make his first visit to the southern border since the election. Tom Homan is going to the Eagle Pass crossing point in Texas. That's not far from where Border Patrol agents found a two-year-old girl traveling without her parents. Here's the video shared by state officials.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)?

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ACOSTA: Heartbreaking. All right, CNN's Rosa Flores is in Houston. Priscilla Alvarez is at the White House. Rosa, let me begin with you. What do we know about that little girl? And how is Tom Homan reacting? What's the reaction? ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, we know very little about that little girl. That's mostly because she's an unaccompanied minor. And in those cases, we normally don't know very much. As you heard her say there, she is from Venezuela, but we don't know much more than that.

Here's what we do know. We know that Governor Greg Abbott will be serving meals today to members of the Texas National Guard and Texas State Troopers. And normally he does this by himself. But today, he's going to be joined by the incoming U.S. border czar, Tom Homan.

Now, he's the man that has been picked by President-elect Donald Trump to enforce his mass deportations. And he was on Fox News earlier today talking about what he described was a border that's out of control and that he plans to reinstate President Donald Trump's border policies once he takes office.

[10:20:02]

And he also said that he will be cooperating with governors, like Governor Greg Abbott. Take a listen.

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TOM HOMAN, TRUMP'S PICK FOR BORDER CZAR: We're not waiting to January 20th. We're already planning what we're going to do to lock down the state of Texas. Governor Abbott's done a great job so far.

I guarantee you the Trump administration isn't going to constantly sue him for trying to secure the border.

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FLORES: Now, here's a quick border check and a check on reality as to what is actually happening on the border. The migrant apprehensions are really low right now. I talked to a law enforcement source yesterday who said that migrant apprehensions on the U.S. southern border on Sunday were about 1,500 migrant apprehensions. If you compare that to December of 2023, when about 10,000 migrants were crossing into the United States per day, you can see that the number has dropped significantly.

Now, those numbers dropped and plummeted this summer after the Biden administration practically barred asylum at the border and started deporting everyone that didn't have a legal basis to stay in the United States. As a matter of fact, the latest numbers from CBP show that about 206,000 people have been deported from June to September.

And one of the things that's important to note, Jim, is that the Biden administration have been managing the border through legal pathways and also a relationship with Mexico. And as you were just talking about moments ago, that relationship could get a little icy based on the threats of tariffs to Mexico that President-elect Donald Trump announced yesterday. Back to you.

ACOSTA: All right, Rosa. And, Priscilla, let's talk about Governor Greg Abbott. He's about to begin a new era in his state's relationship with the White House when it comes to border security because Donald Trump is going into office.

Abbott, of course, made a big name for himself over the last four years by putting migrants on buses and sending them to cities, in blue States. You've got new reporting about what could be ahead.

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the through line over the course of the Biden administration has been this ongoing feud between President Biden and Texas Governor Greg Abbott. Of course, the Texas governor had launched his Operation Lone Star in 2021, only months after the president took office. But also it was an affront to the Biden administration, and that included what you mentioned, which is the buses with migrants sent to those Democratic-led cities, blocking portions of the border to federal agents, and also setting up those buoys in the Rio Grande.

All of this to say that the Texas governor had often argued that he was the one securing the border in the face of federal law enforcement, while Homeland Security officials said that it was getting in the way of their operations. And all of this ended up in court and in a series of lawsuits that you heard Tom Homan mentioned there shortly ago.

But now we're entering a new phase. And in that phase, sources tell me that Trump's team wants to work very closely with Texas. They want to use what Texas has done on the border as a road map for how states should be cooperating with federal law enforcement. And the moves that frustrated the Biden White House are ones that are welcome under the incoming Trump White House.

And that is clearly shown by Tom Homan, the incoming border czar, being along the border today with Abbott. It's also in some of the considerations that I'm told that the president-elect is making, including, for example, bringing in the Texas border czar, Michael Banks, to be potentially the head of U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

So, all of the personnel moves alone and where they have been indicates how this relationship with the White House will evolve when it is Donald Trump sitting in the Oval Office. Jim?

ACOSTA: All right. Priscilla Alvarez, Rosa Flores, thank you both very much.

Coming up, cases dropped, but the door is still open. Donald Trump could still face prosecution in the future in the election subversion and classified documents cases. We'll talk about that next.

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ACOSTA: Special Counsel Jack Smith has dropped the criminal investigations into President-elect Donald Trump and CNN has learned that Smith still plans to release his final reports before the inauguration in January. That applies to both the election subversion and classified documents cases. What does that all mean?

CNN Senior Legal Analyst Elie Honig joins us now. Elie, I guess, you know, one of the things we should be looking for would be these reports. And what do we expect to see in those reports?

ELIE HONIG, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: Well, Jim, we've seen special counsel reports before, most memorably, I think in recent history, the Mueller report. We've also seen reports from John Durham, who investigated the Mueller investigation, and we saw a report last year from Robert Hur, who investigated Joe Biden's possession of classified documents.

So, historically, these special counsel reports are quite detailed. They're 300, 400 pages. They read in some instances like books, like novels. And so I think what this will be is Jack Smith's last and best chance to tell his full story. In both cases, he's already done that, to some extent, through his indictments and though his other court filings, but this will be the historical record. And I think it makes sense that Jack Smith will issue those reports. That's what the special counsel regulations require.

ACOSTA: And I'm sure that is going to rile up the president-elect, I mean, who has threatened to fire Jack Smith if he's still around, which, of course, is not going to be the case. But, I mean, these cases were dismissed without prejudice, which technically leaves the door open for future prosecution. I mean, Elie, I can't imagine that that is going to take place and couldn't the new Trump team go in the Justice Department and, I mean, just get rid of the case files? I mean, what do you think about all that?

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HONIG: Well, you're right. The word, technically, is doing a lot of work there.

ACOSTA: Yes.

HONIG: Yes. Technically, the cases were dismissed without prejudice, meaning, technically, someone could come back in four years.