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Connect the World
CNN International: Gaetz Resigns from House Ahead of Key Ethics Meeting; Scathing HRW Report Highlights Displacement of Palestinians; U.S. Defense Secretary Pick Opposes Women in Combat Roles; Clashes Between Israeli Fans and Pro-Palestinian Supporters Rocked Amsterdam Last Week; Paris Ramps Up Security Ahead of France-Israel Football Match. Aired 9-10a ET
Aired November 14, 2024 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[09:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ERICA HILL, CNN HOST, CONNECT THE WORLD: Live pictures for you there of Washington, D.C., looking at the White House, much of the U.S. Capitol
digesting as are a number of Americans. President-elect Trump's latest pick for his Cabinet nominees. We're going to dive into all of that. It is 09:00
a.m. here in New York and in Washington.
I'm Erica Hill. Thanks for joining me on "Connect the World". Becky is off today. Former Florida Representative Matt Gaetz is shock nomination for
attorney general, stirring mixed feelings among Republican leadership. And a lot of questions world leaders gathering in Peru for the APEC Summit,
where Joe Biden is preparing to meet with China's President for the last time.
And a damning 154-page report from Human Rights Watch accuses Israel of war crimes in Gaza, accusations Israel denies. We are waiting for the stock
market, of course, to open here in New York just about 30 minutes from now. Taking a look at futures, they're mostly flat, as you can see, but we'll
keep an eye on that throughout the show.
Well out of a string of controversial cabinet choices, this could be Donald Trump's most divisive pick yet, the now Former Florida Congressman Matt
Gaetz tapped to be the next Attorney General. Gaetz quickly resigned from the House after that announcement, and just before we learned, the House
was actually set to vote tomorrow on whether to release the findings of a years' long House ethics probe into Gaetz.
A Separate DOJ investigation into Gaetz for allegations of sex trafficking was closed without charges being filed. Here is how some senators, who of
course, will have to vote on his confirmation, are reacting to the news.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- your reaction to Matt Gaetz as AG?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah, I don't know yet. I think about that one.
SEN. SUSAN COLLINS (R-ME): I was shocked that he has been nominated.
SEN. CHRIS MURPHY (D-CT): This is going to be a red alert moment for American democracy.
SEN. ALEX PADILLA (D-CA): Trump is following through on his threat to weaponize the Department of Justice clearly.
JOHN FETTERMAN, FORMER U.S. SENATOR: What to me is interesting is going to those are the good ones are going to come by my colleagues, on the other
side, the GOP on how they can justify voting for that jerk off.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: Joining me now is Katelyn Polantz in Washington. Steve Contorno joining us from St. Petersburg, Florida. Caitlin, I actually want to start
with you when we look at this, Matt Gaetz resigns from the House, just as he's announced, right? And not long before we find out that tomorrow, the
House was supposed to vote on whether to release the findings of this ethics investigation. All of these things sort of happening together,
leading to some more head scratching moments.
KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE REPORTER: Yeah, so that ethics investigation, it appears like it's not going to see the light of
day. It was an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct, illegal drug use, accepting improper gifts, looking into Matt Gaetz and his
behavior.
Some of the same things that the Justice Department itself investigated during the end of the Trump Administration, when they started the
investigation of Matt Gaetz, a criminal investigation before a grand jury in Florida, and then it continued into the Biden years.
Ultimately, no charges were brought against the congressman in court, but this is a really shocking move by Donald Trump to nominate or to want to
nominate, someone like Matt Gaetz into the position as the top law enforcement official of the country. There was utter disbelief.
Was absolute disbelief. Was the wording that someone told me who was in touch with many attorneys working in Washington at the Justice Department.
And I was speaking with several conservative lawyers, prominent lawyers in the legal community in New York, in D.C. yesterday, several did not even
want to go there to say what they thought about Gaetz, which is unlike lawyers who like to talk a lot.
And then the other thing is that one person just laughed when I told them that Matt Gaetz was being the pick for Donald Trump. This is a person with
very minimal experience working as a practicing lawyer, none as a prosecutor, and that is highly unusual for this job, Attorney General,
overseeing not just the policy and the high profile, some political cases that the Justice Department looks into.
But also, the work of U.S. Attorneys, Assistant U.S. attorneys across 90 or so different offices in the United States where they bring charges against
regular citizens in federal court.
HILL: It is highly unusual, but Steve in many ways, perhaps not entirely unexpected. As we look at what we know about Donald Trump, the fact that
Matt Gaetz does not have the experience that is generally expected of the Attorney General of the United States is one thing.
[09:05:00]
What he does have is -- to Donald Trump. What he does have is loyalty and he brings outrage. Those are things Donald Trump wants.
STEVE CONTORNO, CNN REPORTER: That's exactly right. And look, Donald Trump campaigned on a promise to completely root out what he described as rot
within the Justice Department. He believes it has been weaponized against him and other Republicans and political opponents of the Democratic Party.
He believes that the FBI Director needs to resign or be removed. He believes the FBI needs to be totally up, you know, pulled up and restarted,
essentially. And so, it's no surprise that he's pulled a flame thrower into the mix to do that work for him. Now I still think it caught a lot of
people off guard, even though Donald Trump campaigned on that, but it is in line with several other picks that he has made in the past 36 hour.
Pete Hegseth who is going to be his nominee for defense secretary, another pick that just came totally out of left field. He is best known for being a
Fox News host. Now, he does have a pretty impressive background. He was spent 20 years in the Army National Guard. He was a decorated -- with
bronze stars twice.
He is a high degree graduate, but he's mostly known for being a Fox News personality and a culture warrior who is thought that there was a lot of
problems in the Pentagon, especially in leadership, that has gone, quote, woke in his opinion, and that is a primary fixation of Donald Trump as
well.
And I think Pete Hegseth is someone who has vocalized a lot of Donald Trump's concerns with the Pentagon and the Pentagon leadership, and is
someone who he believes can do the dirty work that he identified as necessary to be done. So, while, and I will say that when you look at his
pick so far, whether it's some of the more traditional picks that we've seen, like Marco Rubio and Elise Stefanik in roles to these later picks.
The through line, as you said, is loyalty, and all these individuals have expressed loyalty to Donald Trump, and he believes that they will do his
bidding.
HILL: Katelyn, as we look at this too, there are questions about the senate confirmation process. Now, of course, just a few days ago, Donald Trump was
saying he wanted senate leadership to get behind recess appointments. There are a lot of questions about what a Matt Gaetz, for example, confirmation
hearing might look like, but is there a chance that, that doesn't happen?
POLANTZ: We'll just have to see how this is going to play out on the political side, even to see how senators will be reacting to this as we go
on and we get closer to January, when Donald Trump takes office. We're still quite a few weeks away from when Donald Trump will have the power to
formally nominate these folks for confirmation hearings.
And there have been recess appointments tested in the past in court. The Supreme Court had a very significant opinion, several years ago limiting
how recess appointments can be used somewhat, but it is. There's a lot of questions, and in some ways, a lot of what the questions will be in the
next coming weeks, and how the senate might do this is, can he do that? Can they do this?
HILL: Yeah. That's a question we're going to be hearing probably for a number of not just the next few weeks, but perhaps the next few years.
Katelyn, appreciate it. Thank you. Well, as we just heard, of course, Donald Trump, as he is working to fill his administration back at Mar-a-
Lago today, working on that.
Could they be more controversial picks? It is entirely possible. CNN's Senior Political Analyst Mark Preston is joining me now for a deep dive.
And Mark, as I understand it, I know you've been doing some reporting, speaking with some folks on the inside. This is actually, this should not
be surprising.
In many ways, our colleague, Stephen Collinson, writing this morning, the outrage is the point with a Gaetz pick. This is exactly the person who
Donald Trump wants in that role, because he wants to blow up the DOJ.
MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, it's a win-win for Donald Trump. First of all, if he is successful in getting Matt Gaetz
through the confirmation process, which we know right now, is dicey at best. Then he has a loyalist that will go in and do what a senior Trump
adviser told me this morning, that quote, Trump is going to bring somebody who is going to burn down the DOJ from the inside, and Matt is going to do
that.
Conservatives believe the DOJ is in chaos. Now let's assume that he doesn't get through the confirmation process. He is facing a lot of questions about
some of his behavior, including an investigation that was done by the House of Representatives that perhaps was going to release their report as early
as at the end of the week, but that investigation now goes away because he has resigned.
But Erica, if he does not now, if he does not get through the confirmation process, just think about the stick of dynamite that Donald Trump has
thrown into the middle of his political base, because this will certainly enliven them.
HILL: Well, it's, you know, it's interesting, you know, just in terms of who he did pick, I found this quote in reporting from, Mark, put it the
bulwark interesting this morning, who also spoke with a Trump adviser who said, quote, everyone else looked at AG as if they were applying for a
judicial appointment.
PRESTON: Right.
[09:10:00]
HILL: They talked about their vaunted legal theories and constitutional bull-- Gaetz was the only one who said, Yeah, I'll go over there and start
cutting f--in heads. Which is obviously in line with your reporting what we're seeing there. The fact that this all does go back to loyalty and how
senators will react if, in fact, there is a confirmation hearing.
John Bolton told our colleague Kate Baldwin just a short time ago that he thinks it should be 101, right, voting against this pick, voting against
Tulsi Gabbard.
PRESTON: Yeah.
HILL: The reality is, we've heard a little push back from some senators, but you're also hearing from the Tommy Tuberville of the world who are
saying, get in line. It's your job to say yes to Donald Trump.
PRESTON: You know, Kumbaya and the Republican Party right now as it should be. It's united in the fact that it won, you know, the presidency won the
House, it won the senate. But hey, guess what the Civil War is coming right around the corner, because not everybody in the Republican party seems to
believe that they should fall directly in line behind President Trump.
Tommy Tuberville is one of those people. Matt Gaetz is one of those people. There are a lot of senators, Susan Collins from Maine, Lisa Murkowski from
Alaska, even Mitch McConnell, who has left his job as the longest serving Republican leader in the history of the United States.
I don't know if he's going to be a Matt Gaetz accolade, but Matt Gaetz, remember, he is somebody that will do just about anything. I mean, if we
saw him on the campaign trail, and let's remember, he helped unseat a Speaker of the House, Kevin McCarthy, who was incredibly powerful. So Matt,
you know, Trump is looking for loyalists, but also for loyalists that will go out for the kill.
HILL: Look, maybe this is overthinking it and giving too much credit, but is there also a chance that this outrage pick of a Matt Gaetz could soften
the blow for someone who may be easier to get through, who in many ways, could be just as concerning to some Republicans, but may seem to be less of
a firebrand if they are, in fact, the second choice.
PRESTON: Well, how about our viewers all around the world, especially the world leaders who are looking at who's going to be, you know, in positions
of power. You know, Marco Rubio and Secretary of State. You know, big sigh of relief in many ways, for a lot of folks.
But you know, yesterday, in addition to Matt Gaetz, Tulsi Gabbert, she was a Former Congresswoman, ran for president as a Democrat, flipped her
alliance to Donald Trump, and she was now nominated to be the Director of National Intelligence, which raises a lot of questions specifically, what
her agenda is.
She was -- I wouldn't say that she was an ally of Bashar Assad, but I would say that she certainly was friendly with him, when it was against the U.S.
interests and still remains.
HILL: Yeah, a lot of questions for her too, if we see those confirmation hearings. Mark, appreciate it. Thank you.
PRESTON: Thanks.
HILL: Lebanese media say heavy Israeli air strikes have hit southern Beirut for a third straight day. Israel's military earlier warned people in the
area to evacuate. The IDF has been attacking what it says is Hezbollah infrastructure in southern Beirut throughout this week.
Israel's Defense Minister says that the military has, in fact, expanded its ground operation in southern Lebanon. Hopeless, starving and besieged. That
is the title of a scathing new report from Human Rights Watch, which finds Israel's forced replacement of Palestinians in Gaza is both a war crime and
a crime against humanity.
That report citing what it calls a deliberate controlled demolition of Palestinian homes and civilian infrastructure by Israeli forces. More than
90 percent of Gaza's population has now been displaced by the fighting. Israel's military says it is committed to international law and operates
accordingly.
Jeremy Diamond joining me now with more this hour from Tel Aviv. So, this report 154 pages, a lot of details in it. How is the Israeli government
responding?
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, what's so interesting about this report, Erica, is that it goes after what is really
one of the fundamental arguments that Israeli officials consistently make in defending the conduct of their military in Gaza.
And that is to say that they issue millions of evacuation warnings, flyers, text messages to tell people to get to a safer place before they then go in
with troops or bomb that area. And what Human Rights Watch has found in this 180 -- 154-page report that analyze some 184 evacuation orders
included interviews with three dozen Palestinians.
Is that this evacuation system that Israel has put in place has not only failed to keep Palestinians safe, but has actually put them in harm's way
in ways that amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity. The report concludes that Israel's actions have, quote, intentionally caused the mass
and forced displacement of the majority of the civilian population of Gaza, which they say, with the intention of Israeli officials, amounts to war
crimes and crimes against humanity.
They focus on a few key aspects of the system, including the fact that these evacuation orders were frequently inconsistent, inaccurate and failed
and were communicated in ways that failed to give the civilian population enough time to actually get to a safer place.
[09:15:00]
They also then say that those designated evacuation routes, as well as those designated safe zones, were repeatedly attacked by the Israeli
military, something that has been well documented and reported on, including by us. And then there is also this notion of the destruction of
areas in Gaza, like the buffer zones around the Gaza border, that will ultimately permanently displace people living in those areas.
Now the Israeli military has responded in a quite lengthy comments, but the key point that they make in that statement is that they believe, that they
say that the IDF is committed to international law and operates accordingly. And they also say that the IDF is calls and acts for the
evacuation of the civilian population from combat zones to safer areas whenever possible, Erica.
HILL: As we look at all this, the report is also coming out interesting timing, right when we're hearing from the U.S. saying, and we were waiting
on this that it wasn't going to penalize Israel because there had been progress made in alleviating the humanitarian crisis.
This, of course, stemming from a warning about 30 days ago saying, hey, we need to see better movement when it comes to the humanitarian aid that
needs to get in here, or there could be some issues with U.S. support for Israel. The timing of these two things, is there anything to read into
there?
DIAMOND: You know, I don't know, but I can tell you. What I can tell you is that this Human Rights Watch report really just adds to a mounting body of
evidence about the conduct of the Israeli military in Gaza that when coupled with the statements that Israeli officials have made, in particular
in the early days of the war, talking about, you know, the forcible displacement of the Palestinian population.
Talking about raising areas of Gaza to the ground, talking about revenge, block hating the Gaza Strip. It really does provide more evidence to these
claims, which have not only been made by Human Rights Watch, but by U.N. officials and other international officials around the world that Israel,
that allege that Israel has committed war crimes in Gaza.
Now you know whether that changes U.S. policy does not appear to be the case, because we've seen, of course, many other instances where reports
like this have emerged. And the United States, of course, has continued to provide Israel with military aid and has decided ultimately not to follow
through with threats like they wrote in that letter 30 days ago.
In which they said, if Israel didn't improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza, which so far it largely has not that it would impose consequences,
which ultimately the U.S. chose not to.
HILL: Yeah. We'll continue to watch for any more potential fallout. Jeremy, appreciate it as always. Thank you. And be -- to stay with us in our next
hour of "Connect the World". I'm going to be joined with more on this new report on Gaza. Milena Ansari, who's a researcher and lawyer with Human
Rights Watch, is my guest.
We'll dive a little bit deeper into that report and also what Human Rights Watch perhaps expects to happen on the heels of its release. Also, world
leaders gathering the APEC summit in Peru. Race in Peru, bracing for a second Trump presidency. More reaction, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:20:00]
HILL: The uncertainty of Donald Trump's impending return to the White House is expected to loom large at this year's APEC summit, which is kicking off
right now in Peru. Many world leaders attending that economic summit grappling with Trump's America first agenda and how it may impact the
global economy conflicts across the world.
And frankly, how a number of these countries deal with the U.S. Also headlining the event, this is, of course, Joe Biden's final meeting as
president with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping. Tensions between both countries remain high. My colleague Arlette Saenz is following all of this
for us from the White House at this hour.
So, what is the hope for this meeting between President Biden and President Xi on the sidelines of the summit?
ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Erica, President Biden had been hoping to head to the summits in Peru and Brazil as he would
prepare for a new Democratic President to take over, but now he is grappling with the new reality that it will be President-elect Donald
Trump, who is in the White House for the next four years.
A time when many world leaders are trying to game out what that presidency will look like. For President Biden's part, his marquee moment at this trip
to Peru will be that meeting on Saturday with Chinese President Xi Jinping. This will be the final time the two men meet, and the first time that they
are meeting in a year.
It is not expected that there is going to be a long list of deliverables from this meeting, senior officials have instead described this meeting as
an opportunity for the two leaders to reflect on the work that has been done within this relationship. Now, Biden, of course, has really sought to
manage this relationship with one of the United States, or perhaps the United States, most consequential competitor.
He has tried to keep open lines of communication to avoid any misunderstandings between the two countries. But they've also taken a lot
of steps to try to limit China's influence and role in the world and in the region. The U.S. has placed significant limits on Chinese technology, and
they've also been watching with great concern about China's aggression, their moves towards Taiwan and in the South China Sea.
One thing that President Biden, during his presidency, really honed in on was trying to shore up relationships and alliances in the region. You saw
him work very closely with the leaders of South Korea and Japan. He will be meeting separately with both of them while he is down in Peru, and you
repeatedly heard from the administration that their work in the Indo- Pacific to try to strengthen relations, not just with countries like South Korea and Japan, but also think about the Philippines and Vietnam, that
this really worked as a counterweight to China.
They believe that their efforts to rebuild these alliances are something that could pay off for the next administration. That is something National
Security Adviser Jake Sullivan argued yesterday, saying that they've laid the groundwork for this and that one way to continue to manage this
competition, continue to counter China will be through fostering these alliances, something they have encouraged President-elect Trump to do when
he takes office, as well.
HILL: Arlette Saenz from the White House for us this morning. Appreciate it. Thank you. Donald Trump's pick for defense secretary, raising eyebrows
and concerns. Critics are blasting his lack of government experience and also controversial positions when it comes to diversity and women in the
military.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HEGSETH: The dumbest phrase on planet Earth in the military is our diversity is our strength.
It's one thing to have DEI inside your corporation or inside your university. It's a whole other thing to have it inside the 101st airborne.
We only have one military, and if the military goes woke then it's less equipped to fight the wars it needs to fight.
I'm straight up just saying we should not have women in combat roles. It hasn't made us more effective, hasn't made us more lethal, has made
fighting more complicated.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: CNN's Chief National Security Correspondent, Alex Marquardt has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's among the most surprising of Donald Trump's picks so far. Pete
Hegseth, a Fox News Host, set to now run the U.S. military at the Pentagon. The 44-year-old veteran a stunning choice for defense secretary, after
Trump named several more classic, experienced national security hands to other posts.
HEGSETH: I'm straight up just saying we should not have women in combat roles.
MARQUARDT (voice-over): He's someone who has flaunted his controversial views.
HEGSETH: Men in those positions are more capable.
MARQUARDT (voice-over): And railed against what he sees as a woke military as he did in this interview that was posted just last week.
[09:25:00]
HEGSETH: Any general that was involved, General Admiral, whatever, that was involved in any of the DEI whoa, shit, it's got to go.
MARQUARDT (voice-over): Hegseth's crusade on the culture war in the military appears to be what he has most in common with Trump.
DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND CURRENT PRESIDENTIAL-ELECT: The woke generals should be fired immediately.
MARQUARDT (voice-over): Trump's decision was met with shock by current and former military officials, the choice seeming to come out of left field.
Hegseth has been a weekend Host of Fox and Friends after serving the military for nearly two decades with tours in both Iraq and Afghanistan.
While in the National Guard, he claims he was barred from serving at President Joe Biden's inauguration because of a cross tattoo that the guard
unit found extremist.
HEGSETH: It's back to even the Crusaders. It's long been a Christian symbol, and so they used it as an excuse to frame me as an enemy of the
state, effectively.
MARQUARDT (voice-over): Hegseth served at Guantanamo Bay and has defended waterboarding. He also advocated for three U.S. troops accused of murder,
including former Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher, who posed for a trophy photo with a corpse of an ISIS detainee.
HEGSETH: The murder of an ISIS dirt bag.
MARQUARDT (voice-over): Trump would go on to re promote Gallagher and pardon the two others. Hegseth has cast doubt on the 2020 election and
praised January 6 insurrectionists.
HEGSETH: These are people that understand first principles. They love freedom and they love free markets.
MARQUARDT (voice-over): Hegseth recently moved to Tennessee with his third wife and seven children, where he says he now lives on a farm. Alex
Marquardt, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HILL: Let's get up to speed on some of the other stories on our radar at this hour. Argentine delegates at the COP29 climate summit ordered to
withdraw from negotiations and return home. According to a source, the delegates did take part in the first two days of the summit in Azerbaijan,
before being told to withdraw on Wednesday.
That move, of course, compounding the sense of anxiety there at the summit that Donald Trump will pull the U.S. once again, out of the Paris Climate
Accord and also upend American climate policies. Maori lawmakers in New Zealand staging a traditional dance in Parliament today as part of a
protest against a bill, they say would weaken the rights of indigenous New Zealanders.
Maori's accounts for just under a fifth of the country's population. French prosecutors seeking a five-year prison sentence, a five-year ban from
public's office and a hefty fine for former far right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen.
She and two dozen others are on trial, accused of embezzling European Union funds a decade ago. Just ahead here, the latest on the U S economy, a new
inflation report is out. We're going to break that down.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:30:00]
HILL: There we go, the opening bell there at the New York Stock Exchange. Perfect timing for you. It is, of course, half past the hour here in New
York. Thanks for staying with us on "Connect the World". I'm Erica Hill. One number for investors to digest at this hour, wholesale inflation.
So, it ticked up just a bit in the U.S. in October, which analysts say means that there are still some price pressures at the producer level. The
producer price index rose 0.2 percent last month at a 2.4 percent for the 12 months. That's after September's 0.1 percent increase.
Joining me now, CNN's Anna Stewart, who joins us from London. So, as we look at this number, how do we need to digest that? What does it tell us
about the state of the U.S. economy?
ANNA STEWART, CNN REPORTER: So, we're seeing some price pressures remain. And this isn't surprising at all in terms of the PPI number, because we saw
CPI, Consumer Price Inflation. We saw that go up yesterday. It was 2.6 percent on the year. PPI has come in at 2.4 percent on the year, and this
is for October.
Americans are still continuing to see some price increases, some good news, not a huge amount in their wholesale food prices dropped ever so slightly
versus last month. But what we do know from recent weeks is that inflation really matters the American public.
96 percent of voters said high prices for gas, groceries and other goods factored into how they cast their ballots, according to AP vote cast. So,
as we see and we look ahead to a new president, this is where the economy is at, and of course, a huge amount of pressure to bring inflation back
down.
HILL: Well, in terms of that pressure on inflation in terms of a new presidency, there are also some concerns about, what if he follows through
on campaign promises what a Trump presidency could mean for inflation?
STEWART: Right. And this has been really politicized, and let's not forget, inflation is a global issue, largely relating to the war in Ukraine. We've
seen inflation across the western world. However, Donald Trump, as a presidential campaign, said, when I win, I will immediately bring prices
down starting on day one, he put a lot of this plan down to drilling more oil.
He said, we will drill baby drill relating to energy, already U.S. oil is kind of at record. Hides in terms of production. Prices already come down
for energy. So, it's unclear how much that would really do. But you're right, some of the policies that President-elect Trump had suggested, for
instance, mass deportations could significantly increase labor costs.
A tariff of 10 percent on all imports into the U.S. could significantly raise prices. So actually, a lot of the policies that were laid out are
really quite inflationary, so be interesting to see which ones become reality, Erica.
HILL: We will be watching for that come January, and I appreciate it. Thank you. Just ahead here, Caitlin Clark, we know is an incredible basketball
player, but how is she on the links? Well, she tried her head at golf on Wednesday. More after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:35:00]
HILL: Not the news that anybody in southern Spain wants to hear nearly a month's worth of rain falling in just an hour on Wednesday, severe
thunderstorms, torrential rain battering the Malaga area. Nearly 3000 people and 1000 homes evacuated. And there is more rain in the forecast.
CNN's Pau Mosquera has more.
PAU MOSQUERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's been already two weeks since Valencia suffered the worst floods in the history of the region, and it seems like
Spain cannot catch a break from the torrential rains. Why is it so? Well, Spain's Meteorological Agency has informed of the arrival of a new coal
drop to the peninsula, and it's bringing some heavy rains.
This is why this agency has activated red alerts in some seaside regions such as Malaga in the south of the country. There the authorities have
decided to preventively evacuate around 3000 people that live on the banks of the Guadalete River, given the risk of overflowing.
Also, the authorities have decided to suspend all high-speed train connectivity between Malaga and Madrid, because of these meteorological
conditions. Even some neighbors are already informing the emergency service of local floods in towns as -- or -- Malaga, where the water is already
flooding some basements and patios. A situation that is also happening in Tarragona in the east of the country.
There, the authorities are informing that it can accumulate up to 180 liters of water per square meter in just 12 hours, potentially leading to
also some local floods. This is why the regional government, Generalitat de Catalunya is informing the population of those affected areas to remain the
highest they can inside their homes, in the second floors, and avoid moving between towns before this meteorological phenomenon finishes by the end of
the week.
Also, this Thursday, all the eyes will be fixed in Valencia as there are going to be red alerts for the region. And whatever it happens, many are
hoping that it won't be as devastating as what happened two weeks ago. Pau Mosquera, CNN, Madrid.
HILL: Security in Paris really ramping up ahead of today's football match between France and Israel. Some 4000 officers are being deployed to police
the game itself. On Wednesday, pro-Palestinian groups gathered in the city to oppose a controversial pro-Israel gala being held by a far-right Israeli
Association.
Tensions, of course, have been rising and frankly, heightened after violent clashes in Amsterdam last week between Israeli fans and pro-Palestinian
supporters. CNN's Melissa Bell has more for us at this hour from Paris. So just in general, Melissa, there where you are, what are you seeing in terms
of the mood, I guess I should say in the city, as we are waiting to see what happens today, ahead of this match?
MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Erica, I think it was interesting that we saw those demonstrations take place on the
streets of Paris yesterday, that pro-Israel gala that you mentioned was to be held behind closed doors at a secret location for fears that it would
attract protest.
Bezalel Smotrich, the controversial Israeli Minister was due to attend. In the end, he attended by video conference and alerted to that pro-
Palestinian groups had decided that they would take the opportunity to demonstrate. And it was a couple of demonstrations that we saw on the
streets of Paris yesterday, Erica.
We saw pro-Palestinian group, but then we also saw another group of moderate Jewish anti-discrimination groups who have appeared for the first
time on the streets in opposition to the policies of Benjamin Netanyahu, of course, the last year. It's the first time that here in Paris, we've seen
those particular groups gather against Israel's policies.
And I think it's important to make a note of that. So, to your question, feelings are high, right now in Paris. This is a part of the world that
has, Erica, Europe's largest Muslim population, Europe's largest Jewish community. And a lot of feeling about the way the war in Gaza has been
prosecuted by the Israeli government.
This particular fixture, this football match was already likely to be the subject of some demonstrations, but what we saw in Amsterdam last week has
really led authorities to try and put on the sort of display show of force that will prevent any harm coming to Israel supporters who might have made
the trip to Paris despite fears.
We've been hearing from the captain of the Israel side saying that they feel safe, but clearly all eyes on whether French authorities, with their
4000 policemen and women who will be deployed tonight in Paris, not just in and around the Stade de France, but in Paris, central Paris, as well, to
see whether they managed to keep the peace and to see how virulent that pro-Palestinian support will be, Erica.
HILL: Just a couple of days ago, we had heard that President Macron was planning to attend in part as a show of, I guess, a solidarity against
antisemitism.
[09:40:00]
What more are we hearing from the Macron government, especially in the wake of what we've seen over the last couple of days?
BELL: Well, first of all, we heard this determination to have this match go ahead, whereas there had been some doubt about whether it should give an
event in Amsterdam last week, where we immediately heard that another Europa League fixture for Maccabi Tel Aviv fans that was due to be held in
Turkey will, in fact, now be held in Hungary behind closed doors to pick a more neutral venue and one less likely to attract pro-Palestinian protest.
But yes, Emmanuel Macron will be at the start of France tonight, as will two Former Presidents, Francois Hollande and Nicolas Sarkozy, all there to
show their determination to stand firm in the face of antisemitism. That is the very strong signal that French authorities have wanted to send ahead of
this match.
But knowing how strong the sentiment from Pro-Palestinians will be to make their voices heard given the extra attention that this match has now
attracted, Erica.
HILL: Yeah, absolutely. Melissa, really appreciate it. Thank you. Well, on a much lighter note, as we're talking about sports here, how about Caitlin
Clark, there is no doubt she's had quite a year. The American basketball sport of course, breaking records as a college player, and then went right
into the WNBA as a rookie, where she dominated in a number of games.
On Wednesday, she decided to give golf a try, taking part in an LPGA Pro-Am event. Andy Scholes joining me now.
ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Yeah.
HILL: She admitted beforehand, Andy.
SCHOLES: Yeah.
HILL: Golf probably not as strong a sport for her as basketball.
SCHOLES: And that was an accurate statement, because she joked, she didn't want to hit anybody when she was on the tee box, and it was almost a
disaster on the very first tee there, Erica. Look at that ball just whipped by all those people's heads. I mean, and look, this is a Pro-Am.
You should never be standing that close it when there's not professional golfers striking golf balls. So, you know, a lot of blame to go around
there. I'm just glad that golf ball did not go off someone's head, because it could have ended much more terribly, other than everyone kind of
laughing, ha, ha, ha.
But she had some good holes out there on the round once she settled down. But again, Caitlin Clark, incredible basketball player. Golf, no.
HILL: You know, she can do a lot of things. We can't all do all the things.
SCHOLES: Right.
HILL: I mean, some of us can, but not everybody, right, Andy?
SCHOLES: All right. And golf is what the hardest, most frustrating sport there is, like that for anything --
HILL: So that's why I don't play. I stick to mini golf.
SCHOLES: Me too.
HILL: And that's enough of a challenge for me. We will see much more from you after a quick break on "World Sport. Thanks.
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