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Gunman on The Loose After Killing CEO; Biden Weighs Preemptive Pardons; David Hogg is Interviewed about the Democratic Party; Romney Delivers Farewell Speech. Aired 6:30-7a ET

Aired December 05, 2024 - 06:30   ET

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

[06:30:00]

DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Again, I-95 to the north could see a little bit of that accumulation on the ground.

Now, this is the look at the temperatures as you step outside, well below freezing for places like Indianapolis to Chicago. It is all because of this clipper and the energy and the wind associated with it. It will be gusty today in New York and temperatures will continue to fall from today. So, if you thought it was cold yesterday, wait till you step outside this morning and into this afternoon in the big apple. It is going to be chilly. Enjoy.

KASIE HUNT, CNN ANCHOR: All right, Derek Van Dam for us this morning.

Derek, thank you. I appreciate it.

VAN DAM: OK.

HUNT: All right, straight ahead here on CNN THIS MORNING, after pardoning his son Hunter, could President Biden be preparing to issue more pardons, preemptive pardons, before he leaves office?

Plus, an assassin on the loose in New York. The clues the suspect left behind in the murder of the UnitedHealthcare CEO.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JESSICA TISH, NYPD COMMISSIONER: This does not appear to be a random act of violence.

The full investigative efforts of the New York City Police Department are well underway, and we will not rest until we identify and apprehend the shooter.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:35:27]

HUNT: Welcome back. New clues emerging this morning nearly 24 hours after a killer gunned down a healthcare CEO on the streets of New York City. The gunman is still on the loose.

The wife of the victim, UnitedHealthcare boss Brian Thompson, telling NBC News, quote, "there had been some threats. Basically, I don't know, a lack of coverage? I don't know details. I just know that he said that there were some people that had been threatening him." And she suggested that those threats may have involved issues with insurance coverage.

The 50-year-old Thompson was in Manhattan for his firm's annual investors meeting.

Now, I do want to warn you, we're going to show you some of the surveillance video of the moments leading up to the shooting. We're not showing the entire clip. It's just too hard to watch.

Thompson was walking to his meeting yesterday morning when you can see the gunman emerge from behind him and shoot him. Moments later, the shooter is seen darting quickly across the street. He was then picked up by surveillance cameras escaping on a bicycle into Central Park. Before the shooting, the masked suspect stopped at a nearby Starbucks, providing police with the clearest images so far of his face and with potential DNA evidence.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JESSICA TISCH, NYPD COMMISSIONER: Every indication is that this was a premeditated, pre-planned, targeted attack.

JOE KENNY, NYPD CHIEF OF DETECTIVES: We're reaching out to law enforcement in Minnesota, and we're also interviewing his coworkers and family members to see if there have been any specific threats against him in the past.

As far as who was he in the hotel with? We're doing a search warrant in his hotel room right now that might lead us - give us some more information.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: Then there's this from ABC News this morning. The words deny, defend and depose were found on the shell casings discovered at the scene where Thompson was shot.

We're joined now by CNN's senior law enforcement analyst, former FBI deputy director, Andy McCabe.

Sir, thank you so much for being here.

Let's start with what ABC is reporting was found on these shell casings. What does that tell you about this?

ANDREW MCCABE, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Sure, Kasie, good morning. It's a tantalizing detail and could be significant in the long term.

Unfortunately, right now, it doesn't really give us much more of a bead on identifying who this shooter is.

But I would say that, you know, to go through the almost ritual of writing words or some pieces of a message onto the bullets that you're going to use in an assassination, to me that - that raises the strong prospect that this person had some sort of personal connection to this killing. So, this is probably less likely to be someone who was hired to do this and more likely was committed by someone who is emotionally or specifically invested in the act, right? There - it's a - a level of like personal kind of expression that you would never see from - from a hired gun, as it were.

So, I know that doesn't really tell us very much, but every little scrap of evidence is something additional that the police have to work with at this point. It's also likely they're checking those bullets and those casings for - for fingerprints and DNA and things that could actually lead to identifying who he was.

HUNT: Yes, it's - it's so interesting you put it that way because we initially saw that the use of the silencer, there was all this speculation that this was perhaps professionally done or someone that knew what they were doing. When you watch that video, what do you see in it in terms of whether this person had training? Because there is - there are elements to it that show he's familiar with firearms on the one hand, but on the other hand there - there seem to be a series of things that - that show sloppiness.

MCCABE: Yes, is it sloppy or is it an intentional thing? That's always kind of a bit of a challenge.

But - so, in terms of the, you know, his - his skills and his kind of mentality in approaching this crime, there's a lot of indications that it's very highly planned, very high degree of organization. Even his arrival at the site five or 10 minutes before the target gets there indicates possibly some level of surveillance or intelligence that he was using to know to go to the exact right place at the exact right time is really extraordinary. The way he steps out from the vehicle, he - first he hides between the vehicles, he allows the target to pass him rather than just jumping out in front of him and confronting him as - as many people would do.

[06:40:03]

He allows him to pass him so he can emerge on the sidewalk behind him without drawing his attention. He very coolly, and with - with determination, takes his position to shoot. His position indicates a level of training with firearms. He's got the right foot stance. He's got the right grip on the - on the weapon. And then he fires in a very precise and cold and calculating way. All that indicates a high degree of organization and a level of proficiency with firearms. Of course, clearing the jam from the firearm adds to that as well.

The odd facts are that he goes to Starbucks right before the murder. A place where he is guaranteed to be caught on video. And that's something, again, that a professional would never do. This, to me, almost seems like, you know, it's a bit of a, you know, flashing the middle finger to who you know the - in a - on a photograph that you know the investigators will be looking at later.

It also says to me he was not worried at all about being seen in these clothes because he probably had a preset plan to get rid of all those items very quickly after the crime. So, he's probably got additional clothing in that backpack. As soon as he's got a chance, maybe in the park behind some sort of cover, I'm sure he gets rid of the mask. He gets rid of the jacket. He has a totally different look on the top of his - of his outfit there. And that's going to greatly help him blend into the crowd and slip away.

HUNT: And what do you make of the cell phone and the water bottle that were found at the scene? I mean is there - is there any reason - I mean normally you would say, oh, no, like I left my cell phone. That's going to identify me to everybody that even looks at it. But could there be another reason why you might do that intentionally?

MCCABE: You know, we don't know exactly where the police found it, whether they just found it on the street or they found it in - in a trash receptacle or garbage can. So, if it's - if it was recovered in a garbage can, then it's - then it's an intentional act of trying to get rid of those things. He didn't want to be found and approached or questioned with those articles in his possession.

If it was just found on the street, seemingly dropped, that's just a mistake. And these things happen. Oftentimes people are caught, despite their best planning, they make one tragic mistake, leave behind one piece of evidence that brings the police to their door.

So, I think, for me, it would really depend on a little - knowing a little bit more about the detail of where those things were found and how they were found. But at this - at this point, could have been intentional, or it could have been just the flaw that unravels this whole thing for him.

HUNT: Yes. So, very briefly, do you anticipate they're going to catch this guy, or do you think he might have gotten away?

MCCABE: I do think they'll catch him eventually. They're very, very good at what they do. They have an enormous surveillance network of video cameras in New York. You also have the public very closely engaged in this, which can help a lot. So, I do think that they'll find it.

Their hope now probably is that somebody who knows him and maybe has heard him, let's say, uttered those three words before, or has - has seen him carrying that backpack or wearing that coat will step forward and help identify him. But they have - as - you know, as time goes on it gets harder and harder, but they also amass more information and people who can help them in the search.

HUNT: All right, Andy McCabe for us this morning. Sir, thanks very much. I really appreciate it.

MCCABE: Thank you.

HUNT: All right, let's turn now to this story.

President Biden sparked a wave of bipartisan backlash this week, announcing the sweeping pardon of his son Hunter. But according to new "Politico" reporting, it may not be the only pardon that Biden grants. Jonathan Martin reports this. "President Joe Biden's senior aides are conducting a vigorous internal debate over whether to issue preemptive pardons to a range of current and former public officials who could be targeted with President-elect Donald Trump's return to the White House."

One House Democrat already has some ideas about who should be on that list.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JIM CLYBURN (D-SC): Jack Smith's name is on my list. Liz Cheney's name is on my list. I think that they all should be preemptively pardoned because I think that there are people who Trump may bring into this government who will go after these people in a serious way. And there's no need to subject them to that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: The panel is back.

Kate Bedingfield, how real do you think this is and how important does the White House see this?

KATE BEDINGFIELD, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Oh, I think it's real. I think they are - I mean, look, you heard President Biden, and then Vice President Harris on the campaign trail talk about what they believed Donald Trump's abuses of power would mean. And I think that they're taking every opportunity here to explore the options they have left in the time that they have left in office to protect people who may be subject to that attack.

So, yes, I think it's - I think it is absolutely a serious process they're undergoing. We'll see what the ultimate outcome is.

But I would imagine that Biden views this as an opportunity to ensure that people who don't deserve to be targeted in that way, aren't.

[06:45:09]

ALEX THOMPSON, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: People in the White House, and the Biden campaign and then the Harris campaign, had legitimate fears during the race of what happen - would happen if Trump won, really do fearing potential legal persecution and also like what the - the cost would do.

That being said, the context here matters and that this is coming right after a lot of Democrats are very upset with how Joe Biden rolled out his - his pardon of his son Hunter, doing it as a one-off, as being like, oh, I'm very, very concerned about political persecution, and I'm only doing my son. And they're like, well, if you're so worried, then why not include this with lots of other people? And so, you have to put it within the context of that. And I think that's part of the reason why some of these stories are coming out now.

HUNT: All right, still ahead here on CNN THIS MORNING, after their sweeping election losses one month ago, Democrats now trying to chart a path forward. Up next, David Hogg joins us live for his thoughts on why a new generation could lead the party.

Plus, a Senate farewell. Once a leader in the Republican Party - once the leader of the Republican Party, Mitt Romney bids farewell.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MITT ROMNEY (R-UT): There's some today who would tear at our unity, who would replace love with hate, who deride our foundation of virtue, or who debase the values upon which the blessings of heaven depend.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:50:33]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're in the business of preaching as opposed to listening. We're a party that's very arrogant.

REP. DEBBIE DINGELL (D-MI): We weren't communicating the way that we needed to.

TIM RYAN, FORMER U.S. SENATOR: We need a complete reboot. We need a complete reboot with the DNC. We need a complete rebranding.

Our brand is toxic in so many places.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: In the months since their election loss, Democrats have come up with a number of ideas about where they should go from here. This February, they make their first big decision when they will elect a new chair of the Democratic National Committee. Already the field includes a former governor, a state senator and a state party chair. But as "Politico" reported last month, quote, "it's the generational divide that is emerging as a crucial factor in determining who will move the party forward."

"Politico" also reports this, quote, "David Hogg, the Gen-Z gun rights activist who now runs a PAC that recruits young people to run for office, is a potential candidate for vice chair. He told us he is seriously considering a run."

And joining us now is David Hogg, co-founder of Leaders We Deserve, a group that is dedicated to electing young, progressive candidates for office. And he is also a co-chair of March For Our Lives and, of course, the Parkland school shooting survivor.

David, good morning. I'm so grateful to have you.

DAVID HOGG, PARKLAND SHOOTING SURVIVOR, CO-FOUNDER, MARCH FOR OUR LIVES AND CO-FOUNDER, LEADERS WE DESERVE: Good morning. Happy to be here.

HUNT: So, tell us a little bit about this. Are you thinking about running for this leadership post and why?

HOGG: Well, honestly, I'm considering it because I think that, one, obviously, I think we need a new generation in the DNC, if this election has taught us nothing else. I think we need an intergenerational coalition as a party.

But I've spent the past two years or so traveling around the country, working to elect young people and talking to everyday people, knocking on doors in every swing state that you can imagine, and some very red states as well, from starting out in Alabama, to places like Texas and Virginia and everywhere in between. And the thing that I've realized more than anything is that we have a number of problems in the party, but I think the main one overall is that we would rather live in a comfortable delusion than an uncomfortable reality. And I think what the party needs to do is open its eyes and take its fingers out of its ears basically.

HUNT: What is - when you say delusion, what is the delusion?

HOGG: I think it's that we can just surround ourselves with people that agree with us a lot of the time in terms of the party leadership and also within the party itself and think that's just who we need to be talking to constantly, instead of listening to people who don't agree with us. Not that we inherently agree with them, but I think so much of the issue that we have as a party right now is a fund - a kind of condescending tone that we have in a number of ways where we're seen increasingly as elitist, as out of touch. And I think there are real conversations that we need to have. And we also need to have - help more, not just young people, but people from normal backgrounds run for office.

I think Tim Walz was actually a great example of this, of running as a teacher and gaining all the experience that he had to out - massively outperform, even in a Trump-held district, right? We need everyday people, from teachers, to doctors, to everybody in between, to start running for office and help changing the future of this party and the face of this party as well.

HUNT: So, you - on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, as you were reflecting on these losses, you talked about a meeting that you had with the president of the United States, with President Biden. And you said that you regret not telling him not to run, saying it's a permanent nightmare and a lesson that you'll carry for the rest of your life. I mean, why didn't you tell him then, and how do you feel about it now? HOGG: You know, I - I still agree with the - the statement that I

made. And I think the reality is that so many of us, as Biden was president, didn't want to lose the momentum that we had. You know, he had done the largest climate spending in American history. He had passed the first federal gun safety law in 30 years. He established the Office of Gun Violence Prevention and did so many executive orders and actions on gun violence that we didn't want to stop that progress.

But, at the same time, somebody who can govern very effectively, especially, frankly, at that age, may not be the best person to run for that position. And I think I was part of that.

And I think, frankly, the reason why I said that, too, was the hardest part of this time period since the election has been the general sense of a lack of accountability that I've heard. Where it sounds like, you know, in the lead-up to the election we heard people say over and over again, Donald Trump is the greatest threat to American democracy. He's a fascist. We need to stop him. We need to stop him. We need to stop him. And then after the election, when I'm hearing conversations with party leadership, when I'm hearing conversations on the news of all these different political leaders and consultants, it's like, oh, you know, we tried our best.

[06:55:00]

That's ridiculous. That is absolutely ridiculous. And that's a losers mentality.

We need to have actual accountability. And that goes for myself too in talking about what I could have done differently, even though who knows what effect that would have actually had, obviously. At least I would have been able to tell the president what he needed to hear, rather than what he wanted to hear. And I know that, at least at this age, I have learned that now and I'm not going to make that mistake again in the future.

HUNT: Wow.

David Hogg, I am fascinated to see where you go from here. I hope you'll come back on the show.

HOGG: Absolutely. Thank you so much for having me.

HUNT: Thanks for being here.

All right, it's 55 minutes past the hour. Here's your morning roundup.

Mexican authorities announcing what they call the largest fentanyl bust in the country's history. Over one ton of the synthetic opioids seized in two raids. Mexico's president says the haul was worth nearly $400 million and is keeping more than 20 million doses off the streets.

The price of bitcoin surging to a new record high on Wednesday. The cryptocurrency hit $100,000. The spike coming just hours after President-elect Trump picked a crypto friendly ally to take over as the head of the Securities and Exchange Commission.

New guidelines for female golfers. The LPGA and the USGA announcing athletes must be assigned female at birth or have transitioned pre- puberty to compete in women's events. The policy there is set to take place next year.

Donald Trump sitting down for his first network interview post- election. He will be joining "Meet the Press." According to NBC, the interview set to take place tomorrow and will air on Sunday.

And on Capitol Hill, Congress is bidding farewell to someone who's been a mainstay of American politics for decades.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MITT ROMNEY (R-UT): I will leave this chamber with a sense of achievement. But in truth, I will also leave with the recognition that I did not achieve everything I had hoped.

There are some today who would tear at our unity, who would replace love with hate, who deride our foundation of virtue, or who debase the values upon which the blessings of heaven depend. A country's character is a reflection not just of its elected officials, but also of its people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: That is Senator Mitt Romney bidding farewell.

I have to say, I - you know, I - his campaign was the first that I covered from beginning to end on the plane with him. So, it's a bit of an end of an era for me as well.

But, you know, I have to say, Erin, one of the things we didn't show there that I remember so clearly from that campaign was the moment where he and Ann Romney accepted Donald Trump's endorsement when he was the Republican - he was running for the Republican nomination in 2011 and 2012. You can see them there.

The scene was about as awkward as it looks, right? At the time it was preceded by Donald Trump just absolutely mobbed by cameras. And, of course, Romney would often refuse to - to talk to the press. And, of course, we saw who won out here. I mean this was Donald Trump's party. Romney voted twice to convict him of things he was impeached for. He was the only Republican to do so. But it's - it's he who is stepping off the stage.

ERIN PERRINE, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST, AXIOM STRATEGIES: It is. There's been a real shift and change, not only in the totality of the Republican Party, but certainly in the leadership of it. We've seen that, if you go back through the Boehner era in the House, and now the end of McConnell. And now you're seeing kind of this different old guard of the Republican Party move out and on.

But those Senate floor speeches, those farewell speeches, those really are trying to ultimately write the final chapter of your book in the Senate. And they're usually very moving and very statesman forward. And as a Senate institutionalist myself, I really enjoy them.

HUNT: Yes, they are often moments that people plan for quite a bit, and you could really - you could hear some of the things that, you know, Romney's faith, very important to him. You could hear that underneath that speech as well.

All right, I'll leave you with this because we're all talking about it, right? This year's Spotify "Wrapped" is here.

(VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: Spotify announcing Sabrina Carpenter's song "Espresso" was the most streamed song globally. While the most streamed artist was, you guessed it, Taylor Swift. Now, no surprise to any of you who watch on the regular, she was my top artist as well.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TAYLOR SWIFT, MUSICIAN (singing): You need to calm down.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: That's one of my favorites. I think I probably listened to that song a thousand times. However, my top song was actually Billie Holidays' Blue Moon, which may tell you that I mostly am just spending my time trying to de-stress from doing this every day at home in my living room.

But I will say, not everyone is happy with this year's musical roundup. Some outlets are reporting that some people are upset that this year's "Wrapped" doesn't deliver some of the creative statistics that it has in the past.

I have to admit, I don't remember.

[07:00:01]

Stephen, though, let's do a quick roundup. Top artist?

STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN POLITICS SENIOR REPORTER: REM.

HUNT: Yes.

COLLINSON: Never made it out of the 1980s, as you might have noticed.

HUNT: OK. Well, yes, you're showing - the generation gap is showing.

Alex?

THOMPSON: Green Day, because I finally saw them. It was like sort of a high school wish.

HUNT: Love Green Day, man. Dookie is like my - my favorite album.

THOMPSON: Yes.

BEDINGFIELD: T-Swift, obviously.

HUNT: Obviously.

BEDINGFIELD: Obviously.

HUNT: Erin?

PERRINE: Mine was Taylor Swift. And, not surprisingly, one of the top songs is going to be my first dance song at my wedding. It made my top five list this year because apparently I can't stop listening to it.

HUNT: Congratulations. What song? Quickly.

PERRIE: It is, "You're All I Need to Get By."

HUNT: Oh, I love it.

All right, guys, thank you very much for being here and for sharing your Spotify "Wrapped" with us.

Thanks to all of you for joining us as well. I'm Kasie Hunt. Don't go anywhere. "CNN NEWS CENTRAL" starts right now.