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Isa Soares Tonight
Trump's Controversial Cabinet Picks; Gaetz Chosen as Attorney General; Gabbard Tapped to be U.S. Intel Chief; Russia's Reaction on Trump's Picks; Trump's Win Increases Deportation Anxiety; The Onion Takes Over InfoWars. Human Rights Watch Accuses Israel of War Crimes in Gaza; Trump Cabinet Picks Cause Concern Among Republicans and Democrats Alike; Israel-France Football Match Kicks Off Amid Heavy Security. Aired 2-3p ET
Aired November 14, 2024 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[14:00:00]
ISA SOARES, HOST, ISA SOARES TONIGHT: A very warm welcome to the show, everyone, I'm Isa Soares. Tonight, pursuing a policy of, quote, "ethnic
cleansing". That is the consensus from human rights watch who say Israel is committing war crimes in Gaza. We are live in Gaza in just a moment for
you.
Also ahead, President-elect Trump delights in appointing loyalists for critical administration roles despite the overwhelming lack of experience
among his choices. We'll have a closer look at the reaction from Capitol Hill and beyond this hour. Plus, a tense match kicks off in Paris this
hour. These are live pictures as thousands of police are in force for the France-Israel match after violence, if you remember, in Amsterdam, as the
French President promises that France will not give in to anti-Semitism. We'll go live to France a bit later this hour.
But first tonight, hopeless starving and besieged. That is the title of a new human rights watch report on Gaza that accuses Israel of carrying out a
deliberate, systematic campaign of forced mass displacement of Palestinians. And it says the policy is a state-sponsored war crime that
appears to meet the definition of ethnic cleansing. Our Jeremy Diamond has this report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For more than a year, this scene has played out in Gaza day after day on an endless loop. Hundreds of
thousands of Palestinians forced to flee their homes in an elusive quest for safety, spurred by Israeli bombs and missiles, as well as military
evacuation orders.
DANIEL HAGARI, SPOKESPERSON, IDF: For your immediate safety, we urge all residents of northern Gaza and Gaza city to temporarily relocate south.
DIAMOND: Israeli officials say these leaflets and the other warnings are evidence of its efforts to minimize civilian casualties. Human Rights
Watch; a U.S.-based watchdog says Israel's evacuation system has not only failed to keep Palestinians safe, but amounts to war crimes and crimes
against humanity.
In a 154-page report analyzing 184 evacuation orders, Human Rights Watch concluded that Israel's actions have intentionally caused the mass enforced
displacement of the majority of the civilian population of Gaza. The report calls Israel's evacuation orders inconsistent, inaccurate and frequently
not communicated to civilians with enough time to allow evacuations, and says designated evacuation routes and safe zones were repeatedly attacked
by the Israeli military.
NADIA HARDMAN, HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH: I've spoken to people who, yes, they saw the evacuation orders to leave, but they couldn't follow them because
the attacks had already started. The routes that they were told to take to get to so-called safe areas were being bombarded at the same time. And once
they got to those safe areas, they weren't safe. Attacks that we verified happened in those so-called safe zones.
DIAMOND: The Israeli military said its evacuation orders are part of significant efforts to mitigate harm to civilians, and that it is committed
to international law and operates accordingly. The United Nations estimates 1.9 million Palestinians have been displaced during the war, more than 90
percent of Gaza's population.
Today, northern Gaza is the focus of that displacement, as the Israeli military mounts one of its most devastating offensives yet. This woman says
Israeli loudspeakers blasted a warning to residents. It was saying either get out or die, one of the two. So, we left with our children taking only
what we could carry.
She says they left without food or water, just the clothes on their backs. Fleeing is one thing. Finding safety is something else altogether. Yet,
another school turned shelter for the displaced was struck Thursday by the Israeli military. Emergency rescue officials say four people were killed
including two children.
Yet, another reminder that nowhere in Gaza is truly safe. Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Tel Aviv.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: Let's get more on this with journalist Arwa Damon is on the ground for us as you can see there in Gaza. She says life there is being crushed,
likening it to an extermination.
[14:05:00]
Arwa is the President as well as the founder of the International Network for Aid Relief and Assistance, also known as INARA. Arwa, great to have you
back on the show. Let me pick up really with you know, where Jeremy just left -- just finished off in that scathing report from Human Rights Watch,
which says basically -- I'm going to read it here.
"Israeli authorities have caused massive deliberate forced displacement of Palestinian civilians in Gaza. It goes on to say taken together these acts
indicate that at least in the buffer zones and security corridors in Gaza, the Israeli authorities are pursuing a policy of ethnic cleansing.
Cleansing, and important to point out to our viewers that this report coming out, Arwa, at the same time as the ongoing Israeli military campaign
is underway, it continues in northern Gaza.
Give us a sense of what you and your teams have been seeing as people who have been forcefully displaced from the north are telling you, what are
they telling you? What are you seeing?
ARWA DAMON, PRESIDENT, INTERNATIONAL NETWORK FOR AID, RELIEF & ASSISTANCE: Look, it's important to also point out that the vast majority of those who
are being forced out of the north are ending up in Gaza City because -- well, for a number of reasons. One, they don't want to move too far away
from what they consider to be home, even if that is completely destroyed, because history has taught Palestinians that if they leave, they're never
allowed to go back.
The other reason is that, to get to the central and southern parts of Gaza, they have to cross through more Israeli checkpoints. And that is an
absolutely terrifying prospect to anyone because of the numerous incidents of, you know, shootings that have taken place. We're also hearing various
reports, and have been speaking to people who have been forcibly separated from their families.
So, the Israeli forces are also separating women and children from the men and teenage-aged boys in some cases. And quite often, you know, no one
really knows what has happened to the rest of their family members.
And what you really get a sense of just being here, and I mean, you know, if anyone were able to get into Gaza just for a day, you really do not walk
away from this place, understanding the sheer misery of it, the scale of the devastation, the numerous obstacles that Israel has put into place to
prevent humanitarian assistance from reaching those most in need.
You don't experience that, and you know, walk away thinking anything other than this really feels like an extermination of a population. And you can
take that from -- you know, the impossibility of getting diapers to the impossibility of getting, you know, necessary life-saving medical equipment
to treat a child who is in the ICU.
SOARES: Let's talk about that aid, Arwa, because you would have seen earlier this week, the U.S. announced that it was not going to penalize,
right? Not penalize Israel after the United States kind of self-imposed that 30-day deadline to try and improve -- to force Israel to improve the
humanitarian situation on the ground.
The U.S. basically saying that Israel is doing enough to bring aid into Gaza. Just for our viewers around the world, have you seen any progress on
aid? Just give us a sense of the obstacles that you and your organization are facing?
DAMON: Right, and you know, let's just use one aspect of those demands that the U.S. had made of Israel, which was for Israel to facilitate the
entry of roughly 350 trucks into Gaza a day. Now, when the U.S. set out that deadline and that warning to Israel, we actually saw a dip in number
of trucks that were arriving into Gaza. So, in October, you had roughly an average of 37 trucks a day.
Remember, the benchmark, the request was 350. It dropped to 37. And it was never even close to being at that benchmark of 352 to begin with. Then in
November, about a week before the deadline was set to expire, we saw the number go up to roughly around 70. So, we're talking at best 70 trucks of
aid a day when the request was 350.
And that is to be able to begin to meet the needs of the population. Every aspect that you look at when it comes to anything that is potentially life-
saving is in and of itself on life support. Access to clean water, proper sanitation, access to medical care, access to food, access to nutrition.
And it's not just that humanitarian assistance is proving to be extraordinarily challenging, if not impossible. You also have a severe
decrease in commercial goods coming into Gaza. So, in the past, we used to be able to sort of augment our activities by purchasing things like fresh
vegetables off the market and distributing fresh vegetable parcels.
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That's not an option anymore. There hasn't been chicken on the market here in the south for about the last month. And fresh vegetables, they also
weren't available for a very long time. They've sort of re-appeared over the last few days, but are also astronomically priced. We have people right
now who have begun once again to go out and demonstrate because of a lack of flour.
So, flour is in shortage once again. And talk to anyone here, and they really just feel as if this is some sort of sick and twisted game to try to
just prolongate their suffering at every level.
SOARES: Yet, CogAT(ph) spokesperson who is the kind of the main body on the Israeli side, that kind of coordinates it, told CNN, Arwa, that the aid
has been cleared and is on the Gaza side, but needs to be distributed. So, just, you know, what is your response to that?
DAMON: Right, so, what they're basically saying is that there's roughly 850 pallets of aid at the Kerem Shalom Crossing point. And it's true there
is aid at the Kerem Shalom Crossing point. But we're not able to pick it up because looting and lawlessness has gone essentially out of control, and
there are specific routes that we have to use that Israel designates for us to use to be able to go and pick up the aid, either from Kerem Shalom or
other crossing points.
And for months now, pretty much since May, aid organizations have been asking for alternative routes, because the ones that Israel designates are
not secured and are not safe. And trucks are getting looted, drivers are being shot at. And so, we've been asking for alternative routes, and there
are alternative routes, but those requests are not being met.
And so, there is a burden of responsibility to ensure that aid organizations are able to properly and safely pick up the aid and get it to
the warehouse, and that is not materializing.
SOARES: Arwa Damon for us on the ground in Gaza, appreciate it, thank you, Arwa, good to see you. Well, Israel's new Defense Minister says the IDF has
expanded its military ground offensive against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. And it's also escalating airstrikes. The blasts rocked the south
of Beirut this morning for the third straight day.
Israel says it's part of an ongoing effort to dismantle and degrade Hezbollah's military capabilities. But despite the repeated attacks,
Hezbollah is still keeping up its own strikes as well. It says it launched at least 20 attacks against Israel and Israeli troops in Lebanon on
Wednesday using drones, missiles and rockets.
Well, state media in Syria, meantime, is reporting one of the deadliest Israeli strikes on Damascus in months. It says 15 people were killed in
attacks on several residential buildings including women and children. Israel's military said it targeted a Palestinian militant group Islamic
Jihad. Well, shockwaves are being felt in Washington as well as beyond after Donald Trump's choice of Matt Gaetz to lead the U.S. Justice
Department, the very agency, of course, that investigated Gaetz over allegations related to sex trafficking.
The now former Florida Congressman was a stunning pick for Attorney General given his very limited experience as an attorney, and his history of
clashing with both fellow Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill. Gaetz was at the center of a Justice Department investigation over sex crimes and
drug use that ended without him being criminally charged.
He was also the subject of a House ethics probe, but after he abruptly resigned from Congress on Wednesday, it's unclear if its committees
findings will be released publicly. Top Senate Republicans are taking a wait-and-see approach to Gaetz's nomination.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. THOM TILLIS (R-NC): I barely know Gaetz. All I know is he likes picking fights on social media. He'll have to deal with that in committees,
but I don't know his background. I'm going to look at it and give him a fair hearing.
SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): The process I will follow here is what I've done with everybody. I will -- elections have consequences, he chose Matt
Gaetz. Matt will come before the committee and he will be asked hard questions and we'll see how he does.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What do you --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What do you think --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Make of the pick?
GRAHAM: I voted for a lot of people I didn't like.
SEN. JOHN CORNYN (R-TX): I don't know Mr. Gaetz from Adam. So I'm -- I've read about press reports and that sort of thing, but I'd rather get the
information myself after an opportunity to work with my staff and the other members of the committee to properly vet the nominee. But rest assured, we
will perform our responsibilities under the constitution.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Let's get more now on the reaction to the choice of Gaetz from CNN's Lauren Fox on Capitol Hill. Lauren, good to see you. And we're now
hearing kind of bipartisan senators calling for this report ethics -- from the report for the House Ethics Committee to be released. I want to play
some sound and we can talk afterwards. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. DICK DURBIN (D-IL) : The timing of his resignation and flight with President-elect Donald Trump suggests he believes that this report is not
friendly and favorable. So, I want to read the report and find out what the investigation behind it brought out.
[14:15:00]
CORNYN: I think there should not be any limitation on the Senate Judiciary Committee's investigation, including whatever the House Ethics Committee
has generated.
SEN. RICHARD BLUMENTHAL (D-CT): I am going to demand release of the Ethics Committee report, all of its findings and recommendations. Matt Gaetz has
chosen to resign from the House, but he can't choose to conceal that information.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: OK, Lauren, so, the question -- I suppose the question is, what's the likelihood that this report will see the light of day?
LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER: Yes, I mean, that is the question of the day. In fact, on Capitol Hill, you are hearing from a number of
Republicans that they would like to take a look at it as part of their vetting process, even if it is not publicly released by the committee. But
I actually did just catch up with Chuck Grassley.
He's going to be the incoming chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. They will be the committee that's responsible for vetting Matt Gaetz's
nomination to be attorney general. And he did not give a definitive answer as to whether or not he wanted to see that report. It ultimately will be up
to him and his staff what they request as part of their vetting of the candidate.
And you know, it's a really interesting moment because Chuck Grassley really has this history of being someone who takes whistleblowers really
seriously, takes his congressional oversight responsibilities really seriously. I would note also, there are other Republicans who just have
concerns about some past statements that Gaetz has made about the Justice Department, yes, they are concerned about this ethics report that's
floating out there.
But they also, you know, may have other concerns about just his tenure, his style, his bombastic-ness. There's also a number of Republicans who have
voiced concerns to me and my colleagues about the fact that he was really the ringleader of that effort to oust Kevin McCarthy just a little over a
year ago now.
So, there's a lot of reasons why people might have concerns about Matt Gaetz, but obviously, the question of whether this ethics report is going
to be released by the committee, whether it gets released to the Senate as part of their vetting, that is still very much a jump ball right now, and
something that a lot of lawmakers, especially Democrats are looking into.
SOARES: Certainly shocked Washington and beyond. Lauren, appreciate it, thank you very much indeed. Well, Donald Trump is back at his Mar-a-Lago
home today, luckily mulling over names for other positions in his new administration. I want to turn to CNN's Kristen Holmes, who's been
following developments from West Palm Beach.
And, Kristen, I wonder whether President-elect is kind of basking in the outrage over his picks. I mean, just give us a sense of the mood.
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, and he is very unsurprised at what he has seen in terms of the outrage and the pushback. It was described to
me by one source as we were watching everyone melt down, and they knew this was going to come. It's not as though they thought that Matt Gaetz was
going to go over easily with Republicans, Democrats and the general public.
However, what I am told is that they simply don't care. I mean, the idea is that you want to get everyone that you nominate confirmed. But what I was
told essentially by these senior advisors is that they're aware that some people won't get confirmed. However, Donald Trump, because he particularly
-- because he won the popular vote, feels as though he has a mandate to hire people and bring people on who he believes will do what he said,
Donald Trump said he would do on the campaign trail.
And one of his biggest promises was to essentially gut the Department of Justice, move it back underneath the executive so that he would have
control, or that the President would have control over the Department of Justice. Matt Gaetz has been out there saying this for quite some time.
But the other thing to look at here is how they are viewing some of these various cabinet positions. And that is that, a lot of these figures are
going to be just simply that figureheads of the department. It doesn't mean that they're not going to do anything, but what it does mean is that
they're going to serve as the chief communicator.
We know something that's very important to Donald Trump is how these people and how people close to him communicate about him, communicate about what
he's doing, his talking points, particularly when it comes to television. And he was meeting with these various candidates for attorney general, and
he didn't believe that any of them would have the kind of fire that Matt Gaetz had.
Now, we do know this came together last minute. Essentially, the entire thing unfolded on his plane ride from Washington back to Palm Beach.
However, they are not unhappy with the choice. They're sticking by it, and they do believe they're going to do anything they can to get him confirmed.
SOARES: Kristen Holmes, appreciate it, thank you. And still to come tonight, the much-anticipated France-Israel football match begins shortly.
Authorities have stepped up security over concerns of anti-Semitic violence. We are just outside the stadium for you after this very short
break. Do stay right here.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:20:00]
SOARES: Well, French authorities have stepped up security in the Paris area ahead of a France-Israel football match that is beginning shortly.
More than 4,000 police officers are securing the event. Turnout is expected to be low with about 20,000 fans inside the stadium, which has a capacity,
just for context, for about 80,000.
Officials are hoping to avoid a repeat of violent clashes between Israeli fans and pro-Palestinian supporters in Amsterdam, if you remember last
week. And France is home to Europe's largest Jewish as well as Muslim communities. According to the Interior Minister, less than 1 percent of the
French population is Jewish, yet Jews are victims of 57 percent of all racist and anti-religious attacks in the country.
Our Melissa Bell is near the Stade de France where the game is taking place. And Melissa, give us a sense of the scene. It looks pretty calm,
lots of police behind you, I can see.
MELISSA BELL, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Lots of police, and many filters to getting just here. Many checkpoints to make sure that this Stade
de France is kept tonight safe with its few protesters out anywhere near it as possible. There is even now a small pro-Palestinian protest going on
that we've just come from, but it's been kept a couple of kilometers away from the Stade de France itself.
And really here, the police presence is pretty formidable. We've seen helicopters, drones going up. There are those 4,000 policemen and women
that we've been talking about deployed in Paris tonight. We watched a short while ago some of the Israel fans, and we don't expect many of them to turn
up.
Remember that Israeli authorities have told Israelis to avoid traveling abroad for footballing or sporting fixtures generally after what happened
in Amsterdam last week. So, we don't expect that many of them to turn up. But we did see some of the Israel fans being bused in again under strong
police escort.
They are being escorted around by one of France's elite police forces, to make sure they can get to the match and safely back. Now, what we've seen
last night, Isa, ahead of this match today was a gala held in support of Israel, a pro-Israel, Franco-Israeli group that was held -- holding it -- a
controversial Israeli Minister Bezalel Smotrich was due to travel.
He only participated by video conference, but the event had attracted so much attention that we did see a fairly large pro-Palestinian protest and
also, interestingly, Isa, a smaller protest against the policy of the Israeli government by French Jewish groups who are worried about the impact
that it's had on anti-Semitism in a country like France.
[14:25:00]
Where, as you say, it is not simply a country that is home to Europe's largest Muslim population. It is also home to France's largest Jewish
population. There were fears inside that population of what the Israeli government's policies have meant for Jews living here in France, and that
was at the heart of that small protest we saw yesterday as well.
So, this is a part of the world where feelings run high about events in the Middle East, Isa, for the reasons that I explained here at the Stade de
France, though. The determination of the French authorities is that none of that will be allowed to get anywhere near the footballing fixture itself.
Isa.
SOARES: And I know you'll keep a close eye on developments there. Melissa Bell, in the meantime, thank you very much, Melissa. Well, thunderstorms
and torrential rain have once again battered coastal Spain in the Malaga area, nearly a month's worth of rain fell in one hour just on Wednesday.
More than 4,000 people have been evacuated.
And this, as the country, of course, is still reeling from historic floods that killed more than 220 people, just two weeks ago. Forecasters say more
rain, unfortunately, is on the way. Now, a judge says a suicide bomber wanted to blow up Brazil's Supreme Court, denouncing it as part of a
growing wave of attacks on democracy.
These pictures are from inside the home of Francisco Wanderley Luiz, the main authorities -- the man, I should say authorities have identified as
killing himself in a blast outside the court building. Federal police detonated explosive devices after raiding Luiz's home. Wednesday's attack
prompted the evacuation of court staff as well as legislators there in Brasilia.
The incident comes just days before Brazil hosts global leaders for the G20, and that's taking place in Rio de Janeiro. Supreme Court Justice
Alexandre Moraes called the explosions the worst attack since supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro ransacked the building in a riot last year.
I was there and I covered. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALEXANDRE DE MORAES, SUPREME COURT JUDGE, BRAZIL (through translator): Apart from January 8th, perhaps this is the worst attack on the Supreme
Court. How could people think they can come to Brazil to try and blow up the Supreme Court? It's because they were instigated by many people
unfortunately. Many of them in high positions.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: And still to come tonight, some have opposed aid to Ukraine while another has accused the Kremlin of war crimes. Russia reacts to Donald
Trump's picks for his new administration. The story for you just ahead. Plus, we hear from migrant families concerned about deportation after
Trump's election win. Both those stories after this short break, you are watching CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:30:00]
SOARES: Welcome back, everyone. We will return now to Donald Trump's quite shocking cabinet picks. Some of the most controversial figures include, we
mentioned Matt Gaetz, who resigned from Congress on Wednesday after being chosen for attorney general. Plus, for Former Hawaii Democratic
Representative Tulsi Gabbard as his Director of National Intelligence and Army National Guard veteran Pete Hegseth, who is also a Fox News host.
Hegseth, Gabbard, and Gaetz have all been announced within a 24 hour stretch. They represent the ascendancy of the president-elect's Make
America Great Again orbit over the more traditional Republican establishment.
My next guest is a writer at The Atlantic who wrote about the similarities among these controversial cabinet picks. Joining me now from North Carolina
is David Graham. David, welcome to the show. Great to have you here.
Let me pick up with what you wrote in that article when you're comparing what the three of them have in common. You write, none of them, Gaetz,
Gabbard, and Hegseth have shared an ideology. What brings them together is not just fidelity to Trump, you say, but a shared sense of having been
persecuted by the departments they've been nominated to lead. It's what they share with Trump as well as one another, and it's their main
credential to serve under him.
Is this then -- in your view, is this a new administration fueled by retribution?
DAVID A. GRAHAM, STAFF WRITER, THE ATLANTIC: I think it is. And you know, this is what Trump promised he would bring on the campaign trail. And it's
always hard to know, you know, how much a politician means what they say and how they'd really go about what they would say on the campaign trail.
And I think with these picks, like people who have these grudges against their departments, we see him preparing to introduce the personnel who
really will wreak the vengeance that he said he'd bring.
SOARES: Let's focus on Matt Gaetz because I want to play a little clip of something of what he said in 2020. Have a listen to this, David.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MATT GAETZ (R-FL): Maybe I should serve as attorney general of the United States. I'd be easy on marijuana and tough on big tech. Wouldn't
that be a nice reversal? If necessary, I'd fire every little -- kicker at the J. Edgar Hoover building and send them all packing. If you really want
to drain the swamp, hire a Florida man.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: So, that was in 2020. And now, I'm hearing a source telling my colleague, Pamela Brown, that Trump believes Gaetz is, quote, "going to
want," she said, are going to go after Korean employees, disloyal, as deep state, and ensure the retribution stuff.
I mean, what would that look like? Just give us a sense of what that retribution would look like, do you think?
GRAHAM: I mean, I think it looks like pushing out a lot of career attorneys, and that could be simply by making it a place that's unpleasant
for them to work. Shutting down their investigations. Making the environment very challenging for them. Installing a lot of political
oversight. It just makes people want to quit. It could also look like shutting down departments. Firing heads. Doing the sorts of things that
simply, you know, by administrative move, clear them out.
It's also about what he prioritizes. And you hear in that clip him talking about things that I think do speak the kind of populist side of Trumpism.
Softer in marijuana and hard on big tech. That's the sort of thing that appeals across the board. But also, you know, does this mean he's going to
go soft on the sort of corruption investigations? I mean, this is a man who was under investigation by the Justice Department for several years for
child sex trafficking and I think a lot of people want to see those sorts of investigations continue So, it's unclear where his priority would be. If
it was the latter, I'm not sure it would be it would fly as well.
SOARES: And you say in your article, Gaetz will be the biggest test in terms of confirmation, in part because many Republicans personally despise
him and because the probes into him making radioactive, which was hinting there. I wonder from your contact and the conversations you've had, whether
you think that he will get confirmed.
And I want to play something that we heard from Senator Markwayne Mullin just last year, and what he's saying recently, more recently, have a
listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARKWAYNE MULLIN, SEN. MARKWAYNE MULLIN (R-OK): We had all seen the videos he was showing on the House floor that all of us had walked away of the
girls that he had slept with. He'd brag about how he would crush E.D. medicine and chase it with an energy drink so he could go all night.
I completely trust President Trump's decision making on this one. But at the same time, he's got to come to Congress and sell himself. And if he
can, then we'll go through the confirmation process.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[14:35:00]
SOARES: Well, the tune seems to have changed somewhat. I wonder then, David, whether you think this is a test also for the GOP, and whether the
president-elect is testing them and the loyalty of members of the GOP?
GRAHAM: I think that's exactly what's going on there. You know, it's interesting from, what we're seeing, a lot of senators have come out and
made comments like that, that they want to see him tested. They have questions. They're not sure if he can get to 50, but I don't believe any
Republican senators has ruled out voting for him. And so, I think there's a good chance that he could very well be confirmed.
SOARES: OK. So, he's a done deal. Let's talk about potentially -- we'll have a look, because they've been -- you know, there are some -- many
concerns, as we've had at the top of the show, on -- from both sides of the aisle. Let's talk about Tulsi Gabbard, who, of course, will be America's
new top spy as director of national intelligence.
John Bolton, who served as Trump's national security, of course, adviser, who's now also a critic of the president-elect said that, given the Russian
propaganda that she has espoused over the past period of time, I think she's a serious threat to our national security. Do you think that she's a
threat to American security, David?
GRAHAM: I think there's a lot we don't know about her. I mean, she has no experience in intelligence. We know that she's appeared extensively on RT,
the Russian propaganda channel. She has sort of strange interactions with the Syrian government where she visited Bashar al-Assad. So, it's a little
bit hard to pin her down and she's been very mysterious on these things in the past.
All that said, I think attacks from John Bolton, she's going to love that. I mean, a lot of her sales that she's going to bring peace. And in some
ways, he may be right, but also that just helps her politically.
SOARES: And look for us on this side of the pond here, David, I want -- I mean, these are no doubt provocative cabinet picks. We saw, you know,
Washington gasping when this was announced. But you know, I wonder whether we ought to be surprised because Trump has been very clear that he wanted,
you know, to -- he was against the establishment and he'd been very clear from the beginning So, why the shock I wonder?
GRAHAM: You know, I think part of it is that people don't totally believe that he means it. People have forgotten what it was like the first time
around. I think it's both true that these are exactly the kind of picks that we should have been expecting based on the campaign he ran and the
things he said.
I also think it's true that their lack of qualifications and the sort of -- the profiles they bring do make them really stunning picks for these roles
and very far out of the ordinary. So, I feel like maybe both things are true.
SOARES: And is shock part of the process for Trump, you think? Do you think he's rubbing his hands with glee knowing just how much the media and
Washington, you know, are gasping at the as some of these names?
GRAHAM: Well, you know, he does enjoy the circus of it, but I also think he's picking them because he wants them to do exactly what he says they'll
do and what he said he'll do. He wants them to bring that vengeance and they're ready to do it.
SOARES: Incredibly scary indeed. David, appreciate it. Thank you very much indeed.
GRAHAM: Thank you.
SOARES: Now, we want to look at how Russia's responding to Trump's cabinet picks. Our Fred Pleitgen is live in Moscow. So, Fred -- is he live? Oh,
yes, he is fantastic. I wasn't sure if you were live or if you if it was a report. So, Fred, give us a sense of how it's being received. They're
definitely provocative, as you heard David say there, are they being welcome, especially Tulsi Gabbard? How is that -- how is she being
welcomed?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, live and in color, Isa. And yes, they certainly are a big topic here in Russia.
Definitely among a lot of people on the streets, but certainly, also among, as you can imagine, Russian media as well.
And, you know, when we sort of dissect some of the picks that have been made, there were some that have been heavily criticized by Russian state-
run media, but there's also some like, for instance, Tulsi Gabbard that, quite frankly, have been welcomed. So, here's what we're seeing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PLEITGEN (voice-over): Kremlin controlled TV, as usual, touting Russia's alleged gains in Ukraine. But then, a new top story, the incoming Trump
administration and President-Elect Trump's cabinet picks. The Russians ripping into designated Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, and National
Security Adviser Mike Waltz.
Waltz at the Republican Convention proposed deploying more American drones in the Black Sea and bragged about how Trump threatened to bomb, as he put
it, Putin's Kremlin, the anchor says. That is what's called Russophobic Dream Team or the American Dream Team.
Much more positive vibes towards the nominations of Matt Gaetz for attorney general and Tulsi Gabbard tapped to be director of national intelligence,
who said Russia had legitimate reasons for its invasion of Ukraine.
She from day one, clarified the reason for Russia's special operation in Ukraine, the anchor says, criticizing the actions of the Biden
administration.
[14:40:00]
PLEITGEN: Of course, there's a lot of discussion here in Russia about the new Trump administration that's taking shape and what some of the picks
could mean for relations with Russia, especially when it comes to possibly ending the war in Ukraine.
PLEITGEN (through translator): Donald Trump said that he definitely wants to resolve the conflict in Ukraine. Do you think this is possible, through
talks, through military action, what do you think?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I don't know how Donald Trump can resolve this. But I would really like this to be resolved as soon as
possible and resolve in the most peaceful way possible that is, through negotiations, and through the actions that are happening now.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): You know, there's still a bit of ambition here, with those in power. And I don't know if Trump will stick to
his line. But I hope that there will be a good agreement between Russia and Ukraine.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Yes, through negotiations of course. I don't think any military action will -- who benefits from this?
Neither Russia nor American, it's definitely not beneficial.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): While Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he's willing to talk to Donald Trump even before Trump takes office,
Putin's foreign minister ripping into the U.S. and its incoming administration.
Washington's fundamental attitude to Ukrainian and European allies will not change in the sense that the United States will always strive to keep under
its control everything that happens in the near NATO area and naturally in NATO itself, he said.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PLEITGEN (on camera): And that was Sergey Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, there speaking at the end. And the Kremlin, Isa, was asked about
all of this as well. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov saying, of course, the Russians and the Russian government are watching some of the picks that are
being made by Donald Trump. At the same time, they also say that is not their top priority. And so, at this point in time, they are not going to
officially comment on any of them. Isa.
SOARES: Yes, but they are watching. And I wonder you've covered the war in Ukraine. You've covered at a length. You often -- in Moscow as well. I
wonder then, from what you're hearing, from your sources in terms of how they see this new administration, how they will handle the war in Ukraine?
Because you and I were talking a couple of days ago, over the uncertainty and the unpredictability of someone like President Trump.
Does Putin -- the Putin administration, they believe that they know him better and they know what to expect from him now?
PLEITGEN: Well, I do think that, for them, there is still a lot of uncertainty there, but I do also think that one of the things that they
believe that they have going for them is that they believe that the personal relations between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump are going to be
good, certainly a lot better than the personal relations between Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin.
I do believe that they think that a lot of the foreign policy that will be made in the upcoming Trump administration will very much depend on Donald
Trump, despite whoever the secretary of state is, who the director of national intelligence is and who the national security adviser is, they
believe that it will be Donald Trump himself who will want to end the war in Ukraine, who would want to try and find a way to do that, and of course,
the way to do that goes through Vladimir Putin.
So, I do believe that on the part of the Kremlin, on the part of the Russian authorities, there is a good deal of optimism there that they could
be able to end the war on Ukraine on terms that are favorable for Russia. Isa.
SOARES: Yes, we shall wait to see what those terms are. Fred Pleitgen for us in Moscow. Thanks very much, Fred. Good to see you.
Still to come tonight --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You're a green card holder. Your wife is a U.S. citizen. Why are you afraid of deportation?
CESAR ESPINOSA, FEARS DEPORTATION UNDER TRUMP: I just became a green card holder after 33 years of being in this country. I don't think people
understand the fear.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: CNN's Rosa Flores speaks to Latino families about what a second Trump term could mean for them. That's after this break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:45:00]
SOARES: I'm going to go back to the U.S. now, where Donald Trump's threats of deportation have many migrant families worried about their future in the
United States. Our Rosa Flores has been speaking with families in Texas, and here's what she heard.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: How many of you are U.S. citizens? How many of you support Donald Trump?
You're undocumented and you support Donald Trump?
CESAR ESPINOSA, FEARS DEPORTATION UNDER TRUMP: I support Donald Trump for the economy.
FLORES (voice-over): Two Hispanic families with mixed legal status in Houston with two different takes on President-elect Donald Trump's return
to the White House. This is the Espinosa's first gathering since Trump's win.
FLORES: How many of you fear that deportation could impact your family?
FLORES (voice-over): Cesar Espinosa, a husband and father, was a DACA recipient until this summer when he got a green card. His sister and
brother-in-law are DACA recipients. His sister-in-law is a green card holder, and the rest of his family here are U.S. citizens. Some who are not
present are undocumented.
FLORES: You're a green card holder; your wife is a U.S. citizen. Why are you afraid of deportation?
C. ESPINOSA: I just became a green card holder after 33 years of being in this country. I don't think people understand the fear. It's a constant
shadow hanging over our heads.
FLORES: What was your reaction to Donald Trump winning?
KARYNNA ESPINOSA, FEARS FAMILY MEMBERS COULD BE DEPORTED: I cried a lot. It was -- it was emotional. I have my family. Like, if they're going to be
here or they're not going to be here, and how do you tell all of our kids? Like, my nephews, they're also our kids.
C. ESPINOSA: To tell people that this doesn't live in kids' and children's mind and teenagers', in young adults' life, it is a lie.
FLORES (voice-over): Gelacio Velazquez is an undocumented mechanic who has worked in Houston for 25 years.
GELACIO VELAZQUEZ, UNDOCUMENTED MECHANIC: Oh.
FLORES (voice-over): He plays in this park with his two U.S. citizen children, ages five and nine, and stands by Donald Trump.
FLORES: So, you support Donald Trump because of the economy?
VELAZQUEZ: For the economy, yes.
FLORES: But you don't support the anti-immigrant rhetoric?
VELAZQUEZ: I'm not in support of the anti-immigrant action.
FLORES: Do you support his mass deportations?
VELAZQUEZ: No. It is not human.
FLORES: Are you afraid that you could be deported in this mass deportation?
VELAZQUEZ: I'm not afraid. I'm not afraid.
FLORES (voice-over): Espinosa runs a migrant advocacy group and says many people are afraid and have called him in tears.
C. ESPINOSA: I think there's a heightened sense of fear.
FLORES: Explain why Latino men are going to Trump.
C. ESPINOSA: Democrats forget the promise when these guys are in the office in the Washington. The Latinos want a better nation.
FLORES (voice-over): Espinosa believes some of the Latino support for Trump was a vote against the prospect of the first Black female president.
C. ESPINOSA: There's still a lot of machismo. There's still a lot of misogyny. And something that we need to say aloud is there's a lot of anti-
Blackness.
FLORES (voice-over): Velazquez says he hopes Trump finds compassion for immigrant fathers like him who are not criminals.
FLORES: If you get deported, would you regret your support to Donald Trump? VELAZQUEZ: (Speaking foreign language).
FLORES: He's saying that he wouldn't regret supporting Donald Trump.
So, you're really not thinking about yourself. You're thinking about your children and the future of your children?
VELAZQUEZ: Yes. I want the better for my childrens.
FLORES (voice-over): Cesar says he feels guilty for bringing so much uncertainty to his family.
FLORES: What's it like for you to see your wife go through this and the emotions that she's going through?
[14:50:00]
C. ESPINOSA: I apologize to her a lot. We fell in love right away and we got married almost right away because when you know, you know.
FLORES (voice-over): We asked Velazquez and Espinosa the same final question.
FLORES: Do you have a plan in case you get deported?
VELAZQUEZ: I respect the decision. I leave the country. I'll not come back.
C. ESPINOSA: There is a plan. We have talked about it openly with our family.
FLORES: Turns out, these two Hispanic families with two different takes on Trump's win have the same plan if they get reported. They would go to
Mexico as a family.
Rosa Flores, CNN, Houston.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
[14:50:00]
SOARES: Powerful piece there from Rosa Flores. And still to come tonight, a surprising winning bid. We'll tell you about the plans for satirical
site, The Onion, to take over controversial InfoWars. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: The satirical news site, The Onion, has won the auction to acquire the controversial InfoWars organization. The auction was part of a
settlement with the families of victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in the United States. InfoWars owner Alex Jones was sued by the
families for saying the 2012 massacre was a hoax. The Onion's winning bid was backed by some victims' families. The Onion will again -- will gain
access to all InfoWars products, such as media equipment, supplements, it's sold online, it's consumer e-mail database, and social media accounts.
Now, some people say romance is dead, but according to Mark Zuckerberg, it's alive and well. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Don't adjust your television screens, that is right. That is the Facebook founder singing "Get Low" By T-Pain. Zuckerberg has released a
cover of the track as a tribute to his wife, Priscilla Chan, where is my husband, and his dedication. He says the song was playing when they first
met, so they listened to it every year on their anniversary. And now, well, it's even more special.
And Halloween might feel like a lifetime ago, but that still hasn't stopped some people from dressing up. Four men in California, have a look at this,
claimed a bear ripped up their car and sent this video, looking at there, to an insurance company as proof. This they said was proof. Even including
pictures of the damages to the bear, that supposedly was the damage by the bear caused.
[14:55:00]
But authorities looking at the video and the damages, well, they just weren't convinced. And then, they found this costume in one of the
suspect's homes. It's not a Hollywood. The men have been arrested for insurance fraud. And authorities are calling the scam operation bear claw.
Pretty unbearable. That's right
An amazing new discovery has just been made and this -- in the Pacific Ocean, and this is truly stunning. Scientists have found the world's
largest coral in the southwest portion of the Pacific. It's believed to be at least 300 years old. The coral measures more than 30 meters or 100 feet
long. It was found during a scientific expedition launched by the National Geographic Pristine Seas Program. And scientists were looking at ocean
health in the Solomon Islands when the coral was spotted.
That does it for us for tonight. Thanks very much for your company. Do you stay right here newsroom? We're Jim Sciutto is up next. Maybe we'll leave
you with some music. Do we have the music "Get Low"? Very much doubt it. We do not. Well, maybe that's a good reason. That does it for us. Thank you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:00:00]
END
