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CNN This Morning
Texas Governor To Bus More Migrants To Dem-Led Cities; Musk To Advertisers That Fled X: "Go F**k Yourself"; Brother Of Released Hostages Joins CNN This Morning. Aired 7:30-8a ET
Aired November 30, 2023 - 07:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[07:30:00]
PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN ANCHOR: -- with no basis and leaves or drives towards things like hatred and Islamophobia. What's your response?
REP. RYAN ZINKE (R-MT): Well, here's the basis. This administration is incapable of vetting or screening individuals. I'll give you a couple of examples.
Afghanistan -- remember the C-17s? Who was on it?
How about our southern border? We have hundreds of individuals that are on the terrorist watch list and reports verified that in Hamas -- remember, Hamas is a government -- it's also a terrorist organization and there are terrorists integrated into the refugees.
So looking back from a SEAL perspective -- a former SEAL commander's perspective -- is look, October 1 -- and these are visas issued by who? The Palestinian Authority -- the same authority that is Hamas.
MATTINGLY: Just -- can I --
ZINKE: There's no difference.
MATTINGLY: Can I -- can I ask, though -- the Palestinian Authority --
ZINKE: Yeah.
MATTINGLY: -- issues the visas. The Israelis actually have some oversight and regulations tied to those visas as well. In terms of refugees, the numbers are incredibly small. I understand you could make the point about arrivals.
But I think the question is of the examples that your team put out as background, three of them were about Syrian nationals. Three of them were about general reports warning writ large about terror ideology in the wake of October 7. The one was ambiguous in terms of the location.
What evidence do you have, specifically, that this is a problem?
ZINKE: Well, let's look at the evidence. Let's look at the evidence of vetting and screening. We have as many as 50 million illegal immigrants in this country at our southern border. When you have hundreds of people on the terrorist watch list that are abduct (PH) or looked at, and then -- and then hundreds more are in this country -- and how many terrorists does it take to commit an act? Well, how many did it take in 9/11?
MATTINGLY: So do you ban everyone, though?
ZINKE: So my --
MATTINGLY: Like, I mean, if that's the case then why do you just ban everyone?
ZINKE: Well, you know what I'd like to see is this administration capable of screening or vetting -- and clearly, they're not. Look at the southern border as an example. Do they vet people and they say we're only going to look at biometrics? Well, if you're not in a database biometrics don't matter.
MATTINGLY: Right.
ZINKE: So you look at what's happening at the southern border. Afghanistan -- remember the C-17s. And, of course, the only reports -- verified reports that there are Hamas terrorists integrated in the refugees, although few, but remember where they're coming from. Hamas is a terrorist organization, as well as Hamas is a government in Gaza. So we should not freely accept individuals that support or are part of a terrorist organization internationally recognized.
So it has nothing to do with the people or Palestinians. I have no hatred or --
MATTINGLY: Yeah.
ZINKE: -- against any type of people. But I do want to make sure that we protect our country and making sure that this country is safe. And right now --
MATTINGLY: It is --
ZINKE: -- I have zero confidence in the Biden administration vetting or screening anyone.
MATTINGLY: It is very specifically targeted, though. That is for sure.
Congressman Ryan Zinke, Republican from Montana. We appreciate your time. Thank you.
ZINKE: Hey, great to be with you, Phil.
ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott says he is about to send more migrants to northern cities. This, of course, just as temperatures in places like Chicago are dropping, in some cases, below zero. We have a live report for you just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL)
[07:37:20] HILL: The temperature, at this moment, in Chicago just above freezing. At least 20,000 additional migrants from the southern border are headed to the Windy City, according to the Republican governor of Texas. Greg Abbott says his state has already bused some 70,000 migrants to cities across the United States -- cities run by Democrats. Among them, Washington, D.C., New York, Philadelphia, Denver, L.A. And he says he does plan to send more.
CNN's Whitney Wild is in Chicago this morning. More migrants headed to the city. Temperatures edging up slightly but it is still bitterly cold outside, Whitney.
WHITNEY WILD, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, Erica, and that slightly -- that slight temperature above freezing represents a marked improvement after a very cold week here -- a bitterly cold week that put renewed pressure on city officials to move these migrants indoors.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WILD (voice-over): As temperatures dipped into the low teens with wind chills of around zero this week, many migrants living on the street found Chicago's unfamiliar climate unforgiving.
This man said he has been living in a tent and now feels sick.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I think it is because of the cold.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ninety-nine-point-one.
WILD (voice-over): With help from a translator, Dr. Amanda Bradke offers care to migrants awaiting placement at a shelter.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): They transferred us here, but because of the snow, I think I got sick again.
DR. AMANDA BRADKE, RUSH UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER: A lot of what we're seeing is upper respiratory infections, whether that be a different virus -- or we're seeing a lot of strep throat. Also seeing some pneumonia.
WILD (voice-over): More than 1,100 migrants are still living at police stations and airports, down from more than 3,000 earlier this fall. The pace of new arrivals has slowed by not stopped. We were there as a bus dropped off dozens of migrants at an already-crowded police station.
More than 23,000 migrants have arrived in Chicago since August 2022 -- much of the influx driven by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott who says northern cities should take on more migrants to ease the strain at the border.
ANDRE VASQUEZ, CHICAGO ALDERPERSON: We've never been in a situation like this, right? All of this is unprecedented.
WILD (voice-over): Alderperson Andre Vasquez heads the City Council's Committee on Immigrant and Refugee Rights.
WILD (on camera): What is your biggest fear?
VASQUEZ: I mean, my biggest fear, thinking about it right now, wintertime is the most immediate. The snow is going to hit. If we don't find decompression and really find other spaces for folks to live in and get to work, it's really concerning.
WILD (voice-over): City officials are opening more shelters and phasing in a 60-day limit on stays. Mayor Brandon Johnson says the city is partnering with more than a dozen faith groups to take migrants off the street.
MAYOR BRANDON JOHNSON, (D) CHICAGO: We cannot abandon families and asylum seekers and let them go through Chicago's winter alone.
[07:40:00]
WILD (voice-over): Now the state is funding a massive military-grade tent in the Brighton Park neighborhood to house migrants despite fierce opposition from some residents and questions about whether the area, a former industrial site, is safe.
Alderwoman Julia Ramirez represents Brighton Park.
JULIA RAMIREZ, CHICAGO ALDERWOMAN: When we're thinking about the most vulnerable, whether it's the residents of Brighton Park or asylum seekers, they deserve to have a humane and dignified process to make sure they get shelter.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WILD: Work at that site has already begun, but the environmental assessment to determine whether or not it's safe for migrants to live there won't be available until Friday. State and city officials insist no one will be allowed inside unless that site is determined to be safe. They are targeting mid-December to start opening doors there.
Meanwhile, in the short term, the city is offering warming buses, like the one you see over my shoulder, for migrants out in the cold overnight.
Back to you.
HILL: Whitney Wild, appreciate the reporting. Thank you.
MATTINGLY: New overnight, at least three people are dead and seven others wounded in Jerusalem after police say Palestinian gunmen opened fire at a bus top. We've got new details coming in.
HILL: Plus, Elon Musk was pretty clear with his thoughts. You can read them there at the bottom of your screen.
TEXT: "Go f**k yourself.
HILL: Here's a little bit more though if you just want to hear it for yourself. It's his message.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ELON MUSK, CEO, X: Go (bleep) yourself. Is that clear? I hope it is.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL)
[07:45:35]
MATTINGLY: Elon Musk rather subtle in slamming advertisers for abandoning X after he endorsed an antisemitic post on the platform.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MUSK: If somebody's going to try to blackmail me with advertising, blackmail me with money, go (bleep) yourself.
ANDREW ROSS SORKIN, FINANCIAL COLUMNIST, THE NEW YORK TIMES: But --
MUSK: Go (bleep) yourself. Is that clear? I hope it is.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: It kind of seems like he wanted more of a reaction so he tried it again with the audience there.
It all happened last night during that live audience interview with Andrew Ross Sorkin at The New York Times DealBook summit. Now, Musk did also apologize in that interview for endorsing the antisemitic post, calling it the worst and dumbest social media post he's ever done.
Joining us now, CNN contributor and host of the "On" and "Pivot" podcasts, Kara Swisher. Good to have you with us this morning.
I guess he got the chuckle on the second that he was looking for --
KARA SWISHER, CNN CONTRIBUTOR, HOST, "ON WITH KARA SWISHER" AND "PIVOT" PODCASTS: I guess.
HILL: -- in that statement.
It's fascinating to me though as we watch this, right, and he's there on the stage and he seems to really be enjoying the moment. We have this estimate that -- from The New York Times, I believe, that X is going to lose $75 million in revenue. And he's sort of saying fine, we don't need you.
But the business itself --
SWISHER: Right.
HILL: -- needs them.
SWISHER: Yeah.
HILL: And they're going away because of what --
SWISHER: Yeah.
HILL: -- he did.
SWISHER: Yes, yes. He's -- let me just underscore for you -- for the audience he's 52 years old. This is a 52-year-old man who feels the need to say dirty words to make people shocked. It's just -- it's bizarre. And he caused the problem and he wants to blame them for exercising their First Amendment right now to advertise on his terrible platform, I think.
It's really bizarre. It was a bizarre performance. It was a meltdown. He seemed -- he attacked Bob Iger, who was in the audience -- the head of Disney -- for just not wanting to advertise on him. It was -- it was so strange.
And he's done it before. He's attacked advertisers when he first bought the company because he was frustrated.
But again, let me underscore he's 52 years old --
HILL: Um-hum.
SWISHER: -- and the richest person in the world. And I'm sorry he's -- that's not how adults behave. It's how adult toddlers behave.
HILL: Yeah.
MATTINGLY: And also, certainly not how public company -- heads of public companies behave.
One of the drivers of --
SWISHER: Yeah.
MATTINGLY: -- how that public company is supposed to survive is the advertising. The person responsible for the advertising came over with much fanfare --
SWISHER: Yeah.
MATTINGLY: -- Linda Yaccarino.
And I think -- I'm struck. You know, she put out a tweet last night saying -- trying -- I don't know what it was trying to do, to be completely candid with you -- saying here's my perspective --
SWISHER: Go right ahead.
MATTINGLY: -- when it comes to advertising.
SWISHER: And neither do I.
MATTINGLY: Yeah.
"X is standing at a unique and amazing intersection of free speech and Main Street -- and the X community is powerful and is here --
SWISHER: Yeah.
MATTINGLY: -- to welcome you. To our partners who believe in our meaningful work, thank you."
It's like a tweeting through it but not really sure with what capacity. What --
SWISHER: I -- she's, you know -- did you watch "SUCCESSION" --
MATTINGLY: Yeah.
SWISHER: -- Tom, the "pain sponge?" That's what she is. She's the pain sponge for this behavior.
You know, this is an experienced ad exec. She knows exactly what happened here and for some reason, she's decided to enable him, and that's the real problem here. There's a lot of people -- besides his ridiculous behavior and childless behavior.
She's also enabling him and making excuses, and trying to wrap it in the cloak for the First Amendment when, in fact, you don't have to advertise when you don't want to. I think that's pretty much the basics of advertising. People pick and choose, and they've picked. And instead, he wants to blame them for his own behavior.
It was such a bizarre -- it's not bizarre. He's done it before.
HILL: Right.
SWISHER: He just keeps doing it and keeps doubling down.
And so, you know, at one point, when some -- as Maya Angelou said, when someone tells you who they are believe them.
HILL: Absolutely. I mean, it really has -- in the grand scheme of things, right, sort of on brand.
I was also struck by -- and Kara, I want to get your take on this.
SWISHER: Yeah.
HILL: Israel's president was also interviewed at DealBook and he was asked specifically --
SWISHER: Yeah.
HILL: -- about the visit that Elon Musk made. He was also asked -- he said he appreciated it. But he was asked whether he thought Elon Musk would actually be fighting antisemitism on X. And he didn't really give an answer which, to me, told us everything --
SWISHER: How could he?
HILL: -- we needed to know.
SWISHER: Right. How could he? It's become -- you know, he's allowed all kinds of -- he got rid of content moderation. He said everyone should be able to say whatever.
That trip was a P.R. stunt and it was -- it was -- a lot of people in Israel thought it was shameful for the government to do that. But they need help, too, I guess, with what's happening there -- especially Netanyahu. Netanyahu has come to his aid before --
HILL: Um-hum.
SWISHER: -- when he had another issue around antisemitism with the ADL.
[07:50:00]
And so, this just happens over and over again. And what's fascinating is the blame he wants -- the richest man in the world wants to say advertisers are the cause of his problems. He's the cause of his problems and the reason ads are down is because of how he behaves on the platform. Not just antisemitic -- promoting antisemitic stuff or allowing it to run rampant. Study after study shows this.
But he sues people, or he cuts them off, or he calls them names. Bob Iger -- what in the world? It's his fault that he's losing all this money and he's going to have to pay the price. And he also said that on stage.
MATTINGLY: Yeah.
SWISHER: It's not a public company; it's his company. He can afford to keep doing this. It's just a very expensive hobby --
HILL: Yeah.
SWISHER: -- to insult your advertisers.
MATTINGLY: Yeah, Kara, we've got to go. But you made a great point keying on the Iger --
SWISHER: Yeah.
MATTINGLY: -- comment, which I don't think has gotten as much attention as it should. It was a very, like, one-off -- what the heck?
SWISHER: Yeah.
MATTINGLY: Kara Swisher --
SWISHER: Yeah.
MATTINGLY: -- we could talk to you for hours about this. Thank you so much. SWISHER: Thanks a lot.
HILL: Happening now, Secretary of State Antony Blinken is meeting with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank as the violence there escalates.
MATTINGLY: And this. Yarden Roman-Gat was separated from her husband and her 3-year-old daughter as they tried to escape Hamas militants on October 7. Yarden was taken hostage and just hours ago, she was freed. Her brother will join us next.
(COMMERCIAL)
[07:55:34]
HILL: Israel and Hamas have agreed to extend their military pause for another day and that is offering additional hope that more hostages will be released. Sixteen were freed yesterday, including 36-year-old Israel Yarden Roman-Gat who was among them. She was abducted on October 7 along with her husband and their 3-year-old daughter. They were visiting her in-laws at a kibbutz near the Gaza border.
Her sister told a local news source that after Hamas forced the three of them into a car they saw an IDF tank as they neared the border, took their chances, and jumped out. Yarden handed her daughter off to her husband because she knew he could run faster with her, and ran the other way, directing the gunshots toward her.
Her husband and her daughter were able to escape after hiding in the woods for hours. Yarden was captured. And now, after nearly two months apart, they have finally been reunited.
Joining me now is Yarden's brother, Gili Roman, who if you are a viewer of this program you have seen Gili multiple times here talking about his sister and pleading for her release.
Gili, you're at the hospital there. Yarden is at the hospital. How are you in this moment? How is Yarden?
GILI ROMAN, SISTER RELEASED BY HAMAS, BROTHER-IN-LAW AND NIECE ESCAPED HAMAS JUST BEFORE ENTERING GAZA (via Webex by Cisco): First of all, good morning -- and it is a good morning. It's finally seen that we had a few good mornings here in Israel with the release of more and more hostages.
This night, it was the turn for my sister and she came back here safe and healthy. Obviously, she had been through a horrible 54 days but now she's with us and reunited with immense joy you can see on the face of her daughter, and a lot of relief.
HILL: You told us -- it was probably about a month ago, you talked about your niece -- about her daughter -- 3-year-old Gefen, and how she was, you know, in many ways at that point, really keeping people going. She is just this light. And you said a lot of that is because of who her mother is and who her mother has taught her to be even at the young age of three. That look on her face is pure joy, Gili.
ROMAN: Yes -- sorry, but yes. That was pure joy. That was pure joy. Even when we spoke with -- we spoke with Yarden on the phone before we met here and we just told Gefen a few minutes before, she immediately just -- you know, she was ready. She was ready to meet -- she was ready to meet her mother.
And I told Yarden we missed you so much. Yarden told me missing is like a small word. That's not enough to describe what I felt. So Gefen told her -- and I miss you the whole world and over than that.
HILL: Oh.
ROMAN: So just like a (INAUDIBLE) didn't really understand. Really, she grasped it and she kept our hopes and she kept our optimism and we did the same for her. And now it's been fulfilled.
HILL: Um-hum.
ROMAN: I think that many people also when I was here last time asked how can we be so optimistic and here I think that we were right. And I want to keep on this optimism because we have so much more people to be released and so much more life to be saved.
Even Gefen's aunt -- my sister-in-law for Yarden -- is still in captivity. She was not released today. We are waiting for her to be on the list. Every day we have this nightmare of who is on the list and who is not on the list -- this sick reality show by Hamas. And we hope that everybody will come back and experience this.
HILL: Yeah.
Did Yarden know that her husband and her daughter were safe or was she in the dark this whole time?
ROMAN: So, she was in the dark most of the time. She found out late in her captivity by a random radio program that she briefly had the chance to hear on the side of family members of ours and she concluded that her daughter and her husband are alive.
[08:00:00]
