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Government Shutdown Looms as Bipartisan Revolt Sinks Trump- Backed Bill; Mangione Makes First Federal Court appearance in New York; Some Amazon Contractors, Starbucks Baristas Walking Off the Job. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired December 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]

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: So what does plan C? The revamp of a plan to keep the government from shutting down was just rejected by the House. Now, calls by Republicans for Trump to get on a plane to Washington to come fix it himself. And also Republicans now only have hours before they hit this deadline.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: Held without bail, CEO murder suspect Luigi Mangione waking up behind bars in New York after a two-state spectacle yesterday. Now, he's facing new charges and a potential push for the death penalty. What we are learning about all of it and how this all went down.

Plus, it's beginning to look a lot like long lines and heavy traffic. A record breaking number of holiday travelers expected at airports and on the road. So, what will Mother Nature bring to the party? We have the latest holiday forecast.

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

BOLDUAN: It was the week before Christmas, and all through the House, complete chaos. You are right, that is not how the story is supposed to go. But that is exactly how the House of Representatives is operating right now, now hours from the government beginning to shut down. And plan B rejected last night, 38 Republicans joining most Democrats to vote against the Republican proposal to fund government operations for a bit. And that is after Donald Trump and Elon Musk got involved/got in the way of the first proposal which had bipartisan support and was on the path to being a little footnote in this Christmas tale.

Well, now House Speaker Mike Johnson is looking for another way through and a way out of this mess.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA): We will regroup and we will come up with another solution. So, stay tuned.

REPORTER: Will you drop the debt limit demand?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: And we shall. Staying tuned is exactly what we're doing.

Frustrated is a bit of a kind version of what people are feeling right now on the Hill, it seems, maybe best shown by this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MARC MOLINARO (R-NY): The House will be in order.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: That is Republican Congressman Marc Molinaro presiding over the House last night and appearing to break the gavel at one point as he was trying to quiet the chamber during the debate and all those speeches. All of this leading some Republicans to say Donald Trump needs to jump on a plane and fix this himself.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. KEVIN CRAMER (R-ND): I think one of the ways that this could get fixed fairly quickly would be if President Trump would come up to Washington tomorrow or spend the weekend here and talk to people face to face. Let's face it, I mean, you know, he's got a lot of sway and persuasion.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: So, where things are headed this morning, very unclear.

CNN's Manu Raju spoke to Republicans who voted against the latest measure last night.

MANU RAJU, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Even though Donald Trump tried to pressure Republicans to fall in line behind this 11th hour effort to avoid a government shutdown, he got bucked by 38 members of his own party, as well as Democrats who voted en masse against this proposal to avoid a government shutdown, one big reason why it included a provision to suspend the national debt limit for two years. Remember, that issue of a debt limit was a complex, complicated issue that typically Congress tends weeks, if not months, to try to negotiate. No one wants to vote really to raise the borrowing limit in the United States.

And Donald Trump does not want this to be part of his first year agenda. So, he wants to take it off the table now. He's saying deal with it now. And so he doesn't have to worry about when he's president. But there's a problem. There are Republicans in the ranks who say that they will never vote for a debt limit increase, especially if it does not have spending cuts.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. TIM BURCHETT (R-TN): This just stinks. That's why America doesn't trust government, and it's for good dad gum reason.

RAJU: And you said shut it down?

BURCHETT: That's what it takes to bring us to the table.

REP. BOB GOOD (R-VA): Any extra supplemental ought to stand on its own merits, not be attached to it, and it ought to have payfors. And the debt limit must not be increased without commensurate spending cuts and fiscal reform.

[07:05:04]

REP. ERIC BURLISON (R-MO): When I ran for office, I said that I would not vote to raise the debt ceiling. And so I haven't -- I've never voted to raise the debt ceiling. I mean, I love Donald Trump, but he didn't vote me into office. My district did.

RAJU: You want to shut it down?

BURLISON: I'm not afraid of a shutdown.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RAJU: Now, this all comes as Donald Trump, of course, intervened late in this whole process. There was a bipartisan deal that was on the glide path to becoming law to avert a government shutdown. But then when Trump intervened late and said that he wanted the debt limit increase to be part of this plan, and he berated that bipartisan deal that Mike Johnson cut. As a result, it's left Congress scrambling to try to figure out a solution.

And now that the Plan B has failed, Mike Johnson is trying to figure out if there's any way to avoid a government shutdown. That will occur at midnight to Saturday morning, and how long that could last remains a major question.

So, the two sides are on opposite sides on how to resolve an issue that could be crippling to so many Americans who rely on government services, government employees, contractors, and the like, as a shutdown now looms in just a matter of hours.

SIDNER: Our thanks to Manu Raju there.

So far, President Biden stayed out of the funding fight, but the White House says congressional Republicans are, quote, doing the bidding of billionaire benefactors at the expense of hardworking Americans.

Arlette Saenz is at the White House for us this morning. We're just hours away from a government shutdown right before the holidays. Is President Biden planning to weigh in on this?

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, we're still waiting to hear exactly if we will hear from President Biden himself, but the White House and agencies across the federal government are bracing for this potential shutdown, readying their plans for how workers should proceed if Congress does not reach a deal in the next 17 hours. Now, senior officials here at the White House have been in close coordination with Democrats up on Capitol Hill on messaging and next steps. They believe that the onus is really on Republicans to sort out this situation and that they should stick to the initial bipartisan agreements they had reached with Democrats earlier this week.

For President Biden's part, we have yet to hear publicly from him. He really has not been a player in this shutdown standoff, perhaps a reflection of the limited influence he has in the waning days of his presidency as the incoming president, Donald Trump, has injected himself into this debate.

Now, if Congress does not reach an agreement by midnight tonight, there would be a wide impact across the federal government. All federal agencies would be impacted. An estimated 875,000 workers would be furloughed. Thousands more would be deemed essential and still report for work but not be paid until this shutdown is over.

The White House started to notify their staff just yesterday on some of the guidance and instructions for how they should proceed if there is a shutdown. They wrote, quote, if a shutdown occurs, employees should consider themselves furloughed unless told otherwise by their authorized supervisor or component leadership.

Now, past shutdowns have shown us a little bit of what could be impacted. National parks and museums would shut down. There could also be issues at the IRS just as tax filing season is about to begin. Then there's a lot of questions about holiday travel. TSA agents and air traffic controllers are deemed essential, would have to continue to work. But in past shutdowns, some had called out sick, which caused delays to flights, really complicating travel at one of the busiest seasons of the year.

Now, some things that would not be impacted, Social Security checks would continue to go out, Medicare and Medicaid benefits would also continue to proceed. But if an agreement is not reached, it could also jeopardize relief for farmers and also critical disaster recovery aid that many southeastern states still need in the wake of those hurricanes earlier this year.

Now, if the government shuts down tonight, this will be the first shutdown since 2018 when President Trump was in office. That one lasted for 35 days. That is something that this White House does not want to see proceed. But at this time, it's unclear what exactly the resolution will be up on Capitol Hill as Republicans are still snarled in this fight.

SIDNER: Time is ticking and hopes are fading. Arlette Saenz, thank you so much. I appreciate it.

Still ahead, accused killer Luigi Mangione paraded in front of cameras before his first federal court appearance. What we're learning from newly released writings from his notebook.

Plus, Starbucks workers set to go on strike today in three major cities and the union says more are coming before Christmas. Also, it's helped millions of people lose weight. But now, more than a thousand people are suing the makers of Ozempic, saying they had no warning for severe side effects they're experiencing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It doesn't say it on the pamphlet that you're going to be hemorrhaging.

NICK WATT, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: And if it had said that on the --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I wouldn't have taken it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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[07:10:00]

BOLDUAN: This morning, the accused killer of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson is waking up for the first time in a New York federal prison. This after a dramatic day of Luigi Mangione finally being extradited, transported across two states to make multiple court appearances, including his first time before a federal judge.

Now, he faces four federal counts now, one of which could bring the death penalty. That's on top of the state murder charges that we've been talking about. And there are new details now coming out from the notebook found on Mangione when he was arrested, writings that prosecutors say include things about an alleged plan to, quote, whack the CEO.

[07:15:04]

CNN's Brynn Gingras has much more on all of this. A lot happened yesterday, Brynn. Once that extra -- once he came to New York, everything seemed to change and change super quickly.

BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I mean a lot of movements, yes. And I think even, you know, his defense attorney was confused. Karen Agnifilo was basically saying in that court hearing in federal court, like what's going on here? Are there two separate investigations, federal and state? Are they going to be working together? What is happening? The judge didn't really take that time to answer those questions. Now is not the time. But it was clear she was trying to set up her defense there, right? This double jeopardy defense that legal experts have said, basically, I don't think it'll hold. But we'll see how this all moves forward. But that is the big question.

What we have learned since is Kara Scannell saying that the Manhattan district attorney's case is actually going to take precedence, right? What the big question is now is when will he actually be in a Manhattan court? Well, let's say Manhattan state court --

BOLDUAN: Exactly.

GINGRAS: (INAUDIBLE) yesterday. But Manhattan State Court to have an arraignment on those 11 charges, the unsealing of that indictment earlier this week. I can't believe that was earlier this week.

But, yes, and as far as the federal case is concerned, he did appear before the judge. He did not have to enter a plea, just the complaint was unsealed, and we learned a lot more about what the feds say they have against him. As they say, the FBI was also collecting evidence as the NYPD was doing their case as well.

And a lot of new stuff we're learning is from that notebook that you referenced that police say was on him when he was arrested. Let me read you some of these excerpts because it really gets into the whole stalking and movements of Brian Thompson that police say Luigi Mangione did prior to this killing. An August 15th entry says, quote, the details are finally coming together, end quote. I'm glad in a way that I've procrastinated and allowed time to learn more about UnitedHealthcare. And, remember, this is a couple months prior to the actual killing.

On October 22nd in this federal complaint, it says, quote, the writer called the conference, quote, a true windfall, and there was this detailed plan, as you already stated, to whack an insurance company CEO, all according, again, to this federal complaint. So, a lot more evidence coming out in that complaint, a lot more evidence against him, but it's going to be interesting to see how this moves forward with these two different courts, sort of not battling it out, but basically, you know, dealing with the charges that are at hand here.

BOLDUAN: At minimum, everything felt very on hold in terms of the process when he was still in Pennsylvania. Then he gets Karen Agnifilo as his attorney. Then they stop fighting extradition, and now it's almost --

GINGRAS: It's like the gates opened.

BOLDUAN: It really did feel like the floodgates opened but not necessarily making it much more clear is how quickly or what direction we're all going to be heading, but we're here together.

GINRAS: Yes. We're all here together.

BOLDUAN: Yes, Important moments and important things coming out from -- on just that federal indictment.

It's good to see you. Thank you.

Coming up for us, two major strikes happening today that we are tracking, workers striking at Amazon and Starbucks. Why and what this means with the holidays upon us.

And how the looming government shutdown could cause even more real travel trouble for the holidays ahead with record breaking numbers expected today.

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[07:20:00]

SIDNER: Right now, thousands of Amazon and Starbucks workers are walking off the job just days before Christmas. The workers union representing thousands of Starbucks baristas says you can expect workers in L.A., Chicago and Seattle to go on strike this morning. And in four states, members of the Teamsters union working as Amazon drivers have also walked off the job.

CNN's Vanessa Yurkevich is joining us now. Let's start with Amazon. You have spoken with an Amazon official. Why do they say this is not a strike?

VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN BUSINESS AND POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, this strike is incredibly nuanced. We're in day two. There are thousands of workers on strike. These are drivers that work for a third party company that contract with Amazon. The Teamsters represents these drivers and they say that Amazon has failed to come to the negotiating table. However, Amazon is saying that these are not union members because they're not recognized by the National Labor Relations Board.

So, I spoke to the national spokesperson from Amazon last night, asked about that, but also about how it's going to impact all of us. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

YURKEVICH: Will this impact shipping and deliveries for average Americans right now?

KELLY NANTEL, AMAZON SPOKESWOMAN: We're not expecting any delays to customer orders.

YURKEVICH: Do you consider this strike illegal?

NANTEL: There is no strike. This is a protest that has been facilitated by the Teamsters. There are no Amazon employees and no third party drivers who pay dues to the Teamsters.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

YURKEVICH: So you hear right there. She does not even recognize these workers as union members. Amazon says that they have invested millions of dollars into bringing wages for these drivers up to $22 an hour. But many of these drivers say that they work incredibly long hours in really tough conditions. And there's so much demand for more and faster. Obviously, all of us know how much we shop on Amazon, how many packages arrive every single day. The workers say what Amazon has given them so far is not enough.

SIDNER: I do want to ask you about Starbucks. We all remember when they started to unionize. How is Starbucks responding to workers? So, Starbucks is a different scenario because they do recognize over 500 unionized stores and they have been negotiating since February. Starbucks says that they are disappointed that the union has called this strike at this time during the holidays, but the union says we have been giving you a deadline of the end of the year, and we have not gotten the economic contract package that we want.

[07:25:08]

The union saying that they've only offered up to 2 percent in wage increases, the union looking for more. Starbucks says they're ready to get back to the negotiating table. But with both of these strikes, obviously, timing is everything, and for them, the timing is now, around the holidays, when Amazon and Starbucks stand to make a lot of money. They're looking to disrupt this holiday season.

Whether or not it works economically, we'll see. But just the perception of all of us knowing what's going on raises the profile about what these two groups are trying to do.

SIDNER: And I should know right now, we're just learning that the union says that Starbucks workers are officially on strike.

YURKEVICH: Yes, just this morning in three states, in Seattle, Chicago and Los Angeles. And they're talking about expanding to more up until the 24th.

SIDNER: All right, just before the holidays. Thank you so much, Vanessa Yurkevich, I appreciate it.

All right, a new report shows deportations have hit their highest level in a decade under President Biden. We'll talk about it.

And a historic Hoosier state showdown. Kate, I know you're around for this. For the first time in 33 years, Indiana and Notre Dame will face off tonight for the college football playoffs.

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[07:30:00]