Transcripts For CNNW Early 20240705

From the 2024 primary ballot under the 14th amendments insurrectionist ban. It is a decision that differs from the one that was reached by the Colorado Supreme Court last week. Trump responding in an interview he was not surprised by the ruling. It is very bad for colorado, very, very bad for colorado, but we just had the big win in michigan today and that was a good one. And we have 33 wins and this isnt a loss because well have to see what happens. This is not a final determination. So trump also demanded wednesday that the Secretary Of State in maine recuse herself from a similar Ballot Eligibility Case over her past statements about the january 6 riot. She is said to issue a decision in the coming days. This is all as doj prosecutors in the Subversion Case moved to block him from using the court as a forum to sow disinformation. Lets bring in eugene scott. Good morning to you. Hope youve had a wonderful holiday week. So lets talk about these dueling decisions about trumps eligibility. Of course the u. S. Supreme court is likely going to have to weigh in on this. Can you help us understand the michigan Supreme Courts reasoning for it, the rejection and why it is different from what we saw in colorado . Sure. In michigan there is no qualification that requires a candidate, you know, prove certain things to actually be on the ballot. Whereas in colorado, you do have to meet certain qualifications in terms of the constitution. And so these cases never were going to be the same. Trump is hoping that most of these cases rule the way michigan does and dont have a requirement regarding qualifications. And that would work in his favor just like this one did. But well see what the Supreme Court says. Ultimately that will influence all of these cases in terms of what can actually happen. And in maine, this is obviously a little bit different because the role of the Secretary Of State. What is your view of kind of the pressures on her right now . Well, the pressure on her coming from trump and the right is quite frankly understandable considering that she has been vocal in terms of whether and what she believes happened on january 6 and she believes that the former president played a role in the insurrection. And trumps concerns are understandable because she is the most powerful election official in the state and what she rules, what she says, can be based on more likely based on what she said in the past regarding his role in this incident. Lets talk about the special counsel, jack smith. He asked the court yesterday or said in a filing the court should not permit the defendant to turn the courtroom into a forum in which he propagates irrelevant disinformation and should reject his attempts to inject politics into this proceeding. Trump called it a pathetic attempt to take away his First Amendment rights. Okay. Rights to again, focusing on irrelevant disinformation. How do you see this playing out . I think the prosecution is sensitive and properly so. What jurors decide is based on what they hear. And if they hear misinformation, it could lead to a mistrial and disrupt the entire case that smith is bringing forward. And ultimately that is part of the goal of trumps defense team in part because hes been making the argument since all of these were put forward that he is the subject of partisan attacks. So if he can get that message through while in court, there is a chance his team hopes that someone in the jury will hear that, believe that and vote accordingly. Eugene, if you are jack smith here, what exactly i guess as i think about how this is going to play out, im thinking about the election, right . Because were going to be past iowa, past New Hampshire. We may get delayed past Super Tuesday or the trial may be starting right around then. There are no cameras in this courtroom. But you can see smiths point in saying that this is going to be a forum in the middle of an incredibly tense moment for the country for the president to be able to say these things or not. I mean, what do you think the ramifications are of the trump team potentially having this platform . Well, one of the main ramifications of course is that he could get more misinformation out as we head into the election, which is a real concern for people on both sides of the aisle, but certainly smith whose team has worked incredibly hard to bring this case forward and could have it ruined if there are no controls put on the former president. As you know, this has been a real issue and concern for him, him being trump, as in when he appeared in court saying when hes been on Campaign Rallies and not being able to stick to facts. And therefore disrupt what has been put forward as reasons and justification for why he shouldnt be in this situation in the first place. And this case as a result could become a whole mess if he hasnt pulled back and if reins arent put on him. Of course the challenge being that there are a a lot of people out there who we have seen are willing to believe donald trump regardless of what he says and what others say about the truth of the matter. And they are also willing to act on that information. Eugene scott, thank you very much for being with us this morning. All right. Still ahead here, President Biden under intense pressure as the Migrant Crisis grows at the southern border. Plus secretary blinken heading back to the middle east next week as the war in gaza continues to rage. And later, nikki haley taking some heat for how she answered this question on the Campaign Trail what was the cause of the United States civil war . Israels Foreign Minister hezbollah that time for diplomacy is running out. Tensions on the northern border with lebanon continue to escalate. Hezbollah says it fired 30 rockets but it was in response to an earlier idf airstrike on a lebanese village. In gaza, nearly 200 more palestinians have been killed the past 24 hours. A warning, the images you are about to see are disturbing. Families mourning their dead at one of the few working hospitals in kahn yunis. Others praying ahead of a burial. And there is new video appearing to show palestinian men and at least two children detained and stripped by israeli forces. All of this as Secretary Of State Antony Blinken is expected to head back to israel next week. Nada bashir is joining us. This trip is after they met with a cloe se confidant of the prim minister. And talks included a transition to a different phase of war. What do you take that to mean . The Military Chief Yesterday said that the war will continue for many months. What do we expect . Reporter we certainly are hearing very different messages from u. S. Officials and those from the Israeli Government. We have heard that repeated line now from the white house saying that they have been calling on the Israeli Government and military to move to another phase of the war, to move to a lower Intensity Phase as it has been described. And of course there is mounting concern not least from the Biden Administration with regards to the mounting civilian death toll in gaza and rapidly deteriorating situation. We know there have been ongoing conversations between u. S. Officials and the israeli counterparts of the course of the war. President biden speaking with benjamin netanyahu, again no call for a ceasefire there, but the focus continues to be on Phasing Downs intensity of this war. As you mentioned, ron derme Represe Representr has a lot of experience dealing with the u. S. He was formesr u. S. Ambassador. He met with Secretary Of State Antony Blinken and also jake sullivan. And according to the white house the conversations lasted for hours focusing on five key points, transition to a different phase of the war, lower Intensity Phase, maximizing Focus On High Value hamas targets, and taking steps to increase aid and minimize harm to civilians. So moving toward a more targeted approach both with regards to the air campaign and on the dro ground. Securing release of the hostages of course a key priority. And planning for post conflict gaza. Of course there is mounting concern over the different messages that were also hearing from the white house. As you mentioned, the Israeli Government has been clear they dont see this war ending anytime soon. Benjamin netanyahu himself saying a few days ago that he anticipates that the war will continue and it is not nearing an end. And we heard from a chief saying that the war will continue for many more months and they will be pushing ahead with expanding into new areas, including a focus on southern gaza. And that has certainly raised alarm bells given the fact that weve heard the repeated calls for civilians to flee to the south for safety and of course as we know, there are hundreds of thousands of civilians now taking shelter in southern gaza. Indeed there are. Overshadowing this of course are questions about whether this war might expand. An israeli war cabinet member said time is running out to reach a diplomatic solution in terms of the fighting on the northern Israeli Border with lebanon. Take a look. Stop watch for Dip Lomatic Solution is running out. If they dont act to prevent the firing on the northern residents and distance hezbollah from the border, the idf will do it. What is your take on those comments and how critical dealing with this is to avoid opening a second front . Reporter the widening of the war is a huge concern. Of course weve seen escalation in hostilities along the israel lebanon border. And peace of the border has been tenuous to say the least underpinned by u. N. Resolution established following the 2006 lebanon war. But that is certainly in jeopardy. Just in the last few days, we have seen intensification of the hostilities. Hezbollah saying they have targeted Israeli Military positions across the border. And we did see the airstrikes as well carried out in southern lebanon. Israeli military saying they carried out strikes against hezbollah positions along the border. Lebanese National Media reporting that at least three people were killed and hezbollah later claiming that at least one was a hezbollah fighter. There is serious concern, israeli officials and Israeli Military officials rather have said that they are looking at options on the table. Warning time is running out. The Foreign Ministry as well saying they are looking at their options, first a political solution, but second being a Military Solution in which they say Israeli Military would seek to remove hezbollah from the region entirely along the border region more specifically. And of course there is concern around the overspilling of the war across the region. We have seen hostilities intensifying, u. S. Of course raising concern around the targeting of u. S. Military positions both in iraq and of course in syria by what they say to be are iran backed proxy groups in the region. All right. Nada bashir, thank you very much for your reporting. Still ahead here, what is happening to the idaho home where four University Students were murdered . And apple set to resume sales of its new watches in the United States. Welcome back. Quick hits across america now. Fells of the idaho Stabbing Victims are asking officials in the town to stop the demolition of the house where the four students were murdered. They say it could still provide evidence in the trial of suspect bryan kohberger. The University Plans to raze it at 10 00 this morning. Latest models of the apple watch are back on sale today in the u. S. Of a at the an Appeals Court paused the import ban amid a dispute with the Biden Administration. It can be bought online starting at 3 00 p. M. Eastern. And the person who won the record Mega Millions jackpot, 1. 6 billion in august, using a Shell Company called Saltines Holdings probablying him or her from the spotlight. An nonw anonymous winner got a lump sum. Now to weather. Heavy rain is triggers flood threats for more than 10 Million People across the northeast this morning. And rain and snow possible for parts of the Mississippi River valley and appalachians as well. Derrick vaek van dam is trackinf it. Hope you had a nice christmas. It will be a tough day on the east coast. And so many millions of travelers coming in and out via road, trail, airways as well. And a slow go for many because of the heavy rainfall. There is a superb view of new york city. Just about 15 minutes ago, this was socked in with cloud, raindrops on the screen. That has since cleared out. The heavy rain has moved away from new york city. That is the good news. But nonetheless there is still kind of the raised river levels, urban rivers, and across this particular region, there is the 10 million american that are under some sort of flood alert. Flood advisories for long island, connecticut and extending further west of new york. Here is a look at how much rain has fallen. Weve had widespread 1 to 2 inches, but there have been a few pockets of areas over 2 to 4 inches of rain locally. Look at monroe, allentown. So up the hudson valley, that is where we saw the heaviest precipitation. And that is where weve seen some of the highest river gauges that have been plotted. So you can see minor to moderate flood stages across philadelphia and just outside of new york city. The rain coming to an end in new york, there is the big apples back edge of the heaviest rain. Now we go cofocus on hartford, providence. You will have a slow go. The storm is meandering over the eastern third of the country. Back side of It Transitioning over to snowfall. Indianapolis still light rain for you. So we wont relieve the snow drought that we have ongoing across the city. As we advance it forward the next 36 hours, some Light Snow Showers anticipated across the appalachians, maybe a band of heavier Snowfall North and west of chicago. Here is a quick look at the temperatures. Above freezing, this is abnormal for this time of year. But it is just not in the future forecast, so well continue our snow drought here in new york city. Was not a white christmas. Thank you very much for that. Well see you tomorrow. Still ahead here, how nikki haley answered a question about slavery at a campaign stop. It is not what she said, it is what she didnt say. Loving this pay bump in our allowance. Wonder where mom and dad got the extra money . Maybe they won the lottery . Maybe they inherited a fortune . Maybe buried treasure . Maybe it fell off a truck . Maybe they heard that xfinity customers can save hundreds when they buy one unlimted line and get one free. Now i can buy that Electric Scooter im starting a Privateequity Fund that specializes in midcap. You do you. Visit xfinitymobile. Com today. Good morning. Thanks for being up early with us. Im kasie hunt. It is 5 30 on the east coast. Secretary of Homeland Security say the meeting they had with mexican counterparts on wednesday was very productive. This comes as the Record Number of migrants remains an overwhelming challenge for both countries. Rosa flores has more. Reporter as Border Authorities near a Breaking Point from the weeks long Migrant Surge, Secretary Of State Antony Blinken and Secretary Mayorkas discussed ways to drive down the unprecedented number of illegal crossings. Seven day average earlier this month, 9600. And they are expected to ask mexico to move migrants south, control railways used by my grants to move north and provide incentives to stay in mexico like visas. In eagle pass, texas apprehensions dropped from 3,000 daily encounters last week to about 2,000 monday. One of two international bridges are still closed to Vehicle Traffic to redirect personnel to process migrants. The wait time to cross by car, 15 hours. Many americans who frequently drive back and forth are opting to cross on foot like nina. She says that when she ditched her car in mexico, she saw a group of about 100 migrants walking towards eagle pass, some with children. One eagle pass Business Owner says Migrant Surge is tearing the community apart. I can tell tempers are flaring everywhere you go. That is where im hoping that there is a peaceful resolution to this crisis. Reporter would you like to see President Biden visit eagle pass . I would very much so. Reporter Texas State Representative eddie morales, a democrat who represents residents from 11 west texas counties along the border with mexico, says the federal governments ongoing closure of the bridge and recent five day closure of the International Railway cost the u. S. Economy hundreds of millions of dollars. Everyday texans are the ones that end up suffering. Reporter he is hopeful that the top level talks with pave the way for real less tick change at the border, but says that he would have liked to see Texas Governor abbott have a seat at the table. Well only get there if there is communication between these two countries and also with the state of texas. Reporter texas recently passed its own Immigration Bill and come under fire for Border Security tactics like busing and flying migrants to blue states and separating families. Morales initially supported the Border Kurt Push which has cost billions, but thousanow says th efforts have a fallen short. In we have nothing positive to show for the amount of money invested. Reporter if you look behind me, you will see an open field with no migrants and you might think there is no border crisis. But the u. S. Federal government has gotten really good at decompression because they have had a lot of practice. That is when migrants that are in an area that is overcapacity are transported to an area that has processing space. When it comes to the talks in mexico city, one of the things that ill be looking for, a possible clue for the outcome of those talks, is the posture of Law Enforcement on the mexican side of the border. Rosa flores, cnn, eagle pass, texas. Thanks for that report f. Tia mitchell from the Atlanta Journal constitution is joining us. Always wonderful to have you on the show. This is a really tough situation for the Biden Administration. They are saying that this meeting was very good, very productive, et cetera. But obviously it doesnt solve the problem. What is the eye of deal outcome for the Biden Administration here . Good morning. The ideal outcome i think the top level, they want to reduce the surge, reduce the pressure on the southern bore did he. But how to get there is easier said than done that package from rosa talked about the governor of texas doesnt have the greatest relationship with the quhous. Reducing the surge at the border also will require some cooperation and perhaps policy changes with the Mexican Government which the u. S. Can ask, it can negotiate, but it cant control what mexico does as a nation. So there are so many burials as well as the Pressure Points. Certain things that the u. S. Has done have affected businesses along the border, have affected commerce between the two countries which depends on if not an open border, a flexible border, a border that is easy to cross for truckers and people doing business. So there is just so many variable, such a complicated issue, but again, at the end of the day, biden want it is so reduce the number of people trying to cross into the u. S. From mexico. And you can see it in these sound bites from democratic official, people like eric adam, mayor of new york, who is saying this is a problem for us. In congress you have progressives who are pushing back. The administration has actually said to congress that they are willing to make significant changes to u. S. Asylum policy to try to address this. I think that really speaks to the incredible political pressure that this issue puts on biden in a general election setting. According to your reporting, how is the white house balancing they obviously have progressives on their left who are saying you are going too far, but they can see the Writing On The Wall when it comes time to face a republican in the fall. And again, that is part of many Pressure Points that makes Border Policy so complicated. Reasons why many president s prior to joe biden have been unable to get it done. The question really is, yes, the white house is involved now in these high level discussions, particularly as this group of senators, one arerepublican, on democrat, one independent working nonstop to try to get something done. They say that they have had progress, but still no final agreement. The house want to get something done, but there are hardliners that could derail something that has a lot of widespread republican support which means the president will have to depend on some democrats to support the plan. And democrats will say if you need us to assume the plan, you cant give republicans everything that they want. Youve got to give some things that we want. You have to pull it back some. And president s before biden have not been able to thread that needle. There is additional pressure on biden, not just because it is an election year, but again, because these numbers are so troubling and even democrats as youve mentioned, democrats leading blue states are saying the way it is drawing on our resources is not sustainable. So it truly is becoming a crisis. For sure. And best shot i think congress had was back in 2005 under george w. Bush and he couldnt get it done then and weve seen the politics of this just become increasingly difficult over the following couple of decades. I want to stick with this idea of pressure on biden from the left. Because the israelhamas war is grinding on. The Secretary Of State is planning another visit next week. The pressure does not seem to be lifting on biden from the left. Pro palestinian demonstrators disrupted flights out of l. A. And jfk in the last couple of d days. How is the white house grappling with this right now and do you think that they have started to change or shift their posture will anyway in the last week or so . I think so white house is in a no win situation because at the end of the day, israel is a very important ally. So again, in some ways President Biden is not that much of an outlier in his allegiance with israel, his hesitancy to go too far in criticizing israel, but hes got new pressures that his predecessors didnt face particularly with progressives, with the activism, with social media amplifying the cause of palestinians in ways we havent seen in the past. So there is more openness and sympathy authority the plight of palestinians creating new pressure to be harder on israel. Now, were seeing that from the white house. Again, not necessarily going as far as some progressives would want, but the white house has said that may, you have to do humanitarian aid, hey, you got to look at the number of civilian casualties and limit it, hey, we think that israel needs to come up with an end game for this. But again, the u. S. Can make suggestions, it can negotiate, but end of the day, it does not control what israel does as a nation. It puts President Biden in a tough spot and were already seeing progressives are saying that he is not doing enough. They want to see more. But i dont know if the u. S. As a government is ready to go that far particularly when it comes to talks of pushing for or insisting for a ceasefire. Tia mitchell, thank you very much. Coming up next here, it sounds like it could be a fifth grade essay question. But on the Campaign Trail, it has become a headline. What was the cause of the United Statates civil l war . Youre probably not easily persuaded to switch mobile providers for your business. But what if we told you its possible that comcast Business Mobile can save you up to 75 a year on your wireless bill versus the big three carriers . Did we peak your interest . You can get two unlimited lines for just 30 each a month. There are no Term Contracts or line activation fees. And you can bring your own device. Oh, and all on the most reliable 5g Mobile Network nationwide. Wireless that works for you. Its not just possible, its happening. Welcome back. 18 days until the Iowa Caucuses, 26 to the New Hampshire primary when nikki haley will likely have her cleanest shot at donald trump in the fight for the republican nomination. Stephen collinson writes in a normal campaign, haley would be peaking at just right time ahead of the Iowa Caucuses and first in the nation gop primary. Slow boiling rise in polls and donor enthusiasm has created momentum in the granite state. But with that momentum comes heightened scrutiny. Lets bring in Stephen Collinson to talk more about this. Good morning, always good to see you. So of course i know you write these columns day in and day out and there was news that broke kind of late last night. So i want to show you an all of our viewers an exchange that haley had on the Campaign Trail yesterday with a voter who asked her what was the Cause Of The Civil War. Watch. What was the cause of the United States civil war . Well, dont come with an a easy question, right . I think the Cause Of The Civil War was basically how government was going to run. The freedoms and what people could and couldnt do. So after that, she had a back and forth with the voter. He told her that he wasnt the one running for president when she went back and said what do you think. But then she continued her answer saying this, watch. I mean, i think it always come down to the role of government. And what the rights of the people are. And we i will always stand by the fact that i think government was intended to secure the Rights And Freedoms of the people. It was never meant to be all things to all people. Government doesnt need to tell you how to live and what you can and cant do. They dont need to be a part of your life. They need to make sure that you have freedom. We need to have capitalism, we need to have economic freedom, we need to make sure that we do all things so that individuals have the liberties so that they can have freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom do or be anything that they want to be without government getting in the way. Thank you. And in the year 2023, it is astonishing to me that you answer that question without mentioning the word slavery. What do you want me to say about slavery . Next question. Next question. So i wanted to make sure we played that entire exchange because a lot of words there that nikki haley had to say about this, but take a look at what the Biden Campaign put out last night, immediate reaction. They posted this and said it was about slavery, period. She had said at the top, well, dont give me an easy question. I mean, seems actually pretty straightforward. What do you make of this exchange . It shouldnt be that difficult as the questioner said in 2023 to say exactly what the civil war was about and has been proven to be about through subsequent history. I think the fact that haley gave that waffling answer, making dancing on the head of a rhetorical pin if you like talking about states rights, shows that she was trying to give an answer that she thought perhaps the republican primary audience might like to hear. The problem with that is it goes against her reputation as someone who is a straight talker. She says what she thinks. And it will distract now from the story that the Haley Campaign would like to tell that she is surging in New Hampshire and she is a real threat to donald trump. I think that well hear her defenders talk about how she was the South Carolina governor who was instrumental in lowering the Confederate Flag after the mass shooting in charleston back in 2015 i think it was. But that did follow a long period of equivocating on the issue which is a sensitive one especially in her home state of South Carolina. This is i guess something that well hear going into the South Carolina primary where if she wins against trump, that could end up being a final showdown with the former president. Interesting that you mention all of that because this voter would not identify himself apparently to the there were a couple reporters in the room who filed stories including someone from cnn. But the voter apparently referenced previous comments she had made. As you point out, this is all rooted in the state of South Carolina has this incredibly complicated relationship with all of this. I actually have a bit we found a bit of what she had to say to cnn actually in 2015. This of course in the aftermath of that horrible shooting at the church in charleston, South Carolina. And she ultimately pushed to have the Confederate Flag removed from statehouse grounds. Here is how she explained it then to us. A flag is living and breathing. And so it represents something. I think that it should be in any museum setting. It should be at fort sumter and those places of historical settings. Not in places that represent all people. If someone wants to travel to see it, that is one thing. But it shouldnt be in front of someones face to where they have to feel it. Really, really interesting nuanced way of talking about this issue. Obviously one that she didnt feel she could put on display in the republican primary. Yeah, thats right. I think what this shows us is that every step of a president ial candidate at this point in a race comes with massive scrutiny. It is not possible just to give that answer in a town hall in New Hampshire and not expect it to blow up. Haleys critics in the party and outside the party as you saw from President Biden, they will seize upon this as what they say is an example of political opportunism, which is a Running Theme throughout her political career. On the question whether it will hurt her, it seems unlikely in the broader republican primary especially in a place like South Carolina to do her damage in a party that has gone a long way to the right. Weve heard controversy about Donald Trumps attitude towards race and his use of that issue. In New Hampshire where haley is probably trying to at tract some independents and even democratic voters who want to vote in the republican primary to oppose trump, it could be a more serious isn that particular context. So worth watching to see how her campaign navigates this and how the other republican candidates try to use it against her. And speaking of that, i want to show everyone what the Desantis Campaign seized upon it immediately. The War Room Account on the platform formerly known as twitter put this up, put the clip up, almost immediate well, a couple hours after it happened. And they said haley inexplicably doesnt mention slavery if her response. I think that we should underscore desantis is not necessarily the perfect critic on this. He has come under a lot of criticism for his approach to race ain his own state includin questions about the africanamerican studies a. P. Course and other ways in which hes handled it. But it does show you and yous mentioned, this is really the crucible here of this president ial race. Right. And desantis, who by most accounts, most polls is in trouble in this race, and is really banking his campaign on a good showing in the Iowa Caucuses, so really grappling for anything to give him leverage in New Hampshire. I think that it will also be worth watching in the coming days Chris Christie who seems to be going for a lot of the same voters in New Hampshire as haley is, and he is resisting calls to get out of the race to give her a free shot at trump. How he picks up on this issue and tries to use it for his own advantage will be will tell us a lot about how much resonance it has in the granite state. Stephen collinson, thanks for being with us this morning. Really appreciate it. The Biden Administration announcing a 250 million Military Assistance Package for ukraine on wednesday. It marks the last such package the u. S. Could provide to ukraine without additional funding from Congress Beforele white house has asked lawmakers for 50 billion additional. But the legislation is tied up in a dispute between republicans and democrats over u. S. Border security. Helena lins is live in kyiv with more. What are ukrainian officials saying about further u. S. Aid not coming their way right now . Reporter there is a sense of, you know, ukrainians know that the west is currently decreasing the support, not only the u. S. , but also the European Union, they are aware that the ukrainian war has been receiving less focus on the media, on international news, and that impacts the aid that ukraine receives. Actually an interesting thing is zelenskyy said in the conference that that was something that an achievement on the russian side, not so much on the frontlines but the front of ukraine receiving less aid. But about the Current Situation as of today regarding the new u. S. Package, it is good news but of course not knowing when the next one will be not so good news. The Economy Minister of ukraine in an interview yesterday saying that if the western aid stops, that means that ukraine will most likely have to prioritize defense over some social fronts of life in ukraine. Which means probably using minus money for defense that would be used otherwise for paying pensions and salaries. So wages of millions of people can be impacted by the nights to fto the needs to fund the fron frontlines. And so as i speak to ukrainians on the streets, having gotten this information from government officials, ukrainians are worried about the decrease of h help, of aid. But the minister of Foreign Affairs also gave an interview recently saying that European Union funds were still likely to come soon. So there is some confidence that there will be some help still coming at some point. All right. Helena lins, thank you. All right. Time for sports. The Green Bay Packers suspended one of their players for nearly messing up the pregame coin toss. Andy scholes has the bleacher report. I will say, on my holiday break, say this on espn. Glad that you can explain it to me. Yeah, this is pretty wild. So alexander not one of the captains on sunday against the panther, but since he is from charlotte, he decided that he would be a captain for the coin toss. So he got it right calling tail, but then he said we want to play defense. By saying that, that means that the packers would have had to play defense to start the game and to start the second half. You are supposed to say defer. Luckily packers coach matt lafleur had already told officials their plan so the referee asked alexander, you mine you want to defer . To which he then said yes. After the packers win, he was asked about the whole ordeal. I dont think coach noouf i was from charlotte. So i mean, you know, it was like so i mean, you like guys backed me up. I said i want our defense to be out there and they looked at me like i was crazy. It was Pretty Simple what i said. They were like you mean defer . Yeah, i guess. Alexander is the heist paid corner back in the nfl. Coach lafleur said it was a big mistake and suspended alexander for this weekends big game against the vikings. Ill just say this, it is never for one thing. But like i said, i think that there is a lot of lessons along the way from everybody involved. And hopefully we learn from them. I think that we will. Broncos are benching Russell Wilson the rest of the season. Supposedly in the works for weeks because wilson would not remove injury guarantees from his contract. So the five year, 245 million extension kicks in next year. The broncos owe him 39 million whether he is on the Team Next Season or not. Wilson would have gotten an extra 37 million if he could not pass a physical in march. So an injury in the last two games could have triggered that guarantee. Coach payton says it was about winning. Were desperately trying to win. And sure in our game today there are economics and all those other things, but the number one push behind this, it is a decision im making is to get a spark offensively. And aaron gordon is out after getting bitten on the face and hand by a family dog on christmas. The team saying that he is in Good Condition but will be away from the team while he recovers. Elsewhere, usc getting a Record Setting Performance Last Night from quarterback in his first career Start Throwing for six touchdowns as they upset louisville. Many experts believe Caleb Williams will be the top pick in the nfl draft. For winning, a dousing by a jug of eggnog. And also a bucket of mayo, that is some runny mayo right there. Look at this, dipped some fries. Tasty. That is so disgusting. All right. On that note, andy, merry christmas, happy holidays. I will see you tomorrow. Thanks to all of you for joining us. I hope that much mayna