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Meta Chief Mark Zuckerberg Meets With Trump At Mar-a-Lago; Israel, Hezbollah Both Claim Violations Amid Uneasy Truce; First Look Inside Restored Notre Dame Cathedral As Macron Tours Church. Aired 7:30-8a ET

Aired November 29, 2024 - 07:30   ET

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

[07:30:00]

STEVE CONTORNO, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: It's one of the major questions coming into this second term because Erica, he has been all over the map on social media companies.

You remember he was previously someone who said that TikTok should be banned in the United States. Well, Congress took steps to do just that, and Trump has not necessarily said if he would follow through on it. In fact, he was a pretty prolific user of TikTok during this past campaign.

Going back to the summer he released a book where he threatened Mark Zuckerberg with life in prison if he were to engage in any form in this election. Well, now they are dining together.

And, of course, Elon Musk -- Trump has always been very critical of Twitter in the past. Well, now that Elon Musk has taken over and renamed it X, they couldn't be closer. In fact, yesterday, Trump and Musk dined together on Thanksgiving as well.

So his approach to social media has been an entire 180.

I will point out though that he has put in charge of the FCC an individual by the name of Brendan Carr who has been very critical of Facebook and has lopped them in with Microsoft, Apple, and Google, and other giant tech companies that he thinks should be reined.

And so it will be interesting to see where Trump's rhetoric and this new potential alliance or friendship or cool -- warming of relations with Mark Zuckerberg clashes potentially with the goals of some of the people he is putting in power.

ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: Yeah, it's a good point. Steve Contorno, appreciate it. Thank you -- Omar.

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN ANCHOR: All right, let's continue this conversation. Joining me now is Christine Quinn, executive committee chair of the New York State Democratic Committee and president and CEO of WIN. And May Mailman, former Trump White House associate counsel. Good to see you both. Thanks for being here.

May, I want to start with you -- CHRISTINE QUINN, EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE CHAIR, NEW YORK STATE DEMOCRATIC COMMITTEE, PRESIDENT AND CEO, WIN (via Webex by Cisco): Thank you.

JIMENEZ: -- because we were just talking about at least four Democratic representatives from Connecticut were targeted with bomb threats while they were with their families on Thanksgiving. It comes just a day after several of President-elect Trump's cabinet picks were also similarly targeted.

And talking before this you said that you find the targeting of the Connecticut lawmakers odd. Why? Why do you believe so?

MAY MAILMAN, FORMER TRUMP WHITE HOUSE ASSOCIATE COUNSEL, DIRECTOR, INDEPENDENT WOMEN'S LAW CENTER (via Webex by Cisco): Well, I guess it's one of those things that as Americans we've almost been sensitized to bomb threats against Republicans recently. President Trump was -- had an attempted assassination attempt twice and then half of his cabinet got bomb threats.

And so, I think this is one of the concerns about the increase of swatting incidents is that Americans are starting to tune it out, and I think that's a real concern. These things need to be investigated. They need to be prosecuted because as you hear it from a lot of the Trump cabinet members, they're with their kids. Imagine you have your kids, and the entire armed law enforcement show up. They're never going to be the same again. This is going to be life-altering for them.

And so, I guess my concern about my own reaction is at some point we have to remember that each one of these incidents is life-altering for each one of these people and we should expect a full investigation, a full law enforcement response to the swatters. And I think that we risk almost forgetting about it now that we live in what seems like a climate of political violence.

JIMENEZ: And, you know, to -- even though the vast majority of these calls may end up being hoaxes or fake in the end, to your point, and it does result in real response from law enforcement -- real potential evacuations from buildings and homes, and things of that nature.

Christine, I want to bring you in on another point. Obviously, we just got past Thanksgiving. I hope you both had a great one. But looking at Donald Trump's post over it he said, "Happy Thanksgiving to all, including to the radical left lunatics who have worked so hard to destroy our country but who have miserably failed and will always fail because their ideas and policies are so hopelessly bad."

OK, it's an -- it's an on brand type of post from him. But how do you anticipate Democrats dealing with maybe readjusting to the style of messaging that maybe we've grown accustomed to seeing from him?

QUINN: I mean, I -- it is, sadly, very on brand but I don't think it's the kind of brand we want leading the country rhetorically. It's just not helpful. It's not kind. It's not the kind of -- particularly in light of all the tumult going on in the world, the kind of message we want out there. Now that said, I think if the Democrats chase every tweet and respond to every undignified statement by the president-elect, we'll be a dog chasing our tail. We really will waste our time. So we're going to have to pick and choose. As much as I don't like that -- I don't think it's very holiday-ish to put it kindly -- we have to pick and choose the big fights and not run after every shiny new thing.

JIMENEZ: And May, along those lines, after Trump's recent conversation with Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum, he posted that she agreed to stop migration into the United States and close our southern border. Mexico's president denied that happened in her own statement about the conversation that she was having.

[07:35:08]

And look, there are times when leaders leave conversations with different impressions of what happened here.

But just based on this initial reporting -- I mean, does this initial disagreement -- where does it leave you optimism-wise, I guess I should say, for United States and Mexico relations for when Trump actually takes office?

MAILMAN: I am optimistic. I don't think that the president of Mexico should be on a different page. The people of Mexico want a secure border because when they have people using Mexico to come through Mexico to come to the United States, they all have to pay a toll to the cartels. An enriched cartel just means more violence for the people of Mexico.

One of -- what Trump really wants also is for Mexico to stop facilitating fentanyl trafficking from China. China takes ships of fentanyl precursor. It's finalized in Mexico, and it's shipped up through the cartels further enriching the cartels and further increasing violence in Mexico. And so for the president of Mexico to act like she's not on the same page with President Trump really just means that she is not on the same page with her own citizens, except for the cartel members.

So I don't -- I hope -- have optimism for how this relationship will go because I think at the end of the day people are sensible people, but I don't think that her tweet was a sensible tweet.

JIMENEZ: And the Mexican president has made a point to draw her line in the sand and stick up for herself and her country at points, saying that a lot of the folks arrested at the border are American citizens and that they've tried to tamp down on demand in the United States as well -- which, as we know, the opioid crisis is a major issue in the United States.

We've got to go but I want to get in this question to you Christine and social media. Because look, Donald Trump has had dinner with Mark Zuckerberg. We know he's very close with Elon Musk as well. And Elon Musk's platform X has seen a drop in users since Donald Trump was elected with many fleeing to places like Bluesky, for example. And the congressman from Silicon Valley, Ro Khanna, advised liberals

not only to stay on the platform but to actively use it often. He says, "I don't think that the answer for progressives is to disengage."

I mean, what do make of that advice? Is that something you agree with?

QUINN: I mean, I think as progressives, as Democrats we have to stay involved and be part of all of the modes of communication with Americans and with voters right now.

That said, we simultaneously have to be pushing back, legislating, and organizing around the parts of social media and the types of social media that are most dangerous to Americans, particularly to young people, particularly as it relates to negative and dangerous political rhetoric.

But I don't think we have the latitude or the ability now to kind of pull back off of platforms. We have to get our message out there in the ways that people are getting messages and getting information.

JIMENEZ: All right. We've got to leave it there. Thanks for being here on the -- this morning after Thanksgiving. Christine Quinn, May Mailman, thank you -- Erica.

HILL: Controversy in college volleyball today. The Boise State women's team is expected to pull out of the postseason tournament match over reports of a transgender player on San Jose State's team. It's a move that comes despite the fact that the commissioner of the conference has already ruled the player in question meets the eligibility standards to compete.

CNN sports anchor Amanda Davies has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

AMANDA DAVIES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Erica, another development in the ongoing gender controversy in college volleyball. The Boise State women's volleyball team says it will forfeit its conference tournament match against San Jose State later today amid unconfirmed reports of a transgender player on the Spartans' roster.

It's important to note that Boise State haven't actually given a reason for forfeiting but they did boycott their two matches against San Jose State earlier this season.

In a statement, Boise State said the decision wasn't an easy one, saying, "Our team should not have to forgo this opportunity while waiting for a more thoughtful and better system that serves all athletes."

According to documents filed in federal court, the controversy began last spring amid the rumors about a Spartans player. San Jose State have received a total of six forfeit victories this season with four other teams canceling their games against SJSU.

On Monday, a federal judge in Colorado ruled the player was allowed to compete, a decision upheld by an appeals court the next day.

Neither the player in question nor San Jose State have commented publicly on the player's gender, and we here at CNN aren't naming the player since she's declined to comment through a university official -- Erica.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[07:40:00]

HILL: Amanda, appreciate it. Thank you.

Just ahead, a breathtaking first look inside Notre Dame as the cathedral reopens more than five years after that devastating fire.

And why Shohei Ohtani is trying to get his hands on baseball cards worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. New details about how the star was ripped off by his interpreter.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:45:05]

HILL: The ceasefire deal between Israel and Hezbollah now in its third day appears to be holding despite accusations of violations from both sides. Overnight, Israel foiled what it called a "terrorist activity" in a facility used by Hezbollah to store mid-range rockets in southern Lebanon. The Lebanese Army claims Israel has breached the agreement several times since it went into effect on Wednesday.

Joining me now retired Army Gen. Wesley Clark, the former Supreme Allied Commander of NATO. General, always good to see you.

When we look at this ceasefire deal there is still a sense that despite this -- what we're hearing in the last couple of days that this will hold for at least the short term. So I'm curious. What are you watching for in these coming weeks?

GEN. WESLEY CLARK (RET.), FORMER NATO SUPREME ALLIED COMMANDER, FOUNDER, RENEW AMERICA TOGETHER (via Webex by Cisco): I think it will hold in the short term because both sides have an incentive to agree to it. The Israelis have substantially weakened Hezbollah, and Hezbollah is weak and they're not capable of really doing what it had thought it could do to Israel in the past. So there's a -- there's a pause that's really forced by battlefield realities here.

What I'm watching is what's going to happen between Israel and Iran. How the rhetoric goes, what the diplomatic moves might be, and planning between Netanyahu and the incoming Trump administration. Iran is really the issue in the region. You -- we wouldn't have the conflict in the region without Iran continuously reinforcing its actions and resistance, providing the rhetoric, the equipment, and so forth.

So that's really the source. And this is Israel's opportunity to go to the source. HILL: And effectively, what we also heard in part from the prime

minister on the heels of announcing this deal that it would also allow them to focus more on Iran, to your point.

If we could shift gears now and look at just the increase in activity that we've seen between Russia and Ukraine. One hundred thirty drone attacks launched by Russia overnight into Ukraine, according to Ukraine. And then we're also seeing continue warnings from Vladimir Putin that they may strike Ukraine again with these new nuclear- capable ballistic missiles.

So as we're seeing this rise in rhetoric in some ways, I was also struck by some analysis that was shared with us here at CNN. Analysts telling CNN "...the anxious reaction to Ukraine's newly granted powers is another example of the Kremlin's successful strategy of forcing the West to see the conflict on Russia's terms, confusing each fresh attempt by Ukraine to resist Russian aggression as a major 'escalation.'"

Would you agree that perhaps sometimes we're looking at this the wrong way?

CLARK: Absolutely -- and Erica, I've been saying this for 2 1/2 years on CNN.

Look, this is a conflict. You can't measure it in teaspoonfuls. You either go in to provide Ukraine the forces and equipment it needs to win, or you don't. And what's happened in 2 1/2 years is the Biden administration has carefully calibrated this so they think Russia wouldn't win, but they wouldn't let Ukraine do things that would provoke Russia or get the U.S. involved.

Look, the U.S. is involved. Russia believes NATO is being this. Russia's threats continue against NATO. Some gray zone activities like sabotaging aircraft, and cutting cables, and so forth are going on right now.

So it's time for the West really to wake up on this. Stop doing the war in Russia's terms. Give Ukraine what it needs to succeed on the battlefield.

If you want a diplomatic settlement, the only way you can get a successful diplomatic settlement other than surrendering -- and that's not a successful settlement -- is to provide Ukraine sufficient means and sufficient ancillary support around the periphery of Russia, including against North Korea. That Putin realizes he's not going to win and he's going to try to cut the best deal he can before he loses. Right now, Putin thinks he's winning.

HILL: So what's your sense then, to your point, about the West basically needs to react differently? What is going to be the catalyst for that?

CLARK: Well, I think -- I think Keith Kellogg could help us a lot in that respect. I've known Keith for a long time. I'm really happy he's going to be going over there. He's followed it. I've looked at his statements. He sees it I think in a correct way.

Now, of course, everyone wants the war to end. So when you talk about trying to do negotiations, sure -- I mean, most wars end that way either with a negotiated settlement or a complete occupation. We're not going to occupy Russia. So that's not the way this is going to end.

But it can't end successfully in negotiations without changing the balance on the battlefield, and right now that balance is working against Ukraine. So it means more equipment.

You know, we've stalled for 2 1/2 years. I think we were probably behind the scenes asking Russia's permission -- can we give them HIMARS? What about F-16s? Will you get too mad at us if we do that?

[07:50:05]

And I think that's -- it's been exactly the wrong way to handle it.

HILL: Um-hum.

CLARK: So I hope now to have a different policy.

HILL: General Wesley Clark, always appreciate your insight. Thank you.

JIMENEZ: Well, new this morning, for the first time we're getting a look inside the newly restored Notre Dame Cathedral. This comes as French President Emmanuel Macron toured the historic church -- cathedral just a short time ago amid the massive renovation.

Now, back in 2019 a huge fire heavily damaged the structure leading to a more than $700 million restoration.

CNN senior international correspondent Melissa Bell joins us now. I remember being out in Paris right after Notre Dame burned years ago, as I know you were. And even then, people were already coming together to figure out how to rebuild. Years later we're here. And as I understand, you just got back from touring it? What did you see?

MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right. Just over five years after those flames could be seen -- you'll remember, Omar, coming out of the roof of Notre Dame -- the social media had spread quickly as had the crowds afterwards around the cathedral. And then for many days they stood and prayed and chanted in the hope that the thing would stand. And this was unclear given the extensive damage caused by the fire.

Today, this sneak preview of what the restoration has yield inside. The French president, a short while ago, inside the cathedral, Omar, speaking to some of the 2,000 men and women who have been involved in this restoration project. The first question they had to answer is what they wanted to do with it. The answer was to rebuild it exactly as it had been, and that's taken two years just to secure the cathedral. And inside what we got to see -- I just got to go in while the president was speaking. You can see the detail of so much of the artwork that had been -- the sculptures, the gold, the detailed intricacies of the inside of the cathedral that had been slightly overshadowed or dirtied by centuries and centuries of life, and worship, and candle-burning. You get to see just how extraordinary the detail of Notre Dame is -- really restored not just to the splendor of five years ago but to the splendor of many centuries ago.

The French president there speaking to the men and women who have been involved in the restoration and really choking up as he thanked them and told them they'd been working on the construction site of the century. That five years when he stood in front of the cathedral and said it will be rebuilt in five years people had been in disbelief. They said it can't be done -- it couldn't be done, and it has. And he really sort of choked up as he thanked them for all that hard work, Omar.

JIMENEZ: And, you know, as you've been talking, we've been showing some before and after images. I mean, really, really breathtaking when you see them just side-by-side like that. I mean, before, inside Notre Dame was fairly dark and now it seems like it's bright, light-filled.

I mean, how stark is that -- is that difference in person? Is that something you noticed?

BELL: That's exactly right. You'll remember for anyone who'd been inside the cathedral before the fire it was impressive, it was vast, it was intricate, it was beautiful, but it was very somber. It was dark. The stones were fairly darkened. A lot of the artwork -- the gold and the colors of the sculptures, the paints on the -- on the sides of the cathedral, the artwork itself were slightly faded.

There was an overall impression, Omar, of a very somber interior. That is completely transformed. When you walk in, the most striking thing is just how light it is, just how colorful it is. And you can see, thanks to that light and that illumination now, every last corner of this extraordinary cathedral. It is even more breathtaking and awe- inspiring than it was before, Omar.

JIMENEZ: The dawn of a new era for this historic cathedral.

Melissa Bell, thank you for being there, and thank you for being with us -- Erica.

HILL: Australia becomes the first country in the world to pass a law banning social media for children under the age of 16. That new law is putting tech companies on alert, saying they need to tighten their security for those younger users. The ban itself now requires tech companies to take "reasonable steps" to ensure those under 16 can't access social media.

CNN's Hanako Montgomery has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) HANOKO MONTGOMERY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): How kids use social media is a problem millions of parents face, and Australia says it's now found a solution.

ANTHONY ALBANESE, AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER: World-leading action to make sure social media companies meet their social responsibility. Social media is doing harm to our children.

MONTGOMERY (voiceover): Under Australia's new law kids under 16 are banned from accessing social media platforms, and tech companies breaking the rules could face fines in the tens of millions.

MONTGOMERY: But the bill, rushed through in just a week, is drawing criticism from those not convinced it'll keep kids off the internet.

SARAH HANSON-YOUNG, AUSTRALIAN SENATOR: I mean, it's almost embarrassing. I mean, this is boomers trying to tell young people how the internet should work.

[07:55:00]

MONTGOMERY (voiceover): Tech giants, including Meta and X's Elon Musk, argue more time and evidence are needed before enforcing the ban.

But for some parents the law couldn't come fast enough.

KELLY O'BRIEN, MOTHER OF CHARLOTTE O'BRIEN, WHO TOOK HER OWN LIFE AFTER ONLINE BULLYING: I will miss your hugs, your kisses, your laugh, your beautiful, beautiful smile.

MONTGOMERY (voiceover): Twelve-year-old Charlotte O'Brien took her own life, her parents say, after years of being bullied online. Cases like hers and Allem Halkic, who ended his life at 17, have driven Australia's push to protect kids from online harm.

ALI HALKIC, FATHER OF ALLEM HALKIC: If that was in place today, I know he would be alive. And that's some of the guilt that I have to live with every day.

MONTGOMERY (voiceover): Australia's new law is divisive, but for grieving families it's a fight worth leading.

Hanako Montgomery, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HILL: Record-breaking MLB star Shohei Ohtani is going after his former interpreter. In new court documents he is demanding that Ippei Mizuhara turn over $325,000 worth of baseball cards. Ohtani says Mizuhara bought them using stolen money. Mizuhara has already pleaded guilty to bank and tax fraud for stealing almost $17 million from the L.A. Dodgers player. He's going to be sentenced in January and could spend more than 30 years in federal prison.

And meet Vita, an adorable 2 1/2 year old pug with pretty much the best name ever. He's the first pug in at least two decades to win Best in Show at the 92nd annual National Dog Show. To do that, Vito beat out 2,000 other dogs adding this top title to his impressive record of, get this, 25 Best in Show wins. Vito is a force to be reckoned with, Omar.

JIMENEZ: Yeah. I mean, clearly, walking there. I don't know how they judge the Best in Show, but everything seemed cool from my perspective.

HILL: It does. I don't know how they do it either, but I do love the movie of the same name.

JIMENEZ: Yeah, that's a nice run. That's a good holiday watch, actually. I might have to tee that up. Thanks, Erica. I really appreciate that.

Look, we have a lot of other news we're following too, including as Donald Trump's team prepares for a second term, many people are wondering who might get a pardon once he takes office. Well, CNN's John Miller reports on whether a high-profile New York Democrat could make the list.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENT-ELECT: The ridiculous and baseless indictment of me by the Biden administration's weaponized department of injustice will go down as among the most horrific abuses of power in the history of our country.

JOHN MILLER, CNN CHIEF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND INTELLIGENCE ANALYST (voiceover): It's one of President-elect Donald Trump's most common refrains.

TRUMP: They weaponized the Justice Department. Every one of those cases was involved with the DOJ.

MILLER (voiceover): Repeated claims, without any evidence, that the multiple criminal cases against him, even the ones brought by state prosecutors, were ordered by the Biden White House. The Justice Department has consistently denied the baseless claim.

MERRICK GARLAND, ATTORNEY GENERAL: I have devoted my entire career to ensuring that the rule of law is the rule that the Justice Department applies. That we do not have enemies or friends. That we do not pay attention to the political parties, or the wealth, or the power, or the influence of the people that we are investigating.

MILLER (voiceover): And when New York's Democratic Mayor Eric Adams was indicted earlier this year he pleaded not guilty and began to invoke a similar argument.

MAYOR ERIC ADAMS, (D) NEW YORK CITY: I always knew that if I stood my ground for all of you that I would be a target, and a target I became.

MILLER (voiceover): Adams has been indicted on five federal charges related to bribery, wire fraud, conspiracy, and soliciting campaign contributions from foreign nationals. Prosecutors allege his illegal actions stretch back a decade, but Adams claims that those charges seemed to emerge only after he sharply criticized the Biden White House for not doing enough to help New York City with an influx of migrants.

ADAMS: The president and the White House has failed New York City on this issue. Despite our pleas when the federal government did nothing as its broken immigration policies overloaded our shelter system with no relief, I put the people of New York before party and politics.

MILLER (voiceover): As Mayor Adams was taking a page from Donald Trump's playbook, he was also becoming a validator of Trump's claims, and Donald Trump became one of the Democratic mayor's most prominent defenders.

TRUMP: We were persecuted, Eric. I was persecuted and so were you, Eric. Mayor Adams has been treated pretty badly. You know, when he said that this whole thing with the migrants coming into New York -- this is just not sustainable. And he said it very nicely. I said well, he's going to be indicted by these lunatics for saying that. A year later he got indicted.