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Laura Coates Live
Supreme Court Temporarily Pauses Order Requiring Trump Administration to Fully Fund SNAP; Airport Crisis Worsens Over Government Shutdown; Trump Fumes and Spins Over the Economy; Mamdani's Head Speechwriter Speaks Out. Aired 11p-12a ET
Aired November 07, 2025 - 23:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[23:00:00]
UNKNOWN: I love this one because for such a light dish, it's very comforting. It's got those sweet, savory, umami flavors for that buttery, flaky fish. Um, and yeah, I feel like Bok choy and roasted potatoes go perfect with it.
ABBY PHILLIP, CNN ANCHOR AND SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: I love this. It is warm and cozy even in the late -- are we still in fall?
(LAUGHTER)
Late fall? Um, scan the Q.R. code for the miso-glazed cod recipe. It is delicious, trust me. And thank you very much for watching "NewsNight." You can catch our roundtable show, "Table for Five." It's tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. Eastern right here on CNN. Laura Coates takes over right now.
(APPLAUSE)
LAURA COATES, CNN HOST AND SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: Breaking news in the government shutdown, the Supreme Court hands Trump at least a temporary win in the fight over SNAP funding. Billions of dollars now frozen as the airports get plunged into chaos. Plus --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Did they -- just answer me the question. You know the answer. The answer is yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: Trump Angry, fed up, and lashing out after dismissing how voters are feeling about the economy. Why even some Republicans are starting to worry? And meet the voice of Zohran Mamdani. His head speechwriter will join me for an inside look at the campaign that stunned the nation. Tonight on "Laura Coates Live."
The breaking news tonight, millions of Americans will not get the full SNAP funding they were expecting this month. Hot off the press. A Friday night news story that will be welcomed to the administration and the worst news for the one in eight Americans in need of SNAP benefits. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson granting the
administration's request to pause a judge's earlier order that they had to fully pay up. Now, we're talking about $4 billion from a contingency fund that will not be sent to SNAP recipients. And notice I'm mentioning a single Supreme Court justice. Where are the other eight? Well, remember, when somebody files an emergency motion for the court to weigh in, like in one that was filed today, time is of the essence. And the justices, they divvy up the work and decide who's going to get which emergency motion. It was her turn.
So, to be clear, her order is not the final decision. It pauses the status quo. And the pause does not evaluate the full merits of the case, it'll be up to the appeals court. And we have no idea how the court will ultimately rule. And if it goes back up to them, we still don't know. But that's the legal part of it. The reality part of it, for everyone wondering how they're going to make ends meet without any string, it's another devastating blow in this now 38-day government shutdown, one that appears to be going nowhere fast.
And here we are with yet again the end of another full work week, at least for you all, not Congress, and still no working solution. You know, any hope of a deal went straight out the window today. Now, the Senate Democrats, they offered a solution, extend Obamacare premiums for just a year and reopen the government. Republicans said no. Then Republicans had a turn. They said, let's at least pay federal workers. Then it was Democrats who said no.
So, now, we're about to enter the F around and find out phase of the shutdown because the crisis at the American airports is about to get a whole lot worse.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEAN DUFFY, U.S. SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION: And so, if this shutdown doesn't end relatively soon, the consequence of that is going to be more controllers don't come to work, and then we're going to have to continue to assess the pressure in the airspace and make decisions that may, again, move us from 10% to 15%, maybe to 20%.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: Maybe to 20? A 20% cut in flights? Trying to figure out what that will really mean. Well, you're going to hear from a former air traffic controller later in the show about just how bad that would be.
And the president tonight, he told the Senate they should not leave town until they get a deal that reopens the government. It doesn't apply to him, though. Of course, he's in Mar-a-Lago right now for the weekend. And here he was, getting on Air Force One and skipping town with a private jet. No delays or problems for him.
A much different story for the American people. It has been -- you've probably heard from someone. You've probably seen the news. Of course, you have. It's a nightmare trying to fly anywhere. Five thousand flights delayed?
[23:05:00]
One thousand flights cancelled?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CINDY CURLEY, TRAVELER: We just went to an agent. And they looked it up and they said, nope, that's canceled, too. of course, the whole board, there were so many cancellations.
UNKNOWN: People are really hurting out here. And it's not just the traveling public, but it's affecting the whole economy. And you people are to blame.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: That couple is now renting a car to drive 500 miles from Newark, New Jersey to Wilmington, North Carolina. They can afford it, they say. But others, no.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNKNOWN (voice-over): Would you be open to getting a backup ticket?
KATHERINE MILLER, TRAVELER: You got to have backup money. I -- I don't have that. You know? Yeah. No. I don't know. I don't know how I'm going to get back.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: So, travelers are stranded. What? SOL Congress? And then you have people who are actually going hungry because those SNAP benefits, they haven't been paid.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ONITA MORRIS, WEST VIRGINIA MOTHER: Rather than myself having like a full plate of food along with my kids, I'm making sure that they have a full plate of food and their bellies are full, and I may have either less or I may not eat what they are eating just for the sake that they are getting enough.
UNKNOWN: So, mom is having to sometimes skip a meal or curb?
MORRIS: Yes. Um -- whew! Yeah, um, it feels like I'm failing them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: You are not the one failing anyone. I want to begin with a former Democratic congressman who was there during the country's last big shutdown in 2019. Tom Malinowski is here. He is currently running for New Jersey Governor-elect Mikie Sherrill's congressional seat. Welcome back.
I mean, I have to start with this for a second because you heard that mother, emotional, talking about how she thinks that she's the one failing her children. And you heard the travelers saying, Congress is really failing the American people. They're to blame. How can this be going on 38 days into a shutdown? You've been a member of Congress. What's happening over there?
TOM MALINOWSKI, NEW JERSEY HOUSE CANDIDATE, FORMER NEW JERSEY REPRESENTATIVE: What that mother and her children are experiencing has nothing to do with the shutdown, Laura, because the money to pay for food stamps is there. It has been provided by Congress in an emergency fund for precisely this kind of situation. And, you know, a few days ago, the president said that he wanted to pay the food stamp benefits if only the courts would allow him. It turns out that wasn't true. He actually appealed --
COATES: The courts are allowing him.
MALINOWSKI: The courts are allowing him. In fact, the court said, you have to do it. And he appealed that decision to the Supreme Court, begging the Supreme Court to allow him not to feed that mother and her children. So, look, the shutdown, I want to talk about that, but this is absolutely in the hands of the president who you just pictured getting on Air Force One and flying to Mar-a-Lago and skipping town. He has the single-handed power to solve that problem today, and he's not doing it.
COATES: You know, I was at an event today. The Napkin Network, it was called. They were talking about giving diapers and formula to mothers in need, hearing stories about mothers who were diluting formula just to try to stretch, to be able to try to get through what's happening right now. And you have that split screen, the split screen of the administration saying, do they want us to pay right now? We can't pay in full or partially. It's appeal. And Justice Jackson allowing at least temporarily the administration to hold back the SNAP funding. I should say it for now.
So, are you worried the administration might actually win this one on appeal? Who we'll go back to? And if that's the case, then what?
MALINOWSKI: I -- I don't -- I don't know about the legal issues here. I just know that you should not be using food as a weapon, and the president has the ability to solve that today. He doesn't need permission from Democrats to make sure that every child and every working family in this country has food to eat as we bicker, as we argue over reopening the government. That's what needs to be repeated again and again.
And, you know, look, we just had an election in New Jersey and in Virginia --
COATES: Uh-hmm.
MALINOWSKI: -- and a lot of other places where -- where Democrats ran up absolutely incredible numbers. And I think one of the reasons for that is that a lot of regular folks, including people who voted for Trump in 2024, are looking at these images from Washington. They're looking at corporations spending millions of dollars, gifting the president millions of dollars to buy a ballroom.
[23:10:01]
They're looking at these images from Mar-a-Lago of fancy-dress parties with women dancing in champagne glasses. And meanwhile, the president is sitting on this money that could feed children. And they're -- and they're saying there's just something not right about that.
COATES: Well --
MALINOWSKI: Fix that problem and --
COATES: Something or everything. You're not right about that split screen for so many. But then you talk -- let's talk about that shutdown because, you know, here we are, 38 days in, you've got Congress on both sides now proposing some sort of solutions, met with resistance. Senate Democrats proposing a one-year Obamacare subsidies punt, then we open the government. Republicans said no. Was that a fair offer, in your view?
MALINOWSKI: Yes, I think so. Look, let me -- let me tell you another story. I launched my campaign for Congress a couple of days ago --
COATES: Uh-hmm.
MALINOWSKI: -- and there was a guy who came to our launch event who -- who said that he -- he got the message from his -- from the insurance company. His premiums are going up, his family's premiums are going up from about $120 a month to $1,200 a month, a thousand percent increase.
COATES: Oh.
MALINOWSKI: And he said he and his wife actually -- like it was surreal. They had this conversation in which they asked themselves, should we get a divorce so that at least one of us can qualify for Medicaid?
COATES: Oh my god.
MALINOWSKI: And so, if I were in Congress right now, I would not allow any train to leave the station unless that problem is at least solved for now. And so, yes, I think reopen the government and solve that problem is a pretty good deal. And I don't understand why anyone would say no to that deal. In fact, I know a lot of Republican members of Congress privately wish what --
COATES: Hmm.
MALINOWSKI: -- Marjorie Taylor Greene is publicly saying. Just do that, and then let's have the conversation about why is healthcare so expensive in this country, which I think a lot of intelligent Republicans and Democrats would like to have.
COATES: Well, that's one of the biggest frustrations that it has been for years, frankly, on both sides of aisle. But the idea of privately having a problem with something, of being a public representative, right? The backbone is supposed to be for those who ask for an opportunity to lead. The private mullings and hand-wringing are for those who have not asked for that chance. And so, it's always very frustrating to hear about that private versus public viewpoint.
But then you've got Republicans, though, who have argued that the offer that Democrats made, it wasn't like magnanimous, it wasn't pure. It was political because guess what's a year from now? Ding, ding, ding, midterms.
MALINOWSKI: Look, I -- there -- there are a lot of Republicans who are saying we shouldn't just be subsidizing the high cost of health care. We -- we need a -- a deeper solution to this problem. And you know what? I agree with them. The problem is they don't seem to have a solution. What they're -- what they're saying is the Democrats should just submit and capitulate, reopen the government, and then maybe we will then tell you what our solution is even though we've had now 20 years --
COATES: Hmm.
MALINOWSKI: -- 15 years since Obamacare was passed to tell you what it is. And so, no, I don't think -- I don't think that's reasonable. I -- I think let's -- let's get an agreement to solve the problem of the family that I just mentioned, which -- which is being shared now by millions of families across the country.
COATES: Yeah.
MALINOWSKI: Solve it -- solve for six months, solve it for a year, solve it for two years, I don't care, but it has to be solved now. And like -- I respect the fact that Democrats are fighting for that because I think the people who I've represented, who I want to represent again, want members of Congress who will fight for them, who will fight for what's right and not just say what --
COATES: Hmm.
MALINOWSKI: -- the House Republicans are saying now, which is we're not needed, the president can do what he wants, we're going home, there is no Congress, the Constitution doesn't matter, we have no responsibilities anymore.
COATES: Do you think that was the message that voters not only received but were giving on Election Day on Tuesday?
MALINOWSKI: I know that's the message they were giving. If you look at the margins in New Jersey, Mikie Sherrill won this incredible victory. You can't run up numbers like that just with partisan Democrats who go to no-kings rallies and carry their pocket constitutions in their pockets. It has to include people who are willing to give President Trump a chance in 2024, but who now are saying it has gone too far, it's -- it's just too much, there needs to be a correction.
And, you know, the only political point I'll make is that if these congressional Republicans aren't listening to that, there are going to be a lot fewer congressional Republicans after the midterms. [23:14:59]
COATES: Congressman Tom Malinowski, thanks for joining.
MALINOWSKI: Thank you.
COATES: Up next, thousands of flights delayed or even canceled. I'm just talking about today. The administration is warning things are going to get worse. I've got a former air traffic controller who tells us just how bad that could be. Plus, it's what cost Republicans the election, but President Trump does not believe what Americans are saying when it comes to the cost of living in this country.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: We did a great job on groceries and affordability. The only problem is the fake news. You people don't want to report it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[23:20:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COATES: The shutdown is keeping more planes on the ground tonight. You know that more than 1,700 flights have now been canceled through Sunday as airlines reduced flights by 4%. And Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warns that number could rise to 20% if more air traffic controllers don't show up for work.
But many controllers are facing a very different kind of pressure. It's financial. Remember, they have been working for nearly 40 days without any pay. They'll likely miss another paycheck next week. And many, they're reaching their breaking point.
My next guest is an air traffic controller veteran and a veteran of government shutdowns. Jim Krieger used to be an ATC manager at Chicago O'Hare's airport for 33 years, and he joins me now. Jim, thank you for being here. So many people are trying to conceptualize what a 4% reduction looks like, let alone a 20%. That could mean as many as one in five flights could be canceled next week. Talk to me about that.
JIM KRIEGER, FORMER AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER AND MANAGER, CHICAGO O'HARE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT: Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely, that's going to cause a lot of chaos for travelers. That's for sure. Honestly, I think it's an attempt to keep things safer and so on. I understand that. But in reality, air traffic control is able to control or manage their traffic volume any time they feel like they need to already. So, this is just a preemptive way of doing that. I think they're trying to obviously affect the risk that maybe it's being introduced to the system.
But I think they're missing the main point. The main point is the distraction of not being paid for the last 40 days or so. I mean, that's -- that's something, I'm sure, that every time there's a low in traffic, I'm sure they're talking about it in the control towers and operating boards. I'm sure when they go home, they're talking about it as well. And who knows what type of risk that is introducing? Normally, if we do something in aviation, we test it completely.
COATES: Hmm.
KRIEGER: We do what they call a safety management system, and we get pilots together before we do something different, and we get air traffic controllers, and we get airport operators, and we all talk about those things, and we determine what risks are there and how we're going to mitigate them. This -- this distraction, I think it's probably an unknowable type of risks that's being introduced --
COATES: Yeah.
KRIEGER: -- and all in the name of politics. That's -- I think the American flying public deserves a lot better than that.
COATES: It's not just the morale issues. Some are unable to get to work, the cost of commuting. And also, I can imagine if somebody is calling in and can't come in, you've got longer hours. And the last thing I would want is a tired or angry or absent air traffic controller. So, I have to ask, people probably feel unsafe, should they?
KRIEGER: Well, they shouldn't feel unsafe. These are professionals and -- and they know -- they know what their limits are. So, it's a different kind of a job. If you don't sleep well at night and you have a day early in the morning shift, you just don't go to work that day, you call in.
COATES: Hmm.
KRIEGER: I mean, it's just the type of job work you don't show up impaired in any way shape or form. So, I think if people are distracted enough or worried enough about what's going on in their lives right now, they're going to be smarter enough not to come in. And as the secretary had mentioned today, you're probably going to see sick leave on the rise, that type of thing.
COATES: That's what I mean, Jim. I mean, people are unable to come in either for the reasons you've just said or, you know, there's a New York Times quote from an air traffic controller who is trying to make ends meet, saying, "I'm broken down. I'm sore. I'm mentally drained. There are some times where I felt like just going into the corner and crying because it has been pretty tough to push through the physical pain, the tiredness and waking up the next day having to do all over again."
They're working, you know, multiple jobs because they're not getting paid one, and they're moonlighting in the other. I mean, you've worked shutdowns before. You've worked through them. How do you cope?
KRIEGER: Yeah, it's -- it's not a good thing. They're working 10-hour days -- COATES: Yes.
KRIEGER: -- and a six-day also. You know, imagine you're essential enough to have to be forced to work but you're not essential enough to pay. And that's really something, especially you coming on your day off for what would normally be overtime and you're not even going to get paid for that. Eventually, you will, but the uncertainty that's out there, I just -- I'm concerned about the distraction that that causes in the business. And this is -- you know, it's a system that just doesn't tolerate extra risk really well.
[23:25:02]
We manage risk. We don't introduce it without seeing what it would do in the first place.
COATES: A really important point. Jim Krieger, thank you so much.
KRIEGER: You're welcome. Thank you for having me. Have a good night.
COATES: You, too. Up next, Americans say their wallets are hurting. So, what did the president say in response?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Affordability, they call it, was a con job by the -- by the Democrats.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: Hmm. Plus, divisive, Trumpian, inspiring. All words used by commentators who describe Zohran Mamdani's victory speech. Is there response he's hoping for? You know what? We're going right to the source. Mamdani's speech writer is here, and that's ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[23:30:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COATES: You know you never know what to expect when President Trump takes questions from reporters. And today, he presented a play about affordability in three acts. Act one, dismissal.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNKNOWN (voice-over): Mr. President, since you brought up the Walmart Thanksgiving meal --
TRUMP: Yeah.
UNKNOWN (voice-over): -- and it is cheaper, but it also contains less --
(CROSSTALK) TRUMP: Who you with? Who you with?
UNKNOWN (voice-over): I'm from NBC news, sir.
TRUMP: Fake news. NBC -- you're fake news. What a -- what a -- NBC has got down the tubes along with most of the rest of them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: Act two, denial.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: It was a con job. It was a con job. Affordability, they call it, was a con job by the -- by the Democrats. Prices are down under the Trump administration, and they're down substantially. Energy prices are down by 30, 35, 40%. Gasoline is way down. And the other big thing is we started -- inflation is way down. So, we are the victors on affordability.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: Now, a quick fact-check shows that gas prices are around three bucks, not two. Prices at the pump are slightly lower compared to last year, but not by much. And energy prices are rising as well. And grocery prices? Well, those are up across the board compared to last year. In some cases, up 5% from meat and chicken and fish and eggs. But Trump wasn't done. It was finally time for Act 3, deflection, with little help from the White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: The only problem is the fake news. You people don't want to report it. And, in fact, I'd like to ask Karoline. Where is Karoline? I'd like to ask Karoline a question. Where is she? Did she -- Uh-oh. She deserted us. Karoline?
KAROLINE LEAVITT, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Yes, sir.
TRUMP: Could you discuss that -- that question that was asked and how -- how it was asked in such a fake, disgusting manner by the fake news?
LEAVITT: Yeah. And I just saw it asked again here. And it's very unfortunate that the reporters in this room refuse to address, sir, what you just said, which is that you inherited the worst inflation crisis in modern American history, and you are fixing it in 10 short months, and your entire administration has been tasked with this effort.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: Let's talk about this with political insiders who are with me now, co-host of the podcast "Verdict with Ted Cruz" and host of "The Ben Ferguson Show," Ben Ferguson, also Democratic strategist and former Clinton White House aide, Keith Boykin. Glad to have both of you here. This is the Friday night play, those three acts you obviously seen.
Ben, let's talk to you first about this because new data shows consumers are feeling worse about the economy now than a month ago. We've been here before in terms of the so-called feel-onomics and the disconnects between a president and how people feel. Is Trump not understanding that disconnect and could that come back to haunt the GOP?
BEN FERGUSON, POCAST HOST: No, I think -- I think he understands. I think he's frustrated that now, all of a sudden, people are paying attention to what he has been working on for the first nine months of his administration. I mean, this is a guy that understood prices were hurting. We had eggs that were $6.50 a dozen. Now, they're at around $3. Gas is down about 30, 40 cents from this time last year as well. You have a president that has been advocating for lower interest rates for affordability in homeowners. And we're seeing that the first-time home buyers age has now moved up to almost 40 years old, the first- time home buyers, the highest that we've ever seen.
So, the president is frustrated because he feels like he's working very hard on this issue, and some of those core prices have come down. He also is looking at things like the price of meat, and he talked about it with this investigation with the DOJ and -- and meat packers. Look, I run a barbecue restaurant. I can tell you, there is a disconnect right now between the price of cattle, which I look at all the time, and what we're actually paying after his pack. A lot of that is because it's coming from overseas. There are very few companies involved.
I am proud of the president for doing this, should have been done a year ago and two years ago when prices got out of control. So, I understand the president's frustration.
COATES: I hear you. I was going to say, if there have been -- in the campaign, they were talking about price gouging and investigating into it. Keith, you're smiling. Talk to me about it.
KEITH BOYKIN, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST, FORMER CLINTON WHITE HOUSE AIDE, AUTHOR: Well, I mean, the idea that Donald Trump has been working hard on inflation is laughable. I mean, this is a guy who, first of all, came into office and imposed tariffs, which raised the price of goods for Americans because they were taxed on American goods, on goods that Americans are paying for.
[23:35:07]
Then he spent the past couple of months -- during this White House shutdown, he has been doing everything to show that he's not focused on this. I mean, beef prices are at record highs, coffee prices are up 20%, inflation is up higher than it was last year when he was running for office. And on top of that, he's going around throwing Great Gatsby parties at Mar-a-Lago. He's redecorating the White House, demolishing the East Wing and creating a $300 million ballroom. FERGUSON: This is a weak argument, Keith.
BOYKIN: A gold sign outside the Oval Office. This guy is completely tone-deaf to the suffering that Americans are experiencing because he's so busy living like Marie Antoinette.
COATES: Well, Ben, you're calling that a weak argument. Tell me about the split screen that you're seeing.
FERGUSON: Yeah. I mean, if your -- if your argument for the president being bad at his job is that he's improving the White House with private funds, that's a pretty weak argument. By the way, that's not what the president is focused on right now. He's focused on affordability, which he talked about today.
COATES: Well, hold on, Ben. On that point, I want you to finish --
BOYKIN: The spent --
COATES: Hold on. Hold on, gentlemen. I want you to finish that point, Ben, but one second. On the affordability point, when he talked about the Democrats using that as a kind of con job, do you think that Democrats talking about affordability is, in fact, a con?
FERGUSON: Yeah. Democrats haven't given a crap about affordability for the last five years. Now, all of a sudden, they're like focused on it while they're shutting down the government, while they're purposely not even paying essential workers. You talked about it a moment ago, Democrats could absolutely pay air traffic controllers and stop hurting Americans, but they're holding Americans hostage right now.
COATES: Keith --
FERGUSON: They're not even going to work. They're flying home, for goodness sakes. While they're the ones -- and everyone knows you got to have 60 votes. Even Jake Tapper said on CNN, that if we use the standards that we've used in the past on shutdowns -- there is no doubt this is the Democrats' fault for a shutdown. Are shutdowns good for the economy or bad for the economy? They're terrible for the economy. Keith, you know that. Everyone watching knows that.
So, Democrats are holding us hostage for the longest government shutdown in American history. And then you want to sit there and go, oh, we're worried about prices? You're not worried about prices. If you were and you cared about Americans, you'd send them a damn paycheck, our government workers and those of the FAA and the air traffic controllers.
COATES: Well, Keith, let me get -- I hear you, Ben.
FERGUSON: You're not concerned about Americans.
COATES: I want to hear your opinion on this, Keith, because you know the president has been talking about inflation being gone for the better part of almost a year now and yet we see the issue. Keith? BOYKIN: Donald Trump ran for president claiming that he was going to wipe out inflation, that prices are going to start coming down on day one. They have it. Prices are higher today than they were when he was elected. Prices are higher today than they were when he was elected. Ben, I let you finish. Let me finish. Prices are higher today than they were when he was elected. And now, we have this government shutdown, which is a Trump Republican government shutdown.
As I said, Trump is living like Marie Antoinette while Americans are suffering. Ben, be respectful, be respectful. The Republicans control all three branches of government like legislative, executive, and judicial. They control both houses of Congress. And Mike Johnson, the speaker of the House, the Republican speaker of the House, has been out of -- out of business for the past two months, won't even call the House in session.
Hard to believe that they're really serious about this when they are actually the ones who won't even meet, won't even negotiate with the Democrats, not to mention the fact that Donald Trump and the Republicans passed the so-called big beautiful bill in the summer, which cuts that benefits, which cut Medicare, which cut funding for other people who were in need. So, they don't really care about --
COATES: I really hope this conversation is happening behind closed doors at Congress. This is important as well. I hope behind closed doors, Congress is contemplating these arguments, but also with an eye towards getting food in people's bellies, flights off the ground, and a government back open. Gentlemen, we'll talk again. Thank you both.
FERGUSON: Good to see you.
BOYKIN: Thank you.
COATES: Up next, tonight --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ZOHRAN MAMDANI, NEW YORK CITY MAYOR-ELECT: So, Donald Trump, since I know you're watching --
(APPLAUSE)
-- I have four words for you. Turn the volume up!
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: Look, whether you loved it or you hated it, it's the victory speech that's setting the tone for New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani. So, how did it all come together? You know what? I'm going to ask the man who wrote it, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[23:40:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COATES: It was the speech that capped off a turbulent and against all odds campaign. Zohran Mamdani's supporters praised it as hopeful and inspiring. His critics, well, they slammed it, called it combative, divisive. But regardless of how you may feel about it, there is no denying that this was the speech that sent shockwaves across the political landscape.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAMDANI: For as long as we can remember, the working people of New York have been told by the wealthy and the well-connected that power does not belong in their hands. My friends, we have toppled a political dynasty.
(APPLAUSE)
So, hear me, President Trump, when I say this. To get to any of us, you will have to get through all of us.
[23:45:01]
(APPLAUSE)
I am Muslim.
(APPLAUSE)
I am a Democratic socialist.
(APPLAUSE)
And most damning of all, I refuse to apologize for any of this.
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: Joining me now, the man behind those words, director of writing for Zohran Mamdani's winning mayoral campaign, Julian Gerson. Julian, welcome. It was quite a speech. People are still talking about it. And I suspect they will for some time to come. So, tell me, what were you hoping people would take away from it as you were even thinking and writing it?
JULIAN GERSON, SPEECHWRITER AND DIRECTOR OF WRITING, ZOHRAN MAMDANI FOR NYC: Well, thank you, Laura, for having me. It's a privilege to be here. I think, above all, our hope was that we run this campaign on a politics of consistency, of bringing change to a city that has for so long been betrayed by those we elect, whether they succumb to scandal, to corruption, whether they just break their promises to actually transform the lives of the millions of working people who call the city home.
And so, for those who might dismiss the speeches as defiant, that's exactly what we wanted it to be because this represented millions of New Yorkers who have long been ignored, who have long had their voices not echo in the halls of power. And Zohran Mamdani ran to be the mayor for all of them, not simply the wealthy few, and after achieving this historic election, wanted to speak directly to those New Yorkers and tell them that they finally had a voice in the places that matter.
COATES: Walk me through that creative process when you're contemplating what a, not only acceptance, but a victory speech would sound like, knowing that it goes from that shift of campaigning to I will be the person to lead this city. What is that transition period like in trying to widen that audience even then?
GERSON: It's something that we've been thinking about all throughout the election. I don't know if you remember, but there was a scavenger hunt earlier in August that had that New Yorkers show up. And I attended and I spoke to many of them who were in line. Many of them had been New Yorkers all their lives. Some of them had just moved to the city. And I asked them what the overarching sentiment that they attached this campaign was. And time and again, I heard the same word over and over. I heard hope.
And so, with this speech, we wanted to speak directly to those New Yorkers who, in a moment of true political darkness, have not found much to place their hope in in a long time. And so, our process was, we really began writing the speech in earnest about a week prior. Zohran took the first look three or four days before.
COATES: Uh-hmm.
GERSON: And then a small team. Mostly, Zohran and myself and one other aide, we spent a lot of time just going through and reading it, making sure it reflected his voice, making sure it reflected the things he wanted to say, personalizing it, and making it a love letter as well to the city that we adore and that we want to see benefit every person, not just those who can buy our elections.
COATES: There were some who were critical of it. You used the word consistency. But listen to what commentator for CNN, Van Jones, had to say about what he viewed as a kind of inconsistency. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VAN JONES, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I think he missed an opportunity. I think the Mamdani that we saw on the campaign trail, who was a lot more calm, who was lot warmer, who was lot more embracing, was not present in that speech. And I think that Mamdani is the one you need to hear from tonight. There are a lot of people trying to figure out, can I get on this train with him or not? Is he going to include me? Is he going -- is he going to -- to be more of a class warrior even in office? I think he missed a chance tonight to open up and bring more people into the tent.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: What's your response to that? GERSON: Well, I'm grateful. You know, this is a beautiful city with lots of opinions, and I'm glad that he's expressing his. Um, I would respectfully disagree. I would say that civility is often kind of a one-way offer. It's given to a certain number of people in our society and it's not extended to many more.
I would make a point of saying that within the speech, Zohran spoke to the many New Yorkers who did not vote for him. He said to those who had voted for Andrew Cuomo, those who had for Curtis Liwa, and especially to those who had not voted at all because they have long felt disappointed in political process that does not yield results. He said, I'm honored to have the trust to serve as your mayor, I will work every day to make the next day better than the last.
But I also think that there's a difference between speaking to New Yorkers who might not have voted for you and speaking to people like Andrew Cuomo, who trafficked in a campaign of Islamophobia and division, and to those like Donald Trump, who have gone after working New Yorkers, who have cut their SNAP benefits, who have cut their health care, who have demonized our immigrant neighbors and have pulled them out of work sites and schools.
[23:50:07]
And, frankly, I think that civility is not something that is automatically assumed. It is something that you earn by being civil yourself. And so, for the many who offer in return, I don't think that there is much of a need to extend that to those who have trafficked in cruelty.
COATES: Julian Gerson, thank you.
GERSON: Thank you.
COATES: Up next, fights, long lines, exorbitant resale prices, customers driven to the brink all over a Starbucks-branded bear. But first, voting is underway for the 2025 CNN Hero of the Year, and we are reintroducing each of our top five heroes, like Debra Des Vignes. She's a former crime reporter helping incarcerated people transform their lives through creative writing. To vote, go to cnn.com/heroes right now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DEBRA DES VIGNES, CNN HERO: But when sheriff SWAT team members arrived at the home, no one was found inside.
DES VIGNES (voice-over): I was a television news reporter, and I covered crime.
DES VIGNES: I didn't really understand humanity as I should have as a young reporter in my early 20s. It wasn't until much later that the faces had stories and had names.
DES VIGNES (voice-over): I decided to volunteer in a prison because I was always inquisitive and curious about their stories. UNKNOWN: This is one more reminder that --
DES VIGNES (voice-over): I saw the raw talent and that's what led me to create this 12-week creative writing curriculum.
UNKNOWN (voice-over): I was convicted of dealing in a narcotic and dealing marijuana.
UNKNOWN: I pretty much grew up on the streets. I lost my mother, my father, my sister, and my brother. And came to a crossroads and had to make decision whether I was going to use that as fuel to do better.
DES VIGNES: Thank you for sharing that. Yep, I know that was heartfelt.
DES VIGNES (voice-over): We never excuse what they've done. In fact, a lot of them write about their remorse. We're just giving them a sacred space where they can let their shoulders down.
UNKNOWN: Eventually, though, I began to confront my grief with a clear mind and an open heart, accepting the fact that no matter what I did or who I hurt, nothing was going to bring my brother back from the dead.
I look forward to my Friday afternoons more than most days. People just let their souls bleed out of their pens onto that paper. And for two hours a day, everyone can just truly be themselves, and we're like a little small-knit family here. I plan on going into college and majoring in psychology when I get out. So, I feel like this is a huge step towards that.
DES VIGNES: It's going to make me tear up. We'll end on that one. That was really powerful.
DES VIGNES (voice-over): Some people would think it's a lock them up and throw away the key. If a lot of these prisoners are going to be released, then why not use writing as a tool to become better in the space that you're in?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[23:55:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COATES: It's almost midnight, which means it's also almost the weekend here in Washington, DC. But first, let's check in with our friend on the West Coast, Elex Michaelson. Not quite the weekend, but it's getting there. Have you heard, Elex, about these "Bearista" cups at Starbucks? I mean, it's like this teddy bear-shaped cup. Apparently, the hottest new product out there. And people are accusing the employees of hoarding them. They're selling them, like, for hundreds of dollars. What?
ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Doesn't it look like the honey thing that you can get?
COATES: Yes!
MICHAELSON: That's all I can think of. I get it, and I would like one honey to come out of it. But -- I mean, it's very cute. I could see why it's a big hit.
COATES: Well, I want my full cup, not like the little contours and they're like, oh, here you go. No, I want the full thing I'm paying for. Thank you very much. But also, is it early for Christmas holiday decorations? I mean, it is November but how --
MICHAELSON: Don't you -- don't you think we should at least get close to Thanksgiving? Even if we don't get through Thanksgiving, close to Thanksgiving? We're still a few weeks away from that. I haven't even done my -- the turkey shopping and all the rest of that. And all of a sudden, it's holiday everywhere. By the way, the authority on this, of course, is Mariah Carey. And has Mariah Carey said that it's time?
(LAUGHTER)
COATES: I don't know, but all Christmas, I love her. I went to her concert last year, her Christmas show. Let tell you something. That was a hell of a -- I loved every bit of it. And you're right, I have to figure out what she's doing. When she has the snow falling down, we'll call it Christmas.
MICHAELSON: Yeah. When she tells us it's time, it's time. And before that --
(LAUGHTER)
-- it's definitely not time.
COATES: You know what it's time for? Almost your show. What's coming up?
MICHAELSON: Yeah, we got -- we got a big show. A lot of breaking news tonight.
COATES: Hmm.
MICHAELSON: Big legal rulings coming in, which I know is your thing. We've got all the latest on the shutdown and the traveling. We've got a political debate. We've got sports news. We've got a flying car.
COATES: Wow!
MICHAELSON: We've got all sorts of great stuff on this Friday night. And so, Laura --
COATES: A flying carpet (INAUDIBLE) this way? Make sure it's not.
(LAUGHTER)
MICHAELSON: Exactly. We'll bring all the stories together. Then if it was -- if we actually have a real video of Santa's sleigh, then it is time.
[00:00:01]
COATES: All right.
MICHAELSON: That would be an indication of that.
COATES: Well, now, I can't wait. Have a great show.
MICHAELSON: Thanks. Have a great -- have a great weekend, Laura.
