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Trump Admin Launches Immigration Crackdown in New Orleans; Republican Holds onto Deep Red Tennessee House Seat in Narrow Win; Trump, Hegseth Say They Didn't Know About Second Strike on Boat. Aired 10-10:30a ET

Aired December 03, 2025 - 10:00   ET

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

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PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking news, immigration crackdown. Federal agents have arrived in New Orleans. Their goal is to arrest up to 5,000 people.

Plus, healthcare deadline, insurance premiums are expected to soar as funding for the Affordable Care Act is expected to run out. Will lawmakers have a solution before December 31st? We're going to ask House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries why he says Republicans are to blame.

And cabinet cat nap? Was President Trump nodding off during yesterday's cabinet meeting? Reaction from the White House this morning.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: New strike threats. President Trump escalates the rhetoric against Venezuela, saying he will soon begin striking targets, not just at sea, but land as well.

Plus, no -- not a guilty plea. More charges are expected against the man accused of shooting two National Guard members in D.C. What prosecutors say, he yelled out just before opening fire.

And hiring slowdown, new numbers just in for November show the biggest monthly job loss for the private sector in some two and a half years.

Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer with Pamela Brown, and you're in The Situation Room.

And we're following the breaking news. President Trump's immigration crackdown is intensifying right now across the United States. Right now, federal authorities are launching an operation in New Orleans aimed at arresting thousands of the city's undocumented migrants. This latest action comes amid an increasing push by the White House to further tighten immigration after an Afghan national allegedly shot two U.S. National Guard members.

Here's what Homeland Security told CNN about the operation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) TRICIA MCLAUGHLIN, ASSISTANT SECRETARY, HOMELAND SECURITY DEPARTMENT: We are, first and foremost, really focusing on those worst of the worst criminals, those criminals who have previously been locked up by local authorities. But then because New Orleans functions as a sanctuary city, those individuals were not released to ICE. They were instead released back onto New Orleans streets. So, we're talking about child pedophiles who are on our list of targets, burglars, gang members, rapists, those individuals we are highly targeting.

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BLITZER: We have team coverage. Joining us CNN's Alayna Treene over at the White House and CNN's Ryan Young, he's in New Orleans for us.

So, Ryan, let me start with you. What are you learning about this new operation?

RYAN YOUNG, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Wolf. We've been here for a few days, we've been talking to our sources all across this state, and they tell us they really see a real fear in the community. Two weeks ago, ICE had an operation, but now the real focus here is on the coming agents that could be coming here in the next few days and the hours as they do this operation. This business here has been closed for three days because they're concerned not only about their patrons but the folks who work here. The restaurant community that serves tourists all throughout the city is also nervous.

But you see signs like this one that clearly say they want to have everyone in here except ICE. And then you see right here, CBP agents not allowed. Please do not come in unless you have a warrant. This concern has spread throughout the community. One lawyer even telling us that they hope people treat this like COVID. Stay at home, stay inside. They even have food caravans to make sure that food gets to immigrants who don't want to be out and about.

There's a real fear that this could end up being like a Chicago or North Carolina. Take a listen to the mayor-elect as she talks about some of that fear that's built up in this community.

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MAYOR-ELECT HELENA MORENO (D-NEW ORLEANS, LA): What they're seeing on T.V. and reports that they're seeing is not that Border Patrol is going after the most violent criminals. You know, it's not -- that's not what they're seeing. What they're seeing is what appears to be racial profiling, brown people, and then going after these individuals and treating them like they are these significantly violent offenders.

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YOUNG: Wolf, I wanted to show you this. This is the whistle that we just picked up from a restaurant. These whistles are being handed out to people in the community, so if they see agents, they can blow this whistle. They believe this will be effective to clear corners if people are walking. We'll also show you these pictures that we took inside that same restaurant where you can see the signs advertising some of the same things that we just showed you, the ideas.

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The more people that know and can help, the more people will be kept safe off the streets, according to them. So, we'll have to see how this operation goes.

They also are concerned about people with the mask on their face in a city that has concealed weapons. You do not have to have a license for it. So, there's a lot of people in the city who are carrying weapons. That's something that's concerned all law enforcement across this state at this point. Wolf?

BLITZER: All right. Ryan Young on the scene for us in New Orleans, thanks very, very much.

We're also learning about plans for a new immigration operation in Minnesota. A source now telling CNN ICE plans to crack down on the state's Somali population, primarily targeting undocumented migrants.

BROWN: All right. Let's go live now to CNN's Alayna Treene at the White House. Alayna, the president lately has really been zeroing in on migrants from Somalia. Why is that?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes, and it's actually something he's been talking about for years now. And it's interesting because a lot of the ramped up rhetoric, Pamela and Wolf, that we've heard from the president in recent days stemmed from an attack last week when a shooter, you know, shot those two National Guardsmen here in Washington, D.C. But that was an Afghan national who allegedly had conducted that shooting, not a Somali immigrant.

But the reason that there has been so much attention on this, from what we're hearing from the president and his allies is related to this $300 million fraud case. And just to give you a little background on this, the case that's centered around a nonprofit organization designed to help feed hungry children, as well as a program for COVID- related issues.

Now, prosecutors has alleged the defendants, so there have been people indicted in this, about 37 people in Minnesota, for essentially using shell companies to try and exploit those programs to buy luxury cars and real estate. And the president, though, has used this issue to paint a broad stroke on the Somali community in Minnesota more directly. He's even gone as far to specifically call out Somali American Congresswoman Ilhan Omar. But we really heard some of that, a stepped up rhetoric yesterday during his cabinet meeting, at one point referring to Somalis in America as garbage. Listen.

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DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: I don't want them in our country, I'll be honest with you, okay? Somebody would say, oh, that's not politically correct. I don't care. I don't want them in our country. Their country's no good for a reason. Their country stinks.

We're going to go the wrong way if we keep taking in garbage into our country.

Well, they come from hell and they complain and do nothing but bitch. We don't want them in our country.

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TREENE: So, just incredibly striking language there, Wolf and Pamela, from the president. We should note some of the context here, which is that an overwhelming majority of foreign born Somalis in Minnesota are actually naturalized U.S. citizens. That's according to the census data, so keep that in mind. But, yes, Minnesota's Twin Cities are now preparing for major federal immigration crackdown in their cities related to all of this.

BROWN: All right. Alayna Treene at the White House for us, thank you so much. Wolf?

BLITZER: Republicans are walking up to a troublesome new electoral picture after narrowing winning a special election in a solid red Tennessee Congressional district, Matt Van Epps is leading Democrat Aftyn Behn by about nine points with 99 percent of the vote counted. His win will add one more vote to Republicans' razor-thin majority in the House of Representatives. But President Trump carried that district by some 22 points back in 2024, showing a dramatic swing to the left.

Let's go live right now to our Eva McKend. She's on the scene for us in Nashville. Eva, what were the biggest takeaways from this election?

EVA MCKEND, CNN NATIONAL POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, both sides are framing the election results as a victory. But to be clear, it is only Republican Matt Van Epps that will head to Congress. And that is a huge relief for Republicans in Washington because they can ill afford to chip away at their narrow majority.

But, listen, Democrat Aftyn Behn is saying that the victory lies with her as well because she was able to generate excitement and enthusiasm for her campaign in a district that should not have been this competitive. President Donald Trump won here in 2024 by more than 20 points. She narrowed that significantly. We saw Republicans have to spend more than $3 million in this district. And then Donald Trump holds several tele-rallies for the Republican candidate. Meanwhile, Vice President Kamala Harris, AOC, DNC Chair Ken Martin, they all stumped for Behn.

Take a listen to how both Behn and Van Epps addressed their supporters.

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REP.-ELECT MATT VAN EPPS (R-TN): And to the professional panickers in my own party, tonight, we showed running from Trump is how you lose. Running with Trump is how you win.

AFTYN BEHN (D), TENNESSEE CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE: We may not have won tonight, but we changed the story of what's possible here and we're not done, not by a long shot.

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MCKEND: And now Wolf, there is a spirited debate in the Democratic Party about the best path forward for the midterms should they continue to run. Candidates like Behn, who energizes progressives or run more centrist and moderate candidates in red and purple district. Wolf?

BLITZER: All right, Eva McKend down the scene for us there, thank you very, very much. Pamela?

BROWN: All right, Wolf. Still ahead here in The Situation Room, President Trump once again is saying that he will soon begin striking targets inside Venezuela, but there are still a lot of questions surrounding the administration's controversial follow-up strike back in September. We're taking a closer look.

BLITZER: And later, the top House Democrat, Hakeem Jeffries, is standing by to join us live right here in The Situation Room. We'll talk with him about the White House's defense of that follow-up strike.

Stay with us. You're in The Situation Room.

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BLITZER: New this morning, the defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, facing new questions, serious questions, about possible war crimes for that so-called double-tap strike on an alleged drug boat off the coast of Venezuela, CNN and others have reported that that second strike killed survivors. Both President Trump and Defense Secretary Hegseth now say they did not know at the time about the second strike. The White House says the follow-up strike was ordered by a U.S. Navy admiral and maintains it was lawful.

Joining us now is retired U.S. General Wesley Clark. He's the former NATO supreme allied commander. General Clark, thanks so much for joining us.

During that cabinet meeting yesterday, and it went on for some two hours or so, President Trump said this. Listen.

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TRUMP: We are doing these strikes and we're going to start doing those strikes on land too. You know, the land is much easier. It's much easier. And we know the routes they take. We know everything about them. We know where they live. We know where the bad ones live, and we're going to start that very soon too.

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BLITZER: So, General, where is all this headed?

GEN. WESLEY CLARK (RET.), FOUNDER, RENEW AMERICA TOGETHER: That's a very good question and many of us think that the administration is not quite sure. We've never been told what the real objective is. If it were really to eliminate drug trafficking into the United States, we wouldn't have started with Venezuela. If it's an effort to overthrow the Maduro regime, that makes more sense. They can tighten up the pressure on him, but this is not Panama of 1989.

This is a very tough problem if you're trying to get rid of Maduro. Big country, a lot of jungle, he's got a well-armed militia. The Democratic opposition is split in some way. And even if you talk to Mrs. Machado, who should have been elected president, and she brings demonstrators out on the street and you say, okay, we're going into save people's lives, boy, that's a tough problem in a place like Caracas with millions of people in an urban area.

So, yes there's no question, you can strike targets on land. But as the president says, it's easier, not necessarily. You've then got collateral damage. You've got the question of what's in the warehouse. You strike somebody's home. How many people were in the home? All of the issues we confronted in the war on terrorism when we were doing those predator strikes and looking at how many people will be killed, where are the children, et cetera, they're going to come back in spades on something like this.

So, it's really not --

BLITZER: Yes, go ahead, finish your thought.

Yes. I'm curious, General, while I have you, what do you make of the president and the defense secretary, for that matter, trying to shift the blame to Admiral Frank Mitch Bradley?

CLARK: Well, I think that's a sort of natural effort to escape responsibility. But the truth is responsibility goes all the way to the top. He's the commander-in-chief of the armed forces. The secretary of defense, secretary of war, in his remarks, talks about lethality, about killing people and breaking things. We don't know what the exact order was that motivated this. That has to come out in the investigation.

If the order said, eliminate the boat and all its occupants, well, okay, but that's a war crime in this case when it was executed like this. So, we just don't know enough about this. And that's why there need to be Congressional hearings on it.

But I think, Wolf, the Congressional hearings won't be just about this incident. I think they'll go all the way to the top about what are we doing down there and why.

BLITZER: Admiral Bradley is set to meet with Senate Intelligence Committee leaders tomorrow here in Washington. What kind of questions do you think he will face?

CLARK: I think he'll be asked, what were your instructions? What is your understanding of your mission? Why did you -- did you in fact order a follow-on strike? If so, why? Were you told to do this? And was anyone in the chain of command -- legal chain of command consulted? Did your lawyers agree with this? Did the lawyers raise issues with it?

I think all those issues about what happened, what was the discussion and so forth, we know that people inside the chain of command must have disagreed with this because that's how the report surfaced through leaks. So, there must have been some discussion about it either before or after.

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And we know that in subsequent cases where there were survivors, they were not eliminated. They were repatriated back to shore and not even prosecuted.

So, this looks like clear evidence that the command recognized they made a mistake. But how that all played out and who gave the order, that's what some detailed discussion is going to have to surface.

BLITZER: And there will be a lot of detailed discussions and investigations for that matter.

If someone in the Defense Department, General, knew there were survivors clinging onto that boat after that first strike and still directed a follow-up strike designed to kill them, is that a war crime?

CLARK: Yes. Yes, it is.

BLITZER: And what's the punishment? What's the punishment if someone orders a so-called war crime, what's the punishment?

CLARK: It will be determined by a court martial probably. But in World War II, we found the Japanese and German commanders who did this to our sailors, and they were put on trial, they were executed.

BLITZER: This morning, on another sensitive issue, while I have you, General, you're former NATO supreme allied commander, NATO leaders have been meeting in Brussels, and the war in Ukraine has topped the agenda for obvious reasons. Patience is growing thin among European foreign ministers who now say Vladimir Putin of Russia is not interested in peace at all. Should NATO be at the table for these U.S.-led peace talks, and should Ukraine eventually join NATO?

CLARK: Well, the answer to that, Wolf, is yes on both counts. Yes, because these peace talks are vital to the security of Europe. If Ukraine is given away in some way by these peace talks and there's not a just sustainable peace, then Europe is directly confronted an aggressive hostile Russia.

So, yes, and Ukraine, of course, has to be at the peace talks. And they're not able and not going to give away their territory. For Ukraine, it's a matter of life and death, and, increasingly, Europe sees it as a matter of life and death. I just hope the United States will see it the same way. We can't move forward internationally managing China without the support of a strong Europe. It's always been in our vital interest. That's why there's NATO and I hope the United States will step up and recognize if you want peace in Europe, if you want peace in Ukraine, you must put the pressure on Putin militarily and financially, not on Ukraine. All that has to be done to stop this war is for Putin to say, enough, but he won't do it because he thinks he's winning. Until he can be convinced he's not going to win, he's going to persist.

BLITZER: And just to be precise, you want Ukraine in NATO, right?

CLARK: Absolutely.

BLITZER: All right. General Wesley Clark, the former NATO supreme allied commander, thanks so much for joining us.

CLARK: Thank you Wolf.

BLITZER: All right. Pamela?

BROWN: All right, Wolf. Happening now, a Senate committee is holding a hearing on healthcare affordability. Those enhanced Obamacare subsidies that became a flashpoint for Democrats during the government shutdown, they expire at the end of this month with premiums expected to skyrocket.

This was President Trump's message on affordability at yesterday's cabinet meeting.

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TRUMP: The word, affordability, is a Democrat scam. They say it and then they go onto the next subject and everyone thinks, oh, they had lower prices.

Affordability is a hoax that was started by Democrats.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: So, here's a reminder of how President Trump himself has talked about affordability on the campaign trail and during his second term.

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TRUMP: From today and from the day I take the oath of office, we will rapidly drive prices down and make America affordable again.

All I want is I want for people to recognize a great job that I've done on pricing, on affordability.

Some of his ideas really are the same ideas that I have. But a big thing on cost, you know, the new word is affordability.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BROWN: So, let's go live now to CNN Chief Congressional Correspondent Manu Raju on Capitol Hill. Manu, what are you hearing from lawmakers about the prospects of dealing with this looming healthcare crisis that could impact so many Americans?

MANU RAJU, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Pamela, the news is pretty grim on that front and expect really no deal to deal with those expiring subsidies under the Affordable Care Act and the millions of people who do rely on them.

There's really no negotiation that is happening between both sides of the aisle to deal with this looming crisis for so many Americans. The Democrats have their own plans and trying to move forward their own effort.

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Republicans are divided about how to move forward themselves. And even if there was an agreement among Republicans, their plan would not have enough votes in the United States Senate and the Democrats don't have enough votes for their own proposal. What Democrats are debating is trying to put forward a proposal to extend those Obamacare subsidies maybe for a year, maybe up for three years. They would need 60 votes in the United States Senate. They will not get 60 votes in the United States Senate for that plan because Republicans have major issues with the Affordable Care Act, with those subsidies, and they want a bunch of changes. Republicans are not even on the same page as themselves about their own proposal and how to deal with it.

And this all will come to a head next week because the Senate majority leader, John Thune, as part of the deal to reopen the government, told Democrats that he would give them a vote on the Senate floor by next week. And that's when we expect this to happen on the floor next week. But we expect those votes ultimately to be nothing more than show votes, both sides making their case about why they believe that their proposal may be the best for the American public to try to sell that to the American public, not something that will become law.

And then there's a whole other matter of the United States House and the GOP-led House does not have its own proposal to move forward on this. The Republicans, they are divided about how to proceed on that front as well. So, a lot of very grim prospects for getting anything approved here in the weeks ahead.

BROWN: All right. Manu Raju live for us from Capitol Hill, thanks so much. Wolf?

BLITZER: Also coming up, the man accused of killing and dismembering his wife is now back in court. Prosecutors zeroing in on Brian Walshe's very disturbing search history, the new photos we're also seeing in court, a lot coming up.

We'll be right back.

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