Skip to main content

tv   CNN Tonight  CNN  December 27, 2022 7:00pm-8:00pm PST

7:00 pm
- [announcer] do you have an invention idea but don't know what to do next? call invent help today. they can help you get started with your idea. call now 800-710-0020. >> tonight, the biden administration will not be allowed to let a trump era border policy expire. supreme court says that title 42 must remain in effect until the legal challenges play out, which could take until june. title 42 is that measure that's
7:01 pm
allowed federal official to quickly expel migrants, ostensibly because of the pandemic. more now from cnn white house reporter priscilla albert. >> but alisyn, this ruling is ultimately a victory for republican-led states that sought to intervene in this case and block the termination of title 42. now, the white house responded to this order saying that they will comply with it. but they also pointed the finger at congress, saying it is on them to pass immigration reform. they also made their position quite clear, saying that, quote, title 42 is a public health measure not a immigration enforcement measure. and it should not be instead it indefinitely. since this has come down, there is already confusion around the border. immigrant advocates and groups have been disseminating information to migrants on both side of the border to try to convey what this means, which is ultimately that this public health authority that was invoked at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic will continue to remain in effect.
7:02 pm
meaning that officials can continue to expel migrants who they encounter at the u.s. mexico border. now -- legal alert, the attorney of the american civil liberties union said it is deeply disappointing. republicans on the other hand pleased with the order. l prevent a surge of migrants. but ultimately, the white house making it quite clear they will continue their preparations for the end of this authority whenever that may be, but alisyn. >> priscilla, thank you very much for that reporting. let's bring in ed herndon, cnn political analysis and local report at the new york times, paula gala, cnn political commentator democratic side -- scott jennings, and ron brownstein, senior political analyst and senior editor at the atlantic. thank you so much for being here. scott, i want to start with, you because last hour you are saying that you think the biden administration will close this whole thing up or not stress what's happening at the border happening in any effective way.
7:03 pm
what do you want president biden to do? again, the situation at the border appears to be so overrun so complicated, what today can present biden do? >> well, he said in his statement, and the white house is saying they think republicans should work with democrats. and i agree. and the republicans who just took over the u.s. house revealed a framework for immigration reform in december. it includes finishing the barrier system that started under trump that biden paused. recruiting and retaining our great border patrol agents. if you can't detain someone for the duration of their legal stay here, we should turn them away. asylum reform, targeting the cartels. there's an entire framework that republicans laid out just a couple of weeks ago that they plan to pursue. now, will the senate democrats pick up on that? with the biden white house pick up on that? i want to see joe biden put his money where his mouth is. he says he wants bipartisan cooperation, republicans have a plan, they laid it out. maybe that's a starting point. >> paul, what are the chances that the democrats will go
7:04 pm
along with -- ? >> well, democrats want a solution. they want to at least address the problem. republicans want chaos. they want chaos at the border because they believe it helps them politically. era since donald trump slither down the escalator, they've been demagoguing on immigration. and i think president biden executive branch have done everything they can. he's had even more agents, stop record numbers of fentanyl people. the courts are doing everything they can, in fact they're doing more than a constitutionally allowed to do. even justice gorsuch pointed that out today. they've gone beyond their role. congress has to fix this. the reason congress hasn't fix this is because the republicans don't want to help this. >> paul, i don't want to interrupt. i want to address what scott said. i know republicans always say democrats want this as a talking, point and republicans always say democrats know trump at the table. but what what what scott just said? they've laid out this plan. i don't think, will democrats go along with continuing a
7:05 pm
border wall? will they go along with everything that scott just said? >> they have -- the democrats have been working on this four-year. and it has been at every critical juncture the republicans that have tanked it. there are some republicans, it's not coming from what the can mccarthy that put out, it comes from the senate side, kyrsten sinema, who was a democrat. working with tom tillis of north carolina, republican. it's not comprehensive at all but. it's a good start here is what they could do. increased border patrol security. increasing pretty at the. border or form asylum. which is really where a lot of these folks are entering. and then clear a path to citizenship for these dreamers. it's not everything. but it's a good start. a lot of democrats, dick durbin, the number two democrat in the senate, and others have joined on to this. the only republican beside tell us who's i know is not in his roy blunt. and he's much retire in a few. days >> ron, you've seen this movie many times over. what are your thoughts tonight? >> there is no secret decoder
7:06 pm
ring here, alison. i've been covering this since the early 1990s as well. one 87. and the border is a problem that is at best managed, not solved. to get a better handle on it, the ingredients of a solution have been the same for 20 years. more money for border enforcement, and more money for the asylum system to clean up this huge backlog in asylum claims. some path to legal status for the people that were here illegally. and then, something that deals with the future flow of workers, after this previous decade, 2010 to 2020 was a small's population growth in american history, except for the depression. the senate passed that kind of package in 2006 on a bipartisan basis is with mitch mcconnell among those voting for, it under george w. bush, the senate passed that package against. similar in 2013, on a bipartisan basis under barack obama, with marco rubio, among
7:07 pm
others, voting for. it each time, the republican-controlled house would not take it up. and if we are going to find a true solution that more effectively controls the problem, those are the ingredients. it's not like a mystery or that there's a hidden answer. in fact, even when trump was president, the senate democrats offered him a deal to finish his border wall in return for legalization, and it ran aground when stephen miller and others in the white house demanded cuts in legal immigration, even amid the slowest population growth in any decade, except for the depression. so, you know, we're going to keep banging against each other, red states against the federal government, democrats against republicans, indefinitely until there is sort of an awareness that the only solution is one that is comprehensive. and you can only get there with both parties doing it. neither side can do this politically on their own. >> instead, a newcomer starts next week. i mean, just because something hasn't worked for decades doesn't mean that it won't work.
7:08 pm
is there any appetite for this? >> i, mean ron lays out the mountain of political will that would have to happen for this new congress to take this up. and that's because the distance between where the republican base is and where the democratic base on this issue are is massive. so, politically, there is just no real appetite yet to find that sense of common ground. the people we should, say that i hurt most for, that are the actual migrants involved with the kind of chaotic back and forth policy. but we can't -- this is a republican congress coming and that can agree on the speaker yet to paper over the divisions within their congress. with an issue like immigration, which not only has divisions among the republican caucus, but also among the democratic one, it is a real tough challenge to seek a path forward for this politically. i think back to the democratic primary years ago in 2020 to even nominate biden. and it's not as if those candidates were learning out affirmative immigration policies. to the folks on the panel, they
7:09 pm
have been running from this issue. and so, that is because there is not a real political will there to see much of anything about it. >> scott, i want to drill down on a couple of things that keep coming up that people offer as solutions. and you mentioned, it which is basically finishing a border wall. and democrats often talk about legal status for dreamers. how do either those solve the 1.6 million asylum applications that are pending right now, that are flooding the system? it's a seven time increase in asylum cases over 2012. three out of ten of them are children. let's start with yours, the border wall. how does that stop the influx of people that are coming from countries like nicaragua, with abject poverty and crime the? >> well, it doesn't fix the backlog in the system. what it does do, if you go ahead and complete the barriers, like arizona governor, outgoing governor doug doocy try to do, it does stop people from walking across the border. you had people coming into the
7:10 pm
united states across places like the yuma gap in arizona. so, that's one thing. and the other -- thing >> that's a big. problem and the other thing is the 1.6 million asylum applications that our system can't handle. >> i think they're all big problems. i think the backlog is a problem and i think the daily influx is a problem. and i do think fixing the dreamers situation is also a good thing to do. but that also does not address the people that are showing up every single day. so, it's a multifaceted issue here. and all those things, i think, wind up in the discussion around a possible deal, because it's what someone wants, and it's the most important thing for some political constituencies, so you wind up tacking it on. but it strikes me that the most important thing you can possibly do is stop the influx today, get a handle on what we have in terms of the backlog, and scott adding to it. and i think that's the fundamental disagreement between the parties. republicans want to put a stop to everyone coming in and being added to the asylum backlog.
7:11 pm
and others say just do it faster. and that's a huge gap between the two parties. >> paul, scott is saying that a wallet. help wasn't there a time that democrats supported a wall? >> oh, a wall makes sense in some places. it's ironic. and others, that's what mr. trump in understanding of donald trump. but scott, rather, not quite right about this. i don't want to be mean. but the wall doesn't stop an asylum seeker. i silence here is somebody who has, who claims a well founded fear of persecution. so she presents herself to the border patrol. she's not trying to avoid anything. she's not stopping a wall. she's going to the gate. she's going to the border patrol and saying here i am, take me in. and these are people fearing murderous communist dictatorships. they're fleeing narco trafficking gangs have taken over in various areas of central america. the kind of folks, i mean, you'd have to shoot me if it was the only way to feed my
7:12 pm
family, to protect my children for these gangs are these communist dictators. so fundamentally, we have to have security at the border. by the way, liberals have to say that. join me, liberals. we have to secure the border. now, conservatives have to admit that america needs immigrants. and we cannot turn away, we're not going to rip children from the parents did anymore, the way mr. trump did, and we cannot turn away people who are gonna get shot if they did, either by communist dictators or -- >> i hear you, paul. but let's be honest. and i think scott's point is of the 1.6 million asylum applications pending, not all of them will be legitimate asylum seekers. >> that's right. >> but the problem the glut -- and i mean, obviously people who are streaming here from cuba and venezuela have a lot to be afraid of. that we cannot process that. we don't know if all 1.6 million are legitimate. and by the way, we might not know for years. because of the backlog, it's taking like four and a half years to process some of this. >> okay.
7:13 pm
>> that's a four, five year. and a wall won't fix that. more asylum judges will. faster adjudication. maybe even change the standards. right now, the stands for decades has been, to have a well founded fear of persecution? and that's always been a pretty sensible standard for america. if we are being overwhelmed -- congress has to change that. joe biden can change it. and the supreme court can change it. this room court has to write a new law if they want to new law. but >> paul, i'll give you the last word, as -- was saying, he doesn't know if this will have any appetite. >> alisyn, look, the political logic is that all of these things have to be done. and maybe even all them will not be sufficient to fully control the challenge of the border. but the only way to do it, as john mccain and ted kennedy recognize in 2006, and the gang of 13 recognized in 2013, gang of eight, 2013, is for both parties to join hands and do it together. because neither side can work
7:14 pm
through the coalition politics to do everything that has to be done if they have to do it alone. mitch mcconnell once voted for that. marco rubio once path -- voted for. that oren hatch, chuck grassley once voted for that. and it is a way forward other than just pointing fingers at red states, and stunts like transporting migrants in the middle the night, and 20 lawsuits by -- tying biden's hands on trump's policies. that is the way to move forward. there's not a secret decoder ring. we've seen the roadmap before. it's just a question of political will to move in that direction. >> okay gentlemen, stick around. i am more questions for you on other topics. as a lot is happening tonight, such as documents burned in a fireplace. he won on top, and why one witness thought he was threatened by president trump. more resolutions tonight from the january 6th revelations. . that is next. yes.
7:15 pm
7:16 pm
subject 1: on christmas day, we were in the hospital. it was her first christmas. it was our first christmas being parents. i didn't know a lot about brain tumors, and what i had heard wasn't good. i certainly never dreamed that i would be fighting for her life. narrator: families never receive a bill from st. jude for treatment, travel, housing, or food, so they can focus on helping their child live.
7:17 pm
you can make a difference. please become a st jude partner in hope right now. subject 1: my dreams are to watch her grow up. subject 2: you going to do that one all by yourself? good job. subject 1: go! if we didn't come to st jude, i really feel that felicity wouldn't be with us. narrator: please go online right now and become a st jude partner in hope today. (swords clashing) -had enough? -no... arthritis. here. aspercreme arthritis. full prescription-strength? reduces inflammation? thank the gods. don't thank them too soon. kick pain in the aspercreme. >> the january six committee releasing more transcripts tonight of key witness
7:18 pm
interviews, including one white house aide described how trump's former chief of staff would burn documents in the white house. and may have kept some oval office meetings off the books after the 2020 election. we are back with astead herndon, scott jennings, paul begala, and ron brownstein. but astead, burning documents in the white house, i don't think that sounds good. and that's and that's kept city hutchison saying she saw mark meadows do that dozens of times. >> dozens of, times maybe once or twice a week. when you look through the scope of the transcripts released today you see this kind of movie asked playing out dramatic drama, burn documents, dueling loyalties. you also see hutchison talk about how far reaching conspiracy had become in the white house. they mentioned the involvement of congresswoman marjorie taylor greene, and possibly talking about qanon. it shows the scope of just how much kind of chaos and really
7:19 pm
kind of below the seal of president the conversation and become at that time. but also at this point expected, because so much information had come out from this point of the january 6th committee. we know this about the former president. it remains shocking nonetheless. >> because paul, the qanon. stuff it never does not shock, frankly. marjorie taylor greene, went into the white house and here is the testimony from the new transcript. miss greene came up and came talking to us, this is from cassidy hutchinson, and qanon, and qanon going to the rally on january 6th. and she had a lot of constituents there that are qanon. and they will all be there. and she was showing pictures of them, traveling up to washington, d.c., for the rally on the stick. and peter navarro all used to bring crazy qanon theories and handoff to the president and the vice president. that's how close it was -- qanon was basically in the white house, paul. >> and why? not because of mark meadows.
7:20 pm
not because of marjorie taylor greene. not because of peter navarro. because of donald j trump. he is unique and distinct threat to the constitution. this could've never happen. scott jennings worked for president bush. i work for president clinton. it could've never happen in either party for any president in our lifetime. so, the solution is pretty clear. and that is jamie raskin, who's a member of the january 6th committee and a constitutional law professor before he became a congressman points out that section three of the 14th amendment allows we the people to ban someone who is committed insurrection against our country. or try to undermine the free, in this case, the peaceful transfer of power, to ever hold office again. that is what they should've done when he was up for impeachment, especially after january 6th, ten votes short. but this is what has to happen. either we the people have to vote him out anytime he tries to run again, and or he has to be as liz cheney says, kept more than 100 miles from that
7:21 pm
oval office. but this is -- we all focus on all these other characters. but this is about the organ grinder, now the monkey. >> scott, there is more tonight. and that is how brad raffensperger felt about that phone call in which president trump said he just needs to find 11,780 votes. so, brad raffensperger says he was alleging, really accusing us of doing something illegal, something criminal. but i knew we follow the law. it was a hollow threat, but it was, i feel, a threat. your thoughts on that? >> yeah, that one stuck out to me. because it strikes me that's gonna be a key issue for the district attorney in atlanta who still looking at bringing charges against donald trump. you know, this phone call is the one place in this entire ordeal where you actually have donald trump's voice on a, you know, in a meeting trying to do something nefarious. and if raffensperger says he felt like he was being personally threatened, it strikes me that's a pretty big
7:22 pm
moment. if you're gonna take somebody to trial over, this i would suspect it be a huge piece the evidence. >> yeah, ron, for somebody who felt personally threatened, he really held his ground, you know. he kept -- as you will remember from that phone call, he was saying the problem mister president is basically the facts are not on your side. >> yeah, raffensperger's testimony, i read through it, it was incredibly revealing on several fronts. one it joins all of the other evidence that shows how often trump was told that what he was saying was false and made up. i mean, it wasn't like trump did you not yet clear former president, former president did not get clear indications that he was lying and he was spreading lies. and legal analysts will tell you that was very important in terms of establishing his state of mind. but there is also a moment in the testimony where raffensperger gave perhaps the most pointed, concise testimony on how donald trump operates. at one point, he said that
7:23 pm
trump has basically learned the lesson in life that if you intimidate people, he disparage them, you make up things about them, you get what you want. and there is the quote. and that in some ways is the summation of all of these thousands of pages. i would defer with paul only in one respect. trump was certainly the driving force behind all of this. but he could not have done it alone. there are dozens, really even hundreds of local elected officials and members of congress who supported him in various ways in trying to overturn the election. the committee chose not to really stress that, like biden in 20, they chose to present trump as a unique threat. but the question is whether there's gonna be accountability for the others willingly enlisted in this crusade. i think it's one that's left very much open even after the filing of this final report. >> scott, what do you think the doj is going to do? >> oh, i get the feeling he is gonna be indicted. i mean, they've come a long way. we've got a lot of information. they also have the parallel
7:24 pm
mar-a-lago issue going on, raided his house. i mean, to not do anything at this point strikes me as really unlikely. on the point paul made about the 14th amendment, or defeating trump in an election, it strikes me that the way to banish him from the political process with the voters to actually do it. and i think republicans are on their way to doing that. it strikes me that the party is ready to move on. they don't want to do this a third time. this is the point of primaries, to determine the election of your political party. and i think republicans are on the path to get this done. i think doing it by other means will leave the possibility open that, i would've come back if they only let me run again. i think this is for the voters and the actual republicans do this draw this time. >> okay, we shall see. gentlemen, thank you very much for all of that. so, it just keeps getting worse and worse in buffalo. the death toll has gone up again. and residents of course are still trying to dig out. now there's fears of flooding coming at the end of this week
7:25 pm
because temperatures will rise by nine. so we will get away from a buffalo official of what's happening this hour, next. so aaron's folks couldld help hook him up with a new ride. we'll drive you happy at carvana.
7:26 pm
every day, more dog people are deciding it's time for a fresh approach to pet food. developed with vets. made from real meat and veggies. portioned for your dog. and delivered right to your door. it's smarter, healthier pet food. hearing aids that i can personalize to each ear right from here. brilliant.
7:27 pm
7:28 pm
>> the extreme winter weather this past week is now responsible for 56 deaths nationwide. 31 of those deaths alone in erie county, new york. that's the home to buffalo. take a look at this. a state police forklift free cars and trucks from the snow and the ice there. it was battered by more than four feet of snow in the blizzard. and of course, the danger is not over there. you can see that, there's just
7:29 pm
so many accidents. with us right now is mitch noah cow ski. he's city council member in buffalo. councilman, thank you so much for being here with us tonight. so, tell us what's the status in buffalo? what is your biggest need tonight? >> yeah, it's been five days of really advanced disaster that hit the city of buffalo and western new york. and it's actually claimed 33 lives of buffalo residents and western new yorkers. we're expecting that number to rise as we dig ourselves out of this situation. but we are making progress. and i want to be able to articulate that this evening, at the height of the blizzard, we had 30,000 residents that were all power. and as of just a few moments ago, we're down to just 485 residents. but i really want folks to know that numbers sometimes can be sanitized. and that numbers, 485 people
7:30 pm
are 485 people that need auction, need cpap machine, need machinery for dialysis, need to charge their wheelchairs, you name it. so restoring power to these homes is absolutely critical in the response to residents. >> i'm so glad you brought that home for us, because it's not just sitting in the dark. it is life and death stuff. so, we thought the death toll in your area in erie county with 31. are you saying that it's now tonight 32 or 33? >> yeah, almost 33. to confirm, yeah. >> and basically, the way that breaks down is we have one death from an ems delay, three from shoveling, three trapped in a vehicle, seven from lack of heat, and then 17 people were found outside. do you know anything about these cases? where these people that were trying to get somewhere, to shelter or help? >> one of the incidences was
7:31 pm
actually my neighbor four door down for me. that neighbor was found yesterday with his family under a snow pile. it's been catastrophic to see the human impact this is having. but this also, you know, we don't know just yet because we don't want to speculate. but it could be folks that were driving during a travel ban where white house conditions, where maybe somebody was driving. that's why having a travel ban is so critically important. and so important for people to adhere to it. and our county executive has urged governor kathy hochul to bring in state troopers to do traffic control in the city of buffalo, so that we can do snow removal appropriately and quickly because of the life and death happenings that could potentially happen. and i also want to just stress that what we are facing in the city of buffalo is different from snow removal to just snow
7:32 pm
plowing. we need to snow remove, meaning we need equipment where there is one truck driving another forklift putting the snow into the truck and then removing it from the street. because we have old historic dance one way streets, and very dense neighborhoods. and we don't have anywhere to put it. which leads to, with temperatures rising, a potential of flooding and neighborhoods. >> yeah, no, we've heard. that your so far from being out of the woods in terms of the weather. because you think that it is godsend that things are going to melt soon. but it could be really catastrophic flooding. but when you talk about your neighbor who died four houses down from you, he was found in a snowbank with his family? or do you know any more of the circumstances? >> no, a another neighbor had discovered the body and had called the authorities. and it just so happened that his family had come out when neighbors had heard about this.
7:33 pm
and unfortunately, had to identify the body there. >> gosh, that's so awful. i mean, as we said, there is 30, you said 33 of those experiences. everyone has just a horror story. we've heard so many people who got stuck and thought they were going to die. and so, what is being done? when you say you are looking for a place to put all of the snow, what's the solution to that tonight? >> yeah, it's really working hard with the p w. to make sure that we have locations to properly move snow. i have a few in my district that i have identified two properly removed because they are far away from residences. in cities there's high density in some neighborhoods, low density in some of them. so it's really identifying those spots to appropriately remove them. because you know, if we build a snowbank that's ten feet, high it can really hinder visibility for vehicular traffic. so, what is happening now is
7:34 pm
the department of public works is doing a great job in identifying locations, safe locations to pile all of the snow. >> councilman, i really appreciate you coming on. mr. nowakowski, thank you so much for telling us what's happening in buffalo. take care of yourself, and we will check back with you. as we've heard, there are heroes in this disaster, like shaquille jones, who helped save a baby boy in buffalo who relies on a ventilator which failed 12 hours after the power went out. shaquille is with us tonight, along with the little boy's mother and her husband michael brown, who asked for help on facebook. so guys, thank you so much for being here. first let's just start. how is your baby doing? >> he is doing amazing, thank you so much. >> well, shaquille, i hope you heard that. and i hope you take some pride that the baby is doing well. but first, let me rewind the tape. so shaquille, first in the
7:35 pm
snowstorm, you yourself were trapped in a car. is that right? >> yes, i was trapped in a car with my family for 18 hours. but >> and what was happening during those 18 hours? but >> we were calling the police to get help and they were saying they were coming, there were coming, they are coming. and at the last moment, when the snow was up to our windows in the truck, but at that moment we had to make a decision, either we were going to live or die. and we called them again. and finally they told us, we are not coming. that's what they told me. >> i did you think you are going to die at that point? >> yes, yes. my mother, myself, and i, my sister, my two nieces were in
7:36 pm
the car. my sister had a broken leg with crutches. so we actually had to climb out the window and walk in a lot of snow, minus 17-degree weather, 80 miles per hour for about 20 minutes. by the time we got to the hospital, i could not feel my legs, my fingers. we had frostbite. and a doctor said maybe a now minute or so, we probably would have died, yes. >> shaquille, that is an incredible story. and yet with all of that, with your near death experience, you then decided to go back out into the storm and help people, is that what happened? >> yes, that is correct. after i figure that god gave me another chance at life but, i have to try to save others. but because the police and --
7:37 pm
they told me they were not coming. second only match when they told others. so yes, i was -- i went home and a guy came and saved me. and i went home, and i told my family unfortunately i am going back out. i went back out, and i have been out for four days straight ever since then. and i have helped maybe over 500 to 1000 people. >> this is incredible. i mean, it's just astonishing what you have been doing, what you have been able to do during this. and when the people that you save, as we mentioned, is shaky to and her son. tell us the situation happening in your house when the storm is hitting. >> well on friday morning at 11 a.m., our car went out. as you guy know, major is on a ventilator. [inaudible] so is approximately 12 hours until around 11:00 friday
7:38 pm
night. his ventilator died. and that's when i got on social. media i had already been calling 9-1-1, fire departments, everyone at 11 a.m.. national grid. at 11 a.m., just to let them know we cannot go without power. so, i was calling everyone. they kept saying they were going to send ambulances. so, i had no choice but to turn to social media for help. a lot of my staff went viral. the police actually went viral because my staff went viral. and so many people were calling for me. when i started calling, back they actually started telling me that i was from facebook. >> oh my gosh, so you put it out. what was the message that you put out? what was the message that everybody responded? to what did you say? >> i said we have no power. and i have a baby on a ventilator. and it went from there. >> and shaquille, did you see
7:39 pm
that message? >> yes, i did. and once i did see it, i dropped everything i had going and i rush right to her. >> and when you got there, what did you find? >> on my way up the hill, the guy coming from her house, and he said that she did not need help. and in my mind, something said that cannot be right. that that is not right. so, i walked through maybe six or seven feet of snow. and i got to the front door and i said, i'm here. do you need help? and she said yes, please. and i'm guessing the other guys did not have the right equipment. he went right into use a sleigh to get a baby on a ventilator. to the hospital. and that was not going to work. so i was in about three trucks.
7:40 pm
and with the help of my friends and other people that showed up after i was there, we were able to get her out and get her to my vehicle and rusher to electricity, while i am pumping the baby through the snow. as i am doing that, i'm trying to do this at the right speed so the baby won't take more breath than it has to. so, he won't cough and stop breathing. it was something i have never ever imagined doing in my entire life. >> yeah, it sounds very intense. what do you want to say to shaquille? >> i just want to thank him. i have already told him he was my angel, after so many hours of begging, we were so tired, we were called. he was our lifesaver from god. and we want to thank. i'm >> that's a beautiful story, you.
7:41 pm
guys it was a really inspirational story on christmas week to hear about this. shaquille, we all need a shaquille in our neighborhoods to just be at the ready in case any of us need help. so, thank you all really very much for sharing the story with us. and we are so glad that the baby is safe tonight. thank you for being here. >> thank you. >> wow. >> meanwhile, congressman elect george santos, who claimed he never said he was jewish, he said he was due itch, is making things even worse for himself. in the heated interview tonight will tell you what he's saying now. any ququestions, chris? all good, thanks mauaura! healthier is managing all your family's prescriptions in one app.
7:42 pm
before we begin, i'd like to thank our sponsor, liberty mutual. they customize your car insurance, so you only pay for what you need. and by switching, you could even save $652. thank you, liberty mutual. now, contestants ready? go! why? why? only pay for what you need.
7:43 pm
♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty.♪
7:44 pm
>> gop congressman elect george santos now admitting to lying about everything from his work experience to his education to his religion. democrats are calling for an investigation. but on the right, silence from republican leadership. santos says he does not plan to step down. and tonight, he directly addressed his now debunked claim that he has jewish heritage. >> my heritage is jewish.
7:45 pm
i've always identified as jewish. i was raised a practicing catholic. i've gone through, this even not being raised a practicing, jew i've always joked with friends in circles, even in the campaign, i would say i'm jew-ish, remember, i was raised catholic. >> i'm even more confused. back with us is astead herndon, scott jennings, ron brownstein, norm eisen. but astead, where does this go? where -- what happens when he gets to congress? will he be able to serve his full term, even though he lied to voters? >> it seems as if it this way because this is an unprecedented situation. from parties to media, i want to shout out my time's colleagues that have led on the story. everything about his history, his identity, his biography seems to be a lie. it stretches from the kind of funny small lies, something that would seem kind of just like normal political embellishment, to think that -- his campaign promise, his
7:46 pm
so-called jewish identity which has turned out to be a falsehood. there is nothing about him that seems to be true at this. point but there is not really a recourse or a precedent for that, steps going forward. republicans have not responded to democratic calls to really step up on this. and i really don't have an incentive to at this point, unless the republican voters start turning. we're still in the early stages of this crisis. >> scott, what should republicans do about this? >> well, i think he is probably going to take office. and immediately, he should be referred to the ethics committee. i think there can be financial filings that can be looked into. but i think what we had to have here, to restore some integrity to the political process, as a bipartisan condemnation of people who make up out of whole cloth their entire life story. imagine someone who, i don't know, claims to have been raised in a puerto rican community, appointed to the naval academy, arrested with nelson mandela, finished at the top of the law school class when in fact you failed and was at the bottom of the class. claim your civil rights activists, a lightning strike,
7:47 pm
imagine if someone like that said, i don't know, we'll send him to the presidency. because that is what has happened. you've got a president who has made up huge chunks of his life story, just like santos. and the people who are mad about santos -- by the way, i'm mad about. it because it makes republicans look bad. seem to have no care that the president has done the same thing. >> ron, your thoughts on that? >> yeah, well, look, i think the main thing here is that it reminds me of the most famous literary put down in history, amber mccarthy said every thing she ever wrote was a lie, including the words and and the. so my opinion is that we're not done with the misleading and false statements. and there is the possibility that where he got his money from, whether it went to his campaign, whether he was inaccurate on his financial disclosures. those are crimes. norm can explain that better than i. it's not just an ethics issue, there may be a legal exposure there. joe biden has, you know, has
7:48 pm
certainly got his share of biographical and other details wrong over the years. but i do not think there is anything quite as concentrated that we've seen like this, maybe other than what maria mccarthy said. >> norm, is this illegal? are there not laws? what is the recourse for this? >> there are serious legal questions, alisyn he. we'll see what the answers are. i suspect he will be investigated. you have somebody who lied about his biography, he lied about his income, he lied about his jobs, he lied about his family being in the holocaust, that was particularly offensive to me, as the child of holocaust survivors, what an insult. but when you lie about over $700, 000, if he did, and you file forms with congress and with the federal election commission, if those numbers
7:49 pm
also have any element of fabrication to them, yes, there are potential federal crimes. there are state crimes, i think, and there is the house ethics committee. so i think a rioting of people are gonna say, hey, are those financial figures also? we don't know the answers yet, but, boy there is not a lot of reason to trust what he has put down on those forms. >> i think we can all agree this is not over yet. gentlemen, thank you very much. next, miami's quarterback is in the nfl's concussion protocol for the second time this week. so, who is supposed to be protecting the players? why does this keep happening? that is next. since i won't be with him for christmas. it was the best gift thahat i ever received, because it opened up my life. unwrap your family story, with ancestrydna.
7:50 pm
someone who cares about other people and gives of themselves to help others who can't always help themselves. those are true heroes. and for a kid like me, whose had 13 operations and can now walk, you might think that i'd say my hero is my doctor or nurse, or even my physical therapist. and they are. but there's someone else who's a hero to me. and 1.5 million other kids and counting. it's someone who gives up themselves so that others will get the help they need. who is it? well, you may be surprised, but my hero is you. you, you, you. you. you. you.
7:51 pm
is people just like you, who give every month to shriners hospitals for children that make this specialized care so many kids need possible. when you call this special number with your monthly gift, you're making a difference in the lives of thousands of kids every day. that sounds like a hero to me. and because of heroes like you, i can do things now that were impossible before. i can ride my bike. i can play basketball. yeah! and i can walk! all this is made possible because of heroes like you who go online to loveshriners.org right now and say yes with your monthly support. when you do, we'll send you this adorable love to the rescue blanket as a thank you, and a reminder of all the kids whose hero you are each and every month. thank you, your support has changed our lives. thank you. thank you. gracias.
7:52 pm
thank you for being my hero. please call now. if operators are busy, please call again, or go to loveshriners.org right away. the world could use some more heroes, and your call will make a difference. thank you for being our hero! (swords clashing) -had enough? -no... arthritis. here. aspercreme arthritis. full prescription-strength? reduces inflammation? thank the gods. don't thank them too soon. kick pain in the aspercreme. >> a star quarterback is recovering from a second health scare in three months. tua tagovailoa of the dolphins has been placed in the nfl's concussion protocol again. this time after playing an entire game on sunday raising new concerns about the league's safety measures.
7:53 pm
now in september the quarterback was sacked in the game against the cincinnati bengals. he ended up lying motionless on the field before being taken away by a structure. i am joined now by cnn sports analyst christine brennan. it is great to have both of you here. when you watched that game and when you saw what was happening with tua could you tell that something was wrong? what are your thoughts tonight? >> the past game he just played, you really cannot tell because you don't know. unless you see some physical glazed over eyes, or a stumbling you do not know when a person is suffering from head trauma. but the first game that this all started, the game he had against buffalo which was a big time divisional game earlier in the year, when he slammed his head against the corona no one took him out of the game, and they allowed him to come back
7:54 pm
the second, top that was my biggest problem. because four days later we all witnessed on thursday night football him playing against the bengals and those horrific images of him laying there motionless with his fingers contorted. that is the image that will resonate in people's minds, and viewers and fans minds for a long time. so now, to have this happening, it sounds like a compound situation to where some guys respond differently to concussions. some guys can get a concussion and then move on and be fine, and others, similar to tua, have lingering, long lasting effects. >> christina, should he have been playing, still? >> you know, i think that they should shut him down for the rest of the season. it is a key moment in the season obviously, you want your star quarterback. but he's 24 years old, as you know, and he has got his entire life ahead of him. and his brain, and what can
7:55 pm
happen as we have seen in the nfl, it is so important up a couple football games would seem meaningless by comparison. but i think that what everyone was saying that of course, it is correct. there is a history here. this entire season, it seems like from september now to december, we are talking about tua, and head trauma. potential head trauma. he has not been in the concussion called twice. this is incredibly troublesome. and i am wondering why the dolphins staff, when they saw that hard hit, with an army of assistant coaches in the sideline, everyone is watching every moment, is there no one going wait a minute, we just saw him hit his head hard, even if he's looking okay we know what happened in september. why are we not more concerned, and why did it take a full day before the world started to hear about this, and before he started feeling comfortable enough? >> do we know the answer to that question that you just
7:56 pm
posed, why they were not moving with more help? >> the coach of the team says that he cares very much and that he didn't notice anything at that point. obviously they said they didn't notice anything. even the nfl experts are saying that at that moment there was nothing to alarm them. and i guess i would look at the rest of the season and say use your brains, we know this problem, we know from the movie this has been a decade of conversation at least in the nfl, the tragedy of the loss of life. their brain is so damaged that they have killed themselves. and maybe the, you should err on the side of caution. i think they thought things were okay, but obviously many of us would say that that was the wrong decision to make. >> what do you think about safety protocols, does anything need to be changed? >> when you are in the thick of,
7:57 pm
it when you are playing as a player, there is nothing that you want more than to be there for your team, especially playing a quarterback position. you never want to let them down. every game in something, especially for the miami dolphins, and any other team in the playoff race. 18 that has been a line to not have the success that they wanted. they finally found their quarterback of the future and he wants to play. the problem is that sometimes you have to protect the players for themselves. there is a lot of money involved here. we are talking about playoff games, playoff tickets, positioning, bonuses, all of these things are in play and if you are not really looking, then you will not see the symptoms either. you will not see the red flags, and maybe want to step in. you have to really be looking. that is what the independent neurologist it is for, the nfl has brought in. but we have seen that position fail tua in particular before. >> gosh, you make such a great
7:58 pm
point about all of the disincentives for actually saying something is wrong. ,,. >> absolutely. >> our coverage continues.
7:59 pm
8:00 pm

213 Views

info Stream Only

Uploaded by TV Archive on