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USS Gerald R. Ford Enters The Caribbean Sea; Trump Suggests He's Made A Decision On Venezuela Military Action; Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene Splits With Trump; Dozens Arrested During Immigration Operation In Charlotte, North Carolina; Electric Bills Surge As States Build More Data Centers. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired November 16, 2025 - 18:00   ET

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

[18:00:47]

JESSICA DEAN, CNN ANCHOR: You're in the CNN NEWSROOM. Hi, everyone. I'm Jessica Dean here in New York.

And tonight, the United States's most advanced aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, is now in the Caribbean Sea. It's joining other U.S. Joint Forces already in the region as tensions mount between the U.S. and Venezuela. The United States has already conducted a series of deadly strikes on alleged drug trafficking boats. And now sources tell CNN the president is weighing additional options, including a possible land strike inside Venezuela or an effort to oust Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

CNN contributor Stefano Pozzebon is in Venezuela, and he joins us now.

Stefano, what has the Venezuelan governments response been to all of this? And what's the feeling like there tonight?

STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, I think, Jessica, we could talk of two different answers for those two questions. On one side, you have what the Venezuelan government has done, which has been to prepare the troops. It's been to prepare the forces that this nation has amassed in the last few years and decades to respond to what they think is an imperialistic threat.

That is the language to which Venezuelan officials refer to all these threats coming down from Washington. And just yesterday, the president, Nicolas Maduro, announced that more than four million Venezuelans had taken an oath, civilian Venezuelans, taking an oath to defend the country in case of a strike from the United States.

Now, when it comes to Maduro, we need always to take him at his own words. He has greatly exaggerated similar claims in the past. However, it shows this such a high figure how urgent for him it is to respond to these threats. And one of the other responses that he has sent is about the possibility of a U.S. Military conducting military drills, exercises with the forces of Trinidad and Tobago, which is an island just a few miles off the coast of Venezuela.

Of course, Maduro is having none of that, and this is what he said about it yesterday. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NICOLAS MADURO, VENEZUELAN LEADER (through translator): The government of Trinidad and Tobago has announced again some irresponsible drills, lending their waters in front of the coast of the Sucre State for military drills that they pretend to be threatening for a republic like Venezuela that doesn't allow itself to be threatened by anyone.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

POZZEBON: That is the answer from the government. Total rejection saying that a war in Venezuela would be yet another endless war, with comparisons to Afghanistan, Iraq, and the situation that erupted in Libya after the fall of Moammar Gadhafi but getting ready for what they are bracing for it to happen. On the other side is the situation that most Venezuelans are living. 84 percent of this country lives under the poverty line, Jessica.

The vast majority of the people in Venezuela are struggling to make ends meet, and inflation in this country is over 400 percent. It's the highest in the world, and it's getting worse and worse as long as these warships are in the Caribbean because they feel the markets understand that Maduro is under pressure and that further crises are to be forecasted for Venezuela, unfortunately.

And so that's why when you speak to Venezuelans, they tell you that what they are thinking the most and most urgently is what to put on the food at dinner time, on the table at dinner time. What they can are able to buy at the supermarket or at the grocery store. Well, of course, Maduro has completely different priorities -- Jessica.

DEAN: Yes, and Stefano, what do we know about these military drills by the United States in Trinidad and Tobago this week?

POZZEBON: Yes. So we understand these were announced late last week. There are to be starting right now actually on Sunday afternoon we were informed and they are going through at the end of Wednesday. Military forces from different branches of the U.S. Military, both the Army and the Navy, are to be involved, and in close cooperation with the forces of Trinidad and Tobago, which, as I was saying, is an archipelago of two main islands and several other smaller islands that is really very close to the coast of Venezuelans.

It's in some cases it's less than 10 miles away. And if you go to Trinidad, you actually can see Venezuela from the coast. And that's why I think these -- the possibility of the U.S. forces being so close to the country is what has put Maduro on the edge -- Jessica.

[18:05:03]

DEAN: Stefano Pozzebon there in Caracas, thank you so much for that reporting.

And moments from now, President Trump will head back to Washington. Let's bring in CNN senior White House reporter Betsy Klein, who was traveling with the president this weekend in in South Florida. Betsy, what is the Trump administration saying about this increased

military presence in Venezuela?

BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jessica, one thing that the president's supporters love and his detractors criticize when it comes to Trump's foreign policy is this idea of strategic ambiguity. President Trump is very unpredictable on the world stage, and the reality right now is we just don't know what President Trump plans to do in Venezuela. What we do know is that the U.S. has amassed a significant number of resources in the region.

We also know that Trump has authorized the CIA to operate in Venezuela, and we are now learning that the Trump administration has launched what is the 21st known strike on what is believed to be a drug trafficking vessel this time in the Eastern Pacific, not in the Caribbean, and three people died, according to U.S. Southern Command. That brings the total death toll to about 83 people so far.

The president has been briefed by his team multiple times this week on a potential path forward in Venezuela. Of those options, it includes airstrikes on military or government facilities, as well as drug trafficking routes, as well as the possibility of a more direct attempt to oust the country's president, Nicolas Maduro. Trump told reporters Friday that he'd sort of made up his mind, but declined to provide additional details on that.

Now, experts have described this military buildup as significant. The largest aircraft carrier in the world, the USS Gerald R. Ford, has entered Caribbean waters today. There are roughly 15,000 military personnel in the region, as well as more than a dozen warships and 10 F-35 fighter jets. And Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, was asked about the plans today. He declined to say whether orders had been given, but he did say, quote, "We would be ready if asked."

Now, officially, the Trump administration is going after illegal drug trafficking, but regime change could be a potential side effect of that. This is also very high risk. It is unclear who would come to power if Maduro leaves office, and this would require a very serious commitment by the U.S. This is all what the president is weighing as he makes his way back to Washington in the coming moments -- Jessica.

DEAN: A lot to think through. Betsy Klein with the latest in Florida, thank you so much for that.

And we are joined now by CNN political and national security analyst David Sanger. He's also a correspondent for "The New York Times."

David, thank you for being here with us on this Sunday night. I know you've been covering this story as the Trump administration builds up these military assets in that region. What is your sense of where we are tonight?

DAVID SANGER, CNN POLITICAL AND NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Well, Jessica, the buildup has gone on just as you've just heard from Betsy and from the reports from the region. It is interesting that just a few minutes ago, a statement came out from the State Department, from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, saying that as of November 24th, that's just a few days before Thanksgiving, they will be designating the Cartel of the Suns, of which Maduro the U.S. has said is the head, as a foreign terrorist organization.

That's a notching up of the designation, but may also be part of this effort to look for a legal way for the president to try to authorize activity against Maduro himself. The statement says he is not the legitimate president and leader of Venezuela, which is a position also that the Biden administration took. But by designating the group a foreign terrorist organization the State Department is clearly trying to put them sort of in a category more like al Qaeda, even though they haven't done direct strikes on the United States.

DEAN: And I think it's interesting you mentioned the legal piece of this in the sense that there are questions about where the administration stands when it comes to legal justification for any sort of land strike that could happen on Venezuela.

SANGER: Well, they're having a hard enough time just with legal justifications for the strikes in international waters, including the one you just reported on.

DEAN: Right.

SANGER: Right? These are against civilians even if they are drug traffickers. And, you know, if you think of the analogy, normally civilians who were suspected of drug trafficking would have to be arrested and put through the court system, and that's even what the Trump administration was doing until through August, when the Coast Guard would try to hail these boats and arrest its occupants.

[18:10:00]

Now they're simply incinerating the boats. And the question is, under international or domestic law, is there any legal justification for simply doing state what the critics would argue is state mandated murders?

DEAN: Yes. And you mentioned this announcement by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Help people understand how influential he is, what kind of role he's playing in Trump's circle on this particular issue of Venezuela and what his history is here?

SANGER: Well, he's had a long history. Obviously, his family all comes from Cuba. He has been determined to break the link between Cuba and Venezuela. Cuba has obviously propped up Venezuela at many points. And he's been considered to be a significant driver of this. At the same time, he was up on Capitol Hill about a week ago and told Senate and House leaders that the purpose of this was not necessarily to bring about regime change, but instead was an effort to go after the drug trade.

And he said publicly last week, you know, if they just stopped sending these boats full of drugs, then we're done. But it is strange that you bring an entire aircraft carrier group out to go deal with drug runners who are using, you know, 20 and 30-foot skiffs. DEAN: Yes. There's a lot here, but, David Sanger, thank you for kind

of walking us through some of it. We really appreciate it.

SANGER: Thank you, Jessica.

DEAN: Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene gives a surprise apology as she speaks out after this weekend's public falling out with President Trump. We'll have more from her exclusive interview on CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION" earlier today. That's next.

And border agents take several dozen people into custody as an immigration crackdown in Charlotte, North Carolina, gets underway.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:16:36]

DEAN: Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene is standing firm speaking out today about her fallout with President Trump. The Georgia Republican says the clash, quote, "all comes down to the Epstein file." She also says she doesn't understand why the president is fighting against these files being released.

CNN correspondent Julia Benbrook is joining us now.

Julia, this was an interview, exclusive interview this morning here on our own air. Really interesting to hear from Marjorie Taylor Greene, once really synonymous with Donald Trump, one of his closest allies. And now they are very much at odds.

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, there's no doubt that President Donald Trump and Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene are feuding right now. And very publicly. In a social media post, Trump said that he wanted to withdraw his endorsement of Greene's reelection because she had, quote, "gone far left." He also called her wacky and a traitor.

Now, this comes after several weeks of Greene breaking from Trump in different areas. One recent example, she suggested that he might be spending too much time on foreign policy and not enough time promoting his domestic agenda here at home. She has also been a part of the continued push for more transparency when it comes to the Epstein files.

And even though some of the loudest calls for more information on that are coming from within Trump's own MAGA base, he has pushed back repeatedly against an effort on Capitol Hill for the full release of Department of Justice files related to Epstein, and he has called those supporting that effort both weak and foolish. He has also branded the issue as a hoax.

Now, in that interview that you referenced with CNN's Dana Bash that aired earlier today, Greene said that she believes that the topic of Epstein is really at the heart of this fallout. Take a listen. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE (R-GA): Unfortunately, it has all come down to the Epstein files, and that is shocking. And, you know, I stand with these women. I stand with rape victims. I stand with children who are in terrible sex abuse situations, and I stand with survivors of trafficking and those that are trapped in sex trafficking. And I will not apologize for that.

I believe the country deserves transparency in these files. And I don't believe that that rich, powerful people should be protected if they have -- if they have done anything wrong. And so I'm standing with the women and I will continue to do my small part to get the files released.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BENBROOK: And Greene was among a handful of Republicans who signed on to a discharge petition that will force a vote in the House on the full release of DOJ files related to Epstein. We do expect that vote to take place sometime next week.

Always important to note here, Trump is not accused of any wrongdoing related to Epstein. His intense focus, though, on stopping this vote has in some ways just drawn more attention to their previous relationship -- Jessica.

DEAN: All right. Julia Benbrook, with the latest, thanks so much.

And let's talk more about this with a political panel now. CNN political commentator and Republican strategist Brad Todd and Democratic strategist Julie Roginsky both joining us now.

Good to see both of you. Thanks for being here.

Brad, let's start first with you. Look, this whole split up between Marjorie Taylor Greene and President Trump has kind of been brewing for a little bit now, but just burst into, you know, public view in kind of spectacular fashion over the weekend.

[18:20:07]

What do you think of the president's move to so publicly cut ties with her?

BRAD TODD, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, you know, there are 221 Republicans in the House, and she's about the 220th most important one. I think that she has been a problem for Republican leader Mike Johnson in the House on a variety of issues. She tried to undermine every other Republican on the shutdown. Her colleagues are I think fed up with the fact that she's willing to side with the Democrats at their expense on virtually everything on the Republican policy agenda.

And I think this was overdue, and I don't expect that her primary will be easy if she gets a tough opponent. President Trump says he might campaign against her. He's a lot more popular in North Georgia than she is.

DEAN: What about this idea, Brad, that she says this is ultimately coming down to the Epstein files?

TODD: I think that's spin. I think that's complete spin. She has, in fact, been undermining the president and the speaker of the House for much of her tenure. And I think that she's really good at getting attention because, you know, when the, you know, the whole truism about man bites dog, that gets a lot of attention. So Republican on Republican violence gets a lot of attention. And that's allowed her to take -- be somewhat obscure on a lot of issues, but be prominent in the news.

DEAN: Yes. Julie, what are your -- what are your thoughts on that? Do you think this is all spin for her?

JULIE ROGINSKY, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Listen, Marjorie Taylor Greene actually has not served much with President Trump. Don't forget, she came in when President Trump was not in office. And she's only been in Congress while President Trump has been president for just a few months. She's been a big supporter of his. And so it's fascinating. And it's not really that hard to see the trajectory here.

He split with her when she came out against him on the Epstein files. And I would say again, and I can't believe I'm actually defending Marjorie Taylor Greene on this, but if there was no problem with releasing the Epstein files, why in the world would the president trash her for signing on to releasing Epstein files?

Look, it stands to reason, right? He's been fighting tooth and nail against releasing them. They brought Lauren Boebert into the situation room to try to intimidate her from signing on to this discharge petition. He's been trashing Thomas Massie. He's now trashing Marjorie Taylor Greene. He's been threatening Nancy Mace and saying he's not going to endorse her in her statewide primary down in South Carolina.

So time and again, the common denominator here has been the Epstein files. And I would ask any rational thinking American, regardless of whether they're MAGA or not, to ask themselves, why is this president fighting so hard against even some of his strongest allies on Capitol Hill, like Marjorie Taylor Greene, like Nancy Mace, like Lauren Boebert, for God's sake, these are MAGA dyed in the wool people. And yet he has fought against them time and again, purely because they want the release of Epstein files. Ask yourself why that is.

DEAN: Yes, go ahead, Brad.

TODD: Well, you know, Julia, I'd like to draw one little line there. I mean, they need to release the names of any guilty parties in the Epstein files. And I think a lot of Republicans in Congress would agree with that. That doesn't mean you sign on to a discharge petition. When you put your name on a discharge petition, you're allowing the other party to take control of the House floor without any ability to retake it until that matter is disposed of.

You just don't do it. You don't sign on a discharge petition against your own speaker. And remember, Marjorie Taylor Greene tried to depose Mike Johnson. She has proven time and again that she's willing to help Democrats against Republicans.

ROGINSKY: I'm sorry, can I just say something about that real quickly there?

DEAN: Yes, go ahead. Yes.

ROGINSKY: There would have been no need for this discharge petition, as you well know, if the speaker had just passed legislation to release the Epstein files. Again, there is no need for this discharge petition. But this president and the speaker have been fighting tooth and nail against the release for so long that there was no choice but to have a discharge petition, which was a hugely cumbersome process.

I worked on the Hill. I assume you probably know how it works on the Hill, too. This is not an easy process. The only reason they had to do it was because the speaker refused to do it. So I agree with you. And if you believe that the speaker should have just put this up for a bill --

TODD: You don't sign them, though.

ROGINSKY: -- then you wouldn't have had to. Listen, you wouldn't have had to take up all of this valuable time. Just do it and move on. But they haven't and that's why we're are where we are.

(CROSSTALK)

DEAN: What is that, Brad?

ROGINSKY: I'm sorry?

TODD: Yes. You just don't it. It's not allowed. You don't sign discharge petitions against your own speaker. Period. End of story.

DEAN: Well, I guess --

ROGINSKY: I'm sorry. Is this -- even if the speaker is defending pedophiles? Even if the speaker is protecting pedophiles? Are you kidding?

TODD: No, the speaker is not defending pedophiles.

ROGINSKY: You think it's more important to be --

TODD: The speaker is not -- you air your grievances with --

ROGINSKY: You think it's more important --

TODD: No. Absolutely not.

ROGINSKY: You think it's more important to be partisan than support pedophiles?

TODD: You air your grievances with the speaker in the conference. You don't let the opposition party seize the floor. Period. And I'm all for Pam Bondi releasing as much as is legally allowed. Now we know there's some innocent people in there.

ROGINSKY: All of it is legal.

TODD: Some witnesses -- no. No, there are innocent people in the files. There are innocent -- there are also witnesses who were promised anonymity, so I don't think they ought to release their names. But I'm for her releasing as much as is legally allowed without hurting innocent people. That doesn't mean you sign a discharge petition to hand the floor of the House over to the minority party.

[18:25:07]

ROGINSKY: I just have to -- I just have to laugh at this because, Brad, if this were -- the shoe were on the other foot and Merrick Garland said, you know what? I am going to make the decision as to who I'm going to protect and whose names I'm going to redact and who I'm going to release.

TODD: He protected them all, Julie.

ROGINSKY: The Republican --

TODD: Merrick Garland protected them all. He had them for four years.

ROGINSKY: The Republican Party, your party, is the one that was swearing up and down that the minute that they came into power, they were going to release every shred of the Epstein files. I listened to Kash Patel talk about it. I listened to Dan Bongino talk about it. President Trump was asked about it on FOX News. He said he'd release the files.

TODD: You're right.

ROGINSKY: And yet none of that has happened. And I will say to you, I don't understand the partisanship of this.

TODD: Yes.

ROGINSKY: If this were Bill -- listen, if there were any Democrat in these files, from my perspective, I want to know their names.

TODD: Bill Clinton is in there. I think it's pretty clear he's in there.

ROGINSKY: You know what? Great. If you're right and he's in there, he should be held accountable. Why don't you say the same about Donald Trump? Because you guys don't want to release these files to see which of your Republicans might be in there.

DEAN: We have to wrap it up, Brad. I'm going to let you say one last thing. Go ahead.

TODD: Merrick Garland never released them. Merrick Garland had four years to release the files. He didn't do it. And Democrats didn't say a peep.

ROGINSKY: Be a better person, release the files. Be a better person than Merrick Garland then. Release all the files and let the chips fall where they may.

DEAN: All right, Brad and Julie, thank you very much. A lively discussion there. We really appreciate it. Thanks to both of you.

ROGINSKY: Thanks.

DEAN: Border Patrol agents in another U.S. city, this time, Charlotte, the reaction this new immigration enforcement crackdown is getting in that city. That's next.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:30:57]

DEAN: Federal agents are in Charlotte for the latest ICE operation as part of President Trump's immigration crackdown. Arrests are surging in the city as more people are finding themselves being detained. Sometimes violently.

This video shows agents struggling with a teenager who the owner of a supermarket identified as one of his employees. We've seen other footage here capturing an agent chasing someone in a parking lot before the agent falls.

Federal agents entering the city has drawn mixed reactions from local residents and state lawmakers there.

CNN's Rafael Romo has been following this for us.

And, Rafael, we are getting a lot of videos showing what's going on there in Charlotte. What more are you learning?

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, let's remember the why, Jessica, right? We have reported that the Trump administration has defended unprecedented federal enforcement operations in cities like Los Angeles and Chicago as necessary for fighting crime and enforcing immigration laws. But people in Charlotte say they're puzzled as to why their city is being targeted because, according to AH Datalytics, homicides, rapes, robberies and motor vehicle thefts fell by more than 20 percent in Charlotte this year, compared with the same time period in 2024.

Border Patrol agents have been spotted around Charlotte over the weekend, stopping people suspected of being in the country illegally and making arrests while traveling in vans and SUVs, and some of them covering their faces as this video obtained by WCNC shows. In a post on X top Border Patrol official Gregory Bovino said agents arrested 81 people in Charlotte on Saturday during a search of immigration enforcement the Department of Homeland Security has dubbed Operation Charlotte's Web. The arrests, Bovino said, took place during a span of about five

hours, adding that those arrested had, quote, "significant criminal and immigration history and are off the streets." The arrival of the federal agents has prompted at least one business owner in a Charlotte neighborhood, where many immigrants live, to shut down temporarily. Manolo Betancur, a Colombian born U.S. citizen, says his bakery is closing its doors only for the second time in 28 years.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MANOLO BETANCUR, OWNER, MANOLO'S BAKERY: I don't know when I'm going to open back. But I need to protect my customers. I need to protect my people. I need to protect myself and my family.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking in foreign language)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: And several incidents caught on -- several incidents caught on cell phone camera show federal agents trying to arrest people, including an encounter with Willie Aceituno, a Honduran born U.S. citizens who told CNN affiliates WCNC federal agents broke his pickup truck window. In a statement to CNN, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said that Aceituno acted increasingly erratic, escalated the situation and refused to comply to lawful commands by officers, I should say.

In a show of solidarity with immigrants, Charlotte's, some residents there took to the streets to send the message that agents are not welcome there. Others showed up at Manolo's Bakery to support a business and a community they say is being unfairly targeted by the federal agents.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HANNAH VOISIN, CHARLOTTE RESIDENT: I don't feel that they belong here. I hope that they leave soon. And yes, I definitely think that when people are recording, when there are people out here watching, it makes a difference.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: And finally, Jessica, local officials including Mayor Vi Lyles, criticized such actions, saying in a statement that they are causing unnecessary fear and uncertainty.

Now back to you.

DEAN: All right. Rafael Romo with the latest. Thanks so much for that.

The hidden cost of artificial intelligence is hitting a lot of us in the pocketbook. Why we're paying more for electricity and how much higher those bills could go.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:39:36]

DEAN: Americans opening up their electric bills are getting a shock. Higher prices and it's partly due to new data centers being built across the country to feed artificial intelligence. A.I. is devouring so much power, it's not just adding more power plants. America's entire energy infrastructure is being upgraded to support advanced A.I., and that's costing billions of dollars.

CNN's Ella Nilsen is joining us now.

And, Ella, Maryland, the state of Maryland, just one part of the country feeling these higher bills, just regular people there.

[18:40:05]

What more can you tell us about your reporting?

ELLA NILSEN, CNN SENIOR CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: Yes. So, Jessica, we spoke to ratepayers that live in Baltimore, Maryland. So they are not that far away from Northern Virginia, which is where the world's largest cluster of data centers, so data centers that power A.I. from companies like Amazon, Google, Microsoft, is located. And some of these customers from one utility that we spoke to have been seeing on average about $32 a month extra in their electricity bills.

Even sometimes they are using less electricity than they did the previous month, but they're still noticing their bills going up, which has prompted a lot of them to say, well, what's going on here? And this is something that is happening, you know, around the DMV because of this Northern Virginia data center. It is both the cost of electricity and in the future experts warn that it is also going to be the cost of enormous infrastructure upgrades to pay for this electricity to get from one place to the other because of the insatiable power demand for A.I. in these data centers.

DEAN: And is there any way, Ella, for people out there to pay for just their electricity? Not this electricity used by data centers or other things like that?

NILSEN: Yes, that is something that state regulators and states around the country I think are taking a look at, especially this idea of how to essentially kind of put A.I. companies and these data centers as their own type of ratepayer. So put them in maybe sort of a different class of ratepayer than your average residential ratepayer. That's something that's happening in a state like Ohio, which is another state where we are seeing large data center growth.

But experts that I talked to said this is something that is definitely going to have to be looked at in many states around the country, as there is such a, you know, kind of this shocking out of nowhere demand for A.I., demand for data centers. And I will just say, you know, we recently saw in this year's, you know, most recent elections, the gubernatorial elections in New Jersey and Virginia, those fall, those states fall in the same regional grid as Maryland.

They're seeing some of the same price increases. So we're seeing this become a political issue in addition to a tech issue and a business issue. And Democrats especially are seizing on electricity bills as one of the many ways that, you know, affordability is, you know, increasingly, things are out of reach for many Americans. So I expect to see a lot of policy discussions on this in years to come.

DEAN: All right. Ella Nilsen, thank you so much for that. We really appreciate it. Something that a lot of people are feeling out there right now.

The U.S. Navy says the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group has arrived in the Caribbean Sea as tensions rise between the U.S. and Venezuela. We'll have the very latest for you.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:47:30]

DEAN: A new CNN documentary offers an inside look at the life of New Zealand's recent prime minister Jacinda Ardern, from leading her country through COVID to redefining ideas of leadership and motherhood.

CNN's "PRIME MINISTER" proves a powerful -- provides a powerful glimpse into how Ardern's empathy and determination set her apart.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JACINDA ARDERN, FORMER NEW ZEALAND PRIME MINISTER: You'll be our future decision-makers and leaders, and it must be quite daunting looking out at the challenges that are in front of us. There's so much change that we want the world to be simple again. And part of that oversimplification is that we're much more inclined to look at one another in binary ways. Good, evil, bad, right. It's meant that we've got a hyper partisanship now that I think can be really damaging. It means we don't work together as much. It means we don't listen and engage in respectful debate that we need.

And if we are to get back to doing all of those things because we won't solve the climate crisis unless we do, we won't solve the conflict in the Middle East unless we do, we have to rehumanize one another again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: And joining us now -- oh, hang on one second. We are hearing from President Trump. We'll be right with you. Hang on. Let's listen to President Trump.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Prices are coming down very substantially on groceries and things. They're already at a much lower level than they were with the last administration. And we worked on it this weekend. And you're going to see some of the items that were a little bit higher. They were lower than the last administration, but a little bit higher.

We're going to have some little price reductions and in some cases some pretty good ones. They use the affordability word. The affordability is much, much better with this. And again I go to Walmart and other companies, and in every case it's about 25 percent that a meal, a Thanksgiving meal and surroundings are 25 percent lower than it was under the Biden administration. That's a big fact. And that comes from Walmart and others that do that. OK? Any questions.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Any update on Venezuela, Mr. President? On Venezuela. Update?

TRUMP: No, no update on Venezuela.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: With the designation of that cartel associated with Maduro, does that mean that the U.S. government can target Maduro's assets or infrastructure inside Venezuela?

[18:50:02]

TRUMP: It allows us to do that, but we haven't said were going to do that and we may be discussing -- we may be having some discussions with Maduro, and we'll see how that turns out. They would like -- they would like to talk.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Mr. President, Representative Massie says he's concerned that the Epstein probe you are calling for could be a smokescreen to block the release of more files. Is that the case?

TRUMP: Well, I don't want to talk about it because fake news like you, you're a terrible reporter, and fake news like you, they just keep bringing that up to deflect from the tremendous success of the Trump administration. So a guy like Massie, his poll numbers are showing. He's at 6 percent approval rating right now. And we call him Rand Paul Junior because he never -- he never votes for the Republican Party. So they're using Jeffrey Epstein as a deflection from the tremendous success that were having as a party.

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Mr. President, you said they want to talk. You said Venezuela wants to talk. What does that mean?

TRUMP: Venezuela would like to talk. What does it mean? You tell me. I don't know.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Do you want to talk to them?

TRUMP: I would -- I talk to anybody. I talk to you. Right? I talk to anybody. We'll see what happens.

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Marjorie Taylor Greene says her life could be at danger because of the rhetoric?

TRUMP: Her life is in danger? Who's that?

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Marjorie Taylor Greene, she says.

TRUMP: Marjorie "traitor" Greene. I don't think her life is in danger. I don't think, frankly, I don't think anybody cares about her. OK? What about you?

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: (INAUDIBLE) health care, are you negotiating? Are you negotiating with lawmakers on health care ahead of a vote next month?

TRUMP: I am. We're negotiating with lawmakers. And I've had personal talks with some Democrats. I can't tell you who they are. I just don't want to do that, it's not fair to them, about paying large amounts of dollars back to the people. You know this was my idea. It came up during that, you know, oftentimes in under times of stress, like the shutdown, you come up with great ideas that you wouldn't have thought of before.

The insurance companies are making a fortune. Their stock is up over 1,000 percent over a short period of time. They are taking in hundreds of billions of dollars, and they're not really putting it back. Certainly not like they should. So when I see this and when I've seen this over the last pretty short period of time, I said, why do we -- why don't we just pay this money directly to the people of our country and let them buy their own health insurance?

And, you know, I made that statement and I made it a little bit cavalierly, but it sounded good. And everybody has picked it up, including Democrats. And I am talking to some Democrats right now about doing that. People love it. We're going to take the money. Well, if it gets approved, we're going to take the money. We're going to pay it back to the people of our country to go out and buy health insurance so they can put it in a health account. We can do it a lot of different ways, but they buy their own health insurance. They can negotiate price, and it's going to be locked. So they can't go out and buy a Cadillac. They can go out and buy health insurance.

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Mr. President, is it time for Congress to move legislation that puts pressure on Russian and puts pressure on Putin?

TRUMP: Well, I hear they're doing that, and that's OK with me. They're passing legislation or putting, the Republicans are putting in legislation that are very tough. It's sanctioning, et cetera, et cetera, on any country doing business with Russia. They may add Iran to that as you know. I suggested it. So any country that does business with Russia will be very severely sanctioned. We may add Iran to the formula. Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Mr. President, Tucker Carlson recently had a friendly interview with antisemite Nick Fuentes.

TRUMP: Who did?

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Tucker Carlson. What role do you think Tucker Carlson should play in the Republican Party and the conservative movement going forward?

TRUMP: Well, I found him to be good. I mean, he said good things about me over the years. He's -- I think he's good. We've had some good interviews. I did an interview with him. We had 300 million hits. You know that. Look, I can't tell him --

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: (INAUDIBLE)

TRUMP: Will you let me finish my statement? You are the worst. You're with Bloomberg, right? You are the worst. I don't know why they even have you. We've had some great interviews with Tucker Carlson, but you can't tell him who to interview. I mean, if he wants to interview Nick Fuentes, I don't know much about him, but if he wants to do it, get the word out. Let him -- you know, people have to decide. Ultimately, people have to decide.

The mayor of New York, I will say, would like to meet with us and we'll work something out. But he would like to come to Washington and meet, and we'll work something out. We want to see everything work out well for New York.

[18:55:00]

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: You yourself had dinner with Nick Fuentes at Mar-a-Lago a few years ago. What role should he play in the conservative movement?

TRUMP: Well, I didn't know he was coming. And he was with, as you know, somebody. Kanye. And Kanye asked if he could have dinner and he brought Nick. I didn't know Nick at the time. And he did. He came along with a few other people. He brought a few people with him. Meeting people, talking to people, like, for somebody like Tucker, that's what they do. You know, people are controversial. Some are, some aren't.

I'm not controversial. So I like it that way. OK?

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Venezuela, are you discussing options with Congress? Are you going to Congress to discuss potential options you're considering?

TRUMP: We like to keep Congress involved. I mean, we're stopping drug dealers and drugs from coming into our country. And I actually told Marco and some of the people, our secretary of state, he's doing a great job, by the way. I said, go to Congress and let them know we're not letting drugs come through Mexico. We're not letting them come through Venezuela and let Congress know about it.

We don't have to get their approval. But I think letting them know is good. The only thing I don't want them to do is leak information. That's very important and confidential. And may put our military at risk or whoever is doing, you know, CIA, military, et cetera. But I did say I said, go and see Congress, see the representatives that we're supposed to be seeing and be open about it.

If they say, we don't want you to stop drugs from coming into the country, I don't think that would be good. Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Are any other countries committed to helping the U.S. with Venezuela or all our actions still?

TRUMP: Yes, we have great support because it's all about drugs. Well, in Venezuela's case, it's about drugs. And it's also about thousands, hundreds of thousands of people that they've released into our country. And some are gang members from Tren de Aragua, some are drug -- many are drug dealers, some are murderers. So in the case of Venezuela, it's about the prison population. Almost entire prison population was released into the United States.

Do you know what that means? Their prison population was released into the United States, and we're getting it out. We're doing an amazing job. We have a strong border now. We have everything. Our country is doing so well. But what the Biden administration did to our country should never be forgotten. And the single worst thing they did is allow 20 million or 25 million people to pour into our country.

People from prisons, drug dealers, mental institutions, bad people, gang members to allow that to happen to the United States. Totally unchecked and unvetted should never be forgotten. What they've done to our country is a very bad thing, but we are correcting it. We have strong borders now. We have a great economy. The prices are coming down. The Democrats like to use the word affordability, but their affordability was terrible.

The problem with the Democrats, they lie. They do it so well. They talk about affordability. But I'm the one that's getting the prices down. As an example, they had the highest inflation in the history of our country. I have it down now to a normal level and it's going down further.

Thank you very much, everybody.

DEAN: OK. That was President Donald Trump leaving West Palm Beach. Interesting there a couple bits of news including that he says Venezuela and President Maduro want to talk. He said he'd be open to talking to them that he talks to anyone. Again this is coming as the USS Gerald Ford is now in the Caribbean Sea. We've seen these tensions increase and the president there saying that Venezuela and Maduro do want to talk. Unclear when and if that might actually happen.

He also said that Secretary of State Rubio, he has told him to go to Congress, be open about what's going on there and talk with members of Congress. He also noted that he wants to begin negotiating. He said he's speaking to some Democrats on health care and talked a little bit about a plan that he would say would give people money and Americans money to buy their own health insurance. Again, potentially more to come on that.

And then also, he did say when asked about interestingly, Nick Fuentes and Tucker Carlson. Nick Fuentes, of course, a white nationalist and holocaust denier who appeared on Tucker Carlson's podcast. He was asked if it was appropriate, and the president said it's fine to get the word out.

So those are some of the top lines. Betsy Klein is standing by for us.

Betsy, I think the big news out of there that we should really start with is what he was saying about Maduro and that they want to talk. This, as we saw the secretary of state just a few moments ago, really in the last hour, designating this cartel a terrorist organization and we've seen increasing tensions there in that area between the U.S. and Venezuela.