Confirmation Fight
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It's Tuesday, December 17th, right now on CNN This Morning. You're not going to lose the polio vaccine. That's not going to happen. Confirmation fight. Donald Trump trying to tap down concerns about RFK Jr.'s history of vaccine skepticism. And... MC was screaming like, ah, my leg, help, help. Tragedy in Wisconsin. Two dead after a school shooting. What we're learning about the 15-year-old shooter. And...

We should be treating it like a national security issue. Drone drama. Today, the White House Intelligence Committee demanding answers about the uptick in unexplained sightings and... I had dinner with sort of almost all of them and the rest are coming. Flocking to Mar-a-Lago, tech CEOs making the pilgrimage to Palm Beach to buddy up with the president-elect.

All right, 6 a.m. here on the East Coast, a live look at Boca Raton, Florida, not too far from Mar-a-Lago. Good morning, everyone. I'm Casey Hunt. It's wonderful to have you with us. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Capitol Hill and in the spotlight. Sir, do you stand by your previous comments about vaccines being linked to autism? Do you stand by those comments, sir?

Trump's pick to leave the Department of Health and Human Services, refusing there to clarify if he still believes the vaccines cause autism. That claim, which Kennedy has made for years, has been thoroughly disproven by multiple studies. He did, however, later answer a question shouted by CNN's Manu Raju about one key vaccine. Should the polio vaccine be revoked? Should the polio vaccine be revoked? I'm all for the polio vaccine, he says.

If all Democrats vote against him, Kennedy can only afford to lose support from four Republican senators, one to watch closely, Mitch McConnell, who contracted polio as a young child and almost lost the use of his left leg.

Last week, McConnell issued an apparent warning to Kennedy in an open letter saying that anyone seeking Senate confirmation should quote steer clear end quote of efforts to undermine public confidence in the polio vaccine, which has been used in America since 1955. Kennedy has, however, said he doesn't believe the polio vaccine or any vaccine for that matter should be mandated. So do you think school children should not be required to be vaccinated?

In public schools? No, I would be against mandates at all. For any vaccines? For any vaccine. Over the weekend, a transition team spokesperson told the Associated Press that Kennedy, quote, believes the polio vaccine should be available to the public and thoroughly and properly studied.

It is worth noting the polio vaccine is available to the public and it has been thoroughly studied. The CDC says the version of the vaccine used in the U.S. is associated with no serious adverse events. So what does President-elect Trump think about all this? Here's what he said in his first press conference since the election. Between vaccines and autism, do you believe there's a link? Well, I don't believe.

Right now, you have some very brilliant people looking at it. I think everything should be looked at. You're not going to lose the polio vaccine. That's not going to happen. Do you think schools should mandate vaccines? I don't like mandates. I'm not a big mandate person. I think he's going to be much less radical than you would think. I think he's got a very open mind, or I wouldn't have put him there. He's going to be very much less radical.

All right. Our panel's here to discuss. Alex Thompson, CNN political analyst, national political reporter for Axios. Elliot Williams, CNN legal analyst, former federal prosecutor. Kate Benningfield, CNN political commentator and former Biden White House communications director. And Brad Todd, CNN political commentator and Republican strategist. Welcome to all of you. Brad, let me let me start with you on this vaccine question, because the

Polio in particular is one that we have used for so many years and RFK Jr. has tried to, you know, earlier in that interview, I asked him if he still doesn't believe that any vaccine is safe and effective and he tried to say, but I never said that, I never said that. He has said that, he has said no vaccine is safe and effective. How much of a problem is this gonna be for him in the confirmation process when, I mean, we can also acknowledge

that some of the other things he is for has some cross-party appeal. Well, he has some of the things he's for has cross-party appeal, but some of his problems are cross-party appeal problems, right? I mean, his vaccine hesitancy comes from the left. Another chunk of his problems is he's been strongly pro-abortion his entire career. That's going to cause him some challenges. I think he has a sequence of hurdles to get over. This polio vaccine question is only the first one. Polio vaccine supported by almost everybody.

And so I think that he and the president-elect have made pretty clear that that's not going anywhere. But this is not the last hurdle. I think he also has to clear the Senate HELP Committee, the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.

Lisa Murkowski's there. Susan Collins is there. Bill Cassidy, who's a physician, is on that committee. So this is not a simple process, even for someone who's got as much celebrity appeal as RFK. And it's interesting. I think you can hear in Trump's comments that he recognizes that. I mean, you have him saying, you know, he's not going to be as extreme as you think. You know, no, you're not going to lose the polio vaccine. I mean, you know, Donald Trump is somebody who goes gangbusters on

whoever it is he's supporting. And you can hear kind of the recognition in those comments yesterday that he's got a bit of an uphill climb. I think part of the issue is this idea, the term vaccine mandate got in the public's head after COVID and got very heavily politicized and not wading into that fight. However, the question becomes, do people regard being told to take the polio vaccine to go to school or more importantly, MMR, measles, mumps, rubella, which is something that we've all taken seriously

the overwhelming majority of Americans have taken since 1971. When you start calling that a vaccine mandate,

And politicizing MMR, we've got a big problem here. And I'm really curious to see how that plays. Adding to what Elliot said, without COVID, RFK Jr. is almost certainly not the HHS nominee. In so many ways, his ascendancy, especially on the right wing of the Republican Party now, is due to a disillusionment with the science community or what is science.

among a significant part of the country due to some of the steps that were taken during COVID. And to your point about the fact that Trump knows there's a problem, that's also the reason why he had RFK Jr. and a bunch of pharma executives come down to Mar-a-Lago and all have a big rah-rah dinner together. Yeah. I mean, a reminder of what Donald Trump said on the trail about RFK Jr., that he was going to, quote unquote, let him go wild on a variety of things. Watch.

Robert F. Kennedy cares more about human beings and health and the environment than anybody. I'm gonna let him go wild on health. I'm gonna let him go wild on the food. I'm gonna let him go wild on medicines. So this actually does contrast. I want to show the full comments that Trump made about how RFK Jr. is going to be less radical, including the question. Watch that.

What do you say to people who are worried that his views on vaccines will translate into policies that will make their kids less safe? No, I think he's going to be much less radical than you would think. I think he's got a very open mind, or I wouldn't have put him there. He's going to be very much less radical. But there are problems. I mean, we don't do as well as a lot of other nations, and those nations use nothing. And we're going to find out what those problems are.

I mean, Brad Todd, what's the difference between those two sets of comments? Well, I think first off, RFK's ascension into the Trump orbit was a campaign play. Remember, he was running for president. He was soaking up 3 or 4 percent of the electorate. That was 3 or 4 percent of the electorate Donald Trump needed. So that's why he made a deal with him, essentially. This is something that happens the world over in politics. You know, Germany's parliament

fell yesterday because the coalition's falling apart. So I view Robert F. Kennedy as a coalition partner, a very minority coalition partner in this Republican government. Maybe he can stay in, maybe he won't. It's going to take a lot of compromise on his part. Kate, do you think there's any world where Democrats...

any of the Democratic senators vote for RFK's nomination? I think there are elements of what RFK has championed that are appealing to some of these Democratic senators. I think in some ways it will depend on where the overwhelming narrative about RFK goes. If it...

Is ultimately a debate about the polio vaccine and MMR and are we protecting our children? No, I don't think he will get Democratic votes. I also think you have to look at the totality of the nominees that Trump's putting forward. I think a lot of Democrats are trying to think strategically about the best way to

we'll say stymie, some of the people they have concerns about and people are going to pick and choose. And it's going to be interesting to see who kind of emerges as the consensus opposition, the consensus person who's drawing opposition from these Democrats. The cynical answer is which Democrats are up for reelection in purplish or red states and could actually need that air cover from the right by supporting our

- But I wonder, will any of the abortion groups decide to come out and endorse him? I mean, because if he fails, the next guy's gonna be a lot further right. - And that's fair, that's fair. This is why I say, I think that this question about vaccines is gonna be determinative

that, because I don't think a lot of the abortion groups are going to are going to stick their hand up if he is sort of tripling down on this idea that we shouldn't be vaccinating our children. There are also some Democrats that sort of see RFK Jr. as sort of this avatar for the hippie left, the crunchy left. They lost in the last eight years. Governor Jared Polis of Colorado is basically he doesn't get a vote in the Senate, but he endorsed he's a Democrat and he endorsed RFK getting this job.

Yeah, the politics of it are very scrambled. It's interesting, you think if he goes down because of the Republicans, it will be because of abortion? No, I think, well, yes, I think that's the number one problem he has, but I think he has other problems. I mean, he also has been anti-gun, you know, and the Democrats have tried to weaponize the health bureaucracy in this country on that issue. I mean, I think he has a sequence of hurdles.

But again, a lot of Republicans know that he was a key part of the coalition. They know that the voters bought him in the election. So that's a tension. But he's also a real wild card in the confirmation hearing process, which is the other big piece of determining how this goes, right? As someone who has asked him questions in a live environment, you really don't know how it's going to go. Exactly. All right, coming up next here on CNN This Morning, a community in mourning after a deadly school shooting in Wisconsin. Police identifying the suspect.

as a 15-year-old female. The person who called 911, yeah, was a second grader. Plus, not immune, the judge in Donald Trump's hush money case denies his bid to throw out the conviction. And, quote, "something strange is going on," end quote. Donald Trump joining the chorus of critics asking for answers about mysterious drone activity as the White House attempts to downplay concerns.

I can't rule out the fact that we might find some sort of illegal or criminal activity, some nefarious activity. All I can do is tell you that right now, we see none of that. You only come across an artist like Luther Vandross once in a lifetime. It was the most exciting time in the world. The CNN film, Luther, Never Too Much, New Year's Day at 8 on CNN. Thank God they were safe, but...

The trauma, it's a lot because I'm sure they lost friends and teachers, which is not okay. And I don't think they will be okay for a long time. That mother has three children who all lived through the school shooting in Madison, Wisconsin, another community left devastated with the physical and mental scars of a mass shooting. This is at least the 83rd such shooting at a school in the U.S. this year, the most in a single year since CNN started tracking them in 2008.

The shooting at Abundant Life Christian School Monday killed a student and a teacher and injured six others. Several victims have life-threatening injuries. The suspect, Natalie Rupnow, is a 15-year-old girl who was also a student at the school, and she took her own life as police responded within minutes to a 911 call from a second grader. Let that soak in for a minute. A second grade student called 911 at 1057 a.m.,

to report a shooting at school. -The shooting happening just days before the school's 420 students, who range in age from high school to kindergarten, were getting ready for Christmas break. And, of course, the week was supposed to be filled with holiday parties. And instead, students as young as 8 years old are recounting the horror of coming face to face with gun violence.

We heard them and then some people started crying and then we just waited until the police came and then they escorted us out to the church. I was scared and why did they do that? Why? I just heard sighing and there was a teacher and she was screaming like, ah, my leg, help, help. Were you scared? I was really scared and I was really sad. I don't know, Kate, it's...

- Imagine that little girl eating a SpongeBob Popsicle having to deal with this. - No, my daughter's very close to her age and it's hard to watch a child have to process that. It's almost like what is there left to say?

You know, we had just acknowledged the anniversary of the Sandy Hook shooting, probably one of the most horrific and scarring school shootings in recent memory. And to see this continue to happen and, you know, to feel like the sort of collective sense from our elected officials is there's really not all that much we can do, it feels... that feels unacceptable. It feels unacceptable. The most powerful...

aspect of that image is the SpongeBob SquarePants ice pop because it's sort of this little girl has lost her innocence but there's still the images of childhood there and

More than anything else, we need to have empathy for those kids who can now never unsee or unhear or unfeel those things even as their childhood goes on. Brad, to add one of the questions here and one of the things that's been raised in some other recent tragic events like this one is the culpability of adults who allow minors to access weapons that they shouldn't otherwise have access to. Is that...

Is that a way to address some of this? - Well, I mean, we have a parenting crisis in this country, but this is a school that didn't have any metal detectors, didn't have a resource officer. There are virtually no security measures in place at the school. We know schools are soft targets. We know that we keep learning this lesson over and over. And I think we ought to be able to get Republicans and Democrats to come together to be able to harden schools and put the funding for it. I don't think that should be controversial.

Maybe we'll be able to do that in this Congress. But we've also seen time and again that schools with metal detectors and resource officers still endure these kinds of tragedies. And I started by saying there's a collective shrug from elected officials. I mean, there actually was a bipartisan gun bill that was passed during the Biden administration that strengthened red flag procedures and background checks. So it

There is, there can be a path forward on this if some of these elected officials have the courage to sit down and say, okay, maybe, you know, it's maybe not just the guns, but it is also the guns. And can we have a comprehensive discussion that allows people who are dug in on the partisan right and dug in on the partisan left about these issues, you know, can we actually find a way to come together and try to make some meaningful progress? Because we can't

leave our children to continue to go to school and have to deal with this day in and day out. I just think in the United States of America in 2024, that is an unacceptable way to live. The challenge is getting people to start with everything, things everyone agrees on. Everyone wants to bring in things into this debate that people don't agree on.

because they wanted to be a divider. But there are some things, like school security, that we all ought to be able to agree on without any, that are not controversial. I think it's hard for Washington or state governments in that matter to start small. This is a place where you have to start with the things everybody agrees on. I think the problem with some of the advocates on this issue with that approach is they've done, like Trump also signed a bipartisan gun bill

whatever you want to call it, a gun bill. And you've had these small approaches, yet these shootings keep happening. And you're also seeing, you know, ascendant sort of a new generation of sort of young Democrats who were kids in some school shootings. You just saw David Hogg announce that he's running for DNC vice chair. And I think you're going to see a new generation of politicians who, you know, grew up doing these school training drills while they were growing up. Yeah, I mean, one

when the nursery school called you know that these kids as young as one and a half years old at my daughter's nursery school and they're doing active shooter drills uh it's you know it's you really wonder um what's happened i should also know just as i was asking brad before the parents in this particular case right now the police say they're not being charged at this time and they are cooperating with the police all right still ahead here on cnn this morning concerning creepy but the white house says the drone activity that everyone's talking

about doesn't look illegal. So what's up? Plus, Congressman Mark Meese joins us live as America reels from yet another school shooting. Who, what, where, when, and why? Questions swirling for weeks about drones in the skies in the eastern part of the country. Today, a step toward some answers maybe? The House Intelligence Committee is set to receive a briefing on the mysterious drones. CNN's Pete Muntean with a look at the response so far.

Drone hysteria is soaring as federal authorities are scrambling to tamp down false alarms, breeding conspiracy theories online. Fanning the latest fears, reports of unmanned aerial systems over secure Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio. All aircraft use extreme caution. Patterson Class Delta is now closed for heavy UAS activity. Pentagon officials now say the Ohio case is not connected to possible drone sightings in a half dozen states.

Even still, President-elect Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago doubled down on conspiracy theories after Alex Jones and Joe Rogan amplified claims that drones over New Jersey are looking for a stolen dirty bomb. Something strange is going on. For some reason, they don't want to tell the people.

Federal aviation rules allow drones to fly legally so long as they stay below 400 feet and away from airports, airplanes and stadiums. Biden administration officials tell CNN that of the almost 1 million drones registered in the US, 8000 might be flying at any one given time. And quote, we haven't seen evidence of anything noncompliant.

But that has not stopped lawmakers from demanding new technology to help detect hostile drones. Defense officials now confirmed to CNN that the government is sending drone tracking systems to a pair of military installations in New Jersey. If the technology exists for a drone to make it up into the sky, there certainly is the technology that can track the craft with precision and determine what the heck is going on.

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy says he's been briefed by the FBI now that it and the Department of Homeland Security say most cases of possible drones are, in fact, manned aircraft.

Science writer Mick West is debunking purported drone videos online. New Jersey airspace is some of the busiest in the country with videos surfacing from under Newark, Teterboro and New York flight paths. You get the details, the date, the time and the location. You can actually look up what was in the sky at that point and look at what direction they were looking in and you can see that it was actually just a plane.

Our thanks to CNN's Pete Muntean for that reporting. And Donald Trump, are you surprised? Now joining the critics demanding answers from the White House about the mysterious sightings. Something strange is going on. For some reason, they don't want to tell the people. And they should because the people are really, I mean, they happen to be over Bedminster. They're very close to Bedminster. I think maybe I won't spend the weekend in Bedminster. I've decided to cancel my trip.

Okay, our panel is back. I mean, Brad, can't he find out? I mean, he's giving a security briefing. You know, I have to tell you, like, there are plenty of times Donald Trump in a press conference drives people crazy. But this time in a press conference, he's saying what everybody in America is thinking. Of course the government should know what's going on. Of course they should say it. And if it was over your house, you probably wouldn't go there. You know, I think this was him at his best.

Well, I do. Okay. To be fair to the White House, I do think they are saying what they know, which is they haven't seen that there's any nexus of national security concern here. But they also can't identify what every single one of these sometimes hobbyist drones, sometimes as we heard from the folks in this reporting, sometimes manned aircraft. I mean, the White House can't account for every single thing in the sky. All that being said-

Obviously, this is a big story. I do think the White House should be more aggressive in how they are communicating about this. I think they should be they should not be afraid to come out and say, you know, there is no cause for concern here, here. But here are all the things we are doing to ensure that we are on top of it. I think they could show a little more process here.

that would make people feel like they're... Show your work. Show your work. And make people feel like... Spoken like a communications director. And feel like they are actually on top of this. Well, I mean, and also, it does... If they're going to get a... Do we think they're going to tell the House Intelligence Committee the same thing that they're telling the American public? Or not? I think they are, which is that... And to your point, some of these things are just...

planets in the sky that are looking weird through like some lighting. - Yeah, I mean. - Sometimes they are planes. Now, it would be curious if there's like any specific intelligence, you know, like actual intelligence surveillance or anything else going on. I doubt if that was the case.

that they would hide it, at least from the American people at this point. Can I just say, there's no incentive, from my perspective, and having lived through the Chinese spy balloon when I was in the White House trying to communicate around this, when we did fund assignment.

Oh, let me tell you. When we did determine that there was a national security nexus, and we said so, there is no incentive. I get that it's exciting conspiracy theory, but there's no incentive for the White House to tell the House Intelligence Committee something different than they're telling the public. That will instantly become known, first of all. And second of all, the story is spiraling out of control. They should put public parameters around the story. And I think that if there were more to say, they would.

And to your point, the White House can't know everything that's in the sky. Now, I would think that by now we'd have a sense as to where the planet Mercury is at any point. Okay, fine. Assuming not, that's a reality. However, it doesn't sit well with the public that the White House can't say definitively what's actually up in the sky. The other problem is that it's very easy now to spread conspiracy theories. We live in an era in which

when people don't have full information or even when they do, it's very easy to just get on the internet and start spreading nonsense. - What's perceived as malevolence is often incompetence. - Yeah. - Oh yeah. - For sure. All right, straight ahead here on CNN this morning, a legal setback for President-elect Trump. His bids dismiss his hush money conviction denied by a New York judge. Plus TikTok, Netflix, Apple, some of the biggest names in tech making the trek from Silicon Valley to Mar-a-Lago.

This was a rigged, disgraceful trial. The real verdict is going to be November 5th by the people. And they know what happened here and everybody knows what happened here. Was that seven months or a lifetime ago?

Seven months since Donald Trump's conviction on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. Despite his election victory in November, his conviction in the New York hush money trial will not be tossed out due to the Supreme Court's decision on presidential immunity. Trump's lawyers argue the conviction should be set aside due to evidence and communications related to Trump's time in the White House.

But in a 41-page decision, Judge Juan Merchan writes in part that if it was, quote, logical and reasonable to conclude that if the act of falsifying records to cover up the payments so that the public would not be made aware is decidedly an unofficial act, so too should the communications to further that same cover-up be unofficial.

Trump's transition team reacted to the decision, issuing a statement that reads in part this, quote,

Elliot Williams, can you help us understand? Could you just explain? Just let him cook. It's absolutely the right decision. However, this is not the final word on that very question. What the Supreme Court decided is that presidents are immune for actions that were taken in their official capacity, right? President Trump's conduct is

that he was convicted of here was largely in his private capacity as a business owner. However, there are a few little bits of evidence that came up in trial that involved conversations he had in the White House. What do you do with those? - Signing the checks while he was president. - Signing checks, talking to Hope Hicks, his personal aide. So how do you handle those? Are those official acts or not? This will end up going to a federal court at some point to decide the question.

Does that mean it goes to the Supreme Court eventually? It could if the Supreme Court takes it on. Now, the simple fact is he cannot go to jail while he's president of the United States. That's not me making a moral point. The law, as of right now, actually says that. So a lot of this is an academic question, likely until after he leaves the presidency. But this is a thorny area of law that doesn't have a lot of precedent in American history. And

everybody's just sort of figuring out what to do with it. Does it have any precedent in American history? Believe it or not, it does not. But there's this open question of how to resolve that immunity question. Brad, the politics of this?

I think that the vast majority of the country has decided they were the jury in all of Donald Trump's cases and that those are done. I think it's a question whether Brett Kavanaugh and John Roberts want to take up this authority issue for the future at some future date. I don't see one more Sean entering our national conversation much after this.

Just one little bit I wanted to add was a lot of the lawyers for Donald Trump are now in the administration, including staff secretary role, DOJ roles. It's going to be really fascinating to see how they deal with some of these legal issues once they're in power. Yeah, for sure. All right, coming up next here on CNN This Morning.

That deadly school shooting in Wisconsin, leaving two dead and six others critically injured. Congressman Mark Veazey of the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force will be here to discuss. Plus, palling around with the president-elect, tech CEOs pilgrimage to Mar-a-Lago, trying to get on Donald Trump's good side. In the first term, everybody was fighting me. In this term, everybody wants to be my friend. I don't know. My personality changed or something.

We heard them and then some people started fighting and then we just waited until the police came and they escorted us out. I was scared. Why did they do that? I was getting ready for lunch so it was basically lunchtime and then I just heard siding and there was a teacher and she was screaming like, "Ah, my leg! Help! Help!"

That little girl, just eight years old, she walked into school for her typical Monday morning,

ended up leaving that building, now facing a lifetime of trauma. Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin, the latest site of a deadly school shooting. A 15-year-old female classmate, now identified as Natalie Rupnow, opened fire at the K-12 school. Those students witnessing what was at least the 83rd school shooting of 2024. As you can see, it's a number that seems to grow year after year.

The mother of one survivor says it makes her question her entire understanding of safety. If your kids are at school, they are not okay. If they are at church, they are not okay. If they are outside, elsewhere, they are not okay. Where are they going to be safe?

All right, joining us now is Democratic Congressman Mark Veazey of Texas. He is the vice chair of the New Democrat Coalition and currently serves on the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force. Congressman, thanks very much for being here. Morning. So I know you, and I'm interested to hear what your personal experience with guns in the classroom was like. I know you were working as a teacher and you had something...

obviously this is this in this case people died but you understand what it's like what happens when a student brings a gun into a classroom what was your experience? Absolutely so it's interesting I wasn't a certified teacher I was a long-term sub I ended up being at this high school for an entire year it's just sort of a weird circumstance how that happened but the classroom literally that was right next door to mine

there was a young student that was about 14 years old, a ninth grader, that brought a gun to school. It was a nine millimeter gun. And what happened was that there was another student that saw the gun and was scared and told the teacher. And so they sent the campus security in to check everyone. They couldn't find a gun and they were getting ready to leave the classroom. And it was, this is a very old high school in Fort Worth. And one of the campus monitors picked up this jacket that was sitting on the stage that was inside of the classroom.

and dropped the jacket and heard this loud thunk and there was a 9mm wrapped up in the jacket. And what happened was this young 14 year old was being bullied and he was afraid and he bought this gun, this 9mm for $10 and they asked him, "Where'd you buy a gun for $10?" And he said he bought it from a drug addict and he wasn't going to take being bullied on by this gang member anymore.

So what does that say? I mean, the way that you're telling that story, and I think as just watching that little girl to take it back to Wisconsin with that popsicle in her hand, SpongeBob, just the level of normalization of this happening in this country is something that I struggle with as someone who has two little kids in school. How...

Do you think that this has become normal in America? And is there anything that can be done about it? I think that people are frustrated with it. But what I really think has happened here is that, you know, it's another case of the groups. And when you talk about the groups and the groups being out of control in D.C., the king of the groups is the NRA.

They have way too much power, way too much control over Republicans. And even legislation that, you know, 80, 90 percent of the public supports, we can't get through because the Republicans would rather listen to this group than listen to the American people and get some things done. I don't think that it's going to cure everything if we pass

some of these more common sense gun safety legislation packages, but at least we're showing the American public that we're trying to do something about this. And we need to do that. Look, there are a lot of guns that are just floating around out there that are on the black market that have been stolen, guns that the police don't even know have been stolen. But it doesn't mean that we shouldn't do anything. We have to pass just some basic common sense gun legislation.

Do you think that there would be any path in Congress for legislation related to ghost guns, especially in the wake of the CEO killing, where a ghost gun was apparently allegedly used in that murder? Is that an area where you think Republicans and Democrats could find some common ground? We would have to go to the NRA website and see what

the NRA says about ghost guns, because if the NRA has a problem with us doing something about ghost guns, and that means that with a Republican presidency and a Republican Senate and a Republican House, that means nothing's going to get done on ghost guns. And so do I think that most Americans would like us to

not let someone that is clearly as crazy and demented as this guy that killed the United Healthcare CEO never be able to make a ghost gun again? Absolutely, I think most Americans don't want anyone like that to ever be able to make a ghost gun again. But do I think that this body that's led by Republicans are going to do anything? I think that they would do something if the NRA told them that it was okay.

Would you be willing to support or vote for measures that would add security to schools, whether that was resources in the form of armed officers or simply funding for schools to hire people like that? Yeah, absolutely. I would definitely be for schools being able to add more security, but we're not going to be able to add enough security. I mean, this was a private school. So think about all

all of the private schools that are out there, little small private schools with like 10, 20, 100 people versus the public schools that have more people. We're not going to be able to put a security guard in every school, but we certainly can add more money so schools can have this enhanced protection that they need. And then look at mental health services for kids. We know that a lot of kids are being influenced by things

that we didn't have to worry about when I was a kid growing up, that they see on their phones, that they see on their devices, that could be influencing them in a very negative way. And so we really need to sit down and unpack that and figure out a way so we can protect our kids. All right, Congressman Mark Fusey for us this morning, sir. Thanks very much for being on the program. I appreciate your time.

All right, 51 minutes past the hour. Here's your morning roundup. A powerful 7.3 earthquake hitting the island nation of Vanuatu earlier today. That is just east of Australia. The U.S. embassy there among the structures heavily damaged in the quake. Right now, one person is confirmed dead. It's unclear how many are injured. Officials fear that people may be trapped under the rubble.

The leader of Russia's nuclear protection forces killed in a bombing in Moscow. Russian officials say the bomb was hidden inside an electric scooter and detonated remotely outside an apartment building today. A source with knowledge of the operation telling CNN Ukraine's security service was behind the assassination. The Russian general was wanted by Ukraine for using chemical weapons.

Happening today, presidential electors will convene in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. to cast their votes for president and vice president. Barring any so-called unfaithful electors, President-elect Trump expected to win 312 electoral votes. Vice President Kamala Harris expected to get 226 votes.

"I do not need to be involved in circuses." Republican Congresswoman Victoria Sparks announcing yesterday that she will not sit on committees or caucus with Republicans unless she sees an improvement in House leadership, signaling the challenges ahead for House Speaker Mike Johnson as he navigates the slimmest of House majorities. The Indiana representative says she'll remain a registered Republican, but instead will focus on helping Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy with their government efficiency efforts.

Alright, let's turn now to power brokers in the private sector preparing for a second Trump term. Apple CEO Tim Cook reportedly visited Mar-a-Lago on Friday and had dinner with President-elect Trump. And in a huge compliment to Cook, Trump spent the whole dinner checking his iPhone. Siri, who is this?

Donald Trump will continue to host a procession of top executives at his Mar-a-Lago club this week, scheduled to meet with Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos today and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos on Wednesday. Past guests have included Apple CEO Tim Cook, TikTok CEO Shu Chu, and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Some coming to the Florida resort with checks in hand, looking to curry favor with the president-elect.

For Trump, the meetings stand in a stark contrast to how he was received back in 2016. I did have dinner with Tim Cook. I had dinner with sort of almost all of them and the rest are coming. And this is one of the big differences, I think, between we were talking about it before. One of the big differences between the first term and the first term, everybody was fighting me. In this term, everybody wants to be my friend.

And if you let that bite go on, he says, or maybe my personality changed or something. Panelist back. Brad Todd, what do you make of how the president-elect framed these change in attitude toward him? Well, I think the fact that big tech's making the pilgrimage is notable. No industry has given a higher percentage of its money to Democrats than maybe retired college professors. I mean, that's where tech executives would rank.

I think big tech has a big problem. In a populist Republican Party, the most partisan, vertically integrated industry is in the crosshairs. And it's also a place where Democrats can agree. You know, we have such a tight Congress. There aren't many places where you can get agreement. But Elizabeth Warren and Josh Hawley agree on big tech and big tech regulation. So if big tech doesn't figure out a way to snap out of its current political problem, they can see a lot more regulation this time. Yeah.

All true. Now, another way, and I think a more cynical way to look at those meetings is that it's entirely rational for companies to pay money to curry favor with politicians. It happens on the left, on the right, and you're seeing it with tech here.

is partly why people are turned off by politics. And a lot of the people, the very people who were animated to vote for Donald Trump were turned off by this, we scratch their backs, they scratch ours idea that you can just pay money or write a check and get to sit down with the president, whoever it may be. So I'm curious as to how

over the years, the next four years, how those voters see and respond to things like that. I think Donald Trump's brand is strong enough of being against Silicon Valley right now to endure a few meetings. But it's the money. It's not just Silicon Valley. I just mean the idea of marching down to pay homage to a president that you gave a million dollars to. This isn't limited to Donald Trump. This is across American politics in terms of people are.

I think at the moment they might actually appreciate that all these people are being so obsequious to their champion. But also, let's also be clear that Donald Trump has not changed at all. What has changed is people's attitudes and reactions to him. Some of these same people would not have gone down there for fear of backlash

not just from the wider public, but from their own staffs. And clearly, Donald Trump has broken through. The only thing that's changed about Donald Trump is you definitely see that after the last, in 2016, he fell under fire immediately from, you know, the Russia and FBI and everything else. You definitely see a different level of confidence this time. Yeah, and Maggie Haberman, um,

put it this way, he has enjoyed a steady stream of vanquished opponents and critics and business leaders who once spurned him arriving to pay respect, seek jobs, simply watch him press play on the iPad that he uses to control the music from the patio during dinner hours. At least in part, that's because Mr. Trump has bent the Republican Party to his will.

In recent days, the president-elect has posted on his website Truth Social an AI-generated image mocking Chris Christie, the former governor of New Jersey, for his weight. An article in support of people arrested in connection with January 6th. After six weeks of staying largely out of sight, Mr. Trump has been busy showing people that Washington is what has changed.

not the incoming president. - Well, it also illustrates that people have learned about Trump since 2016. They've learned that the personal obsequiousness is so important to getting him to hear you out, listen to you, potentially advocate for what you want from a policy perspective. So, Eliot's right that this is a,

unfortunately a kind of broadly speaking a long-standing tradition in politics and one that I think does I agree does turn people off but the the personal nature of this and the big public display of going to Mar-a-Lago to kiss the ring that is a pretty literal pilgrimage yes that is a pretty Trumpy that's a pretty Trumpy phenomenon and it it

I will give him his due. I agree that it illustrates he's bent Washington and the broader powers of corridor to his will and his way of doing things. - I think also, it points that Joe Biden is nowhere to be found right now. He had last had a press conference in July. Trump had an hour-long press conference. World leaders are coming to see him. The leaders of the biggest corporations are coming to see him. It's almost like he's president in waiting, or maybe almost president in fact. It's really a unique phenomenon. - It is a remarkable situation. All right.

I'll leave you with this. Do you have a celebrity lookalike? Start your own contest. Newsflash. Any overweight white guy with a beard looks just like me. What are you talking about? It's an easy competition. There is absolutely nothing unique about any of these gentlemen other than they are large people with beards. Large people with beards.

Oh, America loves Jason. Kelsey, that was Jason on ESPN reacting to becoming the latest celebrity to inspire his very own lookalike contest in 2024. In recent months, there has been a social media avalanche of lookalike contests. Many of the celebrities seem happy to play along.

Twisters star Glenn Powell got wind of a contest happening in his hometown of Austin, Texas in November and taped a message for everyone who gathered because he was overseas filming another movie with a surprise for the winner. Today, the winner of the Glenn Powell lookalike contest wins their parents or any family member of their choice a cameo in my next movie. Another actor found out about a contest he inspired, took it a step further.

That's the moment Timothy Chalamet crashed his own lookalike contest. No one knew he was going to show up. This was back in October at this social media organized event to decide the quote best Tim. The gathering got so large at one point that New York police detained the organizer for creating such a large event without getting a proper permit. You know we need

The Academy Award nominee left before the winner was crowned, but he did meet up with the best team winner just last week in New York during a screening of his upcoming movie. Did you guys see the Jack Schlossberg one? That was one everyone here in D.C. was talking about. Very D.C. All right. Thanks to our panel. Thanks to all of you for joining us this morning. I'm Casey Hunt. Don't go anywhere. CNN News Central starts right now.

Welcome to Times Square. Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen are back together to ring in the new year. Best night of my life! And anything could happen. Oh my gosh! So perfect! That's perfect TV! New Year's Eve Live starts at 8 on CNN. This holiday season, find the perfect gift at CNN Underscored. From the latest fashion to expert-approved tech to the best beauty finds. Discover it all at Underscored.com.