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Today: Congress Convenes To Certify 2024 Election Results; Suspect Visited New Orleans Twice To Plot Attack; Lions Take Down Vikings To Clinch NFC's Top Seed. Aired 5:30-6a ET

Aired January 06, 2025 - 05:30   ET

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

[05:30:00]

KASIE HUNT, CNN ANCHOR: All right, it's 5:29 a.m. here on the East Coast. This is a live look at the U.S. Capitol dome. It is, in fact, still snowing here in Washington, D.C. There were several inches already on the ground when I was leaving my house around 3:00 a.m. this morning. But Congress still planning to convene to certify the election later on today.

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

In just a matter of hours Congress is going to brave that snowstorm and convene at the Capitol to certify Donald Trump's 2024 election victory.

But on January 6, four years ago, a different manmade storm was brewing as Donald Trump summoned thousands of his supporters to the nation's capital. He spoke to them that morning on the Ellipse just outside the White House in what the House January 6 select committee later called an effort to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES: Everyone here will soon be marching over to the Capitol building to peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard. And we fight -- we fight like hell. And if you don't fight like hell, you're not going to have a country anymore.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: And fight they did for hours. Rioters clashed with Capitol police officers, they chased members of Congress from their chambers, and the put the certification of Joe Biden's election victory on hold. Eventually though, the joint session of Congress reconvened. Trump's own vice president, Mike Pence, presided over his own electoral defeat.

In the four years since the violence of that day the Department of Justice has made more than 1,500 arrests across almost all 50 states. It's been the largest criminal investigation in Justice Department history. Now all those arrests, convictions, and guilty pleas could be swept away as Donald Trump returns to office after downplaying and dismissing the violent events of that day while running for re- election.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: They were there proud. They were there with love in their heart. And that was an unbelievable and it was a beautiful day.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: Now the outgoing president is calling on Americans to remember what happened on this day four years ago. In a new opinion piece in The Washington Post, President Biden writes this.

"An unrelenting effort has been underway to rewrite -- even erase -- the history of that day. To tell us we didn't see what we all saw with our own eyes. To dismiss concerns about it as some kind of partisan obsession. To explain it away as a protest that just got out of hand. This is now what happened."

And after calling his predecessor a "threat to democracy" on the campaign trail, President Biden says he now has new hope as he gets ready to leave office in two weeks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPORTER: Do you still believe he's a threat to democracy?

JOE BIDEN, (D) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think what he did was a genuine threat to democracy. I'm hopeful that we're beyond that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: "I'm hopeful that we're beyond that," he says.

Joining us now to discuss all of this, Mariana Alfaro. She's national politics reporter at The Washington Post. Mariana, good morning to you.

This event today also going to have the unique visual of Kamala Harris, the sitting vice president, presiding over the proceedings. She, of course, ended up being at the top of the Democratic ticket after President Biden stepped down.

This, of course, a remarkable comeback for President-elect Trump really underscored today.

MARIANA ALFARO, NATIONAL POLITICS REPORTER, THE WASHINGTON POST (via Webex by Cisco): Yes. In fact, it's going to be, as you mentioned, quite a visual especially after what we saw happen on January 6, 2021. Democrats have been very clear they accept the results of this election, and I think it's going to be really finalized when we see Kamala Harris announcing President-elect Trump and his running mate J.D. Vance as the next leaders of the country.

And I think we've seen Hakeem Jeffries say in his acceptance speech last week when he became the majority -- the minority leader again say that Democrats do accept the results of the elections and thankfully, that there's no deniers in their -- in their group.

So we're going to see a lot of those images today on the Capitol as they gather to finalize this election.

HUNT: Yeah.

Mariana -- I mean, we had -- before January 6, 2021, there had been some instances where members of Congress might object to a slate of electors from their state. That happened back during some of the back- and-forth over President George W. Bush when his election was certified.

Do you think there's any chance we'll see that today?

ALFARO: I think not. I think after what we saw last year there's a lot of feeling in the Capitol right now that this has to be like a speedy process that conforms to the norm and goes back to the most recent certifications where it was basically an in and out. You know, they have some pomp, they have some celebration, but most of the time it's just a ceremonial step.

And there is a feeling in the Capitol that even with this snowstorm they're going to show up and get it done today in order to let things flow smoothly.

HUNT: Right. It used to be simply perfunctory.

Let's talk briefly about what may happen to some of the people who have been convicted or plead guilty to things that they did on January 6 during the Capitol riot.

[05:35:00]

Senator John Thune was on "MEET THE PRESS" this weekend and he was asked about those pardons. He, of course, was at the Capitol on that day -- on January 6, 2021. Let's watch what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KRISTEN WELKER, MODERATOR, NBC "MEET THE PRESS": Do you support that -- pardoning people who attacked police officers who stormed the Capitol that day?

SEN. JOHN THUNE (R-SD), SENATE MAJORITY LEADER: Well, I mean, as we've discovered under the Biden administration the pardon authority is a very broad one. I mean, he's taken it to a whole new level. That's ultimately going to be a decision that President Trump is going to have to make.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: And, of course, we've heard that he does want to -- President- elect Trump does want to pardon some of these people within hours of taking office, he has said. How far do we expect President-elect Trump to go with this?

ALFARO: Yes. I mean, honestly, from speaking to experts and speaking also to Republicans, I'm just catching this vibe they do. He has the power. It seems like they are using the pardons that President Biden had for his son to kind of excuse. Democrats said it too -- kind of throw it that way. I wouldn't be surprised if he goes through with it.

But the thing Republicans in the Capitol are really refusing to engage with this topic as you saw Thune. And he's just sending it over to President Trump. I think that's part of the strategy to say we're in the future. We are no longer talking about the past. We want to move over. We want to move past this even though the own president-elect is not doing so.

So I don't expect to see a lot of Republican pushback against that because they are leaning back on what -- you know, that their excuse or their reasoning being that President Biden went so far as using the pardons himself in the way that he did with his son.

HUNT: All right. Mariana Alfaro for us this morning. Mariana, thanks very much for your time. I appreciate it.

All right, now this. This week Donald Trump will be sentenced in his New York hush money cover-up case -- and then, in two weeks, he'll take office as the next President of the United States. The judge in the case has already said the president-elect won't face legal penalties for his conviction, but that hasn't stopped Trump from railing against him.

Trump, on social media, writing this about the judge overseeing the case.

"Merchan has so little respect for the Constitution that he is keeping in place an illegal gag order on me, your president and president- elect, just so I cannot expose his and his family's disqualifying and illegal conflicts. I am the only political opponent in American history not allowed to defend myself -- a despicable First Amendment violation."

But CNN political analyst Maggie Haberman points out that Trump is facing a different reality from when he was going through the trial.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAGGIE HABERMAN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, THE NEW YORK TIMES: He's not facing a re-election campaign. He has been elected to a second term. Constitutionally that's all he can serve. So the political benefit to him in showing up in court and fighting for himself is maybe less than it would be otherwise.

That having been said, he's very angry about these cases and that hasn't changed. He's very angry this case in particular.

(END VIDEO CLIP) HUNT: All right. Joining us now, CNN legal analyst and criminal defense attorney Joey Jackson. Joey, good morning. Always wonderful to see you.

So what do we expect here? I mean, is this definitely going ahead? Are there any other options for Trump to get this delayed? And does he have to show up?

JOEY JACKSON, CNN LEGAL ANALYST, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY, FORMER PROSECUTOR (via Webex by Cisco): Good morning to you, Kasie.

So the reality is that he doesn't have to show up because the judge has indicated that it can be virtual. Having said that there's, of course, the possibility he won't even show up for that.

In terms of whether or not it moves forward I think his team will continue to press and delay to attempt to get this sentencing postponed, removed, et cetera. Although I think ultimately, Kasie, it's better for him to have the sentence in place. This way he can pursue his appeals while in office and get some measure of finality to this entire process.

HUNT: So what is the real kind of implication here? What do you think that the judge is doing? Because he's basically saying OK, you're not going to have to serve any time. You're not going to have to really pay any penalty. But you are going to remain -- like, this conviction is going to remain in force, right?

JACKSON: Absolutely. So there were a couple of decisions the judge could have made -- a few, in fact.

The first thing would have been to hold this in advance until after the president has served his term. The second thing the judge could have done was just simply discontinue the proceedings, not imposing sentence or otherwise dealing with it at all. The third thing is what we're seeing is the judge moving forward.

And I think if you look at the judge's decision in terms of what the judge is doing, the judge is following the law. From a legal perspective, like it or dislike it, just objectively speaking it's the proper call. Why?

Number one, the judge has indicated that he wants to respect the jury's verdict. A jury of 12 have -- has decided back in May of 2024 the president was guilty. The judge said that he wants to honor that.

Number two, there's nothing in place for presidential-elect immunity, right? When you are president, you get immunities but when you're president-elect you don't.

Number three, there's really only this portion Kasie left of the process. What portion? That sentencing.

[05:40:00]

And so any issues in terms of the physical capacity of him and impairing his ability to serve, his mental ability to serve -- all he has left is sentencing. And so therefore the judge said let's go.

Final point -- and that is in terms of the interest of justice, the judge saying there's no basis in which to dismiss it in the interest of justice considering a multitude of factors, including the nature of respect for the criminal process and what it might do.

And so from a legal perspective the judge seems to be on very solid ground. That having been said, of course, that is the judge's decision.

And it will be appealed through multiple levels of appeal. And let's see where the court -- the higher courts end up on it. I think though from a read of the decision it comports with the law. It doesn't seems to be non-objective or political. It seems to be a legal decision that has a firm basis in fact and is well-rooted in law.

HUNT: All right, Joey Jackson for us this morning. Sir, always grateful for your perspective. Thanks for being here.

JACKSON: Thanks, Kasie.

HUNT: All right. Still ahead here on CNN THIS MORNING the playoff picture officially set for the NFL. We'll show you which teams now left standing as they fight for a Super Bowl title.

And the suspect in the New Year's Day New Orleans attack turned to technology to plan out his rampage. The device that he began using months before the tragedy.

(COMMERCIAL)

[07:45:30]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): Look, terrorism is a greater threat here in America. We have ISIS. We have other groups.

The terrorist who rammed his car and killed so many people was a professed member of ISIS. Now, we do not know -- we know that he acted alone. We don't know if he -- ISIS directed him to do it. They're still investigating.

But we need to be very, very vigilant.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: New details this morning about the suspect who carried out a deadly ISIS-inspired attack on New Year's Day.

Officials say the man visited New Orleans twice in recent months and used those Meta smart glasses that he's wearing to film these images of Bourbon Street and plot his attack. This footage just released by the FBI.

They say he also stayed at a rental home in New Orleans for a few days in late October and recorded video as he bicycled through the French Quarter.

Authorities are still piecing together details of another visit he made on November 10.

We've also learned the New Orleans attacker and the suspect who blew up a Cybertruck in front of the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas served at Fort Liberty in North Carolina at the same time for less than a year. They were in different units. And law enforcement officials say there's no connection between them or the two incidents.

CNN law enforcement analyst Jonathan Wackrow joins us now. Jonathan, good morning. Wonderful to see you. Thanks for being here.

I think that this detail about these Meta smart glasses is really a remarkable one. What technology do those glasses provide that may change the game as officials try to make sure that attacks like this don't happen again?

JONATHAN WACKROW, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST, FORMER PRESIDENT OBAMA SECRET SERVICE AGENT (via Webex by Cisco): Well, good morning, Kasie.

You know, utilizing this new technology is actually just a toolset for what we refer to as reconnaissance in pre-attack surveillance. And in this case the utilization of that technology allowed the suspect to basically hide in plain sight and conduct that pre-attack surveillance and reconnaissance.

What was he doing though I think is really important. For me this shows a very deliberate effort to gather the visual data that he needs to familiarize himself with this target location and the entire environment. It really signals a very clear intent to optimize his attack plan, really targeting the most densely populated area to really get the largest number of casualties possible.

So the use of this new technology though allows him to go ahead and hide in plain sight as he's looking and observing different attack locations, and then retaining that information. And then going back and studying it to figure out where there are points of vulnerability potentially in the physical security plan where barricades may or may not be, and how he would launch this vehicle-ramming attack.

And also where he should place those IEDs, right? Those weren't just randomly placed. They were put in very specific locations where mass gatherings would occur.

HUNT: Jonathan, didn't we also learn that there was only one place where he could have turned that truck, at Canal Street, to Bourbon Street?

WACKROW: Yeah. I mean, again, all of this shows a level of sophistication in his planning -- again, thinking about the route and how he's going to take his vehicle to that location. He may have seen or observed the fact that those bollards were not presence in -- present and there was just a single police vehicle with gaps on either side where he could easily navigate around -- again, to launch this attack. But all of that comes from this pre-attack surveillance that he

conducted. And again, utilizing this new technology is really a little bit of a gamechanger for our adversaries.

HUNT: Jonathan, big picture here. There, of course, has been incredible instability in Syria in the wake of the fall of Bashar al- Assad. And our Homeland Security Sec. Mayorkas was on over the weekend talking about how there are concerns that this could enable there to be more attacks that are ISIS-inspired.

What do we know that and what connection it may have going forward?

[05:50:00]

WACKROW: Well listen, I think for a long time now both the FBI and DHS have been sounding the alarms that the foreign influence terror attacks here in the United States are on the rise and it is a significant concern.

And I think if you look at the suspect in the New Orleans case, the speed at which he was radicalized to go from somebody that was really just living in obscurity to actually launching this deadly attack is really concerning for law enforcement.

And to me what it actually shows is this convergence of radicalization in the pathway to violence. And what I mean by that is typically when you think about a mass attacker, they follow a very staged progression towards violence starting with grievance. And then they go through planning phases to then eventually lead into an attack.

When we -- when you couple that with radicalization what you end up getting is somebody that actually has externalized blame to others from a grievance and then is using that grievance as the justification for action. The radicalization part though comes in because it frames the grievance ideologically. And I think when you combine those two it actually accelerates everything.

And that's what really law enforcement is concerned with because this can be -- it's -- the combination of the two really allows for this rapid ascent in justification for these violent acts. And all of that, for the most part, is happening online and that's what worries law enforcement and intelligence services the most right now.

HUNT: Fair enough.

All right, Jonathan Wackrow for us this morning. Jonathan, thanks very much. I appreciate it.

WACKROW: Thank you.

HUNT: All right, time now for sports. The Detroit Lions lock up a top seed in the NFC for the first time in their history.

Coy Wire has more on the last Sunday of the regular season in this morning's CNN sports update. Coy, my grandfather has unfortunately passed. He was a huge Detroit Lions fan. I think he would be floored to learn --

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Grinning --

HUNT: -- that they are seeded there.

WIRE: Grinning from ear to ear -- no doubt about it, Kasie. Good to see you.

Two hundred seventy-two games played in the 2024 season, and it took every one of them to decide which team would take that number one seed in the NFC. Headed into the playoffs.

That finale between the Lions and Vikings in Detroit started as a defensive slugfest -- 10-9 midway through the third. But then the Lions Jahmyr Gibbs ear up -- scoring three touchdowns in the second half and a franchise record-tying four touchdowns on the night. Aaron Glenn's defense making grandpa smile, keeping Minnesota's top five passing offense out of the endzone.

A 31-9 beatdown.

Back-to-back NFC North titles, a first round bye in the playoffs, and home field advantage throughout.

The Patriots were all set up to land the number one overall pick in the next NFL draft after an abysmal season, but they beat their division rivals Buffalo, who were sitting a lot of their starters, losing the top pick.

Afterwards, New England firing head coach Jerod Mayo after just one season.

Now the four-win Titans secure the number one overall pick.

The only thing the Tampa Bay Bucs needed to do to make the playoffs was win -- facing their rivals, the Saints. Late in the fourth Baker Mayfield flips the ball to Bucky Irving to give the Bucs an 8-point lead. And then they had the game won with just seconds to go. They could have kneeled to end the game, Kasie.

Instead, their future Hall of Famer receiver Mike Evans needed just five yards to earn $3 million in a bonus, and he gets it. It also puts Evans over 1,000 yards joining Jerry Rice as the only players in NFL history with 11 or more 1,000-yard seasons.

Oh, you have to see this. Chicago fooled the entire state of Wisconsin and all the Green Bay Packers. They made it look as if the guy at the bottom of the screen was going to field the punt, but it's that stealthy Josh Blackwell who actually fielded the ball.

The Packers on the punt team -- they can't see where the ball is going. They just look for the returner. It's a 94-yard punt return for a touchdown.

And then on the final play of their season the Bears would beat their longtime foes for the first time in six years with that game-winning field goal for a 24-22 win.

Here's a look at the playoff matchups. The Chargers and Texans get wildcard weekend started on Saturday, followed by Steelers-Ravens. A tripleheader on Sunday with the Bills hosting the Broncos, the Packers taking on Kasie's Eagles in Philly, and the Commanders going to Tampa to face the Bucs. The action wraps up next Monday night with the Vikings flying west to play the Rams.

Your Eagles have a shot, Kasie. They do have Detroit on the other side of the bracket, so you don't have to go against grandpa too early in the playoffs.

HUNT: I know, right?

Coy, thank you.

WIRE: You got it.

HUNT: It's going to be quite a weekend. I appreciate it.

All right. Coming up next here on CNN THIS MORNING a downpour of snow, dangerous ice, and gusty winds. The blizzard conditions may pose threats to millions of Americans across the country this morning.

[05:55:00]

Plus, as early as today, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expected to announce his resignation as the leader of his party, according to Canadian media reports.

And with one of the slimmest House majorities in history Donald Trump calls on congressional Republicans to pass some of his sweeping agenda in a single bill.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JIM BANKS (R-IN): House Republicans are unified behind Donald Trump and the Trump agenda. If it's one reconciliation bill, if it's two, if it's 10, we've got to -- we've got to get it done. I think -- I think this week proved that we can do that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL)

HUNT: It's Monday, January 6. Right now on CNN THIS MORNING --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: And we fight -- we fight like hell.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: A return to power. On the anniversary of the day his supporters stormed the Capitol, Congress will convene to certify Donald Trump's election victory.