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White House Weighs Strategy to Improve Trump's Standing on Economy; Interview with Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL): Top House Democrats Vow to Fight Shutdown Bill Over Health Care Funding; Sonder Files for Bankruptcy, Hotel Guests Stranded Mid-Stay; Northeast, West Coast Brace for More Winter Weather. Aired 8-8:30a ET

Aired November 12, 2025 - 08:00   ET

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

[08:00:00]

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, new this morning, White House officials, they seem to be trying to figure out now how to talk about affordability. The issue of affordability, which has been an issue long before Donald Trump came into office and remains today. Trying to figure out how to talk about it while President Trump has dismissed the issue, insisting now that the economy is great. Polls showing Americans don't see it that way, don't feel it that way at all, and more and more are blaming him for it.

CNN's Alayna Treene is at the White House with new reporting on this for us this morning. Alayna, what are you hearing?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, Kate, essentially, the White House recognizes that they have an issue when it comes to how the president and the administration is talking about the economy and really how their policies don't seem to be resonating with the American people. And there have been a number of discussions, I'm told, behind closed doors about how to try and fix this. And one of them is having the president travel the country to give economy- focused speeches to try and bring this messaging directly to the American people.

I'm also told that the president's advisers have essentially told him not to brush away these concerns or to dismiss them outright, to instead try to recognize that this is what people are feeling. One of these administration officials told me, quote, you convince people that they're experience, what they're feeling at home isn't reality.

Now, part of this and part of some of the discussions they're having is one, they really want to ramp up his domestic travel. They want to pull back on his international travel.

And they're also putting what they're calling, quote, policy time on his schedule to walk through a number of ways they can kind of further strategize on this to bring this issue to the voters and also try to see what they can do to try and lower costs and meet them in the middle.

BOLDUAN: I mean, this is really fascinating reporting, one, is always coming from you and also the fact that this is new reporting coming from what's going -- with the discussions inside the White House. But honestly, Alayna, you could have given -- you could have said that exact same reporting and did at the end of the Biden administration, that there's still the exact same conversations. Get him out there more to talk about the economy was definitely something that we heard over and over again about it.

Great reporting, thank you so much -- John.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: It's like a cut and paste from 2023.

BOLDUAN: I was having flashbacks.

BERMAN: All right. Breaking this morning, the race to the Capitol after more than 50 days. House lawmakers scrambling to get back to work in Washington.

Where just hours from now they're set to vote in a deal to reopen the government. That is assuming, of course, they're not on one of the hundreds and hundreds of flights that have already been canceled today as the shutdown does drag on.

The bill is headed to the full House floor after the Rules Committee advanced it overnight. The final vote could be close today. Given Republicans razor thin margin.

But Speaker Mike Johnson might be able to count on a few Democrats to vote alongside them with the shutdown still snarling air travel. Congressman Derrick Van Orden says he's riding his Harley back from Wisconsin to avoid missing it -- Kate.

BOLDUAN: Some of his commentary I was listening to this story is quite funny. He talked about stopping in to get -- I think it was gas station Arby's. And he says, now I remember why I stopped doing that.

It was it was quite something.

BERMAN: Some of the best food in America.

BOLDUAN: I digress. Moving on. Joining us right now is a Democratic congressman from Illinois, Raja Krishnamoorthi, who has made it back to Capitol Hill. It's good to see you, Congressman.

So the senators who negotiated this deal made clear that in their view and what they had negotiated, this was the only deal at hand, that holding out another week or more was not going to get a better deal for anyone's health care. And more people would be suffering in the meantime.

Why is this a bad deal then, in your view?

REP. RAJA KRISHNAMOORTHI (D-IL), OVERSIGHT AND GOVERNMENT REFORM COMMITTEE: Well, I respectfully would strongly disagree with them in this regard, which is that I believe that Democrats were gaining in strength in terms of at the bargaining table. And the most important thing is the ACA tax credits have not been extended and there's no assurance that it would be voted upon and then passed in both the Senate and the House and signed into law. And so that's what we're kind of confronting right now is 22 million people are about to see their health care premiums soar and four million of them about to lose their health insurance.

BOLDUAN: One of the senators voting for this deal was Senator Dick Durbin, the Illinois senator who's retiring the Illinois Senate seat. You are now running to win. Did Dick Durbin cut a bad deal for America?

KRISHNAMOORTHI: Well, I disagree with his vote, but, you know, he's had an illustrious career of standing up for working families. I'm not going to tear him down today. But today we are in the House and we're going to vote on this deal.

I'm going to be voting no. There's still time for this to get righted.

[08:05:00]

I think that it's going to be on razor's edge as it normally is in the House. And so I hope that your viewers speak up and ask Democrats to stand united and also get a few Republicans to flip as well.

BOLDUAN: When you talk about getting it righted, what do you mean, amendments or voting this down?

KRISHNAMOORTHI: I'd like to see it voted down. I want it voted down. And I think we've got to go back to the drawing table.

Look, the ACA tax credits are about to expire. And as it is, we have 11 hospitals in Illinois that are about to close because of what the president calls the Big, Beautiful Bill. I call it the large, lousy law.

I visit these hospitals in Illinois and they're basically saying, look, if this ACA tax credit issue is not resolved and those tax credits are not extended, it's going to put additional pressure and maybe even more health systems may face closure as well.

BOLDUAN: Another senator who has been most -- one of the more outspoken about wanting Democrats to hold the line in the shutdown fight has been Democratic Senator Chris Murphy. On Sunday night, he called -- I mean, he's with you in calling. He thinks that this deal was a major mistake. But then he had an interesting comment to The New York Times overnight where he said this.

"There is still a net good that comes from this, he said, noting that the December vote that Senate Republicans agreed to hold on extending the Obamacare tax credits will give Democrats another opportunity to spotlight their health care message. Quote, 'The silver lining of that agreement is that the issue doesn't disappear,' he said."

So could the cave in the near term turn into an advantage for Democrats in the long term?

KRISHNAMOORTHI: Well, I think that we have to put a spotlight on the harm that's going to be done if these tax credits are not extended. So to the extent that Senator Murphy is saying that this is an opportunity for us, once again, to kind of exert pressure on Republicans to craft a package that extends the Obamacare tax credits, the answer is yes. However, it would be better, and my constituents say it would be much better, if in the deal that we are voting on today, those tax credits were extended to begin with and the president was supportive.

The president doesn't appear to be interested in strengthening Obamacare. I was here for the first four years of his term where he attempted to repeal it 50 times. So it's hard to believe that he is interested in strengthening it now.

BOLDUAN: Your caucus is going to gain a member today. Adelita Grijalva will be sworn in after a long day, nearly 50 days. Once sworn in, she's expected to be the decisive 218th member to support an effort that you've been involved with to force a House vote on releasing all records related to Jeffrey Epstein.

This comes just as a whistleblower has come forward to Congressman Jamie Raskin to claim that Ghislaine Maxwell is receiving some wild special treatment while in prison and is in the process of asking Trump to commute her sentence. You're on House Oversight, involved in getting the information from the Justice Department to release. Have you seen this whistleblower report?

Is House Oversight going to do anything about the claims being made here?

KRISHNAMOORTHI: I haven't seen it. I'm not surprised in the least. Ghislaine Maxwell is a liar.

She's a convicted sex trafficker. She's going to do and say anything that she can to get a commutation of her sentence or even a pardon for Donald Trump. I think this only heightens the need to get the Epstein files produced so we can see and the American people can see what's in them.

I met with the survivors of this child sex trafficking ring. Some of the most compelling kind of testimony I've ever heard. And for their sake to do justice to them, we have to get to the bottom of what's happened and we have to prevent this from ever happening again as well.

BOLDUAN: Do you think that once she's sworn in that you will get that, that this is going to move forward forcing this House vote?

KRISHNAMOORTHI: I definitely think that the House vote will move forward. It will pass. Of course, then it goes to the Senate.

And again, we have to see, are there Republicans willing to stand up and do the right thing and support this legislation? I don't know what's going to happen in the Senate. But what I do know is it puts more pressure on the White House to compel these files, which we very much want to see.

BOLDUAN: Congressman, thanks for coming in. Appreciate the time -- Sara.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Yes, stranded and employees blindsided. A short-term rental company abruptly goes out of business, leaving travelers without a place to stay and just minutes to get out of their rooms.

Also, weather whiplash. The East Coast shocked by record low temperatures. And now another big change is in the forecast.

Plus, a police chase ending in a crash. A driver on the run slamming into a store. What led up to all this? Ahead.

[08:10:00]

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SIDNER: New this morning, a bankruptcy suddenly left thousands of travelers around the world with no place to stay. Sonder, a short-term rental company, abruptly collapsed as hotel giant Marriott terminated a licensing deal and cut ties with Sonder. Some guests had just minutes to pack up and get out of the hotel rooms that they had booked.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We just got evicted from our hotel here in Montreal. We have our suitcases. We're also on a live set of a movie show.

It's so crazy. I can only just laugh because now we need to figure out what we have to do for the rest of the day because our hotel just went bankrupt.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[08:15:00]

SIDNER: What a mess. Sonder said it was immediately winding down operations and that it had struggled to align their booking system with Marriott system, along with other issues that led to a, quote, sharp decline in revenue.

Joining me now, Claire Fahy, travel reporter with The New York Times. What the heck? I don't think I've ever heard of something happening so quickly that you're literally telling people they have 15 minutes to get out of their rooms.

What happened here?

CLAIRE FAHY, TRAVEL REPORTER, THE NEW YORK TIMES: Yes, this seems sudden. Of course, it wasn't as sudden as it may appear to guests. I think this had negotiations have been going on in the background for some time.

But the second this deal ended with Marriott, Sonder felt there was no other option. They told guests in a statement they couldn't honor their reservations. Some guests are already midway through those reservations and they had to get out.

They had to get out by 11 a.m. in most cases. Check out for some was noon. So it was quite a change in plans.

SIDNER: What what happens now? These guests obviously are sort of left without any way to get compensated, I'm assuming. What happens going forward with all this?

FAHY: So guests have in most cases been offered refunds that they are applying for. And in most cases, it says it'll take 30 days for those to come through. But in the meantime, the guests who are in the middle of their reservations had to find their own lodging.

I spoke to Juan Avalos Mendez, who is in Amsterdam, visiting his daughter for 12 days. He was only halfway through that trip. So it was up to him to find a cheap hotel.

A lot of the people I've talked to have struggled to find comparable rates. Sonder was known for being affordable. And especially last minute, these hotel prices are much higher.

And there are also a number of guests who had trips already planned. And those trips are now up in the air.

SIDNER: Have you ever heard of something happening to this quickly where you're still booking people? You know that there is -- there is the possibility of this. And then, you know, for travelers, this was like completely out of the blue.

FAHY: So this summer, actually in Manhattan, a hotel train called LuxUrban did go under in a similar fashion. And guests who were both checking in and staying at the hotels were staying in ghost towns essentially. No staff, no way to kind of get clean towels or anything like that.

And also left in the lurch to find accommodation.

SIDNER: Yes, it is truly a mess when something like this happens to you. Is there any advice that you have for people who are booking things now and wondering, oh, my gosh, what's next?

FAHY: I think always research where you're staying. I don't think that would have helped too much in this situation. As you noted, it was very sudden and potentially always have a backup plan when you're traveling, particularly abroad, have somewhere where you think you might be able to stay if something like this were to happen.

This also happens with airlines. They can go down in the middle of an itinerary, you know, suddenly you can't get your return flight. So I think be nimble when traveling as best as you can.

But these things are quite rare, as you noted.

SIDNER: Right.

FAHY: So don't worry too much as well. SIDNER: It is super frustrating to hear everyone say, look, we'll have other plans. You did have a plan. You had a hotel booking and a booking on a flight. And then it all went wrong.

Claire Fahy, thank you so much for your reporting. I really do appreciate it -- John.

BERMAN: All right, salted ducks prepared by personal chefs, presidential suites, millions in kickbacks, allegations, including allegations connected -- for being connected to a foreign country, a high placed political aid goes on trial today.

And the new expanding recall of infant formula after a growing botulism outbreak.

[08:20:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: All right, this morning, millions of Americans suffering from a winter sandwich.

CNN meteorologist Derek Van Dam is with us. Derek, I'm reliably told you coined that phrase. Does it come with mayonnaise?

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I got to -- I got to keep an interest in here. I think what I failed to ask is whether or not you wanted the super salad. So what is it?

BERMAN: Absolutely soup because it's cold.

VAN DAM: Yes, exactly. We need to warm our hearts here because it's frigid outside. I'm right there with you, John.

Look, it is going to get better. That's that term that I that I coined yesterday. It was because we have so much warm air on either side of winter.

So we just need to get through this next 12 hours or so and things will get better. I promise you -- the East Coast kind of the exception or at least the Northeast. But look at the warm weather that we have coming in.

Places that saw their first snow of the season are flirting with record high temperatures by the end of this week. So that's something to look forward to. Ohio into Illinois, as well as as far south as Texas.

Now, this morning, it's cold. Yesterday it was so cold. Iguanas were falling from palm trees in Central Florida.

Not the case this morning. Didn't drop below freezing, but it's still very frigid for that part of the Southeast. Look at the warming trend, though. We warm well above average for places like Atlanta and into much of the East Coast by the end of the week. Now, the other story we're monitoring is a big storm system over the

West Coast, an atmospheric river, and is going to bring some beneficial rainfall first tomorrow across the North Coast of California into the Central Coast and then Southern California as we head into Friday and Saturday. Watch the progression.

A lot of wind and a lot of energy associated with the system. Heavy rainfall from San Francisco to Santa Maria, as well as Los Angeles, could pick up two, possibly three inches of rain. Heads up for mudslides, landslides, and those burn scarred areas.

And then I'm going to leave you with this because last night, if you didn't head out and check out the Northern Lights, the Aurora Borealis, a spectacular celestial display, took place last night. Head outdoors this evening. You have another opportunity just after sunset as a coronal mass ejection has emitted off of the sun.

It is pointed right towards the Earth, and that is what charges up those particles in the sky and gives us that beautiful display of color you'll see you overhead -- John.

BERMAN: Will you talk to me one more time about the iguanas falling from trees?

[08:25:00]

VAN DAM: They get stunned. It's actually known as a state of torpor. They lower their metabolism, they lower their heart rate, and they get stunned, and they lose muscle control. They fall off the trees.

But the Fish and Gaming Wildlife Commission of Florida says, don't save them, don't put them in your car, because they recover a lot faster than you expect.

BERMAN: It's raining iguanas. Hallelujah. One of my favorite songs.

All right. Thank you, Derek Van Dam.

BOLDUAN: Our resident iguana has fallen.

BERMAN: Falling iguanas from the trees.

BOLDUAN: Showing you what happens in Florida.

BERMAN: Because of the cold studio.

BOLDUAN: Because of all the things, we needed a reenactment of stunned iguanas.

SIDNER: I just wanted to show what we deal with in Florida. You're welcome.

BOLDUAN: I will say, that is kind of what I feel like whenever I'm skiing. I'm like, I'm just like an iguana. Stunned, frozen, and --

SIDNER: I'm exiting left. BOLDUAN: Wait, now I can blame this -- now I can lay down and just blame the cold studio.

BERMAN: Absolutely. Just like an iguana.

BOLDUAN: Everything has changed. My perspective on life has completely changed. Derek, you're so funny.

Let's move to this. Something that is really not funny. Baby formula botulism.

It is a terrifying thought for sure. Now, baby formula company, ByHeart, is expanding a recall to now include all of its infant formula products nationwide as a precaution over possible risk of botulism contamination. The FDA and the CDC are investigating a multi- state outbreak that may be linked to ByHeart's whole nutrition formula.

According to the FDA, 15 infants in 12 states have been hospitalized with suspected or confirmed cases of botulism so far. Now, symptoms of this illness can take a while to appear, but may include constipation, difficulty feeding or swallowing, loss of head control, and in serious cases, trouble breathing. Now, several states are testing leftover formula with those results pending.

So far, the company says that the bacteria has not been found in any unopened cans, but still, the company is telling parents to throw the formula out immediately. And in a statement, the company's founders said this.

"We are so sorry for the immense anxiety and fear that we have been causing you these past few days. As parents and as founders, that is the absolute last thing that we would ever want to do."

We will make sure to bring you updates on that.

Still ahead for us, asleep at the wheel, literally, a train conductor seems -- appears to be dozing off with cars full of commuters.

Plus, a new reaction coming in this morning after reports that Jeffrey Epstein's accomplice and convicted sex offender, Ghislaine Maxwell, is getting special treatment in prison, being described as law enforcement waiting on her hand and foot.

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[08:30:00]