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Erin Burnett Outfront

House Committee About To Vote To End Shutdown; Trump Dismisses Worries Over Rising Costs: Dem "Con Job," "Fake" Polls; Prison Consultant: Inmates Fed Up With Ghislaine Maxwell's Privileges; Trump Responds To CNN Investigation, Warns China Not To "Mess Around". Aired 7-8p ET

Aired November 11, 2025 - 19:00   ET

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

[19:00:29]

ERIN BURNETT, CNN HOST: OUTFRONT next:

Breaking news, the House right now paving the path for a final vote to end the shutdown, even as MAGA diehards aren't buying Trump's spin on the U.S. economy. New details tonight about Trump's base fighting back.

And exclusive new details about Ghislaine Maxwell's special VIP treatment in prison and new questions tonight about the prison warden's relationship with the Epstein convicted accomplice.

And our OUTFRONT interview tonight, Arianna Huffington.

Let's go OUTFRONT.

(MUSIC)

BURENTT: And good evening. I'm Erin Burnett.

OUTFRONT tonight, the breaking news. The House is about to vote. At stake, ending the shutdown.

And it's not going to be easy. It's going to take multiple votes through tomorrow. Even as America's skies are on the brink of collapse. Washington still can't move fast. And the longest shutdown in American history will leave a mark.

And right now, Trump is in total denial of the deep economic pain that so many Americans are enduring. On top of the shutdown, when confronted by a friendly face on Fox News about the state of the economy, Trump seemingly tried to shush the reporter and then said it was all made up.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LAURA INGRAHAM, FOX NEWS HOST: The economy was listed as a top concern. I know you know this for voters in New Jersey, New York, Virginia. And you've been all over the affordable -- affordability issue today and for the last several months. Eggs, gas, dinner costs for Thanksgiving way down. But other things, as you noted, have gone up. Beef, coffee, auto

repairs.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Shush! They're going to come down very shortly.

INGRAHAM: Is this a voter perception issue of the economy, or is there more that needs to be done by Republicans on Capitol Hill, or done in terms of policy?

TRUMP: More than anything else, it's a con job by the Democrats.

INGRAHAM: Then, why are people saying they're anxious about the economy? Why are they saying that?

TRUMP: I don't know that they are saying -- I think polls are fake. We have the greatest economy we've ever had.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: So, a lot there. First, though, Trump does appear to try to shush Ingraham when she said prices on some things have gone up. And then, of course, he blamed Democrats and fake polling. Of course, the Fed's most recent economic survey before the shutdown even started showed that about 80 percent of America may already be in recession.

And as Ingraham correctly noted, exit polling from last week's elections showed that voters say economic issues are their top concern. But Trump is intent on -- well, if he says it, people will believe it. And just saying everything is just fine.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: We have the best economy we've ever had.

We have the greatest economy in our history.

The economy is the strongest it's ever been.

We have the hottest economy we've ever had.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: Maybe for Nvidia, even though the rumblings are now coming from within his own party on the reality for Americans on the ground. Trump is denying this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Don't forget, MAGA was my idea. MAGA was nobody else's idea. I know what MAGA wants better than anybody else.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: Well, MAGA tonight may actually disagree. I mean, take a look at Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene's social media feed. Of course. As you know, she was the staunchest of staunch Trump supporters is now broken with him on many things, including Epstein. But on the economy now posting, "Prices are still sky high and families are drowning in debt." Very different from Trump.

But instead of taking those words to heart, Trump responded to her with this:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I don't know what happened to Marjorie. She's a nice woman, but I don't know what happened. She's lost her way. I think when somebody like Marjorie goes over and starts making statements like that, it shows she doesn't know.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: But, of course, it's not just Marjorie Taylor Greene and the exit polls and Americans. Another staunch conservative, Sean Davis, the chief executive of one of the most pro-Trump outlets in America, "The Federalist", posted on social media, and I quote Sean, "Trump needs to ditch the foreign policy crap and focus all his attention on the domestic economy, which is still not working for the majority of people. Right now, he looks weak and rudderless. Be mad all you want, but it's the truth."

Well, Trump, of course, is mad. He doesn't want to listen to that. He didn't want to hear it from Fox News.

But perhaps, he could learn from Joe Biden. Here's Biden a few weeks before that debate that ended his candidacy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: So, when you talk about the economy, of course, it is by far the most important issue for voters' real income, when you account for inflation, is actually down since you took office.

[19:05:04]

Economic growth last week, far short of expectations. Consumer confidence, maybe no surprise, is near a two-year low.

With less than six months to go to election day, are you worried that you're running out of time to turn that around?

JOE BIDEN, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: We've already turned it around. Look, you look at the Michigan survey. Over 65 percent of the American people think they're in good shape economically. They think the nation is not in good shape, but they're personally in good shape.

The polling data has been wrong all along.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: Okay, let's just make this parallel really clear.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: The polling data has been wrong all along.

TRUMP: I think polls are fake. We have the greatest economy we've ever had.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: There you have it.

Manu Raju is OUTFRONT on Capitol Hill.

And, Manu, what is the latest that you're learning there?

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, things are very tense right now in the House. Remember, this chamber has been out of session since September 19th, all part of a decision by the speaker of the House to pressure Democrats in the Senate to pass the bill that passed the Republican led House back in September to keep the government open, to reopen the government.

Ultimately, the Senate Democrats cut a separate deal with some Republicans, with Republicans that passed last night on the narrowest of margins. Eight Democrats in the Senate passing that bill to reopen the government, most of the government until January 30th. But that has caused massive backlash among Democrats in the House, who are now urging their colleagues to try to kill that measure because it does not include an extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies that had been central to this fight from the onset.

The Democratic leader, Hakeem Jeffries, just moments ago saying that he expected Democrats to be mostly in lockstep tomorrow ahead of that critical vote. The question is going to be, how many defections on both sides of the aisle will can we expect? Because of course, this is a razor thin Republican majority. That Speaker Johnson can only afford to lose two Republican votes on a straight party line vote.

We expect at least one Republican to vote no tomorrow, but there could be some Democrats crossing the aisle in voting for this bill, including Jared Golden of Maine, someone who has voted for Republican spending plans in the past. So, this will expected to still pass by the narrowest of margins. But expect a lot of back and forth, particularly among Democrats, who are already going after Republicans for not being in town. Just moments ago at the House Rules Committee, which is considering this bill at this moment, the top Democrat on the committee, Jim McGovern, kicked off the meeting by saying to his Republican colleagues, where the hell have you been?

BURNETT: Yeah.

RAJU: Erin?

BURNETT: All right. Manu, thank you very much.

And of course, the arduous process to see if this actually gets over the finish line. Meanwhile, as we said, chaos still continuing in the skies.

Jamal Simmons is OUTFRONT. Former Republican Congressman Charlie Dent is OUTFRONT, and Adam Wren.

Adam, let me start with you. I know you've got new reporting on blowback from Laura Loomer and other MAGA loyalists, specifically about Trump's push for 50-year mortgages, which is so related to the economy. And I want to get to that in a moment. But first, how much trouble is Trump in right now with his base? When we heard things like -- you know, you heard Sean Davis, you heard Marjorie Taylor Greene, when it comes to Trump's base and the economy.

ADAM WREN, POLITICO SENIOR NATIONAL POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, I think he's in some trouble here, Erin. We've learned that his base is pretty elastic, that they will give him a lot of leeway to make decisions that they might not agree with and later get on board. But in this case, you have some of what their critique is, particularly on the 50-year mortgage and other actions he's taken around cost and affordability issues, overlapping with Marjorie Taylor -- what Marjorie Taylor Greene is saying, overlapping with his what his White House deputy chief of staff, James Blair, is telling my colleague Dasha Burns, which is that the president is attuned to this issue. He understands what's going on. He's going to be doing more on it.

So even though in this interview with Laura Ingraham that he bristled at this, we know that privately his aides think that he needs to be focused on this more. And so, you can kind of triangulate with what the truth is here, which is that this is a real problem for him, and it's impacting him with his base.

BURNETT: Congressman, does this give I don't know what the right word is, either force Republicans to -- more Republicans to turn on him on this issue, or give them cover to do that when they have had lack the intestinal fortitude to do so in the past.

CHARLIE DENT, FORMER U.S. CONGRESSMAN: Well, certainly, Republicans who represent swing districts probably got the message on Tuesday that they need to find some degree of separation from the president on some issues. And I would start with the economy.

Clearly, people are anxious about both high prices and, the job market. That's obvious to anybody. This election a week ago was a referendum on the president's stewardship of the economy and his conduct in office.

So, the Republicans know they need some distance and they need and they could probably start on the tariff issue right away.

[19:10:01]

I mean, this this denial that the economy is somehow just booming and glorious, I think is so misguided. I mean, you see what the price of a car is these days for a new car? You know, you see what people are paying for groceries and housing. Things are still not where they need to be.

And the president shouldn't be telling people that all is well when they don't think it's well.

BURNETT: What -- right. And, Jamal, they don't experience. I was thinking back to that interview with Joe Biden because I was laying out with him things that were very obvious, and frankly, I expected him to say yes, I feel people's pain what he was strong, his empathy. And here's what I'm going to do about it.

But instead, he said, the polling data has been wrong all along, right? Just like Trump, I think polls are fake. The greatest economy we've ever had.

Trump obviously could look back at Biden and see how that played out.

JAMAL SIMMONS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yeah. At least Joe Biden had the midterm his first midterm election, right, where the polls all said the Democrats were going to get creamed and the Democrats were able to hold their ground and in fact, pick up a little ground in some places. So maybe he was thinking about that.

But the reality is you can't change people's minds from what they're experiencing every day. Certainly, when it's not so great. And even though at the end of the Biden administration, we have low unemployment, we had good growth every month, we also had inflation coming down.

Now, what we've seen since Trump has been here, we've seen the tariffs go into effect. We've seen layoffs because of A.I. we saw the DOGE lay off a whole bunch of people in the government. That means in the government being closed.

Every business person I talked to says prepare for headwinds, prepare for the end of the -- end of the quarter, the end of the year to be to be bad, the beginning of next year, not to be great. That is going to really matter for people.

BURNETT: And so, Adam, when you hear people like Marjorie Taylor Greene, Sean Davis, I know you spoke to Laura Loomer and you spoken to her many times. So, you know, she will have a frank conversation with you.

She obviously is one of the loudest supporters of Trump from the MAGA wing. And she's angry about the 50-year mortgage plan. What is her issue with that, Adam?

WREN: Well, essentially, she thinks that this is just going to make it harder for members of MAGA, for people who are voters to afford life, that they're going to be paying more in interest rates and that really it just sort of glosses over what the real problem here is. And then it amortizes, you know, a cost of living issue, which is housing.

BURNETT: I mean, you know, Congressman, I mean, people have done the math, right? You end up paying even more over 50 years. Theres a lot existentially to talk about that.

But it's not just the president saying that that things are great, right? His top economic adviser, Kevin Hassett, who often has to go out and put the positive spin on it, was sent out to do so today with Carl Quintanilla. Here's what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEVIN HASSETT, WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL ECONOMIC COUNCIL DIRECTOR: The trajectory is really, really, really good if you look at it, and inflation is one of those things that has a lot of momentum if you look at the charts and the momentum right now is headed really towards the Fed's target.

CARL QUINTANILLA, CNBC HOST: Even though -- even though it's been increasing for five straight months, as of September?

HASSETT: Well, I guess if you look at it from January, there's ups and downs and seasonals. But yeah, it surprised -- it surprised on the downside.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: I don't know if you could see the look on Carl's face, but I think it captured that sort of like it was like the Labubu look. Things were not good.

Yeah. Go ahead, Congressman.

DENT: Well, look at -- just listen to Jay Powell at the Federal Reserve. He just cut interest rates not because he's not concerned about inflation. He is, but he's more concerned about the soft softening job market. And so, we got a rate cut but not for a very good reason.

So, look, we can -- we can talk about this all we want. But at the end of the day, inflation is still not where it needs to be. We're not reaching the Fed's targets. And it's -- it's a problem. They can't spin their way out of this.

As we just discussed, food prices, housing prices, car prices are all higher. I mean, they're just going up. And a lot of it has to do with the tariffs, which is a policy decision of this administration, you know, and gimmicks like sending $2,000 back to everybody, you know, from the tariffs is a, you know, is foolish. Might it just get rid of the tariffs. You know?

BURNETT: I mean, well, Jamal, that -- that's just going to be borrowed money.

DENT: So, these kinds of gimmicks.

SIMMONS: Yeah, it is going to be borrowed money. I don't think anybody expects that this is going to even happen because there's not enough money from the tariffs.

And also, isn't the presidents team arguing in front of the Supreme Court that they're not doing this for revenue? They're doing this for other reasons. Because if its for revenue, if it's a revenue question, then the House has to originate it, which means its illegal. And the president's going to have to give all the tariff money back to everybody that he took care of money from. It's going to be a huge logistical disaster.

BURNETT: Well, that's the dividend you're going to get, because Americans did pay for the tariffs. I mean, as we studies have shown, obviously, it's consumers who pay for them.

Adam, you're reporting, though, is that more than Trump even, it is J.D. Vance who has to worry right now. Why is that?

WREN: Yeah. Well, we saw him, Erin, last week after the shellacking that Republicans took in the off-year races.

[19:15:01]

We saw him say that they needed to return to focus on the home front. But really this was an off-year election that took place without Trump on the ballot. Republicans are looking at 2026 and 2028, where Trump again will not be on the ballot. And they're thinking, who can unite this coalition?

And J.D. Vance doesn't have the same ability so far to turn out the voters, the kinds of voters that Trump does when he's on the ballot. And so, certainly, I think there's going to be a significant problem here. You're already seeing fractures on the right between Tucker Carlson, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Laura Loomer and others. And so, you know, Trump is really a sui generis figure that can unite the coalition.

BURNETT: All right. Thank you all very much.

And next, we have some new details in tonight about Ghislaine Maxwell's treatment. Special treatment inside a minimum security prison ahead of maybe trying to get her sentence commuted by the president. Why her fellow inmates think that she will not be there long. We've got new details on what they're actually seeing.

And a shocking trend from Trump's picks to be federal judges. Not a single one able to answer a very simple question did Trump lose the 2020 election?

And that's not all. Wait until you see this exclusive analysis. And President Trump reacting tonight to a CNN investigation revealing satellite images show China is dramatically expanding its number of rocket production sites. The sites so expansive that they are replacing entire communities.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:20:51]

BURNETT: Tonight, new information from inside Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell's prison camp. Federal prison consultant Sam Mangel, you know him. He's been on the show several times. He has clients serving time alongside Maxwell, so he hears firsthand what's happening there.

He tells us that inmates are frustrated at the special treatment that they see her receiving customized meals, they say, access to exercise areas after hours and a puppy to play with. Whistle blowers have been saying this.

Now inmates, according to Mangel, have gone directly to the warden, and they're getting the sense that Maxwell won't be there long.

Sam Mangel is OUTFRONT now.

So, I mean, Sam, obviously, the significance of that statement, I mean, could be everything, right? Because with what she is convicted of, you know, she wouldn't be in this facility to begin with, right? She got moved there suddenly after a meeting with the deputy attorney general. So, to be moved out of there might imply a commutation, which we know she wants from the president.

Why do the inmates believe she won't be at the prison long?

SAM MANGEL, FEDERAL PRISON CONSULTANT: Prison's a lousy place to be for anyone. You lose all of your freedom, your rights, everything. You really become a number. But the general sense that I'm getting from my clients and their families that are there is that typically, they're treated with antipathy. That's how staff treats an inmate.

But Ms. Maxwell is being treated with a tremendous amount of deference, and that is extremely unusual, if unheard of, within the Bureau of Prisons between inmate and staff. And one comment that was passed to me by the sister of my client was the someone in the staff, made a passing comment of "Don't worry, you won't have to put up with this very long."

I don't know in what context it was said, but obviously what the, you know is being discussed in the media lends itself to a certain assumption.

BURNETT: Yeah, well, it certainly does. And obviously we know, you know, the reporting that she has been putting together a formal request for commutation. Now just to again, to point out, Maxwell was moved to this lower security prison without any explanation, right after meeting with Trump's DOJ, right?

So she gets moved and, you know, the treatment that she has received. It's so interesting. You say that usually inmates are treated with antipathy and that in her case, the word to be used is deference.

What more can you share about this deferential special treatment?

MANGEL: It could be something as small as when she first got there. While she's dressed the same way, gets the same food. However, it's being brought to her from the kitchen to, where she's living. And typically, inmates can't take food out of the kitchen. It's being brought to her.

She got a new mattress when she came in. And. And trust me, as someone who went through that, a new mattress is a prized possession. You know, in the (AUDIO GAP). She's given a lot of latitude for her outdoor rec time and her personal time. I know that she's not working at this point. She's not part of any

social groups. The women tend to stay away from her for a myriad of reasons.

Also, from what's being reported, for her to have access to a computer or the warden, again, is unheard of. Inmates and even attorneys during legal visits don't have access to the internet. They can bring computers in, but they're strictly to review files on a hard drive.

So, you know, let alone the comment that the warden brought in catered meal or food during a visit. You know, warden has a responsibility to oversee 650 inmates and staff and the facility. To pay that much attention to one inmate, highly unusual.

BURNETT: Highly unusual. We do have leaked emails now, as you know, Sam, that show Maxwell claiming, claiming that the warden is helping her with her commutation request of Trump.

[19:25:00]

"The Miami Herald" reports that she wrote to her attorney, quote, "We'll send you stuff through the warden. I'm struggling to keep it all together as it is big and there are so many attachments."

And then, according to NBC News, in an email shortly after she arrived at the prison, she described the warden as, quote, a true professional in the best representative of the BOP. I have met. Now the DOJ, which oversees the BOP, has not responded to our requests to any comment on the special treatment she's receiving, or, these claims about the warden.

But, Sam, can you just put some context on this? How unusual would it be for a warden who had never met her until -- right? No. No knowledge of this person whatsoever or of their behavior to be almost immediately, directly helping an inmate with a commutation request of the president of the United States.

MANGEL: One hundred percent unheard of. First, the email system, you can't send attachments. It's a closed loop email system that only permits a typed, document or typed email. No attachments or pictures.

I spoke to another client that recently got out of Brian and she said this warden, when she came in was phenomenal. She was one of the best wardens they had.

However, the warden was very professional, and you know, her interaction was one of, you're the inmate, I'm the warden. You have your responsibilities. I have mine. We draw a very clear line.

It is 100 percent, not just atypical for an inmate to have any interaction with staff, let alone a warden, not only because of the feelings that it creates amongst other inmates that they're, you know, they're the police. You stay away from them at all costs.

But to interact with the warden at that level and having a warden do that type of favor for you, 100 percent not just unusual, but unheard of.

BURNETT: Sam, thank you very much, as always, appreciate the perspective that you bring on this from all the people you're talking to there. Thank you.

MANGEL: Thank you, Erin.

BURNETT: And next, did Trump lose the 2020 election? Pretty basic question, but apparently not for Trump's picks to serve as federal judges in the United States. A new report tonight, great detail revealing the striking wording used on multiple occasions by judges who will serve a lifetime on the bench.

And a very special guest with us tonight, Arianna Huffington joining us live.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:32:15]

BURNETT: Tonight, an exclusive new report reveals that every single one of president Trump's judicial nominees in his second term would not answer directly when asked under oath a very simple question. Did President Trump lose the 2020 election?

Instead, all 27 of them would only say that Joe Biden was certified the winner, which obviously is a dodge. And in many cases, they used nearly identical language. As you can see from the example that you're seeing here, right? It was President Biden was certified, certified, was certified. President Biden was certified.

Now, all of those are mirror images of each other. They also avoided answering direct questions about January 6th. Despite that, of the 27, 19 of them received Senate confirmation to serve lifetime appointments on the federal bench.

OUTFRONT now is Josh Orton. He is the president of the progressive group Demand Justice, which published this report.

And, Josh, I think this is really fascinating. I mean, this is just a very basic thing about reality, right?

JOSH ORTON, PRESIDENT, DEMAND JUSTICE: Uh-huh.

BURNETT: So, you went through all 27 of them. We saw President Biden was certified when you went back and looked at what they said and where they said it, the context in which they said it. What does it say to you that they use this language?

ORTON: Well, thanks for having me. It's interesting because when we started noticing that every one of them was asking these questions about the 2020 election, it's not like we expected these judges to talk at length about how Joe Biden won the 2010 election, but what we found was much more disturbing.

The fact that not a single one would give a direct, factual answer to us says that these were essentially used as political loyalty questions for these judges in order to survive in Trump world, you cannot exist in the Trump orbit. You cannot have a job. You cannot be promoted to another job. If you do one, if you do one of two things, say, who won the 2020 election truthfully, or say what actually happened on January 6th.

There are the two, two of the most big lies in American political history, and Trump would pull their nominations if they -- if they answered honestly.

BURNETT: So, they answered honestly. He was certified, which he was, but they didn't answer honestly in terms of whether Joe Biden won the election. So, this is -- I mean, it's really, actually incredible when you think about it now that you say there are two things. One is the election itself, and the other is January 6th. What did you find when they were asked about January 6th and whether they denounced the insurrection itself?

ORTON: Yeah, this was equally disturbing because normally we all saw what happened on January 6th with our eyes. Right? We saw a violent attack on the Capitol. Every single one of these judges ducked the question. Most of them said, well, this is a matter of political controversy, and I can't weigh in.

Now, if you think of a historical analogy of another attack on the government, you think about Oklahoma City or something else. Can you imagine a judge 20 years ago coming before the judiciary committee and saying, well, I can't weigh in on this historical attack -- historic attack on the United States because it's a matter of political controversy.

[19:35:07]

These judges get lifetime appointments to the federal bench.

BURNETT: Yeah.

ORTON: We expect them to be loyal to the constitution. And these two questions show that instead, Trump demands that they are loyal to him. You saw in the in his first term, he sort of outsourced this stuff to Leonard Leo and the Federalist Society.

He realized earlier in this, in his term that the judges he appointed in the first term may not be loyal to him. They started ruling against him. And so now, he's paying much more attention. He's announcing every single one on Truth Social in his own voice. And he's basically forcing them to propagate his lies.

BURNETT: Which is really incredible. I mean, I was just thinking back, you know, over any lifetime, there are certain things that might be very meaningful to some people and not to others. But I think back where was I on the day of the Challenger, when the Iraq war started, 9/11, Jan 6. Those are all among the dates, right?

ORTON: Uh-huh. BURNETT: So, to think that that that there isn't a universally common acknowledgment of what happened on some of these things is pretty incredible. You point out that though, in order to get these nominations through, you're talking about 19 of 27 that are going to be there forever for the rest of their lives if they choose, 15 Democratic senators voted to confirm at least one of them.

ORTON: That's right.

BURNETT: Now, they did that knowing they're all smart people. They all know Joe Biden was certified is a way of saying, I'm not going to answer the question, because Trump would be mad at me if I told the truth. Or maybe I believe the lie, whichever it might be.

What does it say to you that these Democrats would do that?

ORTON: Well, it's especially bad because it's the Democrats who actually asked the question, right? And so, what it says to me is that they are helping Trump move the goalposts in what qualifies as a as a someone who can sit on a federal bench for a lifetime appointment.

Imagine the scenario if let's -- none of them were -- have been nominated to the eastern district of Virginia. But imagine that one of these judges who propagates the big lie about the 2020 election on January 6th, is overseeing a courtroom in which one of the Trump's crony U.S. attorneys is prosecuting one of his political enemies. Would you expect that judge to be neutral and to follow the law and uphold the Constitution? Of course not.

Yet these Democrats are chasing some phantom form of bipartisanship, and I think, frankly, historically, it's going to look really like a terrible move. There is no real ethical, political or historical reason to vote for these judges.

BURNETT: That's interesting. But you're right. They are looking for bipartisanship, right? So, you can push that through even though we can't do anything else, at least we could show we could put judges through or ambassadors or whatever it might be.

Josh, thank you so much. And important report and appreciate your coming and talk about it.

ORTON: Thanks, Erin.

BURNETT: And next, Arianna Huffington joins me here live.

And a superpower showdown. Weve got new and exclusive satellite images into CNN tonight. And they reveal the huge surge in Chinese missile production sites. And tonight, President Trump is responding.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:42:28]

BURENTT: Tonight, she's nicknamed the anti-Trump. We're talking about the former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who became an instant global phenomenon when she took office in 2017. That happened to be the same year that Donald Trump, for the first time, took the presidency, and they both took the world by storm in such very different ways.

Ardern was elected at only 37 years old. She was pregnant at the time. She then led her country through COVID as the youngest female leader on the planet. Now, Ardern is the focus of a new CNN film, "PRIME MINISTER".

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JACINDA ARDERN, FORMER NEW ZEALAND PRIME MINISTER: I think I have natural levels of anxiety for someone who's 37 years old and who's also pregnant.

Oh, well, this is normal.

We only have six cases at the moment.

This can only be described as a terrorist attack.

Crises make governments and they break governments.

It's hard to switch on the news some days and just think, the world is a dumpster fire. How do we shine a light on the humanity I know is still there?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: OUTFRONT now, Arianna Huffington, author, founder and CEO of Thrive Global. And of course, you may know her also as the co-founder of "The Huffington Post".

Now, Arianna, you know, that you and I have spoken a lot lately. And one thing that Jacinda just said there stood out to me. She said it's hard to switch on the news some days and just think, the world is a dumpster fire. How do we shine a light on the humanity -- which I think so many people can relate to.

And you right now at Thrive Global, all of your focus has been on enabling people to live better and more fulfilled lives.

But do you ever just want to throw your hands up in the air and say, this is a dumpster fire? What do I do?

ARIANNA HUFFINGTON, FOUNDER & CEO OF THRIVE GLOBAL: I don't, because I feel that in the middle of all the breakdowns and all the dumpster fires, I can see all the breakthroughs. I can see all the new things happening. I can see amazing things beginning to emerge.

I always take just great solace in unexpected things. Erika Kirk forgiving the murderer of her husband. James Talarico, a Democratic candidate for senate in Texas, talking about the need to come together and talking about his faith and loving our enemies.

And the shift that's happening, away from cancel culture towards forgiveness and redemption is not at all mainstream yet, but it's happening in many important areas.

[19:45:05]

And that's what I focus on.

BURNETT: So, you -- and I always find your positive. Sometimes I would call Arianna and I will say, because you will uplift me.

When you launched "The Huffington Post" in 2005, right -- I mean, you were then an entrepreneur, a disruptor, new thing, male dominated world. All of a sudden, it takes off. It does well.

And then people start scrutinizing you. So, among the things they called you, Arianna -- ruthless, unscrupulous and ambitious, as if that goes along with being unscrupulous. And perhaps in some people it does, but not in you.

I'm just thinking about those words in the context of Jacinda Ardern and what she went through as prime minister of New Zealand.

Have things changed enough yet for women that such descriptors would not be put on a woman doing what you have done?

HUFFINGTON: Well, there are many words like ambitious, driven that when applied to men, would be called bold and resilient. That happens.

But I also think what's happening, Erin, is that we tend to suffer from misplaced perfectionism. We tend to suffer from overjudging ourselves. I call this voice the obnoxious roommate living in my head that can judge me much more than anyone can judge me from the outside.

And so, I think we also have a lot of work to do when it comes to things that are in our control. The obnoxious roommate, the voice of rumination, and being able to be much more in the present and bringing more joy into everything we're doing.

BURNETT: Right. And women are -- women, of course. I think when you say we, I mean women, I think any woman watching this can recognize.

HUFFINGTON: Also, you have children. I have children and two grandchildren.

BURNETT: Yeah.

HUFFINGTON: And I say that they take the baby out and they put the guilt in. That's the other thing. You have three children. You have a six-year-old.

I'm sure there are days when you say, I should be now at home putting him to sleep. And so, we also go through a lot of those guilt cycles that drain an enormous amount of energy.

BURNETT: They do. And they're very negative. I remember actually. And I remember saying this to you recently, I don't know if you remember, but you and I, one time when I came down to meet you at thrive, when you were launching thrive, because I was so exhausted and I didn't know what to do, and I was looking, maybe I'm going to reach out to Arianna. I'm just going to get to know her, to ask her what to do.

And I was that desperate that I called you up out of the blue, and you gave me a little bed for my phone to sleep on at night.

HUFFINGTON: But phone sleeping with you.

BURNETT: My phone it. Yes, it does sleep with me. It does, in fact, in the night.

HUFFINGTON: A very important little micro step we can offer your viewers. Separate yourself from your phone at night. Because your phone is really the repository of every problem and every project, and you need to separate yourself from that to be able to really surrender to sleep and wake up ready to take on the world.

BURNETT: And you learned this the hard way. And there are so many people watching, I think recent poll, 62 percent of Americans feel stressed or nervous. They feel anxious. You know, Pete Hegseth recently talking about how it feels like 1939. People are afraid.

And I -- 2007, you collapsed from exhaustion.

HUFFINGTON: Yes.

BURNETT: That's why I reached out to you because you've been there. You woke up in a pool of blood, and you said to yourself your cheekbone was broken, right? You said, something's got to change here. Something's got to change.

So, what do you say to Americans who are feeling, whether physically or just, you know, palpably, this sense of anxiety and fear and that something really bad is going to happen?

HUFFINGTON: I say, let's look at the things we can control and the things we can control. Start with our own daily habits, like about sleep, about food, about movement, about stress management, and about connection to others. And then let's look at the things we can influence outside the things we care about, the things that involve helping others because, you know, service and caring for others is also incredible for our own well-being. You know, when we are all completely wrapped up in ourselves, that's draining as well.

BURNETT: And do you think then, that there will be more people like Jacinda Ardern? I mean, obviously in the U.S., this still has not happened. And, you know, you don't just vote for someone because of their gender, but is it is America ready?

HUFFINGTON: Oh, absolutely, America is ready. But also, I think what was interesting about her is stepping down.

BURNETT: Yes.

HUFFINGTON: I think that women are more likely to step down from big jobs. Look at Emma Walmsley, you know, who was the only woman of a leader of a major pharma company and stepped down as CEO.

[19:50:02]

And I think sometimes men feel confined by their jobs. They feel their entire identity is wrapped up in their jobs.

I was talking to a girlfriend of mine, married to a very successful man. She said to me, you know, he's beginning to be miserable in his job. It's affecting his health. He can't sleep.

I said, why doesn't he give it up? They have plenty of money. She said, I told him that. And he said, who would I be without my job?

So, I think women tend to have a more diversified identity portfolio.

BURNETT: Yeah.

HUFFINGTON: I mean, I've never felt fully identified by my job. I'm sure I know you and I have talked. You are not fully identified by your job, and that's incredibly liberating.

BURNETT: It is. It is. And you know what? And that is empowering. And I think something so many can hear as well.

Arianna, it is wonderful to see you, Arianna, of course, now with Thrive Global.

And don't miss the new CNN film, "PRIME MINISTER". It is on Sunday night at 9:00 here on CNN.

And next, President Trump, responding to CNNs exclusive investigation. We have new satellite images. We're going to show you that show how quickly China's arsenal sites are expanding right now, a buildup that military experts are telling us tonight is extraordinary.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:55:55]

BURNETT: Tonight, President Trump responding for the first time to an exclusive CNN investigation showing China's staggering expansion of its missile production sites. Trump warning China not to, quote, mess around.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: They have a lot of missiles, but we have a lot of missiles, too, and they don't want to mess around with this. I can tell you that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: All right. Well, those comments came after a CNN investigation which uncovered new details and never before seen satellite images. And what they show is an incredible and extraordinary buildup of China's arsenal sites.

Tamara Qiblawi is OUTFRONT. QIBLAWI (on camera): Now, as part of our investigation into missile

production sites, we also found that China accelerated its build up even further after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The military analysts we spoke to say that Beijing is watching these ongoing conflicts play out, and its taking notes in order to strengthen its posture, better prepare for a possible invasion of Taiwan and to fend off the U.S. military in case it comes to Taiwan's aid -- Erin.

BURNETT: All right. Tamara, thank you very much. Really, just extraordinary reporting there.

Thanks so much to all of you for joining us.

"AC360" starts now.