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One World with Zain Asher
Ukraine Enduring Increasing Attacks As North Korea Assists Russia; U.S. President Biden Calls ICC Arrest Warrants "Outrageous"; Pam Bondi Is Trump's New Pick For Attorney General; NFL And NBA Warn Burglary Groups Are Targeting Athletes; Sean Combs' Lawyers Claim Prosecutors Edited Assault Video; Trump's Picks Feel The Heat As Gaetz Drops Out; Six Tourists Dead After Drinking Suspected Tainted Alcohol; Aired 12:00-1:00p ET
Aired November 22, 2024 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[12:00:25]
BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR: A worrying development. Nations around the world are bracing for the worst in Ukraine. ONE WORLD starts right now.
Russian escalation. The British Army says if Russia invades another European country, they're ready to fight tonight.
Also ahead, poisoned in paradise. Six tourists have fallen victim to suspected methanol poisoning while backpacking in Southeast Asia. We'll
bring you everything we know about the investigation.
And later, girl power. Whoopi Goldberg doing something that no one has tried before.
Hello, everyone. Live from Washington, I'm Bianna Golodryga. Zain is off today. You are watching ONE WORLD.
And we begin with a stark message coming from Russia. It says its Thursday missile launch came in response to what the Kremlin calls, quote, reckless
decisions and actions of Western countries.
Russian President Vladimir Putin says his military struck Ukraine's Dnipro Region with a new medium-range ballistic missile, part of a long week of
escalating during in crisis there in danger.
Now that was punctuated by today's closure of the country's parliament in Kyiv over the risk of a Russian missile attack.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says use of the new missile amounts to what he calls a severe escalation in this nearly three-year-old war.
And in London, a top U.K. military official offered this warning to Moscow.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LIEUTENANT GENERAL SIR ROB MAGOWAN, DEPUTY CHIEF OF BRITISH DEFENCE STAFF: If the British Army was asked to fight tonight, yes, it would fight
tonight. I don't think anybody in this room should be under any illusion that if the Russians invaded Eastern Europe tonight, then we would meet
them in that fight.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Let's get straight to CNN's Nick Paton Walsh, who is on the ground for us in Kyiv. And things have quickly escalated, Nick. Just this
week, we've seen President Biden not only green-light the use of long-range missiles, the ATACMS, but also anti-personnel mines.
In this, the United States says, was largely in response to the involvement now of North Koreans in this war. There had been reports that North Korean
troops were already seen in the Kursk Region.
You have new reporting about them also participating on the eastern front there. Tell us more.
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes. I mean, it's unclear exactly what the role of North Korean personnel are in
Mariupol, but a Ukrainian security source says that's where they have information that they have been spotted wearing Russian uniforms. Not
infantry, but it seems some form of technical personnel.
And there are also reports too from the Kharkiv Region suggesting that maybe North Korean personnel are there as well.
Predominantly though in Kursk, as you said, the 11,000 seemingly there, according to this same source, operating quite independently of the Russian
units there. But this is all part of the growing presence of that Asian ally to Moscow in the war here. And it comes after an extraordinary week.
You know, you mentioned that the Biden administration authorized the ATACMS used by Ukraine to hit targets inside of Russia. Well, they say that was
their response to the Russian escalation involving North Korean troops.
Well, then Russia saw that as an escalation and escalated back themselves by firing that missile over Dnipro which the census now is partially based
on what the Kremlin head, Vladimir Putin, said, but also Western assessments and Ukrainian assessments seems to have been a hypersonic
missile, non-nuclear.
Putin said it could travel at three kilometers a second. But from the video, you can see it was capable of delivering multiple payloads from one
missile, the kind of tactic you'd normally expect to be associated with a much longer range nuclear payload.
But still, the Kremlin trying to show it still has technological prowess it hasn't used at hand that it can turn to, but still Ukrainians on the
receiving end have repeated ballistic missile strikes increasing in number in which North Korea too has a hand enabled by it seems smuggled Western-
made circuitry. Here's what we know.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WALSH (voice-over): The scramble for the dead or the living, horrifically commonplace in Ukraine. Yet this series of homes in Kyiv turned to rubble
by something other, not Russian, but a North Korean supplied ballistic missile and made able to fly here to cause this barbarism, killing a man
and his 4-year-old son by circuitry from the United States.
[12:05:10]
Ukrainian officials told CNN ballistic missile attacks by Russia were rising fast, 194 so far this year and about a third of them, at least 60,
were using North Korean KN-23s. But these crude missiles, part of growing aid as North Korean troops also come to Russia, rely on a sophistication
smuggled into the hermit kingdom.
One on display by Ukrainian investigators at this Kyiv warehouse of missile fragments. It is a house of horrors, drones that haunt the night skies,
rockets that tear down lives. They pick through the dust to learn how the killing machines work, here rebuilding a Shahed Iranian drone circuits.
WALSH: Parts from a Kinzhal missile, a Shahed Iranian drone and a Russian Orlan. Reconnaissance drone, all things Ukraine has been subjected to for
many months but key, these North Korean KN-23 missiles rely on, they say, on components from the United States and the Netherlands.
This box containing dozens of small bits of circuitry made by household names in the USA or Europe, subject to sanctions globally but smuggled
often via China to North Korea.
When you open all this up and find American components, how do you feel?
(SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE) (TEXT ON SCREEN)
WALSH (voice-over): The journey the chips and circuits take to Russia may lead through North Korea, even China as a middleman, but ultimately they
are U.S. design and make.
(SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE) (TEXT ON SCREEN)
WALSH (voice-over): As the toll from these missiles deepens, Ukrainian officials say the Western firms need to be held accountable.
From Thursday's Russian launch of a new weapon to their growing use of purloined North Korean missiles, the global reach of this war grows.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WALSH: And I think as we've seen this war stretch on, the sort of, I think, failed aspiration of certain parts of Europe that this would remain a very
local Ukrainian problem is beginning to slip as we see other nations dragged in, new technologies paraded, and a sense that there is no
immediate end to this at all in sight. Erica?
GOLODRYGA: Nick, I'll take it. It's Bianna. And, yes, all of these questions loom as the U.S. --
WALSH: I'm sorry, Bianna.
GOLODRYGA: -- the largest donor. No, no, no, no. No problem at all, but the largest donor of military and financial aid to Ukraine faces an incoming
administration that has been quite skeptical about that aid.
And President Trump himself has said he could bring to this war to an end on day one. A lot hanging in the balance.
Nick Paton Walsh, thank you so much.
Well, reactions ranging from outrage to approval after the International Criminal Court on Thursday issued arrest warrants for Israel's prime
minister and its former defense minister.
Leaders in Europe, the Middle East, even Canada, are all agreeing to enforce with the ICC's ruling, which would mean arresting Benjamin
Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant if given the opportunity.
The Israeli prime minister calls the court's allegations absurd and anti- Semitic.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: The truth is simple. No war is more just than the war that Israel has been waging in Gaza after Hamas
attacked us, unprovoked, launching the worst massacre against the Jewish people since the Holocaust. Israel does not, Israel will not recognize the
validity of this decision.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: U.S. President Joe Biden calls the issuing of the warrants outrageous.
CNN's Arlette Saenz joins us now from Washington. Yes, President Biden saying that there's no equivalence between the actions of Hamas on October
7th and Israel's subsequent war. The United States also is saying, Arlette, that the ICC doesn't have jurisdiction over this case. So what more are we
hearing in response to these arrest warrants?
ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Bianna, the Biden administration worked very quickly to push back on this decision from the
ICC to issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the former defense minister Gallant.
And it comes at a time when officials here have been very quick to stress that the U.S. is not party to the ICC. So they are saying that the ICC
would not have a jurisdiction in this case, including as it relates to Israel.
[12:10:10]
Now, President Biden, in a statement last night, said, quote, the ICC issuance of arrest warrants against Israeli leaders is outrageous. Let me
be clear once again, whatever the ICC might imply, there is no equivalence, none between Israel and Hamas. We will always stand with Israel against
threats to its security.
Now, and then a spokesperson with the National Security Council said that they believed that the prosecutor had rushed to seek these warrants, that
there were also other process errors that contributed to this decision.
And one thing that the White House is saying is that they are going to be speaking with Israel and other partners about potential next steps. There's
big questions about what exactly those next steps could be.
Back in May when the ICC prosecutor had said that he was going to seek these types of arrest warrants against Netanyahu and others. The U.S., at
that time, had said that they did not support sanctions against the ICC.
But Republicans up on Capitol Hill are singing a different tune. You've heard from people like the incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune, who
ahead of this decision, had said that the ICC did pursue and actually issue these arrest warrants that he believed that sanctions should be considered.
That was something that was repeated by Senator Lindsey Graham.
And then there's the incoming national security advisor, Congressman Mike Waltz, who spoke out in a statement against this decision and also has said
that the Trump administration would be taking action come January.
So certainly this presents a challenge, not just for President Biden about the next steps forward, but also for the incoming administration with
former President Donald Trump.
Now, at the same time, the U.S. and President Biden have pushed Netanyahu to try to take greater care and concern towards civilians as they wage this
conflict against Hamas in Gaza.
But Netanyahu has not always heeded the advice from the Biden administration. The Biden administration has also pushed for them to surge
and take steps to move more humanitarian aid into Gaza.
Just last month, you'll remember that Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had set some steps, some standards they
wanted Israel to meet. Humanitarian aid groups said that they fell far short of those goals.
Ultimately, the U. S did not assess that they were violating policy or that was set by the Biden administration or taking any policy shifts towards
Israel in the aftermath of that.
So certainly, those issues about humanitarian aid, issues about the concern for civilians in this conflict is something that President Biden has
continued to grapple with and likely will through the end of his administration, but will still wait to see whether the U.S. will take any
steps specifically related to this decision from the ICC as the White House says they are considering next steps they could take.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. President Biden has said his top priority. One of his top priorities in his remaining weeks in office is to see to a ceasefire and
hostage deal there in Gaza. We should remind viewers seven of those 101 hostages are American citizens.
Arlette Saenz, thank you so much.
Well, it didn't take long for Donald Trump to find a new pick to be attorney general. Only hours after Matt Gaetz withdrew his name from
consideration, Trump announced Pam Bondi was his new pick to head up the Department of Justice. Bondi is a former Florida attorney general and is
well known to Trump and his closest advisors because she was part of his defense team during his first impeachment trial. She also has a long
history of criticizing the DOJ for investigations into Trump and his allies.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAM BONDI, TRUMP'S PICK FOR ATTORNEY GENERAL: When Republicans take back the White House, you know what's going to happen? The Department of
Justice, the prosecutors will be prosecuted, the bad ones. The investigators will be investigated because the deep state, last term for
President Trump, they were hiding in the shadows. But now they have a spotlight on them and they can all be investigated.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Republicans on Capitol Hill and those close to Donald Trump say Bondi should have a much easier time getting confirmed than Matt Gaetz
would have.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. MIKE ROUNDS (R-SD): I do not believe that she is problematic. I did express earlier that I thought his previous choice would be problematic.
And so I don't think she has near the challenges that he would have had. So, yes, I think this is the right thing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Let's go to Mar-a-Lago and CNN's Kristen Holmes. So, Pam Bondi seems to be a lot more confirmable than Matt Gaetz, but one constant
remains, and that is that Donald Trump appears to still want to have a direct pipeline to his Justice Department.
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's right, Bianna, and that was never going to change. Donald Trump, part of the
reason that he named Pam Bondi so quickly is because he fundamentally believes that attorney general is one of the most, if not the most
important job in his administration.
[12:15:04]
He has a number of lawyers that he has worked with for the last several years who have come up with solutions to ensure that the Department of
Justice, one, is gutted under Donald Trump's presidency and, two, moves under the executive.
Just one thing to keep in mind here, historically, the Department of Justice has operated independently since the Nixon era. However, Donald
Trump and his allies do not believe that should be the case.
So part of what he wants in an attorney general is someone who is going to go along with that plan. And by all means and accounts, Pam Bondi is also
that person.
Now, what is interesting about her is despite these beliefs, she is just far less controversial and polarizing than Matt Gaetz.
Donald Trump, yesterday, won kind of remarkable moment for the former president, president-elect, something we don't generally see, is that he
played politics. He realized that he did not have the votes in Matt Gaetz. He called Gaetz and told him that he just did not have the senators on
board.
Gaetz then withdrew his name. And within six hours, Pam Bondi was named as his nominee for attorney general.
And I will tell you, I've heard from a number of Republicans who say that this is a relief, that they believe she has far better chance of getting
confirmed.
Now, one thing I do want to note here is that we did just hear from Matt Gaetz in a first interview. Since all this happened, he praised Pam Bondi,
but he also said that he would not be going back to Congress.
Now, there's a lot of speculation as to what his role might be if he might get put into some sort of Department of Justice role that would not require
confirmation to keep him in the mix. He did say he would continue to do whatever he could to support former president, president-elect Donald Trump
as he continues to build out his administration.
We'll obviously have to look and see how all of this plays out. Bianna?
GOLODRYGA: Yes, we will. All moving very quickly, though, assembling his cabinet and top advisors.
Kristen Holmes at Mar-a-Lago, thank you so much.
Well, the judge overseeing Donald Trump's hush money case says he needs more time to figure out what to do now that Trump has been elected
president again.
Just a short time ago, Judge Juan Merchan said he is indefinitely postponing Trump's sentencing on 34 counts of business fraud. He has asked
both the prosecution and the defense to submit briefings in the next couple of weeks about how he should handle punishment for a man who is about to
enter the White House.
Well, burglary groups are targeting pro athletes in the United States. Coming up, find out why officials are blaming a well-organized and
sophisticated crime ring.
Plus, will the third time be the charm for Sean "Diddy" Combs? His attorneys are trying again to bail the music mogul out of jail. We'll
update you on the case against him after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:20:17]
GOLODRYGA: Well, two of America's biggest sports leagues are warning that organized burglary groups are targeting the homes of professional athletes.
This comes after the houses of several NFL and NBA players were recently broken into.
The league say burglars are using sophisticated technology and surveillance to determine which homes to target. Local law enforcement and the FBI are
working to identify the thieves.
CNN's Josh Campbell joins us now live from Los Angeles with more. These are big-name athletes, Josh, who are being robbed and burglarized. And as
you're reporting, these are sophisticated robberies and crime rings. Tell us more about it.
JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: No, that's right. And with the FBI now involved, this is now a global investigation. Because what we're
hearing from sources and authorities is that they believe that this is the work of transnational criminal groups, so-called burglary tourists, who
come in from overseas to stage these heightened burglaries.
And what officials have found, you know, first it was a warning from the NFL, now the NBA. There are so many attributes that are similar among these
various incidents. I'll show you some of the examples.
They're saying that a lot of these group members are exploiting team schedules, you know, knowing when players are away from home. They're
conducting extensive surveillance on these homes, oftentimes going so far as to pose as delivery drivers or groundskeepers to get a sense of the
coming and going of various residents.
And they're also, you know, scaling walls at times, targeting master bedrooms and closets, looking for cash, looking for jewelry. Now we've
reported on these groups in the past, this -- we've seen growing concern among law enforcement from coast to coast here in the United States.
I've talked to one prosecutor who said that these aren't keystone crooks, these are professional operations.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TODD SPITZER, ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: They're very sophisticated. They lie in wait for days at a time in people's backyards. They have Wi-Fi
jammers to stop the alarm company from being notified, because a lot of people have Wi-Fi systems. And then they have police jammers to jam the
signal of the police departments.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CAMPBELL: Now the sports leagues are providing guidance to players on how to avoid becoming a victim. They're saying that players should install
security systems at their homes. They should have a relationship with local law enforcement in their area.
And in guidance that isn't just for professional athletes, Bianna, but for all of us, they're saying to watch what you post on social media because a
lot of these sophisticated burglars are actually going on social media to see where people are posting from.
So going to the holidays, you know, before you post that picture of you in Cabo San Lucas or at Clifton Beach in South Africa, just understand, a lot
of these sophisticated groups are looking for that window of time when you are away from home so they can come in and try to steal as much as they
can. Bianna.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. Useful advice. I mean, team schedules are out of the control of these athletes, but what they post on their personal accounts,
especially indicating that they're out of town, is something they definitely can control. Very disturbing.
Josh Campbell in Los Angeles, thank you so much.
CAMPBELL: You bet. Thanks.
GOLODRYGA: Well, attorneys for Sean "Diddy" Combs are claiming prosecutors altered a video they introduced to the court in his sex trafficking case.
The disturbing video, first obtained by CNN, shows the music mogul attacking his then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura at a hotel in 2016.
His attorney says the version presented by prosecutors omits some footage and changes the order of events. Now, it comes as the defense is making
arguments at a bail hearing today, hoping to get Combs out of jail.
Let's get more from CNN entertainment correspondent Elizabeth Wagmeister who broke the story of the 2016 hotel attacks. Are they effectively telling
people not to believe what their eyes see in this video?
ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Yes. So, Bianna, we do not know what that video is that prosecutor submitted to the court.
According to Diddy's defense in this new filing, they claim that there was an edited version of that video that our team at CNN first broke. And they
are saying that since they sent an edited video that that is problematic.
Now, to your point, we have all seen that footage from that hotel hallway. And in my eyes, no matter which way you slice or dice that, what I see
there and what you have seen, Bianna, and what the world has seen is a man violently beating a woman who appears to be cowering in fear in trying to
escape.
So now Diddy's team is saying in this filing to the judge, they say that this is not evidence of a so-called freak-off, but I'm going to read you a
direct quote from their filing. They say this is quote, rather a sad glimpse into a decade long consensual relationship between Mr. Combs and
Cassie Ventura.
[12:25:06]
Now, again, we all saw that footage from that hotel hallway. We do not know what was happening before in that hotel room.
Again, what Combs' attorneys are now saying is that this wasn't her trying to escape a freak-off. They are calling this, again, a consensual
relationship.
To your point, we've all seen this with our own eyes. If that's a consensual relationship, what I see is a horrific instance of domestic
violence.
Now, as you said, this all comes as we are just less than a few hours away from the third hearing where Diddy's team is going to attempt to get him
out of jail. He, of course, is awaiting his criminal trial, which is set for the spring of next year. And he has been desperately trying to be
released from jail.
Now, he has been denied bail from two judges. This will be a third judge that is now hearing his team's arguments today.
Now, in addition to their issues that they have taken with this video, his team has also said that they do not have any evidence that he trafficked
anyone. So we will see what happens, Bianna, just a few hours from now.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. That was one of the most disturbing videos I've ever seen, how anyone could describe it as consensual is beyond me.
Elizabeth Wagmeister in Los Angeles, thank you so much.
Well, still to come for us, six tourists in Laos are now dead from suspected methanol poisoning. We are following the reaction.
And to look at what the betting markets say about Donald Trump's most controversial cabinet picks. What are the odds that they make it through
the confirmation process? We'll talk about it after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GOLODRYGA: Welcome back to ONE WORLD, I'm Bianna Golodryga.
Well, the conventional wisdom in Washington is that it just got a little bit harder for some of Donald Trump's controversial cabinet picks to get
confirmed. That's because Matt Gaetz has stepped aside. And for the past couple of weeks he has been the focus of the opposition to Trump's picks.
[12:30:05]
But with him gone, people like Pete Hegseth, Tulsi Gabbard, and RFK Jr. could face renewed criticism. CNN's Brian Todd has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATT GAETZ, FORMER UNITED STATES REPRESENTATIVE: Make sure that we get the country back on track.
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Matt Gaetz is gone, but Donald Trump's headaches with troubled cabinet picks persist.
DAVID MARCHICK, CO-AUTHOR, "THE PEACEFUL TRANSFER OF POWER": It's really not just one nominee. This is like the "Star Wars" bar scene of nominees.
There's a whole host of problems with the entire slate.
TODD (voice-over): There's Pete Hegseth, the president-elect's choice for defense secretary. CNN has obtained a police report with details from a
female accuser, where she alleges that in 2017, Hegseth blocked her from leaving a hotel room, took her cell phone from her, and sexually assaulted
her.
Hegseth denies the allegations, says the encounter was consensual; and he was not charged with a crime in connection with the incident.
Tulsi Gabbard, Trump's pick to be the Director of National Intelligence, wrote bills while she was a congresswoman supporting two of the most
notorious intelligence leakers in history; Julian Assange and Edward Snowden, according to new reporting from CNN.
Gabbard did not respond to CNN's request for an interview. She's already been blistered for her past support of Syria's brutal dictator, Bashar al-
Assad, and for supporting Russia's invasion of Ukraine, including criticism from fellow Republican and former presidential candidate Nikki Haley.
NIKKI HALEY, FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: DNI, Department of National Intelligence, this is not a place for a Russian, Iranian, Syrian, Chinese
sympathizer.
TODD (voice-over): Linda McMahon, Trump's selection to be education secretary, is accused in a recent lawsuit of knowingly enabling the sexual
exploitation of children by an employee of World Wrestling Entertainment, which she used to head. McMahon denies the allegations.
Then there's Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump's pick for Health and Human Services secretary. Health experts have sounded multiple alarms over
Kennedy's stance against vaccinations and his false conspiracy theories about the COVID virus.
This past summer, "Vanity Fair" Magazine published allegations that Kennedy had sexually assaulted a former nanny for his family. Kennedy sidestepped
the accusations.
ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR., FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I am not a church boy.
TODD (voice-over): What do all these picks say about Trump's transition process overall?
JEFF MASON, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, REUTERS: There certainly seems to be a common theme of not having had a whole lot of vetting. He has chosen
people who are loyal to him and who he has a good connection with, or a vibe with. And sometimes that is taking precedence over a strong and really
robust vetting process.
TODD: Which will present problems, analysts say, in the weeks ahead.
MARCHICK: The danger is that the government will not be staffed on day one or shortly after inauguration if he doesn't choose picks which are going to
be acceptable and pass muster with the United States Senate.
TODD: Analysts say one of the most problematic challenges for the Trump team going forward is that at least three of the nominees who are left,
Pete Hegseth, Linda McMahon, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., have dealt with cases involving allegations of sexual misconduct, not a subject that the
Trump team wants front and center in confirmation hearings.
Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GOLODRYGA: So what are the odds Trump's most contentious choices make it through confirmation? There is no one better to ask about that than CNN
senior data reporter Harry Enten.
Harry, we literally had to come up with an idea for a segment just as an excuse to get you back on because we've been jonesing for you on air the
past two weeks. Don't think since the election's over that we're done with you, my friend. So here we are.
What are the betting markets suggesting about the odds that these picks make it through the confirmation process?
HARRY ENTEN, CNN SENIOR DATA REPORTER: I would never think that I could possibly get away from you. I know we see each other in the halls, so why
can't we see each other across monitors, even if we're in different parts of the building? I would never dream to get away from you.
GOLODRYGA: Exactly.
ENTEN: Anyway, let's talk about the confirmation odds, right? We can look at the betting markets. You may recall during the election that the betting
markets actually kind of did better than the polls.
So let's talk about one of the more controversial picks, Pete Hegseth, of course, for defense secretary. And I want you to note here that the odds of
him getting confirmed have gone down considerably over the last week, of course, as the sexual assault allegation has made its way through the press
and folks have gotten an idea of what was going on.
So a week ago, an 82 percent chance that Hegseth would get confirmed. Look at where we are now. It's just a 54 percent chance. That is a drop of
nearly 30 points in the odds. And this is the type of drop that you definitely do not want to see if you want Hegseth to be confirmed.
Now, I still should note that this is a little bit north of 50 percent, but this is really a 50-50 proposition. I should point out, Matt Gaetz was well
below 50 percent just before he pulled his nomination. So Hegseth is doing better than Gaetz was, but not all that much better than 50 percent.
Now, let's take a look at some of the more other more controversial picks that you, of course, were talking about Tulsi Gabbard in the prior segment.
So let's take a look at the chance that Tulsi Gabbard gets confirmed as, of course, the National Intelligence director and how about RFK Jr. for the
Health and Human Services secretary.
[12:35:07]
And what we see here is better odds than we saw for Hegseth. But not overwhelmingly so, right? Bianna, these are not great odds. They're
certainly north of 50 percent. Gabbard at 70 percent.
But you know what? That means there's a three in 10 chance that she in fact does not get confirmed. A three in 10 chance that not. You talk about
someone like an Elise Stefanik. She is well up into the 90s. So Gabbard is well south of her.
How about RFK Jr., right? Obviously, there's a lot of controversy surrounding him, including, of course, his views on vaccines that a lot of
scientists and doctors really don't like. He is doing about the same as Tulsi Gabbard at a 73 percent chance.
I should note that his odds, over the last week, have also gone down. He was in the mid-80s. I looked at the numbers a week ago. So his numbers have
been sliding.
Again, still north of 50 percent by a considerable margin, but certainly not in any territory that I would necessarily call safe at this point.
In fact, if I was betting, look, individually, I think there's a pretty good chance that each of them get confirmed. But the idea that both of them
will? That is a much more dicey territory.
Now, of course, we're talking about confirmed, being confirmed. Donald Trump has floated the idea of maybe there'll be some recess appointments,
right? The idea that maybe some of these Republican senators would allow for a recess appointment, ergo not necessarily confirmed, but still get
into the cabinet or the cabinet level position.
So what's the chance that a recess appointment for one of Trump's picks? At this point, although Donald Trump is an unconventional figure, of course,
in American politics, it does not seem like that unconventional ways, those unconventional ways will necessarily apply here because the chance of a
recess appointment for one of Trump's picks stands at just 17 percent.
The chance of, no, that they'll have to go through the confirmation process, that is significantly higher here at 83 percent.
But the bottom line is this, my dear friend, I will always come up with a number so that we can share our time together on air and hopefully also
inform the audience as well because fun and information in my mind go hand in hand.
GOLODRYGA: Agreed. Listen, let's talk some football next time too, you know. I'm a big fan, as are so many of our viewers, and I know you are as
well.
ENTEN: A hundred percent. Go, Bills.
GOLODRYGA: There you go. There you go.
ENTEN: Go, Bills. Bills Mafia, number one.
GOLODRYGA: Go Texans. All right.
ENTEN: Boo. Now, terrible. I'm walking off set. Goodbye.
GOLODRYGA: Hey, I didn't say Cowboys. I said Texans. Bye, Harry.
ENTEN: Oh, much better. Bye.
GOLODRYGA: All right. Thanks to Harry Enten.
Well, time now for The Exchange where we want to take a closer look at Donald Trump's cabinet picks. Former South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford
joins me now. He's a Republican, two-time congressman. Governor, love to talk to you about football. We'll leave that for another time. But let's
talk about a bit something, well, maybe, perhaps not as controversial. Depends on who your favorite team is.
But these picks, Pam Bondi. Most consensus now suggesting that she will be confirmable, unlike what we saw with Matt Gaetz in some of the damning
allegations against him.
What can you tell us about her and your view as someone like Pam Bondi overseeing the Justice Department?
MARK SANFORD, FORMER GOVERNOR OF SOUTH CAROLINA: Well, I think you've summed it up well, which is I think that if I was a betting man, which I'm
not, but if I was, I'd say she's going to -- she will be cleared to the process and -- in the Attorney General. That would be my take.
I think what's important here is that, unlike Matt Gaetz, I mean, she does have relevant experience. I mean, she was attorney general for the largest
states in the country. I mean, she has been through the election process. She's -- I mean, again, she has relevant experience. And I think that that
matters.
I mean, I've been through transitions twice in building our administrations, you know, twice in the governorship role. It's a -- it's a
hard process. I mean, you're quickly looking for people to fill your cabinet posts.
And while Trump is certainly unconventional, none of this is surprising. He seems to want people that are loyal to him, and he checks that box as well.
So I think she'll get it.
But I think that does spell problems for Pete in that, you know, he doesn't have relevant experience. I mean, it's a very different experience there,
but we can come back to that.
GOLODRYGA: Well, let's stay there. Let's talk about Pete Hegseth. Talk about some of your concerns.
Obviously, we've got the sexual assault allegation hanging over him as well with the spotlight off of Matt Gaetz now, as we heard from Harry Enten.
And, listen, that's just the betting odds. But you are hearing more and more speculation about questions raised, about his credibility for the job,
about his experience for such a large role.
He's never overseen an organization, much less one the size of the Pentagon. What are your top concerns?
[12:40:00]
SANFORD: That being it. I mean, you got to realize, the Department of Defense is the largest employer of the United States of America. It's the
largest defense apparatus in the world.
You've got three more -- three million, more than, right at three million folks working there. If you sort of look at civilian, National Guard
reserve, and active duty, you talk about three million, almost three million folks.
I mean, this is a huge entity. And if you don't have somebody that knows which layers to look under, this administration really has about 18 months
to get things done. I think the administration will be poorly served if they have somebody who doesn't know where to look in finding the very, you
know, centers of gravity, if you will, in military terms of where you might make change.
I think you also run into the problem of group think. When you look at the loyalty test only, you know, the Bay of Pigs phenomenon with the Kennedy
administration was caused by a bunch of bright people, but they all thought the same thing.
I think the administration would be well served by experienced and the degree of diversity that I'm not seeing with the picks right now.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. None of this looks like a team of rivals that Donald Trump is assembling.
But the idea that someone like Tulsi Gabbard, given her past statements about not only Edward Snowden, but also sympathy towards Vladimir Putin,
actually, or seemingly blaming Ukraine for Russia's illegal invasion in 2022, and then her visits and her sympathetic comments about Bashar Assad.
All of that raises a lot of red flags, both among Republicans and Democrats, for the role as important as DNI. Do you think that she is
somebody that the Senate will ultimately be able to confirm as well?
SANFORD: Yes. I think she will be confirmed. I don't get the Russian or Syrian comments at all. I do get Snowden. I mean, there is a piece of the
body in the Congress that is very weary and leery of the FISA courts and our intel collection apparatus as it relates to American citizens.
And so I can see where she's coming from on the Snowden thing. I think that the distinction here with Gabbi (ph) is that she's well liked within the
House caucus. You know, many of the House members that she started with are now in the U.S. Senate.
She has a degree both on the Republican and Democratic side of like that I think is going to bode well for her prospects.
GOLODRYGA: Does that ring true as well for RFK Jr. in your view? Because we have seen even some Democrats say that they would be at least open to
hearing more from him.
SANFORD: Yes. I mean, I think you've got to cross currents there. I mean, you've certainly got bipartisan appeal going with the Kennedy name, but
you've got, you know, the pharmaceutical business, which although I saw one CEO make comment last week that says, well, he's not as bad as we thought
he might be, sort of thing. So maybe that gets tamped down if they look at his nomination as imminent.
But I think there's probably be some pushback within that lobbying faction as it filters its way through the Congress. I'd give that more of a jump
ball. I don't -- I don't know the democratic-based side of that equation.
But, you know, at the end of the day, Trump is the big dog in town. And I think he's going to get his way with most of the nominees, unless there's
real pushback based on concern, based on competence, rather than direction.
I mean, he's going to pick the direction right now. And I think his view will hold inordinates way within the Senate nomination and clarification
process.
GOLODRYGA: Yes, that appears to be the case. Mark Sanford, thanks so much for joining us. Appreciate the time.
SANFORD: Yes, ma'am.
GOLODRYGA: Still to come for us, tourism turns deadly. A rising death toll and an idyllic vacation spot in Southeast Asia. We'll tell you that story,
just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:45:21]
GOLODRYGA: Six tourists have now died in Laos after drinking alcohol that was believed to be tainted with deadly methanol. The victims include two
Australian teenagers, a British woman, an American, and two Danish citizens.
They'd all been staying at Vang Vieng, famous among backpackers traveling through Southeast Asia. CNN's Melissa Bell is following this story for us.
It's so frightening. And as the producer and I were just discussing, I mean, these victims were so young, too.
MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's it, Bianna. I think that's really what struck a chord the very latest. Just 19 years old,
two best friends from Melbourne, Australia. They'd been traveling backpacking through Asia. Laos was on their stop, was one of their stops.
And basically what we understand from the "Associated Press" is that these two young women were staying at a hostel, were given free shots of alcohol
at the hostel before then moving on to another bar to continue their evening.
They then spent 24 hours in their room before being found and taken to hospital in neighboring Thailand. One remained on life support for several
days but has just passed. She becomes, Bianna, the sixth victim of what is now believed to be this mass methanol poisoning.
Now, methanol is basically something that can be used when making cheap alcohol in place of ethanol. It's very toxic and will lead to organ failure
very quickly unless you're taken to a hospital with breathing difficulties initially.
So a pretty nasty substance. And there have been outbreaks like this before. Generally, where ethanol is hard to come by, methanol is used in
the hope of making this sort of illegal alcohol taint a moonshine, essentially.
This is what authorities now believe these travelers drank, although there has been no official cause of death announced.
We have heard warnings from several consulates now telling people who might be traveling through Laos or anywhere just to be very careful. Essentially,
you can't taste or smell methanol. You would drink it and start having breathing problems several hours later and, of course, it can quickly prove
fatal.
Six people now known to have died, Bianna, but there are, we understand, several others who may have come into contact with the tainted alcohol and
been impacted. So we wait to hear more.
But, meanwhile, the consulate is urging extreme caution to anyone traveling in that part of Asia and certainly anyone being handed a drink they don't
know the exact provenance of. Bianna.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. It's so frightening and tragic as well. Melissa Bell, thank you.
And we'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:50:28]
GOLODRYGA: Well, the luck of the Irish could be felt at the White House on Thursday. That's where President Joe Biden welcomed the Boston Celtics
basketball team to celebrate their 2024 NBA championship win back in June.
The president commended the team's work ethic and its league record, 18th title.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Together, you guys built one of the deepest teams of all time. Incredible players led by Jason and Jalen
and Derek and Drew, Big Al.
I know it wasn't easy. You came close more than once, but you put in the work. You clocked one of the greatest seasons ever, 64 wins, the best
record in the league last year.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Franchise star forward, Jason Tatum, presented the president with his very own Celtics jersey. Of course, it had Biden 46 on the back.
There you see it.
Well, Whoopi Goldberg's latest venture, the All Women's Sports Network, is capturing a lot of attention right now. It's the first global network
dedicated entirely to women's sports. It launched last week in the U.S. and is now available in 65 countries.
Goldberg sat down with CNN's Don Riddell to discuss her hopes and dreams for women's sports and this new network.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WHOOPI GOLDBERG, CO-FOUNDER, ALL WOMEN'S SPORTS NETWORK: Anybody who's interested in sports, well done, because for some reason, it all seems like
it's compartmentalized and sports shouldn't be that. It should be the best sports person out there.
So I believe that diehard sports fans will get it and say, okay, let's see who's doing what. And because it's international, we're going to have
access to watching things that we wouldn't normally see.
I mean, I have no problems with ESPN and all those other groups, you know, but they don't really cover. They don't cover some of the things that
people are playing out there.
And I want to -- you know, I want to be responsible for bringing back roller derby. I want to be responsible for, you know, opening our eyes to
what's going on. And, you know, I've gotten a lot older, I think, in the last little while, and I'm tired of waiting.
So I figured out that if you want something, you kind of have to go and try to do it. So it took 16 years, but what the hey.
DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: Well, congratulations and well done for getting it up and running.
You've only just started. I'm sure you have plans and hopefully ambitious plans. Are there any properties out there that you think you really would
like to or maybe even need to acquire? I mean, I look at next year, for example, there are cricket world cups, rugby world cups for the women,
there are the Euros, the football championships.
GOLDBERG: I want them all.
RIDDELL: You want them all?
GOLDBERG: We want it all. We want it all. And the great thing is because we're not just American based. We can go after things that aren't being
shown. That's what I'm hoping for. I'm hoping to be the place where you know you're going to see, not just women's sports, but anything having to
do with women in sports, whether it's who's making -- who created the sports bra and why.
You know, I want to -- I want to go into all the documentaries that are out there that we don't really -- that get lost amongst so many documentaries.
I want to point out all the things that I know are there that we don't know about.
[12:55:08]
RIDDELL: And you're going to be broadcast into parts of the world where women really do need a lift, where they really do need to be inspired and
see people who look like them succeeding.
I mean, do you see that a venture like this really, really could make a significant impact on people's lives and their vision for the future?
GOLDBERG: I hope so. That's my hope.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: I love this idea and this venture. Cheering will be on.
Well, that does it for this hour of ONE WORLD. Thanks so much for watching. I'm Bianna Golodryga. Don't go anywhere. I'll be right back with
"AMANPOUR."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
