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One World with Zain Asher
Republican Senators Tight-Lipped About Gaetz As AG; Gaetz Resigns From House Ahead Of Key Ethics Meeting; Paris Ramps Up Security Ahead Of France-Israel Football Match; Republicans Win Control Of The House, Completing Trifecta; American Immigration Council: $315B To Deport 13M Migrants; South African Government: Won't Help Illegal Miners Inside Mine; Police: Missing Kayaker May Have Faked Death, Fled County; Satirical News Site, The Onion, Wins Auction For Infowars; Michele-Starred tacos Draw Long Lines In Chicago; Aired 12-1p ET
Aired November 14, 2024 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[12:00:26]
BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR: Shock in Washington as Trump makes yet another controversial cabinet pick. Sources say it's all about payback. ONE
WORLD starts right now.
He's under investigation by the House of Representatives, but Donald Trump thinks he'll do a great job as the nation's top prosecutor. So can Matt
Gaetz get confirmed by the Senate?
Also ahead, a frantic search turns into something stranger, the husband and father who police say staged his own death.
And later, why are Chicagoans spending hours waiting in the cold and rain? Well, they say what they're waiting for is worth every second and every
penny.
Hello, everyone. Live from New York, I'm Bianna Golodryga. Zain is off today. You are watching ONE WORLD.
One of the most controversial U.S. lawmakers could soon be the nation's top cop. President-elect Donald Trump has picked Congressman Matt Gaetz to be
his attorney general. The move has shocked Washington.
Now, if Gaetz is confirmed as attorney general, he would be in charge of the Justice Department that previously investigated him for alleged sex
crimes. Some Republican senators seemed reluctant to discuss the choice.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. SUSAN COLLINS (R-ME): I was shocked that he has been nominated.
SEN. ROGER WICKER (R-MS): I'm having trouble.
MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: What about Matt Gaetz?
Do you support him?
SEN. RON JOHNSON (R-WI): We have a confirmation process.
SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): I don't know yet. I have to think about that one.
Do you have any concerns about it?
GRAHAM: We'll see.
RAJU: Do you think Matt Gaetz is confirmable?
SEN. JOHN CORNYN (R-TX): We'll find out, won't we?
RAJU: Senator Kennedy, what do you think of Matt Gaetz as attorney general?
SEN. JOHN KENNEDY (R-LA): Happy Thanksgiving.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Well, here's why Gaetz is controversial. The FBI investigated him, but did not charge him over allegations of sex trafficking. And a
House probe looked into accusations of sexual misconduct, illicit drugs, and misusing campaign funds.
That probe ended Wednesday, when he resigned. And we don't know if the findings will be released. Gaetz brought a Holocaust denier, we should
note, to the 2018 State of the Union.
And despite having, at best, minimal experience as a lawyer, he'll be the nation's top prosecutor.
So let's take a deep dive into Trump's choice. Katelyn Polantz is in Washington, but we begin with Manu Raju at the U.S. Capitol. Few things at
this point in time, Manu, can shock some of those people who work in the building behind you. This one seemed to come out of left field just as the
president-elect was in Washington. Talk about what you're hearing.
RAJU: Yes. The math may be an issue for Donald Trump, even though he will have probably 53 seats in the United States Senate. We have not called a
Pennsylvania Senate race, but it is in their favor at the moment. And if he does have 53 seats, that means he can only lose three Republicans max on a
party-line vote.
And I can tell you, Bianna, I've talked to -- spent a lot of state talking to many, perhaps most of those Senate Republicans. There are far more than
three who have concerns. Now, does that mean they'll vote no? It doesn't mean that.
But it does mean that Matt Gaetz has a long way to go. He has to sell them, not only in his qualifications, but on his temperament. He, of course, not
only under the controversy that you mentioned, but also he's been a pit bull for Donald Trump. He's really aligned himself with Trump. He's
defended him over January 6 and tried to defend the January 6 defendants. Of course, those January 6 prisoners have been central to the current
Justice Department's prosecution about what happened on that day.
But that's just a touch of the controversy, including on that investigation by the bipartisan House Ethics Committee looking into those allegations of
sexual misconduct. Gaetz has denied those allegations, but that investigation has been going on for more than a year and was about to have
a vote this week to release that report until Matt Gaetz made the abrupt decision yesterday to resign from the House.
Now the House Ethics Committee does not have jurisdiction over him anymore and will have to decide whether they should release that information at
all. And right now, there is a pressure campaign from Senate Democrats in particular, led by the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, Dick
Durbin, calling for the release of that information in the bipartisan House Ethics Committee report.
Republicans are not on the same page on that yet. They're saying it's up to the House. One senator, though, Senator John Cornyn of Texas, told me
earlier today that he also would be -- believes that the committee should look into whatever the House Ethics Committee found in its investigation to
Matt Gaetz.
So watch that to be a point of tension going forward. But at the end of the day, will Matt Gaetz get the job? That is still an open question. And if he
does not get the votes in the Senate, will President Trump then try to recess appoint him? Something that he can do if Senate Republicans and
House Republicans go along and allow for the Senate to go on an extended recess. That's a big question in the months ahead.
[12:05:14]
But no question about this, that caught pretty much everybody in this building by (TECHNICAL DIFFICULTY) and shock after the news was announced
yesterday. Bianna.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. And, Manu, we should note, it is not normal operating procedure once somebody is nominated to immediately just resign from their
position, right? Most members of Congress would still hold that position awaiting confirmation.
RAJU: Yes, that's absolutely correct. Now what Mike Johnson, the Speaker of the House, said yesterday is that he believes that Gaetz is doing him a
favor because under Florida law, it would be eight weeks until a special election is held.
And if that were to happen in about eight weeks, that's about the beginning of January, as early as January 3rd when the new Congress convened. So
Johnson believes that Gaetz is doing him a favor by resigning early. So it's already a tight majority. It doesn't get tighter.
And as you know, he's already lost two people to the administration, Elise Stefanik and Mike Waltz of Florida. He's concerned about losing another one
in Matt Gaetz.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. This makes Mike Johnson's job that much more complicated in a new administration, even if they do carry the majority.
Manu Raju, thank you.
Katelyn Polantz, walk us through some of the reporting you have on this specific issue on this House investigation that was just set to be wrapped
up right before his abrupt departure.
And in bigger picture, what Matt Gaetz, at the DOJ, would symbolize?
KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN JUSTICE AND CRIME REPORTER: It would symbolize a departure from the types of people in the legal profession who are
typically attorneys general.
In the past, Matt Gaetz would become the top law enforcement officer in this country, if confirmed as attorney general. But he has minimal
experience as a lawyer, none as a prosecutor, which makes that a highly unusual choice for Donald Trump and one that many prominent lawyers
publicly even now.
Ty Cobb, one of them who worked for Donald Trump in his White House, saying that he's totally unqualified for this position.
Manu just mentioned shock on Capitol Hill when this announcement came across. There was shock across the Justice Department as well.
I was hearing that from many sources in touch with people there. People even who are conservative lawyers saying that this is something that is
they are disbelieving. That this is truly a shocking choice, both at Maine Justice, in the various attorney -- U.S. attorney's offices across the
country.
And then that House ethics report that is now not going be released publicly because he has resigned. That is essentially a misconduct probe,
sexual misconduct probe that continued upon work that the FBI and the Justice Department had done into Gaetz previously, a grand jury
investigation where he was not charged in federal court in Florida, but he was investigated.
And there was reason to open that investigation during the previous Trump presidency, during that administration's work as just department
investigators, where they looked into Gaetz.
If he were to become attorney general, he would be in control of the investigative files that the FBI had collected there, giving him
essentially access in an astonishing sense about witnesses that would have spoken against him.
GOLODRYGA: As you know that city well, these types of reports have a way of coming out, whether formally or not. Katelyn Polantz, thank you so much.
Well, let's look at the choice of Matt Gaetz from a legal perspective. We're joined by CNN legal analyst, Carrie Cordero.
Carrie, it is great to have you because we can talk about, not only the Matt Gaetz nomination, but also Tulsi Gabbard at DNI. You worked closely in
both offices. You've seen this job up close and personal. Just walk us through your reaction to Matt Gaetz as a potential attorney general and
what that job entails.
CARRIE CORDERO, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Well, with respect to the attorney general, obviously, it's the leadership of the Justice Department, which
includes criminal prosecutions, yes, but also a much broader remit in terms of leading national security matters that the department handles, civil
rights enforcement that the department handles, as well as all the other functions.
So it's an enormous job, usually somebody with an extensive legal career. The Senate is going to have a really challenging job, though, here, Bianna,
because generally the Senate is deferential to presidential nominations for positions like the Attorney General or like the DNI.
And so I think they're really going to have to look at each of these candidates, these nominations, and look at them both from a perspective of
qualifications and of fitness.
And they're going to have to keep in mind the national security implications because both the Justice Department and, of course, the
Director of National Intelligence have critical national security roles.
[12:10:07]
GOLODRYGA: But this does bear at least asking the timing of the president- elect just over the weekend days ago saying that he would really want and would hope that the Senate would agree to recess appointments, effectively
taking away a constitutional power that the Senate has.
Is that questionable in your view, given that Republicans have control over the Senate? So there likely, or at least in theory, wouldn't be much of a
holdup from the opposing party.
CORDERO: Well, so the normal course of business, of course, is that the Senate, as senators as a separate branch of government, would fulfill their
constitutional duty to provide advice and consent to the Senate -- to the president in making these appointments and allowing these individuals to
step into their position.
And that is usually a really extensive process that includes investigations, that includes a record, information being provided by the
nominees, a deep investigation by the Senate. And it can take time sometimes, but -- and then there's also hearings.
So the Senate has responsibilities. And each individual senator is going to have to decide whether or not they are going to evaluate each of these
candidates on the merits.
And that's why I think, Bianna, that what they're going to have to do is look at a few of these candidates, Matt Gaetz, Tulsi Gabbard for DNI,
perhaps even Pete Hegseth for secretary of defense. And they're going to have to evaluate. Do these candidates actually have relevant
qualifications?
In Matt Gaetz' case, interestingly, although he is controversial and known as a flamethrower and has this additional ethics investigation, he, for
example, has sat on the House Judiciary Tulsi Gabbard, on the other hand, as far as I can tell from her background, doesn't have any intelligence-
related experience.
And the secretary of the defense nominee has military experience, but no leadership experience, no leadership experience in terms of managing a
large bureaucracy.
GOLODRYGA: Gabbard and the nominee for DOD, both are military veterans. And let me ask you about Tulsi Gabbard. She's currently a lieutenant colonel in
the U.S. Army Reserves. Donald Trump described her as a fierceless spirit. Others have described her as a Putin and Bashar Assad sympathizer.
Just give me your perspective as to how you see her running an organization as significant, as large as the DNI. We should note the DNI was established
following the commission into inquiry into the 9/11 attacks.
CORDERO: Right. So the Office of the Director of National Intelligence has been around for about 20 years. We're talking an over $60 billion
enterprise. And the DNI oversees the entire intelligence enterprise.
Tulsi Gabbard is a former member of Congress. She does have military service experience, but as far as I can tell from her biography, she has no
intelligence related experience and certainly no leadership or management experience in the intelligence arena.
And so you're -- from that perspective, the Senate is going to really have to look at qualifications for that critical role that is involved in
interacting with all of our intelligence partners around the world, particularly at a time when intelligence cooperation and cooperation on
national security matters all around the world is so critical.
GOLODRYGA: Yes, that is a big question. How would U.S. allies respond to someone like Tulsi Gabbard, given some of the comments and sympathies that
she's publicly stated for Vladimir Putin, basically blaming Ukraine for Russia's illegal invasion in 2022, and obviously the comments she's made
about Bashar Assad not being a threat to the United States.
Carrie Cordero, thank you so much for your time and your expertise.
CORDERO: Thanks, Bianna.
GOLODRYGA: Still to come for us, families wait as thousands of miners run out of food and water in a closed mineshaft in South Africa. Why the
government says, it won't help them.
And Paris is bracing for a football match between Israel and France a week after attacks on Israeli fans in Amsterdam. We'll have a live report from
Paris when we return.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:15:04]
GOLODRYGA: Well, Paris is ramping up security ahead of a football match between France and Israel, set to begin in just over two hours' time. Some
4,000 officers will be deployed to police the game.
On Wednesday, pro-Palestinian groups gathered in the city to oppose a controversial pro-Israel gala by a far-right Israeli association.
Now, today's match comes after violent clashes in Amsterdam last week following a match between Israel's Maccabi Tel Aviv and Dutch (INAUDIBLE)
Ajax.
CNN's Melissa Bell is near the stadium just outside of Paris and joins us now. Obviously, things are quite tense around you, security in full force.
Stunning that this all involves a football match, but thus are the times we live in.
Talk about the security measures that are in place right now. I'm reading alerts that Israeli officials are also in correspondence with their
counterparts in France.
MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Bianna. We've been hearing that the Israeli foreign minister has been in direct
contact with the French foreign ministry in order to ensure that any Israel fans traveling to Paris tonight can do so safely.
We don't expect that many of them to do so, by the way. There have been calls by Israeli authorities for Israelis to be very careful about what
football or sporting fixtures in general they attend.
But certainly, we expect tonight in the Stade de France, normally see some 80,000 people, maybe as few as 15,000 to turn up the match.
Interestingly, though, you'll have not just the current French president, but two former French presidents in shows of support for the match going
ahead as peacefully as it can and certainly to show their determination to fight against anti-Semitism.
But you can just see behind me here, Bianna, a small pro-Palestinian protest has just begun here in the northern neighborhoods of Paris. We're
not very far from the Stade de France, but this had been planned on a slightly different -- slightly different place where some of those coming
to or away from the Stade de France may have passed. And so it was moved here to keep everyone absolutely separate.
As you say, no chances have been taken by French authorities, 4,000 policemen and women around the streets of Paris tonight, to police what is
likely to be a very poorly attended football match, but where feelings are running very high.
You mentioned those events last night, that gala event that was organized to raise money and support for the Israeli government. That had attracted
the attention of pro-Palestinian groups, but also a separate protest of Jewish groups here in France opposed to Israel's policies in the Gaza
Strip, who also took to the streets for the first time since October 7, 2023, to make their voices heard as well.
So, certainly, while this is a match likely not to see that many actual football fans attending, the context right now here in Paris has meant that
authorities are doing all they can to ensure that whatever protests happen don't lead to the kind of violence that we saw last week in Amsterdam
against Israeli citizens. Bianna.
[12:20:04]
GOLODRYGA: Let's hope so. You'll be watching for us. Melissa Bell, thank you so much.
Well, a damning new report by Human Rights Watch says Israel's forced displacement of Palestinians in Gaza amounts to a war crime and a crime
against humanity. The U.N. estimates that more than 90 percent of the population, that's 1.9 million Palestinians, has been displaced in the past
year.
The report also says that Israel has violated its obligation to ensure Palestinians can return home by deliberately demolishing buildings and
civilian infrastructure in Gaza. But Israel strongly denies the accusations, and the military says that it is committed to international
law and is operating accordingly.
Well, coming up more than one week out, it's hard to believe it's only been a week. Democrats are asking what went so wrong for them in the U.S.
presidential election and what comes next. We'll take a look, straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GOLODRYGA: Welcome back to ONE WORLD. I'm Bianna Golodryga.
Well, it's back to single-party rule in Washington. Four years after Democrats won the presidency and both chambers of Congress, it's now a
Republican trifecta. And it became official on Wednesday.
One week after the election, a CNN projection showed Republicans clinched a majority in the House, securing their grasp on the U.S. government.
Now, controlling all three levers of political power in Washington isn't that unusual. It has now happened three times since 2017. It gives the
president far more scope to implement his agenda.
And adding to that, when Donald Trump returns to the Oval Office in January, he will do so with an overwhelmingly conservative Supreme Court
that he helped to shape.
Democrats are now searching for answers as to what went wrong. "The New York Times" spoke to some young voters who summed up their opinion of
Kamala Harris' campaign in a word or phrase. Empty, missing in action and without substance is what some of them said.
[12:25:00]
New York congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez also reached out to voters and she posed this question.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ (R-NY): If you voted for Donald Trump and me, or if you voted for Donald Trump and voted democratic down ballot, I would
really love to hear from you.
I actually want to learn from you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Time now for The Exchange. My conversation with CNN political commentator Bakari Sellers. He's a former South Carolina state
representative, and he joins me now live in Columbia.
Bakari, you have been on our air repeatedly saying this is what voters voted for, and now they got it. Let's just begin with Matt Gaetz. Your
reaction to his appointment by the president-elect Trump to oversee the Justice Department.
How do you expect the Republican-controlled Senate to respond? Do you think that he actually will go through the confirmation process? Or do you think
perhaps we could see this as a recess appointment, something former president has alluded to wanting?
BAKARI SELLERS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, first of all, I believe it has to be a recess appointment. There are two things. It has to be a recess
appointment because you don't want to go through a confirmation hearing with Matt Gaetz.
Not only is he utterly unqualified from a legal perspective, having not been a prosecutor or worked as a lawyer for that long of a period of time,
but he also doesn't have the character for the job.
I mean, this is somebody who resigned from office just a couple of days before a damning report about his sexual proclivities comes out from the
House Ethics Committee. And it still may be released.
But you -- it's ironic. And when I say that this is kind of what America gets what she deserves, I recall Democrats running Al Franken out of the
United States Senate for a picture that looked untoward. And here, you have someone who has these allegations against him going through a House ethics
probe and they make him attorney general of the United States.
And so look, I think that the chaos is just going to get more and more. And people elected Donald Trump to lower the price of eggs, to lower the price
of milk, not to do whatever this is.
GOLODRYGA: OK. To that point, in response to the Gaetz appointment, New Mexico Senator Martin Heinrich posted on X that people voted for cheaper
eggs, not whatever the F this is.
But Trump ally and former administration official Ric Grenell, who may also get an appointment in some position here by Donald Trump, said on X that
Gaetz, quote, will be an attorney general for the people, not the powerful elites in Washington, adding that Washington types won't be happy, but that
only means common sense is back. This is what America voted for in a landslide mandate for Donald Trump.
So who is right here, someone like Ric Grenell or someone like the New Mexico state senator?
SELLERS: No, they both are right. I think that the New Mexico United States Senator was actually accurate. In fact, I just said that line here on TV. I
mean, I think that's -- that is a fact.
But Ric Grenell is also right in the latter part of his statement and that this is what Americans voted for. They voted for this chaos. And the next
18 months, we're going to hit rock bottom.
It's going to be good content, for lack of a better term, but people are going to suffer. If you really think, and I don't believe -- Ric Grenell
will not defend Matt Gaetz, you know, out on the street, but he's put in a position where he has to defend him on X, because this is what Donald Trump
makes people do. He makes them take untenable positions.
There is no way that from a character, intellectual perspective, or an experienced perspective, that Matt Gaetz deserves to be over the Department
of Justice. Just like there's no way that Tulsi Gabbard deserves to be over at DNI. I mean, that is -- that's ridiculous.
I mean, Bashir al-Assad and Vladimir Putin are just cheering because Tulsi Gabbard has this opportunity now. I mean, and Secretary of Defense Hegseth.
I mean, let's think about that. You had his resume versus Defense Secretary Austin, who was 41 years in the military, who worked with the Joint Chiefs,
who led command battalions versus someone who was a major in the National Guard, who served admirably, I must say. Received two bronze stars, but
just does not have the same level of gravitas or credibility to lead the most vibrant, respected military in the world. It's a joke.
But, again, Ric Grenell is right. Americans voted for a joke. We just have to feel the pain as we go through it.
GOLODRYGA: So, what are the lessons for Democrats here? It's clearly not to, in the future, point to a democratic equivalent of Matt Gaetz or Tulsi
Gabbard to positions that many would argue that they're not prepared or equipped for.
SELLERS: Yes, I mean, the lessons are elections have consequences. I mean, that's the -- that's the real message. We have to do a better job of
building a party that listens to the grassroots up. We have to build a better party that meets voters where they are, and we'll do those things.
[12:30:09]
I mean, the Virginia gubernatorial races and statewide races, as well as the New Jersey gubernatorial and statewide races, are coming up in 2025.
And so election season is already upon us, even before you get to the House elections in 2026, where we have an opportunity to take that back.
And so I don't have a whole lot of concern. I know there's a lot of Democrats who are ready to throw the baby out with the bath water and are
clutching their pearls and wetting their beds.
But for me, it's understanding that the next 18 months are going to be very tight. They're going to be very disturbing. The imagery that we're going to
see, the chaos that we're going to see, people forgot that part because of the fact that they were feeling the burden of cost and the rising cost. But
this is the chaos that people will remember in the first 18 months of a Trump presidency.
GOLODRYGA: Let me go back to what you think will be likely if Matt Gaetz does go through, would be through a recess appointment. Just to reiterate
to viewers at home, how powerful the U.S. Senate is, especially given the fact that it does have the confirmation job afforded to it?
In the constitution, you really think that it is more plausible that they will forego their constitutional responsibility as sort of a check and
balance on this president and on the executive office, as opposed to going through the confirmation period itself, no matter how ugly it will be?
SELLERS: Of course. You know, we've seen this story before that people cower or turn into cowards when it comes to Donald Trump. They have the
constitutional authority to advise and consent on these appointments.
And the tragedy is that they're going to advocate that duty because they don't want to have this public fight about Matt Gaetz. There's nobody that
wants to vote for Matt Gaetz on the record. I just can't see that being something that actually occurs.
But at the end of the day, there is a way that he can be the attorney general. He is the attorney general and there -- this is all one caveat. If
that report leaks and it's as damning as the "Miami Herald" says it is and other outlets say it is, then maybe we'll have an issue.
But if not, matt Gaetz will be the next attorney general. He'll have access to his entire case file. He will preside over nearly a hundred United
States attorneys throughout the country. He'll be our country's chief prosecutor and governmental official in justice. And it's going to -- you
know, our justice system will be one of the laughingstocks of the world.
GOLODRYGA: Just to remind viewers what Senator Lisa Murkowski, who has been known to speak out against President Trump and not just be in line with her
party, said when asked if he's a serious candidate, she said, not as far as I'm concerned. We'll see how her peers also move forward on this issue.
Bakari Sellers, thanks so much. Appreciate it.
SELLERS: Thank you. Have a blessed day.
GOLODRYGA: You too.
Well, Republican control of Congress means Donald Trump should have little trouble pushing through his agenda. And it's expected to include a hard
line on immigration and illegal migrants.
Economists have warned the president-elect's plan for mass deportations, which he's talked about a lot on the campaign trail, would be inflationary.
CNN's Tom Foreman takes a closer look at the numbers.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): 315 billion taxpayer dollars to round up and ship out 13 million people.
That's how much the American Immigration Council estimates Donald Trump's mass deportations could cost.
STEPHEN MILLER, FORMER SENIOR ADVISOR TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They begin on inauguration day.
FOREMAN (voice-over): And other challenges are also adding up, starting with just finding those folks.
Many of the top states where undocumented people live are huge, and Pew Research says 70 percent of them reside in homes with U.S. citizens,
undocumented parents with American-born kids, for example, posing the puzzle should families be broken up?
TOM HOMAN, FORMER ACTING ICE DIRECTOR: It's not going to be a mass sweep of neighborhoods.
FOREMAN (voice-over): Tom Homan, Trump's former Acting Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, now tapped for the new efforts, has
suggested to CBS an already reduced goal. Start by going after convicted criminals, federal numbers say they account for about four percent of
undocumented migrants picked up in Texas this year.
Still --
HOMAN: If I'm in charge of this, my priorities are public safety threats and national security threats first.
CECILIA VEGA, CBS NEWS CORRESPONDENT: First implies, others follow though, right?
HOMAN: Absolutely.
FOREMAN (voice-over): There is broad agreement that immigration and customs enforcement does not have adequate facilities for the Trump plan. With just
41,500 beds and an average of 29 repatriation flights a week, and even a slimmed-down plan would likely require many more agents.
TRUMP: You need very tough people to solve it.
[12:35:01]
FOREMAN (voice-over): Trump has proposed using military troops, but some legal analysts say, that would be flatly illegal, as would be invoking old
laws like the Alien Enemies Act from the 1700s to dodge overcrowded courts.
LEE GELERNT, ATTORNEY, AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION: We think that there's no way this law can be stretched for regular deportations. Now,
whether they try it is another case, but we are prepared to challenge that in court
FOREMAN: And we should throw in concerns about skyrocketing labor and consumer costs if millions of workers suddenly disappear, particularly in
construction and in agriculture and in the hospitality industry.
FOREMAN (voice-over): It all means Trump's plan could fall far short of his promise, according to Edward Alden at the non-partisan Council on Foreign
Relations.
EDWARD ALDEN, SENIOR FELLOW, COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS: Let's say they're deporting a million a year. That's more than twice as high as we've
ever seen before in the modern year of immigration law. That's a lot of people, right? That's going to be really, really disruptive.
FOREMAN (voice-over): Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GOLODRYGA: Forecasters say more rain is on the way after thunderstorms and torrential rain again battered coastal parts of Spain. Thousands of people
have had to evacuate.
In some places, nearly a month's worth of rain fell in just one hour on Wednesday. The country is still reeling from historic floods that killed
more than 220 people just two weeks ago.
And in South Africa, the families of miners wait and worry. The government says no help is coming because it's cracking down on illegal mining.
Reports vary on how many miners are inside an abandoned gold mine in South Africa's northwest province.
Some police reports say several hundred, but three miners who have come out told police there were 4,000. They're believed to be running out of food
and water. Police have closed off the entrances that were used to transport basic supplies underground.
CNN's Victoria Rubadiri joins us now. This is so disturbing. Victoria, what more do we know about these miners? And do we have an accurate figure as to
how many there are?
VICTORIA RUBADIRI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's right. You mentioned 4,000. That's what we know so far from the authorities.
This has been going on for the last couple of weeks. So far, according to the authorities, a thousand miners have managed to surface, many of them
weak and sickly.
Now, the issue here, of course, is the government is trying to clamp down on illegal mining in the country. They say it's a menace that's been eating
into the mining industries' profits and revenues for decades now.
[12:40:10]
But it hasn't deterred those many young people and migrants who are looking to make some extra money. What's most disheartening, and you talked about
it, was the families who have loved ones who are still trapped underground. Here's what some of them had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AGNES MODISE, COMMUNITY MEMBER: No. We only want the police to help us so that we can take those people from underground, so that they can come
outside. Because there, they've been trapped without food, without water, without nothing.
EMILY PHOTSOA, COMMUNITY MEMBER: So if the sickly persons are down there, what is going to happen to them? They're going to die if they don't get
medication, water to sustain them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RUBADIRI: So that operation called Vala Umgodi or Close the Hole, has been trying to smoke out these illegal miners, get them to surface and then
arrest them.
And we've been seeing many of the local residents asking the police to hold off and exercise some humanity. You know, they wonder what's going to
happen and be of their loved ones, of course, once this operation is done.
Speaking of which, the Ministry of Police, Ministry of Defense have said they will visit the site tomorrow to, quote, reinforce the government's
commitments to uphold law and order and stop any unlawful activity.
However, they're in response -- unresponsive rather to this. We wait to see what that will mean in terms of the lives that are still trapped
underground.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. It is quite baffling. They seem to be more focused on preventing future illegal mining versus helping those thousands that need
to be rescued right now.
Victoria Rubadiri, I know you'll stay on the story. Thank you so much.
Well, investigators in Wisconsin believe a man missing since August actually faked his death and then fled the country. Police are asking the
44-year-old husband and father of three children to come forward and contact his family.
CNN's Whitney Wild is following this mysterious disappearance for us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WHITNEY WILD, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Green Lake, Wisconsin, in the middle of August, sheriff's deputies began searching for
missing kayaker, Ryan Borgwardt. The husband and father of three had been on a fishing trip about an hour north of his home and never returned.
They found his capsized kayak, car, and other belongings, his set of keys, wallet, license, even his fishing rod and tackle box turned up, but no
Borgwardt.
SHERIFF MARK PODOLL, GREAT LAKE COUNTY, WISCONSIN: We continued our search throughout and it continued through 54 days.
WILD (voice-over): Keith Cormican is a diver for the nonprofit organization Bruce's Legacy. They assist in recovery operations for drowning accidents.
KEITH CORMICAN, DIRECTOR/DIVER, BRUCE'S LEGACY: I had been on the water for actually 23 days. I had about probably 8 to 10 days of just, you know,
reviewing the data.
WILD (voice-over): Local and state authorities, along with volunteers, also helped in the search using high-end sonar equipment, drones, even cadaver
dogs. But Borgwardt's body never turned up. So the Green Lake County Sheriff's Department pursued a different theory. Borgwardt faked his own
death and fled the U.S.
Sheriff Mark Podoll says a digital forensic search of Borgwart's laptop revealed that he replaced the hard drive and cleared his browser history on
the day of the disappearance. And there's more.
Investigators found that the 44-year-old moved funds to a foreign bank, changed his email, communicated with a woman in Uzbekistan, purchased
airline cards and took out a $375,000 life insurance policy in January.
The Sheriff's Office says deputies later discovered that Canadian officials ran Borgwardt's passport the day after he was reported missing.
PODOLL: Due to these discoveries of the new evidence, we were sure that Ryan was not in our lake.
WILD (voice-over): Podoll says they don't know who the woman in Uzbekistan is, but they believe Borgwardt is likely in Eastern Europe. His department
is also investigating if any crimes were committed and if anyone assisted, no charges have been filed.
In the meantime, Podoll has a message for Borgwardt.
PODOLL: Get a hold of us. Get a hold of us and let us know that you're OK. People forgive, but it's important that we get him back here.
WILD (voice-over): Whitney Wild, CNN, Chicago.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GOLODRYGA: Still ahead, it's no laughing matter. Alex Jones' far-right conspiracy theory outlet driven to bankruptcy now has a new owner. We'll
tell you why a site known for its satire won the auction. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:45:16]
GOLODRYGA: One of the most controversial sites on the Internet has been purchased by one of the funniest. The Onion won the auction to acquire the
Infowars site founded by conspiracy theorist, Alex Jones. Jones lost the site after being found guilty of defamation for falsely calling the 2012
Sandy Hook school shooting a hoax.
The Onion explained the purchase in its typical satirical style. "Infowars has distinguished itself as an invaluable tool for brainwashing and
controlling the masses with a shrewd mix of delusional paranoia and dubious anti-aging nutrition hacks. They strive to make life both scarier and
longer for everyone, a commendable goal."
Well, Alex Jones called for calm on his last show.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALEX JONES, HOST, INFOWARS: You can be shut off any moment. Pray for us. Be nonviolent. God bless. We're not, you know, these folks are just pawns.
They don't even know what they're doing. All right. Stay with us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: CNN's chief media analyst Brian Stelter joins us now. Brian, talk about the significance of this acquisition by The Onion. We should
note that the family members, Sandy Hook parents, had supported this plan.
BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: That's right. They were actually fully on board with this. Eight of the families -- eight of the families of
the victims, as well as one of the first responders to Sandy Hook, have been backing The Onion in this effort.
And it's really poetic justice. In fact, that's the phrase that's being used both by some of the people involved and by some of the observers of
this, because all of this started because Alex Jones lied over and over again about the victims of the Sandy Hook massacre. That's been a big part
of Alex Jones' brand when it comes to Infowars for many years.
You know, frankly, I've been a target, many people have been a target of Jones over the years. He's all about fear, fear of immigrants, fear of
Democrats, fear of the government, fear of the media.
But, eventually, somebody had had enough and it was these Sandy Hook families who decided to sue, who had great personal cost and risk. You
know, they had to suffer basically again for years to file a defamation suit.
But because they prevailed, because they won in court, that's why Infowars went to auction. That's why this satirical news website was able to buy the
brand.
And if you look at infowars.com right now, you'll see the website's gone. It's been taken offline for the time being. So even though Jones is off
streaming this morning saying he's making other plans, and yes, he will re- emerge somewhere else. He will set up shop somewhere else.
The big media brand that he built up for years, based on lies, and in this case defamation, it's gone for now.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. It is unbelievable what he put these families through. And it is also commendable just their resilience in pursuing justice, given all
that they endured and the pain and the suffering after losing their children in that massacre.
[12:50:09]
It's noteworthy, Brian, that the CEO of the parent company of The Onion said, yes, they would turn this site into what they've been known for, and
that is satire, but they also would use it as an educational source for gun violence and gun safety.
STELTER: Right. This is Ben Collins, CEO of The Onion, former NBC News reporter. He says that this bid began in June and got more serious a couple
of months later.
The Onion and others were bidding for Infowars for different reasons. You know, some of Jones' allies were bidding, trying to keep him in business,
trying to keep him alive on infowars.com. But then he had these detractors or opponents like The Onion also bidding for the assets. And it was The
Onion that apparently put up the most money. That's what -- that's what Collins is telling our colleague, Hadas Gold, that The Onion's did have the
single highest bid. And that is partly because the Sandy Hook families were able to back him in this.
Everytown for Gun Safety, which is the gun control group, the gun safety group, has come out as the exclusive advertiser for this new version of the
-- of the -- of the -- I was going to say of The Onion, but it's of Infowars.
We don't know exactly what this brand's going to become when it relaunches in January. But as you said, Collins is indicating it's going to be a
mixture of humor, as well as information and advocacy.
Ultimately, that's why this is poetic justice, because we're seeing another example of how the courts are the realm, the option, for people to hold
liars accountable. We've seen this with Fox News and the Dominion case last year. Now we've seen it with Alex Jones and the Sandy Hook families. It is
through the courts that people can achieve accountability for defamation.
GOLODRYGA: And Alex Jones was fined a billion dollars in defamation judgments by the court. Where does that stand? Have these families started
to see that money?
STELTER: Yes. This acquisition, this deal today is only going to be a small amount of money. This was a seven-figure deal, I'm told, so somewhere over
a million dollars. But Infowars was not selling for eight or nine figures. It was not selling for 10 or $100 million. This is not gonna go a long way
toward paying off that judgment.
In fact, Jones has been dragging his feet when it comes to paying that massive billion dollar judgment. And there's no, you know, no realistic way
for him to actually maybe pay that entire sum off.
But in some ways, this symbolism, this is a ceremonial win, a symbolic win for the families that is very valuable. We've heard from some of the
lawyers for some of these families today saying that they really appreciate what The Onion has planned here.
Imagine if Infowars had been taken over by one of Jones' allies and he had been able to just keep doing what he was always doing at his old domain
name, it would have been a much less satisfying moment for these victims.
GOLODRYGA: Instead, as you describe it perfectly, it's poetic justice. It's a start for these families.
Brian Stelter, always good to see you. Thanks so much.
STELTER: You too, thanks.
GOLODRYGA: Well, Chicagoans are lining up for hours to sample some highly rated tacos. The first-ever Michelin Star taco stand in Mexico has teamed
up with a restaurant in Chicago for just a limited time to sell the world famous tacos in the Windy City.
CNN affiliate reporter, Charlie De Mar, finds out what this excitement is all about.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHARLIE DE MAR, CNN AFFILIATE REPORTER (voice-over): The line wrapped around several city blocks, winded around corners, some got comfortable in
chairs, while others relaxed with a drink.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Cheers.
DE MAR (voice-over): Most waited hours before the doors open tonight at 5:00.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I got here at 2:00, but I got in line at around 3.50.
ANAIS CASTILLO, WAITED FOR TACOS: I took a half day from work. I was like, this is something I want to be at.
DE MAR (voice-over): They're all waiting for tacos. Collaboration between Tacombi and Wicker Park and El Califa de Leon, the first Michelin star
taqueria in Mexico.
Tonight, the restaurant's four tacos are on the menu.
CASTILLO: We're also from Mexico City, and so I think that there's just a bit of pride and knowing that, you know, we have one of the only Michelin
Star-rated taquerias.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't think you think taco stand, so when I heard tacos, I was like, Michelin Star? Yes, I was like, I'm there.
MARIO HERNANDEZ ALONSO, OWNER, EL CALIFA DE LEON: Gracias. Como estas? Hola.
DE MAR (voice-over): The Mexico City taqueria has been in Mario Hernandez Alonso's family since 1968.
ALONSO: The line for me is amazing.
DE MAR (voice-over): Alonso says, he never imagined his no-frills taco stand would draw such praise and loyal following so many miles from Mexico.
We spoke to him through an interpreter.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I want them. As soon as they take that first bite, they can -- everything they were imagining and expecting can be fulfilled and
beyond that.
DE MAR (voice-over): So after enduring the cold rain and several hours on their feet, people finally got their hands on these decorated tacos.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Was it worth three hours? No, but they were good.
[12:55:01]
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Amazing. Worth all the wait. We got here around 2:30. Waited in line for two and a half hours. Worth every second. Worth every
penny. Amazing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One hundred three.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GOLODRYGA: I love that man being honest. Was it worth three hours? No, but they were amazing. What a great story.
Well, that does it for this hour of ONE WORLD. Thanks so much for watching. I'm Bianna Golodryga. "AMANPOUR" is up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[13:00:00]
END
