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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Israel And Hamas Agree To Extend Truce Two More Days; Speaker Johnson "Confident And Optimistic" On House Passing Ukraine And Israel Funding; Seven Weeks Until 2024 Iowa Caucuses. Aired 5:30-6a ET

Aired November 28, 2023 - 05:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL)

[05:31:29]

KASIE HUNT, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. Thanks for being up early with us. I'm Kasie Hunt. Just after 5:30 here on the East Coast; 2:30 out west.

Today, more hostages are scheduled to be released after Hamas and Israel struck a deal to extend their four-day pause in fighting by an additional two days.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK REGEV, SENIOR ADVISER TO ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU: For every 10 hostages released, we are willing to give an extension of another day -- and if Hamas will release Israeli hostages as agreed, we will extend. That's the bottom line.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: So, yesterday, on what was originally going to be the last day of the truce, Hamas freed 11 hostages, all Israeli dual citizens -- none of them American. Israel released 33 Palestinian prisoners and detainees, mostly teenage boys. Over the four-day truce, Hamas released 69 hostages in total for exchange for 150 Palestinians who were freed by Israel.

Let's bring in Shawn Turner, the former director of communications for U.S. national intelligence. Shawn, good morning. It's always good to see you.

What do these extra two days mean for Hamas, in particular?

SHAWN TURNER, FORMER DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS FOR U.S. NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE (via Webex by Cisco): Yeah -- you know, good morning, Kasie. It's good to be here.

First of all, it's important to say that the release of these 69 hostages so far is some of the best, most positive news we've seen since the start of this conflict. But I'm looking at this through a military and intelligence lens and thinking about, as you asked, what this means for Hamas. What I'm confident of is that Hamas is not taking time to enjoy the relative calm of this pause. We -- these terrorists understand. They know that Israel is bent on

taking them off the battlefield. So right now, they are contemplating, they're plotting, they're planning -- they're thinking about their next move. They understand what this means for them and they -- that next move could mean anything from thinking about how they evade capture and death and live to fight another day to resupplying and recharging and getting ready to take the fight back to Israel.

So, for them, it means more time to figure out what their next move is. But at the -- on the other hand, it is very positive that we're seeing the release of some of these hostages.

HUNT: No, absolutely, and it does make sense.

One thing I'm particularly curious about -- only one American has been released so far -- the 4-year-old Abigail Edan. There are a pair of -- there's a pair of American women that they expected to have been part of the release yesterday. They were not.

So far, the administration seems to be holding back and saying, at least publicly, that they're upset about it. They say that so far, they don't -- they don't believe -- they have no reason to believe that Hamas is doing this intentionally.

What's your sense of what's going on there, and what is kind of the calculation for Hamas in terms of releasing Americans that it may be holding? Is it in their interest to give them up? Is it interest -- in their interest to hang on to them, and why?

TURNER: Yeah. You know, Kasie, I think there's -- it's no coincidence that as we're seeing hostages released that Tony Blinken, the Secretary of State, is heading to Israel. I understand that publicly, the United States -- officials are saying that they don't believe there's anything to the fact that we haven't seen any Americans released.

But we know that the entire world recognizes that the United States is Israel's closest and most important ally. And as long as there are American hostages being held, the leverage that Hamas has is not just leverage with Israel and leverage with international powers, but it's leverage with the United States. I think it would be foolish for us not to think that's a factor.

[05:35:06]

And I think that part of Tony Blinken's trip is to go out there and not only send a clear message that the United States wants to see this pause continue to that we can get -- we get more hostages released. But there will certainly be discussions about the plight of American hostages and what might be able to be done to see Americans released.

HUNT: Yeah.

What aspects of Blinken's trip do you think might be related to the potential resumption of fighting in the wake of this truce? TURNER: Yeah. You know, I think that while certainly, American hostages are important, the bulk of the sort of purpose of this trip is really going to be related to what happens next.

The fact that we've seen a willingness to release more hostages for a continued pause is a very positive development. For the United States, it's two things. One is how do we continue that pause?

But the other part of it is that the United States needs to continue to put pressure on Israel to come up with a plan for what's next. And obviously, from a United States -- from a U.S. perspective, that is a two-state solution. But those discussions -- it's time for those discussions to really begin in earnest and for Israel to -- even as they continue to talk about eliminating Hamas, to talk about what Gaza looks like once this war is wrapped up.

HUNT: All right, Shawn Turner. Thank you very much for being with us this morning. I always appreciate your insight, sir.

TURNER: Thanks, Kasie.

HUNT: All right. Despite doubt expressed by other Republicans, Speaker Mike Johnson is feeling, quote, "confident" in the House's ability to push through supplemental funding for Ukraine and Israel.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MIKE JOHNSON, (R-LA), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: We have a sense of urgency about this and there are deadlines on it as well. So I'm confident and optimistic that we'll be able to get that done.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: He might be the only one.

At a press conference yesterday, Johnson named both Israel and Ukraine aid as top priorities, but he didn't commit to tying the two of them together. Johnson did demand that any Ukraine aid must include changes to U.S. border policy. Of course, many Democrats are very opposed to that.

Let's bring in Kadia Goba, political reporter for Semafor. Kadia, thank you so much for being here this morning.

How complicated is Johnson's path forward? I'm a little, honestly, surprised that he could just sort of say with a straight face I'm very confident we'll get that done -- because sitting here, I just don't see it. What's your reporting?

KADIA GOBA, POLITICAL REPORTER, SEMAFOR: Yeah, it's a tall order at this point. Right now, the package -- the funding is in the Senate, and when I talk to Republicans in the Senate they say that the president's plan is dead on arrival as it stands in its current form. So what that means to me is that there needs to be some kind of bipartisan negotiation to basically come up with some kind of agreement. There's been a lot of -- everyone knows that border control or border security is the item that Republicans want put forward on this, so we'll have to see whether or not that either comes into fruition.

HUNT: So the sticking point here, of course, and as they -- right now, you're right to point out this is all tied together. It's in the Senate. There have been negotiations going on back and forth between Republicans and a key group of Democrats and one Independent, Kyrsten Sinema, to try and figure out how to make some changes to border policy that Republicans have been demanding. That is the real sticking point.

Mitch McConnell talked about this on the Senate floor yesterday. Let's listen to what he had to say and then we'll talk about what it means -- watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): The biggest hold-up to national security -- to the national security supplement is an insistence by some Republicans -- just some -- on partisan border policy as a condition for Ukraine aid.

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY): Apparently, our colleagues are considering putting support for Israel on the chopping block unless we promise not to fix the border crisis they helped create.

So, Madam President, this sort of cynical, short-sided politics has denied the American people real border security too many times.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: And, of course, that was Chuck Schumer, the Democratic leader, we heard there before we heard from Mitch McConnell.

What exactly do Democrats -- or do Republicans want to see in terms of border policy changes, and how much do you think Democrats are willing to give? I mean, this does seem to be more about Ukraine than Israel although, obviously, McConnell is trying to say oh, they're holding up Israel for this. That's not fully my understanding. What's yours?

GOBA: Yeah, you're right. When I talk to Republicans, they say that finishing the border wall is one of their priorities, but they also want to address the credible threat issue. They want to raise asylum or the threshold where immigrants can come across to the country.

Democrats just don't want to put that measure or those restrictions in aid because they feel like it'll drop out. Specifically, Ukraine funding won't be supported by the masses and be able to pass.

[05:40:03]

HUNT: Yeah, all right.

Let's talk briefly about embattled Congressman George Santos. He wrote in a post on the platform formerly known as Twitter yesterday he will not resign. And, in fact, he will stand for an expulsion vote. The House Speaker hasn't said yet how he's going to vote but he has basically said to his members hey, vote your conscience. So they're not -- it doesn't seem like they're whipping to protect him necessarily.

How do you think this plays out?

GODA: Well, what we know now is two Democrats are going to put a resolution on the floor to expel George Santos. This is -- this will be the third resolution that comes to the House floor. And that's Dan Golden and Garcia from California. It is not clear whether they have the votes at this point, however.

There was also this renewed push from Clay Higgins yesterday. He sent out a Dear Colleague letter that asked his Republican colleagues to reconsider voting Santos out because he wasn't comfortable with the ethics procedure.

So, again, we're not sure if this is going to move forward or -- it's definitely coming to the floor, probably Thursday. Not sure if two- thirds of Congress or the House will vote to oust George Santos.

HUNT: Well, pins and -- pins and needles for him. It's been a -- it's been an interesting career in the U.S. Congress for him so far.

Semafor's Kadia Gobia (sic), thank you very much -- Kadia Goba, excuse me -- for being with us this morning. I appreciate it.

All right. Up next, hunting for votes in the Hawkeye State. Can next week's debate give the Republican field a chance to put a dent in Donald Trump's lead?

Plus, former President Jimmy Carter expected to attend a memorial service today for his late wife Rosalynn. Ahead, who else will be attending.

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[05:46:02]

HUNT: It's officially no longer too early. The final countdown has begun. We are now seven weeks from the Iowa caucuses where Donald Trump is currently cruising. Rivals Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis are battling it out for a pretty distant second at this point as they sprint toward the finish line.

Candidates and super PACs are continuing to dump money into the Hawkeye State. The super PACs for the top three candidates -- Trump, Haley, and DeSantis -- spending more than $40 million combined.

This contest, of course, is going to be the first real-world test of whether any of these Republicans can put a dent in Donald Trump's, frankly, easy march to the nomination.

Let's bring in CNN political analyst and Washington bureau chief for The Boston Globe, Jackie Kucinich. Jackie, good morning. It's always wonderful to see you.

JACKIE KUCINICH, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST, WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF, THE BOSTON GLOBE (via Webex by Cisco): Good morning.

HUNT: So, Iowa is -- you know, Donald Trump learned this the hard way back in 2016 when he narrowly lost to Ted Cruz. There is this sort of evangelical faction in Iowa and there is an organizing principle around these caucuses that make them a little bit unpredictable.

And Ron DeSantis has gotten an endorsement from the Iowa governor, Kim Reynolds -- a very rare thing for a governor to endorse. He also has the endorsement from Bob Vander Plaats. He is an influential evangelical leader who has basically stood with the winner every time in recent -- in recent contests.

What do you see playing out here? How does DeSantis' standing at the moment -- what does it say about him? It seems like it's do or die for him. What does -- what does doing it well mean? Does it mean coming in second?

KUCINICH: So I think at this point if anyone can show that they can defeat Trump on any plane, but particularly in Iowa because it is the first one, that could potentially change the pace of this race. Because right now, you're seeing, really, a race for second place throughout the debates, throughout the polling, and that's between Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley.

And you're right. DeSantis has really put a lot of time and resources in Iowa and he's polling behind now in a lot of polls in New Hampshire -- behind Nikki Haley. So he does need this momentum boost and that could come from Iowa.

Now, if Trump trounces both of them in Iowa, I think we're in for an early night, Kasie, and an early month.

HUNT: Potentially, yeah.

I mean, I guess the way I see this -- I mean, we can put this up on the screen, too -- the current standings in Iowa, or at least the most recent credible standings from the Des Moines Register polls, which has Trump out --

KUCINICH: Yeah.

HUNT: -- at 43 percent. Now, that's below 50. In a lot of these national polls he's up above --

KUCINICH: Yes.

HUNT: -- 50.

Haley was coming from behind. DeSantis had been a strong second previously, compared to Haley. She's experiencing this surge. She's up at 16 percent now.

I mean, I guess I think -- the thing that I'm most interested in seeing -- if Ron DeSantis falls behind Haley in Iowa and the air goes --

KUCINICH: Yeah.

HUNT: -- out of that balloon, and then Haley is -- I mean, polls in New Hampshire show Haley is an even stronger second position to Trump -- what kind of opportunity does that create for her?

KUCINICH: I mean, truly -- I mean, she -- I mean, let's be honest. One of these candidates could be -- could -- would use a win in Iowa. But if Haley has a strong showing in Iowa -- I mean, I'm just putting it out there. But if Haley has a strong showing in Iowa going into friendlier terrain that is New Hampshire and South Carolina, which is her home state, that could potentially boost her candidacy.

That said, getting from second to first place in this contest has been quite the task just because the former president does have such a commanding lead. But as you rightly point out, Iowa caucuses are very unpredictable because being someone's second choice could actually matter there if the first-place person doesn't get enough votes in your caucus and people start negotiating. It can be a late night.

So, again, this could have a huge potential for either one of those candidates but they've got to get closer than the 20-odd-point deficit that we're currently at in most polling.

[05:50:07]

HUNT: Yeah. Well, and this is, of course, predicated on the idea that Iowa can actually accurately count its votes quickly enough to have the results be accurate and out in time to matter.

KUCINICH: Yeah, there is that.

HUNT: Because they haven't really done that --

KUCINICH: There is that.

HUNT: -- in the last handful of cycles.

Jackie, briefly, there is another debate coming up. Nikki Haley --

KUCINICH: Yeah.

HUNT: -- said yesterday -- well, just take a look at what she had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NIKKI HALEY, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We've got another debate next week. You're going to see, my guess, three candidates on the stage. So the stage is getting smaller. When the stage gets smaller our chances get bigger.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: Is she right? KUCINICH: She's really excelled at these debates. I mean, that has been a real boost to her candidacy. There's a lot more people to see her.

But one person is still not on that stage and that would be the Republican frontrunner. At least at this point, he's not -- former President Trump is not expected to be there. And without him there it is -- you don't see how the match-up would work. And that, in and of itself, I think is limiting for her.

That said, fewer people on that stage, if you are Nikki Haley, is a good thing because it's really been a forum where she's been able to really show what she can do.

HUNT: It's really been the thing that has changed her trajectory over the course of the --

KUCINICH: True (PH).

HUNT: -- recent weeks and months.

All right, CNN political analyst Jackie Kucinich. Very grateful to have you early in the morning. Thank you for being here.

KUCINICH: Thanks, Kasie.

HUNT: All right. Former President Jimmy Carter traveling to Atlanta today to attend a memorial service for his late wife, the former first lady Rosalynn Carter. Also in attendance will be five women who followed in her footsteps -- first lady Jill Biden, and former first ladies Laura Bush, Hillary Clinton, Michelle Obama, and Melania Trump.

Today's service is part of a series of events honoring Mrs. Cater this week. A private funeral will be held in Plains, Georgia tomorrow.

Mrs. Carter died peacefully on November 19 at the age of 96. She and former President Carter were married for 77 years.

And do be sure to join CNN's Jake Tapper for special live coverage of "THE MEMORIAL SERVICE OF FIRST LADY ROSALYNN CARTER." It starts today, 12:00 p.m. ET on CNN.

Don't go anywhere. We'll be right back.

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[05:56:51]

HUNT: Welcome back.

Some remarkable and remarkably good news coming out of Northern India right now. Crews there apparently rescuing 41 workers who were trapped for more than two weeks after a tunnel partially collapsed. This is a live picture just outside the tunnel. Medics have now gone inside ahead of bringing the workers out. The men were trapped after the tunnel they were working on gave way,

blocking their only exit with more than 200 feet of broken rock, concrete, and twisted metal.

I'm glad there's some good news there.

All right, sports now.

LeBron James has now played more minutes than any other player in NBA history, but that was really the only positive of the night for the Lakers.

Andy Scholes has this morning's Bleacher Report. Andy, good morning.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Yeah, good morning, Kasie.

You know, so counting the regular season and playoffs, LeBron has now played 66,319 minutes. He's now the first of all time, passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. But tough to celebrate that feat last night as the Sixers blowing out LeBron's Lakers.

So Philly outscoring L.A. by 26 in the fourth quarter to win this game 138-94. The 44-point loss, the worst of LeBron's entire career.

And another wild stat in this one. LeBron also failed to grab a rebound for the first time in 1,098 games. As you can imagine, he was not in the best of moods after the loss.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEBRON JAMES, L.A. LAKERS FORWARD: What needs to change in order for that not to happen again?

REPORTER: Um-hum.

JAMES: Um, a lot.

REPORTER: Is there anything in particular?

JAMES: A lot.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: All right. After a great week of Thanksgiving football, the Bears and Vikings delivering a dud last night to close out week 12. This game was 6-3 entering the fourth quarter. Vikings quarterback Josh Dobbs threw four interceptions, but Justin Fields wasn't much better. He lost two fumbles in the fourth quarter. But Fields was able to manufacture a big drive at the end. D.J. Moore, 11 catches for 114 yards in this one.

Chicago kicks the go-ahead field goal with 10 seconds left. They win 12-10, becoming the first team to win this season without scoring a touchdown.

All right. The Panthers, meanwhile, firing head coach Frank Reich yesterday less than one season into the job. So this is the second straight season now that Reich has been fired mid-season. Last season he was let go in Indy.

Panthers owner David Tepper has now had six different head or interim coaches since buying the team back in 2018. Carolina's got the worst record in the league at 1-10 and they don't have their first-round picks as they traded it away in order to move up to draft quarterback Bryce Young.

All right. And finally, the college football playoff rankings are going to be out tonight. It's the last ones before championship weekend. All 41 bowl match-ups will be announced on Sunday, including the inaugural Pop-Tarts Bowl, which announced that for the first time ever, the winning team will get to eat the mascot, Kasie. So I guess they're going to have a giant Pop-Tart and I guess there's going to be a person in it. And apparently, the winning players get to take a bite.

HUNT: OK, sure. Whatever works.

[06:00:00]

SCHOLES: Maybe they'll have a giant toaster they can jump in right beforehand.

HUNT: Yeah, exactly. I don't know -- did you -- I'm like -- this is -- as a child of the 80s, I feel like Pop-Tarts were a big part of my childhood. Did you toast yours or did you not toast yours?

SCHOLES: Oh, I was always a toast -- always toasted. I was never a right-out-of-the-box kind of guy.

HUNT: All I know is I refused to eat the ones with the fruit inside. All chocolate all the way.

SCHOLES: All chocolate? All right.

HUNT: I thought that would help me for breakfast. But hey, you know, that's what we did.

SCHOLES: All right.

HUNT: Andy Scholes, thank you very much --

SCHOLES: All right.

HUNT: -- for that. I'll see you soon.

And thanks to all of you for joining us. I'm Kasie Hunt. Don't go anywhere. "CNN THIS MORNING" starts right now.