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First Move with Julia Chatterley
Trump Picks RFK Jr. for Health and Human Services Secretary; Trump's Controversial Picks Rattle Washington; Musk Met with Iran's Ambassador to U.N.; Biden to Meet with World Leaders; Biden to Meet with President Xi; Paris Ramping Up Security; Israel's Mass Displacement in Gaza Amounts to War Crime; The Onion Buys InfoWars; House Ethics Committee to Meet Friday; Republicans React to Trump's Picks; Torrential Rain Hits Parts of Spain; Archer Aviation's Taxi Deal with Japan. Aired 6-7p ET
Aired November 14, 2024 - 18:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[18:00:00]
JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: -- Billy Crudup or how about dinner with Will Forte? You can do karaoke with him, actually, or Lou Diamond Phillips.
Check out the featured items at ebay.com/hfot. That's Home For Our Troops. H-F-O-T. The auction is open until next Thursday, November 21st. Bid, bid,
bid.
If you ever miss an episode of The Lead, you can listen to the show whence you get your podcast. The news continues on CNN with Wolf Blitzer in The
Situation Room.
LYNDA KINKADE, CNN ANCHOR: It is 8:00 a.m. in Seoul, 10:00 a.m. in Sydney, and 6:00 p.m. here in Atlanta. I'm Linda Kincaid, in for Julia Chatterley.
And wherever you are in the world, this is your "First Move."
A warm welcome to "First Move." Here is today's need to know. Donald Trump names RFK Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. Human
Rights Watch accuses Israel of war crimes in Gaza, saying it's implemented a systematic campaign of forced mass displacement. The satirical news site,
The Onion, buys Alex Jones' InfoWars at a bankruptcy auction. And taxi takeoff. Archer Aviation signs a deal to bring electric flying cabs to
Japan. We'll have that conversation and plenty more coming right up.
But first President-Elect Donald Trump picks Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as secretary of health and human services. The anti-vaccine activist had
dropped his own presidential bid and endorsed Trump. It comes as Trump's pick for attorney general continues to rattle Washington.
Matt Gaetz resigned from Congress shortly after Trump named him to be in charge of the Justice Department. The House Ethics Committee is expected to
meet Friday to discuss the fate of its report about Gaetz, involving accusations of sexual misconduct, illicit drug use, and misusing campaign
funds. It's unclear, as of now, if the information will ever be made public now that he has resigned. Well, some senators are calling for it to be
released anyway.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)'
SEN. DICK DURBIN (D-IL): The timing of his resignation and flight with President-Elect Donald Trump suggests he believes that this report is not
friendly and favorable. So, I want to read the report and find out what the investigation behind it brought up.
SEN. JOHN CORNYN (R-TX): I think there should not be any limitation on the Senate Judiciary Committee's investigation, including whatever the House
Ethics Committee has generated.
SEN. THOM TILLIS (R-NC): Look, I barely know Gaetz. All I know is he likes picking fights on social media. But at the end of the day, you got to have
the votes and you better have the resume. That's how the process works.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Well, for more on this, Larry Sabato joins us now. He's the director of the University of Virginia's Center for Politics. Good to have
you with us.
LARRY SABATO, DIRECTOR, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA'S CENTER FOR POLITICS AND EDITOR, "A RETURN TO NORMALCY?": Thank you so much.
KAMALA HARRIS, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: There is certainly a lot to work through here, Larry. A lot of names being tossed around. We are just
hearing one just moments ago Todd Blanche, who is a personal attorney for Donald Trump, picked to be the deputy attorney general. This on top of all
the other names I want to run through right now. I'll get to that in just a moment.
But first, let's start with RFK Jr., an interesting kick to head up the health and human services. He has spouted all sorts of conspiracy theories
around vaccines. He also has some interesting ideas when it comes to banning food additives and food dyes. What do you make of the choice by
Donald Trump to have him potentially head up that department?
SABATO: It's just another bombshell. He has nominated a group of candidates so far for the cabinet, with one exception, Senator Marco Rubio
for secretary of state, who I think it's fair to say are not supported in general by the people in those particular fields, and RFK Jr. is a perfect
example.
I would say that most people in public health are trying to pick them up off the floor or are already in the emergency room with a heart attack. His
views are in the extreme. They're in orbit. They're opposed by just about everybody in public health. RFK Jr. even wants to take the fluoride out of
the water. This was a controversy in the 1950s and 1960s. It was resolved then.
So, it's just another bombshell, and it's part of Donald Trump's theory and approach to government, which is if you nominate enough controversial
people, maybe one or two won't get through but they'll have to confirm the rest, because it's a Republican Senate.
KINKADE: Exactly. One other bombshell, of course, is the man at the center of a federal sex crimes investigation picked to head the Justice
Department. I'm talking about Matt Gaetz, of course. This has caused shockwaves on both sides of the aisle. and some senators are already saying
that we want to see the report, the investigation before the confirmation hearing. Do you think it's likely he'll be confirmed?
[18:05:00]
SABATO: Well, we don't know what's in that report, but based on everything that I've read for many years about Matt Gaetz, I would guess that it's not
a friendly report. And as a result, some of the Republican senators at least will have an excuse to vote no. That may be the one they say no to
that enables some or all of the others to get through.
I guarantee you one thing though, they'll get that report. I don't care if it's not released or not, someone will leak it to them, and after all, they
are senators, and they are expected to investigate these nominees, and they need to read that report, and they know it.
KINKADE: Yes, exactly. They need all that information. A man who is the world's wealthiest person has been tasked with leading the new Department
for Government Efficiency. Elon Musk, of course, has been traveling with Trump, attending a lot of his meetings. We just heard that he met
reportedly with Iran's ambassador to the U.N. to help defuse tension between Iran and the U.S. And this is after he reportedly jumped on the
phone with Donald Trump and the Ukrainian president, Zelenskyy, shortly after the election. How unusual is it to have an unelected civilian
involved in this sort of talks at that level?
SABATO: Occasionally, a family member will substitute for Elon Musk in other presidencies. It's happened before. Sometimes those family members
are nominated for a job as Robert Kennedy Sr. was, attorney general for president Kennedy. But this is extremely unusual.
But you see, he has given at least $100 million to Donald Trump and associated campaign committees, $100 million. So, he's the 800-pound
gorilla. And where does the 800-pound gorilla sit? Wherever he wants.
KINKADE: And of course, as I mentioned, he will head up this so-called Government Efficiency Department, along with Vivek Ramaswamy, a former
Republican presidential candidate. Much has already been said and joked about considering the fact that you've got two people hired to do one job
in leading this Efficiency Department. What are your thoughts?
SABATO: Well, I agree with that by the way, that it's a -- I don't know that they saw the irony in this. This is not a group that focuses on irony,
but it's not a department. We've determined that now because it sounded as though were going to be a new cabinet office or a major piece of the White
House. Actually, if that were true, then Elon Musk, as well as his co- chair, Vivek Ramaswamy, would have to file all the conflict-of-interest papers and reveal all their financial investments. And you know darn well
Elon Musk isn't going to do that.
So, sure enough, it's just a name and we'll see what happens. But I think it basically says, Elon Musk, this is your ticket to attend any meeting you
want, to go into any government building you want, to demand a meeting with any Trump appointee you want and everything will be fine.
KINKADE: Well, we will continue to cover these picks. As I mentioned earlier, Todd Blanche, the personal attorney for Donald Trump, named to be
the department -- the deputy attorney general. Much more on this to come. Larry Sabato as always, thank you so much.
SABATO: Thanks a million.
KINKADE: Well, this is what Trump had to say about Robert F. Kennedy Jr. during a campaign rally in New York last month.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT-ELECT: I'm going to let him go wild on health. I'm going to let him go wild on the food. I'm going to let him go
wild on medicines.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Well, joining me now is former White House COVID-19 response coordinator, Dr. Ashish Jha. He is the dean of Brown University's School of
Public Health. Good to have you with us, Doctor.
DR. ASHISH JHA, FORMER WHITE HOUSE COVID-19 RESPONSE COORDINATOR AND DEAN, BROWN UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH: Thank you for having me here.
KINKADE: So, RFK Jr. has certainly made all sorts of wild health claims. He also has some interesting ideas on cutting food additives out of certain
products. But I want to start with those wild claims. Some of the claims he's made, including that he said fluoride, which of course is in
toothpaste, in water, he says it's an industrial waste. He's also said that COVID-19 was ethnically targeted to impact Caucasians and black people
while sparing Jews and Chinese people. And of course, he's said on multiple occasions that vaccines cause autism, which is obviously a thoroughly
debunked claim.
What is the risk, Doctor, when you have someone like that, who, over many years, has pushed so much misinformation heading up a health and science
human services department?
[18:10:00]
DR. JHA: Yes, this is a -- I think this is a very, very dangerous choice for the health of the American people. Look, there is a way that we have
made progress in our country and around the world over the last hundred years, last 50 years through scientifically rigorously testing medicines
and vaccines and this puts all of that risk.
He has ideas that I think belong on bumper stickers, but they do not pass the rigorous analysis test. But I always remind people this job as HHS
Secretary is not just about overseeing vaccines and fluoride and raw milk as much as it is those, he's going to oversee Medicare. He's going to
oversee the insurance program for all seniors in America. He's going to -- he and his people are going to determine what medicines all Americans have
access to, whether women get their mammograms paid for free or not. Like this is an incredibly important job and he is not the right guy for this
job.
KINKADE: And in terms of the anti-vaccine push, we have seen in recent years decreasing rates of childhood immunization here in the U.S. It's
already been flagged as a major concern. Can you just explain why a drop in immunization is significant?
DR. JHA: Yes. Look, this is really a problem. We know for certain disease, like take measles, thankfully, we don't see a lot of measles anymore
because children have been vaccinated. You have to keep the population vaccine rates above 95 percent to keep measles out of a community. Even if
it drops down to 90 or 85, we start seeing outbreaks, that is what we are seeing in certain communities spread largely by people like RFK Jr. who
like to undermine confidence in vaccines.
Again, I think, you know, his worldview on these things sound good as long as you don't think about it, but they don't live up to rigorous analysis
and that's what makes him so dangerous.
KINKADE: Yes. In terms of some of the support, he has got some support for his ideas around getting rid of food dyes and additives. He has said on the
record -- he's asked the question, why do we have cereals like Froot Loops in our country that have 18 or 19 ingredients? And you go to Canada and
there's two or three ingredients approved. Could reassessing why does in our foods help?
DR. JHA: Yes. Look, no question about it. There are problems with processed foods. I mean, there are things he brings up, which many of us in
public health bring up. There's a lot of problems with processed foods. Obviously, they have driven some of the obesity that we have seen. I think
a careful look at that would be a good thing to do.
Now, in the previous Trump administration, there seemed to be very little interest in looking at those things, but I don't think -- I think that is
fine. I think the much broader issue here is how are we going to make those decisions? And when you look at additives and foods, how are we going to
decide whether something is safe or not? We're going to have to rigorously test it using scientific methods. That's how we make decisions. And he is
not someone who has shown any evidence of being committed to that process.
So, absolutely, let's look at all of those things, but let's do it in a way that is rigorous and scientific so we can actually know what's healthy for
people and what's safe and what's not.
KINKADE: Dr. Ashish Jha, we appreciate your time. Thanks so much for joining us.
DR. JHA: Thank you.
KINKADE: With Trump's re-election is overshadowing two important summits that are taking place in Latin America. U.S. President Joe Biden touching
down in Peru for the APEC Summit before heading to Brazil for the G20. He is set to meet with the leaders of Japan and South Korea. Biden will also
have a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping and it's almost certainly their last meeting together before Trump takes office in general --
January.
Kayla Tausche is following the story and joins us now from Lima, Peru. A beautiful city there with great food scene. But let's focus on the meetings
that are coming up, Kayla. So, this is the final meeting potentially between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping. And this is a country, that just
yesterday, the national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, said would potentially be the biggest challenge for the incoming administration. What
can we expect from this meeting?
KAYLA TAUSCHE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, it was certainly one of the biggest what they called pacing challenges, long-term
challenges for this current administration. And one of the purposes of this meeting, an official tells me, is to have a sort of bookend conversation
between President Joe Biden and President Xi Jinping to address some of the issues that have arisen over the last four years and to chart any progress,
if any, that has been made during that time.
You may remember a year ago at the APEC Summit outside San Francisco, California, the two had a lengthy bilateral meeting then, and they made
some progress on establishing military level communication and also to curb fentanyl trafficking around the world.
[18:15:00]
But it took many months for that military communication to reach the theater command level, and there have been hiccups in the relationship as
the Biden administration chose to leave Trump's former tariffs in place and also, to implement new export controls on Chinese technology.
So, certainly tensions have continued simmering, especially as China has continued with exercises in the South China Sea, with the U.S. still
continuing to warn about the need for peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. That is what President Biden is going to be discussing with
President Xi, and that's also what he's going to be discussing with leaders of the 20 some other Asian nations who will be here in Lima for this summit
to discuss really the prosperity, the stability and the global economy.
Then he'll be heading to the G20 for some of those other meetings that you mentioned. But really, Lynda, there is a very dark cloud over these summits
with the incoming administration from President-Elect Donald Trump, with officials saying that world leaders are talking and working amongst
themselves to figure out how to brace for the sea of change that's going to come in January, and also to figure out how exactly they can immunize their
economies to trade wars and the like. Certainly, that's an ongoing conversation, but it's one, Lynda, that has left Biden the odd man out on
the world stage.
KINKADE: Kayla Tausche, good to have you there for us in Lima, Peru. Hopefully, you get to go and have some dinner there shortly.
TAUSCHE: Thank you, Lynda.
KINKADE: Thanks so much. Well, thousands of police officers were deployed across Paris Thursday night to help keep the peace during what was a
football match between France and Israel. Security was also beefed off at the stadium outside Paris where the game was held. The show of force
intended to avoid a repeat of the anti-Semitic violence that broke out in Amsterdam last week after a football match.
There were some altercations in the stands during the game in France. At least one person held up a Palestinian flag even though flags were banned
inside the stadium. Pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered outside the stadium to protest the match, which ended in a nil-nil draw.
Well, a new report by Human Rights Watch accuses Israel of carrying out a deliberate systematic campaign of forced mass displacement. The report says
Israel has blatantly violated obligations to ensure Palestinians can return home by destroying virtually any everything in large areas, but the Israeli
military says it's committed to international law and issues evacuation orders to protect civilians from combat.
Our Jeremy Diamond is in Tel Aviv with the details. But we need to warn you parts of his report are graphic.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For more than a year this scene has played out in Gaza, day after day on an endless loop.
Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians forced to flee their homes in an elusive quest for safety, spurred by Israeli bombs and missiles, as well as
military evacuation orders.
REAR ADM. DANIEL HAGARI, IDF SPOKESPERSON: For your immediate safety, we urge all residents of Northern Gaza and Gaza City to temporarily relocate
south.
DIAMOND (voice-over): Israeli officials say these leaflets and the other warnings are evidence of its efforts to minimize civilian casualties. Human
Rights Watch, a U.S.-based watchdog, says Israel's evacuation system has not only failed to keep Palestinians safe, but amounts to war crimes and
crimes against humanity.
In a 154-page report analyzing 184 evacuation orders, Human Rights Watch concluded that Israel's actions have intentionally caused the mass and
force displacement of the majority of the civilian population of Gaza. The report calls Israel's evacuation orders inconsistent, inaccurate, and
frequently not communicated to civilians with enough time to allow evacuations, and says designated evacuation routes and safe zones were
repeatedly attacked by the Israeli military.
NADIA HARDMAN, HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH: I've spoken to people who, yes, they saw the evacuation orders to leave, but they couldn't follow them because
the attacks had already started. The routes that they were told to take to get to so-called safe areas were being bombarded at the same time. And once
they got to those safe areas, they weren't safe. Attacks that we verified happened in those so-called safe zones.
DIAMOND (voice-over): The Israeli military said its evacuation orders are part of significant efforts to mitigate harm to civilians and that it is
committed to international law and operates accordingly.
The United Nations estimates 1.9 million Palestinians have been displaced during the war. More than 90 percent of Gaza's population. Today, Northern
Gaza is the focus of that displacement. As the Israeli military mounts one of its most devastating offensives yet.
This woman says Israeli loudspeakers blasted a warning to residents. It was saying either get out or die, one of the two. So, we left with our
children, taking only what we could carry. She says they left without food or water, just the clothes on their backs.
[18:20:00]
Fleeing is one thing, finding safety is something else altogether. Yet another school turned shelter for the displaced was struck Thursday by the
Israeli military. Emergency rescue officials say four people were killed, including two children. Yet another reminder that nowhere in Gaza is truly
safe.
Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Tel Aviv.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Still ahead, torrential rains hitting Coastal Spain once again, two weeks after the deadly flash floods that killed more than 200 people.
Plus, the auction for Alex Jones' bankrupt media company is over. How a satirical news site, The Onion, won and what it intends to do with that
site next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KINKADE: Welcome back. I'm Lynda Kinkade. Red arrows across the board on Wall Street topping today's Money Move. All the major averages finishing
lower as last week's post-election rally runs out of steam. The Fed chairman, Jerome Powell, instilling new uncertainty over the central bank's
policy path too. He said on Thursday that the Fed could take its time cutting rates further.
Stocks in the news include Disney. Shares rising more than 6 percent after the entertainment giant posted robust results and raised guidance. Burberry
shares sold almost 20 percent in London trading. Investors giving a thumbs up to the fashion giant's new back to basics turnaround plan.
And stocks were lower in Asia. Losses of more than 1.5 percent for the Hang Seng and the Shanghai Composite.
Well, a look at more international headlines this hour. In South Africa, families of illegal miners who are underground are waiting for news after
the government cut off supplies and said it would not help them. It's not clear how many miners are involved. Some police reports indicate that it's
several hundred, but three miners who've come out said there were as many as 4,000. They're believed to be running out of food and water after police
closed off the entrances used to transport basic supplies underground.
Britain's King Charles is celebrating his 76th birthday. Buckingham Palace released this new picture to mark the occasion. The monarch spent part of
his day opening two food distribution hubs working to tackle poverty and food waste.
[18:25:00]
National Geographic scientist say they found the world's largest coral and it's so big that it can be seen from space. It's estimated to be more than
30 meters or 100 feet long, and it's at least 300 years old. It was discovered in the Southwest Pacific Ocean near the Solomon Islands. Unlike
a coral reef which consists of many colonies, this is a single specimen that has grown continuously for centuries. But scientists remind us coral
is vulnerable to global warming as well as other human threats.
We're going to take a quick break. We'll be right back with much more news in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KINKADE: Welcome back. I'm Lynda Kinkade. We're following some other business news right now. And you may be familiar with the satirical website
The Onion. It calls itself America's finest news source, tongue in cheek, of course, and gives readers a humorous take on world events.
But news from The Onion Thursday was anything but a laughing matter. The site has won the bidding war for the assets of Alex Jones' InfoWars media
firm at a bankruptcy auction. The Onion explaining its decision on its website on Thursday. It says it would transform InfoWars into a new
satirical site. Jones of course is infamous as a conspiracy theorist and he was forced into bankruptcy after failing to pay more than $1 billion in
damages to the families of Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims in a defamation lawsuit.
Jones had insisted that the horrific act of violence was a hoax. He struck a defiant tone during a message on X on Thursday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALEX JONES, FORMER INFOWARD OWNER: They changed all the bidding rules, made it secret two days ago. I had a bad feeling. I told you that. And just
like they tried to shut us down back in late May without a court order, they're supposed to have a court order. There's going to be injunctions
filed. I'm about to go live out of Harrison's American Journal studio. I don't know what's going to happen, but I'm going to be here until they come
in here and turn the lights off.
[18:30:00]
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Well, for more, Brian Stelter joins us now live. Good to see you, Brian. So, this is an interesting accusation, a satirical publication
buying a conspiracy pushing far-right media group. Just explain what they want to do with it.
BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: They are going to try to turn InfoWars into an actual joke. You know, a lot of media critics,
commentators have viewed InfoWars as a sort of sick joke because Alex Jones has pushed conspiracies and promoted supplements, trying to get his fans to
buy his products for many years.
InfoWars has been very successful on the far-right, but it sometimes has been viewed as a punchline. You know, some of Alex Jones' over the top
comments and rhetoric, while I would argue dangerous at times, also sometimes a punchline. So, now, The Onion's going to turn it into a real
joke. They are going to try to create a parody of InfoWars and try to poke fun at these conspiracy theories. In some ways, I think what they're going
to try to do is deflate the balloon with humor and sarcasm and parody. Now, whether that will work, whether that will appeal to any InfoWars' viewers,
very much remains to be seen.
KINKADE: Yes, exactly. You have to wonder whether the audience that has been coming to InfoWars will actually stick around and consume this new
messaging, right?
STELTER: And I suspect probably not, but The Onion will be achieving something anyway by trying to shine a light on how these far-right
misinformation operators engage. And basically, by taking over one of these brands, they believe they're using this harmful thing and turning it into a
force for good. That's what some of the Sandy Hook families believe as well, that's why they've supported this effort. In fact, basically,
partnering with The Onion to make this happen.
And The Onion, it's an interesting media business, you know, it was kind of fake news before the phrase fake news became weaponized. It's actually fake
news, you know, poking fun at the news, producing satire about the news. And so, in some ways, InfoWars fits right in.
KINKADE: Yes, exactly. All right. Brian Stelter, we'll see how this plays out when they change the site in January. Good to have you with us. Thank
you.
STELTER: Thanks.
KINKADE: Well, I want to return now to our top story. President-Elect Donald Trump has picked an anti-vaccine activist, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., to
lead the Department of Health and Human Services. Vaccine stocks, including Moderna and Novavax, fell sharply on that news. It's the latest in a series
of controversial choices for his upcoming administration.
Trump also named Matt Gaetz as the attorney general and Tulsi Gabbard to be the director of national intelligence, as well as Fox News host Pete
Hegseth as the defense secretary. Trump also said he wants the Senate to help his cabinet picks bypass confirmation hearings. Well, he has just
announced that former Congressman, Doug Collins, as he's picked to run the Department of Veteran Affairs.
Well, Brian Todd has more on what Kennedy might do if he's confirmed.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
TRUMP: I'm going to let him go wild on health. I'm going to let him go wild on the food. I'm going to let him go wild on medicine.
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The person Donald Trump's going to let go wild, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., is the 70-year-old son of
Democratic icon Robert Kennedy, and has become known mostly for espousing outlandish, false conspiracy theories about the COVID virus.
ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR., (I) FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: COVID-19 is targeted to attack Caucasians and black people. The people who are most
immune are Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese.
TODD (voice-over): And he's repeatedly, baselessly called the COVID-19 vaccines unsafe.
LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: There could be widespread disinformation to the public about what they should or shouldn't be doing
in terms of their public health.
TODD (voice-over): The co-chair of Trump's transition team told CNN's Kaitlan Collins this about what Kennedy might try to do with the COVID
vaccines that are in place now, which have been proven to be mostly safe.
HOWARD LUTNICK, CO-CHAIR, TRUMP-VANCE TRANSITION TEAM: He says, if you give me the data, all I want is the data and I'll take on the data and show
that it's not safe. And then if you pull the product liability, the companies will yank these vaccines right off of the market.
TODD (voice-over): In May of this year, it was revealed that Kennedy once claimed in a deposition that a parasitic worm had once entered his brain
and died, which he said, led to, quote, "severe brain fog" and trouble with his short-term memory. He actually joked about it.
KENNEDY JR.: Maybe a brain worm ate that part of my memory.
TODD (voice-over): Earlier this year, in a rambling video posted on X, Kennedy admitted that about 10 years ago he was driving in Upstate New York
when he found the carcass of a dead bear that had been hit by a vehicle.
KENNEDY JR.: So, I pulled over and I picked up the bear and put him in the back of my van because I was going to skin the bear.
TODD (voice-over): But Kennedy said he got sidetracked by several events that day, couldn't go home, didn't know what to do with the bear. So, he
decided to leave the carcass in New York's Central Park and make it look like a bike accident.
[18:35:00]
KENNEDY JR.: So, we went and did that and we thought it would be amusing for whoever found it or something.
SABATO: The whole story, the wild weird story that RFK Jr. told about the bear cub and how it got into Central Park has really made an impact, and
not a positive one for him.
TODD (voice-over): This summer, an article in Vanity Fair had a photo of Kennedy appearing to pantomime eating a dog carcass. Kennedy denied it was
a dog.
KENNEDY JR.: It's actually me eating a goat in Patagonia.
TODD (voice-over): That same Vanity Fair article published allegations that Kennedy had sexually assaulted a former nanny for his family. Kennedy
sidestepped the accusations.
KENNEDY JR.: I am not a church boy.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Well, our thanks to Brian Todd there. The House Ethics Committee is expected to discuss its long-awaited report on Former Congressman Matt
Gaetz. Sources telling CNN that the committee will meet Friday. It's been looking into allegations of sex trafficking and sex with an underage girl,
as well as using his position to obstruct the ethics investigation. If the report comes out, the Senate could have its hands full confirming Gaetz as
attorney general.
During an appearance last year on Newsmax, he expressed interest in the job and predicted the Senate's reaction.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MATT GAETZ (R-FL), TRUMP'S PICK FOR ATTORNEY GENERAL: We go take the White House back and you never know, David, it may be an Attorney General
Matt Gaetz down the road or someone of my liking who will be there to actually enforce the law and provide the accountability, not just the
vision, but the actual accountability. He people that are sending you those messages deserve that in a free and just and constitutional republic.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, we do. We absolutely do. And I like that. I like that. Attorney General Matt Gaetz. Are you kidding me? Man.
GAETZ: The world is not ready, probably. Certainly, Senate confirmation wouldn't be. But you know --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, we're getting there.
GAETZ: -- a boy can dream.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: And a boy can dream. Manu Raju is joining me now. Good to see you, Manu. So, you know, we have heard from Donald Trump, who has said that
he wants to clear out people in the Justice Department and those who've gone after him. He's now named Matt Gaetz as the attorney general, who's
also indicated retribution. And according to Axios' reporting, he said that he wants to go in and slash jobs in the Justice Department.
I mean, what could that mean? And what sort of reaction are you hearing from lawmakers on Capitol Hill?
MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, a lot of people are shocked, a lot of people are stunned, and a lot of people, including
Republicans, are withholding their support. And that is the big question right now on Capitol Hill, is about whether or not Gaetz, in fact, could
get the job by a Senate confirmation. Here in the United States Senate, of course, you need a majority of the 100 Senators here to get a cabinet
position. And right now, with the new Congress, after this election, Republicans are expected to have 53 seats. There's one seat that still has
not been finalized yet, but if that goes Republican's way, which it seems that it may, they would have 53 seats, meaning they can only lose three
Republican senators.
However, there are far more than three Republican senators who are upset, who are concerned, who are suggesting that they would vote against this
nomination, leaving real questions about whether or not he can actually get the votes in order to get the job.
And talking to Republicans today, they made clear about their concerns with this pick and warned Donald Trump that he may not get the votes for his
A.G. pick.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. KEVIN CRAMER (R-ND): I have concerns that he can't get across the finish line and we're going to spend a lot of political capital. I say we,
you know, a lot of people will spend a lot of political capital on something that even if they got done, you'd have to wonder if it was worth
it.
RAJU: But the early picks, they don't give you any pause?
SEN. LISA MURKOWSKI (R-AK): They appear to be people that the president- elect knows well. And, you know, he is selecting those who he's got a comfort level with. The real question is going to be, does the Senate that
has the responsibility for the confirmation have the same level of confidence?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RAJU: Now, this all comes as the House Ethics Committee is expected to meet tomorrow morning about an ongoing investigation that really had been
going on for multiple years into Matt Gaetz's allegation of sexual misconduct, allegations that Matt Gaetz himself has denied.
But Gaetz abruptly resigned from the House yesterday after getting this pick. And after he resigned, essentially that investigation ended. It
didn't have any -- it couldn't move forward, but lawmakers could still vote in that committee to release that information, and that's what a lot of
Democrats are demanding right now. They want that information out before there's any vote next year to confirm him. Republicans, for the most part,
are not joining those calls. Some want to see that information come out.
But that's a big question here, Lynda, whether or not that information will come out, when it would and what it says and how -- whether or not that
could be enough to tank this nomination altogether. Lynda.
KINKADE: And, Manu, one of the other controversial picks, indeed, is RFK Jr., picked to be the head of the Health and Human Services Department. How
hard will it be to get him confirmed, given his wild conspiracy theories about vaccines and fluoride and all these other things? And is it possible
that Trump could bypass the confirmation hearings?
[18:40:00]
RAJU: Yes, absolutely. He could bypass it. In fact, that's what Donald Trump said in just the last few days, as the Senate was -- Republicans were
choosing their new leader of the Senate majority. He said, the next Senate majority leader must agree to allow him to make what's known as recess
appointments. That means the constitutional authority given to the president when the Senate is on an extended recess period, they're not in
session, but the president can go in and install someone to the post and bypass the Senate altogether.
Well, that has not really been done in about 17 years because of the maneuvering by Senate majorities to prevent the Senate from going into
extended recesses. But Trump is saying, you know what, the new majority leader needs to agree with me. And the Senate Republican leader, who was
just elected yesterday, Senate Republican leader, John Thune, has indicated an openness to that but has not said that he would do that in order for
Donald Trump to install people like RFK Jr.
And there is a lot of controversy, Lynda. A lot of Republicans are concerned about his views. We've not gotten a full airing yet of
Republicans who left town this afternoon for their weekend before this news broke. We'll get a better sense next week. Whether or not the votes are
actually there, but I can assure you many will have concerns and many will want to hear what he has to say in those high-profile confirmation hearings
that will take place early next year. Lynda.
KINKADE: All right. A lot to stay across. Certainly, a lot of names coming at us to be in Donald Trump's new cabinet. Manu Raju for us on Capitol
Hill. Good to have you with us. Thank you.
RAJU: Thank you.
KINKADE: Well, still to come, Spain is once again getting hit by torrential rain. And now, one tech giant is trying to help. We'll explain
next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KINKADE: Welcome back to "First Move." I'm Lynda Kinkade. Spain is once again suffering from extreme flooding. On Wednesday, some areas saw almost
a month's worth of rain in just an hour. And it comes on the heels of an earlier wave of flooding two weeks ago.
Well, now, a tech giant is joining relief efforts. Amazon says it's helped to donate and transport over 160,000 items like food and hygiene products.
The company says it has 14 permanent disaster relief hubs right around the world. Bettina Stix is the head of Amazon's Disaster Relief and Response
and she joins us now live. Good to have you with us.
BETTINA STIX, HEAD OF DISASTER AND RESPONSE, AMAZON: Thank you for having me.
[18:45:00]
KINKADE: So, a lot of people here in the U.S. know that Amazon is one of the fastest ways to order products, but many might not know how your
company is helping to deliver essential items to those in need. Just explain for us how you got involved with this response to the floods in
Valencia and explain how Amazon is in a good position logistically to deliver those.
STIX: Well, first, let me tell you that our hearts go out to those that lost loved ones in these disasters who are still waiting to hear what
happened to loved ones and those that are literally left with nothing and ran from houses that were flooding and are still dealing with the aftermath
of this disaster.
Amazon is uniquely positioned to help in natural disasters in a way. We have logistics all around the world. We have global inventory and we have
technology, and that goes a long way to help in these situations. But you mentioned we have disaster relief hubs. We actually have 14 of those around
the world. We have them in Australia, Japan, India, all very disaster-prone continents and countries. We have one in Europe and we have multiple ones
in the U.S. here.
In Europe, we actually mobilized our hub right after this horrible sudden disaster happened and we used the pre-positioned items that we have there,
hygiene kits and blankets, and shipped them into direction Valencia.
We also tapped into our inventory across Spain. We're able to provide all items that our relief partners actually requested from us, and we were able
to build a temporary disaster relief up right in Valencia together with Fundacion Altius who serves the communities in needs even outside of
disasters and who we partner with when there isn't a disaster and this brought us an opportunity to work together, stem up a temporary disaster
relief up in just under 48 hours, send in help to engineer the logistics of this, and we delivered.
Actually, you mentioned 160,000 items, it is today a quarter million items that were able to be deployed to the people in need in the population in
the vicinity.
KINKADE: A quarter of a million items. That really is remarkable. And it's not just -- you do have some permanent staff there, but you also have,
apparently, hundreds of volunteers, right? Just talk to us about the operation on the ground and the situation there right now.
STIX: Fundacion Altius did really an amazing job building up the hub together with us. They have an operation there with 1,500 volunteers that,
you know, receive order from smaller organizations around the hub and then -- and we also had this transport then to those smaller organization. It
takes a whole village, a whole city, it takes a lot of people to help there.
We're very proud of our own employees. They had volunteer there as well. They also had volunteer in two additional idle sites that we used from our
network to help stem up additional operations for Altius to store relief items.
KINKADE: Well, we appreciate the work that you and other volunteers have been doing to help the people in Valencia. Thanks so much for your time.
Bettina Stix, head of Amazon's Disaster Relief and Response.
Well, still to come after the break, replacing a 90-minute drive with a 10- minute flight. Japan embraces flying electric taxis to link big cities with airports. We'll hear from the company developing those vehicles next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:50:00]
KINKADE: Well, cleared for takeoff. Archer Aviation bringing electric air taxis to Asia. A deal with Japan Airlines could replace 90-minute drives
between cities and airports with 10-to-15-minute flights. The firm is now working with regulators to get the necessary permissions. And with orders
worth more than $6 billion, Archer is propelling its Midnight Aircraft towards a commercial launch at the end of next year.
In the U.S., the companies teamed up with United and Southwest Airlines. Well, Adam Goldstein is the founder and CEO, and joins us now. Great to
have you with us.
ADAM GOLDSTEIN, FOUNDER AND CEO, ARCHER AVIATION: Thanks for having me on the show.
KINKADE: A pleasure. So, this is exciting. Archer, of course, a pioneering player in this emerging product category. And you are making significant
progress towards commercialization. Just talk to us about this contract in Japan.
GOLDSTEIN: Yes. So, this was a really big deal for Archer and really for the industry. As we're getting very mature in terms of developing these
aircrafts and finding homes where we can actually develop the first routes to bring them to market and really start to take passengers and ultimately
go change people's lives.
So, what we do is we try to look at cities that have congestion that have - - you know, that are crowded where we can bring this new product and really offer people a great experience. And so, we took a look at Japan and then,
from there, we went and partnered with one of the great companies in Japan. So, we started with Japan Airlines and then also partnered with Sumitomo in
order to form this new JV in order to bring these aircraft to market there.
KINKADE: Amazing. So, Archer's electric aircraft is called Midnight. Adam, can you just talk us through the design of this aircraft? I mean, how much
time people will save it and who the customer will be?
GOLDSTEIN: Sure. So, these are electric vertical takeoff and landing aircrafts. And so, they're meant to take off and land like helicopters, but
then transition and fly forward on the wing like an airplane. And so, these vehicles are used to replace trips on the ground where, when you drive, it
might take 60, 90 or 120 minutes, with flights that can take five to 10 minutes.
So, think airport to city center, that's a trip that I think we're all very familiar with. Those are trips that can be very tiresome and really just
soul sucking as you sit there in traffic. Those are routes that we can fly in very short periods of time. And so, we're now working with the
regulators, as we close the final stages here, in order to bring these aircraft to markets.
And that's what's so exciting about the time period we're in right now, because we've been working on this for so long, all the regulations in
place, we're going through the final tests and now, we're just at that point where we can start building the production planes and then ultimately
bring them to the customers.
KINKADE: Amazing. So, talk to us about getting the certification and working your way through the regulation. I know you've been working with
the Japanese Civil Aviation Bureau. I mean, how long has that process gone on and what stage are you at right now?
GOLDSTEIN: Yes. So, we've been working on the certification process for many, many years, and it started in the U.S. with the FAA. So, the FAA has
really laid out all the rules in order, how this industry is going to develop. And most recently, they just put a lot of the operational rules in
place through what was called the SBAR. And that was a really big deal because it was the final piece of regulation that had to get put in place
in order to operationalize the industry.
Now, regulators all around the world are using that as a framework in order to allow the companies to certify these aircraft and ultimately bring them
to their local markets. And that's exactly what we're doing with Japan. And so, we have spent tons of times, hundreds and hundreds of test flights
really proving the safety of this aircraft.
Now, the beauty of this aircraft is that it's designed around safety. So, in the video, as you can see, you'll notice there are multiple sets
propellers. So, unlike a helicopter, which just has one main rotor, we have 12 sets propellers. We also have multiple sets of engines. And so, the
redundancy built into this aircraft allows us to build a vehicle that is very, very safe. It could be commercialized at some of the highest safety
standards of any aircraft out in the market.
And so, the regulators welcome that because it could be used to the replace or supplement some of the existing aircraft on the market today.
[18:55:00]
KINKADE: Amazing. So, it could be in Japan first, then potentially the UAE, then potentially here in the U.S. Well done. Congratulations. We'll
see how this rollout goes next year. Great to have you with us. Adam Goldstein, founder and CEO of Archer Aviation.
Well, finally, on "First Move," it is the song so catchy, it has been top of the global charts for about three weeks now. And this hit by Rose and
Bruno Mars is called "APT.," and the song's based on a Korean drinking game.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: What's proved to be so catchy, in fact, that South Korean students had added to it a self-imposed ban list of songs, because they
fear it'll distract them from the all-important exams, which are believed to be among the toughest in the world. Well, now, the exams are over, the
students will be able to listen to with a clear conscience.
I mean, you too might have that song in your head for the rest of the day.
Well, that wraps up our show. Thanks so much for joining us. I'm Lynda Kinkade. I will see you same time tomorrow.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:00:00]
END
