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Laura Coates Live
Bessent Says Move To Red States To Avoid Inflation; Artificial Intelligence Can Make Work Optional; Former Republicans Now Democrats Running For Governor In Georgia and Florida. Aired 11p-12aET
Aired November 28, 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]
BAKARI SELLERS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: And so this weekend, black folks are flexing their buying power and saying we are not buying it.
ABBY PHILLIP, CNN ANCHOR: All right, Scott.
SCOTT JENNINGS, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I need a cloning machine. I would stand in line. And I have been running all over this country. I've been to the West Coast, I've been to Florida, I've been to New York. I've been all over, and I just, I don't have enough hours in the day right now. I am as busy as I could possibly be.
SELLER: Oh, my God, Scott.
JENNINGS: I need three or four.
(CROSSTALK)
SELLERS: That was -- you also should stand in line for some humility for that one.
JENNINGS: I need three or four. I'm busy. I need three or four sections.
PHILLIP: Scott, I'm here to tell you, you've got the same number of hours as Beyonce, so you've got to work harder.
JENNINGS: I need more time.
PHILLIP: All right. Thank you for watching "NewsNight". "Laura Coates Live" starts right now.
LAURA COATES, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, welcome to "Laura Coates Live" on this Friday night and thank you for spending your evening with us after what I hope was a shopping and food-filled day. We've got a fun show lined up for you tonight. So let me run you through it.
We've got a hip hop legend joining us. DMC is here to talk about a new holiday project that's near and dear to his heart. My good friend Harry Enten is diving through the numbers you never knew you needed. Talk about food and music and shopping and one of the biggest film debates you'll encounter this holiday season. Kara Swisher is also here tonight with her wide ranging conversation
about A.I. Kara has been covering this closer than anyone. I'll ask her about Elon Musk's claim that A.I. will make jobs obsolete. Wait till you hear what she has to say about that.
And yes, I'll ask her about that A.I. country song, as well. And as the Democratic Party tries to figure itself out, could these two men be part of the answer? Former Republicans running as Democrats for governors in Georgia and Florida. Well, they're going to join me. But first, it was another big week in politics. So let's dive in.
Joining me now, former special assistant to President Biden and current candidate for Congress from Massachusetts, Dan Koh. Also here, Republican strategist Lance Trover. Good to see both of you guys back. It's Black Friday. I trust you had a good Thanksgiving. But you know, shopping is upon us and people are already out there. And yet, if you take Scott Bessent's advice, which is interesting, you might be shopping for a moving truck. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SCOTT BESSENT, TREASURY SECRETARY: I can tell you that the Council on Economic Advisers has a study. You know the best way to bring your inflation rate down? Move from a blue state to a red state. Blue state inflation is half a percent higher, and that is because they don't deregulate. They keep prices up. Energy is higher.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: All right, so the President says everything's fine. The ant says patience. Now, you've got this idea of moving, not the most coherent message on what voters used to poll as saying that they trusted Republicans most on the economy.
LANCE TROVER, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Well, I don't think he's wrong at red states. A lot of them do not have income taxes. I think they're a reason people are moving south places like Tennessee and to Florida, it's because it is much more economical and you can raise a family there as opposed to places like my home state of Illinois or New York where they're taxing people out the wazoo.
COATES: Poor families in Illinois, though. Go ahead. They're there, too. Go ahead.
TROVER: Indeed. This is something, yes, look. I'm all in. Republicans need to be talking about the affordability issue. And I think we are over -- like a year away from the midterms elections, and I think there's a lot for Republicans to be talking about, whether it's the tax cuts that are coming with the one Big Beautiful Bill.
And look, I've always said the President's agenda is a long-term agenda. Writing the trade imbalances that we have with other countries is one way to start. We have a lot of investments coming in from other countries and from other corporations that he has harnessed and coming into this country. And they'll be opening up new, you know, new factories and the like. So, it's a long-term vision. I think, again, I've said this before,
voters need to be a little more patient because I think there's a lot of good things coming in 2026.
COATES: Well, there's someone who's been in business a long time, been in the long term, talking about James Carville, who sounds like he is done with the rope-a-dope strategy that he was speaking about for beating Trump.
There's a new op-ed. And he says in it that it's time for Democrats to be out with woke and in with the rage going to quote him here. It says, "It's time for Democrats to embrace a sweeping, aggressive, unvarnished, unapologetic, and altogether unmistakable platform of pure economic rage. This is our only way out of the abyss."
COATES: Dan, how do you define economic rage? Do you agree with this?
DAN KOH (D) CANDIDATE FOR U.S. CONGRESS FOR MASSACHUSETTS: Well, look, I think the economic rage is there's a reason why Republicans are flailing in the affordability issue because the Democrats have the story and have the high ground here. We want to talk about raising minimum wage. Republicans are always trying to vote it down.
We talked about capping prescription drugs. Republicans tried to vote that down. Healthcare and paid leave. You know, trip cancellation fees, all of these things that Democrats have pushed forward, Republicans have either undone or voted against.
This is the story that Democrats need to be telling.
[23:05:00]
The kitchen table issues that are hurting people. By the way, inflation is up all across the country, it's not just in red states. People are hurting and Democrats have the solutions. Republicans don't.
TROVER: This was a very -- I read this column from James Carville. This is a very Mamdani-esque platform that he's proposing for the Democratic Party. And while that may work in the vast liberal confines of New York City, as the old saying goes, is it going to play in Peoria?
I mean, he's talking about giving free college to everybody, raising taxes. Yes, raising the minimum wage to $20 that's going to kill small businesses across the country. So again, that may work in New York City but is that going to work out in middle America?
KOH: I think most people whether it be in middle America or in the cities would be very happy to see the minimum wage rise.
COATES: Speaking of Mamdani, a lot of people are still waiting to see just how long the -- the good vibes between Mamdani and the President the United States, how long they hold. People are oftentimes more cynical. I had Curtis Sliwa on, who obviously was a Republican competitor against Mamdani. He said it was all theater. You've got Charlamagne tha God, who also took issue with Mamdani, in particular. Listen to what said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHARLAMAGNE THA GOD, "THE BREAKFAST CLUB" HOST: I don't want to hear any politicians call each other fascists, authoritarians, wannabe dictators, communists, none of that kind of rhetoric anymore. It's all dead because if you call someone that and then turn around and say, but I'm willing to work with them, it looks hypocritical. And there is no such thing as working with a fascist. That's not how fascism works. Fascism isn't a normal political disagreement. So, politicians need to stop using that kind of language because you don't believe it. You know, leave that type of commentary for the social media crowd and just go do your job, you know, as a politician. Because I feel like that rhetoric is irresponsible.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: Do you agree with that?
KOH: No, I mean, look, he is, but I think we need to have a fact- based argument against Donald Trump in addition to the hyperbole. And we have a story to tell there. He says he's pro-worker. He removes a million people's collective bargaining rights federally. He says he's for healthcare and taking care of people. He removed multiple clinics for black lung disease for minors.
You could take this going on and on about Donald Trump saying one thing and doing something completely differently. That's where we need to supplement our arguments so that people understand the facts behind the hyperbole.
COATES: Well, okay, that's from the Democrat side who are talking about Trump. Trump was equally condemning, by the way, of Mamdani and obviously said it was an honor to meet him now, was looking forward to all these different things. Does he run the risk of undermining his own message by -- on the one-hand being so condemning? And the other hand turn around and saying, you know, I'm not so bad.
TROVER: Campaigns are rough and tumble. Take it from a political operative. You've been -- that people say things are in campaigns all the time. That's how it works. That's not going to change anything between now and then. I actually didn't have a problem with what happened in the White House the other day. If it had been the opposite, people have been raging about that.
I think the bigger question for me is, with Mamdani is, is he going to be able to accomplish what he set out to do? And because Kathy Hochul, the governor of New York, is actually going to have to deliver most of what he wants, she's up for reelection next year. That to me is the broader question of what's going to happen politically in -- with him.
COATES: No doubt, Stefanik will pick up where you left off on that very point --
TROVER: Indeed, indeed. COATES: -- she is running. I want to talk about the Epstein files because Democrats, you know, have gone all in on this issue and they have talked about this a great deal. Republicans have joined them in recently on what they're talking about, the vote. They got the vote this month. But I want to read to you what David Brooks actually wrote in the "Times".
He says, "The most important reason the Epstein story tops our national agenda is that the QAnon mentality has taken over America. The QAnon mentality is based on the assumption that the American elite is totally evil, and that American institutions are totally corrupt."
Now, he goes on to write, "What I don't understand is why some Democrats are hopping on this bandwagon. They may believe that the Epstein file release will somehow hurt Trump, but they are undermining public trust and sowing public cynicism in ways that make the entire progressive project impossible. They are contributing to a public atmosphere in which right-wing populism naturally thrives." Dan, what's your take?
KOH: Look, I have respect for David Brooks but I very much disagree with him on this one. Government at its core should be about helping and protecting the most vulnerable regardless of party. I think that's what this is about. There are minors who are sexually abused by a rich man. We still don't know the extent of who was involved, Republican or Democrat.
That's what the focus needs to be. I don't think that that is conspiracy. It is fact that Jeffrey Epstein committed these crimes and we need to know the full extent of what happened.
COATES: Lance?
TROVER: I think it's very clear why the Democrats suddenly found interest in this. They thought it was going to hurt Donald Trump. It turns out though that maybe Hakeem Jeffries is involved. Maybe some member of -- another member of Congress from Maryland is involved. So, I do think this is one of those issues that it's kind of like the Kennedy assassination. No one's ever really going to be happy with what comes out of it. Even when all these files come out both sides are going to be really unhappy.
[23:10:00]
COATES: Well, let's end this with a happy note because it's -- I know it's Friday. Thanks giving has passed but I feel like still asking what are you politically thankful for, gentlemen?
KOH: Mike Vrabel and Drake Maye. I'm a huge Patriots fan. So, a lot of division-- there's a lot of division in politics right now. Sometimes I just want to sit back, watch a game and unite with someone to my left to right regardless of party. The patriots are attending, too, baby. I'm feeling pretty good.
TROVER: I've been involved in the political game for -- it's going on 25 years now whether it's been in government or whether it's working on campaigns. And I just -- as we approach, you know, there are 250th year. I'm just reminded of how great a country it is that we live in that we can set here and have these debates here on TV. And so, I'm just thankful to be a part of it and making our country a better place.
COATES: I like that. Next time, bring me wings though. Dan, Lance, thank you both so much. We're coming back after a quick break for a special conversation with Kara Swisher. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[23:15:18]
COATES: Do the words, the "Genesis Mission" mean anything to you? Well, Arda (ph), you have not actually heard of that. It's flew under the radar so much this week. But it is the official name for a new White House A.I. program. It allowed the Department of Energy to work with tech companies and A.I. to further scientific research.
Now, the White House says, quote, "In this pivotal moment, the challenges we face require a historic national effort comparable in urgency and ambition to the Manhattan Project that was instrumental to our victory in World War two. It's a pretty dramatic comparison, seeing they're working on atomic bombs, for goodness sake.
But given how fast A.I. is developing, you know, I'm wondering if it might be a fair one. I mean, listen to Elon Musk, what he just said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ELON MUSK, BUSINESSMAN AND FORMER SENIOR ADVISER TO PRESIDENT TRUMP: My prediction is that work will be optional.
UNKNOWN: Optional.
MUSK: Optional.
(APPLAUSE)
MUSK: So --
UNKNOWN: We'll take that.
MUSK: Yes. I mean it'll be like playing sports or a video game or something like that. If you want to work, you know, in the same way like you can go to the store and just buy some vegetables or you could grow vegetables in your backyard. It's much harder to grow vegetables in your backyard but some people still do it because they like growing vegetables. That will be what work is like, optional.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: I don't know. Joining me now, CNN contributor Kara Swisher, host of the "On" and "Pivot" podcast who -- it was optional to come, but I'm glad you did.
KARA SWISHER, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Yes, I'm here.
COATES: But Elon Musk thinks that A.I. is going end poverty and make work optional. What's your reaction?
SWISHER: It's not a new idea. He just -- what he does is he parents other people. People have been talking about this issue for a long time, the idea that it will replace work and that work will be, you know, that there's this abundance idea, that everything will be in abundance. I interviewed Vinod Khosla years and years ago about this topic and Elon just sucks up everyone else's ideas and repeats them essentially.
And the idea is that lots of stuff that is sort of make work the way farming used to be harder because you pushed a plow and had an oxen and sometimes you just pushed it, then it got mechanized. That's sort of the version of it, that things will, the things that you're doing at work that are mechanizable, I guess, in the same way will be replaced.
Now, it doesn't mean that work will be optional or suddenly abundance will be created. It's that it will be easier from certain things, but other things, like it's not going to really affect plumbing. It's not going to affect electricians necessarily, but information workers for certain it will. But it just -- they don't really know how. They just, honestly, some of these people just say things and then just like to hear themselves talk as billionaires tend to do these days.
But you know, it's all these conceptual ideas of what will happen. There were a lot of these at the beginning of the internet that none of which came true. And some that they didn't know came true. So it was sort of this, it depends. It's an interesting notion, but you know, it's not going to be forever. That's not how it's going to roll out for everybody.
COATES: Well, right now when it comes to jobs, Senator Mark Warner last week said that it was pretty jarring when it came to jobs and also young people. Listen to this, Kara.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. MARK WARNER (D) VIRGINIA: What I'm particularly concerned about is not so much the elimination, but the fact that entry-level jobs may very quickly disappear. We're already at nine percent recent college graduate unemployment. I think that number will go to 25 percent very shortly.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: Twenty-five percent. I mean, that's --
SWISHER: Yes.
COATES: If that's true, is there any stopping it?
SWISHER: Yes, Mark Warner is a really smart thinker, actually. That's exactly right. What's going to happen is these entry-level jobs, what I was just talking about, like an associate -- you're a former lawyer, you know, you did all that early stuff, that you're not going to need those people to do that because A.I. will do that for the senior lawyers.
Or there's all kinds of jobs like this which are entry level where people learn and are mentored. And so, some of these jobs won't exist because they become automated in some fashion. Again, information type jobs like lawyers, doctors, things like that. And so, if you, you know, you say you're a surgeon and you consult the A.I. on the way you handle a surgery, you used to consult a lot of other doctors. In this case, you won't need that.
So, you could imagine a lot of things. I think that's actually more accurate is what happens to the way we've brought people up in the higher paying jobs, which are these information jobs. I would say there's a lot of jobs that are completely safe, but of the -- I think it's 160 million jobs in this country, probably 80 are at risk. And if even 10 percent of them, that's a lot of people out of work.
[23:20:01]
And the question is, what do they then do? And how do they then make money? So, then you get into UBS and government payments and all kinds of things of how people make money or spend money. You know --
(CROSSTALK)
COATES: Well, Elon Musk said that it will all be -- poverty eliminated and will be an option anyway. So, it will all be correlated in some way. I don't know how that's going to work.
SWISHER: How is that -- how? This is what it is to me --
(CROSSTALK)
COATES: I have no idea. I don't know how you would have lawyers, frankly. I don't know how you do that.
(CROSSTALK)
COATES: Is that your lawyer's analogy, or that's just something else?
SWISHER: No, that's my -- Elon Musk saying things. Like, we're going to have a self-driving car across the country. We're landing on Mars in 2016. Someday. Absolutely. I just don't know when that's going to be. And, you know, I think these are the kind of things that A.I. people spin in order to say how good they are, right? We're going to solve cancer, which is actually, there's a lot of really
COATES: I hope so.
SWISHER: -- interesting work being done there. It's going to use to help us solve cancer. It's going to be better for medicine or health, possibly, definitely. There's some definitely promising things happening. The question is how and who gets it? You know --
(CROSSTALK)
COATES: Well, that's regulation in so many ways, Kara. I mean, that's why I think politicians are, well, politicians are talking about regulation, talking about how they're going to ensure that --
SWISHER: Yes.
COATES: -- if it is, a supplement or additive that it's not going to be exploited in some way. And yet I wonder with all the different things that they're prioritizing, a lot of things are urgent right now. Should they be prioritizing more in terms of A.I., with jobs, or A.I. and science?
SWISHER: Well, it's hard because right now, you know, the Biden administration had a version of this. This is just more explicit. I mean, like, let's get into A.I. Sure. And we're already in it.
COATES: Yes.
SHWISHER: This country with the Magnificent Seven already leads that. That said, there's a lot of worries about over investment. You know, ChatGPT spending $500 billion when they make only 13 billion, you know, that kind of stuff. There's still, even though Nvidia had a blowout quarter this past quarter, there's still nervousness about it.
And so, what would be astonishing is if we said this is the Manhattan project and then the stock market blew up, you know, pretty quickly. And so it could be like the first dot com boom there. Everyone thought it was over then. And then it wasn't. It was just the beginning. But there's no question A.I. as a tool is going to be critically important. It's the next iteration of computing and it's critically important.
And the government should be part of that, that's for sure. Because right now a lot of it's controlled by big companies that have no safeguards. And you just saw Character A.I. just pulling out of having teens. You know, I have been interviewing all the parents
COATES: Yes
SWISHER: --whose teens committed suicide after using it. Just suddenly, they pulled out of giving it to teens. Well, I don't know, I feel like a politician should have been part of that. You know, before that happened, they shouldn't have been able to offer it to teens. But six kids are now dead at one company and more at others.
And so, you know, again, if any other product had this kind-- like Tylenol, I think killed six people. Remember that? They pulled every bottle off the shelves. They're not doing that here. But the government should be involved. No question. There's no question.
COATES: Well, they want to be involved. The question is how they would do so. And to whether what their involvement is will keep pace with the pace of evolution of A.I. But there is one industry, of course, that keeps talking about A.I., and that is the creative spaces, including, of course, music. And there was a country music song that is, what, number one on the charts. I know you're a country music fan.
SWISHER: I am.
COATES: I want to play a little bit of it. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
SWISHER: Okay.
COATES: Jason Aldean, he shrugged off the success of this saying quote, "An A.I. artist" --"An A.I. artist," excuse me, "-- might have the number one country song right now but A.I. can't play a live show." What's your take?
SWISHER: Well not yet.
COATES: Not yet.
SWISHER: A robot could. You know, all they do is figure out what's popular and squish it together. That sounds like every country song, you know, you have a trailer being lost, you have, you know, a horse and a love and some whiskey, and then there. I could write an A.I. song. You know, that -- it's sort of taking what's popular.
COATES: Yes.
SWISHER: You could do it with a Taylor Swift kind of genre, and that's not creativity. Think about, there are things they need to be worried about, which is a lot of backend stuff, like, like Gilded Age, there's tons of costumes. Well, what if you didn't need to try on costumes? What if you did A.I. versions of them on whatever star was and you don't have all those people or storyboards? That's really where it's going to hurt.
But ideas, the two top movies this summer were not, were very original, which is "Weapons" and "Sinners", right? Those are the two top summer movies. Those are very original visions of those creators. And so, they can make these drecky, top 100 country songs.
[23:25:02]
But they're not going to make "Fate of Ophelia". They're just not. They're going to try, but somehow she does it. And it's because of her creativity. This is Taylor Swift, or because of the creativity of, you know, this is a long time ago, but Garth Brooks or any of these artists, there is creativity involved.
And so, I still believe in that, but a lot of stuff will be
COATES: Yes.
SWISHER: -- costs will be, I mean, you know, everywhere, including cable and everything else. Like I do a YouTube channel that's pretty big and I, just, me in this office here and cost me, I don't know, $26. Obviously I dress really well, so, but it doesn't matter. But it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter.
COATES: You look -- you look marvelous, kid. You know what?
SWISHER: You look better.
COATES: I want to thank, if it wasn't A.I., I want to thank the world for the two Michael B. Jordans in centers. Kara Swisher, thank you so much.
SWISHER: Yes.
COATES: Thank you so much.
SWISHER: Yes.
COATES: Hey, still ahead, two former Republicans turned Democrats now running for governor in red states. They got a unique view on the party's future. They'll bring it to us next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[23:30:48]
COATES: You know, things have been going so fast in this news cycle that sometimes it's hard to fully even appreciate just how much has happened. I mean, just look at the month of November. What a year this month has been in politics. I mean, Democrats swept the elections at the beginning of the month, elevating affordability as a critical issue. A Democratic socialist won the mayor's race in New York City and got along with the president in the Oval Office.
MAGA firebrand Marjorie Taylor Greene decided to call it quits. And the longest government shutdown in U.S. history ended after a bitter and still unresolved fight over the future of Obamacare. All of this has given Democrats, let alone Republicans, a whole lot to consider. And so, tonight, I'm going to hear from two Democrats running for office who have a very interesting vantage point, I'll say. I say that because not too long ago, they were Republicans.
Joining me now, David Jolly, former Republican congressman who was running for governor in Florida, now is a Democrat, and Jeff Duncan. He is running for governor of Georgia. Gentlemen, welcome to both of you in these interesting times we find ourselves.
I want to begin with you, David, on this because I want to start with this debate, the debate over the direction of the Democratic Party and whether it's any closer to really finding its footing. What's been your assessment as you've been campaigning and hearing from people in you state?
DAVID JOLLY (D) FLORIDA GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: Oh, that this is a unified Democratic Party and we're all marching shoulder to shoulder and going forward. You know, Laura, I was live the night that the now -- mayor-elect of New York won the primaries and somebody asked me, hey, Jolly, isn't that a bad thing for you? You seem to be a moderate candidate running for governor as a Democrat in Florida and I said, no, it's not.
Because what we're seeing across the country, whether it is the Governor-elect of New Jersey, Governor-elect of Virginia, whether it's Jeff Duncan in Georgia, myself in Florida, Andy Beshear, yes, Mayor Mandani, we've got Democrats across the country who are fighting, yes, the affordability crisis, but fighting to improve people's lives, access to healthcare, to quality of education, investments in clean air and clean water, ladders of opportunity, creating economies for everybody.
Look, those answers look different in Georgia than they do in Florida, Virginia, New Jersey, and New York. But this is a unified Democratic Party that respects that. Gone are the days of the circular firing squad and the litmus test. Now, it's about, are we working to improve people's lives? I believe we are.
COATES: Well, I wonder because some people wondered why Mamdani, for example, was not embraced fully and early by a unified Democratic Party. That wasn't the case. Obviously, he is now the mayor-elect. We'll see how that goes. But Jeff, I want to bring you into this, too, because we've heard Democratic voters repeatedly say that they want a fighter in this Trump era.
And of course, the issues have also been raised about the types of policy stances, but a fighter is what many have said that they wanted. But that at the same time, they want a message that's more than just say, opposing President Trump. How are you navigating that?
GEOFF DUNCAN (D) GEORGIA GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: Yes, I think bringing the issues back to Georgians. I think, unfortunately, Georgians, specifically Democrats, have been used as political pawns over the last few election cycles and been having to campaign on national issues. I'm focusing on meeting Georgians right where they're at, Democrats, independents, and disgusted Republicans enough to win this election.
And there's three things a majority of Georgians wake up worried about -- the affordability crisis, the healthcare crisis, and the Donald Trump crisis. Those are the three things most Georgians worry about. And it's not that we disrespect those other issues. It's not that we ignore those other issues. We just need to stay disciplined and focused. It's been nearly 30 years since the Democrats won this election for governor in Georgia, and it's because they just can't get enough votes.
You have to win more than the base. Raphael Warnock's proved that. John Ossoff's proved that. And even Brian Kemp on the right has proved that. You've got to win more than the base, and that's what we're focused on.
COATES: Well, David, when you first ran for Congress -- turning this issue of health care in particular, when you first ran for Congress in 2013, you were critical of the Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as Obamacare. But then once you left four years later, you say you began to appreciate it.
[23:35:00]
How does that inform your position on this current fight over extending the subsidies?
JOLLY: Yes, so listen, I started when I was in Congress, I became somebody eventually that got to realize Medicaid expansion was probably the right direction to go. Here's the important thing, Laura. I talk about my change. You know, conventional wisdom and politics, critics say, oh, change is a bad thing. No, it's not. Change is a good thing.
I don't think the problem in politics are people like me or Jeff who change. I think it's people who won't change, or people like our old Republican friends who have denied that they've changed. And so look, I always think I still have this Republican leaning. We should look first to the private sector for solutions.
But what we are seeing is markets collapsing, whether it's health care, whether it's homeowners insurance. And so government has a unique opportunity to step in and improve people's lives. Florida is one of 10 states that hasn't expanded Medicaid. It improves qualitative and health outcomes for families and individuals, and it's an economic return to the state. So yes, we should pursue it.
Look, I'm in a very post-ideological space in my career, and I love it. We need big answers to big problems, and we've got big problems. And so, I think what Jeff was talking about, Democrats across the country are fighting. I always talk about three things myself, as well. The economy should work for everybody. We don't need to condemn success, but we need to make it work for everybody.
Government can uniquely improve people's lives -- access to healthcare, education, clean air, clean water, safe communities. And finally, we should be a place where everyone's welcomed and empowered, regardless of the color of your skin, where you were born, who you love or who you worship. Those are values steeped in Democratic tradition, but so much bigger than our party, which is why independents and Republicans right now are coming to Democrats with their votes.
COATES: Geoff, how do you see it?
DUNCAN: Well, look, I do think this is the biggest opportunity for Democrats to grow the size of the tent and to court those individuals like me that just wake up encouraged to want to love my neighbor. You know, I left the Republican Party because I couldn't love my neighbor anymore if they didn't look like me, act like me, love like me, talk like me, or vote like me. It's a terrible way to love your neighbor.
I wake up as a proud Democrat now with a better toolkit to serve the needs of those around me. There's no perfect solution to any of these public policies, but there's better solutions than just saying, well, we're not going to give health insurance to individuals and we just hope they don't get sick and hope they don't show up to the hospital. Nobody has to justify, certainly me, to weaponizing the Department of Justice or unbelievable tariff strategies that Donald Trump continues to double down on.
I think folks are ready to win in the Democratic Party, and they understand that there's this opportunity to agree to disagree on a handful of issues, but to work together and to grow the size of this tent, not just for this election cycle, not just for Georgia, but for the rest of the country for an extended period of time. There is a better way to govern than what Donald Trump and MAGA are leading with.
COATES: Well, talk to me, I want to simply flagging Jeff on this because obviously the big news within the last couple of days has been a fellow Georgian, Marjorie Taylor Greene, announcing that she's resigning after having a falling out with the President. How will you appeal to Republican voters, MAGA voters who support her, who were angered by her need to resign?
DUNCAN: Well, I think it speaks to the Donald Trump crisis that's going on. If Marjorie Taylor Greene can't see eye-opening with Donald Trump, she's drank more MAGA juice than anybody in the country. It speaks to the crisis. And look, I mean, I'm certain she's hearing from her district. I mean, she's got farmers that voted for Donald Trump in her congressional district that now can't sell their commodities or their crops.
She's got folks in rural parts of her district that are losing healthcare or can't show up to a rural hospital for long periods of time because they're afraid it's going to get shut down. I mean, the situation is dire. And so look, the appeal here is if you want a problem solver, vote for Jeff Duncan, vote for a common sense decision-maker. If you want somebody who's going to pick a fight, I'm not your guy.
I'm going to stand up for what's right. I'm going stand up to Donald Trump when he's wrong, but I'm also going to go solve problems. I think that's what America wants. That's what they're thirsty for.
COATES: Geoff Duncan, David Jolly, appreciate hearing from both of you. Thank you so much.
JOLLY: Thank you.
DUNCAN: Thanks, Laura.
COATES: Up next, blending hip hop and the holiday season. The one, the only Darryl "DMC" McDaniels joining me to talk about a very fun project. Stick around.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[23:43:53]
(MUSIC PLAYING]
COATES. Oh, man, I can't resist that song from the iconic hip hop group Run DMC. And it's still inspiring because one of the emcees of that group, Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, hip hop culture pioneer, Darryl, DMC McDaniels, he's out with a new children's book about the same subject, "Darryl's Christmas in Hollis". It's his second children's book and it's slated to hit shelves soon, just in time. So, here to talk all about it is the man himself, Darryl McDaniels, welcome. So glad you're here.
DARRYL "DMC"MCDANIELS, AUTHOR, "DARRYL'S CHRISTMAS IN THE HOLLIES": Thank you for having me. This is the place to be.
COATES: That's what I say. I'm going to get that as a T-shirt. Thank you very much. Listen, this book, and I have it right here.
MCDANIELS: Yes.
COATES: I love it. My kids love it.
MCDAMIELS: Thank you.
COATES: I'm so excited to see this and get right it, and it's just in time. You know, I know that you are a foster child advocate.
[23:45:00]
I am the daughter of a man who is out of the foster care system.
MCDANIELS: Wow. Right on.
COATES: Is that what inspired you to write for kids?
MCDANIELS: Well, oh it's kind of the responsibility that comes with this thing called hip hop that isn't a music business thing for me. It's my culture. And what inspired me to do the book was teachers, our educators, and our parents need assistance --
COATES: Yes.
MCDANIELS: -- in this crazy world especially like how do you fight against social media? Well, for me, growing up, it was always the books that connected children to themselves and to their world. Everything from the "How the Grinch Stole Christmas", to "Charlotte's Web" to "Rigsby", to "Charlie Brown".
So, people was telling me, D, you've done so many great things with your music. You can use a book to do the same things. And I was like, what's that? Inspire, motivate, educate while you entertain.
COATES: What I loved about this is, and I'm assuming just like you, "Darryl's Christmas in Hollis", that you've got a kid who is many ways inspired by your own experiences growing up in New York City.
MCDANIELS: Yes.
COATES: But you literally have this kid essentially having an eye doctor visit and seeing figuratively and literally the world through different eyes.
MCDANIELS: I love that vehicle that you've used. MCDANIELS: Yes. Yes, we want the kids to see the world. So Shoni and
Johnny Warfield, the two educators that I work with said, D, your glasses was such a sensual theme in my music career. Now, when I was younger, kids teased and bullied me because they thought I was less of a person because I needed help to see, right? Because I saw nothing wrong with that.
So if you remember, when I got on a microphone in front of them, I said D is for doing it all at a time, M is for the rhymes, that or mine, C is for cool, cool as can be. And my partner, Runwood, asked me, why do you wear those glasses? And I would shout, so I can see. I didn't wear them to be cool. I didn't wear them to be fashionable. But me having confidence in who I was did such a powerful thing that boys and girls who didn't even need glasses now want to wear them.
So, what I'm trying to do with the educators is knock down the walls like Steven Tyler did in the walk this way video that was separating us because we put black people and white people together, rock and roll and punk and metal and hip hop together. And when we all got in that room, when we all got in that room, Jewish, Asian, Black, we all Latino, when we all got in that room, we knew that we could accomplish so much more together.
So these educators and the parents, they have the playing field for us. So now I'm just trying to put another play in that playbook. And it's very simple. Even when I rap, I'm DMC in the place to be. I'll go to St. John's University. I said, since kindergarten, I acquired the knowledge. So, the little kid that hit a record and said, oh, his success didn't start when he made a video and made a record. It started the first day that he went to school and was able to educate himself.
COATES: I love it. Every time you talk, I have a playlist going through my head, and it's going to stick with me. And now I've got something else to add to my personal library. The book again is --
MCDANIELS: And you can play the song.
COATES: Yes, you can play the song.
MCDANIELS: You can play the song.
COATES: You can. I love it. The book again is called "Darryl's Christmas in Hollis". Darryl McDaniels, this was a treat. Thank you.
MCDANIELS: Thank you for having me. Keep up the great works.
COATES: Thank you. So exactly how long should you make those Thanksgiving leftovers last? Is four days too long? Even for that pecan pie? Really? Well, Harry Enten has the data on that and a whole lot more, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[23:54:12] COATES: All right, if you've made it to this point, you have survived Thanksgiving dinner with your crazy relatives. Maybe you were that crazy relative. Now, while you're sitting at the kitchen counter in those gray sweatpants chewing on some leftovers, we're going to digest some data, okay? Harry Enten is here for us. Harry, you like that? Happy Thanksgiving.
HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA ANALYST: Happy Thanksgiving, my dear friend.
COATES: All right, I want to start with the food, which is where I always start, because actually, I love Thanksgiving leftovers. I'll eat it for days on end. Am I alone? Tell me I'm not.
ENTEN: I mean, maybe you're alone in this conversation because I don't even like turkey to begin with.
COATES: What?
ENTEN: But you know, turkey is overrated. We should be frying a chicken on Thanksgiving. Every single year we do turkey.
[23:55:00]
I am sick of turkey. Next year, I promise I'm going to do something different. But, but when it comes to the leftovers, you're not alone at all. I mean, look at this. Leftover turkey after Thanksgiving. Days you'll eat it afterwards. Look at this. Three or less, 59 percent.
And then you get 29 percent who say they'll eat turkey leftovers, 29 percent more -- four days or more after Thanksgiving. Just 10 percent of Americans won't eat leftovers at all. I'm with that 10 percent. I'm not a leftover type of guy, but if you're eating leftovers, there are a lot of Americans with you.
COATES: I eat the turkey pot pie afterwards, turkey tetrazzini, I think I call one of them. And then I'm eating it cold and then I stop. I'm with you on that part. But you know what I do when it comes leftovers, I start with the pie. I go in reverse order. So, where is the country when it comes to apple versus pumpkin?
ENTEN: Okay.
COATES: Or sweet potato, more likely.
ENTEN: Oh, okay, okay. Well, why don't we take a look right here? I mean, your favorite pie on Thanksgiving, it's pumpkin pie, pumpkin pie number one. I mean, you know, that's the pie of the fall holiday season, right? You go to Halloween, you go to Thanksgiving, you're doing pumpkin. I actually like pumpkin pie. I like it more than apple pie that comes in at 19 percent.
And then of course the big question is this pecan or pecan? I'm not really quite sure. I'll leave that argument to other.
COATES: Pecan. ENTEN: Pecan.
COATES: Pecan.
ENTEN: Pecan. Maybe I might be more of a pecan guy. I'm not even sure. I'm not sure, Laura Coates. I'm not sure. We need a poll on that. That's what we need a poll on. That comes in at 17 percent. But you know what I would prefer? I would prefer a Tom the Turkey from Carvel. I'm always a Carvel guy. Fudgie the Whale in the summer and then Tom the Turkey during Thanksgiving time.
COATES: You and I are with an ice cream cake any day of the year. But how about this day, which is Black Friday? I want to talk about shopping because Black Friday today, Cyber Monday around the corner. Are people feeling it this year? Are they shopping?
ENTEN: Oh, they are shopping. They are shopping, Laura Coates. They're shopping. What are we talking about? We're talking about record shoppers expected this weekend between Black Friday today and Cyber Monday. We're talking 187 million, three million more than in 2024. My goodness gracious. I will say I have not done my shopping yet, but I think Cyber Monday is the day that I'm aiming for. I'm not really one to be out and about with crowds except yesterday during the parade, yes.
COATES: Really? You? You, not out and about in the crowds?
ENTEN: No. I know.
COATES: The last for the crowds. You're always welcome anywhere -- anywhere fun is.
ENTEN: Thank you. Thank you.
COATES: But you know what? You got Thanksgiving and of course now it's a hop skip and a jump. It's Christmas season but not until we hear this.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
COATES: Oh, I had the weirdest dance just now. I don't know what that was, but it was a weird awkward like I was an old lady dance. And I love this song and it's been 30 years and it never gets old. It would turn into a concert.
ENTEN: No, it never gets old. It never gets old. This song is, it just spans lifetimes. It was when I was a child. It was when I was a teenager. It is now as I am an elderly old Jewish man. And you know what? I still love the Christmas songs as an elderly old Jewish man. I mean, we wrote half the Christmas songs anyway.
But I mean, take a look here. The stats on this are just so amazing. You know, it didn't become a number one hit. "All I Want For Christmas Is You", Mariah Carey said, until, you know, the past couple of years. And then you take a look at this weeks at the -- top the billboard top 100, two in 2019, two in 2020, two in 2021, five in 2022, three in 2023, and then three in 2024. How many weeks will it top the billboard hot 100 again?
There was already one week at the beginning of this year and let's see if we can add onto it as the weeks go on and on and on as we head into the Christmas season. But you said it, it is timeless. It is timeless Laura Coates. Maybe I said it, whoever said it, whoever said it was right. This song is timeless and I have no doubt it will reach number one again in 2025 just like it did at the beginning of the year.
COATES: I think Mariah Carey said it and she's right.
ENTEN: There you go.
COATES: But now I want to turn because I need help. Let's do it early. Everyone is going to have this debate now that Mariah Carey has sung the song. Is dot, well, you know what? Let's play the clip.
ENTEN: Go ahead.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNKNOWN (singing): But nobody has no place to go. Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.
UNKNOWN: Welcome to the party, pal.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: I tell you, only we can laugh to gunfire in the holiday season because of this movie, but is 'Die Hard" a Christmas movie? Is it?
ENTEN: Well, I think it is. The American people, I think, are coming around to this. Although we get the plurality saying 50 percent no, but you know what? Americans are sometimes wrong. The 39 percent is right. And I say any movie that can combine Reginald Vel Johnson and Bruce Willis to me is an A plus movie.
[00:00:00]
Carl Winslow should be in every single movie, Laura Coates.
COATES: Well, obviously Laura would think that about Carl Winslow. Thank you very much, Harry.
ENTEN: Thank you.
COATES: All right, thank you all so much for watching. I'll see you back here on Monday. It's going to be cold outside on Monday. Have a great weekend.
