Will Gaetz Report Be Released?
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It's Wednesday, November 20th, right now on CNN This Morning. The key point is that the Senate should have a chance to look at it, not us. The Ethics Committee's report on Donald Trump's Attorney General pick Matt Gaetz. Today, a House panel could decide to release it or bury it forever. Plus... And now I've got the number one miracle in a bottle. From pushing weight loss pills to proposing policy, Trump wants Dr. Oz to join his team. And this...

Bomb cyclone? Who ever heard of that? A powerful storm unleashing a month's worth of rain, hurricane force winds and dumping a ton of snow on the Pacific Northwest. And more new weapons for Ukraine. President Biden making another big policy shift to help the fight against Russia. But is it too late?

All right, just before 6 a.m. here on the East Coast, a live look at Capitol Hill, increasingly going to be the center of the action as Donald Trump puts his second administration together. Good morning, everyone. I'm Casey Hunt. It's wonderful to have you with us. This morning, it's increasingly clear it is Donald Trump's world, and we're just living in it. The most powerful rocket ever built, blasting off from Texas yesterday,

With its creator, Elon Musk, looking on with the president-elect of the United States, Donald Trump, wearing a hat, said 45 and 47, making the trip with his billionaire buddy to take in the launch just days after they both attended a UFC fight at Madison Square Garden, where the winner did Trump's signature dance after the knockout.

All of this as President Biden prepares to step off the world stage. Here he was in Brazil earlier this week, the first sitting president to visit the Amazon, seeming to wander into the jungle. He missed this group photo of the G20 leaders, apparently due to a scheduling conflict. He is stepping off the stage as this made-for-TV cast of characters steps on stage for the new Trump administration.

This is what Forrest Golan does to your belly fat. Whoa! If you want to stay on, you gotta play by the rules, but it's up to you, Steve. I don't think I've washed my hands for 10 years. Really, I don't really wash my hands ever. I think that's the kind of house we live in. It's pretty sad. The branding absolutely missed the mark. You were in charge of branding. Star, you're fired.

All right, joining us now to discuss all this, Stephen Collinson, CNN senior politics reporter, Mark Preston, CNN senior political analyst, Megan Hayes, former director of message planning at the Biden White House, Brad Todd, CNN political commentator and Republican strategist. Welcome to all of you. Thank you for being here. Stephen, I was actually reading your column this morning about Trump's

you know, trip with Elon Musk to watch this rocket launch and was just struck by the degree to which the world that we're leaving, the world that we're entering contrast with one another. - Right, and this relationship between Donald Trump and Elon Musk is fascinating, you know,

The most interesting orbit was not the one that rockets were blasting off to from Texas. It's the one between Trump and Musk and everything that brings, you know, the potential of someone, a genius in the middle of government, but all the conflicts of interests that that brings. But I think what we're seeing is you're right. This move, Trump is already exerting power, right?

two months before he actually becomes the president. You're seeing it domestically, you're seeing it internationally. Emmanuel Macron, the French president, is already looking to invite Trump and Musk to an AI summit in Paris in February, just showing how everything is changing very fast. People are reacting to Trump while President Biden is basically slipping off the international stage.

You know, a Republican consultant said to me, Brad, it was not Brad, said to me the other day, it's almost the beginning of the new era of the American oligarch.

Right. And it was it was interesting that he said that it's not fear necessarily, because the American oligarch, the wealthy has always run the government here in Washington. But it is amazing to have the wealthiest, you know, most powerful person in the world right next to Donald Trump. And then you have to wonder their buddies right now. But I don't know very many relationships that.

that Donald Trump fosters and maintains. - Well, it's often hard for two egos, two, let's be candid, male egos of this size to stand next to each other in the same space for a long time, particularly with these two. But Megan Hayes, the Democratic Congressman Jim Himes, who is, to be clear, a serious guy on the Intelligence Committee, he said this, quote, "We're becoming the world's first nuclear-armed reality television show."

He's not wrong. Everyone we're naming to the cabinet has been on TV. Who knew that was the pipeline to be in a cabinet secretary or be qualified to run major agencies in a government? But I also am wondering, where is J.D. Vance in all this? I know he's going to the Hill today, but he's been...

basically missing from Trump's orbit or not seen in Trump's orbit for several weeks now. And it seems like Elon Musk has taken that spot in Trump's mind. Well, what J.D. Vance is doing today, Brad Todd, is shepherding Matt Gaetz, who we didn't have in the made-for-TV map, but is like the most controversial of these picks. Well, I

J.D. Vance has been pretty integral, actually, behind the scenes in helping vet cabinet nominees and helping pick them and giving the president-elect guidance. I think you're going to see a lot of him because this is going to, the stage is now going to move to the U.S. Senate, which is territory J.D. Vance knows well, where he has more relationships than Donald Trump does.

I think the other thing that's kind of remarkable about some of these picks is some people are feigning shock at some of his selections, but these people all campaigned with him. When if you were at a Trump rally, you saw a litany of speakers, some of whom were are now going to be in the cabinet. It's almost like a shadow government was on stage there. So I think the voters are that's why you see the polling shows the voters are a lot less surprised than a lot of the Beltway classes. Yeah. Stephen, the other piece

part of your piece that stood out to me as well and that I think that some of what we just saw captured a little bit of on video

is this idea of Trump as a cultural force, right? You wrote a little bit about that the Trump dance in particular, we have now seen kind of across sports fields, there does seem to be a sense that there were people who were not publicly embracing Trump, who in the wake of the election results seem willing to do that. And that cultural shift stood out to me as much in kind of thinking through what we had today news-wise as anything else. Right, he's putting himself in iconic situations today

You know, he's standing there yesterday with his chin in the air watching this rocket go up almost like there was some credit to accrue to him for the Elon Musk and I guess he was basking in Musk's reflected glory because Musk is now part of his inner circle. I think there's been a lot of talk about, okay, this is all going to blow up, right? They can't stick together. There's a lot for them to do.

at stake if they stay together. Musk gets more power. He's inside the middle of the government. Trump is hanging around with the richest man in the world. He is a force multiplier in terms of power. He's a massive non-state actor. And I'm sure when Trump was watching that rocket go up, not only was he impressed,

But he had to be thinking about Musk's power. Musk is not just a great ally to have. He would be a terrible enemy if they did break up, if you like. There's also been some conversations about the ways in which these two men are alike, Mark, in ways that... I mean...

let's be candid, right? Donald Trump has the kind of profile, there's not a ton of people out in the world that he necessarily could relate to, right? That are on his same level. But these two men both share fame. They share, in particular, fathers that both describe as overbearing and very prominent in the early years of their lives. And I mean, to Stephen's point, if they do sustain this relationship, there is a ton at stake.

Look, there's probably a bond there to your point that we don't quite even understand yet. That's still developing. I mean, he's in the family photos. Which is bizarro. Which is bizarro. And let me say this as well. Donald Trump has been very disciplined, hasn't he, over the past week? Now, people say he's not disciplined. He named Matt Gaetz and he nominated him.

Yeah, but he hasn't been sending out tweets at all hours of the night saying that people are coming after him. I understand we lowered the bar considerably so you can step over it necessarily, right? I get that. There have been a lot of Elon tweets or exes and quite a few Trump Truth social posts, but I do take your broader point. Yeah, and it seems that Trump is really...

The whole idea that Trump has a mandate, I think, is a false narrative, right? I think that he has incredible support from the American people. But a mandate means that you're going to get everything through. And I think that we're already seeing some pushback from, obviously, Senate Republicans saying that Matt Gaetz isn't going to get through. That doesn't mean that Donald Trump isn't going to get 95 percent of everything else that he wants done. But the idea that a mandate, I think, is overstated. Do you agree with that? I think so.

I think we decided in '92, I'm old enough to remember when we said Bill Clinton had a mandate with 43%. So yes, every president actually does get a mandate, but mandates are like muscles. You have to use them to make them bigger. And so I think that the Trump administration would be a mistake for them not to come out with a fairly bold agenda early on. The trick is to do an agenda that helps you get into the other side. That's the mistake that Barack Obama made, it's the mistake Joe Biden made, is to come up with things at the very beginning of their administration that helps you get Democrats.

I think that's the trick. And if I'm in the Trump administration, I'm trying to spend the next month and a half trying to come up with that answer. - All right. After this quick break on CNN This Morning, will the House Ethics Committee release their report on Matt Gaetz? Today, the committee will meet to weigh just that as members face pressure from both sides. Plus, a once in a decade storm, a bomb cyclone moving ashore, it has already turned deadly. And in a clear signal to the West, Russia fine tunes its nuclear doctrine and President Biden announces another policy shift for Ukraine.

Putin is weaker than the United States of America. The President of the United States of America has the strength and authorities and the weapons

I'm Dr. Sanjay Gupta, host of the Chasing Life podcast. There are nearly 7 million Americans living with Alzheimer's disease. It's the most common neurodegenerative condition in the world. But in the process of filming a recent documentary called The Last Alzheimer's Patient, I saw some incredible signs of hope. Alzheimer's prevented and even sometimes reversed. Listen to Chasing Life, streaming now, wherever you get your podcasts.

I think if there is an ethics report out there that is being, or that has been completed, then I think the Senate is going to want to see it. I think it would be helpful. Everybody's talking about it. It apparently was just about done. I think it would be helpful. I've already talked to him. He just said, listen, he wants a shot to be able to lay out his vision for the department and also to respond to these various allegations. And, you know, I said, hey, the confirmation hearing is the place and chance to do that.

Republican senators calling for more information on Donald Trump's choice to be Attorney General. The president-elect not backing away from Gates. Mr. President, are you reconsidering the nomination of Matt Gates? No.

And starting today, senators will get a chance to speak with Gates himself. Vice President-elect J.D. Vance bringing Gates for meetings with key Republican senators who will be involved in the confirmation process. Gates' arrival back on Capitol Hill comes as the House Ethics Committee is scheduled to meet and weigh whether or not to make their report on Gates public. A report investigating allegations of sexual misconduct with a minor and illicit drug use by the former congressman.

Do you have to understand that my clients are only two out of the over a dozen witnesses that testified? I was present for two of those. And so what I'm telling you is just a fraction of the evidence that's available of the thousands of documents and the 25 subpoenas, 12 witnesses. Well, I do think that's probably the tip of the iceberg. Tip of the iceberg, he says. That, of course, the lawyer, Brad Todd, for two of the women, one of whom says that they witnessed

Matt Gaetz having sex with a 17-year-old, their 17-year-old friend. Can you take us behind the scenes on the Hill about what the dynamics really are here? Because it really does, part of the reason this is such a problem, I mean, there's twofold, right? There's a lot of senators who don't really like Matt Gaetz very much, but it also potentially puts them in difficult positions as they face their own Senate races, first in a primary and then a general election.

If you were trying to confirm Matt Gaetz in the House, it would be a unanimous vote because they'd be glad to get rid of him. But I think the Senate vote, it might be easier to confirm a bellhop from Trump Tower than Matt Gaetz. I think it's that tough. And, you know...

This is of Gates' own making, right? He polarizes people on purpose. And he polarizes his colleagues on purpose. And he trashes the institution on purpose. And it's helped him out with his fundraising back home and in his own race. But it's going to be a real problem here. I think if he actually gets a hearing, which I'm skeptical of,

He probably performed pretty well. He's kind of a rock star on the House side in hearings and grilling witnesses. But I think these one-on-one meetings with senators, they're going to give him the courtesy of explaining things, and then they're going to politely suggest the president pull the nomination.

What do you think? Listen, I'm of the conspiratorial class on this one. No, no, no, I really am. Okay. Okay, so this is how I think it plays out. I think Matt Gaetz is on the airplane. We've seen reporting on this. He's on the airplane. This idea is hatched, okay, for him to become nominated for attorney general. He knows within a few days that this House report is going to get released, okay?

Either way, he gets the support now of the MAGA community who thinks that Democrats and haters of Donald Trump are just trying to take down Matt Gaetz. Now, if they're successful in doing so, Matt Gaetz becomes a pariah within a community when that report was going to get released anyway, but yet he has already established support. Or if he gets through, then Donald Trump gets what he wants, right? I mean, he gets Matt Gaetz there. But everyone just says, oh my God, like, who's he going to put in the Department of Justice?

To Brad's point, you could put anybody in there. It doesn't matter. You just put anybody in there as long as the person that you put in there does the job that you want them to do. It doesn't have to be Matt Gaetz. It could be Matt Barnes or Matt Thompson. It could be any Matt. Any Matt. As a child of the 80s, I know all

A lot of us. Including my husband. It's totally understandable that Donald Trump would want major reform in the Department of Justice, which has tried to undermine him, throw him out of office, stop him from getting elected, all that. It's totally legitimate. And plenty of Republicans agree with that, including the Republicans who are going to recommend he pull Matt Gaetz's nomination. They'll find someone else to do what they and he want at the Department of Justice. Well, you heard it here first from Brad Toto.

All right, still to come here after the break, casting call. Two more TV personalities join Donald Trump's team. Democratic Congressman Steve Cohen joins us live to discuss the incoming Trump cabinet. Plus, debris and smoke filling the air as a house in Ohio explodes. That's one of five things you have to see this morning. All right, 23 minutes past the hour. Five things you have to see this morning.

A house explosion in Ohio sending debris flying into the air. Two people were killed and another one was hospitalized. There's no word yet on what caused this explosion. Two people walking away with minor injuries after this small plane crashed onto a Tennessee roadway last night. Officials say it's a miracle the plane avoided cars because it was during a busy rush hour. And...

All systems go for SpaceX's most powerful rocket ever. SpaceX had to abort an attempt to catch the booster using those, remember those chopsticks? Yeah, they couldn't use them this time. The rocket instead was forced to splash down in the Gulf of Mexico. A close call on a San Antonio highway, a mattress coming undone, oh my gosh, flying across the interstate.

So I never drive behind cars that look like this. Just, this is why. This is like one of my biggest fears. The driver behind the truck says that they just missed her. Okay, and the truck never stopped.

A blizzard warning now in place over the Cascades in Washington state. A quote, once in a decade bomb cyclone bringing heavy winds, rain and snow to the northwest coast this morning. And that brings us to weather. At least one person is dead and more than 650,000 are without power because of that storm. Conditions expected to last at least a few more days. Let's get to our meteorologist, the weatherman, Derek Van Dam. Derek, good morning. What do you know?

Yeah, Casey, that blizzard warning in the Cascade Mountains is actually one of only a handful of times that the National Weather Service has issued that in the past four decades. So we're in rare company here. This is a powerful storm and we're seeing it in the imagery that

we're posting on social media this morning. We're seeing and noticing that trees and power lines have toppled onto homes actually trapping residents inside. It took an over an hour for this fire department to rescue one of the individuals from inside of this house or trailer. And here is another home split in half because of a tree that toppled on top of it. Okay, now here's the culprit. This is the bomb cyclone that we keep talking about this catchy term, which actually has its roots

in a meteorological phenomenon known as bombogenesis that has to do with when the storm drops a certain amount of pressure. What you need to know is that it's a powerful storm that's got a lot of energy, a lot of wind, gusts over hurricane force, and again, taking down power lines. That means people are going to wake up this morning in the dark. Now, the storm's not over. We have several rounds of rain, snow, and wind to go. This will last right into the early parts of the weekend as yet another what we call an atmospheric river unleashes stormwater.

a torrent of rain and snow across the West. Casey? All right, Derek Van Dam for us this morning. Derek, thank you. I appreciate it. OK. All right, still ahead here on CNN This Morning, this just in, the Biden administration ready to announce another aid package to Ukraine as President Biden makes another big policy shift to provide more weapons to the front. Plus, from ringside to the White House, could former WWE CEO Linda McMahon be the last Department of Education secretary?

Ultimately, we want to close the federal Department of Education and we're going to do that.

I'm CNN tech reporter Claire Duffy. This week on the podcast, Terms of Service. It's hard not to feel like our phones might be listening to us. Researchers have actually studied this question. I called up David Chofnis, who is an associate professor of computer science at Northeastern University. David's done a ton of research into data privacy. So are they listening? As far as we know, we're not seeing it. Follow CNN's Terms of Service wherever you get your podcasts.

all right this just into cnn the white house set to announce a new pa support package for ukraine defense secretary lloyd austin telling reporters it would be up to 275 million dollars and include rocket systems and artillery it comes as another major policy shift from president biden as he attempts to bolster ukraine in the last months of his presidency

The administration is now giving the Pentagon the okay to send anti-personnel landmines to that country. And this comes after Biden gave Ukraine the green light to strike deep inside Russia with these long range missiles. The first strikes coming on Tuesday. Russian President Vladimir Putin responding by lowering the threshold for their use of nuclear weapons. Russia now saying that any attack

supported by a nuclear power could be met with a nuclear response, the State Department slamming that change in policy. The change in this policy in itself just highlights Russia's hypocrisy. Russia is suggesting here that they would use or could use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear states if they undertake the same kind of aggression that Russia itself is inflicting upon Ukraine and its people.

And new overnight, the U.S. embassy in Kyiv has been closed. That's something that hasn't happened since the invasion started back in February of 2022. Apparently, there's a risk of an aerial assault. CNN's international security correspondent Nick Payton Walsh is in Kyiv for us this morning. Nick, what can you tell us?

Yeah, look, this embassy not shut since the invasion. You wouldn't really see around it any other signs of the concerns expressed by US diplomats. Life is kind of going around as normal, Kiev so used to the regular bombardment, but it's a very specific piece of information.

from US diplomats here saying they're not coming to work and basically telling other American citizens to take cover. Some of the guidance around this suggesting it's not necessarily a response to Putin's nuclear sabre rattling. It's hard to define exactly what the Kremlin head means when he changed the doctrine other than simply to be able to use the word nuclear again and escalate people's anxieties because of that. The embassy shut today and possibly for more, maybe just today because of the concerns about a larger aerial assault

across Ukraine and possibly the capital too. I should point out, Kiev was hit hard over the weekend, one of the worst attacks for months, frankly. So that may be the reason why you're seeing ordinary life continue around us. But as you mentioned there, the remarkable fact now that the Biden administration seems to be day by day by day trying to increase the tools that Ukraine's capability

I think it's a reflection of how badly Kiev sadly is doing for its soldiers on the battlefield, losing on multiple fronts along the east to Russian forces slowly advancing. And also I think we are in a remarkable moment here that I'm standing in front of an American diplomatic facility saying it's closed because they're concerned it might get hit by Russian strikes. That's a stark change from where we were a week ago. I think a reflection perhaps.

of concerns in the Biden administration that Russia may seek to retaliate after they gave permission to Ukraine to use those longer range attack and missiles to hit targets inside of Russia. They did that in the last 24, 48 hours and indeed Ukraine overnight saying they hit more targets probably with different weaponry

inside Russia as well. But there may be, I think, this closure is a part of a wider concern across the NATO alliance. We're hearing that some European embassies are limiting their facilities today, perhaps out of a shared concern. There may be some kind of response. Would it be targeted towards NATO members' diplomatic facilities?

or just across the capital as you've seen over the past months intensifying, we don't know. But we're in a starkly different chapter in this war, Casey, than we were just a week ago.

Certainly, indeed we are. And you really put that into stark relief for us, Nick. Peyton Walsh, thank you. I really appreciate that. And actually, briefly, Stephen Collinson, I mean, the big picture here, I mean, this is the Biden administration is taking all of the tools that they have and trying to deploy them right here at the last minute before they have to leave office. What does that set up here across the world, big picture? Well,

It's always been clear that even if Biden won the election, there was going to be some kind of negotiation next year about ending this war. That's become more intense by the fact that Trump won and he's made no secret of the fact that he wants to end the war. This is all about creating situations on the ground that advantage Zelensky in the eventual negotiations that come. Everyone knows what it's going to look like. There's going to be a divide. Putin is

going to get his reward for the invasion. He's going to bite off more Ukrainian territory. He's trying to get as much as he can. He's trying to expel Ukrainians from the Kursk region of Russia to set up the negotiations. It's all about the terms. Does Ukraine get some kind of path to NATO? Does it get some association with the EU? In a way, what the president is doing, while it's escalating the situation, it is giving Trump some tools because

Putin is doing so well right now in the war. I don't think he's going to make it easy for Trump in ending this war. He's going to drive a hard bargain. Very interesting. All right. Let's turn back now to the evolving Trump transition and how U.S. companies are preparing to deal with the president-elect's trade policy.

Definitely staying very close to this. We're preparing internally for what may be coming from the new administration. As we look at potential impacts, certainly would add product costs.

It would add product cost. That is a very dry way of saying it's going to get more expensive. That was the CFO of Lowe's, and that was their earnings call yesterday. And basically saying that if they enact Donald Trump's proposed tariffs, your products would get more expensive. The Walmart CFO, John David Rainey, also told CNBC yesterday that while that company never wants to raise prices, there will probably be cases where prices will go up.

for consumers. The statement's coming as other retailers like Elf Beauty, AutoZone, Columbia Sportswear also warn they may have to raise prices to offset heavier tariffs. This though is a key part of Trump's economic agenda.

If I'm going to be president of this country, I'm going to put a 100, 200, 2000% tariff. They're not going to sell one car into the United States. We'll put a tariff of approximately 100 to 200% on each car. A 25% tariff on everything they send in. Just notifying John Deere right now.

If you do that, we're putting a 200% tariff on everything that you want to sell into the United States. If I was Mr. Tariff, I would say, please get me a PR agent. I have to straighten out. It's one of the most beautiful words in the whole world. The word tariff. It's more beautiful than love. More beautiful than love. Well, Brad, I mean, look, the reality is Americans chose to send Donald Trump to the White House. And no small part because they're upset about the economy. They're upset about inflation.

Tariffs are inflationary, basically every economist will tell us. And there does seem to be some tension inside the evolving Trump transition around this, like who's going to be Treasury Secretary, who's going to be Commerce, etc. I mean, where are we going on this? Well, first off, you know, we talked a lot in the campaign about how Kamala Harris wasn't telling her base no, right? There was no element of the Democrat-based coalition that she was resisting.

Donald Trump is telling CEOs, big business, which long has been a Republican ally, he's putting them on notice that they can't just take for granted that he's going to do what they want. I look at that clip and I see Walmart, you know, back in the 80s, Walmart grew by marketing that it sold things made in America. So there's going to be a new niche here, a new niche for companies who want to promote American manufacturing, bring back jobs here.

I think people respond to it. This is something Trump has believed for a long time. It's things that Americans voted for. And I think you'll see that his terror policy will be pretty popular. - Mark, on the one hand, I take your point about Trump and his base, but Americans have also shown they want the cheapest thing on Amazon.

more than they are willing to spend more money. - It sounds really good to say that I'm gonna do it and to threaten that I'm gonna put a 200 percent tar, I mean, it plays so well. But the fact of the matter is, is that it is gonna boomerang back on the average consumer. Again, does it help try to push? Does he not do it? I mean, does the threat in itself help to, you know, help position us against China? Maybe, but the fact is, if he enacts it, I mean, then all bets are off.

I just think a lot of his policies are not actually geared towards working class people and a lot of working classes have sent him to the White House. So I think that we're going to have a real reckoning here of the reality of what his policies actually do. I mean, he lost manufacturing jobs when he was president before. I mean, they were talking about the Chips and Science Act and that's bringing jobs to America. So I just think there's going to be a real reckoning here with working class people and we'll see what happens.

But you know, the tariffs that he put in place on aluminum and steel, the Biden administration kept after running against him. So tariffs are an effective tool. But all the economists that looked at his economic plan during the election were saying that he's going to put over $4,000 of costs back on the average family. So I think that we'll just have to see what plans actually go through and what actually happens. But going back onto the working class people, I think is going to be a real problem for the Republicans.

Republican Party heading into the midterms in 2028. I think you're right that it's an opening gambit, right? The number will change, but I wouldn't bet against Donald Trump on keeping working class voters. All right. Coming up here on CNN this morning.

Lake and Riley's final moments captured on tape and the damning DNA evidence revealed as prosecutors wrap up their case. Plus, in just a few hours, the House Ethics Committee is going to meet to weigh whether the report about Donald Trump's AG pick, Matt Gaetz, should be made public. Congressman Steve Cohen, here to discuss.

House Speaker Mike Johnson said on Friday that he would ask the Ethics Committee not to release its report on former Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz. Though I'm sure if anything is in there, it's minor.

The Health Ethics Committee is expected to meet today to weigh whether or not to release their report on Matt Gaetz, the former Florida Republican congressman who has now been picked to be Donald Trump's attorney general. He was at the center of a years-long investigation into alleged sexual misconduct with a minor, as well as illicit drug use. If it's released, the report would contain the testimony of at least two women who told the committee that Gaetz paid them for sex.

and attended drug-fueled parties with them, where one of the women witnessed him have sex with a 17-year-old.

They testified that they met up with Matt Gaetz in New York in January of 2019 for his appearance on Fox News. Met up with or traveled with? Do you know? So Mr. Gaetz paid them for the tickets to come to New York for the trip, and they went to Broadway shows while they're there. What show did they see? I'm just curious now. Pretty Woman. About a sex worker? I had not even thought about that. Interesting.

Oh, pretty woman. Joining me now to discuss, Democratic Congressman Steve Cohen of Tennessee. He's a former member of the House Ethics Committee and served alongside Gates on the House Judiciary Committee until Gates resigned.

from Congress last week. Congressman, thank you very much for joining us on the show. Good to be with you again. So we are expecting the Ethics Committee to meet today. Unclear whether they will vote on releasing this report. I know you've already called for them to do that, but what's your sense of what they are actually going to do? Is the pressure from House Speaker Mike Johnson going to impact Republicans and mean this report never sees the light of day?

Well, it's really not from House Speaker Mike Johnson, even though he has power. His power is, he's just a conduit for the power that comes from our logo. And so that's the fear is Trump. He's the bad guy.

And I don't think they'll release it. It'll be 5-5, and at 5-5 it won't go out. But it should go out because the American public has a right to see it. They don't have a right, but they need to see it. They need to see who's been nominated to be the top law enforcement officer in the country. And it would also be a teaching tool to the Congress people, including myself.

I don't know. I mean, if it's talking about the salacious things, the sex and the 17-year-old and the drugs, and that's wrong and bad and illegal and blah, blah, blah. But there's stuff in there about taking a bribe. I want to know what kind of... Did he get $50 and vote for something or $500 or something else that is kind of a...

a quid pro quo deal. They said he used his congressional perquisites for people that was unauthorized. I don't know what they mean. Did somebody vote him? Did he give his voting card to somebody and they voted for him or what? Whatever he did, I don't even understand from the charges. And then there's some other things in there concerning using his campaign fund for personal expenses. Did he charge the plays and the tickets to New York and the hotel room to his campaign members' representation allowance, which is illegal?

Those are kind of things that would be a very good tool to teach Congress people more about ethics, but also there's a prophylactic so people think, "I don't need to do that." The Ethics Committee needs to be strong. It needs to be respected, and that would happen if this was released. So I think there's a lot of things to look at. It's been-- reports have been released after people have resigned in the past. Bill Boehner from Tennessee, Foley from Florida,

MATA or something, he was only there for about a year, Massa, Massa. And so they've done it. But especially if somebody's going to a higher office, if you're going to leave and go home and be out of the public eye,

Maybe, maybe. But if you're going to try to be Attorney General and have influence over government and the American people and you've got information about the person that might be relevant to the Senate's confirmation hearings, yeah, you've got a duty to release it. And if you don't release it, you're doing an injustice to the House, to the institution, to the system of checks and balances, to democracy, and to this country.

Congressman, some former or current members of the House, Mark Mullen sticks out in my mind as now a senator. They have talked about personally experiencing Matt Gaetz bragging about some of the behavior that may be detailed in this report. Do you have personal experience? Have you seen Matt Gaetz brag about having sex, about other things that show up here?

He made some statements to me when he was a freshman that I found just kind of amazing and shocking, and I just had to look forward. We were in the committee room, and I guess he thought he was a young guy and he was getting started, and I sponsored Roofed.

decriminalization of marijuana laws and he came up and he said something I just thought my god I can't believe you're saying that to me. Saying what? But it's consistent with what he's been charged with. Can you give us a little bit more detail? What did it relate to? I mean come on! I know you want to do something that Mika and the other Mika does. I know you don't want to go to Palm Beach but we're not going to

I'll give you something exclusive that Mika and Joe don't get. Not that I, quit watching Mika and Joe. They're off.

So, sir, let's talk for a second about Democrats and how you push back against the incoming Trump administration, because obviously any party that's not in power often views itself as the party of opposition. There are some who look at how Democrats push back against Trump in his first term that they felt went too far, perhaps. I'm curious what you think Democrats did right and wrong in pushing back against the first Trump administration and how you should do it differently this time.

Well, the first time was really a shock because of his conduct and some of the things he said about just women in particular and the way he used the

the federal government to enrich himself. I mean, the people that stayed at Trump Tower, the Trump Hotel, and the monies he charged the Secret Service, and they took flights in Europe not to stop, and they made him go to Scotland and take a 40-mile drive to Trump's hotel where they stayed. He grifted totally, and it was improper. The emoluments clause was violated. So it was terrible.

I don't want to say we're nerd to it, but we know he's going to do it. Now with the Supreme Court saying he can't be, he's got a privilege, he can't be sued if it's in his official capacity. He's Al Capone selling liquor right on the main streets of Chicago. He's got no guardrails at all. I think we need to stand up and let the American public know that when we think he's wrong and he's violating the Monuments Clause and things, he's going to do it constantly.

I mean, that's just kind of the way he does it. And that's the way people he admires. Putin, he runs Russia. He's an oligarch. He's got lots of business interests. And he does things for his friends. And same thing for Xi. And I'm sure Kung Pao, whatever his name is in North Korea, he does the same thing, too. King Jong-un. Okay. Kung Pao pork.

Congressman Steve Cohen, thank you very much. You, speaking of pork, is it barbecue we got up here? No, it's rock and roll. Rock and roll, I'm sorry. Elvis, Johnny Cash, Roar Olsen, Jerry Lee. Well, we're a hat-friendly set, so come back. Good. James Carver. 53 minutes past the hour. Here's your morning roundup. Surveillance video in the Lake and Riley murder case shows her out for a run just moments before she was killed off of a nearby trail.

Experts testified Tuesday they found the DNA of the defendant, Jose Ibarra, under Riley's fingernails, something unlikely to have happened by accident. - It has to have some sort of scratching or contact with the inside of the nail. These were shorter nails, so it wasn't like they were long nails that you can just accidentally have contact with. - The state has rested its case against Ibarra. The defense will continue calling witnesses when the trial resumes in about two hours.

Today, One Direction star Liam Payne expected to be laid to rest in England. The musician died last month after falling from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires. And so far, three people have been charged in connection with his death. Texas looking to help Donald Trump with his mass deportation plan. The state offering 1,400 acres near the southern border to build detention facilities. No word yet from the Trump campaign, the Trump transition, on whether they'll accept.

All right, let's turn now to this. The future of the education department as we know it, hanging in limbo. Donald Trump has vowed to send education, quote, back to the states. We're going to...

take it all out of Washington. We're going to send it all back to the states. I believe that school choice is the civil rights issue of our time. We want federal education dollars to follow the student rather than propping up a bloated and radical bureaucracy in Washington, D.C., which is what we're doing now ultimately. We want to close the federal Department of Education, and we're going to do that.

And now he's apparently got his choice to spearhead that effort, Republican donor, former pro wrestling executive Linda McMahon. McMahon has of course spent plenty of time in Republican circles in recent years and she served in Trump's first administration as the administrator of small business and is the board chair of a pro-Trump think tank known as the America First Policy Institute. But of course, before she entered Republican politics, she was the CEO of the WWE, which she co-founded with her husband.

If this is my last night as co-GM in this ring, thank you for the memories. No, no. Our panel is back to discuss that and of course the other Donald Trump pick we learned about yesterday, which is Dr. Mehmet Oz to run Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, Mark Preston. I mean, she's very cool. I mean, you see her drink that beer.

I mean, yes, I hadn't before today, but yes. Go back to earlier in the show, the era of the American oligarch. She's incredibly wealthy, but even more so, she has been involved in this Trump policy formation prior to the election. So talk about going into the Department of Education and literally what they want to do is to try to piece it out to other departments, to other cabinets, and

and then move maybe the core out into the hinterlands, you know, out into America.

It would be very difficult for them to do it, but it is going to be a huge fight. Megan Hayes, what is the risk, the political risk, to doing what they say on the Department of Education? I think there may be a lot of people out there that don't realize the extent to which the Department of Education may actually be involved in the lives of children in their own communities. Yeah, I think this just goes back to what we were talking about with working class people and people with families. The Department of Education pays for things like special needs programs and states and funded programs. There's a lot that goes into public universities that comes from the Department of Education. I just think

that we don't realize the extent of what these departments do. And so maybe it'll be a good wake up call for the rest of America to see what these departments do. But I do think this is going to impact greatly just the basic standards of education and it will impact their children and their education that they're receiving.

I think this is going to be a great debate. There's no question that we're going to continue to have federal support for education. The dollars that we're spending on kids, on special needs kids, we're going to continue to do that. We're going to continue to have a student loan program. But if you think 3,900 employees in Washington are making your kids' school better, then you're just crazy. And when we started the Department of Education, it's the newest department. We started it in 1979. Well, you're forgetting about the Department of Homeland Security.

But otherwise, I take your point. - America was first in education when we started it. We're a long way from first now. I think it's okay to stop and say, hey, maybe trying to control things from Washington's not working. So we can continue to fund schools with federal dollars, but we don't need 3,900 people here in Washington running it.

I just don't actually know that we know what those 3,900 people do. I'm not saying that some of those people don't need to go. I just think that there are more programs housed within that department than people realize. And I think if you start breaking it apart and start taking money away, it will impact people in their daily lives with their children's schooling. All right. I do want to leave you with this today. The celebration trend in the sports world, the Trump dance.

Trump's double fist pump has been a rally staple for years now, usually to the YMCA. If we could keep playing that, that'd be great. But now the dance jumping from rallies to sports. Monday night, U.S. soccer star Christian Pulisic busted out the move after scoring a go-ahead goal against Jamaica. On Sunday, it was pro football players hitting the Trump dance after big plays Raiders rookie Brock Browers in the end zone. Lionel

Lions player Zedarius Smith with a quick move after getting a sack. And Titans wideout Calvin Ridley celebrated with teammates after a long score before it was called back on penalties. And one of Trump's favorite sports, UFC, not left out. He did the Trump dance. Ah!

That was UFC champ Jon Jones hitting the dance after knocking out his opponent while Trump watched from the front row at Madison Square Garden this weekend. Jones took his celebration next level. He handed the champion belt to Trump for the photo op after his win.

But Mark Preston, the Trump dance, now all the rage. - Okay, so just watching it right now, I think Ridley did it best. I think everyone else does it too fast. If you're gonna do it, you have to motionly do this. If you ever see how Trump moves his hand, I've studied Trump, I played him many times in debates.

It's like this. This is why you're the perfect person to talk about this. And I will say this was widely celebrated at the Republican National Convention. I think there were some eyebrows raised at the time, but here you go. They, I guess, made it iconic. Thanks to you guys for being here with us today. Thanks to all of you at home for joining us as well. I'm Casey Hunt. Don't go anywhere. CNN News Central starts right now. I run a school for young women.

We're not a threat to anyone. In the new HBO original series, Dune Prophecy, it is sisterhood above all. I'm Greta Johnson. And I'm Ahmed Ali Akbar. Join us on the official Dune Prophecy podcast, where we unpack each episode with the show's creators, cast, and crew. Stream Dune Prophecy Sundays starting November 17th exclusively on Max, and you can listen to new episodes of the podcast every Sunday night.