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House Panel to Meet as Calls to Release Gaetz Ethics Report Grow; Soon, Defense to Resume Calling Witnesses in Laken Riley Murder Case; Once-in-a-Decade Bomb Cyclone Slams the West Coast. Aired 7- 7:30a ET

Aired November 20, 2024 - 07:00   ET

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

[07:00:00]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: New this morning, no, the president-elect says he is not reconsidering his pick for attorney general as testimony emerges that Matt Gaetz paid two women $10,000 for sex.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: A once in a decade bomb cyclone slams the West Coast, killing at least one person and leaving a trail of destruction and thousands without power. Now, forecasters warn the powerful storm could intensify and turn into what they call a triple bomb.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: And Sean Diddy Combs facing a new wave of lawsuits this morning, facing another bail hearing, and an anonymous celebrity now says he's the victim of an extortion scheme led by the attorney bringing the lawsuits against Sean Combs.

I'm Kate Bolduan with Sara Sidner and John Berman. This is CNN News Central.

BERMAN: All right. Happening now, a live look at Capitol Hill, it looks peaceful and serene there. There will be a high stakes meeting that could determine the fate of now former Congressman Matt Gaetz, President-elect Trump's pick to be attorney general, after news broke overnight that two women testified Gaetz paid them more than $10,000 for sex.

The House Ethics Committee meets to decide what to do with and whether to release its now completed investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct and illicit drug use by Gaetz. A growing number of senators, including Republicans, who will vote on the Gaetz confirmation, they want to see this report. Gaetz himself will be on Capitol Hill today to lobby these senators.

Let's get right to CNN's Steve Contorno in Florida. What's the view from inside Trump World about where this is headed, Steve?

STEVE CONTORNO, CNN REPORTER: Yes. Over the weekend, John, we heard from a lot of Trump allies who were making the case for why Trump should be able to get the cabinet that he picks. Well, yesterday, with senators back on the Hill, we started to hear why there are so many concerns about whether or not Gaetz can get the 51 votes he needs. And so he is on Capitol Hill today, along with Trump's vice presidential nominee, J.D. Vance, who are going to be trying to make the case for Matt Gaetz and start working some of these senators trying to build up support.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump is standing by his controversial pick with a one word answer yesterday when asked about his views on all the concerns. Take a listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPORTER: Mr. President, are you reconsidering the nomination of Matt Gaetz?

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT-ELECT: No.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CONTORNO: Now, even as Trump continues to face concerns about some of his picks that he has already made in the last week, he is marching ahead with picks as he continues to put together his cabinet at a breakneck speed. Take a look at all he got done in the last 24 hours. He named Howard Lutnick his secretary of commerce. Dr. Oz, yes, the television personality, will be in charge of the center for Medicare and Medicaid. And then Linda McMahon, one of the former, Wrestling Federation founders, is going to be his secretary of education, just showing how experience is not necessarily as important to Trump as loyalty and ability to communicate, a message for him on T.V.

The big question remaining is who will be Donald Trump's labor secretary as well as who will be in charge of the treasury. That is a job that is getting a lot of intrigue behind the scenes. Howard Lutnick is someone who wanted the position. Now that he's been named a secretary, we're told -- secretary of commerce, we're told that they will march ahead with a pick for treasury as soon as today. And the contenders are Scott Bessent, he's a hedge fund manager, Senator Bill Hagerty of Tennessee, Kevin Warsh, he's a former Federal Reserve governor, and Mark Rowan, the billionaire investor. John?

BERMAN: All right, the jostling continues. Steve Contorno, thank you very much. Sara?

SIDNER: All right. Thank you, John.

CNN Congressional Correspondent Lauren Fox on Capitol Hill, where, as you just heard from John, the House Ethics Committee in just hours is set to meet. Lauren, what are you hearing from lawmakers at this hour?

LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. We are waiting to see whether or not House Republicans would vote to actually release this report today.

[07:05:04]

Now, Michael Guest, who is the top Republican on that committee, he has made clear that he does not feel any pressure from Speaker Mike Johnson. But we should just remind everyone that last week, Johnson made explicitly clear that he did not believe this ethics report should be released to the public. In fact, he didn't even believe it should be sent to the United States' Judiciary Committee, which will have the important job of making sure and vetting candidates for the post of attorney general.

So, that is still a huge question right now. Will they discuss this report? Will they vote to release this report? This committee is divided between Republicans and Democrats. So, it would take a one Republican to actually vote with Democrats. And, of course, Michael Guest would have to move forward with the vote of that committee in order for this report to be released.

Now, a lot of Republicans in the Senate say that even if it is not a given to the entire public, they do want to have access to it as part of their vetting process, as part of their deliberations on whether or not they believe that Matt Gaetz is up to the job of attorney general. Here are a few of those.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MIKE ROUNDS (R-SD): I think if there is an ethics report out there that is being, or that has been completed, then I think the Senate is going to want to see it. It may very well speed up the vetting process. On the other hand, if it's not available and we have to recreate it ourselves, that would delay our ability to make a decision on a very critical nominee.

SEN. CHUCK GRASSLEY (R-OH): I think that if they want a speedy consideration of this nomination, there's -- we've got to have as much transparency as we can have.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOX: And that last senator there, Senator Chuck Grassley, he will be the incoming chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. He's going to have a lot of power over what information he wants to get from the Justice Department, from the House Ethics Committee, and he's going to have a lot of say on how fast this nomination moves. Sara?

SIDNER: Lauren Fox, thank you so much for reporting there on Capitol Hill for us. Kate?

BOLDUAN: A verdict could come as soon as today for the man accused of killing the Georgia nursing student Laken Riley, and new video in court of the college student's final moments.

And the U.S. embassy in Ukraine closed this morning facing threats and concerns of a Russian attack.

And to anyone upset about the outcome of the U.S. election, Italy's got a deal for you, a home for one dollar.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:10:00] BOLDUAN: Today in Georgia, the defense team is expected to wrap up laying out its case in the murder trial of the man accused of killing nursing student Laken Riley. Prosecutors rested their case yesterday after introducing new surveillance video of Laken Riley jogging moments before she was attacked. And also video was shown of a man in dark clothing shown lurking near at an apartment complex near the crime scene hours before prosecutors arguing that man was the defendant, Jose Ibarra.

CNN's Rafael Romo is following all of this for us from Georgia and joins us now. And, Rafael, you said, you told us yesterday things were moving along quite quickly. How quickly could this case make it to the judge?

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, look, Kate, good morning. It's very possible that the family and many friends of Laken Riley who have attended every day of court will find out the fate of the man that stands accused of her murder. Jose Ibarra's defense team has said that they only needed about half a day to present their testimony. And let's remember, Kate, this is a bench trial, not a trial by jury, which means many of the normal procedures don't apply and won't delay the trial because it's ultimately the judge who will decide whether the defendant is guilty or not.

Among the most compelling evidence presented here in court yesterday was a college security camera video showing Laken Riley's last run the morning of February 22nd before she was murdered. The video also showed Jose Ibarra, the defendant, lurking near the crime scene. We also heard testimony about frantic texts and missed calls from Laken Riley's mother that the prosecution used to illustrate the timeline and in what's perhaps the most damning piece of evidence. A forensic expert testified how Ibarra's DNA was found under Riley's fingernails. We also heard from the medical examiner's official determination for a cause of death. Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Dr. DiMarco, did you form an opinion as to the cause of death of Laken Riley?

DR. MICHELLE DIMARCO, ASSOCIATE MEDICAL EXAMINER, GEORGIA BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION: I did.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What is the opinion?

DIMACRO: Her cause of death is the combined effects of blunt force head trauma and asphyxia.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What is her manner of death?

DIMARCO: Homicide.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: And, Kate, we also learned about the last text message Lake and Riley ever sent at 8:55 that morning. She texted her mother saying good morning, about to go for a run, if you're free to talk.

Once again, Laken Riley's mother, Alison Phillips, and stepfather, John Phillips, as well as her father, Jason Riley, were here at the Athens Clark County courthouse for the proceedings together with extended family, friends and classmates of Riley's. We counted more than 20 people yesterday. Kate?

BOLDUAN: Rafael Romo, thank you so much. John?

BERMAN: All right. Do not go outside if you can avoid it this morning, the new warning from weather officials as a deadly bomb cyclone slamming parts of the United States.

[07:15:05]

And, quote, I fell down, boom, boom, boom, Jay Leno recovering from serious injuries after falling down a 60-feet hill.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: Happening now, a once in a decade bomb cyclone is slamming the Pacific Northwest and parts of Canada with hurricane force winds, drenching rain and snow. At least one person is dead, hundreds of thousands without power.

So, what is a bomb cyclone exactly? I can't really explain it, but the National Weather Service says this one intensified so quickly it could become a triple bomb cyclone.

[07:20:00]

Luckily, Meteorologist Derek Van Dam is with us, who I imagine can explain these words that I keep using out loud.

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes. Good thing it's not your job to explain it. It's my job, right? And this storm is very impressive, but it didn't make the three times bomb cyclone criteria that it needed to, to get to that triple bomb naming criteria.

But, nonetheless, it made an impressive run. Nearly 2.5 times that bomb criteria because what this comes from is a term known as bombogenesis. Basically, when a unit of pressure storm system drops by 24 millibars in 24 hours, this one dropped 57 millibars in 24-hour period. And so that made again a 2.5 time run for that criteria to be met.

So it is called a bomb cyclone. We've got a lot of these popular meteorological terms that float around the Internet, you know, from a sting jet to a poisonous wind field to a bomb cyclone. And they all mean certain things. Unfortunately, they can all mean destruction as well.

So, we have seen that across the Pacific Northwest with, unfortunately, trees and power lines toppling onto roofs, taking hours for firefighters to rescue individuals out of the Pacific Northwest. This storm system very impressive on satellite loop, and that poisonous tail or sting jet, that's right here, the bottom portion of this bomb cyclone. That's where the most powerful winds of this storm are actually located.

Fortunately, just offshore, but where the coldest, densest air actually rapidly descends to the surface, the air dries out and that's where we see those powerful winds and some of them made its way on shore. You saw the destruction that it left behind. But you look at these impressive wind gusts, Mount Rainier, 77 miles per hour. That's equivalent to a Category 1 Atlantic hurricane.

Now, this thing is tapping into a jet stream known as a Pineapple Express. So, it's got deep tropical connections near Hawaii, in fact. So, it's going to take that moisture and create a torrent of precipitation in the coming days across the Western U.S. from one to two feet of snowfall, locally higher amounts across the mountains to up to ten inches of rain across northern sections of California. You can see why this bomb cyclone means business, John.

BERMAN: Yes. Bombogenesis, one of my favorite bands from the seventies, Peter Gabriel was awesome in that.

VAN DAM: Rock on.

BERMAN: Derek, there's a study that was looking into the impacts of climate change on this past hurricane season. What can you tell us about that?

VAN DAM: Yes, okay. So, we're talking about hurricanes, not bomb cyclones, although a cyclone and a low pressure and a hurricane all have similar characteristics to it. But this new study that you're talking about says that all the hurricanes that formed, all 11 of them, throughout this 2024 hurricane season actually were made stronger than it otherwise would have been without climate change, human caused climate change, as a factor.

Take Hurricane Milton, for example. This storm exploded in strength. 180 miles per hour was its top strength, but that increase in max intensity of 24 miles per hour, according to this study, is what was made possible because of the abnormally warm Gulf of Mexico Ocean waters, which, by the way, are roughly 2.5 degrees above average for this particular location.

So, that rapid increase we keep talking about that bomb cyclone, the dropping of the pressure, the increasing of the winds. Well, that again was made all that more and more likely because of climate change, our warm oceans and our warm atmosphere. John?

BERMAN: That warm water in the gulf having a huge impact.

Derek Van Dam, thank you, and thank you for the explanations, a human glossary. Sara?

SIDNER: All right. Thank you so much. The huge gift the state of Texas is offering Trump to assist in his mass deportation plan.

And the White House doesn't about-face on controversial weapons to help Ukraine with its war against Russia.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:25:00]

BOLDUAN: Sources this morning tell CNN President-elect Donald Trump could announce his pick for treasury secretary today. And from the tariffs that he's promised to impose to the tax cuts he's promised to extend, whoever Donald Trump selects, we'll have a huge job ahead of them, which is why there has been a lot of focus and speculation about who is going to be taking this on. One person who wanted the job, Howard Lutnick, he was just named commerce secretary yesterday. So, now what?

CNN's Matt Egan joining us now, not only to talk about who could be picked, but the challenges that they're going to face. What's the latest?

MATT EGAN, CNN REPORTER: Well, Kate, this is a serious job for a serious person. A Matt Gaetz-type pick for treasury would not go over well with investors or CEOs.

Now, final contenders are expected to include hedge fund executive Scott Bessent, Senator Bill Hagerty, former --

BOLDUAN: Has a finance background.

EGAN: Yes, former Fed official Kevin Warsh and billionaire Mark Rowan.

But, listen, whoever ends up getting this job, they're going to almost immediately face a series of deadlines and pressures starting with the return of the dreaded debt ceiling. Remember, that is that borrowing limit that Congress has to navigate. And if they don't raise it, you could have a financial Armageddon-type situation.

BOLDUAN: A huge part of all of the years I covered Capitol Hill was when they did not raise the debt ceiling.

EGAN: Yes, and nothing like getting a job --

BOLDUAN: The sword of Damocles was one of the most off-repeated phrases ever.

[07:30:00]

EGAN: Absolutely.

BOLDUAN: Continue, please.

EGAN: But nothing like inheriting this job and immediately having to diffuse a financial ticking time bomb. But that's what's going to happen here.