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CNN This Morning
Musk Derails Spending Bill, Trump Demands Debt Limit Raise; Zelenskyy Meeting With European Leaders In Brussels; Winter Storm Moving Through Midwest To Northeast; Today: Luigi Mangione To Appear In Court For Extradition Hearing. Aired 5-5:30a ET
Aired December 19, 2024 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[05:00:36]
KASIE HUNT, CNN ANCHOR: It's Thursday, December 19th.
Right now on CNN THIS MORNING:
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REP. GREG STUBE (R-FL): Our speaker is going to the Democrats to cut a deal with Democrats.
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HUNT: Funding fight. Government shutdown looming after Elon Musk helped blow up a spending deal in Congress.
Plus --
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JEROME POWELL, FEDERAL RESERVE CHAIRMAN: When the path is uncertain, you go a little bit slower.
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HUNT: Inflation fears. The Fed chair backing away from interest rate cuts next year, setting up a potential showdown with the president- elect.
And this --
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JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're leaving America in a better place today than when we came.
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HUNT: Biden's final days in office. The president fading from the political landscape and yielding much of the spotlight to Donald Trump.
(MUSIC)
HUNT: Five a.m. here on the East Coast. A live look at the Washington Monument. That's the -- we're getting used to seeing this picture in the mornings, right? The Jefferson Memorial, the White House in front doesn't light up until later on in the morning.
Good morning, everyone. I'm Kasie Hunt. It's wonderful to have you with us.
We are just over a month from Donald Trumps second inauguration. Yet in many ways, Washington is already back. Capitol Hill grappling with yet another looming government shutdown after the president elect sunk a Republican brokered deal to keep the government open.
Last weekend, Speaker Mike Johnson was riding high appearing with Trump at the army-navy football game. So too did Elon Musk. If Johnson and Musk discussed the imminent government funding deadline, it must not have been a productive conversation.
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REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: I was communicating with Elon last night. Elon and Vivek and I are on a text chain together, and I was explaining to them the background of this.
Remember, guys, we still have just a razor thin margin of Republicans, so any bill has to have Democrat votes. They understand the situation. They said its not directed to you, Mr. Speaker, but we don't like the spending. I said, guess what, fellas? I don't either.
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HUNT: So Johnson unveiled his bipartisan spending deal on Tuesday night. That was him on Wednesday morning. And even before that interview, Musk had already come out against the bill in public. Throughout the day, the DOGE head posted more than 100 times on his social media platform, railing against the deal. Musk, writing in one post, quote: Any member of the House or Senate who votes for this outrageous spending bill deserves to be voted out in two years.
By the end of Wednesday, the negotiated deal, which includes $100 billion in disaster relief, economic aid for farmers and a pay raise for lawmakers, was dead.
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STEUBE: But our speaker is going to the Democrats to cut a deal with Democrats and not talking to conservatives -- certainly conservative Republicans in the conference.
SEN. JOSH HAWLEY (R-MO): It's a horrible plan. I can't believe that Republican leadership ever cooked it up. Clearly, they didn't talk to Trump about it. And I tell you what, we need to have a serious look at who's leading this Congress. Because if this is the best they can do -- I mean, it's just -- it's total incompetence. This is a disaster.
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HUNT: With his spending deal now blown up, a shutdown looming less than 48 hours away, Mike Johnson also facing a rebellion in his own ranks in the upcoming vote for speaker of the house that is slated for January 3rd.
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MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Could you vote for him on January 3rd?
REP. THOMAS MASSIE (R-KY): He doesn't have my vote.
RAJU: So you won't vote for him.
MASSIE: He does not have my vote.
RAJU: Will you change your mind?
MASSIE: It would take a Christmas miracle.
RAJU: Do you think the speaker, given the way he's handled this, deserves to be reelected on January 3rd?
REP. RICH MCCORMICK (R-GA): I think there's going to be a debate on it. If we're not careful, we'll be -- we'll be having some serious debate.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: All right. Joining us now to discuss, Max Cohen, congressional reporter at "Punchbowl News".
Max, good morning.
MAX COHEN, CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER, PUNCHBOWL NEWS: Good morning.
HUNT: Wild day on the Hill yesterday, which you were there for? I certainly reminded me of what it was like to cover the Trump administration back from 2017 until he left office in 2021. Except this time it was Elon Musk who was tweeting and causing this to totally unravel. What happens next here?
COHEN: It's a great question, right? I think House Republicans don't even know, but they're meeting this morning at 9:00 a.m. House Democrats are meeting too.
And I think what Trump is calling for is a clean government funding bill in addition to a debt limit increase for around two years. That's going to be a big lift. You know, many conservative House Republicans have proudly said, I've never, ever voted to raise the debt limit. And now Trump is calling for that very act.
HUNT: Well, right. And -- I mean, the reality around the debt limit.
[05:05:01] So this is something that was, of course, thrown into the conversation at the last minute yesterday, right? This was not something they were talking about doing. But now Donald Trump says, okay, I'll support your clean funding bill if you give me -- if you raise the debt limit so that I don't have to deal with it.
But Republicans have never voted alone to raise the debt limit. They always rely on Democratic votes. And for Democrats, usually they're able to say, this is a crisis. It's the full faith and credit of the United States. We absolutely have to do this.
Right now, they don't actually absolutely have to do it. Is there any way for Congress to give Trump what he wants at this point, or for Speaker Johnson to get the votes that he would need for this plan?
COHEN: It's looking very unlikely, because I was speaking to House Democrats last night, and they are absolutely furious at House Republicans. They had a bipartisan deal with a lot of Democratic wins that got totally taken off the table. And Hakeem Jeffries and his leadership team said, look, Republicans made this mess. They're going to get themselves out of it.
And remember, next Congress, the debt limit is probably going to reach a breaking point in the summer. Why would Democrats give up that huge point of leverage to secure wins right now in the lame duck period? It doesn't make any sense for Democrats to give Republicans a win here.
HUNT: So lets talk about the House speaker's future, because as we know, getting Mike Johnson to be speaker of the House was a long and tortured process in the wake of Kevin McCarthy being functionally deposed.
What does it say to you that there are now people raising the possibility? I actually I talked to Congresswoman Victoria Spartz on the program earlier in the day, and she said that she wasn't sure she was going to vote for Mike Johnson for speaker. Do you think that's a real thing that the speaker vote could be in play?
COHEN: Absolutely. This is 100 percent a real thing. His margins are so slim. Mike Johnson essentially had to pitch a perfect game from now until January 3rd, when the speaker vote is happening and he doesn't have those margins anymore because of the spending play.
And it's infuriated so many people in the Republican conference, from moderates to hardliners to everyone in between, they feel like they are not looped into this plan. It's going to be -- I think there will be another speaker fight, certainly, talking to Republicans.
HUNT: Who do you think might be next in line behind Johnson?
COHEN: A name I keep hearing is Jim Jordan. He's very popular among House conservatives. He's currently the Judiciary Committee Chairman. He does have some issue with moderates, but I think apart from everyone else, he might be a choice to turn to who's very close with Trump and could maybe unite this conference.
HUNT: Fascinating.
All right. Max Cohen for us this morning -- Max, grateful to have you on the show. Thanks for being here.
COHEN: Thanks.
HUNT: All right. Coming up on CNN THIS MORNING, Russian President Vladimir Putin holding his end of year press conference right now, answering questions about the Russian economy and the war in Ukraine.
Plus, police uncover new communications between the Wisconsin school shooter and a California man who was planning an attack of his own.
And the Fed urging caution about rate cuts in the New Year. How will this impact Donald Trumps campaign promise to lower inflation?
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DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES: Together, we will deliver low taxes, low regulations, low energy costs, low interest rates, low inflation, so that everyone can afford groceries, a car and a home. Common sense.
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[05:12:28]
HUNT: Welcome back.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is in Brussels right now meeting with European leaders. They are discussing the state of the war with Russia and how to better support Ukraine at a time of heightened uncertainty.
As President-elect Trump prepares to take office, he is demanding an accelerated timetable for peace talks and his new envoy to Ukraine, General Keith Kellogg, is planning a trip to Kyiv come January.
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GEN. KEITH KELLOGG (RET.), FORMER PENCE NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: I think both sides are ready. Think of a cage fight. You've got two fighters and both want to tap out. You need a referee to kind of separate them. And I think President Donald J. Trump can do that.
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HUNT: At this hour, President Vladimir Putin of Russia holding his annual press conference with his war on Ukraine entering its third year.
Max Foster joins us live now from London with more.
Max, good morning. What are we hearing from the Russian president? MAX FOSTER, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Well, we've been obviously
listening out for Ukraine. He's been talking a lot about the domestic economy, saying it's stronger than people might think. That's really important, obviously for domestic votes, but also to show that the war isn't costing too much on domestic lifestyles, you know, away from all the soldiers being sent out there.
He talks about the gains being made by Russia, and we know that he is making gains because the Ukrainians have effectively accepted that. But in terms of the gains, Putin said, were not just talking about advancing 100, 200, 300 meters. Our fighters are taking and returning territory in square kilometers, I want to emphasize.
So it's pretty dramatic, the sort of progress they're making along the front lines there.
HUNT: So, Max, let's turn to Zelenskyy and his sort of approach to all of this. We've, of course, seen him court President Trump ahead of the -- President-elect Trump ahead of the inauguration. Now he's talking to Europeans who are supportive, of course, concerned about the land war on the continent.
What are we hearing from him? And how do you think -- what -- you know, what options? What does he have to argue with?
FOSTER: Well, last time he met President Trump, Trump was talking about an immediate ceasefire and a negotiation. So that's the context here, going into this meeting with European leaders.
You know, behind the scenes, they are talking about potential deals that could be done with Russia. They're going to have to come up with some sort of plan if Donald Trump demands it, because he can demand it because he's providing so much of the weaponry for Ukraine.
So what sort of -- what might a deal look like?
[05:15:02]
They're not talking too publicly about that because they feel it plays to Russia's strength. It makes Ukraine look even weaker, and they may be able to push forward even harder. So discussions behind the scenes about what sort of guarantees would effectively be in any deal, you know, the big deal breaker on both sides really is NATO membership.
That's what Vladimir Zelenskyy wants. And it's something that Putin will absolutely not accept. So what can be done around that? Zelenskyy is talking about the guarantees that if a deal is done, how would it be secure?
HUNT: Right.
Okay. Max Foster for us this morning -- Max, always grateful to have you. Thank you so much for being here.
FOSTER: Thank you, Kasie. HUNT: All right. Straight ahead here on CNN THIS MORNING, former
Congressman Matt Gaetz lashing out after the House Ethics Committee decides to release its report on his alleged misconduct.
Plus, winding down. President Biden, leading office, leaving office as the oldest president in U.S. history. A brand new report on what that's been like for his aides behind the scenes.
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[05:20:30]
HUNT: All right. Twenty minutes past the hour.
Here's your "Morning Roundup".
Sources tell CNN the House Ethics Committee decided in a secret vote to release its report on the conduct of former Congressman Matt Gaetz. The report, which details allegations of sexual misconduct and illicit drug use, is set to be made public soon. The committee voted just last month to keep it under wraps. Gaetz has denied all allegations, posting a lengthy statement on X, claiming that his past behavior, while embarrassing, was not criminal.
Fifteen-year-old Natalie Rupnow, who killed a teacher and student at her school in Wisconsin, was in contact with a man in California who planned to attack a government building. That's according to officials and court documents. A judge issuing a restraining order against the 20-year-old man under California's red flag law that requires him to turn in his guns and ammunition to police within 48 hours. The order claims he was messaging Rupnow discussing plans for a mass shooting.
Pilots are reporting a massive uptick in being hit by laser pointers from the ground. That's been the case since those mysterious drone sightings took off in recent weeks. The FAA says it received 123 laser strike reports by pilots on Tuesday alone. That number, typically about 30 each night.
The murder hornet, now declared eradicated in the U.S., the world's largest hornet, is known for its ability to wipe out a honeybee hive in just hours. They were first spotted in Washington state five years ago, but after a trapping program was implemented, none have been spotted since 2021.
Well, that's a relief on many levels.
All right. Time now for weather. Holiday travelers, beware. A winter storm moving through the Midwest into the Northeast over the next few days.
Let's get to our meteorologist, the weatherman, Derek Van Dam.
Derek, I just want to know if this means were going to have a white Christmas.
DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: The murder hornets, or if this is going to -- OK, this storm system is going to provide some areas the white Christmas that they've all been dreaming of, but you have to be specifically across the Midwest and into the Great Lakes.
So it's a fast moving, quick hitting, what we call a clipper system. And it's bringing snowfall no to places like Minneapolis to Madison and Milwaukee, Grand Rapids, my hometown, and it's going to move into the East Coast by this weekend. But buyer beware, it's not going to bring that beautiful, picture perfect movie setting of a White Christmas along the eastern seaboard. And I'll show you why in just one moment.
Here's a storm developing now. It's moving from the Midwest through the Great Lakes, and its going to bring that quick shot of 3 to 6 inches of snowfall, right where you see the winter storm warnings and shade of pink. These are advisories surrounding that. And as it moves through the Great Lakes state, there's a lot of energy associated with this system. So plenty of wind on the backside of this low.
But watch how quick it moves. And then it encounters some warmer air from the Atlantic Ocean, and that's going to be, well, confined to the coastal regions, mainly rain, but there will be some snowfall for the inland communities of the Northeast. So just outside of the New York City boroughs, that's where we anticipate the snowfall.
Forty-four degrees for the Big Apple today, but I want you to see this. Even any shot of the cold air bringing the snowflakes in the sky, look what replaces it by Christmas and the second half of next week.
HUNT: Oh, okay. There it is.
VAN DAM: There it is. The big --
HUNT: I had some hope there for a second, but it is what it is.
All right. Derek Van Dam for us this morning -- Derek, thank you.
VAN DAM: All right.
HUNT: Still ahead here on CNN THIS MORNING: stock market tumble. The Dow plummeting after the fed scaling back plans for interest rate cuts next year.
Plus, back in court. CEO murder suspect Luigi Mangione could be back in New York as soon as today.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have seen a shocking and appalling celebration of cold blooded murder. Social media has erupted with praise for this cowardly attack.
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(COMMERCIAL BREAK) HUNT: All right, 5:28 a.m. here on the East Coast, a live look at the Philly holiday tree that is outside city hall in Philadelphia. Beautiful. Just a handful of days before Christmas at this point.
Good morning, everyone. I'm Kasie Hunt. It's wonderful to have you with us.
The man charged with killing UnitedHealthcare CEO, Brian Thompson, could be extradited to New York as soon as today. Just hours from now, Luigi Mangione is expected to appear in a Pennsylvania courtroom. He was indicted Tuesday by a Manhattan grand jury on 11 charges, including first degree murder, as an act of terrorism.
A potential challenge for prosecutors, the outpouring of support for Mangione and how that could impact jury selection.
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ALVIN BRAGG, MANHATTAN DISTRICT ATTORNEY: We have voir dire process in place. I have faith in our jury system to select 12 people who can be fair and impartial, but we'll move forward.
