Colom Will Be Mississippi’s First Black Senator Since Reconstruction

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1:03Up front next, a historic win. Scott Cologne will be the next senator from Mississippi. The Democrat just winning the race and set to become the first black senator from the state in more than a century. His brother is here with us. Plus, threatening Democrats. The White House with a new warning tonight to lawmakers gearing up to investigate Trump. Just how worried is the president? And breaking news, a deadly building collapse in New York City. We're live on the scene as firefighters work to pull people from the rubble. Let's go out front.

1:33And good evening. I'm Erin Burnett. And out front tonight, the breaking news, a historic win and major upset. The Democrat Scott Cologne has won the Mississippi Senate race, defeating the Republican incumbent Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith. Now, you look at the number here. We finally put that check here a week and a day after the votes. This is a major upset for Republicans. Cologne is the first Democratic senator to be elected in Mississippi in 44 years. And you look at that checkmark, in fact, the first black person elected statewide since Reconstruction. You're going all the way back to the 1870s.

2:06The margins in this race have been razor thin since Election Day. And in fact, today we were having a conversation with Scott Cologne's identical twin brother, Andrew, tonight. We were on the phone with him when CNN called Mississippi for Scott Cologne. And Scott was there as well. Let me play that moment. Hey, we just called it for your brother. OK, hold on. CNN just called it for you. CNN just called it for you. I'm on the phone with the guy right now. He said they just called it. All right. Well, we're going to speak with him in just a moment. The tally tonight, though, right now, Coloma had, as you can see, by 4 ,669 votes.

2:47that's razor thin but there was a time when I think it was 43 or 48 votes it just took that long for those final counties to count the balance of power in the new senate because of this is going to look at like this at least 55 democrats to 44 republicans and that means there is just one senate seat outstanding that is of course is Alaska where the democratic candidate is leading as well all in right now democrats have flipped eight senate seats in this election something that was inconceivable even months ago. Absolutely inconceivable. In fact, I would say even a week and a day ago, something like that was inconceivable.

3:22But when I spoke with Scott Cologne recently, he was 100 % confident that he would prevail. There was absolutely no question about that in his mind. And it was very clear as to why he thought he would win the race against all odds. It's because Mississippians have been betrayed. They were promised America first, and they're getting Mississippi last. They were promised lower grocery prices on day one. But grocery prices are now more expensive than ever, and people are suffering from it. They were promised no more endless wars. We're back at war with no end of sight, and it's got gas to the roof, truckers struggling with high diesel, farmers struggling with high diesel.

3:57And they were promised concepts of a health care plan. Moments ago, Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith spoke to Cologne and conceded. I want to go out front now to Andrew Cologne, the twin brother of Scott Cologne. Andrew, I was actually looking at you in our preview monitor just before we started talking, and I'm like, okay, they don't say identical for nothing. I mean, my gosh, right? I look like somebody you talked to before. I look like, yes, exactly. You look like someone I've talked to before. All right. I know you've been with Scott throughout today, and obviously this is an incredible moment for you.

4:28So we heard you talking to Tim, our producer. I mean, how's he feeling now that he's made history? I know he was confident, but now it's a done deal. it's been a lot of excitement a lot of cheers a lot of really really deep hugs a lot of just really ecstatic feelings of love and happiness that mississippi decided that scott cologne was the person to make change in a time that it was really really desperately needed a lot of people are excited around the country a lot of people are excited in mississippi a lot of people are around the world because Scott showed that Mississippi matters, which shows that anybody can matter and anybody can make change in our country still.

5:13So anybody looking at you again, I'm going to remind you, you are the identical twin brother of Scott Cologne, Andrew. So let me just show everyone photos of you and your brother when you were little guys, then young children and later as adults. And I say this not just because you look alike, but because you literally have been together since birth. That is your relationship. I mean, did you ever think that you would see your brother be elected as a senator of Mississippi? I mean, first Democrat to win statewide in 44 years. We go all the way back to Reconstruction for something like this. Yeah.

5:52You know, we didn't grow up talking about him being a senator, I'll be honest with you. We grew up with him playing a lot of basketball. He really was a huge athlete, was really into basketball. We competed a lot. But I think he learned from basketball his passion about competition. I think my brother has a lot of passion for competition, and I think that was part of the drive that kept him working so hard throughout the last year and a half. And I'm just honored that his hard work has paid off. I think right now he's in his flow state. Mississippi is not just a state. It's also a river. The river has sediment.

6:28The sediment is the hard work. And that sediment has created a flow. And Scott's in its flow state. Mississippi's in its flow state. And they're together have created a love story that's really exciting the world. So so I got to ask you about, you know, that that ad about protein is at the center of this. And I'm going to play it in just a moment. But but first, that moment about what was it like about an hour ago? You were on the phone with my colleague, Tim, when CNN called the race for your brother. So you guys were literally on the phone. You know, we call it a pre-interview. I'm just going to play the moment back for you and for everybody.

7:02Here it is. Hey, we just called it for your brother. OK, hold on. Scott, CNN just called it for you. CNN just called it for you. I'm on the phone with the guy right now. He said they just called it.

7:21What went through your mind in that moment? I guess he was like in the next room or something. You're just yelling over. he was in the next room yeah yeah he was in the next room you know i've and i for a long time believed scott was going to win i was paying very close attention to the race um you know i saw how much his his retail politics how hard he was working and how much magic he was creating with just how much retail politicking he was doing and how effective he was becoming in it becoming at it you know the the state of mississippi was pouring into my brother my brother was receiving all their love, all their ideas, all their excitement, all their needs.

7:57He was receiving that and he just started to reflect it back to the people in this really profound way. So I felt that he was going to win for a long time and seeing how he won has been really just an exciting, exciting story for me. Okay. And yes, you watched, but you also participated. In fact, Andrew, you helped, you came up with the idea and you produced some of your brother's most memorable and viral campaign ads and that's where the protein ad that i mentioned comes in right pick another protein ad uh and the spoof of the film uh sinners which you wrote and also starred in with your brother is a movie that features two twins battling vampires and you know there you come in as the twins our audience can see in the video you and your brother of course uh are still pretty much uh identical um you know if your brother your brother is now going to be the fourth senator to have an identical twin, by the way, which is incredible.

8:48But, you know, it's interesting, this part about being a twin. A lot of people find it improbable. Some people find it sort of a, wow, that's interesting. But I know that you believe it actually makes sense in some important way. What is that? Well, I think that being a twin, you learn that your identity is connected to somebody else in a profound way. You know, identity becomes something that you become aware of in a different way than other people because you look just like someone else. You're called the wrong name. We've both been calling each other's name our entire lives. And, you know, we're constantly compared to one another.

9:26So you learn how close and how important it is to stay connected to someone else. And also just being a twin, people come up to you a lot. You get used to a lot of attention. People really do have a fondness for twins. I think most people kind of dream, if they don't have a twin, the kind of dream of having a twin, the idea of having like a mirror, but also a helpmate. I think that really is something that is attractive to people. So our whole lives, people would come up to us and be like, twins, you're twins, you're twins. So we always kind of stood out. So I think in some ways it kind of helps Scott know how to stand out is because he kind of was used to getting a lot of attention for being a twin.

10:02All right. Well, I find that that actually fascinating what you just said there. And it does, I guess it is profound how it teaches you to interact with other people and something that those of us who are not twins cannot understand in the same visceral way. Andrew, thank you very much. I appreciate your time. It's wonderful to have you on tonight. Yes. Yes, I'm also a fiction writer. I got a book coming out. So check me out. Andrew Cologne, story arc. I'm a fiction writer. You know what? And I can tell you're twins. You both have, you got that same spark. All right, well, it's good to see you.

10:34It's good to see you, Andrew. I appreciate it. Thank you. All right. And everyone's here with me now. Okay, either way, former Congressman Jamal Bowman, that was fascinating. What he just said about being a twin. Yes, it was. I had not thought of when he said it. I thought about it. I think we were all sitting here going, okay, well, I don't know if any of you guys are identical twins. Okay. No. But this is a moment in history. And they find out he's yelling to the next room, to his brother. Yeah, yeah. And that they're doing something in Mississippi that has not been done since Reconstruction era, which, of course, is not comparable in any way.

11:08So I'm thinking about it, and I think we all should be thinking about Medgar Evers, Ida B. Wells, Emmett Till, and Fannie Lou Hamer. How she shut down the DNC in 1964. 1964, she runs for Congress in the 2nd District. You know who worked on her campaign? A young Benny Thompson. Shout out to Representative Benny Thompson. Yeah, he was here last night. By the way, how confident was he that Scott Colom was going to win? Completely. 29 years later, Benny Thompson runs and wins the congressional seat in District 2 in Mississippi. He then forms a leadership pack or leadership group that Scott Cologne was a part of with Benny Thompson.

11:54So there's a through line from Fannie Lou Hamer to Benny Thompson to Scott Cologne in this moment in history. It's just incredible for all of us. gives us a chance to reflect on our history and gives us excitement to building a better country going forward and and interesting um as close as this is cindy heights and there's no recount law you know we'd heard all sorts of rumblings about what could go wrong in mississippi if they want to recount when there's a cindy heightsmith has has conceded yeah which is of course the right thing to do yes and you know i i first of all what jamal said uh exactly right and i would add Mike Espy to that list and others who have been, I mean, but Chairman Benny Thompson.

12:32I mean, anybody who served with Benny Thompson knows that that is a voice crying in the wilderness right there. And he was right. And thank God. But also, you know, credit where credit is due. Boy, that campaign, that candidate, the candidate's brother, who should be a political consultant, by the way. I mean, I want to look at his book. I mean, he's the guy that did the ad, the protein ad. Would you pick another protein? I mean, that. The guy's a natural. And so everybody deserves a twin like that right and and and but but but seriously i do think that you got to realize that you know you're talking about one-third of the voters were african-american in mississippi and they went 97 percent for scott colomb that means as a candidate you start out at 32 and so the project in mississippi when you see it that way if you can keep that community engaged and give them reasons to be engaged and do the work which they did then my goodness you're You're looking for 20%.

13:28You're looking for 18 % out of all the other voters. That is a very doable and replicable project, not just in Mississippi, but everywhere else. So Democrats pay attention. It was about a month ago when Scott Colom came on the show and he was saying, I can win Mississippi. Democrats were like, okay, we'll throw you a little bit of money, but, you know, whatever. And then there was a night around then that you and I were on together because Trump went to Mississippi. And we were talking about why. And sort of the takeaway was because, you know, Obama did this when he was going to lose the midterms.

13:58You go to the safe places where everybody likes you. But it may now also have been because they actually saw a problem in Mississippi. There were some warning signs, right? 2023, the incumbent governor ran for re-election, won by just three points. That's a tight race in Mississippi. Neighboring state Alabama in the 2018 midterms elected a Democrat in Doug Jones to the Senate. So, you know, there's some history and some warning signs. And look, the gaffe will go down with the Ohio ad as one of the bigger stumbles in this cycle. I think candidate quality matters. She was appointed to the Senate.

14:31She was appointed since elected. She was appointed, though. Darlene Graham in South Carolina appointed. Ohio appointed. James Tallarico was better because he was not appointed. He had a tough primary. Yeah, right, right. And obviously, things could have been different if we were talking about Cornyn. Who knows? Maybe he still would have won. I mean, the margins were so big here, but it's unclear. Congresswoman, let me just ask you, that ad that Cologne was in about protein, that we know that Andrew right there was central in, I just want to play the core of it that sort of went nationally viral.

15:02Here it is. The price of beef continuing to go up. You know, you have so many proteins to choose from. Pick another protein? Shit, I'd rather pick another senator instead.

15:18Okay, everybody's seen that ad. When that was meant for Mississippi, we've all seen it. How much did that ad hurt Cindy Hyde-Smith? I mean, it was that ad and it was the other ads, but that ad is authentically Mississippi, and it authentically captures the sentiment of the country. Things are too darn expensive. And can I just say this? Yep. donors out there, please hire Brother Cologne's brother. Please, please hire this brother. Brother Cologne, the other brother, please hire him because what he did, what they did. Thank you, Mississippi voters. Shout out to my brother, Trey Baker. Shout out to Black Voters Matter.

15:58Shout out to the NAACP, the organizing that happened on the ground. And lastly, Scott Cologne didn't just speak to black voters. He spoke to rural white voters about the cost of living and even though he knew he wasn't going to win them all he won enough to win this election that's how you organize that's how you win you know he also along with james tellerico adam hamilton uh democrats who won in in texas and kansas respectively talked about faith which is something that democrats for a long time have not wanted to do especially in the south right that would be the evangelical province of the gop but not anymore and in fact uh scott colomb talked about his faith openly, repeatedly.

16:37Here he is. Yes. We have to make sure that we talk our values to people because, you know, there's nothing, there's nothing Democratic or Republican about Christian faith. That's a American value. That's a Christian value. And I know so many people that view their Christian faith through serving others. And I think I'm offering that more than our That was a big shift and a powerfully important shift in several races in red states. Kansas. Don't forget Kansas, another one. I mean, I think I'm looking at the map, right? I'm old enough to remember the 2012 election and how depressed I was when I looked at the electoral map.

17:21Republicans have become a regional party of the Deep South and a few states in the upper Midwest. Trump changed all that, right? But now no one has won those states, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, except Trump. Now we're losing places like Kansas and Mississippi. It's a depressing time that really requires some examination of what's gone wrong and how we fix it without Trump. Interesting that faith is being embraced now by Democrats. Absolutely. And it's what Congressman Bowman said. I mean, he's speaking in universal terms about what people are feeling, what they need and what they hope for their country.

17:55And I do think and I hope this isn't a partisan point because I think we can all take some pride in it. You definitely see a yearning in the country for values and for decency and for people of character. And it's about time, I think a lot of us feel. And those are core values of Christianity and of a former party that some of us grew up with, the Republican Party, that people should hold dear and that are worth fighting for. And I think you just saw a mismatch on some of that. The voters picked our guys because they saw more of it there. All right. Well, I appreciate all of you and thank you.

18:28And next, the White House issuing a new threat to Democrats planning to investigate Trump, saying it will, quote, not be extorted. The former Trump White House attorney Ty Cobb is back. And the secretary of defense reprimanded at the tomb of the unknown soldier today. A really incredible moment. Pete Hegseth, warned by a guard as he was with a group, laughing at the memorial. All visitors will maintain an atmosphere of silence and respect at all times. And breaking news is NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang about to be gone. The Wall Street Journal reporting this could happen very soon amid reports of an additional affair.

19:30stack more sales with the best converting checkout on the planet track your cha-chings from every channel right in one spot and turn real-time reporting into big-time opportunities take your business to a whole new level switch to shopify start your free trial today shack here what's it like to buy a car from caravana 100 online and get it delivered to your door let me tell you your car is here mr shack thank you mr caravana 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.

20:09Shaq. 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. Tonight, the White House issuing a new threat to Democrats after Democrats warned they plan to investigate any crimes committed by anyone in the Trump administration. The White House writing in a letter to the soon-to-be Democratic head of the Oversight Committee, quote, the administration will not be extorted and will not be cowed by unlawful process motivated by animus, pettiness, hatred, or any other unlawful motive to intimidate, penalize, or interfere with the lawful functioning of government.

20:46Congressman Robert Garcia responded this way. Donald Trump is clearly hiding something. We are not going to be threatened or intimidated because we are demanding accountability and oversight. The truth is that he needs to understand that Congress is a co-equal branch of government. All right, Ty Cobb is out front and Ty, what the White House calls animus, pettiness, hatred or unlawful motive. You know, some might see it differently when you're talking about people making billions of dollars off of government contracts and all sorts of national security issues that can be investigated. What do you make of this threat from the White House to Congressman Garcia and Democrats?

21:33So this is strategic. This is in combination with Todd Blanche's suggestion yesterday that they might investigate congressmen for for exercising their oversight responsibilities. This is just to give talking points to their supporters and to MAGA so that when they defy court orders and when they defy the congressional subpoenas, when they're caught destroying documents, they have an excuse or a reason that can prolong things in court for a while before their compliance is secured. It is of the ilk, of course, of Blanche trying to prosecute congressmen for urging the military not to follow illegal orders, that fell apart.

22:17Most of the revenge prosecutions have fallen apart. Most of the attempts to punish Trump's enemies have fallen apart because they're lawless. This too is lawless. And keep in mind, Will Sharp, the new White House counsel, he's there for a reason. Stephen Miller's there for a reason. Jim Jordan's there for a reason. And MAGA is not going to go down without a last gasp. And Will Sharp, of course, is the legal genius who, when he ran for attorney general in Missouri in 2024, he ran on in part on the basis of the fact that the 2020 election was allegedly rigged. So this is pointless, but it's but it is just a signal of the war that we're in for.

22:56You talk about the election being rigged. And I want to ask you something about that, because we just announced Scott Cologne is the next senator from Mississippi. Unthinkable a few months ago. Frankly, I think even for Democrats, that was unthinkable two weeks ago. Trump has now been instrumental in Republican losses in at least eight seats in the Senate alone. And when you look at whether it's John Cornyn's seat or Darlene Graham, very specific decisions made by Trump and nobody else. On election night, though, Trump told The New York Times, and this really stood out to me, Ty, because he said that he was absolutely willing to accept the election results and work with Democrats.

23:36That was really stunning. And it stood out to me because it's different than anything he's ever said before. It was less surprising less than a week later when he posted on social media. Does anybody really believe that this quote unquote election was honest? OK, Ty, I understand, you know, words are words. Do you think, though, that he will take further action based on that? Oh, certainly. I think there's a strong possibility, particularly in Alaska, where they've already tried to, you know, seal that election in advance. Unfortunately, the courts shut him down. But but, you know, Trump's Trump's words on election eve when Republicans were getting pummeled in the fascism and racism of the last two years was being rebuked by America.

24:20You know, that was designed basically to avoid additional criticism and to buy himself some time. You know, this is this is who he is contesting elections. He doesn't believe he can lose. He doesn't believe that people that he likes can lose. And and with regard to the Mississippi thing, he tried to suggest recently that the delay in counting was evidence of it being rigged. of course, he had to pull that back when it was brought to the attention of the world, that the only reason that the delay in counting was going on was because Mississippi and MAGA had disenfranchised millions of, or hundreds of thousands at least, of minority voters using discredited information provided by Experian.

25:04So he's in retreat, but he's in retreat to where he lives, which is, you know, denial, deceit, and demean and deceive. Those are his four Ds. Right. And, of course, we'll note that Cindy Hyde-Smith, the Republican senator from Mississippi, conceded, graciously so, conceded. It is not playing these games as of now. And, of course, this will be certified by a Republican secretary of state in the state of Mississippi and a Republican governor all doing what they're supposed to do, uphold the will of the voters. Thank you very much, Ty Cobb. And next, Pete Hegseth recommended. God bless Mississippi.

25:41Thank you. At the tomb of the unknown soldier, a really incredibly embarrassing, humiliating moment after a Veterans Day ceremony today. All visitors will maintain an atmosphere of silence and respect at all times. And the breaking news, NVIDIA's board meeting to reportedly consider whether to oust CEO Jensen Huang as the New York Times is reporting more breaking news about the embattled CEO and his relationship with a suspected Chinese spy.

26:22When it's time to scale your business, it's time for Shopify. Get everything you need to grow the way you want. Like, all the way. Stack more sales with the best converting checkout on the planet. Track your cha-chings from every channel right in one spot and turn real-time reporting into big-time opportunities. Take your business to a whole new level. Switch to Shopify. Start your free trial today.

26:52New tonight, Pete Hegseth reprimanded at the tomb of the unknown soldier. A guard telling the defense secretary and a group of advisors to show respect after they were laughing and talking near the solemn memorial at Arlington National Cemetery after a ceremony for Veterans Day.

27:14All visitors will maintain an atmosphere of silence and respect at all times.

27:25Really an incredible moment. You hear the laughter and then you heard that soldier. The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is the final resting place for an unidentified service member killed during World War I. The guard you saw there is among those assigned there 24 hours a day. There is always a guard there, rain or shine. The Pentagon statement said in part, quote, while commemorating this solemn day, a soldier correctly and respectfully reminded everyone to maintain decorum. Out front now, Michael Lemon. He is a Vietnam veteran and also a lead plaintiff in the lawsuit against the Trump administration's plans for a triumphal arch at Arlington National Cemetery.

28:01Trump also spoke about that today. And Michael, I want to talk about that with you as well. But I just want to, you know, we saw that moment. You hear the laughter and then sort of a pause and you hear that soldier. It takes a second to look at the screen and realize that it is the soldier on duty who is speaking there. What was your reaction when you saw Secretary Hegseth and you heard him? And then you heard them reprimanded by the soldier at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. My first reaction was, God bless that soldier for doing his duty. My second reaction was, this is emblemic of the, how do I put it?

28:44the animal house type of secretary of defense and pentagon that we seem to have now to be so insensitive you know to think that they wouldn't know better that you have to be solemn and quiet and respectful at that tomb in particular but at arlington national cemetery in general I think is emblematic of, shall we say, the very shallow appreciation that senior levels seem to have of the symbolic, emotional, fundamental importance of Arlington National Cemetery and its sensitivity. it is sacred ground to military members and their families in a way that is incomparable with Trump's other vanity projects like the East Wing Ballroom or the East Potomac Golf Course.

29:59It symbolizes an unwritten compact between veterans and their government. I also am just thinking of, as you described Secretary Hegseth, right? He has been very clear about what he wants America's military to be. And perhaps one statement encapsulates it all more than any other, and it may be this one. We 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. Just tough, ready, committed troops.

30:47Of course, he calls himself the Secretary of War, not the Secretary of Defense. But the first Republican-led effort to impeach eggs that failed yesterday. Michael, what do you think is the cost of him remaining as what he calls the Secretary of War? I think he is degrading not just the physical capabilities of our beloved military, but the morale, the core. It's a spree de core. I've got lots of friends who are still serving, as well as many retired. And the rot, you know a fish rots from the head down? The rot that is beginning to spread. What he has done to some of our finest generals and admirals and senior officials in the Pentagon is incredible.

31:41This is like a juvenile finally with power and not being able to restrain himself. It's as egoistic as his boss. and it's terribly destructive to the good order and discipline of our uniformed military. And it's going to take years to repair. You mentioned his boss, of course, President Trump, and you are, Michael, the lead plaintiff in that lawsuit against Trump's plans for that triumphal arch at the Arlington National Cemetery. And, you know, I know you're aware of this, but Trump has said at various points, you know, that the arch is about himself. He said that at one point that it would house drones.

32:27He's given various explanations, including saying that no one would build it or other monuments to himself but him. And today, during the Veterans Day ceremony, he gave a totally new explanation for the arch. In fact, he said, Michael, it's going to be dedicated to veterans like you. Here he is. Soon we're going to dedicate a magnificent, triumphal arch to our veterans. and that's in honor of our great veterans and our great militaries. They've been waiting for it for 200 years. I mentioned that he's given various explanations. This is the first time he's said this. Does anybody buy it? No. We continue to be gaslighted by him and the administration.

33:17Nobody believes, frankly, anything he says anymore. It has no credibility. We can all see through it. Each new excuse that comes up is just designed to move his personal vanity project forward. And it is disrespectful to veterans. You know, we have been disrespected and disregarded, the Vietnam vets in particular, for some 60 years now. And to have this person who has been reputably reported to have called us suckers and losers for serving, pretend, engaging in performative art, that this is somehow dedicated to us. I don't know anyone who buys that story. Michael, I appreciate your time and thank you very much for taking the time to join us tonight.

34:19Thank you.

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35:49at$49.99 a month. Visit SimpliSafe.com slash licenses for alarm license information. The breaking news. CNN is learning that NVIDIA's board of directors is meeting tonight to discuss the future of the CEO, Jensen Huang, following reports that he had an affair with a woman suspected of being a Chinese spy, an affair that could have affected all of America's national security. That bombshell coming, as the New York Times also reports, Huang also had another extramarital affair, this one with an executive who reports directly to him. CNBC's Jim Cramer weighing in tonight on just how big of an international national security and corporate scandal this is.

36:30The greatest investing story ever told became almost overnight a blight on our country with its chief spokesperson caught up in some tawdry spy scandal that made Theranos This look like child's play. With another revelation tonight, Jensen, go on her. The reference to Theranos is incredible there. Paul Mosher is out front now, New York Times reporter, who's been breaking news on this story from the beginning and, in fact, has been investigating Jensen Huang's relationship with this suspected spy for over a year. Paul, so, you know, NVIDIA, gosh, it was a few days ago when your report came out.

37:08And they were, I mean, just so offended, right? Like, what? This is nothing. What are you even talking? I mean, it was just it was completely take a hike. And they were saying Jensen Huang's going to lead the company through this. And here we are with Jim Cramer saying that the scandal here that affects America's national security all the way up to the president of the United States makes Theranos look like child's play.

37:34Yeah, it's remarkable. You know, I mean, we had a number of denials from NVIDIA over the past year. You know, the first that the company led by Alice Wong had no ties to China. Later, that this was the relationship was totally normal. And, you know, now we find ourselves today the board is meeting to decide Jensen's fate. We don't know what will be decided, but it comes after news of the second affair with an executive at NVIDIA earlier this year. And it's just an incredibly fast turnaround. I mean, you know, just a few hours ago, we thought Jensen would be leading the company through this investigation.

38:07And now it looks like his fate is undecided. It's just a roller coaster for arguably the most important AI company in the world and also maybe one of the most important for people's investment portfolios as well in the United States. I mean, it's incredible. And, you know, you've reported that the Singapore-based company that Alice Huang worked for, the suspected Chinese spy, was able to do something that no one else could do, buy more than$4 billion of NVIDIA's most advanced chips, right? The chips on the front lines of what is essentially an AI race, an arms race, between the U.S. and China on who is going to rule the nuclear weapons of our time, a race that China's ahead on.

38:46And those chips are crucial to that. So can you put some context on this? How rare is it for any company to sort of out of nowhere get$4 billion of those coveted NVIDIA AI chips? Yeah, so I mean, the biggest tech companies in the United States have no problem buying that amount. But for a tiny company that was formed in 2023 to four days after it sort of reforms itself and restructures itself, be added to a cloud partner list and then start getting billions and billions of dollars of chips, that's unheard of. I mean, there are long lines to buy these chips that are the most precious goods in AI.

39:26And what's fascinating with our reporting is we showed that Alice Wong, her relationship with Jensen actually goes back to 2023, which is when she was creating this company. So, you know, it's sort of remarkable because even as she's restructuring this company and basically cutting its ties to China and putting it through a Singaporean shell, you know, she is talking to Jensen and she's meeting with Jensen. And that seems to have really helped or appears to have helped smooth the way for this flow of chips, which, again, unprecedented for such a small, unheard of company. Yep. Yep. And through, as you say, what had become a backdoor for China to obtain those chips, which, of course, the reason that the U.S.

40:03had until any policy changes not allowed them to have it was because they said those were being used for the Chinese military. Paul Moser, thank you very much. You're incredible reporting on this. And as I said, when Jim Cramer talks about making Theranos look like child's play, in part that is because this is so much bigger than just the biggest and most important AI company in the world and to America. It is because it could go to the president of the United States. I mean, how close are Huang and President Trump? Randy Kaye is out front. Jensen's an amazing guy. He's become a friend of mine.

40:35President Donald Trump singing the praises of NVIDIA CEO Jensen Wong. Jensen's a very brilliant guy. Before 2025, the two men barely knew each other. But with the AI boom, Wang worked to cultivate a relationship with Trump and push him to loosen his administration's restrictions on selling NVIDIA's chips to China. This is a smart cookie. Turns out Wang was engaging Trump at the same time the CEO was having an extramarital affair with a woman U.S. intelligence concluded was a Chinese spy, something China now denies. It's unclear when they met, but as early as September 2024, Wong was pictured with this woman, Alice Wong.

41:14The photo was taken at a luxury golf resort in California and posted on WeChat, a Chinese social messaging app. Just a few months later, in April 2025, Jensen Wong attended a$1 million per person dinner at Mar-a-Lago. The two became fast friends, according to CNN analysis. Trump has met with Wong more than a dozen times during his second term so far. I want to thank you, sir, for everything that you've done and the strong encouragement and the great policies that make it possible for us. Thank you, sir.

41:48In April 2025, the same month that Wang made that visit to the White House, the United States banned the export of NVIDIA's coveted high-performance H20 chips to China. Nvidia told investors the ban could cost the company$5.5 billion. Jensen Wang lobbied against the ban, pushing for more exports of Nvidia chips to China. He insisted that would keep China from developing their own. In May last year, Jensen Wang and Alice Wang attended a group dinner in Taipei. Video shows her kissing him on the cheek. The two later left in the same car. A photo posted the next day shows them standing together in the restaurant's kitchen.

42:26A couple months later, in July 2025, NVIDIA's Wong convinced the Trump administration to loosen restrictions on chip sales to China. I deal with Jensen, who's a great guy, and NVIDIA. The chip that we're talking about, the H20, it's an old chip. Three months after Jensen Wong struck that deal with Trump, NVIDIA donated$25 million to the construction of Trump's ballroom, as The Washington Post later reported. Meanwhile, around that same time, the New York Times reports the president was briefed about the suspected Chinese spy operation targeting Jensen Wang, but chose not to act. Days after another meeting with Wang in December 2025, Trump announced on Truth Social he'd allow exports of NVIDIA's more powerful H200 chips to approve Chinese customers.

43:19In May of this year, Jensen Wang joined Trump for his trip to China, summoned by the president to meet him in Alaska and fly with him on Air Force One. Trump told reporters the subject of NVIDIA's advanced H200 chip was raised. The H200 is good. China needs it. And so, yeah, it came up. En route to China, a source familiar with the matter, tells CNN Secretary of State and National Security Advisor Marco Rubio, informed President Trump that the U.S. had obtained intelligence showing NVIDIA's CEO was in a relationship with a woman believed to be a Chinese spy. As recently as Monday this week, President Trump denied ever being told.

44:00I didn't hear about it then, but a lot of people have heard about it, and Jensen totally denies that. By September this year, it was clear the two men were still close. Wong happily took Trump's call during this appearance. Mr. President? Oh, yes, sir. I got to tell you something. If it wasn't because of you calling, I would, I'm on stage. Put him on speaker? A few days later, Wang attended a state dinner for Chinese President Xi at the White House. And last month, Trump awarded Jensen Wang the nation's highest honor for scientific achievement. Jensen, we are honored to give you the highest award of its kind.

44:44Again, anywhere in the world, there is nothing like it. It's incredible that timeline all put together. Randy,$25 million Hwang donated to Trump Ballroom, as you laid out, but that was not the extent of it. Right, right. NVIDIA gave that, and NVIDIA also donated$1 million to Trump's inaugural committee. But as far as the investigations now, there's two investigations underway still tonight. NVIDIA announced that they had retained former acting U.S. attorney June H. Kim to conduct this independent investigation. President Donald Trump said earlier this week that the FBI is also investigating. But it really is remarkable, Erin, because this was a company that was formed.

45:24It was a dream that came to life in a Denny's restaurant and now has a market value worth more than$4 trillion today. And no built-in successor if he is ousted. No, and interesting, Trump saying the FBI is going to investigate what was his own intelligence agency, his own director of national intelligence, who told him this was happening about a year ago. Exactly. That should not be lost on anyone. Thank you, Randy. And next, a desperate search and rescue underway in Brooklyn, a building collapsing in New York City. We're learning of multiple fatalities, including a child. We're going to go live to the scene.

46:01The breaking news. These are live pictures of a major rescue operation in New York City. After a three-story building collapse, firefighters trying to reach people trapped beneath the rubble. We are learning of multiple fatalities. I want to go straight to Shimon Prokupes for more. Shimon, this just happening, just incredible. You talk about a three-story building collapsing. What are you learning? Yeah, we're getting some really tragic news from out here from city officials. Aaron, as I take you outside and show you the collapse site, at least one of the people who has died is a child. There was no school today in New York City because of Veterans Day and many of the kids were home.

46:44And sadly, as a result, one of those kids that was home, officials are saying has died here because of this collapse. There's concern that there may have been other children inside the building that collapsed. What we're seeing now out here, Aaron, I'm going to have Beth show you, is there's a little bit of a lull. For the last nearly four hours since this happened, the fire department and the NYPD, we have watched them pull body after body from what has essentially become this pit and this rubble of debris. At least five bodies have been pulled since we've been here. We watched a woman get wheeled out on a stretcher.

47:19We're told by a city official she's pregnant. She's expected to be okay. after several hours being rescued by the fire department and the NYPD. Her husband saw her. We witnessed this from this window. We're inside a church. We watched as he saw her being wheeled out. And we're told that the rescue operations here will continue through the night. There is a lot of concern out here that there may be more people trapped inside. Yeah, gosh, I'm just praying for a miracle. Absolutely horrific. Shimon on the scene there. And thank you for joining us. AC 360 begins now. Share comfort and joy this holiday season at Tecova's.

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