Return to Transcripts main page

Laura Coates Live

Indiana Republicans Defy Trump, Reject Redistricting Push; Abrego Garcia Freed from ICE Custody; DOJ Fails to Re-Indict A.G. Letitia James; Senate Fails to Pass Health Care Bills; Fired MI Coach Remains in Jail During Active Police Investigation. Aired 11p-12a ET

Aired December 11, 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]

DR. CORNEL WEST, AUTHOR: -- morality and spirituality.

ABBY PHILLIP, CNN ANCHOR AND SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm going to ask her that when I get home.

STEPHEN MOORE, FORMER TRUMP ECONOMIC ADVISER: Hey, Alexa, is there a Santa Claus? Everybody in Washington seems to think there is.

PHILLIP: Hopefully, all the kids are asleep right now, Stephen.

(LAUGHTER)

OK, go to bed, kids. Everyone, thank you so much. Thank you for watching "NewsNight." "Laura Coates Live" starts right now.

LAURA COATES, CNN HOST AND SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: Tonight, a rebuke from the Hoosier State. Indiana Republicans reject President Trump's redistricting plan and send a not-so-subtle message. Knock it off. Do it yourself. Plus, Trump's DOJ gets a double black eye. A grand jury rejects Letitia James's indictment again. And Kilmar Abrego Garcia walks free. So, what are prosecutors going to do next? And the college football scandal that led to the arrest of a head coach of one of the nation's biggest programs. All tonight on "Laura Coates Live."

Is President Trump feeling the ground kind of shaken beneath his feet? Because the MAGA coalition is showing some serious cracks. And tonight, A new one is forming. This one? A revolt of some kind in Indiana. A ruby red state, mind you, that has voted for Trump by margins of more than 15 percent in the last three elections.

Republicans in the state Senate just shut down a Trump-backed plan to redraw Indiana's congressional map. That would have given the GOP a good chance to flip two Democratic seats in the midterms. And the administration, well, they waged a huge pressure campaign to make that happen. Vice President J.D. Vance, he visited Indiana twice. And state lawmakers, well, they were even invited to the White House. What the President is saying tonight, he wasn't really involved. But he is threatening Indiana's Senate GOP leader with a primary.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I wasn't working on it very hard. It would have been nice. I think we would have picked up two seats if we did that. You had one gentleman, the head of the Senate, I guess, Bray, whatever his name is. I heard he was against it. He'll probably lose his next primary, whatever that is. I hope he does because he has done a tremendous disservice.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: It's a nice House that you got here. You tell everything happened to it (ph). When he thinks it was a tremendous disservice, it was an even bigger rebuke. Republicans hold 40 of the 50 seats in Indiana's Senate. Twenty-one of them, 21 of them voted against redrawing the map. Republicans who voted against it, they say it was the rhetoric, it was the threats, like the ones against Indiana's Senate leader that sank the plan.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I mean, I'm sure that whatever his primary is, it's, I think, in two years, but I'm sure he'll go down.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): He wouldn't change minds by being mean.

SEN. JEAN LEISING (R-IN): And the efforts were mean-spirited from the get-go. I -- very frankly, you know, I wish that President Trump would change his tone.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: So, what's happening in Indiana is actually not a one-off. Trump is facing mounting anger within his own party, not just on tactics, but also on core issues. Take affordability.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Prices are coming down very substantially. But they have a new word. You know, they always have a hoax. The new word is affordability.

DASHA BURNS, WHITE HOUSE BUREAU CHIEF, POLITICO: I wonder what grade you would give your economy.

TRUMP: A-plus.

BURNS: A plus?

TRUMP: Yes, A-plus, plus, plus.

REP. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE (R-GA): The president needs to be aware that he's a billionaire, president of the United States. And you can't gaslight people and tell them that their bills are affordable. And you can't tell them that the economy is an A-plus, plus, plus. You just can't do that.

(END VIDEO CLIP) COATES: And don't forget the Epstein files. Trump pushed back against releasing them for months until the MAGA dam broke.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Are you still talking about Jeffrey Epstein? This guy has been talked about for years. Are people still talking about this guy, this creep? That is unbelievable.

UNKNOWN: The president was pitting the GOP conference against our own base. Look, 80 percent of Republicans wanted these files released and the other 20 percent just didn't care.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: There's also health care. Multiple moderate Republicans are now pushing back against their own party, using the same tactic that forced a vote on the Epstein files. They want an extension to Obamacare subsidies, even as the president is saying, nope.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Obamacare is a disaster. And I said it five years ago, four years ago, three years ago. It was always a disaster. It's bad health care that's too expensive for people.

[23:04:57]

UNKNOWN: I've heard so many people in the Republican conference rail on the Affordable Care Act, rail on Obamacare, rail on the premium tax credits. And if you want to criticize something, that's OK as long as you have a better alternative. They have never offered a better alternative.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: And then there's that thing called the filibuster that requires a supermajority to pass most legislation in the Senate. Well, Trump wants that gone. But most of his party, they didn't budge in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I think we should terminate the filibuster. Republicans should terminate the filibuster.

UNKNOWN: I can tell you that the filibuster through the years has been something that has been a bulwark against a lot of really bad things happening to the country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: Two political experts join me now. T.W. Arrighi, former senior aide to Senator Lindsey Graham, and Joe Crowley, former New York Democratic congressman from New York. Glad to have both of you here. I mean, Indiana, maybe not on his bingo card, but it's quite a big loss for the president. Do you think so? T.W. ARRIGHI, VICE PRESIDENT OF PUSH DIGITAL GROUP, FORMER COMMUNICATIONS AIDE TO LINDSEY GRAHAM AND MIKE POMPEO: Yeah. I don't know if I was super shocked at the end result. I was shocked by the margin. Look, Indiana was always going to be a bit iffy. And I think a few things can be true at once. I think President Trump's impetus to push states to redistrict had some roots and some truths and things that need to be worked around.

But then you also have on the flip side, those legislators in Indiana, their concerns are real. They were getting a lot of public pushback from their constituents. The districts were drawn in a way that would be very hard to represent. A lot of them just voted for this map not too long ago. And now, they have to go back to their constituents and explain why they -- why the map they first voted on wasn't good enough.

Look, I think this has now become an arms race. And Indiana was iffy to begin with.

COATES: Why?

ARRIGHI: Because I think there wasn't a whole lot of debate internally in the state of Indiana that this map was far off base. Look, we always want in these districts to be as compact, to have shared interests. Obviously, they have to be the same population size. But there's, you know, sort of rules of the road.

And the Indiana State legislature thought this was the best way to go about it. To then flip it to say, hey, let's make this totally different, so there's zero Democrats, but also make some of the ruby red districts a little less ruby. Now, you have people sitting there saying, wait, my district is going to be harder to win? Sometimes, that doesn't work.

COATES: It sounds like two. I mean, the Senate president pro tempore, Rodric Bray, said in a statement following the vote (INAUDIBLE). Indiana Senate Republicans want to see a Republican majority in Congress in the midterms. The issue before us today was how to get there. And many of my caucus members don't think redrawing our congressional map mid-cycle is a guaranteed way for Indiana or our country to achieve that outcome.

It sounds almost in many respects that it was also the philosophy behind redistricting in this way that's problematic. Do you see that?

JOE CROWLEY, FORMER NEW YORK REPRESENTATIVE: Yes. I think it's the midterm, the notion of midterm redistricting. And if we aren't in an arms race, and I think we are, the president started the arms race. He started it in Texas. That's where this all began. They did this before, decades ago. And he encouraged them to do it again, and they did it. California did do it as well with the caveat that it only goes through if, and only if, Texas continues down that road.

And let me say this: I think we have to give these Republican members of the Senate incredible credit here. This harkens back to what happened at the end of President Trump's first term, when he called Republican leaders in another state, Georgia, and said, please, find me 11,000 somewhat more votes and make me president. And there were multiple levels of -- former lieutenant governor. You had a number of folks who are within the ranks of party --

COATES: (INAUDIBLE).

CROWLEY: Yes -- that pushed back against him. And I think you see that as well. And the last point, about the woman that said it was the tone. You know, this is the way the president -- he bullies everyone. And I'm glad to see there's some pushback here.

COATES: Well, it hasn't stopped. And I wonder if you think he'll make good on the promises. You've got Don (ph). I mean, Trump on some bound to campaign against anyone who voted against redistricting plan. You've got the Heritage Foundation saying if the White House is going to pull all federal funding from Indiana, that would be stunning to do so. And then you've got the threat that Trump may try to help primary Rodric Bray, who easily won reelection last year.

If the president and the Republicans follow through on these promises to sort of retaliate, what does that do to your party's unity on this issue of thinking they can win without redistricting?

ARRIGHI: I'll wait and see where this falls in the priority list when all is said and done.

COATES: You think it might not be a priority?

ARRIGHI: Who knows? It could fall down the list. We'll see what other states do. Yes --

COATES: But the president is not known to forget some of his grievances. You know --

ARRIGHI: Well, he's also known to change his mind in the priority shift.

COATES: That is true.

ARRIGHI: And that is absolutely how it happens. And look, we've fallen -- in recent history, we have fallen into this feeling that this redistricting and it happening more frequently is a very -- is a rarity if not in possibility. But we got to remember, there were six -- there were 14 years. Ohio redistrict seven times.

[23:09:58]

There was a period where Connecticut didn't redistrict for 70 in our nation's history. We've been dealing with this problem since 1812. It's from our founding. We still deal with it today. No one has a good answer to how to fix gerrymandering, how to fix this problem. I hope we get there one day.

CROWLEY: This is a brutal attempt to undermine the democracy of our country because he knows the headwinds (ph) are against him. You look at the results in Tennessee in that special election. He won it by 22 points. They win it by nine. You see what happened in Virginia in the gubernatorial race, what happened in New Jersey.

And I'll point this out: New Jersey is important when you compare it to New York. She wins by 12 points against a pretty good candidate. That was a tough race from Mikie Sherrill. And she pulls it away by 12 points. You compare it to New York where Mamdani wins first person, get a million votes since 1969. But it's still only 54 percent of the vote in a 4 to 1 Democratic city. And the opposition combined got a million votes. So, I think what happened in New Jersey was spectacular. I think that's what Republicans have to be more concerned about.

ARRIGHI: I don't know if I would extrapolate all that and put that all together. I just did.

ARRIGHI: I know you did.

(LAUGHTER)

CROWLEY: I did a good job.

ARRIGHI: You did. You did a heck of a job. Look, a lot of this started because Donald Trump has been saying forever that he has a problem with how the census is taken, right? We include illegal immigrants in the census. He has been trying to change that. He believes that skews --

COATES: First term.

ARRIGHI: Yes. He believes that skews the numbers and gives blue states that have magnets --

CROWLEY: Not everyone agrees with him, though.

ARRIGHI: Well --

CROWLEY: Just because he wants it, doesn't --

ARRIGHI: I'm going to get -- I'm going to get to that point.

CROWLEY: OK.

ARRIGHI: So, that attracts. They have, you know, free benefits for illegal immigrants. That creates a magnet, that skews the numbers, gives Democrats more votes. And it seems, because we just let in so may during the Biden administration, to be this subversive effort to get more Democratic votes in Congress. And that's what started all this. And I think there's some truth to a lot of that.

However, at the core of it, Congress needs to act. We can't just -- and I appreciate Trump trying to use the legal remedies that he thinks he has at his disposal. They keep getting kicked back by the courts. At the end of the day, Congress needs to act if they want to make that change.

COATES: Well, speaking of Congress, there was a Republican lawmaker who was comparing what was going on, say, in Indiana, and the strength that was obviously on display to push back and say, no, not here, compared to what happens on Capitol Hill. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEISING: Well, I mean, in Indiana, we're not going to be intimidated. We're strong people. Most of us are very strong in what we think is right. I mean, that's why I'm here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: There many Republicans on Capitol Hill who would argue that they also are strong. And yet Indiana seems to stand in stark contrast to many who seem to be keeping with the party line. When you were in Congress, what was it about being on Capitol Hill and obviously having the pressure that Trump asserts, that makes them distinct from these Indiana Republicans?

CROWLEY: I think you're present. You are actually here on the Hill. To be a member of Congress is a higher echelon. Makes you more of a target to some degree. They're removed. And the same thing for Georgia. I think they're much more removed. I think the different atmosphere -- I know there's a different atmosphere in Albany, New York than there is here in the nation's capital. So, I think each capital is unique and different. The further you are removed, the less you're known.

Trump doesn't remember -- doesn't know all those people's names. He has a more constant exposure to Republicans on the Hill, and they know it, and they want that exposure. They've courted it themselves.

COATES: Quickly, T.W., is this going to snowball, what has happened in Indiana? Will this be (INAUDIBLE) of other states saying, hmm, maybe not?

ARRIGHI: It depends on the state. I mean, look, there's no real appetite in New Hampshire, yet the maps that they are currently operating under haven't had a final vote by the legislature. They were court-drawn. So, we have to see where it goes. But that's federalism, baby. That's how it works.

(LAUGHTER)

COATES: That's the t-shirt for the year. Joe, T.W., thank you both. Still ahead tonight, DOJ tried again. And again, they couldn't get an indictment. So, what now for New York Attorney General Letitia James? Plus, the other legal bruising for the administration as Kilmar Abrego Garcia walks out of ICE detention. Could he be about to beat the government's case altogether? That's due process, baby, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[23:15:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COATES: Tonight, Kilmar Abrego Garcia is out of ICE custody, and New York Attorney General Letitia James remains unindicted. Two headlines that will infuriate the president because of just how significant those losses or setbacks really are.

Remember, Abrego Garcia was the Maryland migrant that was wrongfully deported to that notorious prison in El Salvador. The administration was forced to bring him back, then they detained him here in the United States. But today, a judge ordered him to be released after three months in custody because she says his detainment is illegal. The administration, violent to appeal.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAROLINE LEAVITT, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The White House, the administration, opposed this activism from a judge who is really acting as a judicial activist, which we've unfortunately seen in many cases across the country. Abrego Garcia is present in our country illegally. He is a proven human trafficker. He is a proven gang member. The administration has evidence of that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: And then there's the case where the evidence really just does not seem to be sticking, where embarrassment might be turning into humiliation, because for the second time, a grand jury has declined to indict the New York A.G., Letitia James, on the allegations of mortgage fraud.

[23:20:07]

I want to bring in former federal prosecutor Ryan Croswell, who resigned over pressure to end the criminal case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams. He's also a Democratic candidate for Congress in Pennsylvania. Good to see you again, Ryan. I mean, the idea of trying to indict someone once and then twice and failing both times, that's a gut punch for the DOJ.

RYAN CROSSWELL, FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: Yes. Laura, thanks for having me back. I have -- only -- in my 10-year career, only once have I seen a grand jury fail to return an indictment. I've never heard of the prosecutor bringing it a second time because it would be so humiliating after the first time, and I think it is just more evidence that this DOJ is abusing its power by pursuing Donald Trump's enemies and protecting his friends.

COATES: And to be clear, it's not unheard of for a prosecutor to not secure a guilty conviction after trial. But it's a different standard for the actual indictment. It's probable cause. And grand juries, more than once now, have found that there is not probable cause to believe that Letitia James committed a crime. That's stunning to think about going maybe even a third time, which they absolutely could. But if they did, that might fuel her argument. This is all a vindictive prosecution because this is not what normally is done.

CROSSWELL: Yes, that's correct, Laura. So, for a jury to indict someone, they just need to find probable cause, and you don't even need all the jurors to do that. In a trial court, you need jurors to unanimously find proof beyond reasonable doubt. So, it's much higher burden of proof. There would be no reason to pursue a second indictment when you can't even convince the grand jurors to indict. And it just goes to show you that this is just trying to intimidate, I think, and silence Letitia James. That it's not a legitimate prosecution.

COATES: What also hurts, of course, is even if they were to pass and get an actual indictment, it's very publicly well known that there were two failures beforehand. That would play poorly for prosecutors at trial with a jury pool if they know about this case. Looking and thinking, you tried twice, and we're back here again. How?

CROSSWELL: Right. I mean, again, I've never even heard of this happening where a grand jury returned a no true bill and then the prosecutors tried again. And I just wish this administration cared as much about the problems that Americans are facing here in Lehigh Valley, rising health care costs, rising grocery costs, unaffordable housing, as they do about indicting this woman.

And it just goes to show what I tell voters in this district often, is that corruption is a kitchen table issue because when the government is totally worried about the whims of the president and not the needs of the people, we all will continue to struggle.

COATES: You describe a credibility crisis that would be problematic for anyone who really wanted law and order.

CROSSWELL: Right, exactly. And, I mean, again, I think the last time I came on, I said I had real concerns with the Comey indictment and the James indictment because of the way they're being pursued. I applaud these grand jurors because they are stepping up and they're saying, you don't have the evidence for this. And I wish more people had the courage they do in Congress to stand up and say, this is wrong, as these grand jurors have done now twice.

COATES: Ryan Crosswell, thank you for joining. And now to the other legal defeat for the administration, the immediate release of Kilmar Abrego Garcia from ICE custody. I want to turn to the editor-in-chief and co-founder of All Rise News, Adam Klasfeld. He has been following this case since the very beginning.

Here we are, the stunning turn of events that has taken place since his initial deportation. The judge on the Abrego Garcia case listed a stunning laundry list of mistakes by the administration. Which one stood out to you?

ADAM KLASFELD, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF AND CO-FOUNDER, ALL RISE NEWS: Well, the fundamental one of not having a fundamental final order of removal. There was no final order that would allow them to actually deport him out of the country.

But having witnesses from the beginning, it's stunning how tangled this case is. First, they tried to remove him from the country against the terms of a court order to El Salvador, the one place on earth they're not allowed to deport him in March. And now, we know the backdrop of it was there was no final order of removal.

After five court orders demanding his release, he's returned to the United States not to be reunited with his family but for prosecution. He wins his release two times on bond.

[23:25:01]

And once he's released, he is brought to immigration detention. Now, another astounding victory for Kilmar Abrego Garcia where a federal judge has found that there was no valid order of removal and that the government's efforts to try to deport him to a growing laundry list of countries also involved misleading the court.

COATES: Yet the administration plans to -- quote -- "fight this tooth and nail in the courts." What can they do next realistically?

KLASFELD: Well, we know that Kilmar Abrego Garcia has a check-in at the Baltimore field office of ICE tomorrow morning. That was what happened before when he surrendered himself last time and was taken into immigration custody again. Will history repeat himself? Is this a routine check-in? We will see.

But right now, he also has a vindictive prosecution motion. I heard this has been a theme of this segment, a vindictive prosecution motion that is coming to a head in criminal court. So, the administration might want to watch its next steps because it might lose that motion in his criminal case.

COATES: Does it seem as though he is better positioned now after all these hearings than he was originally to remain in this country?

KLASFELD: Absolutely. I would say that certainly, today, he is better positioned than the day before. To put this into perspective, Kilmar Abrego Garcia's attorneys twice said in open court, and I was there, it was in Greenbelt, Maryland federal court where they agreed, that he would self-deport to Costa Rica, which agreed to respect his human rights and not forward and not deport him again to El Salvador.

The administration, for whatever reasons, refused to take him up on that offer, instead insisting on sending him to places to which he has no connection like Uganda, Eswatini, Ghana, Liberia. And the judge asked them why they wouldn't do it. They said Costa Rica was off the table. And the Costa Rican government contradicted them. And that is why the judge found they affirmatively misled the tribunal. That is astounding.

COATES: It really is to think about the way this case has devolved in so many ways. I wonder, given how uniquely positioned the media attention has been for Abrego Garcia, does this translate to other defendants who are in a similar situation?

KLASFELD: Well, it shows that due process works and that the full weight and force of the United States government on this one man to depict him without a trial of being a gang member, to accuse him of allegations against about which he is not charged, and he has won every step of the way, and has seen his freedom and is free now albeit on home confinement awaiting trial, that he -- that if you fight back, if you stand up for your due process rights, you can win, and the vindictive prosecution motion that he is bringing is the core of it. He is saying the government is punishing him for that. COATES: And yet that final order has not been issued. I wonder what will become of his citizenship status one day. We're not yet there. But today, he is far more successful than he has been. Adam Klasfeld, thank you so much.

KLASFELD: Thank you.

COATES: Up next, do Democrats need to lean into religion to help win back voters? Senator Raphael Warnock will join me tonight to make that case. Also, I'm going to ask him about the doomed votes on health care in the Senate tonight as the White House once again says, don't worry, Trump has a plan coming.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[23:30:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COATES: Do you hear that sound? It's the clock ticking on Capitol Hill to find a solution to the looming health care crisis. Premiums, they are set to skyrocket for 22 million Americans after the Senate rejected dueling bills to extend the Obamacare tax subsidies. Both the Republican and Democratic versions failed.

But four Republicans did cross the aisle and support the Democratic bill, which extends the Obamacare subsidies for another three years. So, is there hope for a compromise? Well, President Trump seems to think so. Tonight, he is signaling that he may be open to working with Democrats.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: What a nice group of Democrats. We do have a lot of Democrats, and we welcome you. Honestly, we do. I think we're going to start working together in health care. I really predict that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: Well, joining me now, a Democrat who Trump may want to work with, Georgia Senator and Pastor Raphael Warnock. Good evening, senator. I'm happy to have you here and get your insight because everyone is asking about the fact that today's Democratic bill failed. So, what happens now? Is there any hope of some deal in the Senate?

SEN. RAPHAEL WARNOCK (D-GA): Thank you so very much. Great to be here with you.

[23:34:51]

Quite frankly, you should ask my Republican colleagues because we gave them 13 opportunities to prevent this huge spike in health care premiums for some 22 million Americans, many of them in red districts and in red states. They will see their health care premiums double on average. For some people, it will triple. Others, it will quadruple. And that's on top of having knocked 15 million Americans off of their health care by cutting a trillion dollars out of Medicaid as they did in the one big ugly bill, all to give billionaires a tax cut.

I think Americans have to ask themselves who are the Washington Republicans working for. We'll keep pushing them, but we'll keep making this argument all the way to November. But, hopefully, they will come to their senses and stand up for their own constituents, not have the health care premiums double.

COATES: The thought of that increase is astounding to people. It's terrifying, thinking about everyone's budgets in particular, with the top Republican here in Washington, D.C., the president of United States -- he is saying tonight that he thinks that Republicans and Democrats will work together to pass some type of health care reform. Have you heard from the White House?

WARNOCK: What we've been hearing from Donald Trump over the last 10 years is that he's got a plan, he's coming up with a plan, next week he'll have a plan, he has concepts of a plan. Meanwhile, this, you know, enrollment period, we're now -- we're here -- we're here. This is not about next month or next year. People need help right now, Mr. President.

COATES: A new poll shows that 67 percent of Americans don't actually approve of the president's handling of the economy and all that it contains. Is there a method for Democrats to sort of capitalize on that in 2026, given those concerns and what you have articulated about the Republican failures to work on health care?

WARNOCK: Well, you know, Laura, I was a pastor long before I came to the Senate, and I'm genuinely concerned about the people whose faces I see in my congregation every Sunday. This is not a political game for me. This is not about who's up or down, who's in or out, Democrats, Republicans.

When you ask people across Georgia, they're not thinking about the politicians. They're asking who's going to address this affordability crisis that is real, that they are facing every single day, which Donald Trump is calling a hoax even though he ran on affordability. And what they are seeing is their utility bills have spiked considerably. Sadly, we're likely to see more of that because of the president's policies. Their health care premiums will be doubling, tripling. Some people will lose their health care altogether. And even as we go now into the holiday Christmas season, people are seeing that the cost of Christmas gifts are going way up.

COATES: Yes.

WARNOCK: And instead of providing a solution, the president is providing advice on how many dolls and pencils parents should buy for their children. Surely, we can do better than that.

COATES: You are a reverend. You've spoken about that frequently. And today, you're calling out to your own party, saying that Democrats have ceded to Republicans on the area of religion. Tell me why you think that is and how does the Democratic Party change that?

WARNOCK: Well, I have to say, I'm -- you know, I'm deeply honored to represent 11 million people in Georgia, the people of my state. I think it's an honor for the people of your state to say we're going to send you to D.C. We're going to trust that in rooms of power, you're going to stand up for us.

And this is work that I've done for years. I believe that responding to people's basic material needs, creating the conditions for human thriving is holy work. It is -- it is spiritual work. And we are experiencing in this country right now a kind of soul weariness. You know, it's like waking up in the morning, you've got a low-grade fever, you can't quite put your finger on what's wrong but, you know, there's just something that's broken, and that's what's going on in our country.

As they have witnessed, citizens have witnessed election cycle after election cycle, decade after decade, their basic needs not being met, politicians focused on themselves and the next election rather than the next generation. And it's created the conditions for anger and resentment. People turning on each other rather than towards one another. And that creates the vacuum for someone like Donald Trump to emerge, demagogues who traffic in division. That is the spiritual problem that we're facing in a moment like this.

And so, I view my work as holy work. I think we ought to lean into faith. We ought not see the conversation around faith and values to people who are responsible for the largest transfer of wealth we saw with the one big beautiful bill in American history.

[23:40:06]

COATES: Why do you think Democrats have been reluctant to lean into faith? Certainly, when it comes to elections, they are going to churches, they're going to houses of worship, making sure that their views are heard there and they're tapping the congregations and the membership of different religious organizations. Why do think there has been the reluctance to lean in?

WARNOCK: Well, I think in many ways, you know, faith in general and Christian faith in particular has gotten a bad rap in this country because the loudest Christian voices, often the most well-financed Christian voices in our country, are mean and mean-spirited. And this is not just my opinion. The data shows that often, it is Christians who are more likely to blame the poor for their condition.

And so, for me, I don't want to get into a theological discussion here, but there's something wrong with the theology where you're angry with poor people rather than being angry about poverty. And so, the response can't be to that, to cede that space to those who try to own the language about faith. No, we've got to correct that profound misunderstanding.

I am a Matthew 25 Christian. Jesus said, I was hungry and you fed me. I was -- I was a stranger and you welcomed me. I was sick, I was in prison, and you visited me. And someone asked, Lord, when were you hungry? When were you sick? He said, in as much as you've done it unto the least of these, you've done it also unto me. It is a faith, it is a spirituality that centers the concerns of ordinary people, the most marginalized members of the human family. I've done that my entire career as a pastor, and I'm deeply honored to bring those values, not the doctrine, not the creeds, those values, which I think are resonant in all the great faith traditions to my work in the Senate every single day.

COATES: I got a preview of your Sunday sermon. We'll see if it resonates with Capitol Hill as well. Senator Raphael Warnock, thank you for joining.

WARNOCK: Keep the faith.

COATES: Still ahead, it is the scandal rocking the college football world as Michigan's head coach finds himself fired and arrested within hours. We're learning about what happened and just how serious this could get, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[23:45:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COATES: One of the biggest and most storied programs in college football is now rocked by a scandal that saw its head coach fired and then later arrested within a matter of hours. Now, tonight, the circumstances surrounding that arrest aren't entirely clear. Here's what we do know.

Yesterday afternoon, the University of Michigan announced that head football coach Sherrone Moore had been fired. And the reason? Quote -- "Credible evidence was found that Coach Moore engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a staff member" -- unquote.

Now, the details of that relationship are yet to be revealed. And keep in mind, he was fired just days after the deadline for high school recruits to commit to Michigan.

Just when you thought this couldn't get any more shocking, Moore was arrested just hours after he was fired for reasons that also aren't clear. Police have pointed to an alleged assault involving an unnamed person, but wouldn't comment further on an active investigation. We could learn more as soon as tomorrow when Moore is set to be arraigned.

My next guest covers Michigan football for the Detroit Free Press and has been tracking this story from the very beginning. Tony Garcia joins me now. I mean, Tony, everyone is leaned in on what must have happened here. You were at the courthouse today. You were trying to get to the bottom of what led to the arrest. Did you learn anything?

TONY GARCIA, SPORTS REPORTER, DETROIT FREE PRESS: Not as much as we would have liked there. Good evening, Laura. And there are still no charges to this point, right? So, this was an assault investigation that Sherrone Moore was arrested for. Multiple local law enforcement agencies were called.

He was then taken to the Washtenaw County Jail, where he has been since last night. He will spend this evening overnight as well, and he will be arraigned sometime tomorrow. Now, again, there are no charges. So, what has happened is not yet known, but it will be shortly.

COATES: Well, that's the criminal investigation that you reported extensively on the internal investigation that led to Moore's firing as the head coach. How did the school first learned of these allegations and when did things start to escalate?

GARCIA: Yes, Laura. In October, an internal investigation was launched by the university. And I was told that it checked out. They did not find the evidence that they had imagined. However, more rumors circulating in the mill prompted yet another search. And they thought that they needed to step away, hire an outside firm, who then dug into things in the past week or so, and that's when the smoking gun of sorts was found and came out.

[23:49:56]

And Michigan president, interim president, Domenico Grasso, earlier today shared a statement saying as much that Michigan found out on Wednesday, and he was fired on Wednesday.

COATES: Now, I'm even more curious about the allegations that must be coming because news of this firing, it broke just days after the signing period closed. And there are many who've been speculating that Michigan might have purposely withheld the information to avoid losing any recruits. Any truth to that?

GARCIA: I've been told there's no truth to that. But a lot of people around the university are saying a lot of things to cover their tracks. What I will say is the investigation is still ongoing. The outside firm is continuing to investigate who knew what and when they found out because optically, the timing does not look good.

And here's another for the optics for you. Michigan announced Sherrone Moore's firing after local law enforcement responded to the call. Now, they announced that the firing was related to this inappropriate relationship with the staffer. But local law enforcement was called at 4:10 p.m. The firing was made public and sent to the media at 4:43.

COATES: What happened in those 30 or so minutes? Well, the transfer portal -- I should mention, a transfer portal is set to open in January. It will allow current players to officially explore leaving the team. Do you have any sense of how all of this, losing of a head coach, how that might impact Michigan's roster and recruiting going forward?

GARCIA: Yes, not positively. That's for sure. Already one freshman commit, Matt Ludwig out of Montana, who was a four-star commit, had signed with the class. He has already been granted his release from his national letter of intent. And it's hard to imagine that he's going to be the only one. There will be a new head coach coming in. Oftentimes, they want to bring in an entire new coaching regime with them. And with that comes a lot of flux and a lot of transfers.

And not only is there the transfer portal in January. When a new head coach is hired, there is a 15-day grace period that is offered for all players to transfer out. So --

COATES: Wow.

GARCIA: -- that will open. Michigan players will be able to enter the portal even before the national period opens next.

COATES: How are fans reacting to all this?

GARCIA: Shocked, horrified, dismayed, disgusted. This comes on the heels of a pair of NCAA investigations. The program is already on probation two times over. They've been fined $30 million. Multiple coaches on the previous staff under Jim Harbaugh, including Harbaugh himself, have been given show causes. There's an FBI investigation two years ago into the former offensive coordinator for computer crimes that stemmed from the facility. This is just the latest in a long line of really troubling headlines from this program.

COATES: And tomorrow, we might learn more. Tony Garcia, thank you so much.

GARCIA: Thanks, Laura.

COATES: A major day tomorrow in the Brian Walshe trial. Closing arguments are going to begin after the defense rested today without calling a single witness, including Brian Walshe, who chose not to testify. We've got live trial coverage tomorrow starting on the CNN app at 9 a.m. Eastern.

Up next, look up cool under pressure and you're going to see this guy. His parachute, his parachute caught on a plane's tail at 15,000 feet. The must-see video, I'm going to play for you next. But first, a programming note. Mark your calendars for December 14th for "Roy Wood Jr.'s Very, Very, Very Merry Holiday Special." It's right here on CNN at 8 p.m. Eastern, and you do not want to miss it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[23:55:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COATES: Well, it's almost midnight here on the East Coast, so it's time to bring in our friend Elex Michaelson out in Los Angeles. Hey, Alex. I mean, I don't know if you've ever been skydiving. But hold on --

ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: I'm not. Have you?

COATES: No. Only the indoor type. And that was too much for me. Thank you very much. But let me tell you, look at this video because it's an Australian skydiver's reserve parachute that accidentally deployed early. My nightmare. He was sucked out of the plane. Second nightmare. He got stuck to the tail while 15,000 feet above ground. And then he cut himself loose using a hook knife. I don't know how many nightmares in a row you could have, but they're all right there. Are you going to do it ever?

MICHAELSON: OK. Well, first up, this gives me confidence though because I would never do it myself.

(LAUGHTER)

I would do a tandem jump with somebody who knows what they're doing. And clearly, you would want to go with this guy, right? I mean this guy knows what he's doing. But what's up with the other people who jump off the plane --

(LAUGHTER)

-- after they see he's stuck and they're, like, we're out of here?

COATES: Oh, they might be worried the plane was going to go down. You think that's it? They were, like, we'll go. They weren't trying to save. They were, like, everyone put themselves. Not your real friends. Not your real friends. Who knows about that? But I got to tell you, nothing about it, nothing about putting myself in harm's way appeals to me. I rather just eat my feelings then try to have an adrenaline rush. I don't know. Not for me.

MICHAELSON: I don't know. I think it would be fun. I would be open to trying it. I think it would -- I would definitely try it. I've done the bungee jumping thing --

COATES: Well, I will not be your tandem person.

MICHAELSON: -- and other stuff, yes. No, I would not do it with you.

COATES: No.

(LAUGHTER)

[00:00:00]

MICHAELSON: But I would try it, yes.

COATES: You know what? I knew you were smart. I, too --

MICHAELSON: Yes.

COATES: -- would not sky jump with me. I'm telling you that right now. But tell me, what's the closest thing you've ever done? A Tom Cruise death-defying stunt?

MICHAELSON: OK. So, I had the honor of flying with the Thunderbirds, the Air Force Thunderbirds, their show pilots, and flying in an F-16 over Southern California. We did some flips, we went at 9 Gs, and we did all of that stuff.

COATES: Wow. MICHAELSON: And it was crazy. It was one of the craziest things I've ever done, but really fun. And they are amazing. And I felt good because I was, again, tandem wasn't solo.

COATES: Well, now, I can't wait to watch your solo show. Have a good one.

(LAUGHTER)

MICHAELSON: I know. I know I need you. Thank you, Laura. Have a great night.