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Today: Six More Trump Cabinet Picks Face Senate Hearings; Hegseth Faces Grilling By Democrats At Confirmation Hearing; Israel- Hamas Ceasefire And Hostage Talks In "Final Stages." Aired 5:30-6a ET

Aired January 15, 2025 - 05:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL)

[05:30:18]

KASIE HUNT, CNN ANCHOR: All right, it is 5:29 here on the East Coast. A live look at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, my City of Brotherly Love -- I love it -- this morning.

Good morning, everyone. I'm Kasie Hunt. It's wonderful to have you with us.

In just a few hours six more of President-elect Donald Trump's cabinet picks will appear before Senate committees for their confirmation hearings. Among them, Marco Rubio for Secretary of State; the transportation secretary nominee, Sean Duffy; and Trump's choice for attorney general, Pam Bondi. The president-elect chose Bondi after Matt Gaetz, his first pick, withdrew from consideration.

Bondi, the former Florida attorney general and close Trump ally, heads into today's hearing with strong backing from Republicans. She's already let everybody know where her loyalty lies.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAM BONDI, ATTORNEY GENERAL NOMINEE: The Department of Justice -- the prosecutors will be prosecuted -- the bad ones. The investigators will be investigated because the deep state -- last term for President Trump they were hiding in the shadows. But now they have a spotlight on them, and they can all be investigated. And the House needs to be cleaned out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: And joining me now is John Bresnahan. He's the co-founder of Punchbowl News. Bres, good morning. Wonderful to see you. Thank you for being here.

JOHN BRESNAHAN, CO-FOUNDER, PUNCHBOWL NEWS (via Webex by Cisco): Good morning.

HUNT: A lot going on, on the Hill --

BRESNAHAN: Good morning. HUNT: -- today. I'm curious what of these hearings that you are watching most closely and if you think any of them actually have any real hurdles in front of them.

BRESNAHAN: Listen, Bondi is a big deal. Of course, you noted she was attorney general for Florida for eight years, but she was also Trump's lawyer and defended him in his first impeachment case. In fact, the Trump Foundation once donated $25,000 to Bondi -- to Bondi when she was attorney general while there was a case pending against Trump in Florida. So, I mean, the ties between Trump and Bondi are very, very close on a personal level, on a professional level.

I mean, you'll see the Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee try to say, you know -- try to pin down Bondi -- on your -- on the clip you showed when you're prosecuting the prosecutors. Is she going to go after Jack Smith? Is she going to go after, you know, other people inside the Justice Department who took on the Trump case? And I think this will be critical for them and I think you'll see the Democrats on that panel go after Bondi pretty hard.

HUNT: Bres, do you think there's any one of these nominees where you're going to see -- I mean, I think it is worth noting and maybe it's quaint, but you've been at this longer than I have. I've been doing it a while. It used to be that these confirmations would be relatively bipartisan, right? I mean, many of these nominees would get dozens of votes from the other party, if not be confirmed unanimously. We're so far from that.

Is there any place where you see Democrats going along with some of these nominees or not?

BRESNAHAN: Yeah. I think Marco Rubio, who you mentioned, is Trump's nominee to be Secretary of State. He's a senator and he's part of the club. He's -- you know, was Intelligence Committee chair. I think you'll see a lot of Democratic votes for him.

I think you'll see Scott Bessent, Treasury Department; Sean Duffy, transportation. I think there's some of them you'll see significant Democratic support. I don't think you'll see a unanimous pick anywhere there. But I think Bondi will be -- you know, maybe she picks up some Democratic votes. I can't see a lot.

Pete Hegseth, the defense nominee -- he's -- I'm not sure there's any Democrat out there who will vote for him -- maybe Fetterman.

So, you know, I just think some of these nominees are so controversial that they'll -- you know, that they're just -- there's no way Democrats could support them.

And I do think you watch Tulsi Gabbard who is Trump's pick for director of national intelligence -- Democrats still hope to defeat that nomination. And Kash Patel the other one. I'm not sure how -- you know, the FBI director nominee. I'm not sure how many you'll get there.

I mean, you'll see some but it's -- I agree with you. It's not like the old days where there was so much more deference to presidents that they would get 100 senators would vote for a nomination. That just doesn't happen as much. It didn't happen with Trump. It didn't happen -- it didn't happen with Biden. So, I mean, those days are past now.

HUNT: Bres, you mentioned Tulsi Gabbard. I want to play something that John Barrasso had to say over the weekend about the status of her hearing. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN BARRASSO (R-WY): I support Tulsi Gabbard. She is amazing in that she has been a member of Congress and a combat veteran -- a decorated combat veteran for work under fire in Iraq. You're right -- it's a paperwork problem right now with the Office of Government Ethics. So we had hoped to have the hearing later this week. It looks like it's going to be the following week.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[05:35:05]

HUNT: So Bres, is this just a paperwork problem or is this something more? And do you think she's the most in danger of Trump's nominees?

BRESNAHAN: Oh, I would say right now she is. I think -- I do think there is a paperwork issue. I don't think they're dragging this out. I mean, we haven't heard any sign that they're dragging this out indefinitely.

I mean, this will be taken up by the Intelligence Committee. Senator Tom Cotton is the chair of the Intelligence Committee and is a big Trump supporter. He is number three in the Senate Republican leadership. If he -- you know, he will move as much as he can to move Gabbard forward.

Now, Gabbard -- we reported last week she's made some changes on FISA. This is a surveillance law that is unpopular on the left and the right. She made some changes there. She used to oppose it, and she wanted to get of it and now she's changed her position on this.

So I think they're working through Gabbard. I do think there's a lot of concerns -- we hear a lot of concerns from really high up in the Senate Republican ranks about Gabbard. I think if she's going to -- if she's not going to get through, they withdraw her. I don't think they would vote on her. But right now it's -- she still seems on track to get a hearing and a vote.

HUNT: Fair enough.

Bres, I do want to talk a little bit about what we saw play out in the hearing room yesterday with Pete Hegseth because Democrats really did throw everything that they could at him.

And he had at least one somewhat embarrassing moment around -- let's actually -- let's watch it. Tammy Duckworth asked him --

BRESNAHAN: OK.

HUNT: -- to name the ASEAN countries and he sort of couldn't. Let's watch.

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SEN. TAMMY DUCKWORTH (D-IL): Can you name the importance of at least one of the nations in the ASCEAN -- in ASCEAN, and what type of an agreement we have with at least one of those nations. And how many nations are in ASCEAN, by the way?

PETE HEGSETH, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE NOMINEE: I couldn't tell you the exact amount of nations in that but I know we have --

DUCKWORTH: No, you couldn't, because you've not even bothered to do it.

HEGSETH: -- allies in South Korea and Japan, and in AUKUS with Australia trying to work on --

DUCKWORTH: OK.

HEGSETH: -- submarines with them, and data transfers with them. We have allies across --

DUCKWORTH: Mr. Hegseth, none of those countries are in ASCEAN. None of those three countries that you've mentioned are in ASCEAN. I suggest you do a little homework before you prepare for these types of negotiations.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: So should a moment like that matter? It doesn't seem like it's going to. I mean, Joni Ernst came out after this hearing and said she's going to vote for him.

BRESNAHAN: Yeah. I mean, the exchange -- that exchange -- you saw the exchange between Sen. Tim Kaine and Hegseth over the sexual assault allegations that he was involved in. And he was -- there was some -- a woman filed a sexual assault charge against him back in 2017. He reached a settlement with her in 2020. I mean, you would have thought that would be disqualifying.

But like you said, Joni Ernst, a victim of sexual assault herself and a former military member, came out for Hegseth afterward.

I don't think there's -- it feels right now like that nomination is going to be confirmed. Hegseth will be confirmed. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he wants to put himself on the floor as early as next week. They are hoping to get him through next week. I'm sure they'll be able to do that. It may slide to the following week. But it feels like despite serious questions about his personal his professional qualifications -- Hegseth feels like he's going to be confirmed.

HUNT: Well -- and, of course, he got -- he was defended staunchly by Republicans in the hearing, including by Markwayne Mullin, who did it this way. Let's watch it.

BRESNAHAN: All right.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MARKWAYNE MULLIN (R-OK): Senator Kaine -- or -- well, I guess I better use the senator from Virginia starts bringing up the fact that what if you showed up drunk to your job. How many senators have showed up drunk to vote at night? Have any of you guys asked them to step down and resign from their job?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: Bres, what say you? Can you confirm senators show up drunk on the floor?

BRESNAHAN: Look, you know, yeah. I've been doing this a long time. You used to see a lot more drinking in Congress than you do now. It's fair -- it's a fair criticism. But listen, senators get voted on by the public. They go up every six years. It's not the same thing.

Hegseth has not -- you know, he's not run for office. This is his -- this is his first public position that he's held.

I mean, these are fair questions. There's fair questions to ask him that. He has the right to defend himself. Were the allegations true? He did -- they defended him. I -- you know, I think there's a good -- there's a good plause line.

I do think, again, this is -- there were serious questions about Hegseth. It's been out in the open. And to stand there and take the questions -- I mean, this is what the advice and consent procedure is for. He had to take it, he had to respond to it, and now the Senate will work its will.

I mean, look --

[05:40:00]

HUNT: Yeah.

BRESNAHAN: -- they're going to be responsible for putting this guy in office if he -- you know, if he's confirmed. So they'll have -- you know, they'll own this nominee once he -- if he's confirmed as defense secretary. So all those Republican senators will have a piece of this.

HUNT: And, of course, he -- Hegseth being the one that has to take those 3:00 a.m. phone calls --

BRESNAHAN: Yes.

HUNT: -- in the event of a national security crisis.

Bres, so grateful to have you. Thanks very much for spending some time with us this morning. I appreciate it.

BRESNAHAN: Bye.

HUNT: All right. Ahead here on CNN THIS MORNING ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas now in their final stages. What the families of the hostages are saying.

Plus, the home of another superstar athlete burglarized. Three championship rings stolen.

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[05:45:05]

HUNT: All right, welcome back.

The ceasefire and hostage release talks between Hamas and Israel have reached their final stages according to both sides. If the deal is signed the first phase of the plan calls for Hamas releasing 33 hostages. Hundreds of Palestinian prisoners would also be freed from Israeli jails. All of this during a 42-day ceasefire.

President Biden crossed his fingers when he was asked about the deal.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPORTER: Mr. President, is Hamas about to say yes to the ceasefire?

JOE BIDEN, (D) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: (Crosses fingers).

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: All right. Thousands of Israelis gathered for a unity rally in Tel Aviv. Some of them simultaneously hopeful and terrified as they wait for word about their loved ones.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HERUT NIMRODI, MOTHER OF HOSTAGE TAMIR NIMRODI: As a mother of a young boy I'm scared. I'm scared that he won't be back home, and it will take time until we get another deal done. And I don't know if there will be anyone to bring back home, and it scares me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: Our next guest understands that anguish. Her then-3-year-old great niece Abigail Edan was taken hostage by Hamas after her parents were killed on October 7. Abigail was ultimately released. And her story of survival is chronicled in a new book that her aunt wrote -- Liz Naftali. It's called "Saving Abigail."

And Liz joins us now. Thanks so much for being with us.

LIZ NAFTALI, GREAT AUNT OF 5-YEAR-OLD FORMER HOSTAGE ABIGAIL EDAN, AUTHOR, "SAVING ABIGAIL" (via Webex by Cisco): Thank you for having me. Good morning, Kasie.

HUNT: Liz, let me -- let me start by asking you how is Liz (sic) doing today? I know she recently celebrated her fifth birthday.

NAFTALI: So Abigail just had her fifth birthday. And as you remember, her fourth birthday was as a hostage in Gaza. So her fifth birthday gave us this opportunity to really have this child celebrate, and play, and have friends. And you have children, and you know what a birthday is. And a birthday is about being with friends and family. And so she had that.

And she's back to school. And while her parents were murdered, she is loved, and she is being given all -- and her siblings -- all that you could wish for three little kids who witnessed the murder of their parents.

HUNT: Well, I'm really glad to hear she's at least trying to get back to some sense of normalcy. Of course, we know it's never -- it's never going to be fully that way for her.

Liz, can you take us inside -- I mean, this is both a time of great hope for these hostage families who are anticipating this deal but also, as we heard from the woman there, one of great anxiety and great fear because we still don't know who of these people is going to be released. What's it like to be in that position?

NAFTALI: I can tell you for 50 -- 51 days to be in that position you don't breathe. You can barely -- you can barely eat. You can't sleep. But you just keep going because this is your loved one.

So for somebody -- and we are now at 467 days and there have been no humanitarian aid organizations that have gone into see who is alive, how they are, or to check on them. So for these families every minute of waiting -- and we've heard for the last few days that we're so close to a deal. And for these families -- there are seven American families, there's 98 families in total that have waited 467 days, each minute is painful. Each minute is just broken.

And so as I sit here, I can tell you what it was like for 51 days. I can't even begin to imagine.

And I'll just add this, Kasie. We talk about the families. Think about the hostages. These people have been underground, not fed, no medical care, no air, no water, abused for 467 days. That's the perspective that I think people need to also understand what it is to be a hostage like that.

HUNT: Just impossible to imagine.

Liz, one of the other things that you've done here and one of the factors in this deal potentially coming together has been the election of President-elect Trump. The Trump team has been involved with the Biden team in these negotiations here.

And I just want to share with our viewers something that you wrote back on November 30. You said, "President-elect Trump, bring us hope by freeing the hostages."

And you write this. "Amid the tragedy, trauma, and stalemate, I have a major reason for optimism: your election. This is admittedly an odd thing for a lifelong Democrat and party activist like myself to write, but it is true. You are the legendary dealmaker, Donald Trump. You have an incredible chance to show the world what American diplomatic and moral commitment can accomplish with strong leadership; however, this chance may not be viable much longer.

Please take action now and make the hostage release deal that has not succeeded for a year. You will show the world what we all stand for in America -- freedom. You, and only you, can make the deal that will bring the hostages home to their families."

[05:50:00]

Do you give President Trump credit for this deal if it comes through?

NAFTALI: I give him a lot of credit. I give this change and his leadership -- and he has called even as the last few days for both the Israelis and Hamas to make a deal. So I give a lot of credit.

Think about this. We have this deal that's been on the table for months that the Biden administration has worked on but hasn't been able to get over the finish line. And here we are with the election and the incoming in a few days of President Trump and his team. And as you mentioned, they have been collaborating with the Biden team -- with Jake Sullivan, and Brett McGurk, and Tony Blinken, and all of them -- and that's been amazing.

But here we are. We need a deal. We need that final deal. And that is what Donald Trump is famous for. And I still believe that it's going to happen, and he can help us get over the finish line.

And I'll just add this, Kasie. We've had incredible bipartisan work done by the U.S. government and by Congress, and we've kept this issue of hostages bipartisan. And here we are at this incredible moment where we can bring home these hostages. And we have that moment where we have Biden administration outgoing but in collaboration with Trump's administration coming.

HUNT: Yeah.

NAFTALI: And so whatever will get to the finish line -- and it looks like that is the election of President Trump and his putting in all the pressure for Hamas and Israel to sign this deal.

HUNT: Liz Naftali, very grateful for your perspective. Thank you very much for spending some time with us this morning. I appreciate it.

NAFTALI: Thank you, Kasie.

HUNT: And, of course, you can read more about Abigail's story in "Saving Abigail," which is out now.

All right, time now for sports. A Pittsburgh Penguins star the latest athlete to have his home targeted by burglars in recent months.

Coy Wire has this morning's CNN sports update. Coy, good morning. COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Hi, Kasie.

A few hours after the Penguins game against the Senators ended on Saturday night, a 911 call came in. Evgeni Malkin's home had been broken into, and Malkin's three Stanley Cup rings are missing. The alarm system and cameras at his home in Sewickley Heights were down at the time of the break-in -- this according to multiple reports.

Several athletes' homes have been targeted in recent months, including those of NFL stars Joe Burrow, Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and NBA star Luka Doncic. The NBA -- the FBI, rather, has warned leagues about crime organizations targeting pro athletes' homes.

To the NBA where the Nuggets are once again starting to look like a team that reached the conference semis last season, crushing the Dallas Mavericks on their home court last night thanks to a monster game from Jamal Murray. He scored 32 points in the first half alone. He finished with a season-high 45 and a 118-99 win. Denver has now won eight of their last 10 games all by double digits.

The Pacers hadn't lost a game in 2025 going into last night. Well, the Cavs dropped them like a crystal ball in Times Square, 127-117. Cleveland star Donovan Mitchell torching Indy for 35 points and going 52 percent from the field. Two steals for Spida as well. He played like he wasn't happy about losing to the Pacers on Sunday. The Cavs improved their NBA best record to 34-5.

Finally, Tiger Woods is back, kind of. The 15-time Major champ making his debut in the TGL, the indoor golf league he helped to create. Even though he has more Majors than everyone else on the course combined, Tiger couldn't rally his Jupiter Links Golf Club to a win, falling to L.A. Golf Club 12-1.

That's his son Charlie there. Tiger said he was having fun even if Charlie looked like he was a bit embarrassed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TIGER WOODS, 15-TIME MAJOR CHAMPION: We were entertaining. We hit -- we hit a lot of shots. I think the people here -- they got to see how bad pros can be. Um, it was just a boat race -- oh my goodness -- but we had a great time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: They're all, like, standing in that pose. Did you notice that, Kasie?

Reviews were kind of different on this. Some people loving it, some people still learning it. We'll see how it goes.

HUNT: That's amazing.

Coy Wire, thank you so much for that.

WIRE: You got it. HUNT: I really appreciate it.

All right. Coming up in our next hour on CNN THIS MORNING confirming a cabinet. Fiery moments on the Hill with Pete Hegseth in the spotlight. Donald Trump's former defense secretary Mark Esper, who was named in this hearing -- name-checked in this hearing, is going to discuss it with us.

Plus, dangerous winds ramping up again in Southern California as people there try to put their lives back together.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I get up at night, scream and cry sometimes. My wife tells me to be strong. I can't be strong.

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[05:59:10]

HUNT: It's Wednesday, January 15. Right now on CNN THIS MORNING --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HEGSETH: Anonymous smears. All anonymous. All false. All refuted by my colleagues. All I'm pointing out is the false claims against me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: A heated hearing -- the dodged questions, the fierce pushback -- but Pete Hegseth thrown a lifeline from a key senator.

Plus --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BONDI: The Department of Justice -- the prosecutors will be prosecuted.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: Next in the spotlight the president-elect's pick for attorney general, a Trump loyalist who if confirmed will shape his Justice Department.

And --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: This is a great day for women in America.

(END VIDEO CLIP) HUNT: An uncertain future. A bill banning transgender athletes in women's and girls' sports passes in the House. Where will it go in the Senate?

And then later --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF KRISTIN CROWLEY, LOS ANGELES FIRE DEPARTMENT: Remain alert as danger has not yet passed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: A dire warning as another round of fierce winds hit Southern California and firefighters battle to control deadly wildfires.