Democrats on Verge of Biggest House Gain Since Watergate Wipeout

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1:03History in the making tonight. Democrats are now just two seats away from their biggest win in the House since the Watergate wipeout of Republicans in 1974. Good evening. Thanks for joining us. Take a look. There are now 26 House races where votes are still being counted, and Democrats have a net gain of 40 seats so far. That's now just too shy of the biggest net pickup since the 1974 election, shortly after Richard Nixon resigned from office when Democrats gained 49 seats. One seat still up in the air is held by a big name, Colorado Republican Lauren Boebert, who's trailing her Democratic challenger by about 3 ,000 votes with 97 % of the ballots counted.

1:40Over on the Senate side, Democrats could pick up two more seats on top of the seven they've already gained. In Alaska, Democrat Mary Peltola holds a narrow lead still on Republican Senator Dan S. Sullivan. And in Mississippi, Democrat Scott Colom leads Republican Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith by fewer than 2 ,000 votes, but sounded pleased with the count today. I'm confident about where we are. We got a lot of grassroots organizers that are in all the counties making sure they do their part. And I'm so glad people are doing what it takes to get this over the finish line. Republicans there say that with some 20 ,000 ballots left to be counted, the race is far from over and they're on the lookout for any irregularities.

2:22To that end, the National Republican Senate Committee today sent a letter to state election officials telling them to preserve any affidavit or provisional ballots, laying the groundwork, it seems, to potentially challenge the outcome there. Yet as close as that race is, some of the Democratic Senate victories were so decisive in Georgia, North Carolina and Texas that the winning Democratic candidates had enough early votes to have won even if none of their voters had shown up on Election Day to vote, which is incredible. More people voted early, absentee and by mail for John Ossoff, Roy Cooper and James Tallarico than the entire vote count of their Republican challengers.

2:59It's the size and scope of that blowout that seems to have subdued the president, who said today he can work with Democrats. About the top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer, the president said, quote, he's actually not a bad guy. I know him. I know him very well. Also about working with the Democratic Congress, he said, quote, I think we can get along. It's good for the country. If we do, the country has had enough. Unclear what the president thinks the country has had enough of. Probably not him. He did, however, defend Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, whose job is widely reported to be in jeopardy.

3:28Quoting the president now, Pete Hegseth has done a fantastic job, which he has said before about people before he gives them the heave ho. But we shall see. As you know, outgoing Republican Congressman Thomas Massey has said he's ready to introduce articles of impeachment against Hegseth when Congress returns next week. Again, Massey is Republican. Quoting now from his social media post yesterday, there is one contingency in which I won't reintroduce the articles of impeachment. Hegseth resigns. For his part, Secretary Hegseth today posted a five-minute video touting his accomplishments because that's the kind of thing the Secretary of State does.

4:02He also seemed to push some of the president's hot buttons. This is not about me. But of course, the other side, in case you've noticed, they're obsessed. A disgruntled, defeated congressman, along with all his Democrat allies, has also dropped sham articles of impeachment against yours truly. Just like they tried against President Trump twice. You see, their policies don't work, so their obsession with political theater disguised as power drives them to try to destroy their opponents. It's all about the politics of personal destruction. Didn't work against President Trump, and it won't work with me.

4:44You can rest assured of that. Lots to talk about tonight, starting with CNN chief White House correspondent and anchor of The Source, Caitlin Collins. So has the White House process, I guess, the scale of the repudiation? Is it clear whether there is going to be a fall guy? I mean, the White House certainly has and the president's aides. It's not clear the president himself has. I mean, you listen to him today as he was signing his first executive orders, Anderson, after the Republican wipeout on Tuesday night. They weren't about the cost of living or the Iran war, any of these issues that we see voters are so concerned about, corruption included.

5:19Instead, it was about making the Oval Office and Cabinet Room that he has changed the decoration of and changed the appearance of national landmarks. And as he said, federal monuments, I believe. So future presidents and his hope cannot change them back. Although obviously they could probably just sign an executive order to do so. But I think the fallout, Anderson, of what this is going to look like from Tuesday is still coming into clearer view. And Hexeth certainly is front and center for a lot of people outside of the White House. The president has been defending him. He does not seem like he is keen to fire him or that he is unhappy with the job he's been doing.

5:53He was praising him again today. As you mentioned, he has done that before, but he's stood behind him and he really likes Pete Hexeth personally. But when this impeachment resolution gets introduced next week by Congressman Thomas Massey, That's who Hegseth was referencing there. I mean, he is a Republican and he's someone who actually did vote with the president and his administration a lot of times when it came to the Republican agenda on Capitol Hill. But he has broken with them on Pete Hegseth. He has broken with them when it comes to the war, when it comes to the moves in Venezuela, going after the drug boats that the administration was blowing up.

6:26And that's why he's introducing these articles of impeachment next week. And Hegseth is talking about Democrats being aligned behind Thomas Massey on that. I have heard real concern, though, about Republicans being willing to vote for it. A lot of them don't have anything to lose. We'll see how many of them actually show up in Washington after losing their races on Tuesday night for this period when they come back here in this session before the new Congress is sworn in. But that is when the concern I've heard is that they really don't have much to lose. They're not happy with the war. They're understanding the voter anger over it and that that impeachment article might actually succeed next week.

7:00And so that is still an open question there. But of course, it's part of a much bigger picture of what the West Wing is going to look like, how it's going to operate throughout the administration once those new Democrats, and they have made clear they want to try to get accountability out of this administration once they're sworn in in January. Caitlin, it does, I mean, I don't know that it surprises me, but it's remarkable that the president finished this campaign in front of the reflecting pool, reflecting on the reflecting pool. Then right after the election, the first thing we heard of him was 20 minutes on the ballroom And today, the executive orders he's signing are about architecture and the rooms he's decorated.

7:38Those are the only three public appearances he's had this week. It's really remarkable. And they're all about his own imprint on Washington and his redesign and the arch and the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool and what he's doing to the Oval. And I mean, I have talked to Republicans who just are pretty baffled by that. This is a president who's known for his political savvy, taking something and turning it into something else. And yes, he's praising Democrats and saying he can work with him. He said the same thing in 2018, Anderson. I watched his entire press conference from the day after. That did not lead to any success.

8:11They didn't pass anything. There was a major bipartisan bill that the president was proud of, you know, when Democrats were in control. He got impeached twice, obviously. And so it just shows you where the president's mindset is. As the White House, he's surrounded by aides who don't really tell him the hard truth a lot of the time. And he's out doing things that politically Republicans are baffled by after such a wipeout on Tuesday night. But the president is doing what, you know, he finds personal interest in. Yeah, he's fiddling while his party burns. Caitlin Collins, thanks very much. We'll see you back at the top of the next hour for The Source.

8:45Caitlin's guest will be outgoing Louisiana Republican Senator Bill Cassidy. I want to go to CNN's Harry Inton at the Magic Wall. So what are the closest races you're keeping an eye on? Yeah, you know, the Senate, obviously, is Alaska. It's Mississippi. But let's take a look at the House of Representatives, because at this point, as you mentioned, Democrats, well, they shellacked the Republicans, but it could get even bigger. So right now we're talking about 253, 156 of the Republicans. We're talking about net pickup of 40 seats. That being said, as I said, I believe it will get bigger. Why do I say that?

9:17because take a look at the seats in which Democrats are currently leading. They could get up to 260, Anderson, up to 260. We're talking about a potential net gain perhaps of 45 seats. My goodness gracious. How do they get there? How do they get there? Well, why don't we take a look at the uncalled seats at this point the Democrats currently leading? I'm going to take you across the political map because it goes across the political map. This is a wave that was quite wide and quite deep. Well, let's go to Colorado and let's talk about Lauren Boebert. Lauren Boebert, who I think is known to most people nationally, right, obviously a firebrand, she is trailing.

9:50She is trailing at this hour by a point with 97 % of the estimated vote in. She's probably going down to defeat in Colorado. Let's widen out the picture here. Let's come back to the East Coast. Let's go to South Carolina. We're going to go to South Carolina and we're going to go to the Charleston area. This is the Nancy Mace district. What are we looking at here? Well, we are looking at Nancy Mace's district may, in fact, go blue in this election. You can see Nancy LaCour, the Democratic candidate, up by about a point with 99 % of the estimated vote in. This was a heavily Republican district back in 2024.

10:26Donald Trump won it by 13 points. Why don't we go? We'll stay in the southeast, and we're going to go to Tennessee because Tennessee had redistricting. Well, sometimes you can be too smart by half, and sometimes you don't draw the lines necessarily the way you want to. We're going to go here. We're going to go southeast of Nashville, Tennessee. This is a district that went Republican in the presidential election last time around by more than 20 points. But look at this. Look at this. The Democrat is leading here, knocking off potentially the incumbent here by a point right now at 99 % of the estimated vote in.

10:59And as I said, this is really just wide. The whole thing is so wide that Democrats are doing at this point. Let's go to Minnesota. We're going to go to Tim Walz's old district in the southern part of Minnesota. Look at this. Jake Johnson, the Democrat, barely holding on a 321 vote lead, but in a district that Donald Trump carried by 12 points. As I said, Anderson, it is all over the political map. Southwest, southeast, Midwest. All right. Harry Enten, thanks very much. Want to get perspective now from former RNC Communications Director Doug High, CNN Senior Political Commentator Anna Navarro, and former senior advisor to President Obama, David Axelrod.

11:34David Axelrod, let me start with you. We mentioned Democrats are close to their biggest net gain in the House since the election immediately after Watergate in 74. What message would that benchmark send to the president or the country? Well, I think it's interesting that you put it in that context because in many ways this election feels like that post-Watergate election where the country just revolted against what they have seen in Washington and wanted to sort of cleanse the town by sending a new group of legislators in to restore a sense of ethics to Washington. And I think that's part of what's going on here.

12:15I think this was a really strong message for reform from people across the country and, of course, related to their concerns about costs and so on. But, Anderson, I have to tell you, listening to Caitlin's report, I was having flashbacks to the day after the big wipeout of 2010 when I was in the White House. And the next morning we came in and people were hanging crepe on the White House. And the president called a meeting, President Obama. And he said, well, we got our butts kicked, but we got work to do. And I have a list of things I want to get done in the lame duck session. It was a lengthy list.

12:52And we're looking at each other thinking, did he not read the newspaper? Does he not know? But his his attitude was you just keep pressing forward. And we actually ended up having the most productive lame duck session maybe ever, partly because the Republican leadership in Congress was eager to get some things done before the new group of sort of, you know, perhaps less cooperative members showed up. But the point is, we had a plan. And the things that are going on now are really unsettling. because it doesn't seem they have a plan for how to move forward. It is incredible that more votes came in for those three Senate candidates for Democrats than all the votes that came in on Election Day for the Republican candidates.

13:44It's astounding. The whole thing is so history-making that it's hard to wrap your arms around, at least for me. And it's not only the historic numbers. It's not only the historic margins. it's the historic candidates that were elected. You're talking that in a race, in a cycle where the Israel versus Gaza issue, where the faith issue, anti-Semitism, the first Muslim was such a big issue, particularly in Michigan. Democrats elected Jewish senator, Muslim senator, and Christian senators, pastor, a seminarian in Texas. So the tent that they have pitched is so big. Ten new women governors. There's going to be over 55 members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.

14:34The first Hispanic to lead California. The first Hispanic to lead Texas. The first black woman to lead Georgia. It is astounding. It's hard to even keep track of the first openly gay, emphasis on openly gay senator in New Hampshire. It's amazing. What do you think the message for Republicans that they should absorb in this is? Two things. One, your president is toxic. That seems pretty obvious. And the other is also obvious and that the obvious things didn't happen is troubling. Talk about the things that voters are telling you they care about. They care about what things cost. That's obviously preceded the war in Iran, but was impacted by that.

15:16They care about corruption. Really difficult for Republicans to talk about that, especially if they're going to Mar-a-Lago or riding on, you know, the Qatari Air Force One and so forth. But also, you know, David talked about 2010. And I was on the other side of that at the Republican National Committee. And what happened for us on that time, and I know was happening at the DNC and the DCCC, is it's one in the morning. And you're like, wait a second, we're competitive in that race? It's nine in the morning the next day. And you're like, wait, we won that other race? And that's happening. That's still happening.

15:45And as you look at the tight margins, even of Republicans who won. Marsha Blackburn won by two points in Tennessee. Julia Letlow won by less than two points in Louisiana. The highest vote total any Republican in North Carolina got was Mark Harris at 50.4. It's a shellacking up and down the line. It's tough to keep up with. And selfishly, I hope that the DNC and the DCCC don't break my record from 2010 to 63 seats. I wonder what David thinks when we now, in Monday night quarterbacking, look at at Florida. The Florida race that got zero investment from National Democrats was decided by 1.3 percent.

16:23The Senate race, where there was a Democratic Socialist running with zero support from National Democrats, was decided by less than three points. And there's still a bunch of congressional seats in Florida that are in recounts. But, you know, David, it's so interesting because, I mean, just months ago, there were all these articles and people were worried of, you know, who are the future leaders of the Democratic Party. After the other night, it seems like all of a sudden there's this whole fresh crop of people that, you know, on a national front, you know, not a lot of people know who Pastor Hamilton is.

16:59And yet, there's a very, you know, Cala Rica, these are very compelling candidates, obviously, to voters in those days. Yeah, this too is reminiscent of that 74 post-Watergate class. There were a number of people, Gary Hart and others who came into office who were immediately projected as potential national stars, new faces, fresh faces. That's what that's what waves produce. Waves, you know, they drive in all kinds of new options. And so this this is an opportunity for Democrats to refashion their party, to push into areas that they've pushed into in this election and hold them with with new leaders.

17:42You know, it's an opportunity. They now have to make good on that opportunity in the ways in which they govern. But it is a sea change in our politics. And Anderson, the Republican losses also mean that the farm team, those rising stars, are now decimated throughout the country for Republicans. They didn't just lose state houses and state senates and so forth. They lost those next tier or next generation of candidates. We're going to take a quick break just ahead because it's been 48 whole hours since the election. We'll look at who's already jockeying for a position for the 2028 presidential race.

18:15That's already underway. And next, more on Defense Secretary Hegseth, who could become this election's first administration casualty, even though the boss now says he's done a fantastic job. We'll talk with Democratic congressman and combat vet who just told the secretary, time's up.

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19:20Well, tonight, the president is standing by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, even with several Republicans blaming the party's midterm shellacking on the Iran war. And with Secretary Hegseth facing what Kaylin Collins before the break described as a bipartisan impeachment threat as early as next week when Congress returns. Still, the president told reporters today he thinks the defense secretary is doing a fantastic job. That was a quote. We played you some of the secretary's video at the top of the broadcast. Here's more of what he had to say. The press is free in America, but not free to roam our classified spaces here at the Pentagon.

19:51Narco-terrorists should die, not be caught and released. A disgruntled, defeated congressman, along with all his Democrat allies, has also dropped sham articles of impeachment against yours truly. Their obsession with political theater, disguised as power, drives them to try to destroy their opponents. political theater and he's reading off a teleprompter as am i defense secretary hegseth today seen as brian todd looks at his embattled tenure at the pentagon pete hegseth has been a lightning rod since shortly after he ascended the steps of the pentagon in march 2025 the editor-in-chief of the atlantic reported that he'd been accidentally looped into a signal group chat in which hegseth shared details of attacks in yemen just before they occurred.

20:40There were immediate calls for Hegseth to be fired. He denied wrongdoing, launched a crackdown against suspected leakers, and survived. Look, the president likes Hegseth. They have a great relationship, and he's been able to survive every controversy as a result. But the president only likes you until he doesn't. Early on, Hegseth laid out his vision of what he called the warrior ethos, with what many thought was a fixation on the physical appearance of American troops. He reveled in joining them in PT workouts, often on camera. I decided to do PT with the troops. He called for regular reviews of troops' fitness, body composition, and grooming, with an emphasis on the elimination of beards.

21:17He launched an initiative calling for annual screening for testosterone deficiency among U.S. troops, saying it was about keeping them strong and resilient and preparing them for the rigors of the battlefield. Hickseth drew criticism from Democratic and Republican lawmakers for firing more than two dozen senior generals and other officers across the military, some of whom were very highly regarded, and many of whom were fired with little or no explanation from Hegseth. He's also been accused of firing or failing to promote women and people of color, all of these moves amounting to what many call Hegseth's culture wars inside the Pentagon, going as far as using a slur to describe transgender service members as he outlined his continued efforts to reshape the force.

21:59We are no longer the woke department or the weak department. Simple translation of that, no fatties, no trannies, no beardos, no weirdos, no wimps, no radicals. Just warriors. Even with all that, the signal most inescapably contentious controversy surrounding Pete Hegseth is over a war that his boss said would only last weeks and is now in its ninth month, a war that critics say Hegseth cheerleaded. We'll negotiate with bombs. And that he shamelessly spun. We're winning decisively and on our terms. All of which led to sometimes vicious confrontations in Congress. I heard failure. The word hurt.

22:42I heard exactly what you said. I will tell you how I used the word failure. Because I used the word failure to their leaders. You, sir, are the failure. You don't have a long-term plan to actually win this war. Win the war! The men and women are going to be able to do it, but they need to have leadership. When will you show leadership? Of course we have leadership. Why don't you show some leadership and stand up for your fellow Democrats who won't fund the troops? In the immediate aftermath of Tuesday's Democratic victories in the primaries, one person close to Pete Hegseth told CNN that he still expects to stay in his role and is prepared to fight any efforts to impeach him.

23:16Brian Todd, CNN, Washington. In response to the divine video from Secretary Hegseth that we showed you earlier, Democratic Congressman Jason Crow of Colorado, who sits on the House Armed Services Committee, posted the following on social media, quote, After failing our service members and starting new forever wars, Pete's desperate to keep his job. Tick tock, Mr. Secretary. Better start packing up your makeup room at the Pentagon. Time's up. Joining me now, Congressman Jason Crow, who also served as the co-chair for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, read to Blue Program, which helped recruit candidates in battleground districts.

23:47Congressman, as you heard, Secretary Hegseth is defiant in the face of Massey's pledge to trigger an impeachment vote next week. Do you think it will pass? It should pass. I'm going to vote for it. I mean, it's interesting to watch Pete Hegseth do that video where he talks about political theater disguised as power. You know, I'm no psychologist, but I see projection when it is right in front of my face. The man is incompetent. He never should have held the job in the first place. He has gutted the top ranks of the military, put our service members in terrible positions where they remain at great risk.

24:26And every second he's at the top of the Pentagon, our service members are at great risks. I will be nonstop and relentless in getting him out of there. I mean, he's gotten rid of some remarkable warfighters. I mean, some very smart, tactical thinkers. Yeah, you know, it's interesting. Veterans don't like them. A lot of military, most military don't like them because we've all served with people like Pete Hegseth. You know, I did three combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. I was a paratrooper. I was an army ranger. I went through the toughest training the military has to offer, actually tougher training than Pete Hegseth went through.

25:04He never even could could make it through ranger school. And we all serve with folks that pound their chest and act tough and swagger around. but actually can't deliver, and they don't do anything when the fighting starts, when the shooting starts. So we all know the Pete Heggs test of the world, and it's just a travesty that he's actually leading the Defense Department, which, again, brings us back to getting rid of him as quickly as possible. That is what this military deserves. That is what our men and women deserves. This isn't about vengeance. I mean, I don't like the guy, but it's about making sure our men and women get the best, and they're not getting anywhere near the best right now.

25:42Do you think there's a chance that the White House, the president push his head set out? Sure, there's a chance. I mean, who knows what Trump will do at any given moment? He's erratic. He's unpredictable. He's becoming more erratic and unpredictable. Donald Trump should, right? If Donald Trump paid attention at all to what happened to this week, a massive repudiation by Democrats and Republicans, actually. One of the most bipartisan things in America right now is ending this cycle of endless conflict and ending the war in Iran. So he should pay attention to that. And the biggest cheerleader, as your piece rightfully said, and the person that has lied to Donald Trump over and over again about how easy this was gonna be, was Pete Hegseth.

26:24Now, anybody who's been paying attention to the last 25 years knows that conflict in the Middle East is not easy or quick, right? But Pete Hegseth hasn't been paying attention to any of that. If Hegseth leaves office soon, voluntarily or not, that would mean the president could try to get a new defense secretary confirmed while Republicans still control the Senate. I mean, do you think that's possible? Would Senators Cornyn, Collins, Tillis, Cassidy, all of whom directly or indirectly lost or gave up their seats because of the president, would they go along with that in the remaining weeks of their congressional careers?

26:55I would think so. I mean, I know those senators that you just talked about, and I think they're interested in doing the right thing. That's my estimation, at least with respect to the Defense Department. Now, they've gone along to get along, just like so many other congressional Republicans, and that's why they've been ousted in many cases. because Americans, you know, Americans have been sitting around the last two years and saying, wow, Donald Trump is nuts and he's dangerous. And the Republicans have just allowed it all to happen. Right. So that's why they're leaving. But these folks, I think, do believe that in their final moments, they should try to do the right thing, at least with respect to the Defense Department.

27:32Many of them have voiced to me personally that they would like to see him go. Congressman Crowe, I appreciate it. Thanks very much. She said it could turn out to be the worst investment Elon Musk ever made. Nearly half a billion dollars to get Republicans elected. Almost nothing to show for it. And according to our guest coming up, it may have even hurt the Republican Party. Plus later, Russell Brand behind Borrow's details on his rape conviction in London today.

27:59Shaq here. What's it like to buy a car from Carvana 100 % online and get it delivered to your door? Let me tell you. Your car is here, Mr. Shaq. Thank you, Mr. Carvana guy. Can't wait to take it for a spin. Only the best for you, Mr. Shaq. Hey, have you always been so big, tall, and handsome? Not always. I was 6 '10 once. Seven days to love it or return it, Mr. Shaq. Not that I would. You never do. No, I never do. So buy your car today on Carvana. Delivery fees may apply. See our seven-day return policy at Carvana.com. It has been a rough week for the world's wealthiest man. Elon Musk poured nearly half a billion dollars into boosting Republican candidates this election, which had they won would have probably bought him a lot of access and continued influence.

28:43His company SpaceX is based in Texas and Musk spent at least 215 million dollars trying to defeat Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Tallarico. After Senator-elect Tallarico beat his Republican opponent by 12 percentage points, he invoked Musk and his political expenditures in his victory speech. We must get big money out of our politics so no billionaire or trillionaire can buy our elections. The Atlantic magazine's Charlie Warzel's latest piece is titled 500 million dollars bought Elon nothing. Musk's unprecedented spending may even have hurt Republicans. And Charlie joins me now. So does Musk have anything to show for for that massive 500 million dollars in campaign spending?

29:30Not a heck of a lot. Six of his Senate candidates lost. Just just three of the 37 Republicans that Musk backed for the House of Representatives won. Only three of 37 there. It's a lot of money for a normal person to throw at a problem and not see any results. But for Elon Musk, it's really not that much money to begin with. It's a very small percentage of his net worth. So he didn't win a lot, but he also kind of didn't lose a lot. And I mean, can you put it in perspective how much of his wealth was actually injected into the Texas Senate race between Tallarico and Ken Paxton? It is the equivalent of somebody who is worth a million dollars donating five hundred dollars.

30:15That Elon Musk's net worth is close to a trillion dollars. So, yeah, when you put it into perspective, it's not much. If you look at the Forbes net worth tracker for billionaires, Elon Musk loses and gains tens of billions of dollars a day just in the stock market. On Wednesday, Musk posted on his social media platform, quote, data centers in space looking pretty appealing right now. Obviously, to referencing to, you know, data sent the controversy over data centers on the ground in places like Texas and elsewhere. Do you think the bigger issue for Musk going forward is the increased level of scrutiny he's going to be facing or might be facing with businesses based in Texas and with AI data centers in Texas?

31:01I think it's really everything. I mean, Elon Musk moved his companies to Texas. He himself moved to Texas. So there's there's that. I think a real issue he has also is Congress and oversight and accountability, accountability for his own companies and the potential deals that he did or did not strike with the government while he was helping to run the Department of Government Efficiency, DOGE, and also his work at DOGE and whether or not some of that was legal or not and how he conducted that. I mean, he's he's potentially opening himself up in a Democrat controlled Congress to to a lot of scrutiny.

31:41And I think it's really going to come from from all sides here. There's also obviously the whole Starlink and his ability to influence the war in Ukraine, which is remarkable for any, you know, American tech oligarch to have that power. I think one thing to remember about Elon Musk always, even if you don't like Elon Musk, this was probably a bit of a sweet night for you or for people who want to see his power checked. And I do think it's really important because of all the things that he stands to gain and lose that his money couldn't buy these races. But I also think we have to remember that Elon Musk is very, very central to the world.

32:28And Starlink, as you brought up, is a very good example of that. His company, his net worth, like a way I think about it is it's this chaos agent, right? We had never seen money like this and influence like this. And he can roll his companies into other companies and use that to IPO at these great rates. So I think that Elon Musk is still a very central figure to our politics, our culture, to the stock market, regardless of whether or not he won or lost on Tuesday. Yeah, he doesn't seem like he's going anywhere. Charlie Warzal, I appreciate it. Thank you very much. Coming up next, a closer look at who is exploring a 2028 presidential run in which big names might not be.

33:09Later, more on what seems to be the president's main occupation these days, a possible green light for his golden arch. McDonald's, of course, already has two.

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33:51Shaq here. What's it like to buy a car from Carvana 100 % online and get it delivered to your door? Let me tell you. Your car is here, Mr. Shaq. Thank you, Mr. Carvana guy. Can't wait to take it for a spin. Only the best for you, Mr. Shaq. Hey, have you always been so big, tall, and handsome? Not always. I was 6 '10 once. Seven days to love it or return it, Mr. Shaq. Not that I would. You never do. No, I never do. So buy your car today on Carvana. Delivery fees may apply. See our seven-day return policy at Carvana.com. Votes in parts of the country are still being counted, but the 2028 presidential campaign looks like it has already started.

34:29Vice President Vance, once seen as the president's likely heir apparent, raised eyebrows yesterday putting on a statement blaming the war with Iran for Republicans' wipeout. The reason we lost is the war, he writes. Everyone knows why we lost, and any honest conversation about where we go from here must start there. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who ran against the president in 2024, Republican primary stoked speculation about future presidential ambitions with his own stark assessment. This is close to an extinction-level event for Republicans in many parts of the country, as we have seen probably in the last hundred years.

35:08Well, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Texas Senator Ted Cruz's names have also been floated. The potential Democratic field could be even more crowded as all wings of the party look to capitalize on their strong showing. No candidates yet officially thrown their hat into the ring. The panel is back with me now. David, how much do you think the midterm results complicated Vice President Vance's presidential ambitions? Do you think they've crushed them? Well, crushing, I think, is yet to be seen. I think they complicated them greatly. They also underscore how much he is tied to the president.

35:40When you're the vice president, you are tied to the president, even if you try and distance yourself from that president. And that's clearly what he was doing with that statement. But I think he didn't do particularly well down the stretch of the campaign. The campaign was a disaster. That impacts the president and the vice president. And I think it opened the door to a lot of other Republicans to look at the race and recognize that Vance may not be the inevitable nominee. Secretary Rubio reiterated to The New York Times he has no plans to run for president and that he'd be the first to sign up to support a Vance candidacy, which I don't know if that's actually kind of like pushing Vance out in front like as a shield.

36:22But what do you make of that? I don't put too much faith in that. And Marco, who I've known for a long time, has a long history of saying he's not going to do something and then doing it. Just ask Jeb Bush. So so I don't I don't put too much stock in those words. Doug, do you think who do you how do you think this impacts the calculus for a lot of these potential candidates? Well, I think they're still trying to go through the wreckage, to be honest. And I'm less concerned about the who than the what and the where the what can Republicans, whomever the standard bearer may come to be campaign in a normal fashion on regular issues that voters are saying that they care about especially in an age where donald trump will still have access to his phone and then the where washington dc or outside of washington dc i think it'd be smart for rubio to say jd i'm behind you all the way and by the way if marco rubio leaves in the next few weeks as people are speculating total normal thing to do this is when you're supposed to leave your cabinet position your administration positions it's after midterms You give the next person a full two years.

37:26But is it is it somebody inside D.C. or is it one of the names outside of D.C. that isn't directly tied to this administration? Even somebody like Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who's certainly tied to Trump in the first administration, has had years now outside of D.C. I think the Ron DeSantis thing is very interesting because, number one, he's taking credit for the wins in Florida, despite the fact that, in my view, a lot of it is due to negligence and abandonment from the national Democrats. But also, you know, I don't know what choice he has. There's no love lost between him and Trump. So the idea that he'd get a cabinet post if one were to open up, and there's even less love lost between him and Susie Wiles.

38:07They have a long, torrid history of dislike for each other. So it'd be hard to imagine him having a place at the Trump administration, which then makes the idea of him becoming the antagonist to Trump and taking that lane while everybody else is still working for Trump, kind of like a smart move. But, you know, he's run before. He's an odd duck, prickly as hell, not exactly the most likable human being in the world and didn't do very well in the last Republican party. David, I mean, do you think does I mean, depending on what where his health is at and, you know, what his situation is when he leaves office, does Donald Trump, is he still the do you have to go kiss his ring?

38:47Do you have to get his approval? Is he going to be the guy in the back of the bar heckling the comic on stage? We'll we'll have to wait and see how these next two years go. I mean, he's entering this very peculiar lame duck period. And, you know, his power may erode. I mean, it's fear that keeps Republicans bound to Trump, fear that he will turn on them and turn his base against them. Will he keep his hold on that base? We'll have to wait and see. It's not really clear what he wants. You know, there are people who speculate that he's not that eager to anoint a successor. He wants to retire the crown.

39:28And if the successor loses, then the story is he wasn't Donald Trump. And that's why he lost. So I don't really know. But I think people are going to try and assess that as they go on. Just one word on DeSantis. He is from outside of Washington. He was he his his standing among Republicans nationally was pretty high at the end of that campaign, even though he he failed in that campaign. I remember at the Republican convention, he got the second largest ovation at that convention. And he came out yesterday with a very populist, reform-oriented, anti-AI, anti-corruption platform. And it seemed to me very much like he was laying the foundation to run an outside-the-beltway campaign.

40:18Do you think he could do that? Could he? We had him hyped up as a real choice for Republicans before, and it just completely fizzled. I also think Chris Christie is somebody who could say, listen, I've been there and I know how bad it is. And so his voice could be interesting. But ultimately, go back to the 2008 election. George W. Bush wasn't terribly popular. He was nowhere near the Republican convention. Is Donald Trump going to be able to stay away from a convention in two years? I think that's pretty tough to see. And there's also senators that we're not mentioning who are itching to run.

40:50People like Ted Cruz, people like Josh Hawley. So I think you're going to have plenty of folks. Does Junior have a political future, do you think? Probably he'd like to think so, but it's hard to imagine. I mean, I think the stench of Trump is going to be hard to scour off of your body for any 2028 Republicans. That includes Rubio, that includes Vance, that certainly includes the kid who has his last name. And that's why with Rubio, he's young enough that if he says, J.D., I back you all the way, in six years, some of that is removed from him. You know what, Doug? I have such a hard time imagining Marco resigning or leaving his post in the next few weeks with things being where they are on Venezuela and Cuba.

41:33Cuba is a hot mess with no plan in sight for how to end what's going on there. Venezuela, you'd like to think that if he was able to usher in a Democratic transition, that'd be a good moment to leave, but not the way things are right now. No, I totally get it. But sort of like Hegseth, these are staffers. These are all Donald Trump's decisions. And he's going to have to be going in front of a congressional committee chaired by the Western Hemisphere Committee, chaired by Joaquin Castro, and answer what's happened to all of the billions of dollars from the Venezuelan oil. Oversight. Big problem for Republicans.

42:06Yeah, we got to leave it there, David. Okay, all right. Okay. I'll hold my thought. All right. Thanks, David. Tomorrow. Thanks very much. Thanks, everyone. President Trump's vanity project could get greenlit as early as sometime tonight. The proposed arch or arc, as he continues to call it, is topping the agenda. The National Capital Planning Commission meeting, a meeting that started at 1 p.m. this afternoon. It's gone on for hours as dozens of people have spoken out against it. The commission, packed with Trump appointees, is expected to vote tonight. The projects have been met with protests by various groups, including veterans and lawmakers.

42:38CNN Sunderland Serfati joins me now from the proposed arch site. So where do things stand right now? Someone. Well, Anderson, as you said, this has been a marathon. on a hearing today, essentially the last regulatory step that this arch needs to go through in order for the administration to potentially break ground. It started at one. It is still ongoing today, which you have heard from volumes of people, over 100 people now who spoke up in opposition of the arch, which really does, of course, speak volumes about the size of the public opposition to this project. We heard people complain about the size of the proposed arch, the design of the arch, the proximity to Arlington National Cemetery, the effect that it would have on funerals, the mourning that the families would be going to.

43:23Also opposition to the effect on the historical sight lines and the properties around D.C. area. Many comments, of course, about the vanity of it all, the vanity they see President Trump building this arch essentially, they say, for himself. So lots of passionate comments, particularly one woman. She lost her son, a veteran, last year. She She said the family is trying to decide where he will be laid to rest. And she said if this arch gets built here next door to Arlington Cemetery, they will decline and not have him make Arlington his final resting place. Now, tonight, they are anticipated to wrap up this public comment period, and then they will move to a final vote.

44:03It likely is already baked into the cake. The chairman of this commission has said he will green light this project. The expectation is that it will get a strong vote, and that will potentially give the administration the green light to go ahead and break ground here. Anderson. And then what would happen if they sign off, what's the schedule? Well, this arch faces three lawsuits, so it is in a bit of legal limbo, and this is where it's going to be a big question mark if and when the arch is officially approved. The judge in one of the cases, the largest one, the most high-profile case lawsuit sued by veterans group, The judge in that case has said the administration needs to give her 30 minutes time to notify them, her, of any arch construction site.

44:50So we could see that happen overnight. We could see that happen tomorrow, maybe in the coming weeks. It's a big question mark when the administration will officially move, although they have said, Anderson, they intend to move very aggressively. They said they intend to break ground potentially as soon as the same day it is approved. All right, thanks very much. Coming up, the jury's verdict on Russell Brand and the rape and sexual assault charges he was facing.

45:22British actor, comedian and YouTube star Russell Brand is behind bars in London tonight after jury found him guilty of raping a young fan and sexually assaulting three other women in separate incidents. It took the jury of eight men and four women just over eight hours to reach their verdict. According to investigators, the incidents happened between 2004 and 2009. Brand was cleared of two other charges in a trial that lasted three weeks. Today, after his conviction, the prosecutor said evidence showed Brand to be, quote, a calculated predator using his growing fame and power to create situations in which he could pursue women sexually regardless of what they wanted.

46:02The 51-year-old will be sentenced on Monday and expected to face a lengthy prison sentence. Before we go, a quick note about my podcast on grief. All there is a new episode just published. We just put a new podcast out. My guest this week is Lil Jon, a Grammy award-winning rapper, producer, and DJ. In February of this year, his 27-year-old son Nathan went missing near his home in Georgia. Three days later, his body was found in a nearby pond. Nathan's death was ruled an accidental drowning. You can watch our current entire conversation at cnn.com slash all there is, or listen to it wherever you get your podcasts.

46:40That's it for us. The news continues. I hope you have a good night. I'll see you tomorrow. The Source with Caitlin Collins starts now. When an intruder approaches a home, they expect a camera. What they don't expect. Stop. This is SimpliSafe. Police are on the way. Using smart AI cameras, live U.S.-based agents help deter intruders in under 30 seconds. Don't just record a break-in. Stop it from ever happening. Plan starting around a dollar a day. Right now, get 70 % off your new system with professional monitoring at simplisafe.com slash Spotify. 30 seconds response time requires monitoring plan with outdoor protection starting at$49.99 a month.

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