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Senate Republicans To Vote On New Leadership Wednesday; Russian Assault On Kursk Expected To Begin Within Days; Chiefs Stay Perfect With Improbably Win Over Broncos. Aired 5:30-6a ET

Aired November 11, 2024 - 05:30   ET

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

[05:31:03]

KASIE HUNT, CNN ANCHOR: All right, 5:30 a.m. here on the East Coast. A live look at Capitol Hill where the fight for leadership is heating up in the Senate with key implications for the country.

Good morning, everyone. I'm Kasie Hunt. It's wonderful to have you with us.

In just two days Senate Republicans will pick Mitch McConnell's successor as the party's leader in the upper chamber.

Over the weekend, President-elect Donald Trump issued a new demand for whoever will ultimately fill the role. Trump posted that the next leader must support recess appointments for his nominees. What does that mean? It's a way for the president to get around minority opposition to his picks.

And while all three of the top contenders quickly signaled support for the idea one figure has emerged as a favorite among key Trump allies. Elon Musk, RFK Jr., and others publicly endorsing Florida Sen. Rick Scott for the role. Trump has not endorsed anyone yet.

On Wednesday, the Senate GOP will hold a secret ballot election to decide who will win the power to control legislation and wield the power over those key cabinet confirmations.

Here was Sen. Rick Scott making his pitch over the weekend.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. RICK SCOTT (R-FL): We have to be the change. That's what Donald Trump got elected to do -- to be the change. That's what business guys do. I'm a deal guy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: "I'm a deal guy."

Joining us now, Stef Kight, politics reporter for Axios; and Mychael Schnell, congressional reporter for The Hill. Welcome to both of you.

MYCHAEL SCHNELL, CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER, THE HILL: Hey. HUNT: Thank you so much for being here.

STEF KIGHT, POLITICS REPORTER, AXIOS: You're welcome.

HUNT: Mychael, let me start with you -- kind of big picture here. Because we know that two of these guys that have been in the running. John Thune and John Cornyn, longstanding members of the Republican Conference on the Hill and longtime members of leadership sort of, in some ways, represent -- I mean, they're much younger than Mitch McConnell but they represent the old guard a little bit more than Rick Scott does.

What did you make of the fact that John Thune came out pretty immediately and said OK, Donald Trump, recess appointments are fine. What does that say to you about the state of this race?

SCHNELL: That's it's Donald Trump's party and it's Don -- it's going to be Donald Trump's hand-in-hand right-hand man in the Senate. It may not matter who he wants in that position, but you can show that the president-elect is already wielding his power because just within minutes of him putting out this demand all three of the contenders fell into line. So it shows that whoever it is, it's probably somebody who's going to curry favor with the president-elect, of course, because it's going to be a key dealmaking partner.

But this is still a tight race. It's fascinating that a lot of Trump's allies are endorsing Rick Scott. Of course, he was the one who was seen as having the closest relationship with the president-elect.

John Thune getting in the president-elect's crosshairs when he endorsed Tim Scott for president in the GOP primary. Objected to the efforts to reject -- did not get on board with the effort to reject the election results in 2020. John Cornyn was one of the bipartisan dealmakers on that gun control bill a few years ago, something that caught the ire of conservatives. So there are certainly some different sides being taken.

But the key here, Kasie, is that it's a secret ballot, so Trump and his allies can do as much bidding as they want but at the end of the day this is going to be a decision for each senator to make on their own and nobody's ever going to know. So that sort of also shakes things up with how -- the uncertainty of how this is going to play out.

HUNT: Well -- and Stef, you've done a lot of reporting about MAGA media influence, right, because all of these outside folks, including Musk and RFK, are trying to get a word in edgewise.

KIGHT: Yeah. And look, when you're hearing from Elon Musk and Tucker Carlson, that's not nothing, right? These are people who are very influential in Trump world. They're people that Trump himself listens to.

And the concern that I have heard from people on the Hill -- people close to the Senate and following this very closely is that the real power in these posts on X come from if they're able to convince Trump himself to make a decision -- to weigh in, to put his thumb on the scale in this leadership race. Because only then will that really upend things.

[05:35:00]

To Mychael's point, the fact that this is a secret ballot means that a lot of this noise online might not really matter because all that matters at the end of the day is how 53 Republican senators vote secretly, together. And traditionally, this has been a race that is very internal. It's inside baseball. It's built on relationships. It's a popularity contest.

So it certainly matters -- the momentum matters, and it's certainly given Rick Scott a real boost. He was not seen as a very serious contender up until now and it could shake things up internally. But there's still a lot to see and it could ultimately not sway how senators decide to actually cast their vote come Wednesday.

HUNT: Yeah.

Mychael, what's the tension between how well Scott is liked or isn't inside the conference versus this kind of outside pressure from the MAGA world?

SCHNELL: Well, that's the real question here, right? Rick Scott mounting a bid against Mitch McConnell for Senate leader at the beginning of 2021, and he only got 10 votes -- which, of course, Mitch McConnell has been the Republican leader since 2007. He's a known figure on Capitol Hill and people respect his leadership. But still, 10 votes isn't really much to show for even if you have some close allies in the Senate.

So that's why before -- as Stef said, before President-elect Trump won and was on his way to the White House a lot of people were laughing off Rick Scott's bid and it wasn't seen as a real power player in this three-way race. But now with Trump in the White House and again, Rick Scott seen as the one who has the best relationship with the president-elect and a lot of his allies pushing for it, now folks are saying hmm, maybe this could be a dark horse candidate -- somebody who could sway.

But again, it all gets back to this idea of the secret ballot. Trump could get involved if he wants and his allies could keep pushing, but it just depends on how senators take to that recommendation when they get to that ballot secretly.

HUNT: Yeah.

KIGHT: And I would add, as well, the question also is where do Rick Scott's supporters go after the first ballot on Wednesday. Do they decide to vote as a group and get behind Cornyn or get behind Thune? This is also a bloc of power one way or another and watching where these supporters might go if Rick Scott does not make it through the first round of voting on Wednesday will be critical to who ultimately wins this thing. HUNT: Yeah. Well, I mean, how much difference Mychael is there between Cornyn and Thune in terms of MAGA world? Like, do they see a big difference between those two?

SCHNELL: Some folks have said that Cornyn has a better relationship with Trump compared to Thune, though again, they still trail with Rick Scott.

Again, Thune did not get on board with those efforts to reject the election results in 2020 -- in 2021, which was a big black eye. And he also went ahead and endorsed Tim Scott in the GOP primary. Cornyn didn't -- maybe took a little bit to endorse Trump but didn't actually endorse one of his opponents.

I mean, the relationship with John Thune -- Trump went all the way to threaten a primary challenger against John Thune. He said this guy is going to get primaried and he's going to be out of Congress. Now, that didn't end up coming to fruition. There was not a strong primary challenge. Obviously, he's still serving. But John Thune probably has a little bit more bad blood with Trump world.

However, important to note that they have tried to mend fences campaigning and appearing with one another. Taking phone calls and having conversations. So allies of those camps are trying to say this is not a big deal anymore. But, of course, when you're looking at these three candidates so closely you're going to look at the context and the history.

HUNT: Yeah, and it is -- Donald Trump doesn't really forget --

SCHNELL: Right.

HUNT: -- a lot of things.

Let's talk briefly about once this is settled the biggest question for the Senate is going to be confirming Trump's nominees.

Right after -- the morning after the election I interviewed Marco Rubio to ask him about one of the more possible -- possibly -- how should we say it -- controversial possible picks for Trump, RFK Jr. Watch what Rubio said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R-FL): Well, I think the Senate is going to give great deference to a president that just won a stunning -- what I think is an Electoral College landslide when all of a sudden done in a mandate. And he's being given a mandate to govern. And I think presidents who are given a mandate to govern deserve from the Senate the opportunity to surround themselves with people that are going to help them execute their policies.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: So what do you expect, Stef, in terms of the willingness of the Senate to vote to confirm someone like RFK Jr. who has -- I mean, take your pick of controversial realities in their past that previously would be an absolute no-go for a Senate confirmation?

KIGHT: Yeah. I mean, again, I think it will depend on the picks here. But people like RFK Jr., Ric Grenell -- you know, options that have been on the table who are certainly controversial figures -- they're not going to have an easy time getting through the Senate not only with people like Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins on the Republican side but, of course, having to win over Democrats to get them across the line.

And I think it's notable that Trump is already trying to hedge for that. Asking for the leader candidates to commit to these recess appointments it indicates that Trump expects there to be a hard time to get the people through that he wants in positions of power and he's looking for ways to get around that.

[05:40:00]

SCHNELL: Just on Stef's point, Republicans may have this 52-53 seat majority, which is big compared to what we have right now, but you still have people like Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins, the Todd Youngs of the world. Folks who are no --

HUNT: Thom Tillis --

SCHNELL: Thom Tillis.

HUNT: -- from North Carolina, yeah.

SCHNELL: Folks who are no big fans of Trump and have gone against him in the past, and I don't think they would shy away from doing it again this time around.

So while they do have this majority -- yes, there's a 60-vote threshold and you're going to need Democrats to get a lot done, but you also have this small but loud contingent of Senate Republicans who may not want to just carene into the former -- the president-elect's corner on every single matter. So that's definitely a power bloc to pay attention to also.

HUNT: All right, Mychael Schnell and Stef Kight. Thanks very much for being with us. I appreciate it.

SCHNELL: Thanks.

KIGHT: Thank you.

HUNT: All right. Straight ahead here on CNN THIS MORNING, Ukraine's future. Why the incoming Trump administration's plans are causing concern for some European leaders.

Plus, an epic comeback win for the Detroit Lions. That's in the Bleacher Report up next.

(COMMERCIAL)

[05:45:22] (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, (R) THEN-PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Before I even arrive at the Oval Office, I will have the disastrous war between Russia and Ukraine settled, and it will take me no longer than one day.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: Donald Trump there was promising to swiftly end Russia's war on Ukraine as tens of thousands of Russian soldiers prepare for a largescale assault against Ukrainian positions in the Kursk region. Those Russian forces joined by thousands of North Korean troops. The offensive expected to begin within days, and it comes as questions swirl about Ukraine's future with Trump in office.

The Biden administration arguing that abandoning Ukraine now will have global implications.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAKE SULLIVAN, U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: President Biden will have the opportunity over the next 70 days to make the case to the Congress and to the incoming administration that the United States should not walk away from Ukraine. That walking away from Ukraine means more instability in Europe. And ultimately, as the Japanese prime minister said, if we walk away from Ukraine in Europe, the question about America's commitment to our allies in Asia will grow.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: On Wednesday, President Biden will host Trump at the White House. He plans to urge him to stand by Ukraine.

CNN military analyst Col. Cedric Leighton is here. Colonel, good morning. Always wonderful to see you.

CEDRIC LEIGHTON, CNN MILITARY ANALYST, AIR FORCE (RET.): Good morning, Kasie.

HUNT: So I have to say looking at that -- the map especially -- and thinking through the Russian offensive at this point, do you get that sense that Russia wants to try to make this offensive? Now, obviously, holding territory has been difficult for them. This has been a long war of attrition for the Russians.

But with Trump coming into office is there, like, a willingness or do they sense a willingness to basically draw lines around where the front is at the moment that Trump comes into office and say this is how we resolve this?

LEIGHTON: I'm not sure it will be at that particular point. The key question I think will be how will the North Korean soldiers be employed? So we have about 10,000 or 11,000 that are in the Kursk region. If they pursue a strategy of hot pursuit -- in other words, cross the Ukrainian border, that's a different question. Then it becomes one of those situations where the Russians are bent on more territorial gains than they currently have.

So I'm not sure it's actually going to be as -- you know, when Trump assumes office or whether it's now, or whether it's a place where the Russians are going to actually have an advantage territorially. In other words, gain more territory than what they already have. And that's probably going to be what the Russians are going to try to do.

HUNT: So let's listen to the former Trump administration special envoy to Ukraine who was out talking about the way that Trump and Putin were interacting or not on the world stage -- criticizing each other, congratulating each other, or not, et cetera. Let's watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KURT VOLKER, FORMER TRUMP ADMINISTRATION U.S. SPECIAL ENVOY TO UKRAINE: He has also not criticized Vladimir Putin. He's not said this is a Russian aggression that needs to stop. But my view is that the reason why he is not criticizing Putin is because he knows he only has to reach a deal with Putin, and so he's not demonizing him. But that doesn't mean that he misunderstands the situation on the ground.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: So do you agree with Kurt Volker there? What do you make of what he's saying?

LEIGHTON: So there's definitely a place for diplomatic maneuvering and it is possible that what Trump is trying to do is do something like that where he's, in essence, getting ready to talk to Putin. However, there is a long history of Trump cozying up to Putin. I mean, think about Helsinki, for example.

HUNT: Sure.

LEIGHTON: That becomes a real problem because it doesn't seem, based on the rhetoric and past actions in many cases, you're looking at a situation where what has actually happened here is that Trump is really in line with what Putin's goals are. He, in essence, has said he doesn't care what is going to happen to Ukraine and what is happening to Europe if the Europeans don't pay -- certain European countries don't pay their two percent of GDP for NATO, for example.

So those are the kinds of issues that are going to have to be resolved. It would be to Trump's advantage to stand by Ukraine in a -- in a strategic and in a military sense. The problem is his rhetoric doesn't match the need for that strategic advantage.

HUNT: How do you think the politics of his MAGA base play into this? Because obviously, in Congress it's been really tough to get Ukraine aid across the finish line.

LEIGHTON: Well, it's interesting because when you look at the final vote tallies, they've actually been fairly substantial in favor of Ukraine aid. At least that was the past. But with this election people in office may interpret that as being a sign that they wouldn't support Ukraine or at least wouldn't support it as much as they have until this point.

[05:50:00]

It would be a huge strategic mistake if they did that. However, they're not thinking that way. They're thinking about short-term political gains. And it could very well be the case that the MAGA base will have a lot of influence on what happens with Ukraine, and that would be a tragedy for Ukraine and then eventually for Eastern Europe.

HUNT: And what is your sense of how Europeans are taking this in right now? What are they doing to try to prepare for it?

LEIGHTON: Right now it seems like there is a lot of panic. Now, one thing that's going to be interesting about this Kasie is that Germany is about to undergo an election, and the likelihood is that the Christian Democratic Union (the CDU) is going to take over in Germany from Chancellor Olaf Scholz. The candidate for the CDU is a pro- Ukraine right-of-center candidate. And that could potentially galvanize other European nations to, in essence, step into the breach where they actually do provide more support for Ukraine.

But from a defense industrial-based standpoint, it's one thing to say things politically.

HUNT: Um-hum.

LEIGHTON: It's quite another to actually deliver the weapons and the munitions that the Ukrainians need.

HUNT: For sure.

All right, Col. Cedric Leighton for us this morning. Colonel, thank you -- appreciate it.

LEIGHTON: You bet, Kasie. You got it.

HUNT: All right, time now for sports.

The defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs somehow keep their unbeaten streak alive in the most dramatic fashion.

Coy Wire has this morning's Bleacher Report. Coy, good morning.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Good morning, Kasie.

Those Broncos came this close to knocking off the NFL's last undefeated team and picking up the first win in Kansas City in nearly a decade, but man, those Chiefs just keep finding ways to win.

Denver led nearly the entire way yesterday thanks to a pair of touchdown passes from rookie Bo Nix. But the Chiefs kept plugging away and finally took the lead with a short field goal with under six minutes to go. Then Nix led Denver down field into field goal range, setting up kicker Wil Lutz for a potential game-winning 35-yarder, but it's blocked by Leo Chenal. Arrowhead Stadium goes wild. Patrick Mahomes can't contain his

emotions. KC remains a perfect 9-0 -- 16-14 they win. And they haven't lost a game since last Christmas.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEO CHENAL, LINEBACKER, KANSAS CITY CHIEFS: I was really praying for something to happen because it's so easy to -- like, you know, that moment is so heavy. Even though there's a second on the clock they're going to kick the field goal. And you feel the weight of the moment.

PATRICK MAHOMES, QUARTERBACK, KANSAS CITY CHIEFS: It's awesome, man. You live for these moments. I mean, when you grow up playing football you live for the walk-off or whatever it is. And it's special when you've been with these guys for so long and you've built the chemistry with them, and guide him to make that play, it's something that I'm sure Leo will have for the rest of his life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: All right. If you went to bed early you missed a thriller between the Lions and Texans in Houston. They combined for seven interceptions with Detroit's Jared Goff throwing five of them. Houston was up 23-7 at halftime. Despite all the turnovers the Lions came roaring back, scoring 16 unanswered points in the second half to tie it.

And it would come down to their rookie kicker Jake Bates. He was working a brick salesman 18 months ago. But with time running out from 52 yards out, he barely sneaks it in -- the game winner.

Detroit wins 26-23.

Bates is from Houston. Now 14 of 14 on field goals to start his career. The Lions improve to 8-1 for the first time since 1954.

The feel good story of the day might have to go to 49ers rookie receiver Ricky Pearsall. He scored his first NFL touchdown on a 46- yard catch and run in the first quarter against the Bucs. Less than 11 weeks ago he was shot in the chest -- seriously wounded in an attempted robbery. Now he and his Niners go on to win 23-20.

All right. Finally, the NFL was playing its fifth and final international game this weekend, this time in Munich as the Panthers beat the Giants in overtime. And during the game, referee Shawn Hochuli did his best to blend in with the locals, getting the crowd on his side while making a penalty call -- listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHAWN HOCHULI, NFL REFEREE: (Speaking foreign language). It's by the center. It's third down.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: The crowd gave him a nice applause after that. And this continues the tradition for the Hochuli family. His father Ed was also an NFL referee, and he officiated the first game in Mexico City back in 2005. The first call he made that day, Kasie, was in Spanish.

The fifth and final international game -- Roger Goodell says maybe there will be eight next season, so we shall see. They certainly are fun to watch.

HUNT: We -- they are, for sure.

All right, Coy Wire for us this morning. Coy, thank you.

WIRE: You got it.

HUNT: I really appreciate it.

All right. In our next hour here on CNN THIS MORNING, Donald Trump's transition to power. West Wing hopefuls flock to Mar-a-Lago looking for a new role in his administration.

Plus, Dana Bash joins us live after she pressed Congressman Jim Jordan about false claims of election fraud in 2020 and what made the 2024 election different.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANA BASH, CNN ANCHOR: Do you believe that the 2024 --

REP. JIM JORDAN (R-OH): Are you going to use (INAUDIBLE) there?

[05:55:00]

BASH: -- election was free and fair?

JORDAN: I do. I do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL)

HUNT: It's Monday, November 11. Right now on CNN THIS MORNING, policy or payback? With just over two months until Inauguration Day, Trump is talking unity after campaigning on retribution.

And --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT): The working class of this country is angry, and they have a reason to be angry.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: Pointing fingers. Democrats ask what went wrong and what comes next after their crushing defeat.

And -- (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Anybody involved with that should be fired immediately.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: A FEMA employee fired after telling hurricane relief workers to skip homes with Trump signs.

And then --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Do you believe that the 2024 --

JORDAN: Are you going to use (INAUDIBLE) there?

BASH: -- election was free and fair?

JORDAN: I do. I do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)