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CNN This Morning
26-Year-Old Ivy League Grad Charged in CEO's Killing; Trump Picks to Lead FBI & National Intelligence Meet with Senators; Netanyahu Taking Stand in Trial on Allegations of Fraud, Bribery, Breach of Trust. Aired 6-6:30a ET
Aired December 10, 2024 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KASIE HUNT, CNN ANCHOR: It's Tuesday, December 10. Right now on CNN THIS MORNING.
[05:59:28]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We should never underestimate the power of the public to be our eyes and our ears in these investigations.
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HUNT: Manhunt over. How police say they tracked down the suspect in the murder case of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
And --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PETE HEGSETH, FORMER FOX NEWS HOST: I look forward to the actual under-oath conversations with senators.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: Building momentum. Trump's embattled choice to lead the Pentagon faces another critical week in his fight for confirmation.
And --
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ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: The end of this regime is a defeat for all who enabled its barbarity and its corruption.
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HUNT: Power vacuum. How the fall of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad could have unintended consequences for the U.S. and the world.
And taking the stand. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu testifies in his own corruption trial.
All right. Clock ticking toward 6 a.m. here on the East Coast. A live look at Chicago, where it is 5 a.m.
Good morning, everyone. I'm Kasie Hunt. It's wonderful to have you with us.
New details, new images this morning of the suspect accused of killing the CEO of UnitedHealthcare. Twenty-six-year-old Ivy League graduate Luigi Mangione arrested and charged with second degree murder after a day-long manhunt.
Police captured Mangione at a Pennsylvania McDonald's yesterday, over 275 miles away from New York City. Police say an employee tipped them off, calling authorities after recognizing the suspect.
When police approached him and asked him if he'd recently been to New York, police say he had a, quote, "physical reaction." He was visibly nervous and began shaking.
Police say that Mangione was carrying a backpack at the time of his arrest, and in that backpack, they found a black 3-D printed pistol with a loaded Glock magazine and a 3-D printed black silencer.
As police official -- a police official also telling CNN he had a handwritten document that expressed I'll will toward corporate America.
But Mangione himself, well, he comes from a wealthy Baltimore family that built a local business empire. He graduated from a prestigious all-boys school in 2016, where he was valedictorian.
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LUIGI MANGIONE, SUSPECT IN KILLING OF BRIAN THOMPSON: The class of 2016 truly has the fearlessness to explore new things and the obvious ability to excel. But as inventive as the class of 2016 is, our class was able to explore the new while also preserving the old.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: Wow. After high school, he went on to the University of Pennsylvania. He graduated with a master's and a bachelor's degree in computer science. His last known address in Hawaii.
But a look at one of the social media profiles shows that he hasn't been active online since the mid-summer, and it seems that other posts addressed to Mangione's account suggest that some of his friends were trying to get in touch with him, including one post from late last month, where a user wrote to Mangione: "Know you are missed and loved."
Mangione's family responding to the news of arrest and -- his arrest in a statement: quote, "Our family is shocked and devastated by Luigi's arrest. We offer our prayers to the family of Brian Thompson, and we ask people to pray for all involved."
Joining us now, retired FBI supervisory special agent James Gagliano.
Sir, thanks very much for being here this morning. I really appreciate it.
Can we talk a little bit about what's going to come next in this investigation, but also this man himself? I think people are so interested in the background that this -- this -- this man, this young man had: where he came from and now where he's ended up.
JAMES GAGLIANO, RETIRED FBI SUPERVISORY SPECIAL AGENT: Yes. Kasie, this is -- this is a day, I think, where New York City and the country, writ large, can breathe a collective sigh of relief.
It took the New York City Police Department five days to catch this individual, and it's going to come down to two things. It came down to crowdsourcing, which we see the photos that were taken inside the hostel and inside of cabs.
And the fact that, through the media, through networks like CNN, the law enforcement was able to -- to leverage that by crowdsourcing this and if you see something, say something.
The second piece of this, I think, is the great detective work. Look, there is an abundance of physical evidence, whether it's probative evidence like latent fingerprints or DNA, this is going to be an air- shut case here.
Now, you referenced the individual. You referenced Mr. Mangione, who is a 26-year-old Ivy League graduate. And Kasie, you've reported on and talked about you know, mass shootings around the country. I've done the same thing.
The thing about that is these people, people like Mr. Mangione and like mass shooters, they are, in a sense, grievous collectors. And that's what we have here: somebody that was aggrieved or felt they were aggrieved by the healthcare system and decided to take matters into their own hands.
HUNT: What did we learn from the document that was found with him? Can you just dig into a little bit about that, what that tells us about that, about all the things you just outlined?
GAGLIANO: Sure. It's not often that you're able to catch an alleged perpetrator of a heinous crime like this. Essentially, the assassination of a healthcare group leader. It's not often that you catch the individual with the weapon that was used in the murder. Ostensibly, once that's proven, as well as a manifesto.
[06:05:04]
Now, people talk all the time, and they think that motive is required to prove a crime. It's not. You don't need motive to indict somebody. You don't need motive to convict somebody.
What it does is, it puts law enforcement into the mindset or the -- the mentality of this person, this grievance collector, that because he'd some physical maladies in the past regarding his spine and was upset about the nature of the healthcare industry, which he saw or viewed as an evil, evil industry. Look, Kasie, I will not be surprised if either New York state or the
feds don't come down with terrorism charges, because this is a classic terrorism case. If somebody decides to use violence or intimidation to coerce public policy or to coerce an entity to act the way they want to, classic case of -- of the terrorist mentality.
HUNT: Do you think that what we've seen in terms of public sympathy, because of concerns about health care, is going to impact the outcome of this trial?
GAGLIANO: Yes. Yes, it's -- I think it's disappointing. I commend Governor Josh Shapiro from Pennsylvania, who came out yesterday and said, Hold on a second. This gentleman is not a hero. This -- this suspected assailant is not a hero. What he did was take the life of a father of two. And he has his arguments about the healthcare system. This is not the way in the United States of America that we seek redress to our grievances.
So, yes, it's disappointing. Also, you look on social media, police are scrubbing social media right now, because we understand that this -- this suspect, you know, apparently liked a quote from Ted Kaczynski, the Unabomber, from back in the 1990s that had the similar ideological bent.
But it is sad to see. I think it's a lot of keyboard warriors that come out and are hailing this gentleman as a hero for this heinous crime that he perpetrated.
HUNT: All right. James Gagliano starting us off this morning. Sir, very grateful for your perspective. Thanks very much for being here.
GAGLIANO: Thanks for having me, Kasie.
HUNT: All right. Coming up next on CNN THIS MORNING, who will take control of Syria and how will it impact the U.S.? Congressman Ryan Zinke, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, will be here to discuss.
Plus, Jay-Z wants his sexual assault accuser named publicly. The new motion the music mogul filed. That will be in our morning roundup.
And the road to confirmation. Donald Trump's more controversial picks meeting one-on-one with senators.
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SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): We've had policy differences. I know her, I like her.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you committed to supporting Kash Patel at this point?
SEN. JOHN CORNYN (R-TX): I'm certainly inclined to support him.
MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You're just supporting the process. It doesn't sound like you're a yes yet. Is that fair?
SEN. JONI ERNST (R-IA): Yes. I'm supporting the process.
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[06:12:14]
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HEGSETH: It was a very good meeting with the senator. You know, the more you spend -- I've known her for ten years.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's talking.
HEGSETH: The more we -- we talk, the more we're reminded of, as two combat veterans, how dedicated we are to defense.
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HUNT: After a rocky nomination rollout amid allegations of sexual assault, alcohol abuse, financial mismanagement at veterans' groups, Pete Hegseth's nomination for defense secretary is very much alive.
At the start of another critical week on Capitol Hill. On Monday, the Army veteran, former FOX News host returned for another round of meetings with key senators, including another one with Iowa Republican Joni Ernst. She is, of course, seen as a pivotal vote.
She signaled yesterday that she's going to, quote, "support Pete through this process," end quote. She has yet to publicly endorse him.
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RAJU: Well, you said, supporting the process. It doesn't sound like you're a "yes" yet. Is that fair?
ERNST: I am supporting the process.
RAJU: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) is denials about those assault allegations. Do you believe those denials?
ERNST: I'll refer you back to the statement.
RAJU: The pressure again back home and primary politics play into this?
ERNST: We have been talking these same issues every meeting that we've had. And he had really thoughtful answers.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: Hegseth will continue to press for votes as he meets with moderate Republican senators Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski today and tomorrow. Two more of Trump's picks to lead his national security team also
hitting the hallways to meet with senators Tulsi Gabbard and Kash Patel.
Trump's choices to become director of national intelligence and the FBI, respectively, are both getting favorable early reviews from Republicans that they met with on Monday.
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CORNYN: Well, I had a good meeting with Kash Patel, the president's nominee for FBI director.
We still don't know what Director Wray's plans are, but eventually, I assume that Mr. Patel will be confirmed as the next FBI director.
GRAHAM: We've had policy differences, I know her, I like her. You know, she wanted to stay in the JCPOA. I thought that was a mistake. But, you know she'll be serving Trump. We'll see how the hearing goes. I like her.
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HUNT: All right. Joining us now is our panel: Zolan Kanno-Youngs, CNN political analyst and White House correspondent for "The New York Times"; Isaac Dovere, CNN senior reporter; Kate Bedingfield, CNN political commentator and former communications director at the Biden White House; and Brad Todd, CNN political commentator and Republican strategist.
Welcome to all of you. Thank you very much for being here.
Brad, you were here, I think it was last week at this point, basically predicting that the allegations against Pete Hegseth were going to actually be what saved his nomination. Is that what we're seeing here?
BRAD TODD, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I think so. I think it galvanized Republicans, because it came from quarters the Republicans don't like.
Democrats got over their skis a little bit in some of the media outlets, like "The New Yorker" magazine, with anonymously sourced articles. I think Republicans got a little PTSD. They saw the Kavanaugh hearings playing out all over again.
[06:15:10]
And that's -- that's sort of signaled to Republicans it's time to rally.
I also think Pete Hegseth is probably doing pretty well in his meetings with senators, from what I understand. And that's how this advise and consent process works.
HUNT: Isaac, how much of this do you think is about the -- what Pete Hegseth has done, media-wise? Like, he's, you know, looked at cameras on Capitol Hill and talked in a way that, you know, other nominees are more deferential to senators.
Seems aimed at Donald Trump more than anything else. But maybe it's working for him.
ERIC-ISAAC DOVERE, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Well, he has kept Donald Trump behind him, and that seems to be the most important thing here.
There were a lot of people who, when he was first nominated, thought that this wouldn't go anywhere, not even because of the allegations, but because he didn't have the experience that most defense secretary nominees have. And he made sure to keep Trump in his corner.
You saw that interview that Trump did with "Meet the Press" on Sunday, where he was strongly behind Hegseth. If that remains where it is, what we have seen, I think, through this process of nominating the cabinet is Donald Trump making clear to Republicans in the Senate who he wants in the cabinet, and that he expects them to go along with his choices.
And the only one of note that he's really backed off of is Matt Gaetz. And that was because Gaetz couldn't get anywhere. He is staying there with Hegseth, and that -- that's probably enough to get there.
ZOLAN KANNO-YOUNGS, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: It's also just an indicator of how much of a factor moving forward, as well, pressure from the president-elect and his allies, sort of MAGA world is going to be when it comes to congressional matters.
You've also had ads that have been picked up and bought in a place like Joni Ernst's, you know, main district, as well, sort of pushing for this.
So, there's also a pressure campaign going on right now, which isn't necessarily new with -- with some of these nominees, with some of these picks. But you are seeing once again just how much that is going to be an influence.
HUNT: Right. Well, she's going to be up for reelection.
KATE BEDINGFIELD, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes. It's not even -- it's not even just that he's managed to get and keep Donald Trump on board. It's that Trump is now -- Trump and his team are now aggressively making the case. They're pushing.
I mean, as someone said, there -- there were ads running in Iowa. Steve Bannon was floating, we're going to recruit Kari Lake to primary Joni Ernst. I mean, there was a really targeted campaign in Senator Ernst's backyard to make this politically unpalatable for her.
So, you know, in some ways, we're seeing the manifestation of, you know, Trump's victory in November. People say elections have consequences. This is the Trump political muscle, saying we are going to get to choose our nominee. And we're going to make it almost politically unviable for you to oppose him.
DOVERE: But it's also a preview, I think, of what we can expect next year of the way the Trump White House will have its relationship with the Hill, with the Republican majorities in the House and Senate.
It's a slim majority in the House and a wider majority in the Senate, but still, they are making clear they will win these fights if they are put to it.
HUNT: Well, and especially if it's only one person. Right, Brad?
TODD: Well, I think first off you have to -- the 53 makes a big difference. Republicans have 53 senators. And so, Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, who have been noted outliers on a lot of things, suddenly that math doesn't work for them. It takes -- it takes two more. And really, I think it takes three more. I think no one wants to be alone in being that deciding vote to sink one of the nominees.
And this is not a Donald Trump thing. You go back all the way to the Clinton administration. I think there have been 70-something nominees for -- for cabinet choices, and only, like, two of them have had opposition in their own party. Like, this is what happens.
Of course, the senators who support the nominees of their own party, because the same voters elected them. This is normal.
HUNT: All right. Coming up after the break here on CNN THIS MORNING, Israel's prime minister on the stand. Right now, Benjamin Netanyahu is testifying in his corruption trial.
Plus, a TikTok ban just one month away. How the app's parent company is working to stop it from taking effect.
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[06:23:04]
HUNT: Right now, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu taking the witness stand for the first time in his ongoing corruption trial. He is facing allegations of fraud, breach of trust, and bribery in three separate cases.
The trial, which began in 2020, could potentially consume Netanyahu at a critical time for the country he leads.
The prime minister still has to manage the war in Gaza, the fragile ceasefire with Hezbollah in Lebanon, and potential threats from Iran.
This will be the first time an Israeli prime minister has ever taken the stand as a criminal defendant.
CNN's Jeremy Diamond joins us live now from Tel Aviv.
Jeremy, good morning. We didn't even mention, of course, what has been happening in the last few days in Syria: the Israeli strikes on chemical weapons facilities.
What is the prime minister saying about the trial? And how do people in Israel feel about it? JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kasie, this really
is an extraordinary moment, not only because it is the first time that a sitting Israeli prime minister is taking the stand in his own defense, but also, of course, because of the extraordinary moment at which this is happening.
And that is why we are actually here in this Tel Aviv courthouse instead of in the -- in the Jerusalem district court. And that is because this proceeding is happening underground because of the ongoing security situation and what the prime minister and his allies have claimed are potential threats against him.
And the prime minister is certainly taking advantage of that backdrop, as he has begun to take the stand in the last couple of hours.
First, before he even came into this courtroom, he and his lawyers, his political allies, including ministers in his own government, sought endlessly to delay this trial, citing the ongoing security situation.
And this morning, as he began testifying, the prime minister has been going on, you know, lengthy diatribes, I think is fair to call it, about the security situation, about foreign policy, about all of the things that he has had to face as prime minister, in addition to dealing with this case, which has been ongoing for the last four years.
[06:25:05]
Now, in terms of the allegations that the prime minister is facing, he is facing allegations -- he's facing charges, I should say, of bribery, of fraud, and of breach of trust. There are three cases here. Case 1,000, 2,000, and 4,000.
The fourth case, 4,000, is the most serious of them, involving these allegations of bribery, arguing that he sought to implement regulatory benefits for a wealthy media mogul in exchange for more favorable media coverage.
The other cases involve allegations that he received hundreds of thousands of dollars in gifts.
The prime minister has denied all of these allegations, and as his testimony is ongoing, he's currently speaking out against the media for how they have portrayed this case, and accusing prosecutors of effectively picking the defendant, and then looking for the crime, rather than investigating serious criminal allegations. That is his -- his playbook so far.
But it is important to note that this will go on, likely, for several weeks. It will begin with his testimony, responding to questions from his own defense attorney, but then it will involve the more serious cross-examination by prosecutors.
He will testify as much as three days per week for as long as six hours per day for the next several weeks -- Kasie. HUNT: Wow, that is a remarkable time commitment for someone who is in
charge of leading a country that is fighting wars and embroiled in, obviously, a region where everything is up in the air right now.
Jeremy Diamond for us this morning. Sir, thanks very much for that report.
All right. We're going to go live now to Malibu, California, right now, where a large brushfire is raging out of control. The Santa Ana winds sparking flames overnight, scorching about 850 acres in Malibu Canyon. That's near Pepperdine University.
The blaze tripling in size in just an hour.
Mandatory evacuations are in place right now. The area is under a high wind warning. Gusts could reach up to 70 miles an hour later on today.
We'll be keeping an eye on that all day long.
All right. Coming up next here on CNN THIS MORNING, not guilty. Daniel Penny walks free, acquitted in the subway chokehold death of Jordan Neely.
Plus, our team on the ground in Syria goes inside one of that country's most notorious prisons as families search for their loved ones.
And how that power shift in Syria is impacting interests for the United States.
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BLINKEN: We have a clear interest in ensuring that whatever weapons of mass destruction or components are left in Syria do not fall into the wrong hands.
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