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Erin Burnett Outfront
Trump Taps Dr. Oz To Oversee Health Care Coverage For 160M; New Details On Gaetz Probe; Ukraine Strikes Russia. Aired 7-8p ET
Aired November 19, 2024 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[19:00:35]
ERIN BURNETT, CNN HOST: OUTFRONT next:
The breaking news, Trump's central casting. The president-elect tapping Dr. Oz to oversee health care for more than 160 million Americans. What are his qualifications? Well, according to Trump, he's got the most important one, and that is the looks.
Also, breaking, Trump not backing away from Matt Gaetz, doubling down moments ago, saying he is not reconsidering his pick. The attorney, whose clients say they were paid for sex by Gaetz is OUTFRONT tonight with new details. How much money he paid them?
And, Putin's alarming nuclear warning as Ukraine wastes no time using American missiles to hit Russia. We're live in Moscow on this 1,000th day of the war.
Let's go OUTFRONT.
And good evening. I'm Erin Burnett.
OUTFRONT tonight, Trump tapping yet another television personality to join his administration. This time, Dr. Mehmet Oz. Trump naming the TV doctor to oversee Medicare and Medicaid for more than 160 million Americans.
Now, Oz, of course, is a household name. He does not have experience running any sort of a large government bureaucracy or institution of any way. So why did Trump choose him?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES: My friend Dr. Mehmet Oz, he's a great man. Dr. Oz, I've known him a long time. His show is great. He's in that -- he's on that screen. He's in the bedrooms of all those women telling them good and bad and they love him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Straight from central casting, Dr. Oz. And he's not the only one. Trump stacking his administration with people that he believes look the part. He's already named Fox host Pete Hegseth for defense secretary. Fox
host Sean Duffy for transportation secretary and none of that is a surprise in this context, because Trump does put a premium on having what he sees as the look
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Oh, what a handsome dude. Is that good? That guy's central casting.
We'll take him. He is perfect. He's central casting. He's going to be -- he's going to be a great one.
We have the great Tom Homan, central casting, right?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Central casting, central casting, central casting. He says it himself. It's clear.
Tom Homan the last name he mentioned is now Trump's border czar.
But when it comes to Oz, he may look the part, but he did lose Pennsylvania's Senate race in 2022, in part because of a number of controversial and downright odd remarks. For example, the medical research that he conducted that had resulted in the deaths of animals, Democrats seized on that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AD NARRATOR: Mehmet Oz ran experiments on puppies, killing over 300 dogs.
They were subjected to extreme suffering.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Now, Oz says that he did not abuse any animals.
During the pandemic, he talked up the benefits of hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for COVID-19.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. MEHMET OZ, HOST OF "THE DR. OZ SHOW": A small study that shows statistical significance is a really important observation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: The FDA says hydroxychloroquine is unlikely to be an effective treatment for COVID-19, and in this era that we are in, if you happen to doubt the FDA, the Mayo Clinic says it is not recommended for a COVID treatment and notes that studies have shown people who take it are more likely to suffer from heart problems, on top of the fact that it doesn't effectively treat COVID.
And then there are the weird things that Oz said. He was on a radio show and was asked about whether its okay to have sex with a cousin.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
OZ: If you're more not a first cousin, it's not a big problem.
Every family has genetic strengths and weaknesses. And so the reason we naturally create people who are not so like us is because you have to mix the gene pool up a little bit.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
BURNETT: Okay, so that's what I'm saying. Some odd things.
And the reality of it is though for Trump it comes down to central casting, central casting, central casting. And that's where we get to Elon Musk, who, of course, has been spending so much time with Trump, today welcoming the president elect to Texas to watch the billionaire entrepreneur launch what is the worlds largest and most powerful rocket ever built and what this liftoff gave.
And by the way, this is something to celebrate. This is American ingenuity at its best. But what it did today was to give Musk another photo op with the president-elect.
And by the way, I mean, look at them there today. If you go on Musk's Twitter account, which it's impossible to avoid because everybody's algorithm is fed with a lot of Elon Musk all day.
[19:05:02]
It's filled with pictures of him and Trump from election night, to photos with his family, photos with members of Congress. Most recently, Musk appearing with Trump on a plane to New York with Trump and RFK Jr.
They were together at Madison Square Garden, there again, sitting ringside with Trump at that UFC championship, and basically it's come down to this. If there's a picture of Trump, Musk is not far behind.
And the world is taking notice. I mean, look at some of these headlines. President Elon Musk. America elected Donald Trump, and it turns out Elon Musk, too.
Elon Musk is America's shadow president. Elon Musk sets stage to act as Trump's co-president. Elon Musk has a new project, run Trump's government.
And the French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to invite Trump to visit, right? But guess what else? He's inviting Trump and Musk to come to Paris for a summit.
Brazil's first lady took on Musk, using an expletive to the billionaire during a panel on disinformation, putting it on him.
All right, we have a lot to cover. Kristen Holmes is OUTFRONT. She is live in West Palm Beach to begin our coverage. Kristen, you have some new reporting tonight on another major Trump
administration announcement. What are you learning right now?
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Erin, we were told we finally might get that announcement of who is going to be treasury secretary. I am told it is expected to come as early as tomorrow. Now, just a reminder in a caveat, we were told this was coming last Friday.
However, this has been an ongoing issue because of what was going on behind the scenes. Donald Trump had been set to pick hedge fund manager Scott Bessent, when Howard Lutnick, the co-chair of the transition, inserted himself into the mix, saying that he wanted to be secretary of treasury.
This caused a lot of headaches for the people on the transition team, one, Lutnick and Trump have had a relationship for a very long time, but we are also told it started somewhat of a knife fight between the two of them, with really Howard Lutnick as the only one wielding a knife.
It actually annoyed people on the transition team and even annoyed Donald Trump we were told by a number of people he spoke to about it, and caused him to open up the field.
So I want to show you who we believe the four finalists to be at this time. Scott Bessent still in the mix here. We also have Tennessee Senator Hill Hagerty. We have Kevin Warsh, who was a former Federal Reserve governor and billionaire Marc Rowan.
I am told that all of them have met with Trump and or the transition team, that all the interviews are done, and tomorrow is going to be the time they have these long discussions with the hope of getting secretary of treasury out of the gate by tomorrow night.
Now again, of course anything can happen in Trump world, but that is the goal right now. Remember, this was one of the ones they wanted to get out first because Donald Trump has made so many promises that are contingent on the economy. And they wanted somebody to be the face of all of that. And just a reminder, the reason why they feel they can move forward. I don't know if I mentioned this is because Lutnick was named secretary of commerce today, getting him out of the way, paving the way for this to actually happen.
BURNETT: Yeah. So many moves and important there it is, because there has been so much infighting and backstabbing as you have been reporting in such detail.
Kristen, thank you so much.
And everyone is here with me.
So, Lulu, all right, let's just -- it's hard to get through all of this because there's so much happening. But let's just start with Dr. Oz. He is going to be overseeing an agency that directly affects 160 million Americans. So look, let's take a step back. There's a lot of people who get put into these jobs who haven't overseen much, right? So I'm not going to say the fact that he hasn't overseen disqualifying
in and of itself. But the history here is relevant.
LULU GARCIA-NAVARRO, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: The history is relevant. When I was listening right now, I thought that what was going to be announced was Dr. Phil was going to be the surgeon general. So at least were not there yet.
BURNETT: Yes.
GARCIA-NAVARRO: Yet, but listen, what is happening here is this we are now in Donald Trump's TV show and, you know, this is the world were living in now. He is casting the characters that he wants to play in his administration.
And the point behind this is actually a serious one. They're not just good looking people. They're very effective communicators who actually are recognizable to the American public.
If you think about why Donald Trump thinks he won this election, it's because he was able to have a consistent message. People listened to him. He is recognizable, and he was palling around with people like Elon Musk. He is putting people in these positions that people know and that can sell his policies.
So whatever he does, there are going to be people who are able to go out into the manosphere, into podcasts, on cable news, and talk about it in a way that people will relate to. And I think that's what he's up to.
BURNETT: So people will relate to, Max, we talk about RFK Jr. Cory Booker, Senator Cory Booker says he's got concerns about RFK Jr., I'm sure, related to his, you know, past history of deep vaccine skepticism. And, you know, inaccurate pushing of the disproven theory that autism and vaccines are linked.
But Cory Booker does not rule out supporting RFK Jr., okay?
[19:10:03]
And he praises his views on part on healthy eating. Obviously, this weekend, we saw RFK on the plane and you know, I say this partly chuckling because he's got this, you know, grimace on his face with like if you actually zoom in on him, he looks absolutely horrified.
Speaker Johnson did say he ate it, but his point, Senator Booker's point of view, though, Max, is actually a serious one, and that is lifelong Democrat, RFK, Jr., has done a lot for the environment. Has also this very serious issues with things like vaccines. But yet you've got Booker saying, I can see my way to approving this, are a lot of Democrats going to follow suit.
MAX ROSE (D), FORMER U.S. REPRESENTATIVE: Well, I think you're seeing some positive comments about RFK, interestingly enough, from Democrats, because of course, many of them are looking for bipartisan moments. RFK is facing an incredible amount of opposition from the pro-life community. Mike Pence issued really harsh --
BURNETT: Because he's pro-choice.
ROSE: Because he's pro-choice.
But I really see the Democratic opposition centering around Matt Gaetz for very obvious reasons in terms of his criminal past and absence of any moral code, but also the proposed defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, and the larger goals for the Defense Department that they want to establish a purity test for all four star generals, where they need to basically become political appointees and submit their loyalty to Donald Trump --
BURNETT: The purity being your loyalty to the president.
ROSE: Absolutely. Which would be not only really harmful to our national security, but also just a complete retraction from any way that we've ever conducted ourselves at that level.
So that that is my hope that the party focuses on their opposition to that.
BURNETT: Governor Pawlenty, is there any one of these nominees that the Republican shoot down when it actually comes to a vote?
TIM PAWLENTY (R), FORMER MINNESOTA GOVERNOR: I would be surprised if Matt Gaetz gets confirmed and becomes a secretary as proposed. I just don't think he's going to go through the process. I'm not even sure he's going to make it to the hearings based on the amount of stuff that's coming out by the day. So if I had to highlight one that's going to take a knee, it would be him.
BURNETT: All right. So, Lulu, now can we just talk here about Musk. I mean, I went through some of those headlines. I mean, it's extraordinary the amount of time they're spending together.
First of all, Elon Musk is -- obviously, he's a genius in his many ways. He's a very awkward person to be around personally. He doesn't like to be around people and he's spending this extraordinary amount of time with Trump, who doesn't like to spend a lot of time around people who are getting more attention than he does.
GARCIA-NAVARRO: Yeah.
BURNETT: And that's what this situation is.
GARCIA-NAVARRO: So, first of all, where is J.D. Vance, who has completely disappeared like Elon Musk has taken over the position of VP, and the fact is that what were hearing is that Elon Musk wants to be seen as a co-president.
Now, if there's one thing we know about Donald Trump is there can only be one star of the show. He likes to have his supporting cast. He's casting them right now, but people get fired really fast.
And Elon Musk is also someone who likes to be the star of his own show. So, I mean, I think at this point, you know, this is a love fest. It's been very mutually beneficial for both of them to be seen together. But it's going to cause a lot of problems.
This is I think, the honeymoon period. Neither, you know, Donald Trump is not in office yet. Elon Musk hasn't been tasked with gutting the federal bureaucracy yet. When all of that happens and the rubber hits the road, well see what well see what happens. But I -- I do not think that this is going to be an enduring relationship.
BURNETT: Governor Pawlenty, what do you think? Can I just go through some of these headlines again? Because they are kind of incredible.
President Elon Musk. America elected Donald Trump and it turns out Elon Musk, too. Elon Musk is America's shadow president. Elon Musk sets stage to act as Trump's co-president. Elon Musk has a new project to run Trump's government
Governor Pawlenty, how does all this turn out?
PAWLENTY: Well, I agree, you can ultimately have one star of the show, and that star of the show is going to be Donald Trump because he has the power and the decision making authority.
However, whether this administration has Elon Musk for six months, 12 months, 18 months, 24 months, I'm in favor of him leaning in. He is innovative, he's inventive.
And by the way, you don't get to be that level of creative and inventive without having some degree of eccentricity. And he is he is a brilliant, eccentric genius. And if he throws out 100 ideas and you know some number of them are bad or ridiculous, so be it.
But Trump campaigned on the notion that we're going to break the mold. We're not going to have traditional people. And having Elon Musk and some other people around that are mold breakers who aren't going to color inside the lines is actually, I think, a healthy thing for the federal bureaucracy.
BURNETT: So, Max, the question is though, can Trump give him some of that space? I mean, Elon is having a lot of fun now. He's picking on every single government project out there. That's very different than actually taking one and tackling it and dealing with it but you know, Steve -- Steve Bannon analogy here is relevant, right?
[19:15:04]
When he got on the front of "Time Magazine" as sort of the puppeteer behind Trump, that was the end.
ROSE: Yeah. Look, you can -- I don't think you can buy Donald Trump permanently. But you certainly can rent him. And that's what we've seen here. This is a brash transaction where Elon put $100 million down and he gets to joyride the presidency for a bit.
Donald Trump will undeniably kick him to the curb when he tires of him, and also when he sees that people are gravitating to Elon Musk. People are calling for meetings with Elon Musk, not with Donald Trump.
But just the last point is, is that he has put Elon in charge of the biggest political liability imaginable, which is cutting the government and that's going to piss everybody off. And he's going to move away from him really quickly.
BURNETT: Yeah, we'll see.
All right. Thank you all very much. Appreciate you.
And next, the breaking news, the attorney whose client witnessed Gaetz having sex with her 17 year old friend is up next with new details about the Gaetz investigation, never before heard details here, as Trump doubles down on Gaetz tonight.\
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REPORTER: Mr. President, are you reconsidering the nomination of Matt Gaetz?
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES: No.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Plus, now or never. Exclusive new reporting from the southern border, where Mexican cartels are urging migrants to storm the U.S. now.
And Musk crying foul in the Pennsylvania Senate recount, accusing Democrats of trying to steal an election. So what are the facts?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:20:52]
BURNETT: Breaking news at this moment. Trump doubling down on Matt Gaetz as his pick for attorney general.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REPORTER: Mr. President, are you reconsidering the nomination of Matt Gaetz?
TRUMP: No.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: That comes as we are learning tonight the confidential files, including a deposition with a woman who says she had sex with Gaetz when she was 17 years old, have been breached.
Gaetz, meanwhile, is working the phones on his own behalf trying to get senators to commit to backing him for attorney general.
Manu Raju is OUTFRONT on Capitol Hill speaking to all of those senators. And Trump, tonight, Manu standing by Gaetz. Tonight though, more GOP senators are calling for the release of that house ethics committee report, which will be crucial. And you know we know this -- it's got a lot of information in it.
MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, potential clashes brewing between the House and the Senate Republicans. In fact, the incoming Republican chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which will consider this nomination, Chuck Grassley, told me that if they do not receive this report, it could slow down the consideration of this nomination, even as Mike Johnson, the speaker of the house, is defending his decision to call on the House Ethics Committee to withhold that report, contending that former members like Matt Gaetz, who abruptly resigned last week, should not be subjected to these ethics reports that come out into the public, even though there have been instances where former members have seen their ethics reports come out.
Now, I asked senators about that argument from Mike Johnson and some senators, including Mike Rounds of South Dakota, pushed back.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. MIKE ROUNDS (R-SD): I think if there is an ethics report out there that is being or that has been completed, then I think the Senate is going to want to see it. It may very well speed up the vetting process on the other hand, if its not available and we have to recreate it ourselves, that would delay our ability to make a decision on a very critical nominee.
RAJU: If he were to recess a point any of these nominees who were rejected by the Senate.
ROUNDS: I think a recess appointment is going to be very challenging.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RAJU: And that last point could become critical because Donald Trump has called on these appointments to be installed via a recess appointment, essentially bypassing the Senate altogether.
But you can hear there some pushback there. And, Erin, Gaetz behind the scenes is trying to lock down support. He's been calling individual Republican senators. And tomorrow, J.D. Vance, the vice president elect, will be on Capitol Hill with Gaetz meeting with some senators as they try to lock down support and reassure them over their concerns.
But unclear, Erin, if this House Ethics Committee report will become public. That panel meeting behind closed doors tomorrow to decide how to proceed.
BURNETT: Absolutely crucial. Manu thank you so much.
RAJU: Thank you. BURNETT: And Joel Leppard is back with me. Of course, last night on
this show, he revealed how his two clients testified that then Congressman Matt Gaetz paid them both for sex on apps including Venmo and PayPal. That one of the women also witnessed Gaetz having sex with her 17 year old friend on an air hockey table at a party, allegations Gaetz denies.
So, Joel, let me just start with the breaking news at this moment that we understand multiple confidential files that had been basically stored on a secure online system have been breached, and that would be sworn testimony from -- of the woman about the 17 year old, your clients and others. A lot of information about them would be a part of that.
How damaging would all of this be if it comes out? All the information that you know to Matt Gaetz?
JOEL LEPPARD, LAWYER FOR WOMEN WHO TESTIFIED AGAINST GAETZ ABOUT SEX ALLEGATIONS: Well, the depositions of my client lasted over six hours. So it was a very extensive testimony from the very beginning of July 2017, throughout her interactions from 2019. She provided very detailed testimony during the civil lawsuit that Representative Dorworth brought against the minor and Joel Greenberg, alleging that they had defamed him.
BURNETT: Joel Greenberg, of course, is serving time now.
LEPPARD: That's right.
BURNETT: And you describe his role in all of this as what?
LEPPARD: So Joel Greenberg was essentially responsible or did have access to seeking arrangements, and he would essentially meet the woman and seeking arrangements and then would introduce them to the other individuals in his group.
[19:25:06]
BURNETT: All right. And this -- this group of people, which included your clients. Can I ask you just to explain your clients? Obviously, you had talked about how they saw then Representative Matt Gaetz at that time, around 35, having sex with a 17 year old in the air hockey table. How when did your clients first meet him?
LEPPARD: Yeah. So my client first met representative Gaetz at that party in July of 2017. She was invited by her friend, who had met Joel Greenberg and they invited and she attended that party back in July in 2017. And she first met Representative Gaetz.
Then my other client met Representative Gaetz at a party that she was invited to by Joel Greenberg later that same year in December of 2017.
BURNETT: All right. So they met in back in 2017. These interactions continued for a couple of years and when you look back at it and he was paying them for these sexual encounters, how much did he pay them? LEPPARD: When my clients provided testimony to the House, they -- they
put up on the screen a list of the Venmo and PayPal transactions directly from Representative Gaetz to my clients. For one of the clients, that was a little over $6,000. For another client, it was a little over $4,000.
BURNETT: So a little over $10,000 to your clients from him directly.
LEPPARD: That's correct.
BURNETT: On PayPal and Venmo.
Okay. So, how did -- how did it start the payments for that? He would be paying them for sex?
LEPPARD: So the House asked my clients what the payments were for, and -- I mean, they met on a on a seeking.com. And that was the understanding that they were there.
BURNETT: That's the nature of the website.
LEPPARD: Well, I can't speak to that, but that was the nature of their particular agreement understanding that they had and that they had spoke with that with I believe, Joel Greenberg. And that was kind of the understanding of what was happening.
And so, they would get payments from Representative Gaetz from Joel Greenberg, from other gentleman, and those payments were put on the screen. And my clients testified that, yes, they were for sex.
BURNETT: So just to give everyone a sense of how constant and embedded this was, according to what your clients say, you mentioned last night a trip to New York in January of 2019 that that you say Gaetz took your clients on. They say that they were there.
He paid them to travel with him. He paid them to have sex with him on that trip. So first, though, apparently, according they say he took them to fox news and that they were basically offset set like this, but they're offset waiting for him to do his interview. And let me just play a clip from that particular interview.
So Gaetz is going to New York. He does this interview in part says this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MATT GAETZ (R-FL): I know the president likes to call her Pocahontas, but now that eastern seaboard into the center of the country, maybe Sacajawea would be more appropriate. But instead of bringing Louis and Clark, she's bringing the most liberal policies of the Democratic Party.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Okay. So that was their show "Outnumbered", and then after that, he leaves the interview with your clients. And then what happens?
LEPPARD: Yeah. So they went to the show a pretty woman and I believe that my clients went to an EDM show later on that night.
BURNETT: And, and an EDM show. What's that?
LEPPARD: An electronic dance music. They had a show that they wanted to see that night, and the House was -- the reason why it came up. Actually, the House was asking my clients if they ever felt pressured by Representative Gaetz, and they indicated at least one of my clients testified to the House that there was a time that they felt that they needed to please Representative Gaetz before going out and going to the show.
BURNETT: Okay. I understand what you're saying, and that I'm not going to ask you to get more graphic than that, but may I just ask when he's paying them to come? He's paying them for sex. When does all this happen? The sex is happening before the Fox News interview, before the show before the?
LEPPARD: The payments would take place before or after the event.
So sometimes. So in this instance, I believe the testimony was that they received payments in part for flights before, and sometimes there would be payments on the back end as well. But it's not something where were talking about leaving money on the table or anything like that. All the transactions generally speaking, were electronic.
There's evidence of one check that was provided to my client but generally speaking, it was electronic and those payments would come either before or after. That's what the testimony was before the House.
BURNETT: All right. So how much -- how much evidence do your clients have? I mean, obviously, all these payments are there, but as the House Ethics Committee would have, that the Senate may get to see, are there also pictures of -- of all of these times together in these parties? I would assume there's a lot of video and photographic evidence.
LEPPARD: Well, despite the fact that my clients weren't allowed to take pictures, there was a strict no phone policy. There are numerous photos that they were able to provide, so they provided photos to the House at the New York event, they provided selfies that Representative Gaetz sent them. They testified that they sent Representative Gaetz nudes from time to time at his request, and also on their own accord.
[19:30:05]
There also numerous text messages, group messages between them as well. But you have to understand that my clients are only two out of the over dozen witnesses that testified. I was present for two of those. And so what I'm telling you is just a fraction of the evidence that's available of the thousands of documents the -- and the 25 subpoenas, 12 witnesses. BURNETT: So that's -- and I guess that's a crucial part of this. The
House Ethics Committee is scheduled to make its decision on releasing their full report.
Do you think the allegations you're talking about here, in detailing, which have to do with your two clients, are a large chunk of their report, or do you think that this is the tip of the iceberg?
LEPPARD: Well, I do think that its probably the tip of the iceberg. My clients did play a central role, but the evidence that the House has, I would presume, is overwhelming because my clients were just two of the other witnesses. And there are very important witnesses who have yet to come out and give a preview of what the House Ethics Committee results might show.
BURNETT: All right. Well, Joel, thank you very much. I appreciate your time again tonight.
LEPPARD: Thanks for having me back.
BURNETT: And we do have new video into OUTFRONT next. You're going to see migrants trying to scale a U.S. border wall. This is literally just moments ago. They only stopped when they saw our cameras there.
David Culver is right there, and we're going to take you to him next.
Plus, the most powerful rocket to date takes flight. Elon Musk's high profile show and tell though this time went a little off plan. We'll show you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:35:55]
BURNETT: Tonight, new video just in, filmed at the southern border of migrants climbing that border fence. Just moments ago, trying to get into the U.S. and they only stopped when they saw our crew there filming them, doing it. Border agents telling our David Culver, who is right there and its his team that noticed the men trying to climb over the wall. They told them that Mexican cartels right now are urging migrants to rush into the United States before Trump takes office.
This comes as Trump insists he will begin mass deportations and vows he'll use the military to do that.
Let's just show you a checkpoint about 30 miles from the border in Arizona. This was empty in June, and now it is fully staffed and active.
I want to go straight to David Culver, who just witnessed all of this. Those migrants trying to scale that wall and has been reporting from the border for days now. And, of course, over and over again over these past months and years joining me now from Nogales.
So, David, you just filmed that video. What happened? DAVID CULVER, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, that caught us
off guard. I mean, we were preparing to come live and talk to you here, and this is about ten, 15 minutes ago, a very high part of the border wall as well, that they just came over or at least tried to come over.
They were scaling, and as soon as they noticed that we were recording, they went back down and put on their hoods and continued along their way.
What's interesting about that area, though is if you compare it to, say, six months ago, when folks were desperate to get over, didn't care if people were seeing them, didn't care if they were caught, in fact, they would try to get flagging down some of the border sometimes us to say, hey, can we get a ride? We want to be processed.
Then in June, President Biden's executive action came into play and that limited the number of people who were going to be allowed into the U.S. We're now hearing more and more deportations going back over the border into Mexico.
But I want to revisit though, that checkpoint that you mentioned, because this all ties together. You're having people who are coming over who are trying to do so undetected, and they make their way into the U.S. but what happens, as you mentioned, that checkpoint that's 30 miles inland. And when we were here in June, Border Patrol said they didn't have enough resources to have agents at those checkpoints.
Now you're driving northbound and you're waiting 10 to 15 minutes. You then come through. It is fully staffed. You've got K9 there, you've got them looking at every single person in the car. They wanted to make eye contact and then they let us continue on.
Some people were also then pulled aside for secondary search. It is far more thorough than we've seen before. But, Erin, the point that border patrol agents are telling me is they didn't have the bandwidth to do that before. As one agent has been telling me, he has felt like a federal babysitter and having to drive migrants from the border to processing centers.
Now they say they have enough agents to be able to do these checkpoints and they're at several locations. We've passed three in the past couple of days and they are fully operational for now.
BURNETT: Fully operational and interesting those migrants that you just saw that before would be like, hey, hey flag you down. Were glad you saw us. Give us a ride. And now there's -- there's a fear of their identity. And they jumped off and well, presumably, who knows. They tried to cross somewhere else, but ran away from your cameras.
Look, you've been down there just on this particular trip, David, for days. And, you know, you've been talking about how Mexican cartels drug cartels have been, you know, increasing their prices, telling migrants if you don't get into the United States right now, it's not going to happen.
So what more can you tell us about that?
CULVER: I mean its like advertising a store sale, a limited time only. This is what you need to do in order to get into the U.S. That's what cartels are pushing.
And we know that from local law enforcement. We know that from ranchers who live on the border and that they're, of course, seeing some of the folks who come over and who end up getting caught. And we're knowing that the prices are now going up significantly.
So, one local sheriff says you're now looking at, at a minimum on average, $7,500 a person that these cartels are charging folks that will then go upwards into $10,000, $15,000, $20,000.
And what you're hearing from the other side of the border, we've got contacts on the Mexican side at shelters, and they're saying the migrants are now starting to say this is a lot of money. We don't know if we have that to go forward with, only to then be deported within 24 hours.
It's just amazing to see what is happening up to $20,000 for a crossing.
[19:40:03]
David Culver, thank you very much on that border again.
And also tonight, there is a statewide recount, and it is happening in Pennsylvania specifically in that Pennsylvania Senate race. And right now, 16,000 votes separate. The Republican Dave McCormick and the Democrat, the current senator, Senator Bob Casey.
Now, in a major boost to Republicans tonight, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has just ruled that election officials must stop counting mail in ballots that were invalidated because of an incorrect or missing date on the outer envelope. Okay. Makes sense.
And Republicans, including Elon Musk, have claimed Democrats are actually trying to steal the election by pushing to count those ballots.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LAURA INGRAHAM, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: Now, Pennsylvania Democrats have been trying very hard to steal the Senate seat that Dave McCormick won.
SEN. TOM COTTON (R-AR): You cannot allow partisan election officials to defy a court order.
SEN. STEVE DAINES (R-MT): Senator Casey has taken election denial to another level.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Now and I said it makes sense, you know, hey, the outer ballot, the date doesn't match, okay. But the reality of it is, is two years ago, McCormick fought to have those very ballots counted when he was on the other side of the equation, he was losing to Mehmet Oz and that was in the Senate GOP primary. McCormick argued in a 2022 court filing, and I quote, the boards only basis for disenfranchising these voters is a technical error that is immaterial under both state and federal law. Now, the shoes on the other foot.
OUTFRONT now, Neil Makhija. He is chairman of the board of elections in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.
And, Neil, I appreciate your time.
So just to try to understand exactly what is happening here, you were counting these ballots that were not dated just to try to understand what does that mean? People basically put a different date on the inside than the outside or no date on the outside? I mean, what exactly are we talking about here?
NEIL MAKHIJA (D), MONTGOMERY COUNTY, PA COMMISSIONER & BOARD OF ELECTIONS CHAIR: So essentially, look, this is something that's only true of mail in ballots. One of the requirements under the election code is that you sign and date the outside of the ballot. Now, we also have a bar code on the outer envelope of the mail in ballot which allows us to track. When we sent out the ballot and when we receive the ballot.
So we know when a voter is lawfully eligible to vote. We know when they're registered to vote and we know when we got their ballot on time. There's really no reason we should throw out the ballots of people who have every right to exercise their vote.
BURNETT: Okay, so I understand. Now, just to be clear, you would have made the same argument back when Dave McCormick was making it, when he was losing, right? I mean, just based on this bar code technology that you're talking about, right?
MAKHIJA: So I did make the same argument back then and many of us have been making that argument throughout because our job as election officials, you know, we take an oath to the Pennsylvania constitution, which has a right to vote in it. We take an oath to uphold that, and we want to protect every single vote.
BURNETT: All right. So now -- now we understand what the issue is. And obviously you've been consistent on this. Can I just ask you when were looking at these ballots now, right now the margin between the two is 16,000 votes.
How big of a difference do these particular ballots in question make? I mean, how many are we talking about?
MAKHIJA: So, look, in Montgomery County, it was about 500 votes in the past, it has been in the 10,000 to 20,000 vote range. I don't have a number across the state, but I think it's -- it's most important to recognize that this really, for us, is not about this Senate race. This has been a saga for years where we have been hoping that the Supreme Court would rule on the constitutionality of this. There was actually a lower court that said it is unconstitutional to
throw out these ballots, but that decision hasn't been fully considered by the Supreme Court.
BURNETT: All right. Now, with a 16,000-vote spread, obviously, from the -- from the perspective of where you sit, right, that's not going to make the difference. But I want to give you a chance to just respond, though, because you know, you heard you know what Elon Musk is saying right there, saying Democrats are trying to steal the election by pushing to count these ballots.
I just want to give you a chance to say clearly right, that you are wanting to count them now when they -- when they favor Casey and you wanted to count them or they don't favor Casey, but that they've been making the argument now. And two years ago, you wanted to count them when McCormick was wanting them to be counted, right? So there's no rigging here? There's nothing like that. This is you just thinking that they should be counted consistently in all cases, correct?
MAKHIJA: We've always been in favor of counting votes that are from lawfully registered citizens who've submitted them on time. That's been the case since as long as I've been advocating for voting rights both when I taught election law and now in office as an election official.
BURNETT: All right. Well, it's important, you know, that you're out there doing that and being so clear with how -- how you see it and standing up for the law. So thank you so much, Neil. I appreciate your time.
MAKHIJA: Thank you so much for having me on.
BURNETT: All right.
[19:45:00]
And next, Elon Musk showcasing the most powerful rocket yet that he hopes will -- well, turn out well. Today's launch though did not go according to plan. What happened?
And Putin lowering the bar tonight when it comes to using nuclear weapons. A crucial move as the war in Ukraine tonight hits 1,000 days. We're live again with Fred Pleitgen in Moscow.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BURNETT: Breaking news, space just moments ago, landing in the Gulf of Mexico, the launch of the world's most powerful rocket in space did not go as planned this time, Trump and Elon Musk, though, do have huge plans for this particular rocket. Among them, their goal of getting the U.S. back on the moon as soon as 2026, and of course, as Elon Musk wishes it, Mars as well.
Ed Lavandera has been right next to the launch site all day in South Padre Island, Texas, and he is OUTFRONT with more on what happened.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
[19:50:04]
ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The president-elect watched the world's most powerful rocket launch. It's the sixth test flight for Elon Musk's Starship.
Trump and Musk have been inseparable in recent months.
TRUMP: Elon Musk is incredible, what he's done.
LAVANDERA: It's also a relationship intertwined with political interest.
ELON MUSK, TECH BILLIONAIRE: I'm not just MAGA. I'm dark, gothic MAGA.
TRUMP: A star is born, Elon.
LAVANDERA: And both share a fascination with space travel.
MUSK: We must become a multi-planet species.
TRUMP: We'll get Elon, get those rockets going.
LAVANDERA: The U.S. government has increasingly turned to Musk's SpaceX rockets for many commercial launches. SpaceX has some $4 billion in federal government contracts supporting NASA's Artemis program, which plans to put astronauts on the moon in 2026.
And Starship's ultimate mission is to land on Mars.
Donald Trump's return to the White House has emboldened Musk as the world's richest man engages in regulatory fights with the federal government agencies overseeing the SpaceX rocket launches.
Musk has called for the head of the Federal Aviation Administration to resign. The FAA is the agency which grants SpaceX approvals to launch its rockets, and Musk stands to gain even more influence from his rosy relationship with the president-elect.
TRUMP: Who else could do this kind of stuff?
LAVANDERA: But Musk's SpaceX has come under fire for environmental damage at the $3 billion launch site in Boca Chica, Texas, a Texas Environmental Commission fined SpaceX for spilling wastewater that seeped into wetlands near the company's launch pad. Musk responded on X to critics, saying the launch destroyed nine birds nests and their eggs, posting to make up for this heinous crime, I will refrain from having an omelet for a week.
The environmental and regulatory concerns come as SpaceX plans to dramatically ramp up launches.
GWYNNE SHOTWELL, COO, SPACEX: I would not be surprised if we fly 400 Starship launches in the next four years. JIM CHAPMAN, ACTIVIST: For Boca Chica, that would be a worst case scenario.
LAVANDERA: Jim Chapman is an activist working with a local environmental group to raise concerns about the impact of SpaceX in South Texas. He fears the incoming Trump administration will allow Musk and SpaceX to steamroll through regulations.
CHAPMAN: SpaceX is always in a big hurry and complains bitterly if they can't do things on their own schedule, he may now not just complain about it, but to weaken that oversight.
LAVANDERA: Musk's role in the future Trump administration could have lasting effects on the space industry, his personal fortunes --
TRUMP: Take over, Elon! Yes, take over!
LAVANDERA: And on the environment for decades to come.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LAVANDERA: And, Erin, and even though today's launch did not go exactly as SpaceX engineers had hoped, they do still consider it a success. They were trying, we were told to push the limits of the spacecraft that landed in the Indian Ocean, and that heavy booster, which was supposed to have been landed back at the landing -- the launch site, but that didn't happen, but that they were testing the limits of this equipment just to see how much it could withstand in all of this.
But as you mentioned, as we heard there in the piece, talking about some 400 launches over four years, that is the kind of activity here that has a lot of people down here very nervous, Erin.
BURNETT: All right. Ed, thank you very much, in South Padre Island, Texas, tonight.
And next, Russia and the U.S., Putin says he's now in the clear to strike the U.S. with nuclear weapons. We're live in Moscow after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:57:46]
BURNETT: Tonight, Vladimir Putin lowering the bar for nuclear strike. Putin now saying any aggression against Russia supported by a nuclear power could be met with a nuclear response. Obviously, that opens the door to a nuclear response against the U.S. or anywhere in Europe right now. The saber rattling in response to Ukraine launching American-made longer range missiles deep into Russia for the first time, just two days after President Biden gave the go ahead for that.
Fred Pleitgen is OUTFRONT tonight in Moscow.
And, you know, Fred, Ukraine fired six ballistic missiles at a military facility deep inside Russia in Bryansk today. So what happens from here?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, certainly, I think that the Russians believe that there could be a lot more to come with these ATACMS missiles and I think the Russians also understand that these ATACMS missiles could be a big problem for them on the battlefield, of course, in the rear echelon as well.
The Ukrainians, of course, Erin, have said that there's hundreds of targets that they believe that they could attack with such ATACMS missiles and really hurt the Russian supply especially as far as ammunition is concerned. And that's why here on Russian state TV, but also from Russian politicians all the way to the top, what we've been hearing the Russians say is that this changes the very nature of the conflict. And, of course, what they're saying is they believe they are now pitted directly against the United States. They, of course, hold the United States responsible.
That's one of the reasons why Putin changed the nuclear doctrine of this country. But they also do understand that these missiles could pose a big problem for their forces going forward, Erin.
BURNETT: Now, Fred, you know, in Moscow where you are, you've had a chance to talk to people and talk about how they feel now that Trump is going to be the president of the United States again, whether they think that will make the war end.
But what is the perception of the -- you know, what is morale there when you look at the what I saw the other day, you know, of a new conscript, the average time that they live on the front line is really only a few days?
PLEITGEN: It's a -- it's a really interesting and complicated question. I would not say that here in Russia that morale is low. There are actually still a lot of people who are signing up to participate in what the Russians still call the special military operation in Ukraine, but then again, one of the things that we have seen as we go around town, as we speak to people, first of all, there's a lot less of the symbolism of the war out there. There's a lot fewer of those Z symbols on buildings, on cars going around the city.
And at the same time, everybody that we've been speaking to here in Russia say they want the war to end as fast as possible and they want the war to end through negotiations. And that's certainly something that we haven't heard in that form before.
BURNETT: All right. Fred Pleitgen, thank you very much, live again in Moscow tonight.
Thanks so much to all of you for joining us. See you tomorrow.
"AC360" starts now.
