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Mike Johnson Re-Elected House Speaker; Trump Spoke to Key GOP Holdouts While Vote was Open; Bourbon Street Reopens with Tightened Security After 14 Killed; Boeing Details Safety Enhancements After Door Plug Blowout. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired January 03, 2025 - 15:30   ET

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

[15:30:00]

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: Congratulating Speaker Mike Johnson for receiving an unprecedented vote of confidence in Congress. Mike will be a great speaker, and our country will be the beneficiary. The people of America have waited four years for common sense, strength, and leadership. They'll get it now, and America will be greater than ever before. That's from the president-elect.

At the same time around that, there was a note from 11 of the House Republicans who voted for Speaker Johnson with reservations, and I know they have reservations because they wrote it down in the letter and tweeted it out to the world, saying we did this despite our sincere reservations regarding the Speaker's track record over the past 15 months and talking about the changes they would like to see.

Sum up what we saw today, former Speaker McHenry. Do you think that this is a good sign of smooth sailing to come or fasten your seatbelts?

PATRICK MCHENRY, (R) FORMER SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE: Mostly a positive sign. This is a more reconciled Republican Party than where we were two years ago on opening day, with those historic number of votes that we had. First time in 100 years we had multiple votes for the speakership.

We had one vote today. It was messy. It was choppy. It was newsworthy. We have Republicans that are different than the list that voted either skip the vote or voted against Speaker Johnson initially, saying that they have additional terms and conditions they want on the reconciliation plan, on the tax extension plan. It's going to be choppy waters ahead.

It's going to be a really interesting Congress to watch and a very difficult Congress to successfully legislate in, but one where I think at the end of the day, Republicans still can get things done and pass President Trump's agenda.

TAPPER: Scott.

SCOTT JENNINGS, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Yes, a modicum of drama today, but ultimately a good, solid, and quick outcome for Trump and Johnson and the Republican Party. And now, thankfully, the Republicans can get down to business.

A quick note on Johnson. This is a good dude. He's a good man. He's an honest man.

He's an earnest person. I've always found him to be one of the people that's in politics for the right reasons. His rise to the speakership was unlikely, as you know, Patrick, but he earned it this time.

He did a good job after having this job thrust upon him. He did a good job with it in a really challenging political environment. And then he comes out today and he ultimately wins on the first ballot.

It's going to be a hard job. There are going to be days where I'm sure he's going to regret his life's choices. But I'm glad he's the speaker, because when you think about all the people you've ever had in politics, I think Johnson's one of the best. And one of the people that you can always say is doing it for the right reasons.

TAPPER: All right. Stay with CNN for more on what's ahead after this dramatic vote for speaker. Our coverage continues after this quick break.

[15:35:00]

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BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Thanks so much for joining us for an abridged version of CNN NEWS CENTRAL. I'm Boris Sanchez in Washington and we are following breaking news.

House Speaker Mike Johnson will get to keep his job after clinching enough votes in a dramatic first round vote. Johnson was originally on track to come up short of the votes needed to secure his gavel and he could only afford to lose one Republican vote. Three voted against him, including Congressman Thomas Massey of Kentucky as he previously had vowed. Congressman Ralph Norman and Keith Self flipped at the last minute to help Johnson get across the finish line with 218 votes.

Let's get straight to Capitol Hill and CNN chief congressional correspondent Manu Raju. Manu, take us through how all of this unfolded.

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it was a drama- packed afternoon as it was uncertain for some time exactly how Mike Johnson would get over the finish line given the opposition that he had and the narrowness of this Republican majority. Remember, he could only afford to lose one Republican vote given how tight things are in the United States House. He lost that one Thomas Massey of Kentucky several days ago who said he would absolutely not vote for Mike Johnson.

Several other Republicans simply would not vote. Five of them initially held out and said that they didn't cast their vote initially. Ultimately, they did vote for Mike Johnson.

They put out a letter criticizing his handling of the last Congress, although they decided to vote for him in support of, they said, advancing the Trump agenda. And then two Republicans ultimately flipped, Keith Self and Ralph Norman. They actually voted for different candidates on the floor of the House, but they ultimately voted after closed-door negotiations, discussions with the Speaker of the House, a discussion with Donald Trump himself, who called those two members.

I just caught up with Keith Self, one of the two Republicans who initially voted against Mike Johnson. He told me that there was a commitment by the Speaker to include members of the hard right House Freedom Caucus as part of a negotiation of a bill to advance the Trump agenda. There's going to be a big bill this Congress to try to advance key aspects of the Trump agenda.

Johnson said that they would be part of that negotiating team. Now, that's going to be a big question, how they deal with that in the weeks ahead. But for now, Johnson has a job.

I do want to bring in one person who was on the floor here. That's Congressman Tim Burchett of Tennessee. Mr. Burchett, Mr. Burchett, if I can grab you. We're live on, you know, he's busy talking to other of our colleagues. But thanks for talking to me. You were involved in a lot of these discussions on the floor of the House.

What was that like? It seemed pretty tense at times.

REP. TIM BURCHETT (R-TN): It did. But, you know, I've been through this before, and there wasn't any reason to get in anybody's face. I saw a member that had passed or voted the other way, and some people were getting in their face.

And that always, to me, just, you're going to push somebody further away. And so --

RAJU: Someone just got in someone's face down there?

BURCHETT: I mean, you know how they do on the floor. You know, they raise their voice. And people are -- tensions are tight. And I mentioned to the speaker that it might be a good idea to break off with them individually. And that's -- and I think that's what --

[15:40:00]

RAJU: It's that idea, because for some time he was saying he was not going to cut deals with these members.

BURCHETT: He didn't cut a deal. He didn't do that at all. He talked about philosophical issues.

And I think they talked about, about access, about access to the process. And some people feel left out. And frankly, they have been, because it's just so big. You don't know who to talk on which issue sometimes. 435 of us, there's no way to keep track of that.

RAJU: So it's basically a promise to allow them to have more say in the legislative process. BURCHETT: I think so. And I think also budgetary items, they're going to consider their concerns, because that is what America sent us here to do. They're tired of all this fiscal nonsense. They're tired of what's going on at the border. And when they see that potential, that being eroded away, that just defies what the people sent us here to do.

RAJU: But I mean, it does seem like though promises that really, you know, he's not bound by these promises by any way.

BURCHETT: No, I mean, we're all human. And I guess, you know, you don't want to get lied to don't come to Congress, I suspect, honestly, but again, Mike Johnson has never lied to me. And that and that is a rare commodity.

RAJU: What ultimately got you to yes, because you were undecided coming in. And why were you undecided?

BURCHETT: Well, I prayed about it. And I've been through this thing so many times now, the state legislature as a county mayor. And I just have to get back to the basics.

I pray about it, I ask God what I need to do. And, and I felt like it was, let's get to where we can, somebody you can work with. And that is truthful to you.

And that's something that we haven't seen a lot of up here. And frankly, Mike is a is an honorable, honest guy. And we just got -- their conservatives.

I think our mission is going to be to back him up on these things. To let him know we are in his corner. We want to stand with him. We will stand in front of him if need be on these issues, because the 36 trillion in debt, it's not going to work anymore.

RAJU: And what if, what if he does what he did in the last Congress, which is, he's got to rely on Democrats. He needs Democrats to keep the government open and then the rest. And, and what if he goes that route again?

BURCHETT: If he gets all the Republicans, he doesn't need any. The Democrats always talk about compromise when they're in the minority. But dadgummit, they didn't talk about it when they were in the majority. And that's just human nature. We're the same way.

RAJU: What role did Donald Trump play here? We know that he called these two members. He talked to you as well.

BURCHETT: I'm not going to talk about any conversations that I may or may not have with the president. I'm just going to say that President Trump is very involved as he should be. His agenda is America's agenda. It's an America first agenda. And that's, in Tennessee, that's, that's the majority of the folks overwhelmingly in incredibly high numbers this time. I think I read a report in some areas, 70 percent of eligible voters showed up.

RAJU: Would you defy him at the end of the year by not supporting the spending bill that he wanted and getting rid of the debt limit?

BURCHETT: Sure. I made a commitment to the folks back home. And that's, that's where I lie.

I mean, I support the president, but at the end of the end of the day, though, you know, they got what they wanted. I just, I don't see, and I would have gladly voted to raise, to raise a debt limit if we would make reductions in spending.

RAJU: But I mean, do you really believe being here for so long that things are really going to change all these process reforms, commitments to cutting spending? You think that this is actually that that's going to happen this time?

BURCHETT: If we give up, I ought to go home.

RAJU: Just like that?

BURCHETT: Just like that. If I give up or if I don't think I can make a change or work towards making a change, you know, I like to fight. I'm in it.

RAJU: All right. Congressman Burchett, thanks for giving us your perspective about what happened on the floor.

BURCHETT: Thank you, Manu, it's always a pleasure.

RAJU: You got it. All right.

OK. Boris, back to you from, some of the firsthand witness of what happened on the floor, who was involved in those talks with Speaker Mike Johnson, ultimately voted for him, despite, as you heard, some reservations.

SANCHEZ: Yes. Notably also Congressman Burchett wouldn't say whether he actually spoke to former President Donald Trump or not. I should say President-elect Donald Trump.

Manu Raju from Capitol Hill. Thank you so much.

Still ahead, Speaker Johnson likely has Donald Trump to thank for his gavel. We're actually going to talk more about how the president-elect helped him get to 218 votes when we come back.

[15:45:00]

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SANCHEZ: Turning back to our top story today. Congressman Mike Johnson of Louisiana, winning the speaker's gavel again, reelected as speaker of the House of Representatives. And we're learning that President- elect Donald Trump spoke to holdouts while the House vote was still open.

CNN's Kristen Holmes joins us now live with the latest. Kristen, what are you hearing about Trump's role in all of this? KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Boris, he played an outsized role in all of this, really from the start. One, we know that not only did he endorse Speaker Johnson or Congressman Johnson to be the speaker, he actually went with Speaker Johnson's timeline on when that endorsement should come. The two of them had discussed doing it on New Year's Day.

Johnson told him he thought it needed to come earlier because of all of these holdouts. And Donald Trump agreed to doing that. Then after that, Trump also agreed to having phone calls, having conversations with a number of these holdouts, including Chip Roy, who many believe that this vote would ultimately hinge on, although it turns out that there were others that voted against Speaker Johnson or against Johnson for the speakership.

Then on top of that, once the votes had already been cast, we now know that Trump called into the private meeting with these people who had voted against Johnson and had a conversation with them.

Now I spoke to Trump this morning, and he said he was all in on Johnson, that there was nobody waiting in the wings, that he believed that Johnson was the only person in Congress who could get the votes, and that's why he was supporting him. Of course, obviously, as we know, Johnson has also been incredibly loyal to Donald Trump, which is something that he takes incredibly seriously.

[15:50:00]

But Donald Trump showed here that he was willing to do the political work, not just the threats, which we saw from Elon Musk, which we saw from various outsiders saying that they were going to primary people who voted against Johnson or primary people who voted against the CR earlier, but actually the political work to call and talk to these people and almost negotiate with them around this speakership. And I will tell you that one of our reporters, Kit Maher, who's on The Hill, just spoke to one of these people who was really unsure about Johnson, Andy Biggs, but ended up voting for him, and said that he believed that Johnson would not have survived if it wasn't for Donald Trump's endorsement.

So clearly there mattered a lot to a lot of people, and we have heard Trump now congratulating Johnson.

SANCHEZ: Yes, a significant moment, not just for Johnson, but for Trump as well, who is set to have the 2024 election results certified by Congress in just a matter of days. Kristen Holmes, thank you so much for the update.

Still to come, a chilling advisory from federal authorities after what happened in New Orleans a few days ago, how other police agencies are now being told to watch out for copycat attacks.

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[15:55:00] SANCHEZ: President Biden and the First Lady will head to New Orleans on Monday to grieve with the families and community members affected by a devastating New Year's Day attack.

Today, Bourbon Street is open, but there are growing safety concerns about security efforts to protect the French Quarter from an attack of this type and magnitude. CNN's Ryan Young has the latest developments from New Orleans.

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RYAN YOUNG, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The world famous Bourbon Street is back open. All day long, we've seen officers posted on street corners here and walking the street. And the tourists have returned as well.

The street opened up almost 24 hours ago. And as we walk this direction, this is one of the corners that police have been paying a lot of attention to. This is where one of the IEDs were found in a cooler just over here under the sign. And so it was good news that that did not explode.

You can see the camera system that's actually up there that probably captured some of the movements of the suspect as it was ongoing. We now know for a fact that the city plans to surge in more resources to the street. There'll be better barricades and there are heavy trucks to block people from trying to get in and out when they decide to shut the street down.

But take a listen to the police chief talk about the movements and the resources of her officers.

SUPERINTENDENT ANNE KIRKPATRICK, NEW ORLEANS POLICE: That more lives I know were spared and saved. It's not a takeaway at all from those who lost life, but our officers were the ones who stopped this terrorist. I'm so proud of them.

PERCY "MASTER P" MILLER, MUSIC MOGUL AND NEW ORLEANS NATIVE: When my city hurt, I hurt. And this is a tragedy. This is evil, really. And I feel like God is going to turn this into good. They're not going to stop us. New Orleans is resilient and we're stronger together.

YOUNG: Yes, we know the two officers who were involved, injured and shot in this have returned home. They, of course, in stable condition.

The street back open. Tourists are here. Businesses are trying to get back to normal. There are crosses and memorials put up for the victims of this crime. So many people still upset.

We've also been told City Council plans a full investigation of exactly why some of the barricades weren't in place and what was taking so long with that. The FBI also concluded all of the gathering of evidence from the scene.

And, of course, hopefully we'll learn some more information in the coming days about exactly what they've been able to figure out and glean about the suspect and how it got to this point.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: Our thanks to Ryan Young in New Orleans.

So we're getting our first glimpse into Boeing's plan for improving quality and safety after that mid-air door plug blowout on an Alaska Airlines jet almost exactly a year ago now. The incident passed another harsh spotlight on the company following two crashes involving its 737 Max planes.

After the door plug blowout, various whistleblowers came forward, alleging questionable parts were being used on Boeing's assembly line.

CNN Aviation correspondent Pete Muntean joins us now. So, Pete, what is Boeing saying?

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: Well, Boeing says it's making progress, but it's not out from under the federal microscope yet, Boris. Hard to believe that it's been almost a year since that dramatic door plug blowout, not only one of the most significant U.S. airline incidents of the last decade, but it kicked off major scrutiny of Boeing's quality control. And in a new blog post, the head of the Federal Aviation Administration insists that will not stop.

Mike Whitaker will resign as FAA administrator on inauguration day, only 15 months into a five-year term. But Whitaker says Boeing's turnaround is not over. Even after the FAA did a massive audit of Boeing's production line and flooded Boeing's rented Washington plant with inspectors, the same factory where that brand new 737 Max 9 was delivered to Alaska Airlines without the four critical bolts that held the door plug in place.

Whitaker says this: This is not a one-year project. What's needed is a fundamental cultural shift at Boeing that's oriented around safety and quality above profits. That will require sustained effort and commitment from Boeing and unwavering scrutiny on our part.

The big question now is who will lead that federal effort? Whitaker says he has the utmost confidence that agency staff will continue to apply rigorous oversight required to make sure this happens after my tenure as administrator ends.

It will be up to President-elect Trump's second administration to nominate a new FAA chief who can get confirmed by the Senate. That job has been in a bright spotlight the last few years, and the rumors are really flying. But right now, no clear successor to take the reins of the FAA.

Boeing just said its internal turnaround project is moving along, and the big focus has been simplifying processes for workers, empowering them to speak up when they see problems, and not letting little jobs linger as they travel down the production line, like what happened in the door plug blowout. Boeing just said its overhaul is on track, Boris, and showing tangible improvements.

SANCHEZ: And Pete, quickly, the Department of Transportation is fining JetBlue Airlines $2 million. Tell us about that.

[16:00:00]

MUNTEAN: This marks the first time the federal government has fined an airline for what they call chronic delays. JetBlue facing a $2 million penalty here. Half of that goes back to passengers who have been impacted by this.

The Department of Transportation zeroed in on four different JetBlue routes that were chronically delayed. Of those flights, they were delayed a total of 395 times. JetBlue says it's insisting on making things right and has invested millions in avoiding delays.

SANCHEZ: Pete Muntean, thanks so much for the update.

"THE LEAD" with Jake Tapper starts right now.

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