filling out the roster. the president- elect building his team. we just learned an

immigration immigration hard- liner is expected to take on a critical white house role. the same hard- liner weeks ago said america is for americans and americans only. plus, an israeli official saying trump's victory brings an important opportunity for israel. that official now pushing for the annexation of settlements in the israeli- occupied west bank. and after a record- breaking hot year the biden administration is racing to trump- proof climate policy. following these major developing stories and many more coming in here at "cnn news central." president- elect donald trump wasting no time picking key players to drastically overall the u.s. government. we're told in the coming days trump is expected to announce stephen miller as his deputy chief of staff for policy. miller is currently trump's top immigration advisor and the lead architect of the plan to deport

millions of undocumented immigrants. >> this follows the president- elect picking his former acting director of immigration and customs enforcement tom homan as his new border czar as well as naming close ally new york congresswoman elise stan faske as pick for u.n. ambassador. live to west palm beach near mar-a- lago and jockeying for positions in trump's new administration continues. what more are you learning from the new pick for deputy chief of staff? >> reporter: well, stephen miller will have a major role in this second term. going to be deputy chief of staff for policy. i'm told his title kind of underplays the amount of influence he is going to have in a second trump term. you're right. lead architect of donald trump's plans for mass deportation of undocumented immigrants and also has always been a hard- line immigration enforcer, and i think he's going to really

be leading a lot of the immigration policies from the white house. i think there's a lot of questions over who is going to serve as donald trump's secretary of hokeland security. with tom homan, former acting head of i.c.e. and stephen miller being given these roles, it should es how centralized a lot of that policy will be from with the white house. one key thing i found interesting. one both men have been loyal to donald trump and remained loyal to him ever since he departed the white house. even as others were distancing themselves from the former president. these two have remained by him. also both contributed to project 2025. something donald trump consistently distinted himself from. my conversations with trump advisor, they will likely use some of the heritage foundation's big roster of names to fill lower- level roles in an upcoming white house without getting into project 2025. >> what can you tell us about elon musk's influence on

the trump transition right now, alayna? given seen at mar-a-lago almost every day since the election? >> reporter: i mean, elon musk has a great amount of influence with donald trump. yes, exactly right. he's been at mar-a- lago almost every day. his kids as well as donald trump's grandkids have been seen together. donald trump actually gave elon musk's kids a tour of mar-a-lago the day after the election, and he's also been in the room for a number of very important calls. some of the foreign leaders have been calling donald trump. elon musk was already in the room including the ukraine president volodymyr zelenskyy. also i'm told that a number of lawmakers have been calling up elon musk and he as well has been making calls to donald trump's allies and people in congress. all of this coming, of course, as we see in the senate this really intensifying leadership fight among who's going to replace mitch mcconnell once he departs. we saw elon musk weigh in

over the weekend and back senator rick scott. someone that many other people on the right are doing as well. supporters of donald trump. he's starting to wade into politics. not just going on with donald trump's transition and at mar-a- lago also what's happening back in washington. so i think his role, whatever role elon musk has in a second trump term will be interesting and i know while expected to wield influence in the second trump term he's not currently slated for a pacific position as well as definitely not going to be a cabinet secretary, we're told. >> fascinating to see that play out. thank you so much from west palm. you heard, musk is weighing in on the senate leadership race. the wealthiest man in the world endorsing the wealthiest sitting senator for that powerful post. republican rick scott of florida. >> joining us now is cnn's manu raju anchor of cnn "inside politics sunday. "

what do we know about what trump himself wants for the person fulfilling this incredibly influential role? >> reporter: yeah. a consequential role in washington. someone who sets the agenda for the senate. who could drive the party's strategy, in charge of trying to retain the senate republican majority. right now stand with 52 seats. they could potentially add 53 at the moment. right now trump hasn't endorsed any of the three candidates. john thune, john cornyn, and centered around rick scott. someone with support, you mentioned, from elon musk and some folks in the maga world but still seen as an underdog. it's been a long- shot candidate at the moment. what trump made is, have the next senate majority leader essentially short- circuit the senate confirmation process allowing him to install cabinet nominees without confirmation notes. known as recess appointments.

something really not done really since before 2007. even before that, very controversial. sna senate majority took procedural step from this process. after trump made that public call all three candidates said they were supportive of donald trump doing this. doesn't mean these candidates have already been in- line with donald trump. john cornyn has raised concerns about donald trump. i asked them about all of these issues in the years since donald trump left office. here's some of what they've said, just last year. >> you have to appeal to a broader segment of the population in a general election, and president trump seems to have the loyal support in the primary, but not so much in a general election. >> i think people in this country are ready for generational change.

and i think change in tone in politics. an exhaustion factor, fatigue factor with the american people, and always a lot of drama around the former president. >> reporter: now, things have changed in recent months. in fact, after the new hampshire primary cornyn endorsed donald trump for president. thune endorsed senator tim scott in the republican presidential nominating contest. you see on your screen a tweet cornyn put out in the heat of this fall campaign. cornyn actually was in austin, text, waiting for trump to come tape his podcast with joe rogan, there's cornyn onboard trump's plane saying glad to welcome you, mr. president trump to texas. cornyn himself and thune both tried to align themselves more with donald trump in recent months and perhaps that will pay off if donald trump decides to hold off and not endorse anybody in the contest but endorse them before this key vote wednesday. >> thank you so much for the

update. let's discuss with cnn senior political analyst mark preston and gloria borger. glad to have you. first, ask you about elon musk and influence over a second trump administration. posted up at mar-a- lago since the election but not taking on an official role. what do you make of that? >> if i was him i wouldn't take on an official role. all you need is have donald trump's ear we've seen covering him in his first term. all you need the last person to get to him in his ear. that's not just a donald trump problem. a lot of politicians are that way. listen to different people and the one they listen to last persuades them. because of muskal wealth and global power, but not just musk that has his ear. likes of charlie kirk. likes of tucker carlson. bobby kennedy jr. , when it comes to, you know -- to the health system in the u.s. so clearly donald trump

is hearing from a lot of people that traditionally wouldn't normally be involvedals in these transitions. >> musk is becoming, like, first buddy. you know? he's hanging around. foreign leaders call. trump puts him on the phone with him. brings his family to mar-a-lago. doesn't want a job. right? in a funny way donald trump is sort of in awe of elon musk because he's so rich and wealthy. don't forget, conflicts that he does billions of dollars of business with the united states government. that could eventually become an issue. you know? at this point they're just hanging out at mar-a-lago. weighing in on serious policy issues, that's something different. >> two big very personalities and i wonder if there's room for both of them. >> meaning when is the honeymoon over? might be my question. we'll see, is the answer. i wonder, gloria, how you're

looking at his this race for senate majority leader? such a consequential position and what trump made clear, he really wants someone who's going to do his bidding. you see these guys kind of lining up at least making overtures like they're going to with this recess appointing thing. rick scott. dark horse candidate jn got maga behind him. could that make a difference. >> maga world i think is trying to convince donald trump to be for rick scott. i think that's what's going . i agree with manu. he's the underdog. he's not that well liked. hasn't raised a lot of money for these republicans. they don't like the way he commanded the senate campaign committee in 2022. and, you know, this is a, a secret ballot. so no one will ever know how any of these folks voted. it's very intraramural. you know? it's not a public thing, and as much as they want to lobby, a lot of these folks have

already committed to other candidates. so, you know. if trump weighs in it will be, you know -- it will be important, but i'm not so sure it's going to be positive. hard to say. >> it is a test, an early test, of trump's influence on congress that is now more to his liking than it was the first time elected? >> certainly it will -- the outcome, if he is to weigh in will certainly give us a lot to think about, because it will show us how the next six, you know, to 12 months are going to be. remember, everyone is talking about donald trump having a mandate, mandate, mandate. he has support of the american people and everyone forget he's a lame duck once sworn in. two years to get everything done. talking about getting cabinet secretaries in, do this and do that he has a short playing field to actually get it all done. that's the reality. >> what stands out most in his appointments right now, gloria?

>> these are people well known to him. he came in in 2016. he was getting a lot of advice. appointing people that he was casting his cabinet. they had to look a certain way. i think the difference now is that he knows these people. he knows stephen miller. he knows tom homan who worked for him before. both worked for him before. knows susie wiles. she ran his campaign and he came out and said, no haley and no pompeo. knows them and doesn't think they were particularly loyal to him. so off the books. so this is very, very different. he's picking his loyalists, and he knows who they are. >> a couple things, too. i'm told, and as we're seeing these names dribble out. big names, but as gloria says, extremely experienced. day one can hit the ground. not pulling a ceo out of silicon valley necessarily and dropping them into washington ,

x, or whoever. mike waltz, former green beret seen at mar-a-lago. name mentioned at defense secretary. interesting to see if that meeting has happened and lee zeldin, former congressman from new york who also ran an incredible gubernatorial campaign is being mentioned for the department of education. he has also been seen down there. >> who hasn't been seen down there? >> sitting here with them. >> come to our patios. >> okay! >> for drinks? >> i'm make you a drink. >> lounge out. >> i got nothing. good company. gloria, mark, thank you. breaking news into cnn. a verdict in the delphi double murder trial of richard allen. >> accused of killing two teen amped girls leaving their bodies near a hiking path in the small town of delphi, indiana several years ago.

jean casarez joins us now. what are re learning? >> reporter: there is one. you confirmed yourself. the fact is, it has not been read yet. we are waiting. everyone is assembled in the courtroom. it's a matter when the verdict will be read. in this case, a tough one, because the jury deliberated many hours. 14 hours saturday. all day today until about 1:30 and obviously went through the evidence. there is no dna at all that is linking richard allen, the defendant, to the crime. no dna from him on the victims when they searched his home there was no dna found in the home that linked him to the victims. there is no murder weapon. now, these girls, their throats were slit and the forensic pathologist believed it was either a serrated blade and a straight blade, one or the other, or both of them. and none of those instruments were found. there is also the issue of

eyewitness testimony. none of the i witnesses in the courtroom that were at the trails that day, that afternoon in february 2017, they said, testified they saw bridge man but were never asked, was bridge man, and that's the man that was on the bridge seemingly close to the girls, liberty german, one of the victims, her phone, she recorded this man, and it's believed minutes later they were murdered. no eyewitness in the courtroom said that was richard ale len. the man i see in the courtroom is the man i saw on the bridge that day. but here what they do have. richard allen placed himself on the trails that day, in that afternoon. he went to law enforcement shortly after the bodies were found and said i just wanted to let you know i was out there. i didn't see them. but i was there and then furthermore, what the prosecutors have are confessions. when in solitary confinement according to

prosecutors, he confessed over 60 times. but the defense is saying false confessions. insolitary -- and at the time he was diagnosed to be psychotic and so you've got a difficult case and we'll find out soon if the jury believed beyond a reasonable doubt that this is the man that killed those beautiful 13 and 14-year- olds, liberty german and abigail williams. >> and jeanne, how long has the jury had the case? how long in deliberations? >> 14 hours as of end of saturday. they're sequestered from an outlying county in indiana, where the jury comes from because delphi is less than 3,000 people. 14 hours plus today. so a little -- about 20 hours they've been deliberating. so it's taken a while, but this difficult case. jean

kasaurus, thank you so much. still ahead this hour on "cnn news central." mass deportations. following major developments in the war between israel and hamas. we head live to tel aviv and following breaking news out of haiti's capital. a spirit airlines flight was hit by gunfire. new details ahead on "cnn news central."

illegal immigration and mass deportation a cornerstone of donald trump's 2024 campaign and now planning to make good on his promise. the president- elect quickly picked his border czar tapping his former acting i.c.e. ÷÷director tom homan for the job play played a key role mounting trump's zero tolerance policy during his first term placing a number of immigrant children in ÷÷u.s. custody and separated thousands of kids from their parents. in a recent interview with "60 minutes" homan was asked if families would again be separated. here was his response. >> is there a way to carry out mass deportation without separating families? >> of course there is. families can be deported together. >> why should a child who is an american citizen have to pack

up and move to a country they don't know? >> because they're parent entered the country illegally, had a child knowing they are illegal so he created that crisis. >> joined by mike madrid. co- founder of the lincoln project and co- chair of the league of minority voters and author of a new book. "the latino century. " mike, thank you for being with us. i wonder what goes through your mind when you hear that homen and miller are joining the administration? seems to confirm trump's intent to enact his mass deportation promises? >> well, look. knop question about that. anybody who wasn't taking those comments seriously hasn't been paying attention to what trump's language and his actions have been over the past eight years. this is going to be an extraordinarily difficult and challenging time for all americans, and i would say a lot is going to fall on the backs of

those latino families that do have mixed status and those here in an undocumented fashion. we are going to see something we haven't seen since probably the 1940 s. >> contrast that with the raw numbers we have? because we know during the first obama administration there was something like a million- plus people that were deported, and subsequently there have been larger numbers, even when trump himself was in office, as we're seeing there, but you have concerns about how this might be implemented? because obviously trump made the case he would go after criminals first, but implementing this type of poems has unintended consequences. >> yeah. including significant economic stressors and potentially civil strife as all americans recognize what we are becoming and what we are actually doing. so, look. the size and scope of what they're talking about is unprecedented and j.d.

vance himself spoke about this during the campaign suggesting that maybe a million a year should be a more realistic, a more achievable goal than trying to get rid of 20 million people all at once. i don't think most americans comprehend how seismic and an economic impact this would have to the very underpinnings of our economy. everything from agriculture, food production, trying to deliver food. you name it. let alone the inflationary pressures of losing this kind of a labor pool. but do i believe they're going to try it? of course i believe they're going to try it. separating families? of course i do. will they be detaining people? absolutely. will people who should not be detained, u.s. citizens, get swept up in this? if history the a guide, that will absolutely happen. a time for vigilance. it's a dark moment in the country's history. we have to wait and

see how think policy actually unfolds and whether stephen miller's more ambitious goals or aims or something realistic as achievable and j.d. vance suggested. >> struck me as you talked about folks not necessarily believing the trump, that trump would carry something like this out. that a large number of latinos seem to have that doubt. there was a poll in the "new york times" that found that majority of latinos even born outside from the united states did not believe trump was talking about them when he talks about the problems related to immigration and when he says things like, immigrants poison the blood of the country. in your mind, why does that not apply to them as they see it? >> well, again. a lot of this has to do with the aura of who donald trump is. they see him more as an entertainer and don't take

his serious as a politician with substance. this tends to be a group that kind of views the experience what they were going through economically during the trump years and up until covid things were probably perhaps as good or maybe even better than the economic conditions perhaps ever experienced by latinos, emigres second and third latino voters, maybe. the discrepancy between who was to blame i think is one of the truly remarkable moments in american political history. but their lives, latino lives, the latino economic itself was foundationally better under the trump administration until covid. the economic collapse of covid. i think that's what voters responded to. not this policy. no one can tell you what the c.h.i.p.s act was and affordability of american life has gotten so out of

control under the biden administration this economic pushback is i think inevitable. >> before we let you go, mike, seeing a lot of stuff on my social media feed. accusations of hypocrisy towards latino trump supporters, accusations of misogyny, sexism and racism as for why larger numbers of latino men specifically went out to vote for donald trump and worry what you make of that? how big a factor were those ideas in their support for trump versus harris? >> look, i think there's always an element that is driven by this. i want to ask the same voices where were you 12 years ago the same voters setting historic highs for barack obama, eight years ago setting historic highs for hillary clinton? where were you when joe biden was out- performs these democratic numbers and the answer is, they were quiet. silent, because nobody was paying attention to.

raising the alarm bells better part of a decade saying this vote is sliding. only now, only now after 10, 12 years of this decline in the vote do these accusations of these sprewellous allegations come out. there's no truth to this. all impartation of people who i are emotionally shocked. s understandable. to simply blame a bhin or a group when the economic issues, disingenuous at best and i'm trying to be diplomatic about that. >> leave it there. appreciate you sharing your perspective. >> thank you. next, israel's finance minister is calling for parts of the west bank to be annexed citing donald trump's election win and support for israel. we take you live to tel aviv for the latest there.

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♪ ♪ major developments today in the middle east. israel's finance minister telling lawmakers he is beginning preparations for full israeli sovereignty over west banks settlements citing donald trump's election victory an important opportunity. >> what does this mean going forward? >> well, certainly means this right wing israeli government

is sensing an opportunity with the incoming donald trump presidency. and, in fact, the finance minister oversees two key departments within the ministry of defense is responsible for settlement activity tied his decision to lay the groundwork here for annexing these settlements, israeli settlements in the west bank directly to donald trump's election seeing it as "an important opportunity" for the state of israel and saying that because he believes that president trump once he comes into office would support annexing these israeli settlements. we haven't heard directly from trump on this issue. certainly not since smotrich made this announcement. in 2020 when trump put out his peace plan it called for recognizing israeli settlements inside the west bank and part of a peace plan that would also see the establishment of a palestinian state.

and so certainly smotrich and other members of the netanyahu government have reason for optimism trump will give the israeli government much more leeway in the west bank and perhaps in gaza and other areas related to the current war than the biden administration has. we know the israeli prime minister himself has said he has spoken with donald trump three times now in just the last week and so that is certainly indicative of a very close relationship they will have. whether or not that includes accepting and recognizing israeli settlements is perhaps another question and we note the prime minister himself has yet to weigh in on this move by his finance minister. >> thank you for that, jamey diamond. right now nations are beating to discuss what can be done to slow and stop global warming. the expect igs as are very different after donald trump's win last week. we'll discuss in just moments.

breaking news into cnn. a verdict in the murder trial of richard allen. guilty. >> killed two teens leaving their bodies in a hiking path seven years ago. jean casarez has been tracking the case. the jury after some 20 hours of deliberation finding him guilty. >> and our affiliate wthr is reporting that the courtroom was quiet. however, the emotion was immensely strong in that courtroom. richard allen himself was stoic as that verdict was read. the police superintendent from the county of delphi,

indiana, according to our affiliate put his hands to his face and started to cry as that verdict was read. he has been on this case from the beginning. this has been an emotional jury and this has also been an emotional time for the delphi community, because it was seven years before they were able to charge richard allen with this crime, and so much had gone on. it was because of the tip of a volunteer who had looked in a box, because they didn't know who did this and they found the name richard allen, who worked at the local cvs pharmacy. had made the, copies of photographs for the family, before the funerals free of charge for the families. who they then looked at and how the arrest became, and also to this ultimate conviction. now, of course, the families of the victims, abigail williams and liberty german, they were in the courtroom, and according to our affiliate, the emotion

for these families to have some type of -- not closure. you can never get closure, but justice. that law enforcement did their job and that they have the right man. this was a unanimous verdict and what the jury believed and a case with no dna, no murder weapon. confessions but also had the picture of bridge guy that was the picture that liberty german, and i think we do have that picture that liberty german's phone took minutes before it's believed that the two young girls, there it is. that's bridge guy. from liberty german's phone, and the prosecutors said at the end of the closing argument that liberty german had always said she wanted to help police solve crimes. and that's her picture. and that was exhibit a. in this courtroom. >> wow. >> solved her own in the end here. perhaps. i want to bring in mercedes, legal analyst and

trial attorney to talk a little about this. there was no murder weapon discovered, but there was this bullet in a was found near the bodies of the girls. and -- it was unfired, but once you had bullets fired through the weapon, the six- hour of richard allen and compared markings on it there was a match. there was a defense witness who said that that was nothing conclusive, because a bullet unfired versus a bullet that is fired. this is comparing apples to oranges. seems the jury did not buy that? >> you're exactly right, brianna, and it really was that ballistic expert made it clear a strong possibility that bullet was connected to richard allen. really the most damning and the defense fought so hard to keep those jailhouse

confessions out of courtroom were those recordings. you can't unhear what richard allen said repeatedly to them. i killed them, but will you still love me? and of course the defense tried to distance richard allen from those confessions saying we have an expert saying it -- his conditions were so deplorable in the prison in solitary confinement he started to lose reality and why he made those confessions. the jury didn't buy that either. end of the day, the horrors of what happened to those two young girls and those jailhouse confessions that really brought it home for the families. >> mercedes, if the defense were to seek appeals here, i imagine they would revert back to the issues he had when incarcerated ap at pun point eating his own feces and acting manically apparently. is that the most likely route they would go, do you think? >> a great point. boris, they will certainly look to appeal. they have to. no choice.

they'll look and one of the evidentiary rulings will be the jailhouse confessions. to your point, the deplorable conventions brought up during the course of the proceedings saying those conditions were so terrible that he started to lose reality. started to lose himself. started to become crazy, quote/unquote crazy in those circumstances. and frankly, at the end of the day you have a constitutional right for a fair trial. if you can point out any evidentiary rulings deprived him of due process and a fair trial certainly one the tapes. secondly those conditions. if he, richard allen, cannot understand the proceedings and it wasn't questioned during that court. see what happens on appeal. they might bring that up and say that might be the basis for an appeal and try to look for a new trial, but it is very difficult as you know to overturn a jury verdict. especially one of this magnitude. >> jean, seven years, this community has waited. they have

been traumatized, a very small community, losing these little girls. >> absolutely. and that permeates a courtroom. i mean, i no from other cases i've covered. that emotion wanting justice, wanting this solved can be very strong in that courtroom, and i think what mercedes is saying, the confessions, i think, were critically important because of what he said. he gave specific details in some of those confessions as to what happened. that there was a white van and that scared him. and so because of that he didn't commit sexual assault as was his plan. there was a white van that, a resident had that lived a very close distance away from the crime scene. so the defense argued, legal documents in the cell and read them. but on the other hand, the specificity i think also is something the jury looked

at. >> jean casarez, mercedes, thank you. richard allen found guilty in the delphi double murder trial. thank you so much for that ÷÷analysis assing sing well. we'll be right back.

supreme court justice sonia sotomayor now said to be pushing back against calls for her to step down so president biden can replace her with another liberal justice before leaving office. she's 71 years old, has type one diabetes and shows no signs of slowing down. >> clearly concerns she may not be able to serve through the end of donald trump's term, but the press is trying to confirm if the supreme court justice is wrought and complicated on its own let alone a truncated window with an incoming administration.

>> reporter: exactly right. even with a qualified nominee it takes months and unlikely they'd be able to get someone confirmed by sources say she is not stepping aside. we're also seeing these questions percolate on the other side. for the conservatives. some trump allies raising questions whether justices thomas or alito should step aside and let trump, president-elect trump, once in office appoint younger successors to solidify a conservative majority. widely credited of the architect of trump's stacking the justices pushed back on the calls saying, "no one other than justices thomas and alito knows when and if they will retire. talking about them like meat that's reached its expiration date is unwise, uninformed and frankly just crass. " notable he weighed in here. remember, these justices have

no bosses. they don't tend to take kindly for calls to step down. the ghost of ruth bader ginsburg looms large here. remember with justice breyer. calls for him to step down and he took two years before stepping aside. could be a three- dimensional chess not wanting to pressure the justices. the goal, maintain super majority as long as possible. in talking to sources it's clearly oh clear, pressuring them. look, don't do that. a strategy when it comes to the court. see fe the calls get louder as trump gets closer to inauguration day. >> i feel 70 is young, but -- everything is relative. who is -- when people are talking about her stepping down who are they suggesting replace her? >> for sotomayor a list of people on the short list

the last vacancy. no one that's actually involved in building those lists seriously thinks she's going to step down and the bigger question, who could trump appoint to replace either alito or thomas. remember the first time trump ran released a list of names that caught a lot of people's attention. asking for the list. paula, the judges he appointed to courts of appeals. look on the bench. kind of know the short list. >> a bit of a preview. thank you. still to come, president- elect trump is filling out his roster announcing more hires for his second term. we'll talk about who's seen at mar-a-lago that may play a role in a new trump administration. stay with us.

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