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Trump Picks Brendan Carr For FCC Chairman; Today: Bench Trial Continues In Laken Riley Murder Case; Biden Allows Ukraine To Use Long-Range U.S. Weapons In Russia. Aired 5:30-6a ET

Aired November 18, 2024 - 05:30   ET

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

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[05:30:40]

KASIE HUNT, CNN ANCHOR: All right, 5:30 a.m. on the East Coast; 4:30 a.m. in Chicago, Illinois, what you're looking at right now on this Monday morning. Good morning, everyone. I'm Kasie Hunt. It's wonderful to have you with us.

Donald Trump announcing his pick for chair of the Federal Communications Commission. The president-elect choosing Brendan Carr to lead that agency. He had been first nominated by Trump in 2017 to join as a commissioner.

So why is this important? The FCC is an independent agency. It's overseen by Congress. But that hasn't stopped Trump from calling on the government to revoke certain broadcast television licenses, usually in response to interviews or coverage that he doesn't like.

As for Carr, he wrote a chapter on proposed changes to the FCC for Project 25, the Heritage Foundation's plan for a second Trump term that Trump tried to distance himself from during the campaign. In that chapter Carr talks about promoting free speech, "reining in big tech," and promoting national security.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRENDAN CARR, FCC COMMISSIONER: Americans have been living through an unprecedented surge in censorship. The administrative state and the government -- the Biden administration -- has been colluding to shut down free speech, open dialogue, and diversative opinions. You've seen it in your own life.

And the reality is this. The administrative state -- the powerful arms of the government -- all the three-letter agencies -- they have been controlled for approaching 16 of the last 20 years by Democrats.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: All right, joining us now, Axios politics reporter Stef Kight. Stef, good morning. Nice to see you.

STEF KIGHT, POLITICS REPORTER, AXIOS: Good morning. HUNT: So let's talk about this pick. I mean, this is a guy who -- the tech stuff is also interesting in addition to some of the other press- related issues. He and Elon Musk had worked together on some Starlink- related grants and money, basically.

What's your understanding of what's behind this pick and what it means?

Kight: I mean, what we see over and over again with these picks that have been coming very quickly is that Trump is finding people who really agree with exactly his kind of -- kind of tear it all down mentality when it comes to the federal government. The same is true for the FCC. We know that Trump has been very critical of the media for a long time -- from the very beginning.

And this has been a big issue for conservatives -- for people who are in kind of that MAGA universe who feel like big tech is using algorithms or other means of restricting conservative voices. It's something that House Republicans have been investigating over the past few years.

And so he found someone who really does agree with a lot of those things. It's someone who has been very critical of the Biden administration. It's someone who has defended Elon Musk, who many people view as kind of the victim of media or big tech trying to silence him despite him now owning X.

And so it makes sense in one sense. He's very much a Trump pick. He's someone who is going to say the same kinds of things Trump says at his rallies and publicly, and he's someone who really does talk about making big changes.

HUNT: Yeah.

Stef, I know you've been doing some reporting as well on how these picks generally are going to play in the U.S. Senate, and these big questions about especially Pete Hegseth and Matt Gaetz -- some of the most high-profile but also some of the nominees with the biggest controversies.

What's your understanding of the appetite for opposition to Trump in the Senate Republican Party?

KIGHT: I mean, look, there are certainly nominees at this point who are going to have a hard time getting through the Senate. There are going to be hard questions being asked and there are going to be people who are going to want to stop those nominations from getting through.

But the question is how many times are Senate Republicans actually going to rebuff Trump? You can imagine them doing it maybe once, maybe twice. Maybe someone like Matt Gaetz -- who it's hard to imagine someone who is more unpopular within his own party. And just hearing what we've heard from Senate Republicans publicly on that nomination that seems to be the one most in jeopardy at this point to be blocked from being confirmed. But there are questions about others as well, whether it's Tulsi Gabbard. Does she actually have intelligence experience enough to sort of -- in that role, RFK Jr. Interestingly, I've heard from Republicans who kind of tout the Mike Pence where they feel like RFK Jr.'s stance on abortion could actually be an issue with conservatives who would want to see more anti-abortion stances.

[05:35:07]

HUNT: Yeah, because there are actually a lot of decisions that HHS makes at many levels where abortion rights -- you know, anti-abortion activists are very, very focused.

KIGHT: Right.

HUNT: It's a really interesting point.

Stef, I also want to ask you about Axios reporting on Nancy Pelosi and how some House Democrats are saying that they are basically sick of her. That she "needs to take a seat,'" one senior democratic lawmaker said. And there seems to be some discontent among the Congressional Black Caucus as well.

I mean, what more can you tell us about this? I mean, she obviously was an incredibly powerful speaker. Has been definitely -- if you don't love her in the Democratic Party then you probably fear her and you definitely respect her.

So what is going on with this?

KIGHT: I mean, this is all part of the fallout from the election, right, and people -- lots of Democrats look at Nancy Pelosi and they look at how involved she was trying to push Biden to step down, which she eventually did.

And I think really, the thing that instigated this into a bigger issue was her comments to The New York Times where she essentially said that if only Biden had stepped down earlier -- had made that decision earlier in the year then things might have looked differently for Democrats down-ballot.

And some Democrats spoke to Axios saying that they just feel like she is still trying to be the Democratic leader in a way that is unhelpful when they feel like Hakeem Jeffries is now their leader and someone that they respect, and that that's building tension there. It's almost like they feel like she has too much star power and that that's not actually serving Democrats.

HUNT: Very interesting.

All right, Stef Kight for us this morning. Stef, thank you. I appreciate it.

KIGHT: Thank you.

HUNT: All right. In just a few hours a bench trial resumes for the man accused of killing Georgia nursing student Laken Riley. Jose Ibarra is accused of stalking and killing Riley back in February where she was -- while she was out for a run. Ibarra is an undocumented immigrant from Venezuela who status turned the killing into an election year campaign issue over illegal immigration.

During the first day of the bench trial on Friday police and prosecutors laid out the evidence in the case, including how information from Riley's smartwatch detailed her nearly 20-minute struggle for survival.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHEILA ROSS, GEORGIA STATE ATTORNEY: And her heart rate is still going until 9:28 a.m. Her encounter with him was long. Her fight with him was fierce. And that is what the Garmen data shows.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: All right, for more on how this trial is unfolding and what we can expect today let's bring in CNN legal analyst Joey Jackson. Joey, good morning to you.

Just incredibly difficult details to listen to in this trial so far. And obviously, technology playing a key role there.

Can you help us understand what we've heard so far and what you think it means for the case?

JOEY JACKSON, CNN LEGAL ANALYST, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY, FORMER PROSECUTOR: Yeah, without question, Kasie. Good morning to you.

What we've heard is very compelling testimony as it relates to the death of 22-year-old Laken Riley while she was out on a job. Obviously, we know she's a nursing student -- or was a nursing student there in Georgia.

And so the testimony so far has been from her roommates, which gave the indication that she did have this smartwatch and that they tracked it and noted that there was no movement on the smartwatch. They went to the scene themselves of the trail where they did the "Find My App" application, noting that they found an ear of the iPod which seemed to be hers there after reporting it to the police.

Not only did the roommates testify to their activities and who she was and what she meant, but what they discovered, but also them getting police involved.

And then we saw body-worn camera of the officer trying to perform lifesaving measures, being unsuccessful. And, of course, it's showing the body there. We're looking at the technology that you alluded to.

And so far, it has seemed to indicate -- and, of course, in opening statements were heard the use of DNA. The DNA of the jacket of Mr. Ibarra that has the blood and hair of her. The fact that there were fingernail -- on her fingernails -- apparently underneath there was DNA of Mr. Ibarra. And so it's been very compelling and hard to listen to testimony with

respect to the guilt or alleged guilt of Mr. Ibarra. And there will be more to come in terms of DNA, in terms of the medical examiner, and in terms of cause of death, the hits on the head. Wow, just tragic. The potential testimony about suffocation, et cetera.

And so it seems to be compelling evidence as to his guilt but there's a ways to go at this point.

HUNT: Yeah.

And Joey, can you just explain -- I mean, he waved his right to a jury trial here. I mean, why are we seeing this play out the way we are where you see kind of just the judge there? And what does that mean in terms of how a decision will be made about his guilt or innocence?

JACKSON: Yeah. So Kasie, what happens is that you are entitled as a defendant to a jury. Generally speaking, a jury would consist of 12 members of the public. They call them a jury of your peers. It would be selected by the defense and prosecution. At that time those 12 members would have to establish guilt unanimously beyond a reasonable doubt.

[05:40:15]

In this instance, as you've noted, the defense has opted for a bench trial. What does that mean as we look at the pictures of her there -- Laken Riley? What a bench trial means Kasie is that a judge will make the assessment as to the facts. Generally, jurors assess the facts and the judge acts as a referee and really is the gatekeeper of the law. In this instance the judge will wear both hats.

Why would a defendant opt to go with a judge as opposed to a jury? I think it's because of two critical reasons.

Number one, pretrial publicity and how that might influence and taint a jury. This is a lightning rod of a case, as you know. It was used in the campaign in terms of undocumented immigrants and whether they represent violence to this country, et cetera. People have strong opinions. And so with regard to pretrial publicity judges generally about the facts, the issues, and the law notwithstanding pretrial publicity.

In addition to that it's a very emotional and compelling case. You have a 22-year-old that's dead. There is testimony here that's graphic, that's detailed, that's hard to listen to. The impact emotionally on the jury could be too much. And the defense opted to go this way.

Whether they go jury or judge, as they have, the facts seem to be the facts, and the issues are the issues. The smartwatch showing again it's stopping indicating the struggle -- indicating it moving. The movement into the woods. A lot of DNA testimony and other things which seemingly would establish guilt.

He's entitled to the presumption of innocence, Kasie, as every defendant would be. But ultimately, judge and jury -- it seems to be that the facts are piling up, which are suggestive of his guilt.

HUNT: Yeah.

All right, Joey Jackson for us this morning. Joey, thanks very much. I appreciate you being here.

JACKSON: Always.

HUNT: All right. Ahead here on CNN THIS MORNING, President Biden sending a significant message of support to Ukraine lifting the ban on using U.S. weapons to strike inside Russia. We're going to explore the potential impact when Trump takes office.

And in sports the Bills ruin the Chiefs perfect season. The Bleacher Report ahead.

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[05:46:30]

HUNT: All right, welcome back.

President Biden's decision to allow Ukraine to use long-range U.S. weapons inside Russia comes with just two months left in office for President Biden and uncertainty about the future of U.S. support. The weapons are intended to be used primarily in the Kursk region where Moscow has deployed nearly 50,000 troops. And thousands of North Korean soldiers are supporting the Russian offensive.

Trump has voted to end the war between Russia and Ukraine soon after taking office.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, (R) THEN-PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I will end the war in Ukraine. I'll get it done. I'll get it negotiated. I'll get out.

If I'm president, I will have that war settled in one day -- 24 hours.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: The president-elect has yet to offer specifics on how he might do that.

CNN's global affairs analyst Kim Dozier joins us now. Kim, good morning. Thank you for being here.

KIM DOZIER, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Good morning.

HUNT: So what does this mean in the context of the war here? I mean, obviously, it's a short window of time they're going to be able to use this until Donald Trump comes into office. But, I mean, it's a -- it's a real kind of aggressive move from President Biden not just for the Ukrainians but toward Donald Trump.

DOZIER: Yeah, very in your face. It makes you wonder what Trump said behind closed doors to Biden when they met last week.

This is as far as the administration can probably go right now to Trump-proof its Ukraine policy. And once it has said yes to using these roughly 200-mile range missiles that means that Britain, France could also say yes to using their similarly ranged missiles inside Russia. So while Trump could come in and turn off the use of the Army tactical missile, which is what's being considered right now, he can't tell Britain and France to roll back their policies.

So the result hopefully will be that Ukraine will be able to hold on to Kursk so when they get to the negotiating table -- that Trump has pledged these negotiations -- that they'll say OK, we'll trade you this for parts of the Donbas or even parts of Crimea that you've seized. It's all about putting them in a good space for dealmaking in the future.

HUNT: So this is an attempt to give the Ukrainians an edge while they still can give it to them --

DOZIER: Yeah.

HUNT: -- for the future negotiation that's expected when Trump comes into office.

DOZIER: And doing it at a time where we're about to have a changeover to a Trump administration that Moscow favors. So while Moscow has threatened the use of even nuclear weapons if something like this is -- this escalation happens, do you really want to do that when the people that you want back in office are on their way in? So it sort of ties Moscow's hands too.

HUNT: A really interesting way to think about it.

There's also this question, of course, Kim, of Elon Musk who has involved himself in this conflict in -- at different points. I mean, there was the Starlink internet question, of course, at the beginning. And now, of course, he's very close with Donald Trump.

What have we seen from him over the course of the last weeks in terms of this conflict, and what do you think that means?

DOZIER: Yeah. Just having Musk on that phone call that Trump had with Zelenskyy was an implicit threat if you don't go our way Musk could maybe pull Starlink from use in Ukraine and really cripple communications on the battlefield.

And just to drive that home over the weekend when Ukrainian President Zelenskyy was talking about we're not just going to sit and listen, we're an independent country, Trump -- sorry, Musk tweeted out something about Zelenskyy being just a comedian. It was very derisive. It was this little dig.

[05:50:10]

And I think they're seeing that Ukraine -- you know, if you push them like that they will push back. And they're already signaling they're not just going to take what Trump says as read and do as he orders.

HUNT: All right, Kim Dozier for us this morning. Kim, thanks very much.

DOZIER: Thanks.

HUNT: I really appreciate it.

All right, time now for sports. There are no more undefeated teams in the NFL after the Bills hand the Chiefs their first loss of the season.

Coy Wire has this morning's Bleacher Report. Coy, good morning. How about your Bills?

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Oh, a great morning -- great morning. As a former Bills player I say let's go, Buffalo!

The Bills' quarterback Josh Allen making his case to win League MVP with a statement win over the Chiefs. Bills and Chiefs trading more punches than Jake Paul and Mike Tyson in much more entertaining fashion.

It came down to a fourth and two. Buffalo up two with about two minutes to go. And Bills' coach John McDermott said, "Field goal? Give that ball to Josh Allen." And he makes it a house call. The dude is a straight cheat code. He's a man amongst boys out there -- 317 total yards, two touchdowns. Led the team in rushing.

KC though -- still time for some Mahomes magic. But this Bills' defense stole that rabbit right out of his hat. Their second interception of the game seals it. A 30-21 win. The Chiefs' defense hadn't allowed an opponent to score 28 or more in their previous 30 games.

Look at Orchard Park rocking.

Mahomes trying to keep their loss and their perfect season in perspective.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PATRICK MAHOMES, QUARTERBACK, KANSAS CITY CHIEFS: We'll get back to work and try to use this as a spark so that we can be a better football team in the end. And the undefeated thing was cool but that's not our ultimate goal, so we'll keep building towards that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: All right, Joe Burrow and the Bengals in a primetime thriller. Yes, Justin Herbert and the Chargers. Cincinnati was down 24-6 in the third but Joey B takes over storming back to tie to 27. But here comes Herbert with under a minute to go. He hits rookie Ladd McConkey.

Then J.K. Dobbins all the way back from his ACL injury on a rampage this year, scoring on a 29-yard run with 18 seconds to go icing the 34-27 win for L.A. They're now 7-3 on the season.

Joe Burrow has had four losses this season when he's thrown for 300 yards and three touchdowns in the game.

Now, it looked like the Bears would finally send the Pack packing. They've lost 10 straight against Green Bay coming in but now it's 11 after this -- Chicago's attempt at a last-second game-winner.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NFL ANNOUNCER: And here's the snap, placement made. The kick is blocked. It is blocked. Blocked. It is blocked. And the Packers have won. It is blocked. It comes up short and the Packers have won 11- straight over the Bears 20-19. Oh my goodness, what a finish.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: Those Detroit Lions are off to their best start since 1934. Fifty-two points against the Jags, Kasie -- the most points by any team this year. They did the Peewee Herman on them. You've got to be kidding me.

Amon-Ra St. Brown with straight beast mode -- 161 yards, two touchdowns. And defensive star Aidan Hutchinson's fill in Za'Darius Smith -- he gets a sack in his first game with the team.

The Lions now 9-1 tossing the Jags straight out of Detroit. The first NFL game ever to end with a score of 52-6.

Finally, still a week from Thanksgiving but Beyonce is already giving Christmas gifts. Netflix announcing late last night she'll perform at halftime of the Christmas Day game between the Ravens and Texans in her hometown of Houston. She's expected to have some special guests from her Cowboy Carter album nominated for a leading 11 Grammys earlier this month.

And this will actually be the first NFL halftime show for Beyonce. She's performed at Super Bowls in 2013 and 2016. I should be, as they say, lit, Kasie.

HUNT: Indeed.

All right, Coy Wire for us this morning. Coy, thank you very much.

All right, straight ahead here on CNN THIS MORNING Democratic Congressman Brendan Boyle joins us live. He's going to talk about how his party can win back the ground they lost among working-class voters.

Plus, how some of Donald Trump's controversial cabinet selections are, of course, already taking Washington by storm.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA): They are persons who will shake up the status quo. And I think what the American people have -- believe and what they've delivered with the mandate in this election is demand that we shake up the status quo.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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[05:58:45]

HUNT: It's Monday, November 18. Right now on CNN THIS MORNING --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHNSON: What I have said with regard to the report is that it should not come out. I think that would be a Pandora's Box.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: A Pandora's Box? Why the House ethics report on Donald Trump's attorney general pick Matt Gaetz could be buried.

Plus --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CARR: Americans have been living through an unprecedented surge in censorship.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: Clearing out the "censorship cartel" the top priority for Donald Trump's pick to lead the FCC.

And this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-NY): We're going to focus like a laser beam on dealing with the issues related to working-class Americans.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: Winning the working class. Democratic Congressman Brendan Boyle will be here to discuss how his party moves forward.

And later --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKKY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): The missiles will speak for themselves, for sure.

HUNT: Russia responds. What the Kremlin now says about President Biden letting Ukraine use long-range American-made missiles inside Russia.

All right, 6:00 a.m. here on the East Coast. A live look at Capitol Hill on this Monday morning. Good morning, everyone. I'm Kasie Hunt. It's wonderful to have you with us.