about money at the end of the day. yum brands, which owns kfc reported in the third quarter that u.s. sales fell by 5%. that's the third straight quarter of losses. so ultimately, in this lawsuit, they're also going after an undisclosed monetary impursement, as well as asking the judge to tell church's texas chicken to stop using this phrase. ultimately, though, the company, church's say they cannot talk about this right now, because there's ongoing litigation, but of course, if you're a customer watching these advertisements, you might get a little confused and say, well wait a minute. who does have the original recipe? i will note that kfc did trademark it in 1952, so it's not like they did it recently, but they also had this original recipe in the '50s. so both of them coming up with this at the same time, however, kfc deciding to

trademark it. >> i will have both and decide. the trademark is fascinating. a brand new hour of cnn news central begins right now. >> we're standing by for a lot of action on the hill. donald trump going there to meet with republicans with elon musk at his side, and senate republicans are about to meet and vote for a new leader. who will be the first senate republican leader not named mitch mcconnell in 30 years. we'll find out. the former president trump accepting president biden's invite to meet tradition. special counsel jack smith planning to resign before donald trump takes office and fulfill his desire to file the special counsel. what could be in smith's final report as he heads out the door

about donald trump's investigations? i'm kate bolduan. this is cnn news central. it is a big day for him. we just learned he will be joined for at least part of it by his new wing man, billionaire elon musk who has seemingly been everywhere in this transition. he's on the plane right now, as he understand. this is despite politico reporting musk might be wearing out his welcome. trump may visit the white house at the invitation of president biden, an invitation we've noted was not extended four years ago, and that's a vast understatement. we're also standing by to see who senate republicans will pick as their new leader. that

will happen any minute. we've got elena trene tracking donald trump first. what are you seeing? >> reporter: that's right, i'm outside the hyatt, john, where donald trump is going to be leaving at any moment. i do want to get into the musk of it all. because elon musk, eye cording to conversations with two trump advisers that is he currently traveling with donald trump on his plane, and he is going to attend that meeting as well. i asked do you think there's any chance that musk could travel with trump to the white house as well? trying to accompany him for his meeting with joe biden. those advisers say, as of now, they do not expect that. there are no plans for musk to go to the white house with donald trump. also, always the caveat that you can never predict anything when it comes to the president-elect. as for the meeting itself with these house republicans, i'm told donald trump is really expected to take a victory lap, similar to when he met with

republicans earlier this year, prior to the election. he wants to call for unity and say he has a mandate that he was given by voters, given that he won the popular vote and that he wants all of washington, all republicans in washington to really start moving quickly on his agenda. i'm told he's going to give them some insight into the decisions he's making for his cabinet picks for his second term, and try to really encourage them to hit the ground running like he is. i do, also, john, want to give you some insight into some of the picks that we learned about over the last 24 hours, because donald trump has been announcing a lot of new names for top roles in his administration. the first person that i'll share is the u.s. ambassador to israel. that is going be to mike huckabee. the former governor of arkansas. also sarah huckabee sanders' father. the current governor of arkansas, and also donald trump can's former press secretary. john ratcliffe, his former director of national intelligence, he is going to be the new director of

the cia. we also know that steve witkoff, donald trump's close friend and real estate developer is going to be his middle east envoy, and white house consill will be mcginley. one name i didn't mention is pete hegseth. he is a fox news host that donald trump tapped to his new secretary of defense. when i talk to people involved in these discussions at least, they tell me many people in donald trump's orbit were surprised by that pick in hegseth. saying he really didn't become with a leading contender to lead the pentagon until monday. and he was interviewed in the following 24 hours by donald trump, not in person, i'm told that was done remotely. they said it came down to donald trump really liking him. they've had a good relationship over the last several years. trump thinks he's smart. he also thinks he has the quote unquote look as one person told me and he really likes his military

record and some of the things he's said about the military, including wanting to get wokeness of the out military. those are some of the thinks i've heard related to that appointment. >> obviously, pending senate confirmation. on the subject of the senate, let's get to laura fox on capitol hill, where they're going to hold a vote shortly on who will be the next senate majority leader. and you've been grabbing these senators going in. what's the count look like right now to you? >> reporter: yeah, john, i'm actually standing in what is known on capitol hill as the ohio clock corridor. this is spot where mcconnell holds a weekly press conference. he's going to be shortly giving that mantle to another top republican. it's really unclear right now who is going to win this race. you have john thune, john cornyn, as well as rick scott who has gotten this late surge in maga support. but i've been talking to members

who say they are still undecided. some of them say they just don't want to publicly say who they're voting for. that's because this is a secret ballot election, just around the corner, supports will go into the old senate chamber, they will hear the nominating speeches for each of these nominees. there will be some discussion. then they will vote. when they vote, it is all secret ballot. that means no one, not their staff, not their fellow colleagues, not even donald trump will know who they supported in this election. at that point, the votes will be tabulated. if none of the candidates has gotten a majority, today, the magic number is 27, if none of them get that top number, then the lowest candidate will drop can out. mitch mcconnell has held this post for 18 years. so a really significant transfer of power that we could see today

on capitol hill. but again, we are just a few feet away from where mitch mcconnell gives his weekly press conference as a republican leader each and every week, john. >> laura fox, grab who you can. put your ear on the door. let us know what you are hearing inside. we will come back to you as this develops over the next hour. kate. one thing we do know, going into these meetings they don't talk, but they do like to talk on the way out. someone who knows that more than most is dana bash. the ohio clock corridor brings back so many warm and fuzzy memories, dana. >> so many. >> so, so many. let's start with the senate republican leadership vote, because whoever is going to be the republican leader -- and majority leader is important no question. but also it kind of can represent maybe something of a signal whoever comes out on top of kind of what's going

to be the prevailing force for the senate republican kind of agenda, and also the republican party. >> yep. yeah. which is why rick scott has a ton of support from people in and around donald trump. it is noteworthy that donald trump himself has not weighed in, put his sort of thumb on the scale. perhaps that is, because if rick scott doesn't win, he doesn't want to have egg on his face. but nonetheless, i've talked to a republican senator this morning who said that the calls coming in from people who listen to, and watch tucker carlson, it's intense. and so there is really big lobbying going on for the trump orbit pick, if it's not trump himself, and that is rick scott. the thing to keep in mind is that this is a secret ballot. so we're not going to know unless these senators want

to tell us who they voted for. and that is really, really a key thing to remember. and even if they tell us, i'm not saying that they're not trustworthy, but they don't have to tell us the truth. >> that is accurate. they do not have to. they've been known to say lots of things. then at the same time, new house republicans, they're also meeting, and you have donald trump going to meet with house republicans with elon musk at his side. one thing we know from history is that house republicans especially, they -- and house members, the conferences -- they bring in big, bold names from their party, kind of luminaries often to speak to them and rally the troops and whatever given the circumstances. but the elon musk of it all is such a fascinating turn, donald trump

having him by his side as he goes in to talk to them. >> especially since donald trump is that big, bold name. he just won in a remarkable way. as you had in your sort of big letters on the screen there, a triumphant return to washington. you see that plane taking off like it did this morning, coming back. when he left washington in his official capacity, i defy you to find anybody who thought that this was going to happen, and it happened in the way that it did. so it just -- having just been an observer of donald trump as so many of us have, for so many years, he clearly enjoys having elon musk around, enjoys having the power of his platform. he is a -- the richest man in the world, which means a lot to donald trump. but the question is how and when this kind of wears off, for someone like him, who likes, and at this point has earned the right to be the star

of the show. >> and this -- donald trump with his return, this is a different washington that he does return to. but i guess my wonder is, is it one that is easier or harder for him to manage this time around? what do you think? >> listen, i was, you know, i was thinking about this, and i was wondering if there's kind of a counterintuitive sort of example to say, well it could be harder, and i can't find one. if you think about the -- never mind the numbers of the republicans in the senate and the house, it's the makeup of the senate and the house. there are no more adam kinzingers in the house. there are a few, but not many. in the united states senate, i mean, name your senate seat, and we can give probably an example of somebody who didn't like donald trump, didn't support donald trump,

tried to push back against donald trump within his own party who has retired, and been replaced with a complete and total trump supporter. i mean, rob portman, for example, in ohio. he retired. j.d. vance is in his seat. he is obviously going to be vice president. but there is no question that whom ever is picked is going to be of that ilk. and you can go on and on and on down the line when you look at the sort of make up of the republican conference in the senate and the house. and that really does change the game for donald trump in how he can get things through, who he can get through, and the kind of support he has for what he wants to do. >> yeah. it's great to see you, dana, we're going to watch a lot of action happening play out at capitol hill and the white house this morning. breaking this morning, special counsel jack smith plans to resign before donald

trump has a chance to fire him. smith may try to put something together of a going away present. happening now, stock market futures pointing up after the first inflation report since the election released moments ago. a little mixed now. and this morning, conspiracy theorist, alex jones will lose his infowars media empire as it goes up for auction. we've got new reports on who's planning to make a bid.

all right, breaking this morning, word that special counsel jack smith is going to resign before donald trump takes office in january. smith says he still wants to finish the majority of his

investigations against trump before leaving. cn n's emme perez is here with the reporting. what will we get from smith? >> reporter: john, if it works out as they're planning, we're going to see a report publicly before jack smith is gone. there's a lot of details that are going to be worked out, including including him discussing this, of course, with the attorney general merrick garland. under the regulations, under the rules that the justice department has, he is required to produce a report at the end of his investigation. and as they've told the court, that by december 2nd, they're going to lay out how they're going to proceed on this who process. again, the other part of this will be the other detail that needs to be worked out is whether he needs to submit this report to the intelligence community. that's usually a part of this. it's not clear whether that's going to be a delay of any kind, because a lot of the investigative material was planned to be used in court, in these trials, which of course, are not going to happen. so it's not clear

whether that's going to delay anything. but if it goes as planned, john, jack smith will be gone and donald trump won't have to go through the trouble of firing him. >> so evan, also breaking this morning, word that the fbi has made an arrest in the leaking of classified information pertaining to israel's retaliation against iran. explain what's going on here. >> reporter: right. well the fbi arrested a former cia employee. he was arrested in cambodia over the last few days and has now been charged in federal court in east virginia. according to the documents he is charged with willfully retaining and transmitting national defense information. and the plan right now, the prosecutors have asked a judge to have him removed from where he is. right now, he was first presented to a federal court in guam, and is expected to be

brought back to eastern virginia, where he would stand trial. these are documents, or intelligence documents that the u.s. prepared, basically, looking at and assessing what israel was planning to do in carrying out its attack on iran. now that attack, of course, has already happened. so we expect that this is now a case that this defendant is going to be presented here in federal court in alexandria, virginia, in the coming days. >> all right, serious charges. evan perez, thank you very much for that. all right, any minute now, donald trump arrives in washington and he's got a plus one with him. elon musk. we've got new reporting on what's going on with this relationship.

♪ ♪ ♪ something has changed within me ♪ ♪ it's time to try defying gravity ♪ ♪ ♪

donald trump is arriving back in washington as republicans on capitol hill are getting ready to vote on new leadership. first on trump's schedule, he's expected to meet with house republicans before their leadership vote. you're looking right now at live pictures of joint base andrews. that's trump's plane very clearly, landing there, and then he'll be heading into d.c. so we'll be tracking his movement there. he'll be heading to capitol hill and republicans in the senate are getting ready to usher in a new era. for the first time in 18 years, mitch mcconnell will not be the man leading the charge.

the race to be the new republican senator leader is down to three. in the midst of all of this, donald trump is also going to be heading to the white house to sit down at the invitation with president biden. this is tradition. the outgoing president inviting the incoming president to sit for this private meeting. mj, what are you hearing is kind of -- president biden's mindset or expectation or goal going into this meeting? >> reporter: well certainly, kate, the image that we are about to see here at the white house in just a matter of hours is going to be a pretty remarkable one. president biden inviting his predecessor and the incoming president, donald trump, back to the white house four years after donald trump declined to extend that same

courtesy to then-incoming president joe biden. it's clear that president biden and the offenses that are working for him are very set on sending the message to the country that this election was fair, and that there now needs to be a focus on a peaceful transfer of power. it is also just going to be a rare opportunity, and perhaps the only opportunity for president biden to press some issues that are important to him to the incoming president. for example, we've heard national security adviser jake sullivan saying that he is set on talking to the incoming president about the importance of the u.s. continuing to support ukraine's war efforts. we of course, don't know what effect, if any those kinds of pleas will have on the incoming president. as for the mood here, kate, at the white house, obviously, this comes at a moment when emotions are running high. a lot of white house staff aides who work for the president were very much disappointed, and stunned for some by the election results. they are still processing that. but according to the folks in

the building here that i have talked to, they're trying to basically take their cues from president biden who again, has made clear that he is focused on the business of the peaceful transfer of power. so some of the folks i've talked to, they're saying that they have set on treating this as any other busy day here at the white house. now as for the president himself, we actually haven't seen him very much out in public since election day. and i am told by one senior democrat that he is quite sensitive to, and aware of, the finger pointing that is going on and the fact that he is actually getting a lot of the blame for what happened last week, and that he is not happy about that, and he doesn't think that that criticism has been fair, kate. >> at the same time, as we've said, president biden extending this invitation to meet at the white house with the president-elect as is tradition, also is tradition is the first lady extending the same invitation for the incoming first lady. it had been something of a question,

and doubtful. and just this morning, we are now getting confirmation that the incoming first lady, melania trump will not be meeting with jill biden? >> reporter: that's right. as was the expectation. we've just gotten the confirmation from the former first lady's office that she will not be joining donald trump for this visit to the white house. here's what the office said in a tweet. they said mrs. trump will not be attending today's meeting at the white house. her husband's return to the oval office to commence the transition process, encouraging. and she wishes him great success. as you said, the first lady had extended this invitation, but there had been some talk of a scheduling conflict. this decision today from melania trump to not join her husband at this white house visit could be emblematic of some bigger dynamics that could be coming as the first lady returns to the white house a second time. our colleagues have reported that she could be

spending a good amount of time actually in new york city. and palm beach. and that actually, she may not even be moving to washington, d.c. full time. this, of course, could end up effecting where donald trump spends his time on the weekends, for example. this was something that we saw during the first term and not so different from how the bidens have spent a lot of time on the weekends in rehoboth or wilmington. so again, i think this is just one more reminder of a way in which we fully expect the trump presidency to, in many ways, not be traditional, kate? >> if there's going to be any question of that, mj, thank you very much. a lot going to be happening at the white house coming up as we're watching at joint base andrews, donald trump's plane is there, and soon the stairs shall move. >> they in fact are, i can report, the stairs are moving, kate. i hope we keep one eye on this if donald trump speaks on

this arrival in washington. but as we said, there's a ton going on right now, including a vote on who will be the next senate majority leader. the first republican leader not named mitch mcconnell in like 165 years. i want to get to capitol him, cnn's lauren fox is there. you've been seeing people going into this room, including the vice president-elect j.d. vance. >> reporter: yeah, j.d. vance just came through the ohio clock corridor in the united states senate heading into that old chamber. they will begin their deliberations to select their next republican leader. and this race has largely been seen as wide open between john cornyn, john thune, and rick scott, who has gotten a lot of maga support. despite the fact that vance is going to be in the room today, this vote will be secret. i've seen a large

amount of lawmakers going in, and some of them, many of them have not said publicly who they are backing. that is intentional, because the reality is, whoever wins this race today, they're going to have to work with, and the last thing you want to do is irritate or frustrate the man who is going to lead your conference. it may take some time, john, to be able to tabulate these votes. today that special number is 27. right off of the top. so this could take a considerable amount of time. we expect nominating speeches for each of the men running. just a couple of notable speeches that will be happening behind closed doors today. steve daines who led the republicans to win the majority just last week, he is going to be giving a nominating speech for john thune, the current republican whip who is vying for this job. we also expect that marco rubio is going to be giving a nominating

speech for senator rick scott. so a lot is happening just in a couple of seconds at this point, john. >> a couple of seconds, we're watching those senators go into that room. the majority of votes could take place soon. it may be in one round. this could happen in the next several minutes. lauren, put your ear on the door again. tell us what you hear. in the meantime, we're going to keep our eye on that plane that just landed at joint base andrews inside donald trump and his new best friend elon musk who is traveling with him. they are arriving in washington for a big series of events. i should note kate, we want to listen to donald trump too, because he could actually say something that has an impact on where lauren is right now in that senate vote. >> we have cameras there. he could as we've seen every president, president-elect, we've got cameras there, he can walk up and talk if he so pleases and so desires. so let's keep our eye on the tv and our ear now to our friends who are joining us right now.

spectrum news political anchor and host of the big deal with erol lewis. and cnn's kristin holmes. so errol, since you are a big deal and are here with me, trump is now headed back to washington. this is going to be the first time he's seen joe biden since they met on the cnn debate stage. i was talking with dana bash about what kind of washington he returns to. dana has been seeing this a lot. she can't come up with an example of how it's going to be a harder washington to deal with and control. i mean, is there evidence to the contrary that he has -- he's going to have less power, less control, less say on how it's going to run in washington once he takes office? >> i think there's an argument that he's going to have a more focused fight than in the past. if you go back to when he first

took office in 2017, there was a lot of chaos. all of a sudden, there's a muslim ban. people are almost rioting at the airports. does he mean it,ing does he not mean it? what's going to happen next. the chaotic scene of journalists flowing out of the office, without anyone there to stop him. people almost casually dropping in and helping him make policy seemingly on the spot. now that people know what can go wrong and what can happen, i think people are going to adjust their strategies, and be very focused and very determined to get specific policies accomplished and let a lot of the rest of the chaos go. the other big factor is this is a president who cannot run again. so this is, you know, he's kind of a lame duck, but also, kind of you only live once kind of president we're going to

see. >> lame duck, and freeing, and empowering all at once. >> we will wait. there is he. let's watch for a second. >> looks like he's getting right in the suv, and about to begin on his agenda for today, which includes meeting with house members, then ultimately going to the white house at the invitation of president biden. and i do think we have to say this every time. this was not

an invitation that donald trump extended four years ago when joe biden won, and he won the popular vote by 7 million people, we should add. but donald trump in that suv, beginning a very big day. kristin holmes to you. what is it that donald trump wants to accomplish by the end of this day? >> reporter: well this is really the donald trump show, john. he expects to have all eyes on him, and for him it is somewhat of a coming home. obviously, washington is not his actual home. but this looks a lot different than the washington that he left in 2020 as well as the washington that he entered into in 2017. just a reminder here, sure, donald trump controlled the house and the senate when he came in, in 2017. but he didn't really control the house and the senate. what i mean by that is he now has allies in every level of government. he has senators that he hand picked who won their election. he has people who have supported him throughout the last two years in both the house and in the senate. and one thing to keep in mind here, we have talked

for two years about how the republican party has shifted to the party of donald trump. this is going to be a culmination of that. the other part of that is that donald trump essentially stormed out of washington in 2020. he refused to accept the results of the election and as we know, and as we continue to say, he never extended one invitation to president joe biden. he never afforded him that. instead, just left. an unprecedented move of not showing up at the inauguration. now he is coming back to a washington that is essentially comes around to donald trump. he wants to show that off today. he also wants to show off being at the white house. one thing to keep in mind as i talk to people close to him, he has been reveling in his win. this is his first opportunity to show himself. donald trump has essentially been behind closed doors since he won the election. he's been playing

golf. he's been meeting with club members at mar-a-lago as well as various allies taking phone calls. i was told once again, this is donald trump's show. he's putting on his i am going to be president, i am the president-elect, i am now landing in washington and that's where he wants the focus to be. one thing to keep in mind, he has not weighed in on that senate leadership fight, and that is intentional. we've seen his allies trying to slam everybody. but even rick scott, built up privately, they're trying to get him to endorse rick scott. he has not done that. and we'll see what happens moving forward. >> to that exact point, you've got interns of who is up for the job in the senate. if you don't know their names, maybe this is a real test, a first fest of what's going to be the prevailing motivation, and what's going to rue the day in

the senate and beyond, which is maga republican, versus traditional republican. do you think that is kind of at least part of what the test is today with this vote? >> yeah, no question, kate. if rick scott wins, it will in fact show that the outside maga influence is strong and will probably continue to be strong. that's because they've been making all these telephone calls on rick scott's behalf. but that's not how politics work, necessarily in the united states congress specifically the united states senate. kate, back when we were a little younger, we both covered capitol hill. we both know how things work there. this is a secret ballot. there are very few secrets, if it any left in washington, except for this vote. i can guarantee you, many of these senators have gone out and have pledged they would support multiple people quietly. but in the end, it's

a secret ballot, and we'll never know who they voted for. >> just a quick shot. this is where the senators are meeting. we should shout out one of the best reporters in the business. that tall drink of water right there, ted barrett. >> with one of the others. >> and with manu. i was just going to give an unsung hero some singing. that's part of our team on the hill who brings us all of that news. >> i should note one thing about donald trump not speaking and not saying anything about rick scott, probably doesn't speak well of rick scott's chances. donald trump seems to not want to weigh in if there's not a good chance that the guy he's going to back is going to win. >> or maybe just a sign that he can't get the intel on this secret vote how good his chances are. >> you know who's going to get that, ted scott. they're going to break this story. thanks

very much. we've got brand new data just in. inflation in the u.s. up a little bit for the first time in six months.

new this morning, markets just opened and this comes just after a report it that inflation is moving in the wrong direction. price increases accelerated last month after slowing for six straight months. ccnn'smatt matt egan is looking at this information right now. donald

trump said he would slow down inflation and bring it back to where he wants it to be. i just spoke about a warning for donald trump about all the economic promises he made from the campaign trail. let me play this for you. >> if he carries through on what he said during his campaign, there will be an inflation shock significantly greater than the one the country suffered in 2021. if you're talking about deporting millions of people, that is an invitation to labor shortage and bottle necks. so i hope that he will get the message from this election, and adjust his program so that it is not inflationary. >> so we'll see on that. but what does today's inflation report, how does that add to kind of the picture of the economy that donald trump's

about to inherit? >> yeah, kate, today's report was a setback. but perhaps just a temporary one. i'll explain in the numbers. increased by 2.6% year over year in september. that was exactly as expected, but this was an acceleration from a month before, when we saw the acceleration at 2.4%. this is the first time in several months we've seen the inflation rate go up. but what's important to note is on a monthly basis, prices only went up slightly. that does suggest this has more to do with the calendar. a year ago, inflation was falling rapidly. that was always going to be hard to live up to. i think because these numbers came in as expected, because we knew there were going to be these affects -- the u.s. market opening up the dow up about 100 points in the first few minutes

of trading. so no big concern there. prices for for some things like gasoline and clothes, but prices for other things went up as well. the rate of inflation two years ago was at 9%. gas was $5 a gallon. it's also clear we're not back to normal, and that is proving to be challenging. >> thanks for running through that. still to come, coming up for us, conspiracy theorist alex jones is going to lose his infowars platform today.

all right, this morning, infowars, the media empire built by conspiracy theorist alex jones will go up for auction in a court mandated sale. at least one bid is in the seven figure range. cnn's adas gold has been following this from the very beginning. >> this will be a closed online auction. it starts in about an hour and a half and everything is for sale. everything from the studio mics, to even an armored truck and winnebago are for sale in this auction. it's it's to pay for the money that alex jones owns the families from the sandy hook allegation. nobody has commented publicly and i've spoken to several sources in this, it's a mix of

allies of alex jones, and people who may feel differently. i have a source that one of these allies, not necessarily roger stone, has put up a bid in the seven figure amount. amongst them, a source tells me is the onion, the satirical news site, you can imagine what they might want to do in a place like infowars. we don't know who exactly is bidding, because they have signed these nda's. alex jones has said himself if the quote good guys in his mind, buy infowars, he will keep going as much as possible. but obviously, he will no longer own it. if the bad guys, as he says will buy it, he says he will continue broadcasting until the very last minute and then just move over to another platform. but we are expecting to hear who is going to be the winner of this bid either

tonight or tomorrow. >> all right, we'll be watching it. thank you so much. thank you so much for joining us. cnn newsroom is up next.

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