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Homeland Security Secretary On Unexplained Drone Fears; San Francisco Police Tipped Off FBI About Mangione; Tech Billionaires Cozy Up To Trump Ahead Of Inauguration; CNN Teams In Damascus, Syria Hear Large Blast; Evan Gershkovich Publishes First Story Since Release From Russia. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired December 13, 2024 - 18:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[18:00:00]

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: Happening now, breaking news, the search intensifies for the source of unexplained drones rattling nerves here in the northeast. I'll ask the Homeland Security secretary, Alejandro Mayorkas, what federal officials are doing to find answers.

Also breaking, the FBI now says it received a tip from police in San Francisco about suspected CEO killer Luigi Mangione. This as the Manhattan district attorney now says, Mangione might be looking to drop his fight to the police against extradition to New York.

Plus, tech billionaires are racing to cozy up to President-elect Donald Trump just ahead of his second term. Why major U.S. companies like Amazon and Meta are now donating big bucks to the Trump inauguration.

Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Will Blitzer. You're in The Situation Room.

Our top story tonight, the hunt for answers as residents and elected officials across the northeast report mysterious drone sightings. The Homeland Security secretary, Alejandro Mayorkas, is standing by. He's here with me. He'll join us in just a moment. But first, this report from CNN's Omar Jimenez.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

REP. JOSH GOTTHEIMER (D-NJ): There has to be some explanation to the public for all this increased activity, and they must do so now.

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): And yet, there hasn't been, even as the federal government says there's no evidence of any national security or public safety threats. And there have been growing calls for answers as drone sightings continue in New Jersey and now also the New York metropolitan area.

GOTTHEIMER: They must immediately disclose more information to the public. It's totally and completely unacceptable.

New Jersey can't become the wild west of drone activity. No state can become the wild west of drone activity. JIMENEZ: It's now been a month since some of the first drones were reported near a military installation in Northern New Jersey. Since then, there have been dozens of reported sightings, as some federal officials throw cold water on some of those reports.

JOHN KIRBY, WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY COMMUNICATIONS ADVISER: We have not been able to, and neither have state or local law enforcement authorities, corroborate any of the reported visual sightings. It appears that many of the reported sightings are actually manned aircraft that are being operated lawfully.

JIMENEZ: And in a joint statement, the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI said, in part, they're working to confirm whether the reported drone flights are actually drones or are instead manned aircraft or otherwise inaccurate sightings.

Despite attempts by officials to calm concerns, videos of reported drones in the skies are still popping up all over social media.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wow, they just passed each other.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, I've never seen that before.

JIMENEZ: Including these from New Jersey Senator Andy Kim, as he went out with local police Thursday night. Former Maryland Governor Larry Hogan also posting his own possible drone sighting, writing on X, I personally witnessed what appeared to be dozens of large drones in the sky above my residence. I do not know if this increasing activity over our skies is a threat to public safety or national security. There was even a downed drone that was reported in Morris County, New Jersey, but it was later revealed to be a hobby or toy drone.

All the while, without a definitive explanation, questions have filled the vacuum. New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy writing to President Joe Biden expressing concern about the reported drone sightings and asking for more federal resources, saying in part, existing laws limit the ability of state and local law enforcement to counter UAS or unmanned aircraft systems. It has become apparent that more resources are needed to fully understand what is behind this activity.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul confirming that drones have also been spotted in New York, posting on X, at this time, there's no evidence that these drones pose a public safety or national security threat.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JIMENEZ (on camera): Which is what we've heard from the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI as well. But also we are now seeing more states with these reported sightings. Some military installations in New Jersey have also seen airspace restrictions over them as well.

And it gives some perspective on just the market in general. There are nearly 800,000 drones registered with the FAA, about an even split between commercial and recreational. But, of course, that might complicate the efforts in trying to find a through line between all of these sightings that, again, are starting to span multiple states, Wolf.

BLITZER: Omar Jimenez reporting for us from New York, Omar, thank you very much.

Joining us now, the Homeland Security secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. Mr. Secretary, thanks so much for joining us.

It's causing a lot of concern, as you well know, and I'm sure you're getting a lot of questions. What can you say to those Americans who are deeply concerned right now about all these sightings over New Jersey, New York, here and outside of Washington, D.C., in Maryland?

ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: Wolf, thanks for having me. Let me calm those nerves. We have not seen anything unusual. We have not seen any unusual activity. We know of no threat. We know of no nefarious activity. I want to repeat that. We have not seen anything unusual. We know of no threat or of any nefarious activity.

And let me explain. People are reporting sightings of drones. It is very common for individuals who think they see drones to actually see small aircraft and we have a case of mistaken identity. Also, we have six different people reporting what they think is a drone and all of a sudden we have reports of six drone sightings. So, there's some duplication.

I have been in touch with Governor Murphy every day. Our experts have been in touch with the New Jersey State Police every day. What we have done is we have deployed our state of the art technology. We've deployed our experts to New Jersey. That technology has not confirmed that any drone sightings. In addition, it has confirmed that some reported drone sightings are in fact small aircraft. Pilots have not reported seeing drones.

That's not to say that there aren't drones, you know, flying in the air, but we have no concern at this point with respect to a threat or any nefarious activity. The reality is you can have a 15-year-old kid who buys a drone off the shelf and puts it up in the sky. We have not seen drones turn their lights off in the dark. We have not seen drones penetrate restricted airspace. Those are two indicia that would give us a cause for concern.

Wolf, I want to let the American people know right now that if we learn of any cause for concern, I will be back in this seat and explain to the American public why.

BLITZER: Only within the past few minutes, and I don't even know if you know this, Mr. Secretary, the president-elect, Donald Trump, he just called on the Biden administration, for you guys, to either release any information it has about these mysterious drone sightings, or shoot the drones out of the sky. How do you respond to the president-elect?

MAYORKAS: Well, first of all, the statements I've made already are the principle message that I want to communicate to the American public. We haven't seen anything unusual. We know of no threat. Secondly, we have gone to Congress repeatedly asking for more authority to counter drone activity. And we have also asked for more authority to give to the state and local officials under our supervision because it correctly notes those authorities need to be expanded.

BLITZER: I want to play something another New Jersey congressman, Republican Jeff Van Drew, said about the drones over his state in New Jersey. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JEFF VAN DREW (R-NJ): We're not being told the truth. They are dealing with the American public like we're stupid. They don't know what it is. They don't know what it's about. They haven't taken one down to analyze it. They have no idea where it comes from, but they know that it's not that.

I mean, that's nonsense. They do not know what they're doing. Why don't they take one of them down, analyze it, and let us know what's really happening.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: What do you say to the congressman?

MAYORKAS: Well, first of all, we have experts, and he should not diminish the ex the extent of their expertise and the extent of their dedication to the well-being of the American people. These are individuals who dedicate their careers to the safety and security of the United States of America, number one.

Number two, it's not as though anyone can just take down a drone in the sky. That, in and of itself, would be dangerous.

BLITZER: Do you have the authority to shoot down drones?

MAYORKAS: Our authorities are very limited. That is precisely why we have gone to Congress to expand those authorities. Our authorities are limited by the United States Coast Guard in the maritime environment, the United States Secret Service and its protection of our national leaders, U.S. Customs and Border Protection with respect to the border. We have various authorities that are discreet to the particular missions. We can't just shoot a drone out of the sky.

[18:10:00]

BLITZER: But do you know for sure these are drones or unmanned aircraft? What are they?

MAYORKAS: We believe that there are cases of mistaken identity where drones are actually small aircraft and people are misidentifying them. They're very well maybe drones in the sky, of course, but those are commercially available. One can go into a convenience store and buy a small drone. There are also commercial drones as well. But we know of no threat or nefarious activity.

And I want to repeat, Wolf, that if we learn of any cause for concern, we will be transparent in our communication of it.

BLITZER: We know that some of these drones, whether in the Middle East or Ukraine, have weapons, have missiles attached to these drones. Wouldn't it be smart to at least get a look at these drones to see if they were armed?

MAYORKAS: Wolf, there is no question that technology has advanced in the realm of drones. They can fly farther. They can fly faster. They can carry heavier payloads. Our authorities need to keep up with the technological advances. The chairman of the Homeland Security Committee in the House of Representatives, Mark Green, has argued for and advocated for that expansion of authorities, so has Congressman Pfluger. We agree with that advocacy and we have sought increased authorities.

BLITZER: As you know, it's causing a lot of concern, Mr. Secretary.

MAYORKAS: I'm here to calm those concerns, Wolf, and we'll be back if there's any reason for them.

BLITZER: We'll continue this conversation if in fact these drones continue to show up over New Jersey and elsewhere. Thank you very much for coming in.

MAYORKAS: Thank you.

BLITZER: And good luck. I appreciate you.

And just ahead, we're getting new information right now and a tip the FBI received about the CEO shooting suspect, Luigi Mangione, only days before he was arrested in Pennsylvania. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:15:00]

BLITZER: There's more breaking news we're following. Police in San Francisco tipped off federal law enforcement authorities in New York about the suspected CEO killer, Luigi Mangione, only days before his arrest. That's according to a new statement from the FBI. All of this as the Manhattan District attorney, Alvin Bragg, now says Mangione might waive his extradition from Pennsylvania to New York.

Let's get an update from our Senior National Security Analyst Juliette Kayyem and our Legal Analyst Joey Jackson.

Juliette, the FBI received this tip four days before Mangione's arrest at a McDonald's in Pennsylvania. Why do you think it took so long to arrest him?

JULIETTE KAYYEM, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Part of it is going to be they just simply could not find him, whatever the tip is and whatever they knew they needed someone to say exactly where he was. By the time they lost him on the day of the assassination, he's in the park. He's probably in another state, which we now know. It would have been very hard, even if they had the name to know where he was until you had the eyewitness account.

The family, as I've long been saying, likely knew it was him, but they had lost contact with him for a long while. So, it really did take someone seeing him eating in a McDonald's, in this case, to be able to make that tip worthwhile.

BLITZER: Joey, Mangione, as you know, is currently in jail near Altoona, Pennsylvania, where he's awaiting extradition to New York. He was initially opposed, according to his lawyers, to being transferred to New York, fearing it would be -- he would be placed at Rikers Island. But New York District Attorney Alvin Bragg now says Mangione has since changed his mind. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALVIN BRAGG, MANHATTAN DISTRICT ATTORNEY: I just wanted to say, indications are that the defendant may waive but that waiver is not complete until a court proceeding, which my understanding from court officials in Pennsylvania cannot happen until Tuesday. So, until that time, we're going to continue to press forward on parallel paths.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Joey, what could be the strategy, the legal strategy, in no longer fighting extradition?

JOEY JACKSON, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Yes. So, Wolf, when you look at extradition, it's a pretty straightforward process. What do you have to demonstrate, you know, if you're the state, you have to demonstrate, number one, that the governor's warrant is legitimate on its face, that it's accurate and that it spells out facially sufficiently, right, what all the facts and details are. Clearly, they'll do that. Number two, that there's probable cause to believe that the underlying crimes were committed, and, number three, that it's him. And so there's very little that the state really has to show. So, yes, you can delay if you're defended, but at the end of the day, you're going. The only issue is as to when.

What's critically important to me, even from that little snippet of Alvin Bragg, the Manhattan district attorney, is that Pennsylvania and New York are speaking, they're cooperating, and Pennsylvania has been very differential to New York, giving the indication that their prosecution, because, of course, he's charged there as well, right, that New York's prosecution will take priority. And so, ultimately, he's coming, the issue is when.

BLITZER: Juliette, considering the details we're now learning about the timeline, do you think investigators lost some precious time?

KAYYEM: It's hard to say. I mean, they did put together the video surveillance that at least began to identify him and give us that really good picture in the taxi cab. That ends up being sort of the key point because it's the eyebrows, it's the eyes that then begin to identify him better.

He was good at evading in those first couple of hours, right? We know that now. He sort of knew what to expect from the police and was able to get out undetected. They ended up -- you know, how sophisticated -- this was a sophisticated sort of, you know, police action. But in the end, it ended up being rather common. In other words, they've put out pictures. They say, has anyone seen him? The family and friends do not come forward to identify him by name, but someone at a place that he stops says, I recognize this person and rightfully calls the police.

[18:20:07]

So, that is now a typical part of the way law enforcement works. It's the crowdsourcing that we've seen for the last couple of decades. It proved effective.

BLITZER: Joey, what does the extradition process look like for Mangione and what happens next once he's back from Pennsylvania in New York?

JACKSON: Yes. So, what'll happen is that he will go to court. The district attorney indicated on Tuesday, if he's going to waive, it has to be knowing and intelligent. The judge will indicate what his rights are, the fact that he can fight extradition, and if he decides to waive it, we don't know that, it's speculation, he then can do that. New York Authorities then will come and get him. He'll be brought to New York.

In the interim, we know that a grand jury is considering in New York evidence against him, and should that grand jury issue an indictment, he, of course, will now not only be charged criminally with the indictment, but with the charges, but actually indicted by a grand jury and that will proceed to discovery to his attorneys and then obviously a trial should he choose to have.

BLITZER: Joey Jackson and Juliette Kayyem, to both of you, thank you very much.

I want to get some more right now on the fallout from the shooting of the UnitedHealthcare CEO, Brian Thompson.

Our Brian Todd is joining us. Brian, what are you learning about Luigi Mangione's relationship, if any, with the insurance company he allegedly targeted?

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, a UnitedHealth Group spokesperson says the suspect, Luigi Mangione, was not a member of UnitedHealthcare, and the spokesperson says neither was Mangione's mother. Still, the overall sentiment of outrage against health insurers just continues to grow.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TODD (voice over): Along a Seattle area highway, a digital sign says one less CEO, then many more to go. In New York City, posters were put up praising the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, with a red X across his picture. Other posters singled out another executive. In Florida, police say a woman who was on the phone talking with Blue Cross Blue Shield about recently denied medical claims, said to the representative, quote, delay, deny, depose. You people are next.

Those words were written on the shell casings found at the scene of Brian Thompson's murder. The woman has been charged with threats to conduct a mass shooting or an act of terrorism.

TAMI LUHBY, CNN SENIOR WRITER, HEALTH POLICY: What we're seeing has been unleashed on social media and elsewhere is just all of this pent up anger and frustration. I mean, we're talking about people's health. This is a life and death situation.

TODD: The head of the healthcare conglomerate Brian Thompson worked for, UnitedHealth Group CEO Andrew Witty, tried to address some of the growing frustration with an essay in The New York Times. He praised Thompson as a brilliant, kind man who was working to make healthcare better for everyone and wrote, we know the health system does not work as well as it should, and we understand people's frustrations with it. Our mission is to help make it work better.

Witty said his company is willing to partner with anyone to deliver better care at lower costs, but acknowledged, quote, clearly, we are not there yet. Witty did little to appease thousands of people who replied to his op-ed with comments. One person writing, to think that the healthcare providers do not also seek to maximize their profits is simply naive. Another saying, I don't know how he sleeps at night on his bed of blood and suffering.

KEVIN O'LEARY, SHARK TANK INVESTOR: At this point, social media is now the jury. And it doesn't like what it sees. So, if you're an executive, you know, in interim management, UnitedHealth Corp, or any other health company, you got to read the room.

TODD: UnitedHealth Group is a for profit company that reported over $100 billion in revenue in the third quarter of this year, and is the largest provider of health insurance in the United States. It has been facing a class action lawsuit since before the Thompson shooting, accusing one of its subsidiaries of using algorithms to deny care to seniors. United says that assertion is false. But the horror stories seemingly never end.

Arete Tsoukalas tells CNN she needed a specific drug to treat the leukemia she was diagnosed with. She said her insurer, one of the nation's largest, refused to pay for the drug entirely at first, then said it would pay part of it, but she'd have to pay a $13,000 a month co-pay. Tsoukalas says she went without the drug for three months, then got it with financial help from the drug manufacturer.

ARETE TSOUKALAS, LEUKEMIA PATIENT: No one should have to fight cancer and insurance at the same time. Some aspects of the cancer treatment felt a lot easier to deal with than insurance.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TODD (on camera): CNN's Tami Luhby says she spoke with several health policy experts who told her that the most effective way to bring about real change in the industry is only if the current consumer outrage is sustained. She says they told her if that dies down, insurers will have less incentive to make any changes. Wolf?

BLITZER: All right. Brian Todd reporting, Brian, thank you very much.

Coming up, another tech billionaire pledges money to Donald Trump's inauguration. Why these tech companies are now cozying up to the president-elect.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:25:00]

BLITZER: All right. Let's get an update now on the Trump transition. The president-elect's inaugural fund raking in major cash right now as tech billionaires, like Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg, look to cozy up before he takes office.

I want to get some more from CNN's Kaitlan Collins, who's joining us right now. Kaitlan, the OpenAI CEO is now donating money as well. Why now this sudden outpouring of support from these tech executives?

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, well, if we're seeing them all really line up behind Donald Trump as he is just about 38 days away from regaining power in the Oval Office. And I think a lot of this has to do with one person who has cozied up to Trump for months and did quite a lot to help him get elected. And now as a direct result of that is one of direct channels of communication with Donald Trump and is in the room a lot of the times when he's been interviewing candidates to put in the federal government.

[18:30:02]

And that's Elon Musk, someone who certainly bet big on Donald Trump.

And now you're seeing Mark Zuckerberg with Meta, Jeff Bezos with Amazon, and now Sam Altman with OpenAI, all lining up to donate a million dollars to Donald Trump's inauguration fund. That is the fund that goes toward what that day looks like when he is inaugurated on that day. Obviously, it's a big ceremony that they have with a lot of people on the steps of the Capitol.

But, obviously, what you're seeing here, Wolf, is a calculated play by these tech moguls to get in good with Donald Trump before he does regain power. And it's notable because, really, each of them has had their own feud or kind of history with Donald Trump, certainly Mark Zuckerberg, just over the summer, Trump was threatening to jail him saying that -- accusing him of interfering in the 2020 election.

Jeff Bezos himself, as we learned last night, that he was going to be donating through Amazon. He and Trump have had their own history where Trump has accused him of using The Washington Post, which he owns, as a tax shelter, and Jeff Bezos saying that he would send Donald Trump to space and not really in a nice way.

And now Sam Altman, Wolf, who in 2016 was critical of Donald Trump, look at this tweet that he posted then saying he was not going to be supporting him because he said, I believe the principles he stands for represent an unacceptable threat to America. But now, Wolf, he is saying he's excited for Donald Trump to regain power and, clearly, he is putting his money where his mouth is.

BLITZER: And, Kaitlan, as you know, several sources are telling you that Donald Trump is actually considering naming RFK Jr.'s daughter- in-law as the deputy director of the CIA. Tell us about that.

COLLINS: Yes. There may be not one, but two Kennedys in this second Trump term. And that's because right now, Amaryllis Fox Kennedy is RFK Jr.'s daughter in law. She's married to his son. But she also ran his campaign earlier this year before he dropped out of the race and endorsed Donald Trump. And we are told that she is potentially going to be named as the deputy director of the CIA. That is not a Senate confirmed position. She is a former CIA officer for several years, Wolf, which is why her name has been under consideration for this.

And I'm told that a lot of Trump's allies, including his son, Donald Trump Jr., Tucker Carlson, and others are advocating on her behalf. Of course, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as well is also advocating for her to be in this role.

There is one notable pushback though, Wolf. Senator Tom Cotton, I'm told, has become a strong voice urging Donald Trump not to put her in that position. He has several issues with her that he has raised from a book that she wrote on her time at the CIA and other positions that she's held. But right now, it seems that Trump is leaning in that direction. Of course, Wolf, we'll see if he ultimately does.

BLITZER: We'll see what he does. All right, Kaitlan Collins, thank you very much. Kaitlan, of course, will be back later tonight with much more news on her show, The Source, 9:00 P.M. Eastern. We'll be watching.

Our political experts are joining us right now with some serious analysis. And, Gloria Borger, I want to play a clip of how Trump actually talked about the Meta CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, when he was out on the campaign trail. Listen and watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT-ELECT: Weirdo, he's a weirdo. Mark Zuckerberg came to the White House, kissed my ass, kissed my ass. Sir, I'd love to have dinner. Sir, I'd love to have dinner. I'd love to bring my lovely wife. All right, Mark, come on in. Sir, you're number one on Facebook. I'd like to congratulate you. Oh, thank you very much, Mark. I appreciate it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: So, is this what Zuckerberg is now doing again, according to Trump, kissing up, as Trump said in this clip?

GLORIA BORGER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Yes, exactly. He is. Look, these are people, Caitlin was talking about, who are, in a way, very afraid of Elon Musk's influence with Donald Trump because that won't always work to their advantage, they're afraid. They've got a regulatory threat with A.I. hanging over their head. And they figure, you know, a million dollars to the inauguration fund is a rounding error for these folks.

So, it's not only Zuckerberg, you know, it's Jeff Bezos, Sam Altman and, you know, you see them all there. And, you know, they're just trying to make sure that they start out the administration on good footing. You know, there's no downside for them to give a million bucks to Donald Trump's inauguration. It's an easy call.

BLITZER: Lauren Tomlinson is with us as well. Lauren, presumably, these billionaires want something in return for the millions they're donating to his inauguration. What do you think?

LAUREN TOMLINSON, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: I don't know that they necessarily need anything return. I think this is pretty standard Washington play. You'd see it in a Republican or Democratic administration when someone who won handedly the election, the popular vote comes in, the other companies, not just tech companies are going to want to make sure that they are positioning themselves in a favorable place in which they can influence policy that will impact their companies.

These tech CEOs have a lot to lose as far as antitrust, A.I., other issues.

[18:35:00]

They're currently battling child Social issues that are -- bills that are going through Congress right now. So, there's a lot on the table for them.

But I wouldn't say that they're unique in that situation. Energy companies, other industries are also looking at this saying, I need to get in front of Donald Trump in a payroll position. And let's not forget that Donald Trump is tracking who is saying good things about him ahead of his inauguration and who is not. So, it is of the utmost importance that they get ahead of this and make sure that they are starting his administration off on the right foot.

BLITZER: Ashley Etienne is with us as well. Ashley, why do you think we're seeing so many billionaires and business leaders traveling to Mar-a-Lago, in Florida, to seemingly curry favor with Trump?

ASHLEY ETIENNE, FORMER SENIOR ADVISER TO PRESIDENT BIDEN: I mean, I think they're all kissing the rain, Wolf, because it's a smart business decision. You know, as Gloria mentioned, I mean, it's a small price to pay, a million dollars, to avoid Donald Trump's ire, at least in these first few months. I mean, each one of these guys have a lot to lose. And they're not just kissing up to Donald Trump, they're going to have to kiss up to Elon Musk, who's going to be in charge of, you know, overseeing regulations as well as government contracts. So, each one of them has a lot on the line here. And what's a million dollars to any of these guys?

BLITZER: Not much. Gloria, as Kaitlan reported, we just heard a report, RFK Jr. is urging Trump to name his daughter-in-law to be the deputy CIA director, a move Senator Tom Cotton opposes. What will Trump's decision here tell you?

BORGER: Well, look, I think from what I've gathered Donald Trump is not going to say to Ratcliffe, who's the nominee for CIA director, you must take this person in this job. He wants her to have a job in intelligence. And Bobby Kennedy has been pushing this, and Trump likes Bobby Kennedy, and he likes her. So, I presume what he's saying to Ratcliffe is find a place for her.

So, deputy director is a large job and there's a lot of folks in the intelligence community who believe she's not qualified for that kind of a job, that she is somebody who published a book without getting the proper clearance for it, and they don't want her in that job. So, I think, you know, Tom Cotton is an important person as chairman of the Intelligence Committee. He's an important person to Donald Trump. So, I think Trump's going to listen to him.

BLITZER: He's a strong supporter of Trump too.

BORGER: Exactly.

BLITZER: Lauren, The New York Times is reporting that one of RFK Jr.'s top aides petitioned the FDA to rescind its approval of the polio vaccine. Senator Mitch McConnell just released this statement about that, and I'm quoting now, Senator McConnell, efforts to undermine public confidence in proven cures are not just uninformed, they are dangerous. Anyone seeking the Senate's consent to serve in the incoming administration would do well to steer clear of even the appearance of association with such efforts.

Could this put RFK Jr.'s nomination to head the Health and Human Services Department in jeopardy, Ashley?

ETIENNE: It could. I mean, I think he's got a lot of issues he's going to have to overcome. I mean, you know, he's now suggesting as well as Donald Trump in that Time Magazine interview that they may rescind a lot of vaccines, and that's problematic. I mean, you've got a situation where you have RFK, who's an anti-science crusader who will be running the Health and Human Service, potentially running Health and Human Services, which is an agency that really boils down to life and death. So, he's going to have a lot of tough questions that he's going to answer going up to the Hill next week, meeting with a lot of these members.

But, you know, one thing I would like to point out, Wolf, you know, this all goes back to revenge, to some degree. We were talking about why these tech executives who want to go kiss the ring is because they understand that Donald Trump has used his power in his previous administration to go after and weaponize it to go after these companies. That's going to be the same case with RFK from the CIA to HHS.

BLITZER: All right. Guys, thank you very, very much. We will continue this analysis, to be sure, down the road.

Just ahead, Nancy Pelosi hospitalized while overseas. What we're now learning about the former House speaker's condition. We have details and we'll share them with you right after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:40:00]

BLITZER: The former House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, is in a hospital tonight after sustaining an injury while on a congressional delegation visit to Luxembourg.

For more on the story, I want to bring in CNN's Lauren Fox. Lauren, how is the former speaker doing?

LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. What we know right now is that she was in Luxembourg to mark the 80th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge. And while she was there with this bipartisan delegation, she fell on the stairs.

Now, I do want to read a statement from her office. It says, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi sustained an injury during an official engagement and was admitted to the hospital for evaluation. Pelosi is currently receiving excellent treatment from doctors and medical professionals. She continues to work and regrets that she's unable to attend the remainder of her CODEL engagements. She looks forward to returning home to the U.S. soon.

Now, there's no detail as to when she might return to the United States, but I will say I've been on the phone with members and aides today, everyone wishing her a speedy recovery as they await her return to Washington.

BLITZER: Of course, we wish her a speedy recovery as well.

Lauren Fox, thank you very much.

Coming up, tens of thousands of people taking to the streets in Syria to celebrate the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime. We're on the ground right in the middle of the celebrations in Damascus. We'll have a report when we come back.

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[18:49:00]

BLITZER: Breaking news: CNN teams in the Syrian capital of Damascus now say a large blast rocked the city tonight shortly before jets were heard overhead. Right now, it's unclear who or what is responsible for the explosion, although it's worth noting Israel, Turkey and the United States have all conducted airstrikes in Syria amid all the recent political turmoil there.

This, as there were major celebrations in Syria today, the first Friday since the country's ruthless president, Bashar al-Assad, was driven from power.

CNN's Clarissa Ward has our report from Damascus.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: People are flooding in to the central Umayyad square from around Damascus. They're flooding into squares across the entire country.

This is the first Friday since Bashar al-Assad left the country. And you can see, understandably, so many people here are celebrating what they see as the greatest victory of a lifetime. After 53 years of totalitarian rule under Bashar al-Assad, after hundreds of thousands of dead and disappeared into Syrian prisons, finally, Syria for these people is free.

[18:50:18]

This is where you hear over and over. Syria is free! And the crowds are getting bigger and bigger here as people really just absorbed the magnitude of this moment.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So thank God. We're so grateful that we finally can speak freely. We can criticize, we can help. We can feel like this country is our country, you know?

WARD: What does this moment feel like?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's like a dream. It's like a dream at the end, I felt like I'm going to lose the hope that he's going to leave. And now we got back the hope. Honestly, it's like a dream came true.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now it's a great feeling. We are in Umayyad Square. We are in the middle of Damascus stating freedom, saying we are still want the same demands of democracy, of participation, of justice.

WARD: And everyone understands that there are a lot of question marks still about what comes next and what the new Syria will look like. And yet you see people from every --

(CHANTING)

WARD: At the very beginning of the uprising, in 2011, people would risk their lives to take to the streets to engage in these kind of chants.

(CHANTING)

WARD: This is the flag of the Syrian revolution.

And most of these people, they never imagined that they would be able to chant these chants and wave that flag right here in Umayyad Square.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Our special thanks to Clarissa Ward in Damascus for that report.

Coming up, the Duke University Lacrosse rape accuser now says she lied about being sexually assaulted at a party back in 2006. Stay with us. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.

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[18:56:54]

BLITZER: We're following a stunning turn in a case that gripped the nation nearly 20 years ago. The woman, who once accused three Duke University Lacrosse players of raping her at a party, is now admitting she lied and made up a totally fabricated story.

CNN's Jean Casarez is joining us with details right now.

Jean, why is she giving this confession now?

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it happened just seemingly out of the blue. Now she is currently serving time for murder. So this was a prison interview for a podcast that she did. She said also in the interview that she had given her life to god, that she reads the bible every day. So -- but she did not say exactly why she wanted to do this now, because she has lived with this and she has stuck to her story for almost 20 years.

You know, Wolf, I was in Durham in 2006, and when these revelations came, this was huge. It was such a huge case in this country, as I'm sure you remember. And when I was there, Mike Nifong, who was the district attorney, was saying before any trial that they were guilty and she was telling the truth. Her allegations were so specific.

And the people of Durham wanted to believe what their district attorney was saying to them. But the fact is that one year later, the attorney general, who is now governor and who actually spoke out today, saying that he launched that investigation because he wanted to find the truth, he found them to be innocent.

And one year later, that's how it stayed. But the reality is that she stuck to her story. But now she's saying this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CRYSTAL MANGUM, ACCUSER IN DUKE UNIVERSITY RAPE SCANDAL: I testified falsely against them by saying that they raped me when they didn't, and that was wrong and I betrayed the trust of a lot of other people who believed in me, and made up a story that wasn't true because I wanted validation from people and not from god.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ: Now, there was a trial. I sat in the courtroom for it. It was the district attorney, Mike Nifong, contempt of court, losing his bar license. He was convicted. He lost that license.

And we learned the truth in that trial that one of the defense attorneys, a young guy that had just gotten his bar license at night, he would stay up and he would read the forensics thousands of pages. And he found in a small paragraph that the DNA that was taken from Crystal Mangum did not match, was inconsistent with the three Duke lacrosse players charged.

That's exoneration right there. That is Brady evidence. And that is why that the attorney general found that also. And that's what led to them being proclaimed innocent.

BLITZER: All right. Jean Casarez reporting for us -- Jean, thank you very much.

Finally, tonight, "The Wall Street Journal" reporter Evan Gershkovich just published his first story since he was freed from Russian captivity this summer. Gershkovich investigating the shadowy agency behind his own imprisonment.

And he writes this, and I'm quoting him now: When I was arrested by Russia's security forces in 2023, the first foreign correspondent charged with espionage since the Cold War, I never stopped reporting. On my release, I set out to identify the man who had taken me and to learn more about the spy unit that had carried out his orders.

I encourage everyone to read Evan's truly excellent report in "The Wall Street Journal". We're so glad he's home and so glad he's back on the job.

I'm Wolf Blitzer in THE SITUATION ROOM. Thanks very much for watching.

"ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT" starts right now.