Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Trump Says He Will Nominate Kash Patel As FBI Director; Syrian Rebels Control Most of Aleppo, Eye Other Cities; Possible Tech Impacts Under Second Trump Administration. Aired 5-6 am ET

Aired December 01, 2024 - 05:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:00:34]

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN Newsroom.

Another surprise nomination for Donald Trump's cabinet. We'll look at the plans Kash Patel has for the future of the FBI.

Statues are being pulled down and celebratory gunshots are ringing out in Aleppo. What the Syrian rebel offensive has gained so far.

Plus, it's called the Lake effect. We'll get a live update from our weather team on the dangerous winter weather impacting the U.S. Northeast.

ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta. This is CNN Newsroom with Kim Brunhuber.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KASH PATEL, TRUMP'S PICK FOR FBI DIRECTOR: I'd shut down the FBI Hoover building on day one and reopening the next day as a museum of the deep state. What do you need 7000 people there for? Same thing with DOJ. What are all these people doing here?

We will go out and find the conspirators, not just in government, but in the media. Yes, we're going to come after the people in the media who lied about American citizens who helped Joe Biden rig presidential elections. We're going to come after you, whether it's criminal or civilly, we'll figure that out. But yeah, we're putting you all on notice.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: That was Kash Patel, President-elect Donald Trump's pick to be the next Director of the FBI. Patel rose to prominence in Trump's orbit in 2018. But even among loyalists, he's a controversial figure, widely viewed as a self-promoter. But current FBI Director Christopher Wray has three years remaining in his term. You'd have to resign or be fired to create a vacancy. CNN Reporter Alayna Treene has more now on Trump's pick and the

showdown it could create with the agency.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN POLITICAL REPORTER: President-elected Donald Trump on Saturday evening announced that he plans to install top loyalist Kash Patel to be his next FBI Director. Now, Patel is Donald Trump's former National Security Director, but also someone who has been a hardline critic of the FBI and has called for firing the FBI's leadership as well as purging it of bias and holding it accountable for what both he and Donald Trump have argued are unjustifiable investigations and prosecutions against the former president.

Now, Donald Trump's selection of Patel speaks to Trump's desire to fill top law enforcement and intelligence positions with supporters who are open to carrying out his demands for specific investigations and potentially what Donald Trump has in the past referenced as retribution and seeking retribution against those who have investigated him.

Now, I really want to put this all-in context because Donald Trump has had a deep distrust of the FBI, really dating back to the Bureau's 2016 investigation of him and his campaign's alleged work with Russia as something that Donald Trump had referenced in his announcement on Saturday evening. He wrote that Patel, quote, "played a pivotal role in uncovering the Russia, Russia, Russia hoax, standing as an advocate for truth, accountability, and the Constitution."

And Donald Trump's view of the FBI really only worsened after they had raided his Mar-a-Lago home in August of 2022 and then later carried out an indictment against him as part of the classified documents case against him.

Now, to be clear, despite Donald Trump's announcement Saturday evening of his intention to have Patel be his next FBI Director, he would still need to fire Christopher Wray, the current FBI Director who is serving out his 10-year term. I'd remind you as well that Donald Trump was initially the one who had appointed Christopher Wray to be his FBI Director back in 2017. However, their relationship has worsened over the years.

Now, we also did hear and got a statement from the FBI. I'm going to read for you what they said. They said, quote, "Every day, the men and women of the FBI continue to work to protect Americans from a growing array of threats. Director Wray's focus remains on the men and women of the FBI, the people we do the work with, and the people we do the work for."

Now, I also want to point out that Patel the does face a serious uphill battle when it comes to his Senate confirmation process. Patel is someone who has made several controversial statements in the past, and there's also questions over whether or not he would be an independent director at the FBI, as the FBI and the DOJ more broadly have served as an independent agency independent from the president.

So, questions over that sure to come up in some of those conversations with Republican senators on Capitol Hill.

Alayna Treene, CNN, West Palm Beach, Florida.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[05:05:00]

BRUNHUBER: Now, earlier, CNN spoke with Andrew McCabe. He's a former Deputy Director of the FBI and worked with Director Christopher Wray during the first Trump administration. Here's what he had to say about Kash Patel's qualifications and what Trump may be trying to do with the agency.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDREW MCCABE, FORMER DEPUTY DIRECTOR, FBI: The fact that Kash Patel is profoundly unqualified for this job is not even like a matter for debate. So, I think what we should -- what we should really be thinking about right now is, what does this signal in terms of Donald Trump's intent for the FBI?

The installation or the nomination, I guess we should say at this point, of Kash Patel's FBI Director can only possibly be a plan to disrupt, to dismantle, to distract the FBI and to possibly use it as a tool for the president's political agenda.

And, you know, as an organization, we know what that looks like. This country has been there before, right? The pre-Watergate FBI, the J. Edgar Hoover FBI struck fear in the hearts of Americans across the spectrum of politicians, people in entertainment, people in the civil rights community because the director operated at the direction of presidents to collect political intelligence and to utilize the legal authorities, the investigative authorities of the FBI to terrorize and intimidate Americans.

So, the question is, is that where we're going back to with this nomination? I would argue that Kash Patel would be the perfect person for Donald Trump to nominate if that's, in fact, his intent for the FBI.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Meanwhile, Charles Kushner, the father of Trump's son-in- law Jared, has been tapped as the next U.S. ambassador to France. Trump called him a tremendous business leader and philanthropist. Kushner is a real estate developer. He served time in federal prison after pleading guilty to tax evasion, retaliating against a federal witness, and lying to the Federal Election Commission. Trump pardoned him in 2020.

The President-elect also announced a new tariff proposal on Saturday. This one targets the BRICS nations, the group of emerging economies backed by China and Russia. Trump says he will require them to promise they won't try to create a new currency or face tariffs of 100%.

Now, in 2023, Brazil's president proposed the creation of a common currency to reduce their reliance on the U.S. dollar, but the chances that it will actually happen are considered to be slim due to economic and political differences among group members.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had dinner with Trump at Mar-a- Lago on Friday. It was an apparent effort to influence Trump, who has called for 25% tariffs on all imports from the country. No resolution of the issue was announced, and Trudeau didn't say much about the meeting afterward, but he thanked Trump in a post on X and said he looked forward to working together.

Now, the President-elect has vowed to impose on his first day in office a 25% tariff on all imports from both Canada and Mexico, plus an additional 10% tariffs on goods from China.

We're hearing from Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for the first time since rebel forces launched a surprise offensive this week in calls with the Iraqi Prime Minister and the president of the United Arab Emirates. Assad vowed that Syria will continue to, quote, "defend its stability and territorial integrity in the face of all terrorists and their supporters."

Now, rebels took control of the eastern entrance to Aleppo on Sunday, further consolidating their control over the country's second largest city. The spokesperson for the Rebel Alliance says they've also taken over the feed artillery and the military academy, and some people returning to Aleppo are celebrating the rebel offensive.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MOHAMMED ABOUL FOUTHOUH, RESIDENT RETURNING TO ALEPPO: After 10 years of displacement from Aleppo, we have returned. Oh, Lord, may God bring back every displaced person. May he return our people, those still in tents, to their homes safely. Just as we rejoiced in the liberation of our city, God willing, they too will rejoice in the liberation of their towns and cities.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: And rebel forces all claim to be in control of Aleppo International Airport, with new photos showing fighters inside the main terminal. They have seized most of the city, though Kurdish militia still hold control over some neighborhoods in the Northeast.

CNN's Nada Bashir is following the latest developments from London.

So, Nada, more progress made by the rebels. Bring us up to speed.

NADA BASHIR, CNN REPORTER: That's right, Kim. It appears as though rebel forces are consolidating control over Aleppo, Syria's second largest city. We've seen, of course, that surprise attack moving forward, pushing forward as they continue to consolidate their control over this city.

And, of course, we've been hearing reports of key areas, infrastructure being taken control of, including, of course, as you mentioned, the airports and as well as a military academy as well. We've been hearing from one resident who lives near the military academy saying that the Syrian armed forces present on the ground there appeared to have surrendered without much of a fight. And we've been hearing that over the course of the last week that the Syrian rebel forces were met with very little resistance from Bashar al- Assad's regime forces on the ground in the north.

[05:10:23]

And the fear now, or the concern, rather, is that we may continue to see this trigger other sorts of events on the ground further south towards Damascus, that we may see rebel forces moving forward and, of course, clashing with Syrian armed forces in other cities, suggestions by some analysts that we may continue to see rebel forces moving towards Hama, further south of Aleppo. But again, at this stage, it appears as though they are consolidating their presence and control of Aleppo.

What we've also seen on the ground as well is airstrikes now taking place. It appears as though the Syrian armed forces, along with backers including Russia, are attempting to double down and push back Syrian armed forces. Russian state media reporting what is being described as an aerial campaign against rebel groups.

The Syrian Defense Ministry also acknowledging strikes taking place targeting rebel groups, the movements on the ground, and also supply lines as well.

Journalists and activists on the ground telling CNN that at least 10 strikes have taken place since Wednesday. That figure could be high. And we have seen videos emerging of hospitals seemingly overrun as a result of the casualties coming in as well.

So clearly a very influx situation. It appears as though the Syrian armed forces and Bashar al-Assad's regime may now be stepping up to push back. But at this stage, it appears as though rebel forces have been successful in overpowering the armed forces on the ground in the north.

BRUNHUBER: And Nada, so many parties in the region and elsewhere having stakes in what's going on there. So what's been the reaction so far?

BASHIR: That's right Kim. Well, as you mentioned, we've heard that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has spoken with regional leaders, including the Iraqi leader Mohammed Shia' Al Sudani, who has said that the security of Syria is interconnected with the security of Iraq, offering support on that front. He's also spoken with the leader of the United Arab Emirates, saying that with the support of regional leaders and allies, Syria will be able to take down any rebel forces or any rebel movements in the north.

But this has also been a huge point of concern, of course, for members of the Astana framework, which, of course, has been such a focal point in the past with regards to mediating any sort of peace agreements in Syria. So Russia, of course, has been key in this. Iran and Turkey, we've heard from the Iranian Foreign Minister there holding calls with his Turkish and Russian counterparts.

Russia, of course, has long time been a key backer of the Assad regime, supporting them with airstrikes in the past. The concern is that this could again escalate, as we have seen in the past. There has been calls from regional leaders for calm, for this to be de- escalated. It remains to be seen whether that pressure will lead to any sort of movement on the negotiation table.

BRUNHUBER: All right, we shall see. Nada Bashir in London. Thank you so much.

Meanwhile, in southern Gaza, the Israeli military struck a vehicle on Saturday, killing three World Central Kitchen workers. The IDF claims one of those workers was a terrorist who took part in the October 7 attack on kibbutz near Oz. The World Central Kitchen, for its part, denies any knowledge of the workers' alleged ties to the attack. The father of one of the victims spoke out after the deadly strike.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ADEL MOHAMMAD AL NAMLE, SON KILLED IN IDF STRIKE (through translator): He was on his way to work at the WCK. He left in the morning. Then we received a call from Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis telling us that our son was murdered. He has been working with them since the beginning of the war on a daily basis.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: World Central Kitchen says it's heartbroken following the aid workers' deaths and its pausing operations in Gaza following the strike.

An Israeli-American hostage held by Hamas is begging U.S. and Israeli leaders to bring him home. Edan Alexander appeared to be under duress as he spoke in the propaganda footage made public by the militant group on Saturday.

He urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President- elect Donald Trump to do whatever they can to free all remaining hostages in Gaza. Twenty-year-old Alexander is an Israeli service member whose family approved the airing of this video.

And last Saturday, his mother spoke at a hostage family's rally in Israel. Here she is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

YAEL ALEXANDER, EDAN ALEXANDER'S MOTHER (through translator): My dear Edan, my beloved, we miss you painfully. I want to tell you that following your message earlier this evening, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called me. He reassured me and promised me that now, after reaching an arrangement in Lebanon, conditions are right to free you all and bring you home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: The White House called the video a cruel reminder of Hamas' terror.

Hezbollah supporters have paid homage to the militant group's late leader more than two months after his death. On Saturday, they gathered at the site where Hassan Nasrallah was killed by an Israeli airstrike in Beirut.

[05:15:10]

It was the first public commemoration of his death, happening just days after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah went into effect. Some of Nasrallah's supporters cried while others held candles and displayed his pictures. He led Hezbollah for more than 30 years, and he was hugely influential in the region.

Well, it may be slow going for some travelers back home this Thanksgiving weekend. Just ahead, what to expect from the weather across the U.S.? And flooding in Southeast Asia is forcing thousands to flee for their lives. The forecast may soon force more in Thailand and Malaysia to relocate as the death toll rises.

And Georgia's crackdown on pro-EU protests causes a break with the United States. We will have those stories and more when we come back. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:20:00]

BRUNHUBER: Heavy snow and brutal cold have hit much of eastern U.S. just as Thanksgiving travelers try to get home. The season's first major lake effect snow event is hitting Pennsylvania extra hard. Underneath that big mound of snow, believe it or not, is a park car.

Heavy snow closed several major highways in New York and Pennsylvania, including parts of busy Interstate 90. Millions of Americans are currently under some type of winter weather alert, and many of those are under lake effect snow warnings. Snow is six feet deep in some places, and temperatures are forecast to drop even more throughout the coming week. So how bad is it going to get and where? That's why we have CNN Meteorologist Allison Chinchar standing by.

Alison, those areas used to snow, but I mean, this is breaking records, right?

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It is. And I think that's kind of the point for people. You know, you think about these places, oh, but they always get snow. But even for these areas, this is more than they would usually get, especially this time of year. That's the other thing to note. Some of these temperatures we're seeing are more normal for, say, mid to late January, not necessarily the first of December.

Look at this video behind me. This is Harrisburg, New York. Again, you can see it on top of cars, homes obviously on the ground, but even on top of the cars, it's several feet of snow built up on top of some of these cars. And the thing is, it's still snowing. It's still expected to come down most of the day today and really even into early portions of Monday, not just up by the Great Lakes, but we also have this secondary, completely independent system that brought record snowfall to St. Louis yesterday, now sliding into portions of Kentucky, Tennessee, and even into West Virginia. But the heaviest snow is certainly going to be focused around the Great Lakes, especially Lake Erie and Lake Ontario.

You get those wind-driven bands that are going to come through, and some of them are expected to be very intense. You could have snowfall rates of 2 to 4 inches an hour. And then the wind may shift, shifting it to places that maybe haven't gotten such high totals so far yet, and today may be the day for them.

When you look at overall, again, most of these areas farther south, it was about 3 to 5 inches in a lot of these areas, but farther north, now we're measuring 3 to 5 feet, especially when this is all said and done. Some of those areas are looking at substantial snowfall totals.

Take a look at this. We've already had nearly 4 feet of snowfall in Barnes Corners, New York, at 45 inches, but Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan also looking at those totals at least above 30 inches, and some of them continuing to grow because it's not done yet. You're still going to get additional snowfall.

Here's a look. Again, you can see those bands continue to slide through throughout the day today, but then the wind is going to shift, and some of the areas that have gotten a ton may get a little bit of a break, but other areas may see it more funneled. And looking at pretty intense bands of lake effect snow all the way through the early portion of Monday.

Now, one thing to note, tonight the Buffalo Bills play at home, and there is already 16 inches of snow on the ground in Orchard Park where they play, but we've got more snow expected today and more snow during the game tonight, so it's going to be interesting to see what they end up topping out with by the time the game begins.

Temperature-wise, too, those are also dropping. Seven degrees right now in Minneapolis, but it feels like minus nine with the windchill, but that cold spreads pretty far widespread areas all the way down to the Gulf Coast, which is where we have several frost and freeze alerts, and yes, Kim, that even includes places in Florida.

BRUNHUBER: Unbelievable. Well, just a reminder for all the people who have to travel in that weather just to stay safe out there. Allison Chinchar, thank you so much. Really appreciate that.

At least 12 people have died and tens of thousands evacuated across southern Thailand and Malaysia after days of heavy rain, and more rain is expected this week, which will likely worsen what many residents are calling the worst flooding in decades. CNN's Lynda Kinkade has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LYNDA KINKADE, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Treading carefully on a rain- soaked roof in Thailand, rescuers carry a baby to a nearby boat. The precarious path, perhaps the safest way to evacuate some of the youngest residents, stranded in a house submerged in waist-high water. Days of heavy rain have inundated southern Thailand. Soldiers from the Thai Army wade door to door in some flooded areas, handing out relief kits and transporting people to drier ground. So far, tens of thousands of people have been evacuated, with some provinces suffering the worst flooding in decades.

SOMKIT FUPONGSIRINUN, STREET VENDOR (through translator): We tried to save everything we could, but some things were just too heavy to move. I experienced severe flooding back when I was much younger. Now, I realize I can't handle it the same way anymore. I just hope it doesn't get as bad.

KINKADE (voice-over): Malaysia has also been hit hard by heavy rains and flooding, which forecasters say could get worse in the next few days, with an additional 15 to 20 centimeters of rain expected. Thailand's meteorological department warns that ongoing rain could cause more flash floods, which could give rescuers already knee deep in emergency responses more work to do.

Lynda Kinkade, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[05:25:05]

BRUNHUBER: All right, much more to come here on CNN Newsroom, including a look at how the incoming U.S. president's plans for the country's southern border are coming along. He's taking steps to put his tough promises into action. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada, and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN Newsroom.

Syrian rebels are pushing further into Aleppo. After launching a surprise offensive days ago, they took control of the eastern entrance to the country's second largest city on Sunday. And CNN has geolocated video of fighters inspecting military planes inside a hangar 30 kilometers east of Aleppo.

Also, hearing from Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for the first time since the attack began. He spoke with the Iraqi Prime Minister and the president of the United Arab Emirates. Assad vowed that Syria will continue to defend its stability and territorial integrity in the face of all terrorists and their supporters.

Now, the White Helmets Rescue Group says airstrikes carried out by either the regime or Russian forces have killed four civilians in Idlib province today. Earlier, I spoke to Bader Al-Saif, a professor of history at Kuwait University and an associate fellow at Chatham House, about the international nature of this conflict. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BADER AL-SAIF, PROFESSOR OF HISTORY, KUWAIT UNIVERSITY: This is a fragile order that we're living through in the Middle East, and a lot of frozen conflicts are defreezing themselves. We've seen this in Syria in the past few days, and we can potentially see it in other hot spots like Libya and Yemen.

Now, what's taking place reminds us how international and interconnected the conflict in Syria is. It's international in the sense that you have boots on the ground from Russia, from Iran, and Turkey, along with the U.S., and it's interconnected to the various conflicts in place just because, as you know, Russians are busy with the Ukraine war, and they're not being able to deliver as much as they did in 2015-2016 when they secured Aleppo for Assad.

[05:30:24]

And the Israelis have been able to weaken a lot of the proxy groups and Iran in the process, which freed up the space for Tahrir al-Sham and others. Now, all bets are off to claim that there is a clear trajectory moving forward is not there. I think what we need to do is focus on human security, be on the ground. And I think the gulf states have a clear opportunity here in trying to bring in Syria into the Arab fold.

Remember, the talks that froze this conflict in Syria, the Astana process, which is led by Iran, Russia and Turkey, none of these are Arabs. Syria is an Arab state. Syria is for Syrians. And we need to have a Syrian voice on the table, aided by Arab ones. And I think that's the road to de-escalation and to resolution.

BRUNHUBER: But do you see de-escalation happening? I mean, you talked about how al-Assad's sponsors and allies, Iran, Hezbollah, Russia, are all occupied with their own conflicts. We've seen Russia intervene with airstrikes. Do you expect Syria's allies to reengage significantly? Or is al-Assad's regime actually in jeopardy here?

AL-SAIF: The region is not where it was in the past year. And there is certainly an opportunity to change the rules of engagement and the deterrence lines around this conflict.

Now, it serves us best to reinforce a quiet and stability in the region, because having Islamist groups on the ground is not certainly a welcome development. The Syrian regime is also connected to a lot of the atrocities in place. I think what we need to do is think of other new actors that can come in and inject some peace and quiet. And that's where the Gulf states can come in and tie this, by the way, to the conflict and the war on Palestine, because they're all interconnected.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: The White House says it's closely monitoring the developments in Syria. A statement from the National Security Council says U.S. officials have been in contact with regional capitals over the last 48 hours. The statement says the U.S. had nothing to do with the rebel offensive. It urges de-escalation to protect civilians and a political settlement to end the fighting.

The United States has suspended its strategic partnership with Georgia after police crackdowns on pro-EU protesters. Major protests have been reported in cities across the nation, which borders Russia, in the past few hours. The government arrested more than 100 people Friday who were demonstrating against the ruling Georgia Dream Party and its decision to delay the bid to join the European Union. The party claimed victory in October's election, which observers say was fraudulent. Georgia announced on Thursday it would suspend talks with the EU until 2028, which is what sparked the widespread unrest.

We spoke about it earlier with former CNN Moscow Bureau Chief Jill Dougherty. Here she is.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JILL DOUGHERTY, FORMER CNN MOSCOW BUREAU CHIEF: It's very, very tense and very unpredictable because what you have is these protests on the streets are growing. There are thousands and thousands of people. It is being brutally repressed.

And really the stakes are, does Georgia move toward the EU because the people want it? You know, the polls show 80% of the people do want to become members of the European Union, but the government is saying it's on hold until 2028. That's creating enormous frustration. And where this goes really is unclear, but it's a very serious and dangerous situation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Donald Trump made immigration a central element of his 2024 presidential campaign. Now, the incoming administration is working on their promised plans to implement stricter border controls and start detaining and deporting migrants on a large scale. CNN's Rafael Romo has the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The men chosen by President-Elect Trump to secure the U.S. borders urged officials across the country to cooperate with the new administration to enforce immigration law. Former Acting ICE Director Tom Homan, who Trump has chosen as his border czar, said on Fox News that he wants so-called sanctuary cities to give immigration authorities access to their facilities.

TOM HOMAN, TRUMP'S PICK FOR "BORDER CZAR": The sanctuary cities have locked us out of the jails and the law enforcement isn't allowed to work with us. Give me access to the bad guy that you locked in a jail cell. Because you obviously locked him in a jail cell because he's a public safety threat.

ROMO: And it appears Homan will get plenty of cooperation in Texas. The state's land commissioner, Dawn Buckingham, in the last few days, spoke about an effort that will be, in her words, the largest deportation of violent criminals in the history of the United States.

[05:35:08]

Texas is offering a 1,400-acre property at the border to the incoming Trump administration to use for the processing detention and coordination efforts to expedite the deportations. Commissioner Buckingham made the announcement in Rio Grande City, Texas, with heavy machinery and construction workers in the background at a site where Texas is building a new section of border wall.

Texas launched Operation Lone Star in 2021, which included, among other things, transporting migrants on buses to Democratic led cities, blocking portions of the border to federal agents, setting up buoys in the Rio Grande to deter migrants from crossing the river, and signing a bill that would give state law enforcement authority to detain migrants. The Texas Land Commissioner says this is also about helping local law enforcement.

DAWN BUCKINGHAM, TEXAS LAND COMMISSIONER: A facility here will be the final stop for processing before these violent criminals are deported. This will reduce the burden on our local jails and keep our Texas children safer. President Trump and Mr. Homan, I meant it when I said that I will do everything in my power to help this administration.

ROMO: Meanwhile, in Mexico City, President Claudia Sheinbaum is denying her country is willing to close her country's border with the United States, as President-Elect Trump recently claimed. In her own statement after a phone call with Trump, Sheinbaum said, Mexico has a comprehensive strategy to address migration while respecting human rights.

Rafael Romo, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: There could be a big shift in the incoming Trump administration's attitude toward the tech sector, and that could impact regular users and major corporations. During Donald Trump's first administration, talk began about banning TikTok, and lawsuits could lead to the breakup of Google, and that was filed, and he wanted to repeal legal protections for tech platforms. But since then, Trump has apparently had a change of heart on many tech-related issues. He now has his own social media platform, Truth Social, and whatever rules he imposes on rivals could well apply to him.

Joining me now to talk about all of this is Scott Brennen, Director of the Center on Technology Policy at NYU.

Thank you so much for being here with us. Really appreciate it. So, in his first administration, Donald Trump's relationship with big tech was unpredictable. It seemed to only have worsened in the years since.

So, before we get to the specifics, what's the general atmosphere now, given Trump's relationship with Elon Musk and all the outreach and kissing of the ring that we've seen from Silicon Valley executives since he was elected? What's the mood now?

SCOTT BRENNEN, DIRECTOR, CENTER ON TECHNOLOGY POLICY AT NYU: Yeah, thanks, Kim. I mean, I think we have to remember, you know, Trump is ultimately somewhat unpredictable and mercurial. And so -- and given, as you said, his history of changing positions, really any prediction we try to make is really difficult.

But I think right now we're in a sort of wait-and-see period. I think you're right that things have sort of cooled a little bit, or thawed, I should say, between Trump and some of the leaders in the tech industry. But I think we're still sort of waiting to see how he's going to approach big tech.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, we saw Mark Zuckerberg, for instance, going to Mar-a- Lago to meet with Trump and so on. So, we'll have to see whether that bears fruit for some of these tech moguls who have been trying to cozy up with him. But I want to start on the specifics now, starting with TikTok. So, at first, we know Trump wanted to ban it. Now he promises he would save it. Would they have been sort of popping the champagne corks with Donald Trump's election?

BRENNEN: Yes. I mean, it's looking -- it's looking much, much better for TikTok these days. I think it's still uncertain exactly how Trump is going to pull that off. You know, if you remember, the divestiture was passed by Congress. So, theoretically, Trump can't just cancel that. But there are certainly ways that he can -- he can -- actually, it's written in the law that -- that Trump can make a determination -- the president can make a determination if there's been a sufficient divestiture. And so, theoretically, he could just decide that enough action has been taken to satisfy -- to satisfy the law.

BRUNHUBER: Interesting. All right. So, the crypto industry, as well, must be rubbing its hands. There have been calls for more regulation. But given how much support he's given and gotten from the industry, what are we likely to see there?

BRENNEN: Yeah. Well, we know that Gary Gensler is leaving the SEC. So, we can expect more crypto-friendly leadership at the SEC and the CFTC -- that's the Community Futures Trading Commission.

But I think what the crypto industry seems to be anticipating is just regulatory clarity. There's been continued sort of uncertainty exactly on how the federal government is treating crypto. I think the hope is that, with the Trump administration, there will at least be sort of clarity on what the rules are.

[05:40:15]

But I think you're absolutely right. It seems very clear that Trump is going to embrace a sort of more deregulatory kind of posture as it comes to crypto.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah. Well, deregulatory on one end. But when we look at the FCC, which regulates the Internet, Brendan Carr, he wrote the FCC section of Project 2025. He's close to Elon Musk. He sees everything through this lens of censorship in terms of right-wing speech online. What effect might he have?

BRENNEN: Yeah, that's a great question. Yeah, I think it's -- you know, again, we don't really know. Brendan Carr has signaled an interest in revising Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which is, you know, the sort of ground rules for the Internet, which would have a major sort of impact on the sort of content that we see online.

Again, that's -- you know, that would take an act of Congress to repeal. So Brendan Carr is only going to be able to do so much, leaving the FCC. And of course, yeah, so we'll have to wait and see.

But I do think there's something interesting to anticipate about Trump's relation to these questions about content moderation. So as you mentioned, you know, during the first Trump administration, he was very -- made a big deal, right, about supposed censorship by the big platforms against conservatives. I think now we may see something kind of the opposite, right, with Trump in power.

This time, we could maybe anticipate pressure from the Trump administration on platforms to remove critical content, especially as he enacts some of his more, let's say, extreme policies around tariffs, around immigration, around foreign policy. So yeah, well, again, we'll have to wait and see.

BRUNHUBER: That's the theme here. So much unknown about what social media will look like and how costs -- our costs -- may change for the hardware, depending on those tariffs as you say. We'll have to leave it there.

Scott Brennen, thank you so much for being here with us.

BRENNEN: Yeah, thank you so much.

BRUNHUBER: All right. Well, stowaway on Delta Airlines. How a woman without a boarding pass flew all the way from New York to Paris undetected earlier this week. We'll have the details just ahead. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:45:51]

BRUNHUBER: So how does someone without a boarding pass get past airport security and onto a flight from New York to Paris undetected? That's what authorities are trying to figure out after a stowaway incident earlier this week. CNN's Holmes Lybrand has some answers.

HOLMES LYBRAND, CNN REPORTER: Investigators have learned that a woman in her mid-50s was able to bypass two identification checkpoints before boarding a flight from New York to Paris. The woman, who has a Russian passport and a U.S. green card, did go through the initial security screening from the TSA, yet was able to board the full flight without a ticket. She was also able to go undetected during the flight, apparently by switching between lavatories.

Paris authorities arrested the woman and she was scheduled to fly back to the U.S. Saturday but was removed from the return flight because she created a disturbance before takeoff, according to law enforcement sources. Her flight back to the U.S. has yet to be rescheduled.

Now investigators are trying to determine how she avoided the two checkpoints and say she was only detected on the flight when it arrived in Paris. The woman could face charges or penalties, including theft of service and a civil penalty from the TSA.

One TSA official said infrastructure investments, including more automated systems like E-gates, could prevent failures like this in the future. Holmes Lybrand, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Volleyball number two seed San Jose State lost in the Mountain West conference final Saturday amid an ongoing gender controversy regarding one of the Spartan players. While the loss to Colorado State hurts the Spartans' chances in the division one NCAA tournament, it adds to months of strain on the program. Multiple teams have refused to play the Spartans in recent weeks due to accusations of a transgender player on the San Jose State's roster.

Several athletes have filed lawsuits and legal challenges in an attempt to stop the Spartans from competing. So far there has been no immediate resolution to the controversy.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:51:47]

BRUNHUBER: An ugly chaotic scene unfolded on the field Saturday. Ohio State and Michigan players started going at each other after Michigan's upset win in their annual college football rivalry game and it got so out of hand the police had to step in.

All right, joining me now is CNN Sports Correspondent Carolyn Manno.

Carolyn, you want to see passion, but you don't want it to spill over into violence.

CAROLYN MANNO, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, this is across the line. And for viewers around the world who might not be familiar with college football, sometimes you see this. I mean, it brings out passion from fans and teams more than any other sport in the United States. And this rivalry is one of the biggest and most bitter.

On Saturday in Columbus, the 120th meeting all time, a 6-5 Michigan team pulling off a massive 13-10 upset on the road against second- ranked Ohio State. And after the game went final, you saw there a Wolverines player actually tried to plant a big blue flag on the Buckeyes logo at midfield. That's really what triggered this. Ohio State players confronted him. Everything escalated. Pushing, shoving, several punches were thrown. And finally, stadium security and local police came in to break it up. But multiple outlets are reporting.

And we saw that officers used pepper spray to diffuse the situation, because you can see several players wiping their eyes and coughing. Here's what both sides had to say after.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KALEL MULLINGS, MICHIGAN RUNNING BACK: You hate to see stuff like that after the game. You know, that's just bad for the sport, bad for college football. But at the end of the day, you know, some people got to -- they got to learn how to lose, man. You can't -- can't be fighting and stuff just because you lost a game. You know, all that fighting, we had 60 minutes, we had four quarters to do all that fighting.

RYAN DAY, OHIO STATE HEAD COACH: I know that, you know, these guys, you know, are looking to, you know, put a flag on our field and our guys weren't going to let that happen. So, you know, I'll find out exactly what happened. But, you know, this is, this is our field. And certainly, you know, we're embarrassed with the fact that we lost the game. But, you know, there's some prideful guys in this team that weren't just going to let that happen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MANNO: Despite falling to 10-2, the Buckeyes still seemingly a safe bet to make the playoff, but a really scary scene. The Miami Hurricanes also 10-2, but they might be sweating it out come next weekend. The Canes ranked sixth entering the day, also upset, stunned on the road by Syracuse 42-38 after jumping out to a 21-0 lead.

Syracuse quarterback Kyle McCord torching Miami's defense 380 yards in three touchdown passes and running back LeQuint Allen had two more on the ground. Including a go-ahead score midway through the fourth quarter. So, the loss knocking Miami out of the ACC championship next weekend, meaning they will need to rely on the playoff committee to give them an at-large bid to make the field of 12.

Number two, Texas, meanwhile, all but securing their postseason berth with their win last night and making it even sweeter. They did it by dominating their longtime rival Texas A&M 17-7 on the road in front of well over 100,000 fans in the first game between the two schools in over a decade. So, next up, trying to avenge their home loss to Georgia earlier in the season in the SCC championship game that is next weekend.

And then there's fifth-ranked Notre Dame, who's done all they can to impress the committee by finishing off their regular season with a 49- 35 win on the road against Southern Cal. The Irish defense sealed this win by returning interceptions for touchdowns on back-to-back USC drives late in the fourth, essentially locking Notre Dame into a home game for the first round of the playoffs in three weeks.

[05:55:13]

So, as you take a look at the notable conference championships next weekend, the two most consequential might be Arizona State and Kansas State for the Big 12, while 11th-ranked Boise State could potentially earn a first-round buy with a win over UNLV for the Mountain West title. But, Kim, it was chaos. It's been chaos all season long, and it was a really exciting weekend.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, absolutely. And the selection committee, it'll have its work cut out for them. A lot of chaos and confusion that they'll have to wade through to make their picks.

All right, Carolyn, thank you so much. Appreciate it.

Well, it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas in European cities. Brussels is kicking off the holiday season with a dazzling light show at the Grand Palace. Festivities run through January 5th. The city says it hopes to host four million visitors this holiday season.

Now, in Spain, Barcelona's city center has come alive with festive lights and decorations, the delight of locals. And Mexico City also ushered in the festive spirit with its annual Bolo Fest. Balloons of cartoon characters were also on display.

There you see the mascot Bolo. You see Spider-Man as well, alongside energetic dancing troops and marching bands. And the event has been going on since 2015, and kind of resembles New York's Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

All right, that wraps this hour of CNN Newsroom. I'm Kim Brunhuber. For viewers in North America, CNN This Morning is next. For the rest of the world, it's Decoded.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)