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CNN This Morning
Trump Picks Vaccine Skeptic RFK Jr. for Top Health Post; Growing Calls for House Ethics Committee to Release Gaetz Report; Elevated Fire Danger in Northeast Today. Aired 6-6:30a ET
Aired November 15, 2024 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KASIE HUNT, CNN ANCHOR: It is Friday, November 15th. Right now on CNN THIS MORNING.
[06:01:39]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES: Won the White House, recaptured the Senate, and now, as of today, recaptured the House.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: A night of celebration, the president-elect delivering his first speech since securing victory.
And --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR. (I), FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: There's no vaccine that is, you know, safe and effective.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: Prescription for trouble? What RFK's promise to make America healthy again could actually mean for you.
And --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. DICK DURBIN (D-IL): The sequence and timing of Mr. Gaetz's resignation from the House raises serious questions.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: Curious timing. Congressman Matt Gaetz says he quit Congress to become attorney general, not to sidestep damning allegations.
And then --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-NY): We're going to move forward with a family conversation over the next several days, next several weeks.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: The way forward. Democrats doing some soul-searching after Republicans clinched their trifecta.
All right. It is just after 6 a.m. here on the East Coast. A beautiful sunrise over New York City on this Friday morning at the end of a -- man, one of those weeks.
Donald Trump has returned. If you're in Washington, it all feels very familiar in the pace and scope of the changes that come at you.
Good morning, everyone. I'm Kasie Hunt. It's wonderful to have you with us. We did make it to Friday.
Make America healthy again? Donald Trump choosing Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I'm going to let him go wild on health. I'm going to let him go wild on the food. I'm going to let him go wild on medicine.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: "I'm going to let him go wild," Trump said. So, what might going wild look like?
This is a job, let's remember, that oversees the CDC, the FDA, the National Institutes of Health, and Medicare and Medicaid. There are more than 100 million Americans who get their health coverage from those two programs.
So, how does RFK Jr. see the world?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KENNEDY: There are entire departments, like the Nutrition Department at the FDA, that -- that have to go. They are -- are not doing their job. They're not protecting our kids.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: They "have to go." So, what are some of Kennedy's views on various public health matters that he may oversee? Let's review.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KENNEDY: I do believe that autism does come from vaccines.
COVID-19 is targeted to attack Caucasians and -- and black people. The people that are most immune are Ashkenazi Jews and -- and Chinese.
Wi-Fi radiation is -- does all kinds of bad things, including causing cancer.
Some of these mass shootings that we're seeing in this country may be related to this new -- these new class of drugs, of SSRIs and Benzos.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: On the arguably highest profile issue that he's weighed in on, the safety of vaccines, that's of course, an issue that has implications for the health of all of us and all of our children. He has tried to claim a less extreme view than the one that he actually holds. Here's what he told me December of last year.
[06:05:04]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: Over the summer, in an interview, you said, quote, "There's no vaccine that is, you know, safe and effective." Do you still believe that?
KENNEDY: I never said that.
HUNT: So, stop me. We have the clip. Please play the clip.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can you name any vaccines that you think are good?
KENNEDY: I think some of the live-virus vaccines are probably averting more problems than they're causing. There is no vaccine that is, you know, safe and effective.
HUNT: So, you did say it. Do you still believe it?
KENNEDY: Here's what -- here's what I -- here's what I would say. First of all, I'm not anti-vaccine.
HUNT: How is that statement not anti-vaccine?
KENNEDY: Well, it's -- I can say right now there's no medicine for cancer that's safe and effective. It doesn't mean I'm against all medicines. I've been fighting 40 years to get mercury out of fish. Nobody calls me anti-fish.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: "Nobody calls me anti-fish."
Joining us now to discuss all of this: Molly Ball, senior political correspondent for the "Wall Street Journal"; Elliot Williams, CNN legal analyst; Democratic Congressman Greg Landsman of Ohio; and Matt Gorman, former senior advisor to Tim Scott's presidential campaign.
Welcome to all of you. Thank you for being here.
Congressman, thanks for agreeing to stick around. But you've told me to call you Greg, so I'm going to do it. It's very hard for me. OK? After many years of calling you -- (CROSSTALK)
ELLIOT WILLIAMS, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: After you graduate from school, and you see your teacher in the -- in the supermarket, like, what do you call them? Mr. and Mrs. or their first name?
HUNT: So -- but I just want the audience to know you told me I could. So --
REP. GREG LANDSMAN (OH): I know there's a big divide between elected officials and everyone else, and if we keep saying "congressman," "president," "senator," like, it's just Greg.
MATT GORMAN, FORMER SENIOR ADVISOR TO TIM SCOTT'S PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN: You're just another bald man on this panel, man.
LANDSMAN: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) baldness. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) Baldness.
WILLIAMS: Bald is beautiful.
LANDSMAN: Yes, it is.
HUNT: So, with that, Elliot, I would like to start with you, actually. Just as we -- I mean, you heard what RFK Jr. had to say there about COVID, for example. The -- the amount of power that is centered in this agency is actually quite remarkable and extensive.
WILLIAMS: Yes.
HUNT: What is your sense of just the degree of impact that RFK could have in this role, if he's confirmed?
WILLIAMS: Quite profound, going -- starting with the number of regulations that will cross the desk of the chair -- the Department of Health and Human Services.
But, you know, it's important to note that a lot of the things that we're noting really are policy differences. They're policy issues.
Now, they're extreme. He is, in many respects, pushing conspiracy theories. But to me, a lot of the bigger concern is a lot of the things in this individual's background that render him unfit to lead a big -- any sort of large enterprise.
There's all -- there's many, many questions about, for instance, possible drug and substance abuse and behavior issues and personal misconduct, all of which would come up in the context of a confirmation hearing. We'll be talking about that a lot today.
HUNT: We haven't even done the bear in Central Park. Or the whale on the beach.
WILLIAMS: Yes, I mean, some of that's --
MOLLY BALL, SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT, "THE WALL STREET JOURNAL": Wasn't there, like, a dog or something? WILLIAMS: A dog. Was it a goat or a dog that he was holding up and
pretending to eat?
BALL: Maybe we can investigate and settle this.
WILLIAMS: Did he say it under oath? He can say it under oath. But -- you know, but that's sort of the broader point. It's all of those things will come up in the context of a hearing, but is this an individual fit to manage far more than do you agree with his views on vaccines and all, which are conspiracy theories?
HUNT: Yes. And -- and Greg, Congressman, sorry. I'm going to choke on this every single time.
We were talking a little bit in -- in the last hour about the Democratic governor, Jared Polis, on vaccines.
LANDSMAN: Yes.
HUNT: And he said he's, quote, "excited" by the news that the president-elect will appoint Robert Kennedy Jr. to HHS: "I hope he learns [SIC] -- leans into personal choice on vaccines rather than bans (which I think are terrible, just like mandates." He then medics goes on to be optimistic about taking on big pharma.
What -- how do you think this issue is going to cut and where do you fall down on it personally?
LANDSMAN: So, hearing that the second time. So, Polis was saying, you know, we don't like bans. Bans are -- so, if he's going to lean into or do away with, you know, any ban on vaccines. I guess -- I guess that's one -- you know, I guess he's being optimistic.
What I don't -- what I don't understand is, if -- if the American people were clear -- and I think they were -- that they wanted change and they wanted people to focus on the economy, they wanted people to focus on fixing the -- the border and a whole host of other issues that really matter to them, is this all not just pulling attention away from the things that they care about, you know, in order to, you know, pay back those folks that helped Trump win. And -- and I don't think people like that.
GORMAN: One of the things I was just thinking about as you were reading that quote is, and just setting aside Kennedy for one second, I think between -- obviously, we have Kennedy, whether he gets confirmed or not.
[06:10:03]
But you also have J.D. Vance and Joe Rogan, and just what we've heard. The pharmaceutical industry is going to be in the metaphorical crosshairs of a Trump administration unlike probably any we've seen in a Republican administration in quite some time.
I think much like big business, there's been an evolution on the right where it was very laissez-faire. Like, you can handle your own. We'll leave you alone.
I think that will change. To what degree, we will see. But that's just what I've noticed in the last couple of months.
HUNT: Sorry. Go ahead.
GORMAN: No, no. Look. More so than Gaetz. I know we were talking about the Gaetz stuff. The Kennedy thing fascinates me, because this is really, I think, where the rubber meets the road for a lot of Senate Republicans, right?
Susan Collins, who is in cycle. She's up in 2026, in blue Maine. Very much a Joe Manchin-like position where, if she were to retire, that seat is very likely Democratic. Lisa Murkowski, they're not up (ph).
So, the politics is going to be very, very interesting. That's why I also took note of Bill Cassidy, who hasn't been afraid to be a Trump critic, I think believed -- voted to impeach him after January 6. Did not commit to confirming Kennedy but didn't rule it out; praised him in a statement yesterday, as well. Very interested to see where this goes.
BALL: Yes, well, to your point, what I'm wondering is, you know, this is not a traditional Republican pick for Health and Human Services, right? This is a -- a former Democrat who's got a lot of sort of left- coated views.
And so, what I want to know is, when he is expressing views that challenge the pharmaceutical industry and other aspects of big business, is that something Republican senators are going to want to go along with?
And when he is, you know, expressing views about, basically, government regulation, that he wants, you know, more state control over what we eat and how all this -- and how the government, you know, governs our -- our health and that kind of thing, is that something that Republicans senators want to go along with?
These are the policy questions that I think are going to be really interesting when and if he gets to confirmation.
WILLIAMS: Just quickly, to your point, Molly, it -- it's quick, it's easy to label big business and pharma as enemies and so on. These are donors and constituents of many of the Republican senators who have to cast votes on these issues.
And when they are hearing from -- be it Pfizer or Eli Lilly or whatever else that, wait a second, you have to tamp this down, because we are -- were are providing a tremendous amount of support to you, that is how Washington works. That is how politics works and is funded, even if it doesn't sit right.
HUNT: Interestingly, it could be one of the last issues standing, too, that can cut across party lines, based on, you know, if you had a medical device manufacturer in your state and you happened to be a Democrat, you may not align exactly the way your -- the "D" or the "R" after your name might expect.
All right. Straight ahead here on CNN THIS MORNING, Donald Trump has a trifecta of government control this time around, even with the majority. Some of his cabinet will be a true test of loyalty.
Plus, the richest man in the -- in the world's impact on Trump's transition, raising alarms on the world stage.
Plus, new developments on the House ethics probe into Matt Gaetz. A curious cancellation of an event -- an event that had been scheduled for today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. RICHARD BLUMENTHAL (D-CT): Matt Gaetz has chosen to resign from the House, but he can't choose to conceal that information.
REP. JIM JORDAN (R-OH): Well, it's my understanding that is not supposed to go public. So, if it's not supposed to under the rules, it shouldn't go public.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[06:17:46]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you think Matt Gaetz can get through?
REP. JOHN THUNE (R-SD): Well, I don't know the answer to that just yet. I mean, obviously, as you point out, there certainly are some skeptics, but he deserves a process.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: Very measured. Incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune did leave open the possibility of Matt Gaetz becoming the next attorney general of the United States.
The House Ethics Committee was supposed to meet later today to vote on releasing its report on the now former congressman who faces allegations of sex trafficking, illicit drug use, and accepting improper gifts.
That meeting has been canceled. Gaetz resigned from Congress on Wednesday, effectively ending the panel's investigation. It is not clear when or if the committee's findings will be made public.
Democrats insist there's no choice.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JAMIE RASKIN (D-MD): It would have to be released if they really want to try to get the Senate to vote to confirm him. Of course, they could move to try to do a recess appointment, which would escape the requirements of getting an actual Senate vote.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: So, Greg Landsman, what can you tell us about this note and what's going on behind the scenes? Obviously, with the Ethics Committee, one Republican would have to vote with the Democrats to actually get this report out there. Why was this canceled?
LANDSMAN: Well, I don't know why it was canceled. I think he decided to step down, because they were about to release this report and, for the time being, the report stays behind closed doors. But the Ethics Committee, as -- as you all know, is -- is a bunch of Democrats and a bunch of Republicans. They take their job very seriously. They investigated this.
HUNT: It's probably the worst job in Washington.
LANDSMAN: It's a very tough job. But -- and they take it seriously. One way or another, the report's going to come out. And it's -- as I understand it, it's a very damning report, and it suggests, you know, pretty disgusting behavior, not just criminal behavior but discussing behavior.
And that's going to be, I think, tough for Senate Republicans to say, oh, this person should run the Justice Department.
WILLIAMS: On the contrary --
HUNT: Hold on one second. Do you know more about what disgusting means in this context?
LANDSMAN: No. Just what we have read and what he, you know, does on the House floor. I mean, this is a guy who would walk around on the House floor and show people pictures of, you know, women. And, you know, he's a -- he doesn't hide the kind of person he is.
So, the idea that he wants to hide this report is a little bizarre. Because this is who he is.
[06:20:07]
WILLIAMS: To Kasie's point about you have to have at least one Republican cross-over, and viewers may not know, it's the only committee in Congress that's actually split equally between Democrats and Republicans.
So, everything they do has to be bipartisan.
But I guess my question for you is, how much faith do you have in the current House Ethics Committee? Right? It's a very polarized, partisan Congress, generally. But do you think that there is a bipartisan spirit?
LANDSMAN: Yes, I do. The Ethics Committee, they take their job seriously on both sides, Republicans and Democrats. This -- this report will find its way to the public, as it should. This is -- you know, they did a lot of work. So, just put it out
there. Whatever it says, it says.
But -- but I think the two big things on Gaetz are, one, do people really want somebody to go burn down the Justice Department? They -- they -- most everybody believes in federal law enforcement and that we should be fighting crimes and not covering them up.
And two, are these -- are these allegations and what ends up being in this report, is it disqualifying?
HUNT: Yes. Can I ask you, Matt?
GORMAN: Yes.
HUNT: Because one of the thoughts I had was that, if Gaetz is confirmed, if there's something that's going to sink in, it's that he is deeply disliked by members of his own party in the Congress, by Republicans. Right?
And if he is going to go down, it is Republicans who are going to have to sink him. They're going to have to kind of take on Trump's and do that. Is it helpful for Democrats to be out there saying, do this, do this? Or does that -- should they just sort of be a little bit more hands off and just let Republicans sink one of their own?
GORMAN: Yes. When the other team is kind of dealing with this right now, stand back. Jamie Raskin or Richard Blumenthal leading the charge on this is not helpful. Because everybody just puts their jerseys on, so to speak.
And I think so -- Republicans -- they in "The Wall Street Journal" yesterday, there was a (UNINTELLIGIBLE) rally, right, saying that 30 Republicans could vote against. I don't know if Molly, that was your story.
BALL: No. And just, like, it's right there.
GORMAN: So, there it is. I think the goal of that was to try and saber-rattle a little bit. Certainly, I don't think if this ever came to a vote, you'd see 30 Republicans on the floor of the Senate vote against him. It was basically, please, don't put us in that position.
Now, look, as you said, Kevin McCarthy, who said every pick has been great except Matt Gaetz.
Now, one of the other things is, obviously, this report is a big X- factor in all of this. So, you know, there's been some reports about what is actually in the report.
Now, in some respects -- set aside the report, which is actually hard to do, even if Gaetz wins, he's the A.G. If he loses, there was always rumors about him going down to Florida, running for governor, where Ron DeSantis is term-limited anyway.
Obviously, the report is -- that could be the massive X-factor in this. But in some respects, it could be win-win for Gaetz.
HUNT: Congressman, let me put the same question to you as I put to Matt. I mean, do you think Democrats should just be a little more hands-off on Gaetz?
LANDSMAN: No. I think people have to say what they think. It's important. The American people want to know what you think, say what you think.
You know, the allegations and what's in the report is a series of sex crimes. And the -- you know, and what we understand to be true, or could be true, is that he had sex with a child. This is a big deal.
And if it's true, people should know it and -- and hopefully, senators say that's a bridge too far. I -- I certainly would.
Gaetz, this is one of his challenges, I had a run-in with Gaetz in my first term, first year, for the same reason, I think, everybody else has runs-in -- has issues with Gaetz.
Most of us came to govern. We want to govern. And he has not -- he's just not a serious person in that regard. He wants attention. He wants to go party. He wants to, you know, get on TV. And it's all about him, and the American people don't want that. And people who come to D.C. to actually govern, which is Democrats and Republicans, don't like Matt Gaetz.
BALL: I do think, to your point, it's quite possible that he is objectively the most disliked member of the entire Congress. And a unifying figure in a lot of ways. Democrats and Republicans alike.
I've spent quite a bit of time with Matt Gaetz and reporting on Matt Gaetz, and he is a uniquely polarizing figure among both parties.
HUNT: I appreciate that point very much.
Congressman Greg Landsman, thank you very much for joining us --
LANDSMAN: Thanks.
HUNT: -- on the panel, too. I appreciate it.
All right. Ahead here on CNN THIS MORNING, an uphill climb for the Democratic Party. We're going to talk to Congressman Seth Moulton about the party's challenges going forward.
Plus, RFK Jr., public health and trust. Dr. Sanjay Gupta joins us just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[06:28:56]
HUNT: All right, Welcome back. Time now for weather.
The Northeast United States facing elevated fire threats todays. Winds and -- increase. And droughts -- conditions are continuing.
Let's get to our meteorologist, our weatherman, Derek van Dam.
Derek, good morning.
DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning. Happy Friday, Kasie.
Yes, that's the big story today. Certainly, the dry conditions that are persisting across the Northeast. You've got the combination of dry relative humidity, gusty Northwesterly winds, low temperatures, and of course, that equates to the potential for fire spread rather quickly, as well.
So, we're monitoring the Jennings Creek Fire, which is about 75 percent containment. We'd like to see more rain, more containment with that fire, but unfortunately, that's just not the case today.
The storm system that's producing rain is just to your South, and it will continue to pull off the East Coast.
Look at all of the rain on this latest radar; just basically evaporates before it reaches the border of New Jersey and New York, so not providing the relief in terms of wet conditions. In fact, the wind will just pick up out of the Northwest through the course of the next few days.
And that will make for difficult fire conditions for this area. Elevated fire risk going forward.
Here's a look at your temperatures for today. Nation's capital, 56; 65 for Atlanta; warmer as you head towards Florida and into Houston.
