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Controversial Matt Gaetz Nomination Riles Up Washington; Israeli Strike in Beirut Kills Hezbollah Spokesperson; Toxic Smog Blankets the Indian Capital. Aired 4:30-5a ET

Aired November 18, 2024 - 04:30   ET

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

[04:30:00]

CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. Here are some of the top stories we're following today.

Police in New Orleans are investigating two different shootings which left two people dead and 10 others injured. They happened during a Sunday parade about 45 minutes apart from each other. No arrests have been made.

U.S. health officials are investigating an E. coli outbreak linked to organic carrots. Dozens of cases have been reported across 18 states since September. One person has died. The carrots were sold at stores including Sprouts, Trader Joe's, Whole Foods and Target. They have been recalled.

And officials in Asheville, North Carolina, say a boil water advisory could be lifted this week. Residents there have been living under the advisory since Tropical Storm Helene struck in late September. It caused devastating floods to the area and massive damage to the state's water system.

MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR: U.S. President-elect Donald Trump continues to name the people he wants in top positions for his second term in the office. Current Federal Communications Commissioner Brendan Carr is his choice to become the agency's new chairman. Trump called him a warrior for free speech. The agency's job is to regulate communications and Carr's selection comes amid calls from Trump to revoke licenses of major television networks.

But many of Trump's selections still have much of Washington talking, especially the choice of former House Republican Matt Gaetz for Attorney General. CNN's Steve Contorno has the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEVE CONTORNO, CNN REPORTER: Trump enters his second full week as President-elect with questions still remaining about some of the early picks for his incoming administration, especially around Matt Gaetz, his choice for Attorney General. There are questions as to whether or not senators will get to see the results of an ethics investigation into alleged sexual misconduct. Speaker Mike Johnson on State of the Union on Sunday discussing his views on whether or not senators should be able to see that report. REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA), U.S. HOUSE SPEAKER: President and I have literally not discussed one word about the ethics report, not once. And I've been with him quite a bit this week between Washington and Mar-a-Lago and last night in Madison Square Garden.

CONTORNO: Even as Republicans on the Hill speak out against Matt Gaetz and raise concerns over whether he can get the 51 votes needed for confirmation, there are already signs that some Republicans are moving toward yes. Senator Mark Wayne Mullen, for example, of Oklahoma, he has previously voiced his displeasure with Gaetz. At one point, he said Gaetz showed him videos on the House floor of, quote, the girls he had slept with. But now he says Gaetz should have a fair shot.

SEN. MARKWAYNE MULLIN (R-OK): I've got a tough situation that I've got to set my personal opinions and they're really not opinions. I got to I got to set my personal situation with Matt to the side and look at the facts. If he's qualified, he's qualified.

CONTORNO: After spending some time in New York this weekend where he watched a UFC fight at Madison Square Garden, Donald Trump will remain in Palm Beach at his Mar-a-Lago estate as he continues to fill out his cabinet. He still has to choose a Treasury Secretary as well as secretaries for commerce, labor, housing and urban development, transportation and education.

Steve Contorno, CNN, West Palm Beach, Florida.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[04:35:00]

MACFARLANE: Well, California Senator-elect Adam Schiff tells CNN there's a bigger reason behind Gaetz's nomination. Speaking with Jake Tapper, he says it's a sign the president-elect will tolerate virtually no opposition.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. ADAM SCHIFF (D-CA): I think he's not only unqualified, he is really disqualified. Are we really going to have an attorney general who, there's credible allegations he was involved in child sex trafficking, potential illicit drug use, obstruction of investigation, who has no experience serving in the Justice Department, only being investigated by it..

But Jake, I think the whole point with these nominees, several of them, is their un-qualification, is their affirmative disqualification. That's Trump's point because what he wants to do with these nominees is establish that the Congress of the United States will not stand up to him with anything.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: House Speaker Mike Johnson tried to give reassurances that the Senate would vet each candidate. He also doubts they'll give much credence to the confidential ethics report on Gaetz that is still yet to be released.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHNSON: The Senate has a role, the advise and consents role, under the Constitution and they'll perform it. They'll have a rigorous review and vetting process in the Senate, but they don't need to rely upon a report or a draft report, a rough draft report that was prepared by the Ethics Committee for its very limited purposes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Another controversial pick is Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who Trump wants to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. Kennedy has been an outspoken critic of Trump, even bashing his health habits.

Here's what he had to say about Trump's diet just a week ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR., FORMER U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The stuff that he eats is really, like, bad. Campaign food is always bad, but the food that goes onto that airplane is, like, just poison.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACFARLANE: It turns out Kennedy isn't above indulging himself. Donald Trump Jr. posted this picture on X on Sunday, showing his father, Elon Musk and Kennedy all sharing a meal from McDonald's. The caption reads, quote, make America health again starts tomorrow.

FOSTER: I think it's all right every so often, isn't it?

MACFARLANE: I mean, we know Trump really indulges quite --

FOSTER: You would never have a McDonald's, would you?

MACFARLANE: I really wouldn't have a McDonald's, no. But knowing how often Trump apparently indulges himself in McDonald's --

FOSTER: Well, I compensate for you, so.

MACFARLANE: Now, Gaza's health ministry says at least 50 people were killed in Israeli strikes in northern Gaza on Sunday.

FOSTER: A video of the aftermath shows children panicking and some crying in the background and a toddler covered in blood. A local journalist says dozens of Palestinians displaced by Israel's operation in nearby Jabalia were sheltering in two of the houses that were hit.

MACFARLANE: Israeli forces have killed Hezbollah's spokesperson in a strike on Beirut. Mohammed Afif served as an advisor to the late Hezbollah chief, Hassan Nasrallah, for years. A militant group issued a statement calling Afif a quote, great media leader.

FOSTER: The strike on Sunday was followed by another deadly attack on the Lebanese capital. Hours later, the country's health ministry says at least two people were killed and more than a dozen other wounded.

We're going to go to Paula Hancocks, who's following developments for us from Abu Dhabi, and the Israeli military saying it used artillery batteries inside Lebanese territory.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, so Max, this is something new and really speaks to what we're seeing as this expanded operation that the Israeli military is carrying out in Lebanon itself. So the Israeli Defense Force on Sunday said that they had based artillery batteries inside Lebanon. Now, previously they had had them along the border, but in Israeli territory firing across the border into southern Lebanon.

So this is an expansion. This is an increase in in just how much arsenal the Israeli military has inside southern Lebanon at this point. The IDF saying that they're attacking targets in support of the ground forces during their operation.

Now, just last week, the foreign minister said that they were going to expand these ground operations. We heard that at the beginning of last month, when they started this operation, that it was going to be limited. There was plenty of skepticism at the time and certainly we're seeing now that that it has expanded once again.

But it's expanding at a time that we're also hearing about this potential ceasefire deal that is on the table at this point between Israel and Lebanon and Hezbollah. We heard that just last week it was given to Hezbollah. This is a U.S.-Israeli ceasefire proposal, a 60- day ceasefire, which hopefully, according to those putting it together, would then form the basis of a more permanent ceasefire.

[04:40:03]

Now, we've heard from a Lebanese official familiar with these discussions that they are optimistic the way that Hezbollah is looking at this ceasefire proposal at this point, certainly hoping that it would be able to be pushed through. But of course, we have also now just heard on Sunday that there was, as you mentioned, that other assassination.

This is the media spokesperson, Mohammed Afif, who was killed in a Beirut airstrike. He was really one of the most public figures at this point within Hezbollah. He was giving press conferences in the ruins of the buildings, for example. Many other operatives and leaders have gone underground, fearing that they will be a target.

We don't know whether this will derail any talks that are ongoing at this point. We know that last month, when these ceasefire proposal talks were ongoing, they were derailed by the assassination of Hassan Nasrallah, the Hezbollah chief.

So at this point, we are waiting to hear more as to whether or not Hezbollah will agree to this proposal. But certainly we are hearing from Lebanese officials that they are optimistic -- Max, Christina.

MACFARLANE: And as we wait to hear on that, of course, as we mentioned at the top there, Paula, another devastating attack on northern Gaza as well in Beirut Lahara over the weekend. Now, Paula, thank you so much.

FOSTER: Toxic smog overtaking India's capital. We'll look at the measures the government is now taking to deal with a hazardous air quality ban.

MACFARLANE: Plus, there is an air leak aboard the International Space Station. But the U.S. and Russia disagree on just how dire the situation is. More on that next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: Officials in India's capital are taking new measures to deal with the thick layer of toxic smog.

[04:45:00]

The hazardous air quality in New Delhi has many residents wearing masks and all primary schools are switching to online classes.

MACFARLANE: CNN's Hanako Montgomery joins us live now. Hanako, tell us what's being done now by the authorities. Yes, of course.

HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, of course, hi, both, it's good to see you. So, of course, the air quality in Delhi has significantly worsened since Sunday. It's now in the severe plus category. So the government has responded by banning all trucks from entering the city unless they're delivering essential items.

All in-person classes have also been suspended. And now we're seeing some airlines divert flights to other cities because visibility is just that low.

Now, these measures, of course, are in addition to the ones already put in place last week, like banning some types of construction work. But despite these measures, it's really difficult for residents in Delhi at the moment. And it really looks as though there's no end in sight. Here's what some residents had to say about what it feels like to be there.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RANI CHANDRA, DENTAL ASSISTANT (through translator): Because of the pollution, my eyes are burning. It's like chili in my eyes.

DHRITI BHUSHAI, COLLEGE STUDENT (through translator): Traveling has become tough. The metros, buses are all delayed. And because of the pollution, us common people are having a lot of difficulty breathing, especially small children and elderly people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MONTGOMERY: And Christina and Max, even though this toxic smog is really unbearable, it's actually not unprecedented. In fact, around this time every year, we see this haze choke Delhi. And really, that's for three key reasons.

The first is because farmers are burning their crops. They're clearing their fields to prepare for next year's harvest. The second, because dust from construction sites, from roads and also vehicle emissions, contribute to pollution. And third, as winter settles into India, the cold air actually acts as a blanket and it traps some of those air pollutants.

So for those key three reasons, that's why we're seeing this toxic smog just choke Delhi, really disturbing residents' lives, those 20 million residents. And it's truly turning into a chronic problem that doesn't get solved year after year.

FOSTER: Hanako, thank you so much for that. Also an annual event, sadly. We're reporting on it every year now.

MACFARLANE: It's incredible.

Now, the Philippines is recovering after super typhoon Man-yi swept through the main island of Luzon, home to more than half the country's population. More than a million people were ordered to evacuate ahead of the storm, which damaged buildings in several areas. It's an unprecedented event, the fourth typhoon to strike the Philippines in less than two weeks.

FOSTER: The U.S. and Russia are at odds over what NASA deems to be the most pressing issue facing the International Space Station. The problem? A Russian-controlled part of the station is leaking air needed by astronauts to breathe.

MACFARLANE: And while the Americans are quite worried, Moscow feels the situation is not as dire. Earlier, we got CNN aerospace analyst Miles O'Brien to take on the disagreement.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MILES O-BRIEN, CNN AEROSPACE ANALYST: This leak is potentially catastrophic. Now, NASA cannot prove that. On the other side of it, Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, says nothing to worry about. It's not that serious. But Roscosmos can't prove that either. And so the two agencies are at odds over this.

This is an engineering duel in the context of a geopolitical tension, which has risen, of course, since the invasion of Ukraine. So it's testing a relationship which has survived against all odds so far in the latter days now of the International Space Station.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACFARLANE: That was CNN aerospace analyst Miles O'Brien.

FOSTER: It turns out reinventing the wheel can actually move technology forwards. We'll show you how Korean engineers are revolutionizing personal mobility.

[04:50:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MACFARLANE: Now, how would life change for someone confined to a wheelchair if those wheels could literally take them anywhere?

FOSTER: We have to see this. A group of engineers at the Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials is making that dream a reality. CNN's Kristie Lu Stout has more.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This wheelchair can move like no others can. Engineers in South Korea have developed a shape-shifting morphing wheel, calling it the world's first.

The wheel can shift between rigid and soft areas, providing stability on both flat ground and rocky paths. And it may even allow users to climb stairs. All this without complex machinery or fancy sensors.

SONG SUNG-HYUK, PRINCIPAL RESEARCHER, KORIA INSTITUTE OF MACHINERY AND MATERIALS (through translator): Traditional wheels are designed to retain a rigid circular shape for stability on flat surfaces, which limits their ability to overcome obstacles. However, our wheel maintains its round form on flat ground and softens only when navigating obstacles.

STOUT (voice-over): The wheels can reach speeds of 30 kilometers or 18 miles per hour. The innovation behind these wheels is simple yet groundbreaking. The wheel's flexibility is inspired by the surface tensions found in liquid droplets, says the researcher.

SUNG-HYUK (through translator): When the force that pulls the outermost molecules of a liquid droplet inward increases, the droplet can maintain a stable circular shape. Similarly, our wheel is designed with a smart chain block on the outer edge. The greater the inward pull on this block, the more stably it maintains a round shape.

STOUT (voice-over): The wheel turns firm for stability when the wire spokes pull the block inward. When it's loosened, it softens, allowing the wheel to adapt to uneven surfaces. Researchers see big potential for the wheel, from personal mobility to robots.

SUNG-HYUK (through translator): This modularized wheel can be attached to any mobile platform simply by replacing existing wheels. Once installed, the wheel provides variable stiffness, adapting to each application.

STOUT (voice-over): Kristie Lu Stout, CNN, Hong Kong.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MACFARLANE: What an incredible wheel.

FOSTER: So cool.

[04:55:00] MACFARLANE: Yes, and way overdue, I think.

FOSTER: And no punctures, I noticed that.

MACFARLANE: No, no punctures?

FOSTER: No, because it's not, it's not --

MACFARLANE: No downsides, you mean. No punctures. Oh, I see what you mean, right?

FOSTER: What do you think I said?

MACFARLANE: What you meant, like, you know, there's no, there's no catch.

FOSTER: I'm sure there is.

MACFARLANE: Anyway, it'll be very useful for us in our dotage.

FOSTER: Give up with this first line.

MACFARLANE: Oh, the Spanish Scrabble World Championship has a new winner. And here's the catch. He doesn't even speak a word of Spanish.

FOSTER: New Zealander Nigel Richards won the prize on Saturday by memorizing Spanish words. Remarkably, the 57-year-old pulled off a similar feat two other times as well, when he won the French language Scrabble World Championship, despite not speaking French either. Reports say he memorized the French Scrabble dictionary in just nine weeks.

I mean, he's a genius, right? Richards also does pretty well in English, winning that world championship five times.

MACFARLANE: It's not even worth entering, is it?

FOSTER: Weirdly, it could help you, because you're studying the words without the meaning and you kind of put the letters together better or something.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BEYONCE, SINGER: Can you hear me? Can we stand?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACFARLANE: That's right. Beyonce is heading home for the holidays. The superstar will headline the NFL halftime show as the Texans and the Ravens face off on Christmas Day in a game that's streaming on Netflix.

FOSTER: They're being very secretive. Details on the performance being kept under tight wraps. But Netflix says it will likely include some special guests who are featured on Beyonce's recent Cowboy Carter album. MACFARLANE: Amazing. I'm so happy that we are on the downward slide to Christmas fully now, looking ahead to events like Beyonce.

FOSTER: Yes, and you've got to get all your Christmas presents sorted.

MACFARLANE: And a Christmas tree 1st of December.

That's it for us here at CNN NEWSROOM. Thanks for joining us. I'm Christina Macfarlane.

FOSTER: I'm Max Foster. CNN "THIS MORNING" with Kasie up next.

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