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Angry Democrats Confront Republicans During Key House Committee Vote; 800-Plus Flights Canceled Today as House Prepares for Shutdown Vote; Mother of Missing Girl to be Arraigned on Unrelated Charge. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired November 12, 2025 - 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: All right. Happening now, hundreds and hundreds of flight cancellations already this morning as House members do something they have not done in more than 50 days, actually show up to work. New reporting on when the flight nightmare might be over if the shutdown actually ends today.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: The mother of nine-year-old Melodee Buzzard will face a judge today as the search is still on for the little girl who has been missing, still missing ever since a road trip with her mother last month.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: And some wild video out of China this morning, a bridge collapsing just months after it was open to traffic, concrete and steel plunging into a river below. What caused this disaster?

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

BERMAN: All right. Breaking this morning, welcome back, Congress, if you can actually get there. There have been hundreds and hundreds of flight delays already this morning and will be more as the House is back at work for the first time in more than 50 days, and could end the government shutdown by tonight. The bill to reopen advancing committee overnight in a tense meeting, Democrats angry that Republicans left the room while they were speaking.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MELANIE STANSBURY (D-NM): Where were you? Where were you? You're not even in this room tonight to even answer that question. I just -- I literally find it disgusting.

So, I want to know from our colleagues who I can literally hear laughing in the other room, where were you?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: All right. When the House votes tonight, it could be a close one given the razor thin margins there, not to mention the travel nightmare. We don't know if members can get back given the flight situation. Congressman Derek Van Orden says he's writing his Harley from Wisconsin to avoid missing the vote.

Let's get right to Stef Kight, a politics reporter with Axio. Stef, good to see you this morning. Members rushing back, they have the shutdowns been 40-plus days, but members of the House haven't been there for more than 50 days because Mike Johnson just said, hey, don't bother coming back while there's a shutdown. How close does the vote look for tonight?

STEF KIGHT, POLITICS REPORTER, AXIOS: It is going to be close. I mean, Speaker Mike Johnson only can afford to lose, you know, basically one vote at this point. There are a couple Republicans that we're looking at whether they will, you know, vote against this package. Of course, Thomas Massie from Kentucky is the first name that comes to mind. He typically votes against these kinds of spending bills, but also Marjorie Taylor Greene has been signaling her disappointment with the way that Johnson has been handling this situation, so we'll be watching her very closely.

But Mike Johnson might get some cover from a few moderate Democrats as well who could end up voting for this bill to reopen the government to move forward with that, moderates like Vincent Gonzalez, Henry Cuellar, Jared Golden, who also voted for a C.R. earlier in the year. So, there could be some wiggle room for Republicans. It's going to be tight just given the margins. But Speaker Johnson and his team have been pretty confident in projecting that they think that they're going to have the votes come later tonight.

BERMAN: And Hakeem Jeffries, the House minority leader, we've seen him speak for long times on the floor before. Do we expect any of that type of situation tonight?

KIGHT: You know, I am sure we'll hear from Democrats and they will make their disapproval known, but we're not expecting kind of a prolonged process. It's one of those rules of Congress where once you're folding, once something is inevitable, you want to kind of get it over as quickly as possible. We saw that in the Senate with Senate Democrats eventually agreeing to just allow the vote process to be sped up, to get it done on Monday so that they could all go home once it was clear they had the votes. And we're expecting a similar process in the House where we were -- we'll certainly hear from some House Democrats about their disapproval of this bill, but, ultimately, because the votes are likely to be there, we're not expecting some prolonged speech from Jeffries delay this.

BERMAN: All right. Stef Kight, thanks so much for coming in this morning. Great to see you, your insight, invaluable, as always. Kate?

BOLDUAN: So, as the government shutdown is inching -- well, as the government is inching closer to reopening, it's still not fast enough to stave off massive air travel disruptions, as Berman was talking about.

[07:05:09] This morning, flight cancelations have topped more than 800 as air traffic controllers and travelers hope that this mess will be over soon. Under the FAA's order airlines have cut 6 percent of flights at the major airports and they will be required to make 8 percent of the -- make it an 8 percent cut as of tomorrow and up to 10 percent come Friday in order to keep the airspace safe.

One bright spot, air traffic control facilities reported fewer staffing problems yesterday. It also comes as the transportation tech secretary seems to be trying to offer some additional good news that controllers, he says, will get 70 percent of their back pay within 24 to 48 hours of the government reopening. The remaining will come a week after the shutdown ends.

Still, the secretary now says that he will, would take action on controllers who repeatedly called out during the shutdown.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEAN DUFFY, TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY: My concern is for those air traffic controllers who before they missed a paycheck and we were in the shutdown, they decided on a continual basis not to show up for work.

I'm concerned about those controllers. I'm concerned about their dedication. I'm concerned about their patriotism. And so we haven't made a decision, but we are going to look at those controllers who continually made the decision not to show up for work.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Joining us right now for more on this is Chris Marquette, transportation reporter with Politico. Chris, what is this threat? What is Sean Duffy doing here?

CHRIS MARQUETTE, TRANSPORTATION REPORTER, POLITICO: Good morning, Kate. If you look at the secretary's comments very closely, it's actually narrower than what President Donald Trump said. He said that he was focusing on controllers that missed -- that didn't go into work after not even missing a paycheck. And that's a narrower scope than what the president said in terms of all of the controllers that maybe didn't show up for work because they were working a second job, you know, to cover the mortgage, the rent, the car payment.

So, Secretary Duffy is being very, very careful in choosing his words, in saying -- in focusing on a select subset of controllers that called out sick before they even missed a paycheck. And I think that's an important distinction to take between the secretary and the president. And I think that's moving towards a way in which Duffy can still be in alignment with the president, but also it's -- you know, as you played in the clip, you know, he said, I'm trying to bring more air traffic controllers in. There's a huge shortfall of controllers, and it would not be in Duffy's best interest or the Transportation Department's best interest to just let controllers, you know, walk away.

BOLDUAN: Walk away or, you know, threaten them for taking time off during, or having to call out during the shutdown. I think what you're saying is an important point. You see this as the secretary kind of trying to thread the needle here, do his job, try to get controllers back to work, keep the airspace safe, but also stay in line with that really outlandish statement from President Trump that came in the form of social media.

MARQUETTE: Yes, that's exactly what he's doing. And, you know, I think he's doing a really good job at that. And just to speak to the safety precautions that he's been taking, I wrote with my colleague, Sam Ogozalek, the other day that, you know, air travel issues aren't over, but they're getting better and hope is on the horizon. And, you know, Duffy said he will ease flight restrictions when worrying safety trends improve. And that's based and only based, he's saying, on data compiled by the FAA. However, it will take time for air traffic controller staffing levels to get back to pre-shutdown levels.

And Speaker Johnson is, you know, bringing the House back after a long recess. You know, we're expecting that they will vote at some point tonight to fund the government and open the government. But even after the government reopens, travelers will probably see a lag time before airlines return to their normal operations.

BOLDUAN: Yes. That's something that people need to keep in mind, for sure.

It's great to see. Chris, thanks so much for coming in. Sarah?

SIDNER: All right. The mother of a missing nine-year-old Melodee Buzzard is in court this morning and a strange twist. Her arrest is over a man who says she held him captive. The reason may give investigators clues about her daughter's disappearance.

And thousands of people were kicked out of their hotel rooms at a moment's no notice, and they are fuming about the reason.

[07:10:01]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We just got evicted from our hotel here in Montreal. We have our suitcases.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: And if you looked up last night, you might have seen something glorious, a stunning northern lights display across the country as far south as Florida. If you missed it, we'll show it to you.

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SIDNER: Happening today, the mother of missing nine-year-old Southern California girl will be in court arraigned on charges of false imprisonment. Authorities say Ashlee Buzzard held a man captive in her home and that her arrest is not directly related to the search for her daughter, Melodee. [07:15:00]

The girl was reported missing last month after she went on a cross country road trip with her mom.

The Santa Barbara Sheriff's Office said Ashlee Buzzard is refusing to answer questions about where her daughter is now.

CNN's Jean Casarez is here. What do we know about this strange twist in the case?

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is a felony complaint that they have filed in Santa Barbara County against Ashlee Buzzard, the mother of Melodee Buzzard who is still missing, her arraignment is today. So, this is her initial appearance, so we should be seeing her in court and seeing how she reacts.

But let's look at the complaint for a second because we can learn a little bit from this. It's false imprisonment, but they're saying that she used violence, menace, fraud and deceit in this false imprisonment. Then they're asking for an aggravator, Sara, which if there's a conviction and sentencing, it's more -- it's a harsher penalty, planning, sophistication or professionalism.

Now, we've tried to reach out to an attorney, but there is not one assigned to her yet, but she obviously is innocent until proven guilty.

But while this is happening in court in Santa Barbara, officials are still looking for Melodee. They believe she could be alive. And I think we have a map that the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department put out on that final day that she was seen, which is October 9th, there it is, right there. And they say that they know that she and her mother, at least she was with her mother part of this time, Green River, Utah, Panguitch, Utah, Northwest Arizona, Primm, Nevada. Then once getting into California, and we don't know if she was with her or not, but Rancho Cucamonga, California. Then she gets back to Lompoc, which is near Santa Barbara.

SIDNER: We know that her daughter was not with her when she got to Lompoc at the end.

CASAREZ: She was alone when she turned in that rental car. But that route right there, very important. But as I was told recently, remember it was a month ago, but they think she could be alive.

SIDNER: Wow, there is so much to this case, but the fact that she is still missing has some of the other family members really, really worried. I know you're following every twist and turn in this case. Thank you so much for coming in this morning. Kate?

BOLDUAN: Thousands of hotel guests around the world left stranded. They say they were told to get out of rooms that they had booked with Sonder after the short-term rentals company announced that it was filing for bankruptcy and also that its partnership with Marriott was over. The sudden collapse left guests at Boutique Hotel and apartments in multiple cities with only hours and in some cases minutes to pack up and get out.

In a statement, Sonders said, and you're seeing some of it here, in a statement, Sonder said that it was immediately winding down operations and blamed, quote, severe financial constraints arising from, among other things, prolonged challenges in the integration of the company's systems and booking arrangements with Marriott.

Here's how some guests responded to that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This message is a message of disappointment of frustration, a declaration of annoyance to by Sonder, Marriott Bonvoy, and Marriott Hotels.

Now you're telling me I have to pay out of my own pocket because of y'all's nonsense, hundreds of dollars for one night, because y'all don't want to be together no more? I'm very disappointed. I'm very upset.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Y'all's nonsense is probably the right response to all of this. A Marriott spokesperson now tells CNN, it's trying now to work with those stranded guests.

Still ahead for us, President John F. Kennedy's grandson jumping into politics himself.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And our country is at a turning point. It's a crisis at every level.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: It's been wondered for quite some time Jack Schlossberg announces he is running for Congress.

And wild video showing a train going 50 miles per hour, the train cars packed with commuters and the conductor appears to fall asleep.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:20:00]

BERMAN: All right. This morning, brand new college football rankings that will, of course, impact the playoff situation. Let's get right to CNN's Andy Scholes with the latest. Good morning to you, sir.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Yes, good morning, John. So, no big movement this week, the top five all staying the same despite Texas A&M getting another big win over a ranked in Missouri team on Saturday in Ohio State. They remain number one, followed by Indiana, the Aggies and Alabama. So, those four teams, they would get the first round vibe if things stay the same. Georgia, Texas Tech, Ole Miss and Oregon would get to host first round games on campus. Notre Dame, Texas, Miami and South Florida, the last four end. So, South Florida gets in despite being ranked 24th because they'd be the highest ranked group of five team. Miami is in for now. They got two losses in the ACC. They need a lot of help to make their conference title game. Final rankings come out December 7th.

The NBA meanwhile announcing the new format for the All-Star game, so it's going to be USA versus the world. There will be two USA teams and one team of international players. There's going to be eight players on each team. The first three 12 minute quarters are going to be a round robin, then the top two teams are going to play the fourth quarter to determine a winner. 12 players will still be selected from each conference like normal, but there are no longer any position requirements.

Now, if there aren't a perfect 16 American players and 8 international players, Commissioner Adam Silver will then add players to the rosters.

[07:25:00]

The All-Star game is going to take place in February at the same time as the Winter Olympics.

All right, in the NHL last night, things getting chippy between the Capitals and Hurricanes. Washington's Nic Dowd, he pulls over Goalie Frederick Andersen behind the net and Carolina's defenders immediately took offense to that, and a fight breaks out, Martin Fehervary and Jackson Blake going at it. Fehervary was getting the better of Blake, so Logan Stankoven jumps in. Fehervary and Stankoven, they leave this ruckus bloodied. After the dust settled, 16 penalty minutes were assessed and the Hurricanes got a power play. But the Capitals, though, they got the last laugh winning that one at 4-1.

Meanwhile, on TNT last night in Denver, check out this fan, he's going to catch a puck that went over the glass and watch him in the white shirt. He is going to stand up and immediately start chugging his beer. It gets a big ovation from the crowd there. But, John, I think that was a full beer because that's a big can there. He ends up putting it down. Not sure he finished that bad boy.

BERMAN: He got his money's worth from that. He needed a drink after trying to understand the NBA All-Star new format, Andy. You needed like 65 minutes and a slide rule to explain that.

SCHOLES: Another year, another format, John. I mean, hey, it can't get any worse, right? Only the way is up.

BERMAN: Well, they could go the way the NFL Pro Bowl. I mean, sooner or later, we're not going to have any All-Star games if they keep on ruining them. Thank you, Andy. I appreciate it.

SIDNER: On another note, a man with a puck and a beer, happiest man on Earth. BERMAN: That's right. That's right, happier than an NBA All-Star. That's what I can say.

SIDNER: That's true.

All right, ahead, Venezuela is announcing a massive military mobilization. It comes as America's largest warship sail into the area. More on the rising tensions in the region.

And why dozens of people are protesting outside the London Aquarium. The focus is on penguins.

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