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TSA in Houston Is Closing A Security Screening Checkpoint At George H W Bush Airport; Houston's Airport Is The Second Major Airport Forced To Shutdown Due To The Shutdown; Many Federal Workers Feeling The Pain Of This Government Shutdown. Aired 7:30-8a ET

Aired January 14, 2019 - 07:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[07:30:00]

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JOHN BERMAN, CNN HOST: In Houston today the TSA is closing a security screening checkpoint at George H.W. Bush Intercontinental Airport. This is the second day in a row they've had to do this because of a shortage of workers due to the government shutdown.

Rene Marsh is live at Reagan National Airport with more on the shutdown's impact on travelers. Rene.

RENE MARSH, CNN GOVERNMENT REGULATION & TRANSPORTATION CORRESPONDENT: Well John, Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport is the second major airport forced to shutdown a TSA checkpoint because of a lack of TSA, or shortage I should say, of TSA staffing at the airport.

As you mentioned, they did this on Sunday and that checkpoint remains shutdown this morning. The airport is actually urging passengers to show up early because of this. Of course, this all comes after Miami International Airport was forced to shutdown one of it's terminals due to TSA staffing shortage. That was over the weekend, the airport telling CNN that the number of call-outs that they received from TSA employees was double the normal amount.

This is pretty significant, I mean we're talking about Houston and Miami, these are two major hubs, they handle a high volume of passengers and as CNN has been reporting, hundreds and hundreds of TSA officers have been calling out sick during this partial government shutdown, some of them because they just can't afford to get to work anymore, others because they are looking for cash paying jobs, because as you know, they are working without getting a paycheck.

We did reach out to TSA about this latest checkpoint shutdown at Houston and they tell us in a statement that they are aware of the situation and they go on to say that airports in certain locations will begin exercising consolidation options during peak periods. So in other words, travelers may see at other airports a similar situation of security checkpoints being shutdown because there's just not enough staff. Alisyn.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN HOST: Oh my gosh, okay, Rene, thank you very much for that reporting. So, the TSA is just one group working without pay, of course, during the partial shutdown.

Chris Beasley is a corrections officer at a federal prison. He's also working without pay. He posted this picture of himself holding a sign. It says, will work for food. Also joining us is Jamie Rodny, she is a Federal Investigator at the Department of Housing and Urban Development, she is also furloughed.

[07:35:00]

Guys, it is great to have you both here with us. Chris, let me start with you. You are considered an essential worker, because you work at a federal prison. In there are some serial killers, there needs to be guards at those prisons, so you're showing up. You're working 40 to 60 hours a week without pay, what's this shutdown doing to your life?

CHRIS BEASELY, CORRECTIONS OFFICER FEDERAL MEDICAL CENTER CARSWELL: Well, when the shutdown occurred it happened at Christmas and then we didn't believe it was going to happen, but it did and then immediately after the shutdown occurred I became sick and I had to go in the hospital for 48 hours, I was out of work for four days and instead of being able to use my sick leave that I accumulated over the 19 years, I was furloughed, so I don't know if I'll get paid for those four days. It's caused ...

CAMEROTA: And what does that mean, Chris? I mean, just for your life, like tell me about what's happening at your home and your mood as you're still working, but you're not getting paid.

BEASELY: Well, we have a very stressful job and the time off is for us to unwind, recoup and get ready for another week of stressful job. We can't even do that anymore because any dollar that goes out is a dollar that's not coming in, so I can't go play golf, I can't go relax anymore, I have to just sit around the house or -- and go into work.

And we're dealing with a stressful situation all the time now and that's always in the back of your mind. It causes problems in your marriage, wherever dollar that goes out you start getting irritated with each other, trying to figure out, should we have spent it, should we not have spent it.

CAMEROTA: When we see you with this photo that you posted on social media that says, will work for food, why did you post that?

BEASELY: I was trying to bring some attention to what's going on, because at some point we are going to get to that. At some point you're going to see Federal Law Enforcement Officers -- I mean, we're already going to food pantries, I'm already having officers telling me they have to go to food pantries to get food and stuff.

It's getting to the point, I mean, we can't do anything. We're working 40 to 60 hour weeks, we can't get another job, I'm being told we can't file for unemployment because the officers are working over 32 hours a week, so they're not getting unemployment. I mean we're just in this un-American kind of alternate universe where we just don't get paid or get anything for a compensation for the work we're doing.

CAMEROTA: Oh my gosh. Jamie, you're working without pay, tell us what this is doing to your life.

JAMIE RODNY, FURLOUGHED FEDERAL WORKER: Actually I am one of the furloughed federal employees who is not allowed to work and is not getting paid. So, it's harming both ways, both professionally, they people who I am supposed to serve and help, the American people, I am not able to do my job and there are many people waiting and relying on me and everybody that works at HUD for their lives.

We help people get out and stay out of homelessness. We help people at HUD with their FHA loans, what if there's first-time home buyers right now that can't get their mortgage because their FHA loan is not going through because HUD is closed.

Now I don't work in the FHA loan world, but with the investigations that I do, I have many people who are waiting for me. Now, on the personal level, I mean financially speaking, this is as disaster. My husband and I, we are a dual income earning family, our budget relies on both of our salaries and we don't have savings like the majorities of American's.

We just bought our first home when we moved to Orange County just a few months ago. We used every penny we had for that down payment and we were just now about to start saving again when this shutdown happened.

CAMEROTA: And so, when you hear one of the president's economic advisors on the Council of Economic Advisors say that this actually -- you guys are better off, because it was around Christmas and around the holidays and you get some vacation days. That was ...

RODNY: That's ridiculous. That's ridiculous. That's so out of touch. And that's so heartless. My family, we've been saying, there's like a Grinch that stole Christmas for us and for millions of Americans who -- it's not just 800,000 federal employees without pay, it's also the other millions of Americans who rely on government subsidies for their rent, for their income, Social Security, Section 8, all of that stuff, with the government shutdown you need find that money from somewhere.

I wasn't able to buy my family, my parents, gifts. We had to return my husband's gift. What -- that doesn't help us at all and, by the way, vacation time, I have paid vacation time, thank you very much. I don't need unpaid.

[07:40:00]

OK, I can't afford unpaid vacation time.

CAMEROTA: Yes, great point. So Chris, when - now that you are, through no action of your own, tied to the president's demand for a border wall, how do you feel about sort of being a pawn in this ongoing fight in Washington, and what do you say to the president and lawmakers? CHRIS BEASLEY, CORRECTIONS OFFICIER, FEDERAL MEDICAL CENTER CARSWELL: Well Alisyn, I want to touch base on what she said about the FHA loan real quick. I did have a member last night tell me that they are not giving out FHA loans with staff because we're in a non-pay status. I just wanted to touch base on that real quick.

CAMEROTA: Yes.

BEASLEY: But on the - you know, I can't speak for that as far as support for the border and not support for the border wall. I can tell you that our members want their paychecks. They're tired of being political - used as political warfare against each other. We didn't sign up for this. We have a mission and we have nothing to do with the border wall. We have nothing to do with it.

CAMEROTA: Yes.

BEASLEY: And we just want to do our job. That's it, and get our paycheck.

RODNY: And it get paid.

BEASLEY: That's all.

RODNY: Right.

CAMEROTA: Yes, not unreasonable.

BEASLEY: Yes, yes.

CAMEROTA: Not an unreasonable request.

BEASLEY: I mean, we're like indenture servitude right now.

CAMEROTA: Yes. Chris Beasley, Jamie Rodny, sorry we're out of time. I could talk to you guys for hours. Please, please keep in touch with us. We will as well, and we'll check back with you as this drags on. Thank you. Best of luck to both of you.

BEASLEY: Thank you. Thank you for reaching out.

RODNY: Thank you.

CAMEROTA: Thank you.

RODNY: Thank you.

BERMAN: She had to return a Christmas present. She had to return a Christmas present - her husband's Christmas present because of the shutdown.

CAMEROTA: I mean, listen. Her kid's in preschool. She has student loans. I know a little bit about her back story. This is hard for people to miss paychecks. This is not a vacation.

BERMAN: All right. Has President Trump really been tougher on Russia than any of his predecessors as he claims? We have a CNN reality check next.

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[07:45:00]

BERMAN: All right, we have a small reality check before we have a bigger reality check.

CAMEROTA: Oh good, a small reality check.

BERMAN: The small reality check is this. Moments ago, the president put out a tweet that said, "getting ready to address the farm convention today in Nashville, Tennessee. Love our farmers. Love Tennessee. A great combination. See you in a little while." The problem with this -

CAMEROTA: What is that?

BERMAN: - he's going to New Orleans, not to Nashville. He's going to New Orleans in Louisiana. He is not going to Nashville, Tennessee.

CAMEROTA: It is an N. I mean, it is another city that starts with an N.

BERMAN: Good point. Good point. So directionally truthful (inaudible) would say. I do think the president has taken this tweet down because he realized that Nashville and New Orleans -

CAMEROTA: Is not New Orleans.

BERMAN: - are two different cities. All right, now the bigger reality check, when two bombshell reports involving President Trump and his relationship with Russia this weekend, the White House put out a statement saying the president has been tougher on Russia than any of his predecessors. So is that true? CNN's Senior Political Analyst and Geographer, John Avlon, here with a much needed reality check. John -

JOHN AVLON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST AND GEOGRAPHER: Guys, so let's set the table. The - this weekend we found out that the FBI suspected the President of the United States of being a Russian asset and that he took his interpreter's notes away in order to hide details about a private meeting with Putin. Now, this isn't Fillmore fan fiction. This is 2019.

And as part of Trump's counter attack, he tried out one of his favorite talking points. Quote, "I have been far tougher on Russia than Obama, Bush, or Clinton, maybe tougher than any other president." This is quickly echoed by Sarah Sanders, and it's a claim he's made at least 14 times during his presidency. And like many of his Russia- related claims, it's just not true.

There were 101 contacts between Russia-linked operatives in the Trump campaign in transition according to the Moscow Project which is funded by liberal policy group. That includes 28 meetings, and there was an attempt to, quote, cover up every single one of them. During the 2016 convention, Trump aides watered down platform language

regarding Russia and Ukraine, and candidate Trump called on Russian's to hack his opponents emails, which they tried to do the very same day. During the transition, Michael Flynn and Erik Prince back channeled with Russians presumably about sanctions imposed by the Obama administration. And, of course, the only human being on Earth President Trump refuses to criticize is Vladimir Putin. He's even admitted Russia's influence on his decisions telling their ambassador at a private Oval Office meeting, quote, "I faced great pressure because of Russia, and my firing Comey, that pressure was taken off." That's according to The Times.

This is the opposite of tough talk, but what about his actions? Well, it's fair to say that Trump's OG National Security Team of Mattis, McMaster, and Tillerson were far tougher on Russia, calling out the country in national security strategy and pushing for lethal arm sales to Ukraine, but Trump reportedly told aides not to talk up the Ukrainian arms deal and all three of those Russia hocs got the boot.

Now, team Trump often points to Russia Sanctions as evidence of their toughness, but the new sanctions were only enacted after the Senate voted 98 to two - everyone except Bernie Sanders and Rand Paul - to force the administration in action. Trump reluctantly signed the bill after pronouncing the sanctions, quote, "seriously flawed." And then his administration slow rolled their implementation.

Now Democrats are grilling Trump's Treasury Secretary over a puzzling recent decision to let a key Russian oligarch's companies off the hook. Trump has consistently acted outside American norms but consistent with Russian goals from attacking the E.U. and NATO, accepting Putin's seizure of Crimea, and abruptly announcing the U.S. withdrawal with Syria, functionally seating the region to Russia and its allies.

And after the Trump administration announced it was expelling 60 Russian diplomats in retaliation for the poisoning of a former Russian spy and his daughter from British soil, Trump was reportedly furious that we went too far. Quote, "there were curse words," one official told The Washington Post. "A lot of curse words from the president."

So whether the comparison is Obama's sanctions, Reagan's challenge to tear down this wall, or JFK starring down the Soviets during the Cuban Missile Crisis, if you believe Trump's been tougher than his predecessors on Russia, then I've got a penthouse in Trump Tower, Moscow to sell you. And that's your reality check.

CAMEROTA: John, such good context, I mean, particularly given all of the really stunning news this morning about President Trump doing such peculiar things when it comes to Vladimir Putin.

AVLON: It's surreal, and there's just - it's hard to find end to this explanation (ph).

BERMAN: Look, and the context around the actions he did take is so important to note. Reluctantly is the key word. Thanks, John. CAMEROTA: Mild. All right, thank you very much. It's time for CNN Business Now. The effects of the government shutdown are reaching into many corners of the economy.

[07:50:00]

CNN Chief Business Correspondent, Christine Romans, joins us with more. What are you seeing Christine?

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Hi guys. Well, government shutdowns usually don't cause lasting damage to economic growth, but we've never had one this long before and rating agency Fitch warns a prolonged shutdown threatens America's AAA credit rating.

Already we're seeing disruptions for 800,000 federal workers, no pay, government employees have set up more than 1,000 online fundraising pages. Some furloughed workers are applying for unemployment benefits, that's money they have to repay if they get back pay after the shutdown.

Federal workers who decided to retire face long wait times, because people who process those retirements are furloughed. The last line of defense, taking out a loan on retirement savings to pay bills, I don't recommend it, but even then it's not clear whether hardship loans are going to be allowed. Without income, the loan would be in default right away.

Some more visible disruptions, a TSA checkpoint forced to shutdown at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston due to staffing issues. All flights scheduled to depart from Terminal B are operating out of different terminals.

At Miami International, TSA staffing problems shutdown Concourse G on Sunday and on the border, some frontline border patrol agents, you guys, are moving to cover the desk work left behind by furloughed workers. John.

BERMAN: All right, Christine Romans, thanks very much. The impact being felt around the world. In the meantime, CNN is on the ground in Syria as the U.S. prepares to withdraw troops. So, how do America's Kurdish allies feel about their future as the U.S. pulls out? That's next.

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[07:55:00]

CAMEROTA: President Trump tweeting, quote, "the long overdue pullout from Syria has begun," end quote. He's also threatening to devastate Turkey economically if it attacks Kurdish forces once U.S. troops leave. CNN spoke with Kurds whose forces continue to fight and die in the battle against ISIS, and CNN's Clarissa Ward has their story.

CLARISSA WARD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In Kobani, the graves of Kurdish fighters are still fresh. 27-year-old Mahmoud Rasool (ph) was killed less than two weeks ago in an ISIS ambush near the down of De Resur (ph).

"Get up, get up, my son. I beg you," his mother Najma weeps. These are the people left behind to mourn. Now they are bracing for the moment they will be left behind again as the U.S. begins to withdraw its forces from Syria.

"They got what they wanted. They used the Kurds to get rid of ISIS and now they're leaving us," Najma says. "America was supposed to have our back." Almost every family in this town has lost someone in this war, and the very real fear here now is that when the Americans leave, there will be war here once again.

Just across the border is Turkey which view the Syrian Kurds as terrorists. To the west is the brutal regime of Bashar al-Assad and its Russian and Iranian backers. Kurdish military commander, Sharfan Darwish, tells us the Americans provided the Kurds with a buffer. In return, the Kurds took the fight to ISIS.

"After all those years that we fought terrorism together," he says, "it's their minimum duty to help guarantee our security." He takes us to the town of Arima where the intricate patchwork of different powers can be seen close up.

SHARFAN DARWISH: (foreign language)

WARD: So the regime and the Russians are just over there.

DARWISH: (foreign language)

WARD: And the Turks over there. (inaudible) the Americans?

DARWISH: (foreign language)

WARD: We drive closer to the joint Russian regime base. It's too dangerous to stop. Less than five minutes away, the Americans are still flying their flag, but it won't be there for long. U.S. military hardware is already beginning to move out. No one knows what comes next for the Kurds. On the road back to Kobani, we happened upon a funeral. Two Kurdish security officers killed by a roadside bomb, a reminder of the daily dangers faced here.

After an exhausting battle against ISIS, the Kurds may now have to defend themselves against more powerful enemies alone. We have been talking to Kurdish officials and people here on the ground, of course, about President Trump's tweets. They tell us, for the most part, that they are encouraged at least by the president's threat to devastate Turkey economically if Turkey does try to attack the Kurds, but they still have a lot of questions, a lot of concerns as well about the idea of this 20-mile safe zone. What does that mean, who will preside over it, and who will guarantee the safety of the Kurds should anyone make an incursion into their terriority? Still a lot of concerns and some confusion here. John -

BERMAN: Clarissa Ward in Northern Syria, thank you so much for being on the ground there to report on the Kurds fighting and dying in the battle against ISIS. Thanks, Clarissa. We have breaking new details on the Russia investigation, so lets get to it.

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.

BERMAN: Good morning and welcome to your New Day. It is Monday, January 14. 8 o'clock in the east, and we do begin with breaking news. CNN has obtained transcripts that explain why the

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