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CNN This Morning
Federal Officials Criticized for Response to Reported Drones; Trump Shows Public Support for Defense Pick Hegseth. Aired 6-6:30a ET
Aired December 16, 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's Monday, December 16. Right now, on CNN THIS MORNING.
[06:00:34]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JIM HIMES (D-CT): The answer, "We don't know" is not a good enough answer.
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HUNT: Concern and confusion. More mysterious drone sightings over the East Coast. The public wants answers.
Plus --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): These allegations are disturbing, but they're anonymous.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: Anonymous allegations. Could they soon be revealed? Donald Trump's pick for defense secretary may release his accuser from a confidentiality agreement.
And --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT): What you have seen rising up is, is people's anger at a health insurance industry.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: Widespread fear. America's CEOs on high alert after the daytime assassination of one of their own.
And --
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JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We remain committed to returning him to his family.
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HUNT: Bringing Austin home. The family of Austin Tice hopeful after another missing American was found in Syria. His brother joins me live later this morning.
All right, 6 a.m. on the East Coast, where it is raining in Baltimore, Maryland, which is what you're looking at right now, the Inner Harbor on this Monday.
Good morning, everyone. I'm Kasie Hunt. It's wonderful to have you with us.
Strange lights in the skies, confusion on the ground after numerous sightings of what appear to be unidentified drones or aircraft in at least six states along the East Coast. The federal government is under bipartisan pressure to explain just what the heck is going on.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HIMES: The answer, "We don't know," is not a good enough answer. When people are anxious, when they're nervous. And this has been true, you know, since we've been a species on this planet. People will fill a vacuum with, you know, their fears and anxieties and conspiracy theories.
CHRIS CHRISTIE (R), FORMER NEW JERSEY GOVERNOR: To say this is not unusual activity, it's just wrong. I lived in New Jersey my whole life. This is the first time that I've noticed drones over my house.
SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): If you see a drone in your air over your home, you should not have to shake an eight ball to see what it is.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: New this morning, we are learning that drone activity caused the Air Force to close the airspace over one of the United States' most critical air bases late last week.
And we've just received the audio recording of air traffic control informing a flight in the area. This was obtained by The War Room, a military news website.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Med Flight at Patterson Tower use extreme caution for heavy UAS movement on the base. Security Forces is handling the situation. All aircraft use extreme caution. Patterson Class Delta is now closed for heavy UAS activity.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: So UAS, unmanned aerial system. Officials at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio saying the drones had no impact on the base's facilities. Unmanned aircraft have recently been sighted near other military
installations, airports, and critical infrastructure sites, leading some to call for an armed response.
On Friday, President-elect Donald Trump suggested the military should shoot the objects out of the sky, a sentiment echoed by New Jersey Republican Representative Chris Smith.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. CHRIS SMITH (R-NJ): Bring them down over the ocean, over an area where there's no population. Bring them down and find out who's doing it.
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HUNT: Federal officials say that, at this time, there's no evidence that the sightings pose a threat to national security, and that many of them may not even be drones.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS, SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY: Some of those drone sightings are, in fact, drones. Some are manned aircraft that are commonly mistaken for drones.
We have not seen any foreign -- and we know of no foreign involvement with respect to the -- the sightings in the Northeast.
It is our job to be vigilant in the federal government with our state and local partners, on behalf of the American public, and we can assure their safety by reason of that vigilance.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: All right. Joining us now, Mark Preston, senior political analyst; Meghan Hays, former director of message planning for the Biden White House; and Matt Gorman, former senior adviser to Tim Scott's presidential campaign. Welcome to all of you. Good morning.
Meghan, I'm going to ask you in a second, like what is -- like, what is the administration doing here?
MEGHAN HAYS, FORMER DIRECTOR OF MESSAGE PLANNING FOR THE BIDEN WHITE HOUSE: I don't know. It's very bizarre that there's no answer and that they can't give a dedicated answer of what's happening.
I mean, there are over a million drones that are registered with the FAA. Over 8,000 fly on any given day. So, there is very well that they could just be people flying drones in more concentrated areas.
[06:05:05]
But it is a little bit concerning that there doesn't seem to be a great message or a great answer for what these are and why it's happening now. HUNT: It does seem just a little bit like the message is you're not
seeing what your eyes, what your eyes tell you you're seeing.
Now, obviously, some people, as this phenomenon has spread, there are plenty of videos on social media that are of actual airplanes that are supposed to be there, of helicopters, of other things.
But like, as Chris Christie said, like the idea that this is -- is normal is -- is just patently, on its face, not plausible.
HAYS: Right. And you also don't want to dissuade people from reporting sightings, because there are concerns. And obviously, there are drones, or they wouldn't even be acknowledging that these are drones. In fact, they're probably not all drones, but some of them are. And it would be nice to have some more credible answers coming from the administration or coming from state and local officials.
So, I -- I don't know how much longer they have to keep dancing around what this is.
HUNT: Yes. Mark Preston, Jim Himes, I think, was one of the interesting ones to me, because he's the, you know, ranking member on the intelligence community [SIC].
Let's listen to a little bit more of what he said about who this is or isn't. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HIMES: It is not the Iranians. It is not the Chinese. They aren't Martians. I know that's very unsatisfying for people who want a Hollywood movie out of this.
I can say that, because I spent all my time as the ranking member of the Intelligence Committee, watching what the Iranians and the Chinese do. And, you know, what they don't do? Is put a bunch of drones that we could easily recover over the continental United States.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: So, there you have that. Now, that said, he still says this isn't enough. We don't know enough. They're not saying enough.
MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: I mean, I don't know what to say. I mean, I thought it was the Chinese, the Russians, and I certainly thought it was Martians, as well.
No, no, I will say this. He -- the way that he -- he addressed it is in, like very clear terms, right? Up to this point, even earlier, like an hour ago, I mean, you had a great interview, you know, with the former head of NORAD, who kind of put it in plain terms about what it is.
And it's probably a little bit of everything. Right? It is recreational folks up there with drones. It is commercial drones up there. It is copycats. Because guess what? I want to be famous, too. So, I'm going to throw a drone up.
There were drones over, over where I live, and I live within -- you know, between three military installations. So, wouldn't be surprising if -- if they were to put up drones there.
But on its face, let's just say this is absurd. It is absurd that, all of a sudden, where are these drones coming from? And the federal government can't tell us.
MATT GORMAN, FORMER SENIOR ADVISOR TO TIM SCOTT'S PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN: It's a word salad, right? As you said, you have Mayorkas. What he said, and Himes, he said, one was plain English. The other one was just evading the question, not having, really, any answers.
And again, that's completely ridiculous on its face.
And you're absolutely right. It's -- is it a mix of people trying to also find the drones with other drones and adding to the thing? Right.
So, I think this is -- is -- is certainly like you step back a little bit, and you wonder why people lose trust in institutions, right? Lose trust in what the government is telling us, from COVID to now, is they don't feel like they're getting straight answers from the government.
They're like -- I think you put it very well. They're being told what is in front of them isn't really real.
PRESTON: Kasie, can I say this, too? We are very lucky, by the way, that we haven't seen, like, vigilantes out there.
HUNT: So, let's play what Chris Christie had to say over the weekend because he made this very point. Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTIE: You're going to have individuals acting as drone vigilantes, and they're going to start taking them down.
That's not what we want, because they're now an important part of commerce. And law enforcement uses them frequently for surveillance and other things. We need to be able to operate in a safe way, and we're not doing that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: The -- and we've seen some of this, actually. There was a guy in Florida who resolved a case recently where he saw a drone that turned out to be from Walmart, kind of over his -- his side fence, and he shot it out of the air.
PRESTON: Again, I'm still surprised we haven't seen packs of good old boys -- And trust me, I'm from Massachusetts. We have good old boys up there, as well. We just talk a little bit differently -- who are out there, who are trying to take these things out with shotguns.
I mean, seriously, I'm surprised it hasn't happened. That's why the federal government needs to be more forthcoming about what's happening.
HUNT: Yes. And then, of course, you have Marjorie Taylor Greene: The government is in control of the drones and refuses to tell the American people what is going on. It is really bad."
GORMAN: I mean, half of that -- half that could actually be true. We don't know what the -- what does the government know, right? And what are they willing to tell us?
I think that is -- again, we talk about this in a vacuum. What -- like, they need to be far more forthcoming. They need to speak in plain English, not bureaucratic-ese.
And again, like, if NORAD could track Santa down to the street, how can they not find these damn drones and figure out where --
PRESTON: Santa's got to get in touch with the Chinese, the Martians, or the Russians or something.
GORMAN: Santa's over Pittsburgh. Where the hell are the drones? Over Mendham, New Jersey.
HUNT: Yes, yes, it's a very good point.
GORMAN: Thank you.
HUNT: All right. Straight ahead here on CNN THIS MORNING, Donald Trump once endorsed him for president. Now, Mitt Romney is leaving office with some parting words for the president-elect and the Republican Party.
Mark McKinnon will be here to talk about that.
Plus, Austin Tice missing for 12 years in Syria. His brother joins us to discuss why the family has new hope of finding him alive.
[06:10:08]
And will defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseth release his sexual misconduct accuser from their confidentiality agreement?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GRAHAM: We'll decide whether or not it's credible. Right now, he's being tried by anonymous sources. That will not stand.
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[06:14:57]
PETE HEGSETH, FORMER FOX NEWS HOST: That's what Donald Trump asked me to do. Your job is to bring a war-fighting ethos back to the Pentagon. Your job is to make sure that it's lethality, lethality, lethality. Everything else is gone. Everything else that distracts from that shouldn't be happening. That's the message I'm hearing from senators.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: A defiant Pete Hegseth looking to overcome accusations of sexual assault as he meets with Republican senators in the weeks since Trump chose him to be the next secretary of defense.
Now, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham says that Hegseth has promised to release the woman who accused him of sexual assault from their confidentiality agreement.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GRAHAM: He told me he would release her from that agreement. I'd want to know if anybody nominated for a high-level job in Washington legitimately assaulted somebody.
People have an allegation to make, come forward and make it like they did in Kavanaugh. We'll -- we'll decide whether or not it's credible.
Right now, he's being tried by anonymous sources. That will not stand.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: Hegseth enjoying a very public display of support from Trump and some of his key allies, showing off a united party front at the 125th playing of the Army-Navy football game this weekend in Landover, Maryland.
A remarkable public show of support, Mark for Hegseth in this way and a lot of questions now. I mean, Republicans are out there basically openly -- and Lindsey Graham did this in this interview -- comparing Pete Hegseth to Brett Kavanaugh and saying, we don't want to allow what happened to Kavanaugh to happen here. Essentially saying, OK, this person has to come forward, or we're going to move forward.
PRESTON: Yes, but I'm confused by that, because if the person comes forward, hasn't his attorney said that they would, in fact, then sue? Sue. I mean, it's a little confusing.
HUNT: Well, I think that's why we're finding this noteworthy, right? That if he's going to -- if Lindsey Graham says, OK, he's going to release her from this confidentiality agreement, then obviously. The implication would be there would be no lawsuit or repercussions.
PRESTON: Yes, the implication would be that there would not be, but who knows? I mean, look, a lot has changed in the last three weeks. And look, politics has turned on its head.
I mean, the fact that Pete Hegseth only really needs the support of three senators who may be wavering on him right now, because that's the magic number in the United States Senate. He doesn't need any Democrats. He needs a bulk of Republicans.
And we've seen Lindsey Graham, who kind of wavered on him last week, coming to his side. Good movement for Pete Hegseth. And last week was big for him. I think he has momentum behind him.
Joni Ernst really clarifying. -- No. 1, clarifying what the issue was with him, first. Right? She had this nebulous concern, never really spelled it out.
But then in a meeting with him, both spelled it out and remedied it in that same meeting, and intensively (ph) got behind the nomination, which I think there is some momentum around.
Then it just comes down to Collins, Murkowski, and then one other person. Is it McConnell? Is it somebody else?
But, you know, if you're not Murkowski and you're not Collins, who have their own incentives, are you really going to be that third person who doesn't even defeat him, per se, but is the person just kind of sticking their neck out and voting no?
And you're right. Like, he -- obviously, there was a show of support there. And I think he's on track as of today. Everything that we know. No one else coming forward. Everything we know today, on track to be confirmed.
PRESTON: Yes.
HUNT: Well, and Meghan, I mean, if Republican senators are looking at what happened to Brett Kavanaugh and comparing the situation to that, surely the accuser in question or this woman, with whom he settled, right -- he paid a settlement to this woman for what happened -- probably has learned lessons from Christine Blasey Ford and wondering, do I want to be in that position?
HAYS: Right. I was going to say, why -- why -- why do we need to have her come forward and ruin her life, too, and make this be victimized again? Right? Like, the media is not going to be kind to her. The Republican Party is not going to be kind to her.
She's going to have to go up to the Hill and testify in public. Why would she want to do that? This has been settled. He paid her, which to me shows that there is some sort of fault there. So why make her do that and victimize her again?
I think it's disgusting that Lindsey Graham would say this and even bring this out into the sphere to talk about, because you are now putting a target on this woman's back that she did not ask for the first time, and she definitely did not ask for it now.
HUNT: All right. Coming up next, as Mitt Romney prepares to make his exit from politics, the former leader of the GOP provides CNN with a new assessment of what the Republican Party will look like going forward.
And an SUV plows into a Houston barber shop. That's one of the five things you have to see this morning.
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[06:23:47]
HUNT: All right, 23 minutes past the hour. Five things you have to see this morning.
At least three people injured Saturday when an SUV crashed through a Houston barbershop. The 61-year-old driver telling police he was backing up when he inadvertently hit the gas. Yikes.
Thieves in Washington state ram a pickup truck into a Walgreens. They're attempting to steal an ATM. This video posted by the Pierce County Sheriff's Department.
The suspects wrapped a rope around the ATM and then tried to drive away with it. Apparently, it snapped, and they didn't have any luck.
All right. Take a look at the devastation from a cyclone that made landfall in the French territory of Mayotte, off the coast of Mozambique. The government official says the death toll is already several hundred and could run into the thousands.
Stunning video of a large cargo ship that appears to have snapped in two near Crimea. You can see the bow in the background just over the water line. Russian officials say it was caused by bad weather. One person died.
And this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you're a Colts fan, I hope you're sitting down. That Jonathan Taylor touchdown run overturned; dropped the football.
(END VIDEO CLIP) [06:25:00]
HUNT: Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor, yes, he thought he was home free with a 41-yard touchdown run yesterday. But a replay review found he dropped the ball short of the goal line, turning it over to Denver.
The Colts never found the end zone again. They lost 31-13.
All right. Still ahead on CNN THIS MORNING, the fall of the Assad regime in Syria giving one American family hope. Up next, we're going to speak with the brother of missing American journalist Austin Tice, who was taken captive by Syria's government more than a decade ago.
Plus, the latest steps government officials are taking in New York to ease the fears of business leaders following the killing of UnitedHealthcare's CEO.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRIS ROCK, COMEDIAN: And I have real condolences for, you know, for the healthcare CEO. I mean, this is a real person. You know, but you also got to go, you know, sometimes drug dealers get shot. (END VIDEO CLIP)
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