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Biden Attends Final G-20; Musk Clashes with Trump Adviser; Giuliani Back in Court; Biden Allows Weapons in Russia. Aired 9-9:30a ET

Aired November 18, 2024 - 09:00   ET

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

[09:00:06]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, breaking this morning, Donald Trump promises he will declare a national emergency as soon as he takes office, as reports emerge that first best friend, billionaire Elon Musk is fighting behind the scenes with Trump advisers.

Make way for the winklevii (ph). What does crypto want and when will they get it?

And why is Rudy Giuliani fighting to keep his refrigerator? This as he heads to court today representing himself. The walls seem to be closing in.

I'm John Berman, with Sara Sidner and Kate Bolduan. This is CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now, President Biden is in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, as his final G-20 summit kicks off. But it is who will be at the next G-20. President-elect Donald Trump looming over every critical conversation. Trump had promised to end the war in Ukraine in one day. He has vowed tariffs across the board on U.S. imports, has threatened to end climate change action and close the U.S. border.

Let's get straight to CNN's Kayla Tausche, who is traveling with President Biden today.

Kayla, Biden already in those meetings after walking in. We're seeing that video there in Rio de Janeiro. What are you hearing is going to occur today in these meetings?

KAYLA TAUSCHE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Sara, the meetings today have very high-level approaches to issues like hunger and financing to eradicate poverty in some of the least developed nations around the world. And President Biden is expected to support billions of dollars in new funding for the World Bank to help some of those efforts get a new financial push.

But certainly, the backdrop to all of this is the step change that the U.S. has pursued in Ukraine to try to bring about a closer end to that conflict. U.S. officials defending any change in strategy by suggesting that it was Russia who lit the fire of this conflict by invading Ukraine and then upping the ante by enlisting some thousands of North Korean troops to help them potentially fight in Ukraine, and that the green lighting of allowing Ukraine to use U.S. made long range missiles that could strike up to 190 miles into Russian territory as simply was a response to Russia's own expanding of that conflict.

Now, after the U.S. makes this decision, there is an expectation that the U.K. and France could allow Ukraine to use long range weapons that they have manufactured to the same effect, which would certainly represent a significant policy change on behalf of western allies as this protracted war continues and faces the potential of a change in approach from the U.S. once Donald Trump takes office.

Now, President Biden and his officials believe that going into this G- 20 summit, his fourth and final of his presidency, that the U.S. is on stronger footing on the world stage than four years ago. But they acknowledge that there is a new administration coming in January, and that that could bring some significant change of its own.

SIDNER: Certainly could. There's also this major focus on President Biden's part when it comes to climate change. We need to visit the Amazon as he prepares for the Trump transition.

What are you hearing on that front?

TAUSCHE: Well, certainly that speech was planned, even before the election took place, as a way for President Biden to essentially put a stake in the ground on what the - his administration has done on climate.

But that imagery has, you know, taken on new urgency with President Biden acknowledging that there could be some about faces by the new administration perhaps to withdraw once again from the Paris climate agreement, to introduce some friendlier regulations on fossil fuels and to potentially even undo some of his landmark legislation that allows for clean energy investment. But he said no one can reverse the clean energy revolution that is underway. But certainly, Sara, there are conversations among every world leader here at the G-20 on exactly what their relationship with the incoming administration is going to look like, what policies could be put forth, and how they could strengthen their position in dealing and negotiating with Trump himself once he takes office, Sara.

SIDNER: Yes. Kayla, these are difficult things to get through. These are difficult conversations to be had as an incoming president is on his way in January. But at least you have that gorgeous background behind you, Rio de Janeiro. It is just stunning. Thank you so much.

TAUSCHE: And some SPF 50 as well.

SIDNER: Exactly. Appreciate it.

Kate.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Also new this morning, President-elect Donald Trump confirming that he is going to use the U.S. military to carry out his mass deportation policy. Trump saying on social media early this morning that reports he'll declare a national emergency are true.

[09:05:04]

And there's also new reporting from "Axios" about infighting between some of Trump's closest advisers. Elon Musk and longtime Trump ally Boris Epshteyn. The two men reportedly at odds over who should now be picked for treasury secretary and other cabinet positions. Overnight, Donald Trump announced his pick to head the Federal Communications Commission, Brendan Carr. Carr is currently an FCC commissioner. He also authored a chapter about making big changes to that agency in Project 2025, the same Project 2025 which Trump has said would have no influence over him when he was campaigning.

CNN's Steve Contorno has much more on all of this.

And what are you hearing from Donald Trump's team today, Steve?

STEVE CONTORNO, CNN REPORTER: Kate, Trump is back in Palm Beach today after a weekend where he spent some of it in New York City attending that UFC match. And we expect him to continue to quickly piece together his cabinet here.

And over the weekend, his allies spent much of their time defending the picks he has already made, making the case that Donald Trump, because of his victory, deserves to have the cabinet in place that he wants.

We are also hearing from them that the disruption of government extends well beyond Trump's picks for - to lead these agencies to the very government itself.

Take a listen to what Vivek Ramaswamy, one of those close advisers, said over the weekend.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VIVEK RAMASWAMY, TRUMP PICK TO HEAD NEW DEPARTMENT OF GOVERNMENT EFFICIENCY: We expect mass reductions. We expect certain agencies to be deleted outright. We expect mass reductions in force in areas of the federal government that are bloated. We expect massive cuts among federal contractors and others who are overbilling the federal government. So, yes, we expect all of the above. And I think people will be surprised by, I think, how quickly we're able to move with some of those changes given the legal backdrop the Supreme Court has given us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CONTORNO: Now, one of the agencies that Donald Trump has promised to cut is the Department of Education. And it is also one of the agencies that he has yet to pick a secretary for. He also has yet to name a Treasury secretary and secretaries of Commerce, Labor, Housing and Urban Development and Transportation as well, Kate.

BOLDUAN: Steve Contorno. Thanks so much, Steve.

John.

BERMAN: All right, with us now, former Republican strategist and pollster, Lee Carter, and executive committee chair of the New York State Democratic Committee and president and CEO of WIN, Christine Quinn.

The backdrop for all these cabinet appointments right now, or one of the backdrops, is that Elon Musk is at Mar-a-Lago doing things. And by that I mean a lot of things. And apparently upsetting some people inside Trump world. "Axios" is reporting this morning that he had a massive blowup with Boris Epshteyn, Trump's lawyer and adviser, accusing Epshteyn of leaking details of Trump's transition, including personnel picks to the media.

And I just want to take a step back here, Lee, and talk about the role that Musk is playing and whether or not - or when he could wear out his welcome.

LEE CARTER, STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS EXPERT: I think it's a fascinating thing that's happening right now because Elon Musk is not going anywhere. He's staying at Mar-a-Lago. Trump is talking about how much he enjoys having him around. And he doesn't seem to be having any issues with him. He's weighing in on almost every pick. You hear him talking about the Treasury secretary and really saying, we want disruption. And I think he is a very, very close ally and very important to Donald Trump. I think Donald Trump feels that he was very important also to his re-election. And so, I don't think we're going to see him going anywhere.

BERMAN: So, just to talk a little bit more about what you were just saying right there, Elon Musk has been actively lobbying for Treasury secretary picks right now. He doesn't want to see Scott Bessent, who is this very rich guy who's been angling for it. He wants to see Howard Lutnick, the transition chair. And he posted on X, right? He said it would be more interesting to hear people weigh in on this for Donald Trump to consider feedback. My view is that Bessent is a business as usual choice, whereas Lutnick will actually enact change. Business as usual is driving America bankrupt, so we need change one way or another.

So, Christine, like Trump's behind closed doors, but he's also lobbying in public. How is this supposed to work?

CHRISTINE QUINN, PRESIDENT AND CEO, WIN: And it also looks like he's crowdsourcing cabinet secretaries, which is a very odd and troubling posture. Not exactly a way to lead.

It's not at all surprising that already, not very far into the transition, Trump advisers are at each other's throats. That's what we saw in the first term and what we know Donald Trump likes. He likes it for his advisers to argue with each other. He likes there - for there to be drama. It's like he's back on TV again. So, I think we will see this continue. And as it did in the first term, kind of erode any foundation you need to really lead from and to really be able to trust the people who are by your side.

[09:10:07]

BERMAN: And just so we can put the pictures up on the screen here, we have some pictures of the people involved with the latest transition team infighting. That's Elon Musk there on the left. He's fighting with Boris Epshteyn, the Trump lawyer and adviser, right next to him. He wants Howard Lutnick, person number three there, to be Treasury secretary, and he's knifing Scott Bessent, the guy in the end there, for Treasury secretary.

And again, I just - I just don't understand, Lee, the limits to this. And if Trump will ever actively cross Musk. I mean I think one of the most interesting things to look at now is, is Trump willing to cross Musk?

CARTER: I think he would be would to cross Musk. But I also think that I'd like to offer just a slightly different point of view. Yes, Donald Trump likes drama, but he also likes attention on what he's doing. And so I don't think that any of this is a mistake. I think that all of us are talking about the Treasury secretary in a way we probably otherwise wouldn't. We're knowing the differences on where he's focused, we're talking about whether or not this is going to be a crypto focus, if the person's going to support tariffs, if they're going to support regulation. There's so much more conversation about a Treasury secretary pick than we otherwise would have.

And this is what Donald Trump does. He does a weekend drop of all kinds of things that on Monday we're all picking up and talking about and here we go again. I think it's not - not a secret, I don't think it's a surprise, and I don't think that it's Elon Musk acting against Donald Trump's wishes. I think this is very much orchestrated.

BERMAN: Let's talk about Matt Gaetz, by the way. Elon Musk traveled with Matt Gaetz to Washington with Donald Trump. So, Musk may be in on this - this pick also. But Matt Gaetz is Donald Trump's pick to be attorney general. There are Republicans and Democrats in the Senate, Christine, who want to see this House Ethics Committee draft. They investigated Gaetz for - for the sexual abuse allegations, trafficking and drug use allegations, all of which Gaetz has denied.

But there is this report out there and also new reporting on the information that House members got. And now there are some questions - there are some reports this morning that Democrats are considering using this month and a half they have left where they're in the majority in the Senate to maybe do some investigating of their own.

What do you think Democrats should do during this period, Christine?

QUINN: Well, I think Democrats absolutely need to focus on derailing this appointment because if Matt Gaetz is appointed, it will be terrible for the country and terrible for the most important law enforcement civil rights position in our country. But they need to be careful that they don't only focus on Gaetz, and they look at the other appointments and pick out the other ones that are critical to our country's stability and oppose those as well. But they also need to make sure they don't just blanket oppose all of them because then it will seem way too political and just reactionary.

But that there is a report that Speaker Johnson won't release really makes you think there's something terrible in the report. So, if there's nothing that's going to unfairly add information out there about this appointment, why not just put it out? Why did he resign seemingly early, before he's even confirmed, if he isn't trying to hide something? It's one of those situations where if there is smoke, there is probably fire, and that report should be released for the good of the office and the good of the country.

BERMAN: You know, there are Republicans in the Senate who want to see this report also, Lee.

CARTER: Absolutely. I think Gaetz is probably the most controversial figure that's up there. He has been a thorn in many of the Republican's side. We know that he openly had a big fight with the former speaker of the House, Kevin McCarthy. He is a big issue. And I think that Donald Trump knows that.

I also think that this could be the sacrificial lamb. Just about every time there's about one of the appointees that doesn't go through, I think this is a very smart move by Donald Trump, if that's what this is, because, you know what, he's out of the House, he's out of his hair, and he could be out of the spotlight for a while.

I know Trump is a loyalist, so he can then pat him on the back and said, I tried. But, you know what, there's just no way around it. And I think that would be a smart move exactly (ph).

QUINN: And I -

BERMAN: All right, Lee Carter, Christine Quinn -

QUINN: I agree with that, that Gaetz could be the sacrificial lamb.

BERMAN: I always like to leave on agreement. So, appreciate that.

Lee Carter, Christine Quinn, great to see both of you. Thank you very much.

CARTER: Thank you.

BERMAN: Sara.

QUINN: Take care.

SIDNER: Laughter in politics, something you don't see often.

All right, ahead, he had to give up all his valuables, everything from Mercedes to watches, but Rudy Giuliani back in court this morning. What his refrigerator has to do with it.

And President Biden making a big change in policy, saying that Ukraine can use long range U.S. missiles inside Russia. What Putin is now warning. And they poured tens of millions of dollars into the Trump campaign

and congressional elections. So, what does the crypto industry want in return?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:19:36]

BOLDUAN: This morning, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani is set to face a judge in a New York civil court. This time he's trying to get a lawsuit thrown out over unpaid legal fees. And in a sign, potentially, of the financial trouble that he has gotten himself into, Giuliani is representing himself.

CNN's Kara Scannell is outside the courthouse with much more on this.

And how does this one fit into kind of all of the legal troubles that Rudy Giuliani faces?

[09:20:05]

KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Kate.

I mean this is one of the many lawsuits that Giuliani is facing and one of the many bills that he has yet to pay. So, in this instance, this case, his former lawyers, the ones who represented him in some criminal cases involving - including the one here in New York involving allegations of foreign lobbying, they have sued Giuliani saying that he owes them $1.3 million in unpaid legal bills. So, Giuliani is trying to get the case thrown out.

He will be before a judge today. And his argument is that he signed a retainer agreement with the individual lawyer, Bob Costello, but Costello is no longer with the firm, so he's saying the firm doesn't have a right to try to collect. He also said he never got the invoices, and he says he can prove that. So, he's trying to get this case thrown out.

But it is just one of many legal issues that Giuliani is facing. He's still under criminal indictment in Georgia, and then he has a lot of debt that he has to pay, including that nearly $150 million judgment involving those election workers.

Kate.

BOLDUAN: Let me ask you about that one, because he was just ordered to turn over some of - luxury items that are to begin paying out the huge sum that a judge has ordered that he owes in damages to those former Georgia election workers. Where do things stand with this?

SCANNELL: So, the deadline was Friday for him to turn over a list of items that the judge had signed off on. And that includes luxury watches, about two dozen of them, including a Rolex, and also a 1980 Mercedes Benz that was once owned by the movie star Lauren Bacall. So, on Friday, Giuliani's lawyer said that he did turn those items over. He's in the process of turning over his Manhattan penthouse apartment

valued at around $6 million to these women, but he says now that he wants the refrigerator that is in it. So, he's trying to kind of claw that back. And that's because under the rules you can have certain materials that are necessary to live. And that score, his lawyers are also trying to prevent some sports memorabilia from being turned over. That was also expected to be turned over on Friday. That was the deadline. He did not turn over the contents of this storage locker in Long Island that has the sports memorabilia. And one of the reasons that Giuliani is saying that he should be able to keep some of that is he's saying some of it is clothing and he should be able to maintain that, including a signed Joe DiMaggio shirt.

The judge has not yet weighed in on this, nor have the lawyers for the women. But again, just some of these issues and them trying to collect the debts that Giuliani owes them.

Kate.

BOLDUAN: Yes, sure thing. Thank you so much, Kara. Let's see what happens today. I mean quite a situation in a state that Rudy Giuliani has gotten himself into that now he's fighting over a refrigerator.

John.

BERMAN: I'm kind of obsessed with that refrigerator. Is it like diamond plated or something? Is it like that episode of "Arrested Development," you know, there's money in the banana stand.

BOLDUAN: I mean, you know, we've known politicians have - what they have hidden in the freezers of refrigerators before.

BERMAN: Jefferson, right? Yes. Yes.

BOLDUAN: So, who knows?

BERMAN: All right, there you have it.

All right, happening now, the murder trial for the man accused of killing University of Georgia student Laken Riley underway. Her roommates could take the stand.

And just in, a record-breaking number of travelers expected this Thanksgiving. We've got some new advice on what you have to do to beat them all.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:28:02]

SIDNER: Right now President Biden is in Brazil for his final G-20 summit, just after he made a major foreign policy decision authorizing Ukraine to use long range American weapons inside Russian territory. That is a massive political - policy shift, as nearly 50,000 Russian and North Korean troops have been deployed to push Ukraine out of Russia's Kursk region. And this morning, the Kremlin spokesperson said using those long range missiles would be, and I'm quoting here, "throwing oil on the fire of the war."

CNN chief national security analyst Jim Sciutto joining us now.

Why is this authorization happening now?

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: The biggest change we've seen in recent weeks - and, by the way, the Biden administration has been pushed to do this by many of its closest allies for months and refused, is that deployment of many thousands of North Korean troops in western Russia to take part in the war in Ukraine.

I mean this is a remarkable and unsettling development. You have a nuclear North Korea deploying thousands of forces to Europe to take part in the largest war in Europe since World War II. So, that's significant.

Add to that the increasing pace and scale of Russian air attacks on Ukraine, including just over the weekend, one of the largest missile attacks since the start of the war. And the Biden administration made the decision to finally, in the view of Ukrainians, allow Ukrainians to strike some of those firing positions, right? I mean they - what they want to use these weapons to do is hit positions inside Russia, where Russia is firing into Ukraine, including against civilian targets.

The combination of those two things seems to have pushed the administration over - over - over the finish line on this.

SIDNER: And, of course, Russia is listening to all this. So usually people maneuver, right? Countries maneuver when they hear this. But what impact might this actually have on the battlefield?

[09:30:03]

SCIUTTO: It's - it's - oh, on the battlefield it could have a significant impact because, you know, the trouble Ukraine has right, is it, it fires back against Russia.