Return to Transcripts main page
First Move with Julia Chatterley
Trump Picks Doug Burgum for Interior Secretary; Trump Picks Todd Blanche to be Deputy Attorney General; U.S. House Speaker: Gaetz Report Should Not Be Released; FBI Skips Background Checks on Cabinet Picks; Biden Attends His Last APEC Summit; Biden to Meet with President Xi; Hezbollah Considers U.S.-Israeli Ceasefire Proposal; U.S. Pilots Defends Against Iranian Drone Attacks; New Delhi's New Measures on Air Pollution; Trump Admin to Scrap EV Tax Credit; Inside El Salvador's Massive Gang Prison; Trump Picks Karoline Leavitt for WH Press Secretary; Mike Tyson Fights Jake Paul; Some Americans Seek to Leave U.S. After Trump Win. Aired 6-7p ET
Aired November 15, 2024 - 18:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[18:00:00]
JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: -- going to interview House Speaker Mike Johnson, Democratic Senator-elect Ruben Gallego of Arizona, Democratic Senator John
Fetterman of Pennsylvania. That's Sunday morning at 9:00 Eastern and again at noon, only here on CNN. The news continues on CNN with Wolf Blitzer,
right next door in a place I like to call The Situation Room.
I will see you Sunday morning. Go and bid on the Homes For Our Troops items on eBay. Thanks. I'll see you then.
LYNDA KINKADE, CNN ANCHOR: -- in Beijing 10:00 a.m. in Melbourne and 6:00 p.m. here in Atlanta. I'm Lynda Kinkade in for Julia Chatterley. And
wherever you are in the world, this is your "First Move."
A very warm welcome to "First Move." Here is today's need to know the U.S. health speaker says the Ethics Committee should not release its report into
Matt Gaetz, Trump's pick for attorney general. President Biden meets with the leaders of South Korea and Japan ahead of his final meeting with
China's President Xi Jinping at the APEC Summit in Peru. Controversial contest. 58-year-old former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson fights 27-year-
old YouTuber Jake Paul on Netflix. And escape the country. The U.S. has seen a spike in people looking to leave. So, what is driving the surge in
interest? We'll speak to a company that helps Americans move abroad. That conversation, coming up.
But first, President-Elect Donald Trump continues to build his incoming administration with polarizing figures. He picked North Dakota Governor
Doug Burgum to run the Interior Department. Burgum challenged Trump for the Republican nomination, but avoided criticizing him on the trail.
Trump also selected his defense lawyer, Todd Blanche, to be the deputy attorney general. Blanche was Trump's lead attorney in the New York hush
money case.
Well, meanwhile, House Speaker Mike Johnson says he will ask the Ethics Committee not to release a report on former Congressman Matt Gaetz. The
Senate Judiciary Committee asked for the report after Trump chose him for attorney general.
CNN has learned the Trump transition team is bypassing traditional FBI background checks for at least some of his cabinet picks. And they're using
a private company instead. Well, I want to welcome Senior Political Analyst Ron Brownstein, who joins us now live from L.A.
RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Hey, Lynda.
KINKADE: Hey, Ron. So, let's start with the overall picks from Donald Trump for his cabinet. What are your initial thoughts? Because I'm
wondering, like, how many of these are a case of loyalty over experience?
BROWNSTEIN: Yes. Well, I think loyalty is the through line through all of it. I mean, you really have two buckets. You have the kind of conservative
picks that might have been selected by any newly elected Republican president. Marco Rubio is secretary of state. Susie Wiles is chief of
staff. Lee Zeldin at the EPA. Even Doug Burgum, I think, is a fairly conventional Republican pick at interior, someone who will, you know,
prioritize energy development.
But then you have the whole other category, the kind of shock and awe candidates who -- nominees whose qualifications and character and fitness
for the job are just so far out of historical bounds. The defense secretary nominee, Hegseth, Matt Gates at the -- as the attorney general, Robert F.
Kennedy Jr. at HHS, Tulsi Gabbard as the chief intelligence officer, someone who is so closely connected in positive comments to the Russian --
to Putin and the Russian government.
I mean, these nominations seem to me designed precisely to evoke the reaction that they have to be as outrageous as they seem. And I think Trump
-- you know, Trump, if nothing else, is a great student of human weakness. And I think he is very clearly testing in these initial nominations, how
far he can push Republican senators into doing things they could not have imagined, you know, on the day before, voting for Matt Gaetz as attorney
general, because each surrender, as I've written, paves the way to the next.
And if he can push them on this, he can push them on their appointments, he can push them on policy, he can push them on the kind of violations of
norms that you mentioned in your intro about dispensing with FBI background checks.
KINKADE: Yes, exactly. And you mentioned Matt Gaetz, of course, a man who is accused of sex trafficking and sex with a minor. We were meant to get a
report into that investigation.
BROWNSTEIN: Yes.
KINKADE: Do you think we'll ever get that report?
BROWNSTEIN: I -- you know, I think the House Republicans are going to do everything they can to suppress it. It will be interesting to see whether
it ends up somehow leaked to the press or whether, you know, the Republicans already on the Senate Judiciary Committee have said they want -
- some Republicans who said they want to see it.
I mean, the Mike Johnson comments are really pretty much tell you everything you need to know about how the House is going to be oriented
toward this Trump presidency.
[18:05:00]
You know, one thing you don't see in these appointments, Lynda, is any -- Trump having -- betraying any need to conciliate other power centers in the
Republican Party. It was very different when he made his first round of appointments in 2017 and Rex Tillerson was there for the corporate sector
and Jeff Sessions was there for the Senate. Trump doesn't feel like he needs to concede anything to anybody inside the Republican Party, and I
think Mike Johnson is sending him a very clear signal that they are going to be with him step for step.
The only issue is whether there is any kind of line that the Republican Senate with a small majority will not cross. And as I say, how they respond
to these nominees, which seem really like a rock through the window deliberately to provoke them will be, I think, very revealing of where we
are headed. Republican senators a week ago could not have imagined being asked to vote on Tulsi Gabbard or Matt Gaetz or Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for
the positions that they will now be required to vote on.
KINKADE: Yes, exactly. And in terms of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the man who has, of course, been tapped to head up the Health Department, I just want
to play some sound about what he has had to say on various health issues over the years.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR., (I) FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I do believe that autism does come from vaccines.
COVID-19 is targeted to attack Caucasians and black people. The people who are most immune are Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese.
COVID was clearly a bioweapons problem. Wi-Fi radiation is -- does all kinds of bad things, including causing cancer.
Some of these mass shootings that we're seeing in this country may be related to these new classes of drugs, of SSRIs and Benzos.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: So, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been spouting misinformation for years on major health issues. What are the implications if he gets the top
job?
BROWNSTEIN: Here's one of them. I mean, first of all, there really are not two sides to the things that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are saying. They are
adult conspiracy theory, you know, kind of nonsense with a dangerous edge.
The Federal -- CDC, the Center for Disease Control, which would be one of the agencies that he would have authority over, if he did become HHS
secretary, reported last year that compliance with school vaccine mandates, which are set by the states but with guidance by the CDC, compliance with
them is dropping near the level at which they don't work anymore, at which too many kids are not vaccinated to provide the herd immunity.
So, with Donald Trump giving RFK Jr. this kind of platform, or even if he gets denied the HHS secretary, certainly he'll end up in the White House as
some kind of healthcare czar, you run the enormous risk that even more parents who are both -- really, at both ends of the spectrum, primarily on
the right, we'll say no to vaccines and thus, endanger outbreaks of things like measles for the vast majority of parents who do want to protect their
children, you know.
So, we come back very quickly. I mean, Donald Trump won this election because voters were dissatisfied with the cost of living and secondarily,
with the border. They largely put aside their concerns, which still existed, about all the other things that came with electing him. And what
he has done over a very short period of time is make very clear to everyone, from his immigration appointments to these kinds of appoint --
nominees that we're talking about that, you know, you don't get to order off just one side of the menu, you get the whole package. And voters are
now we're going to have to see how they react if, in fact, you have someone like RFK Jr. undermining the effectiveness of school vaccines and
threatening outbreaks of childhood diseases that we thought we had vanquished.
KINKADE: And, Ron, one thing we're hearing from both sides of the aisle is the concern that Trump is reportedly trying to bypass confirmation hearings
and FBI background checks. Can you do that for all of them?
BROWNSTEIN: Well, not for all of them, but we're -- you know, he only has to do them for the ones that are, you know, the most controversial. And
this, again, is one of those critical questions we are going to see.
Trump is someone who has made very clear that he intends to destroy a lot - - barrel through a lot of the norms and constraints that have governed, that have limited the arbitrary exercise of executive power, whether it's
conflict of interest laws, and the way that -- you know, people like Elon Musk, who have vast interest in -- with contracts with the federal
government are now going to have influence over those agencies, whether it's background checks, and he's asking the Senate to abandon its historic
-- you know, it's constitutional role to advise and consent on nominees and to allow him to make recess appointments en masse, which is a kind of a
technique that you can use to avoid the confirmation process.
[18:10:00]
It is, again, another test, and it is a test whose implications go far beyond, I think, the appointment process because Trump is taking the
measure of Republicans in the Senate and what kind of lines, if at all, they will draw. And the answer will, I think, inform not only his future
personnel choices, but things like whether he tries to deport the U.S. citizen kids of undocumented parents or purge the Secret Service or openly
weaponize the Justice Department.
There's a lot at stake and there's a big signal that the Senate will be sending on whether it goes along with Trump's demands to allow him to make
recess appointments to the most controversial nominees who could not be confirmed through the normal channels.
KINKADE: Ron Brownstein, always good to have you on the show. Thanks so much for your time and have a good weekend.
BROWNSTEIN: Thank you, Lynda.
KINKADE: While Donald Trump prepares for power, Biden is attending his latest -- his last ever APEC Summit as president. Joe Biden is sitting down
with the leaders of Japan and South Korea. The president has worked hard to build an alliance between the two countries. Biden is urging them to keep
up the relationship even after he leaves office. Next up for Biden is a meeting with the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, before he heads to Brazil
for the G20 Summit.
Well, Kayla Tausche joins me now from Lima, Peru. Good to see you again, Kayla. So, what is Biden's message in APEC, especially as he prepares to
leave the White House and is it completely at odds with the incoming president?
KAYLA TAUSCHE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, there is no question that the status quo is going to be challenged by the incoming
administration. And there are few assurances that Biden can provide, if any, to the world leaders that he is meeting with. But he is seeking to
take stock and reflect with these leaders about the work that his administration has done up until this point. And that conversation will
continue with China's President Xi Jinping tomorrow.
The third and final time these leaders will meet representing the most consequential bilateral relationship in the world, and it comes at a
precarious moment geopolitically around the world. You have China forging closer ties with Russia's Vladimir Putin. You have the country's intentions
with Taiwan unclear. You have the U.S. having poured tens of billions of dollars to both safeguard its own economy against China's influence, as
well as pouring money into economies around the world to do the same.
And while there are a few assurances that Biden can give President Xi about what the U.S.-China relationship looks like after January, there are going
to be opportunities to talk about the stability and the progress that has been made in recent years, and to focus on those areas where continuity is
possible, like military level communication, efforts to curb the trafficking of illicit drugs, and regulate artificial intelligence.
Those are areas where there is some agreement between the two countries, though it is very clear that the world will change dramatically as it --
where it comes to the U.S. and its relationships with allies and adversaries alike. And Trump has wasted no time assembling a team of China
hawks who are expected to take a very hard line when it comes to Beijing, starting with issuing very steep tariffs that the president has --
president-elect has telegraphed quite clearly on the campaign trail. Lynda.
KINKADE: Yes, exactly. 60 to 100 percent tariffs on Chinese imports. We'll see if that does indeed happen. Kayla Tausche in Lima, Peru, thanks so
much.
Well, I want to go to the Middle East now, where a U.N. committee says Israel's war in Gaza is, quote, "consistent with the characteristics of
genocide." The U.N. Special Committee accusing Israel of intentionally causing death and starvation, as well as inflicting collective punishment
on the Palestinian people.
The report also criticizes Israel's use of A.I. assisted targeting and heavy bombs. CNN has reached out to the Israeli government for a response.
Well, sources are optimistic Israel's war with Hezbollah could end, telling CNN that Hezbollah is considering a ceasefire proposal from the U.S. and
Israel. However, Israel continues to strike Lebanon. Israel attacking Southern Beirut for a fourth straight day. The IDF says it's targeting
Hezbollah infrastructure. Lebanese authorities say Israeli strikes have killed at least 43 people across the country Thursday.
We are learning more about how U.S. military pilots successfully fought off a swarm of Iranian drones. Now, last spring Iran retaliated against Israel
for attacking its diplomatic complex in Syria's capital, firing more than 300 drones and missiles. It was the first time the U.S. Air Force went up
against a large prolonged drone attack. Well, now, we're hearing from the pilots and Natasha Bertrand has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY AND POLITICS CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): As missiles and drones exploded overhead, U.S. troops scrambled to get fighter jets in the air.
[18:15:00]
MAJ. BENJAMIN "IRISH" COFFEY, UNITED STATES AIR FORCE: The scale that we expected for the most dangerous was vastly under, probably four or five
times under what actually occurred on April 13th.
BERTRAND (voice-over): Iran had fired over 300 missiles and attack drones at Israel, an unprecedented strike. In their first interview since that
night, F-15 pilots and crew call signs Irish, Sonic, Rifle and Voodoo describe trying to hit dozens of missiles and slow-moving drones while
flying over a thousand miles per hour.
CAPT. LACIE "SONIC" HESTER, U.S. AIR FORCE: It just took a few seconds that, all of a sudden, the next sweep of our radar, we just see all of
these dots. And I think that first picture was a little overwhelming, I think, for me in the backseat, just seeing how many are airborne and how
many are tracking in our direction.
BERTRAND (voice-over): For the F-15 squadrons shown here at their home base in Lakenheath, England, this was the first real test against a large-
scale drone attack.
BERTRAND: Can you talk a bit about how difficult that was to take down these very small, slow-moving drones?
COFFEY: You're talking about something that's on the very edge of a fighter aircraft's ability to detect. It's what we call find, fix, track,
target, and engage. We weren't sure if our radar, the best radar in the inventory, is in this airplane behind us. No one really knew whether or not
its capability to find these things even existed.
BERTRAND (voice-over): Several of the F-15's air-to-air missiles failed to launch, leaving live munitions hanging on the wing.
BERTRAND: I mean, was there anything that really surprised you about that night? Anything that went wrong?
MAJ. CLAYTON "RIFLE" WICKS, U.S. AIR FORCE: I mean, a lot of stuff went wrong. We had lots of jets that were coming back with hung ordnance.
BERTRAND: Yes. And that's treated as an emergency, isn't it?
WICKS: Yes, it is. So, they are by default an emergency aircraft.
BERTRAND (voice-over): Rifle was managing operations at an undisclosed base in the Middle East, where missiles and drones were exploding overhead.
The chaos is shown here for the first time. Pilots called in asking what to do as debris fell on runways.
WICKS: Really all we could tell them was like, hey, stay airborne as long as you can with the gas that you have. Don't divert because even our, you
know, divert airfields, we don't know what's going on there either. So, stuff's blowing up over our heads. Very likely stuff's blowing up there
too.
BERTRAND (voice-over): Many troops refused to head to bunkers.
LT. COL. CURTIS "VOODOO" CULVER, U.S. AIR FORCE: There was an airman at one point standing next to a fuel truck with tons and tons of jet fuel in
it, just pumping gas into the jet with stuff exploding over the base. I mean, the courage of that person, to stand up and do that for an ally is
incredible.
BERTRAND (voice-over): Almost every single plane that landed had to be reloaded.
BERTRAND: So, had you ever seen that situation before where these jets are using all of their munitions and then they have to come back and get, you
know, all of those replaced at once?
WICKS: We trained to it. I'd never actually seen it.
BERTRAND (voice-over): Ultimately, U.S. and allied forces shot down nearly every projectile Iran launched at Israel. Sonic, Irish, Voodoo, and Rifle
all received awards this week for valor in combat.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Out thanks to Natasha Bertrand there with that exclusive report. Well, India is rolling out new measures to combat toxic air pollution. New
Delhi is banning non-essential construction work and will ramp up road sweeping. The move comes as the capital's air quality plummets to severe
levels, blanketing the city in toxic smog. CNN's Kristie Lu Stout reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A canopy of toxic smog hangs over the skies of Northern India, blotting out the country's color,
choking its people. Across Delhi, people go to hospital with serious respiratory problems.
DR. GAURAV JAIN, PULMONOLOGIST: Within last 15 days, there has been at least 25 percent rise of patients.
STOUT (voice-over): Many, like 65-year-old Aditya Kumar Shukla (ph), try to stay home. So, many others in Delhi are forced out into the pollution
each day to work often menial jobs for little pay. People like auto driver Mohammad Ibrahim.
MOHAMMAD IBRAHIM, AUTO RICKSHAW DRIVER (through translator): It feels like chili in my eyes with the pollution. When I go home in the evening and wash
my hands and face, black stuff comes out of my nose. If I don't go to work, how will I fill my stomach? How will I pay my rent? How will I pay my
auto's rent? I'm a poor man. How will I eat? Only if I earn can I eat.
STOUT (voice-over): Delhi is in its dry period. When emissions from cars and factories hang in the winter air. Smoke from farmers burning their
fields after harvest lingers all day.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I use a mask. I use a cloth to cover my face. When I feel the problems acutely, I do deep breathing and
exercises. That is what I do.
STOUT (voice-over): This month, the particulate matter in Delhi's air has hit levels 40 times over the WHO's safety levels. And many say government
efforts to reduce air pollution are not working.
ASHA MISHRA, DELHI RESIDENT (through translator): There is no question we're getting better. Last year, it was not this bad. This year, it's
worse. Next year, it'll be even worse than now.
[18:20:00]
STOUT (voice-over): In Delhi, some outdoor work has been stopped and schools have moved classes online. Flights have been diverted for poor
visibility. But so many throughout northern India must struggle through the haze.
Kristie Lu Stout, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Well, straight ahead, power cut. EV stocks lose their spark over fears the Trump White House will kill a key tax credit.
Plus, fight night. Mike Tyson in the ring for his first professional boxing bout in 19 years against a much younger Jake Paul. We'll look ahead at all
the action later this hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KINKADE: Welcome back. I'm Lynda Kinkade. An end of week selloff on Wall Street is topping today's Money Move. U.S. stocks falling across the board
for a second straight session amid concerns that the Fed might slow the pace of rate cuts. Tech stocks fared the worst with the NASDAQ down over 2
percent. Also weighing on investors, fear over how the incoming Trump administration will impact major sectors like healthcare.
Vaccine makers fell for a second day after the choice of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to become the top U.S. public health official. Kennedy, of course, is a
leading vaccine skeptic. Food stocks also lower. Investors bracing for tougher oversight of big food if Kennedy is ultimately sworn in. Kennedy
says the food industry has contributed to the spread of chronic disease in America.
Also on Friday, a mixed day in Asia, Chinese markets fell, but a higher close for the Nikkei. New Japanese GDP data showing a rise in private
spending.
In other business news, electric vehicle makers are bracing for a major decision from the incoming Trump administration. According to Reuters, the
Trump transition team plans to scrap the EV tax credit that helps make cars more affordable. The report has pressured shares of major automakers making
the EV transition like General Motors and Ford. Shares of pure play EV firms like Lucid and Rivian fell sharply on that news too. Anna Stewart has
more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, this policy change wouldn't be a surprise, given the president-elect had this to say in July.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT-ELECT: And I will end the electric vehicle mandate on day one.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[18:25:00]
STEWART: OK. So, it isn't a mandate, but a tax credit worth up to $7,500 when U.S. consumers buy electric vehicles.
It could put a dent in EV sales, unless carmakers slash prices to make up the difference. Neither are good options for business, though. That doesn't
seem to be a concern for Tesla. In fact, Musk actually supported the idea earlier this year, posting on X, take away the subsidies, it will only help
Tesla. Why? Tesla is the only car maker actually making a profit on its U.S. electric vehicle sales. And while ending the EV tax credits may
squeeze Tesla's profit margins, it could result in even bigger losses for the likes of GM and Ford. Tesla could actually gain market share if rivals
have to pull back from EV production. So, not for the first time this month, it does appear to be another win for Musk.
Anna Stewart, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Well, still ahead, CNN's David Culver takes an exclusive tour of El Salvador's terrorism confinement center, part of a controversial prison
system that has impressed Matt Gaetz, President-Elect Donald Trump's pick for attorney general.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KINKADE: Welcome back to "First Move." I'm Lynda Kinkade with a look at more international headlines this hour. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has
urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to withdraw from Ukraine. It's their first phone call since 2022. Mr. Scholz condemned Russian aggression
towards Ukraine and urged for peace talks. The Kremlin says any agreement have to recognize what it caused new territorial realities.
The Russian part of the International Space Station is leaking air at a rate that has hit record levels. The U.S. and Russia disagree on what's
behind the problem as well as the level of risk. NASA is concerned the air leak could possibly lead to catastrophic failure. However, U.S. officials
say Russia's space agency thinks ongoing operations is still safe.
[18:30:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everybody all right? Help her.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
Terrifying moments there on board a Scandinavian Airlines flight that was hit by severe turbulence. The flight was headed for Miami, but turned back
and was diverted to Copenhagen. The airline said no one was severely injured.
El Salvador's president, Nayib Bukele, was re-elected this year due in large part to his success slashing the country's crime and murder rates.
Critics say his war on gang violence, while effective, has also resulted in the arrest and imprisonment of thousands of innocent people. The U.S. State
Department calls conditions inside the prisons, quote, "harsh and life threatening."
The prison system, however, has been praised by none other than Matt Gaetz, President-Elect Trump's pick to head the U.S. Justice Department. He calls
it a reflection of the country's, quote, "astonishing transformation." He visited El Salvador's notorious terrorism confinement center earlier this
year and said it could be a model for the U.S.
CNN has become the first major U.S. news organization to gain access to that facility to view the conditions inside first hand. Our David Culver
has this exclusive report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID CULVER, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: All right. I'm going to go in here.
CULVER (voice-over): Even as I'm stepping through these doors, I don't fully grasp what we're about to walk into. Suddenly, you're hit with the
intense gaze of dozens locking on to you. These men described as the worst of the worst, tattooed with reminders of El Salvador's dark past. It's
tense and uncomfortable. But here, officials say comfort isn't meant to exist.
CULVER: There's no mattresses. There's no sheets. You've got a toilet over here for them to go to the bathroom. You've got this basin here that they
use to bathe themselves. And then you can see there there's a barrel of water that they can drink from.
CULVER (voice-over): This is a rare look inside El Salvador's terrorism confinement center known as Cecot.
CULVER: And he says there's always somebody standing here in front of the cells. And then if you look up, there's another corridor with more security
personnel. 24/7 light.
CULVER (voice-over): The prison sits like an isolated fortress nestled in mountainous terrain about an hour and a half drive from the capital. Even
with government officials on board with us, we're stopped a mile out.
CULVER: OK. he's going to inspect bags now too. OK. we're clear to get back in.
CULVER (voice-over): Only to hit another checkpoint. Approaching the main gate, our cell signals vanish.
CULVER: They want to do a full search on us before we enter.
CULVER (voice-over): Once cleared, we tour the vast campus.
CULVER: It's been equated to seven football stadiums. It's almost multiple prisons within the prison. You can see off to the distance, there's three
different rings as they describe. The far end, you have one that's nine meters high of concrete, and then above that, three meters of electrified
fencing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 15,000 volts.
CULVER: 15,000 volts.
CULVER (voice-over): More than a thousand security personnel, guards, police, and military are stationed on site. Inmates are assigned to one of
eight sectors.
CULVER: The director tells me the inmates, once they're inside one of these sectors, they never leave. Everything is done within, including
doctors, as well as legal visits or court hearings.
CULVER (voice-over): Each sector holds more than two dozen large cells.
CULVER: Roughly 80 inmates per cell, but it can fluctuate.
CULVER (voice-over): Most bear the markings of the gangs that held this nation hostage for decades, committing brutal acts of violence.
MARVIN VASQUEZ, PRISONER: You got to kill people. You got to rob. You got to do what you got to do to survive.
CULVER: You have to do those things.
VASQUEZ: Yes, you got to do that.
CULVER (voice-over): We meet 41-year-old Marvin Vazquez, shackled and heavily guarded.
CULVER: What gang were you part of?
VASQUEZ: MS-13.
CULVER: And do you have any gang affiliations?
VASQUEZ: Yes, I'm tattooed up.
CULVER: What is this?
VASQUEZ: Crazy criminal. Say crazy criminal. Yes, I made this click in 2011.
CULVER: You made the click?
VASQUEZ: Yes.
CULVER: You were a gang leader?
VASQUEZ: Yes.
CULVER: What is it like to live here?
VASQUEZ: It's probably not a hotel five-star, but they give you the three times the food. They give you some programs. You go to do exercise. Some
church or religion programs too.
CULVER: But that's limited to just 30 minutes a day. The other 23 and a half hours, they're kept inside and locked up.
CULVER (voice-over): For inmates who get violent with other prisoners or guards --
CULVER: They're going to close the door. I just want to get a sense of -- wow.
[18:35:00]
CULVER (voice-over): Solitary confinement awaits.
CULVER: The only light you get is through this hole, and it can be in here for 15 days, potentially. All right. I'm ready to get out. The director
brought up that a lot of folks will raise concerns from a human rights perspective and an abuse of human rights, that he's calm hearing that
because he sees it day to day, the process they go through to maintain, as he sees it, proper punishment.
CULVER (voice-over): While you're cut off from society here, whispers of life on the outside make their way in.
VASQUEZ: I've heard about it, that it's a new El Salvador. It looks different.
CULVER (voice-over): That new El Salvador has emerged under President Nayib Bukele, who took office in 2019 and declared a controversial state of
emergency more than two years ago. It sparked an aggressive crackdown on crime. We see that firsthand as some 2,500 police and soldiers deploy into
one neighborhood.
CULVER: It's going to go on through the night for however long it takes for them to root out any suspected criminal elements.
CULVER (voice-over): Critics argue Bukele's strategy has given him far- reaching power to suppress dissent and silence any opposition. Late last week, as the U.S. State Department lowered its travel advisory for El
Salvador, citing a significant reduction in crime, it also warned that Bukele's emergency measures allow authorities to arrest anyone suspected of
gang activity and suspends constitutional rights. And yet, most we meet seem unfazed by the added show of force.
CULVER: I asked him, I said, how do you feel with all these soldiers? I mean, there's a couple of dozens just even right outside his door. And he
said, no, I feel safe.
CULVER (voice-over): El Salvador now has one of the world's highest incarceration rates. The most heartening criminals brought the Cecor, where
inside a life sentence awaits.
VASQUEZ: We did bad things. We pay it the rough way, doing time.
CULVER (voice-over): And yet for many on the outside, the prison now a symbol of newfound freedom. The new El Salvador as they see it.
CULVER: Now, you've got other Latin American countries that are building what some are considering to be Bukele-style prisons, namely Ecuador and
Honduras. No question it's controversial. Some think it is far too extreme. But when you speak to the folks on the ground in El Salvador, and we've
made multiple trips there, even those who disagree with Bukele's tactics will tell you they're incredibly happy with the outcome. They feel far
safer, safer than they've ever felt before in their own country. Many of them will say that as extreme as those tactics are, they were necessary to
eradicate the gangs that really took control of the country for so many years.
David Culver, CNN, West Palm Beach, Florida.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[18:35:00]
KINKADE: We've got some news just in, another announcement for Trump's White House staff. Trump has picked Karoline Leavitt as the White House
press secretary. She was the press secretary for his successful campaign and served in his last administration. Trump says, quote, "Karoline is
smart, tough, and has proven to be a highly effective communicator."
Well, still to come after the break, from exit polls to an exit strategy, why some Americans are now looking to live overseas after Trump's election
win. We'll have that next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:40:00]
KINKADE: Welcome back. The Philippines is being battered by back-to-back typhoons and is now bracing for yet another one. You're looking at the
aftermath of Super Typhoon Usagi, which left a trail of destruction in the north. Our Chad Myers is at the Weather Center.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Lynda, this is truly hard to imagine that these people are going to see four typhoons in two weeks. Never happened
before. And this is a very large typhoon, not a super typhoon. It's still growing in size and in strength, and it could still grow a little bit more.
But the forecast is for about 205 or so kilometers per hour, making landfall farther to the south.
Now, all the other ones have been much farther to the north. This is much closer to Manila and to more populated places like Baguio. So, this is
going to make wind damage. This is going to make storm surge. This is going to make heavy, heavy rainfall. Certainly, 250 to 400 millimeters of
rainfall would be likely with this as it does run on shore, on up into the mountains.
You don't see any white specs here, which mean over 500. But, boy, it's because it's moving so fast. This is just going to continue to move on by.
It's going to run right off back into the sea. And so, it's not going to be a long-lasting storm like the one that we're going to talk about right now
for Honduras, just in a couple of minutes.
Here's Usagi moving on up toward Taipei, making some wind and some rain, but really less than about 60 kilometers per hour. Right now, we're at 83
for Tropical Storm Sara. Sara here for Honduras. This has been an area that has been hit by so much rainfall over the past couple of days now for the
capital at 618 millimeters in really just about 24 hours. And the rain is going to continue because this storm isn't moving very fast. There could be
another 250 millimeters of rain before it finally stops. This is what the rivers are already looking like in parts there of the country.
There goes the rainfall finally across Belize and even into the mountains here of Southwestern Mexico. We'll have to see if that causes any problems
because, of course, that is more topography. Lynda.
KINKADE: All right. Our thanks to Chad Myers at the Weather Center. Well, coming up on "First Move," a big bout between a 58-year-old and a 27-year-
old. We're going to have a preview of Mike Tyson's boxing match against Jake Paul, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:45:00]
KINKADE: Welcome back. Former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson is coming out of retirement to fight YouTuber turned boxer Jake Paul. Tyson who is
more than twice Paul's age is stepping into the ring at age 58, nearly 20 years after his last professional match. With the action down tonight in
Texas, it will be streamed on Netflix.
Our Andy Scholes is covering it for us, and joins us now. Andy, good to see you. So, this is a match where I do wonder how much is choreographed, like
how much has been choreographed before the match takes place, like even the weigh in. Take us through it.
ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Oh, yes, Lynda. So, at the weigh in yesterday Mike Tyson, we got the video we can show you. He slapped Jake
Paul. And I tell you what, that slap was probably just about as real as when Mike Tyson hit Alan in that first "Hangover" movie. You know, they're
doing a little acting here to try to drum up interest for this fight.
You know, the last time we saw Mike Tyson in a real sanctioned fight, which this is, was about 20 years ago. And back then, Tyson didn't look great.
So, you know, you got to temper your expectations here. Go into it with very low expectations. Jake Paul, you know, he just became a pro fighter
about three years ago. He's 10 and one in his career, hasn't fought a lot of real boxers, but he does look competent in there in the ring. He's 31
years younger than Mike Tyson.
So, as I said, this is going to be a real fight, but they are changing the rules a little bit here. A normal heavyweight fight, 10 to 12 rounds. This
one's only going to be eight. They usually have three-minute rounds. It's only going to be two-minute rounds. They're also going to use bigger
gloves, 14-ounce gloves, as opposed to 10. A little more padding there.
So, Lynda, they've changed the rules around a little bit to make -- hopefully, make this very entertaining and a very fun fight. But again,
Mike Tyson, 58 years old. Last time we saw him fight, about 20 years ago in a real fight, didn't look great. I would have low expectations. I'm excited
to watch it but --
KINKADE: I mean, he looks like he's in good form right now. He certainly doesn't look 58. But I was reading, the amount of money that these two guys
stand to make from this bout is extraordinary. It's about $60 million?
SCHOLES: It is. They're supposedly split -- supposedly splitting $60 million. And it's actually Jake Paul getting supposedly $40 million dollars
and Tyson getting $20. It's because the fight is being put on by Jake Paul's company, Most Valuable Promotion. So, you know, this was all his
idea. He put it all together. He got the deal with Netflix. Tyson would still get a cool $20 million. And really, you got to think that's the only
reason he's doing this, right?
KINKADE: That's incredible.
SCHOLES: He hasn't fought in so long and 58 years old. But hey, here's hoping we get some cool, a good match and some fireworks. But again, go
into this with very low expectations.
KINKADE: Exactly. And my producer is looking to the undercard match. He's very excited about that. But we will chat to you soon. Andy Scholes. good
to have you. Thanks.
Well, as Americans choose to either celebrate or commiserate Donald Trump's election victory, there has been a sharp rise in Google searches in the
U.S. about leaving the country. Stats reveal a sharp spike in the search term, leaving the U.S., around the election. Well, searches for move to
Canada searched more than 1,200 percent in the 24 hours after the East Coast polls closed.
Similar searches about moving to New Zealand, climbed nearly 2,000 percent while those for Australia jumped 820 percent. Now, that's according to a
survey by Expatsi, which specializes in helping Americans move abroad. The U.S. being too divided or conservative came out as the top reason to leave.
Gun violence was another reason. The other was to save money. Well, a similar survey conducted before the election reveals different priorities.
Then the desire to find adventure, enrichment, and growth came out as the main reason to depart.
Well, for more, I want to welcome Jen Barnett, who is the co-founder of Expatsi, and joins us now. I think in Yucatan, Mexico. You are yourself an
expat. Just what do you think about this surge in searches for people looking to perhaps leave the U.S. after the election?
JEN BARNETT, CO-FOUNDER, EXPATSI: Thanks so much. Yes, we live in Mexico. We love it. Our only regret is not moving sooner. And we've been stunned
beyond belief by the traffic over the past week.
[18:50:00]
We never expected it. Of course, we weren't sure what the election outcome would be, but we couldn't have anticipated this much growth in such a short
time.
KINKADE: I mean, I'm an expat living here in the U.S. from Australia. It's not an easy move. There's certainly a lot of paperwork. It takes a lot of
effort. There's expenses. Explain why people want to move in, and considering the surge in the search, do you think people actually follow
through with it?
BARNETT: That's a great question. And certainly, most people will not make it all the way, but I think that more will than ever before. They showed
that this year one in three Americans is interested in moving abroad. And I think the math is just changing. There are more reasons to move to new
countries and fewer reasons to want to stay in the United States, and those things in tandem are leading to more movement.
KINKADE: And take us through some of those reasons for wanting to move. Like, what are people leaving -- why are people wanting to leave?
BARNETT: Well, you know, we ask people and they're allowed to choose multiple reasons. And in the past 70 percent of them almost chose adventure
and personal growth, which is really positive. So, yes, they might not like that the U.S. is too expensive or healthcare or things like that, but
really, they were thinking about healthy food and walkable cities and culture -- art and culture that we might not have here in the United
States, or weather -- or beaches and things like that, that maybe they can't access.
But in the week after the election, clearly, there was a massive spike in leaving something more so than walking towards something, and I think
that's where everyone is right now. I know I want to leave the U.S., but I'm not really sure where to go.
KINKADE: So, what are the most preferred destinations that people consider? And what are the hurdles people sometimes face? Because it's not
necessarily the grass is always greener once you get there, right?
BARNETT: That's right. And it depends on the way that you're moving abroad. The primary ways that people go are either as a digital nomad, you
know, which is a remote worker who can work anywhere, whether they're self- employed or they work for a U.S. company or it's a skilled worker. So, you have to have a specific set of skills, which is probably how you came to
the U.S., or you can go as a retiree or an investor, which is to say that you're going with your life savings, you're not taking a local job, and
that's how you're going. And finally, of course, there are students.
So, the countries that are popular depend on the path that you're able to take. So, for digital nomads and retirees, especially folks love Spain,
Portugal, Mexico, Italy, France, and Greece. And we also have seen some growth in some nontraditional countries like Albania and Uruguay.
KINKADE: Interesting. Well, great perspective from you, Jan Barnett, founder of Expatsi. Thanks so much for your time.
BARNETT: My pleasure.
KINKADE: Well, if you'd prefer a holiday, instead of completely moving overseas, have you considered the White Lotus? The fictional luxury hotel
chain is returning to our screens in a new season on HBO and Max, which are part of Warner Bros. Discovery, the parent of CNN. Our Richard Quest
visited the hotel, which featured in season two, which is, in reality, Four Seasons in Sicily.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Senior Di Grasso Welcome to the White Lotus. I am Valentina, the Resort Manager. How was your boat ride?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was bellissimo.
RICHARD QUEST, CNN BUSINESS EDITOR-AT-LARGE (voice-over): The White Lotus Hotel, on the east coast of Sicily.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Italy's just so romantic. Oh, you're going to die. We're going to have to drag you out of here.
QUEST (voice-over): No, in reality, it's the Four Seasons San Domenico Palace. As the setting of season two of the hit HBO show, this hotel has
become a celebrity in its own right.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have to say it worked as an accelerator of business for us. We had recently reopened our door just after COVID. And first thing
that happened to us is the "White Lotus." And so, that really brought a lot of attention. We met some goals that usually hotel do meet within eight to
10 years on the second year of operations.
QUEST (voice-over): "White Lotus" brought a flood of fans. And the fans have brought unexpected problems.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The very first month after the show got released, we were blocking an average of 500 people at the door, daily.
[18:55:00]
QUEST (voice-over): The irony is, this hotel was an institution long before the cameras found it. It's been welcoming famous guests for decades,
like King Edward VIII, Oscar Wilde, Elizabeth Taylor. And the history actually dates way back to the time of the Italian Renaissance. It was also
at one time a convent.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was originally a Dominican convent. First started around 1430. And it was a Dominican convent until 1866 when the Italian
state decided to secularize a lot of clerical buildings around the country, and they tried to wrestle the convent out of the hands of the Dominican
order, but there was a loophole in the story. So, the family that originally owned the property was able to take it back and turn it into a
hotel.
QUEST (voice-over): They say this sort of fame lasts for at least two or three years. So, as long as the glitter of Hollywood remains, well, this
Mediterranean resort will have an extra sparkle.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, Richard, they're not white lotuses.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: What a great assignment. I'm Lynda Kinkade, that does it for us. Have a great weekend.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:00:00]
END
