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Trump Under Siege; Shutdown Enters Day 25; Miracle on the Hudson Anniversary; Trump's Attorney General Nominee. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired January 15, 2019 - 08:30   ET

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

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[08:31:15] JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: CNN has confirmed that President Trump confiscated his interpreter's notes after a 2017 meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. House Democrats are now considering whether to subpoena that interpreter to uncover what the president tried to keep under wraps.

Joining us now to discuss is Democratic member of Congress Jackie Speier, a member of the House Intelligence Committee.

Thanks so much for being with us, representative.

I'm going to start somewhere else, but it's related to the interpreter and the subpoena issue ,here which is that overnight "The New York Times" reported that the president, over the last year, has asked his aides, talked to them about withdrawing the U.S. from NATO. You are a member of the Armed Services Committee, in addition to being part of Intel here. What do you make of that? Do you think this is an idle threat from the president?

REP. JACKIE SPEIER (D), CALIFORNIA: It better be an idle threat from the president because I think that act would be so destructive to our country and to our ability to protect the national security of every American that it would be a ground for some profound effort by our part, whether it's impeachment or the 25th Amendment. He can't do that to this country. And I don't believe that he can do it without Senate ratification.

BERMAN: He probably can't ultimately. However, the issue is this, what do you think Vladimir Putin would think if the U.S. withdrew from NATO?

SPEIER: Well, you know, the president has for two years now done everything in President Putin's playbook. He can just check them off one by one. Whether it's trying to extract from NATO or whether it is following Putin's view of history relative to Afghanistan. I'm very troubled by the relationship. And I think most Americans are very uncomfortable by what they see as a far too cozy relationship with Vladimir Putin.

BERMAN: And I'm asking this almost facetiously. Do you think the president talked about withdrawing from NATO with Vladimir Putin? SPEIER: I would not be a bit surprised. I'm sure that Putin brought it

up and I'm sure that President Trump said something about, well, they're not paying their fair share. He doesn't appreciate what our alliances mean to us around the world.

BERMAN: But the fact is, we don't know whether he discussed that with Vladimir Putin, do we?

SPEIER: We don't know that, no. And we will never know that because, unfortunately, so many of his conversations have not been with the benefit of staff present. You might recall when they were at one of their g meetings, I don't know if it was the G-20 or not, where he just walked over to Vladimir Putin and it was only Putin's interpreter that was present during that conversation.

BERMAN: Now, Adam Schiff, who will be the chair of the House Intelligence Committee, Elliot Engel, the chair of House Foreign Affairs, they've suggested they're considering whether to issue subpoenas for these interpreters. Is that something that you would support?

SPEIER: I think we have a responsibility to find out what he said to Vladimir Putin. What we do know is that the relationship with Russia goes way back. And it all has to do with money, money that he was able to garner for condos, hundreds of condos that were bought by Russian oligarchs, money that he was able to get from banks associated with Russia to build his various projects in Toronto and Panama and Soho, all of which went belly up. So I think there's so much more to this story than we know. And it's going to probably take Mueller to explain a lot of this to us.

BERMAN: Well, we will see as that investigation does continue.

Also continuing, the government shutdown, now on day 25, the longest in U.S. history. The president made a claim yesterday, and I want to play this for you. He claims that he's hearing from Democrats calling him saying that they want the shutdown to end. Let's listen to that.

[08:35:09] (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And many of them are saying, we agree with you. Many of them are calling and many of them are breaking. The Republicans are rock solid. The Democrats have to do something. We need their votes, otherwise we can't solve it without their votes. They now control the House. Let's see if they can lead. I don't know that they can lead.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: It's the first part of that that's the most interesting. He says that many Democrats are calling him and many Democrats are breaking. Is that true? Do you have -- know of any Democrats calling on the president saying they want to break ranks with House leadership?

SPEIER: No, I think maybe in his dreams he's gotten phone calls from Democrats. There's not a Democrat that I'm aware of in the House that would have called the president to say, I want to work with you and I want this wall to go up. There's not a Democrat that wants to see $5 billion wasted on a partial payment on a wall which would cost probably $60 billion when there's technology available to us that will do the job and do it much better than building a concrete or steel slatted fence.

BERMAN: You think the president's making it up when he says Democrats are calling him?

SPEIER: I think he makes a lot of things up, John, and I think this is just yet another example. He's got Republicans who are also saying, we want to come up with an agreement. The Democrats have put a number of bills now into the Senate to move the country forward, to open government and to extend for three weeks an opportunity to try and negotiate.

BERMAN: But none -- none of them though, this time around, I will say, have any funding for any kind of new barrier. And today the president is inviting some moderate House Democrats, so-called moderate House Democrats, to come to the House, we understand, to meet with him. Now, we haven't heard if any have agreed to that.

Do you think that these Democratic members should go to the House to meet with the president?

SPEIER: I think when the president calls, it's incumbent on us to respect the office and to attend the meeting. And if they have been asked, I would suggest that they go.

BERMAN: What do you think they should tell the president?

SPEIER: I think they should tell the president he should cut his losses. He had a deal. It was supported by the Senate and the House. He has now caused so much disruption in the country that it's cost over $3.8 billion in lost revenues to businesses, people who are now struggling who are federal employees.

This has got to come to an end. It's really very shameful. And I'm one of those that feels we've got to come up with a compromise that's a win-win for everyone right now.

BERMAN: Representative Jackie Speier, thanks so much for being with us. Look forward to speaking to you again, look forward to you working on some kind of a solution to the longest shutdown in government history.

SPEIER: Thank you, John.

Alisyn.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: All right, John, remember the Miracle on the Hudson?

BERMAN: I -- vividly. CAMEROTA: OK. Believe it or not it has been ten years since that

miraculous event. The heroic pilot and the passengers uniting now to remember that day.

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[08:41:54] CAMEROTA: Ten years ago today there was a miracle here in New York City. One hundred and fifty-five passengers and crew of a U.S. Airways flight survived a water landing in the icy Hudson River after a flock of geese struck the plane's engines. The pilot, Sully Sullenberger, was hailed as a hero for successfully landing the crippled jet and CNN's Randi Kaye talked to some of the passengers who were on that flight. She is live for us in Charlotte with more.

I can't believe it's been ten years.

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is hard to believe. I remember the day it happened, as I'm sure you do, Alisyn. But as you said, it was ten years ago today and the radar was clear as U.S. Airways Flight 1549 took off from LaGuardia, heading here to Charlotte, North Carolina, but suddenly a flock of birds struck the plane, disabling both engines. They were losing altitude very quickly. The air traffic controller said to the pilot, you must head back to LaGuardia, but Captain Sullenberger said there wasn't enough time, and instead he made the Hudson River his runway.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We've got some breaking news that's coming into us right now.

KAYE (voice over): Just three and a half minutes after the birds hit and the engines failed, 155 passengers and crew landed in the Hudson River.

KAYE (on camera): Weren't you terrified to hear him say brace for impact?

PAM SEAGLE, PASSENGER, U.S. AIRWAYS FIGHT 1549: I heard the brace for impact. My heart was beating so loudly in my chest and through my ears, I couldn't hear -- there was just this ringing in my ears.

KAYE (voice over): Pam Seagle and Steve O'Brien were on board. We talked with them at Carolina's Aviation Museum in the shadow of their U.S. Airways jet.

STEVE O'BRIEN, PASSENGER, U.S. AIRWAYS FLIGHT 1549: So I was in 15-C, which is about four down from the door right there, on the aisle.

KAYE: Steve and Pam first met when they both ended up in the freezing Hudson River.

O'BRIEN: I thought that we should just get away from the plane, that it could explode or sink.

KAYE: Surveillance camera caught them swimming in the river. Ten years later, Pam still carries a photo of them.

SEAGLE: It's a little tattered now after years, but it's one more -- that's Steve and I in the water.

KAYE: To mark the 10 year anniversary, a group of passengers flew the same route from New York to Charlotte, all of them sitting in their original seats.

ERIC STEVENSON, PASSENGER, U.S. AIRWAYS FLIGHT 1549: And at 3:31 p.m., which was the moment of impact ten years ago, we all got together in the center of the plane and had a toast.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here's to life ten years later. Cheers!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Cheers!

KAYE: When they landed, a water cannon salute and their captain, Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, surprised them at the gate.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sully.

KAYE: Captain Sullenberger reflected on that day.

CAPTAIN CHESLEY SULLENBERGER, PILOT, U.S. AIRWAYS FLIGHT 1549: I've had ten years to become even more grateful for what was accomplished that day. We were doing our jobs, but we did our jobs exceedingly well under very trying circumstances. Perhaps better than could have been expected. So we have much to celebrate.

KAYE: When Flight 1549 landed in the river a decade ago, passenger Eric Stevenson told CNN it was a miracle. Today, his appreciation for life has only grown.

STEVENSON: One of the big lessons of the flight is just the beauty of relationships, friendships, people that are close to you. Not to get stressed on the little things in life. To try to make the most of the time that we have. And, luckily, we've had a ten years gift following what happened on the Hudson.

[08:45:10] KAYE: For many in this group, there is life before Flight 1549 and after.

KAYE (on camera): Did you feel any pressure, you know, given what you had survived to do something really important with your life?

SEAGLE: I did. I mean I think there's this moment where you're -- why am I here? I mean you kind of question this. OK, I was spared. I should have died. It should have gone a very different way. And, what's my purpose?

KAYE (voice over): Both Pam and Steve are filled with gratitude.

KAYE (on camera): And what do you feel being so close to it now, Steve?

O'BRIEN: Oh, I like to come and touch it when I'm here. I just like to. I think it's good luck and I like to thank it for saving us.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE: I love that he likes to touch it.

As you can imagine, surviving a near death experience changes everything. Half of the passengers on board that aircraft changed jobs. Nearly a quarter of them retired. Some have gone on to climb mountains, run marathons. One of them actually bought an airplane and learned to fly. Another one named his labradoodle Sully, of course, after Captain Sullenberger. But Steve and Pam, who we spoke to, by the way, they both do still fly. Steve still carries his boarding pass with him. He keeps it as a keepsake, and some of his children's toys that he had with him that day as a good luck charm. And they still give themselves permission to hate takeoff.

Alisyn, John, back to you.

CAMEROTA: Oh, my gosh. I mean I remember it so. I was on the upper west side. You were as well. I just remember that day and how exciting it was at that time to have had a miracle, to that -- to have witnessed a miracle. And, you know, if we could all live as if we had a near death experience, we might make different choices, like all of those passengers have since then.

BERMAN: I'm just watching these pictures right now. One of the most surreal images I ever saw -- I ever saw standing on the banks of the Hudson, watching a plane drift down --

CAMEROTA: And sink, yes.

BERMAN: The Hudson River. Unbelievable.

Our thanks to Randi for the story. Really appreciate it.

BERMAN: All right, high stakes hearing on Capitol Hill. It begins in just minutes. We'll get our bottom line, next.

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[08:51:13] CAMEROTA: OK, we're about 30 minutes away from the confirmation hearing for Attorney General Nominee William Barr. What can we expect?

Let's get "The Bottom Line" from CNN political director David Chalian.

David, what are you looking for?

DAVID CHALIAN, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Well, obviously, the Mueller probe issues are going to be front and center and there are going to be quite a few fireworks as Democrats no doubt are going to just sort of hound Barr on just what his views are in terms of executive privilege here, how much does it mean that he said in his opening statement he wants the public to be able to see the results. But there are lots of caveats there in that opening statement. I'm sure you're going to see Democrats try to nail him down and pin him in to full and utter protection of the Mueller investigation and a demand for a public release of his final report.

But there are just going to be the larger issues also of just the independence of the Department of Justice inside a Trump administration. As you know, for two years we've seen Donald Trump just sort of dismantle that concept.

BERMAN: The other thing that's interesting to me, David, because I don't think that his confirmation is in serious question at this point with Republicans having a solid majority in the Senate and with --

CHALIAN: Agreed.

BERMAN: The fact that he served as attorney general once before, is this, in some ways, is the curtain coming up on this new public stage of all the questions surrounding Russia and the Mueller investigation. This is a public hearing where someone will have to face direct questions. In a few weeks we have Michael Cohen in a public hearing where he will face direct questions. We're getting more and more news breaks from "The New York Times" and "Washington Post" and CNN about the investigation. Things seem much more public and in the open now.

CHALIAN: I think that's a good point, John. And one of the things to watch for today, I think, is, so, listen carefully to the Republican side of the dais. Is there any difference coming from them with the stream of public reports we've seen, with this notion that perhaps Mueller is wrapping up his investigation, do we hear just a wall of support for the president there or do we hear from Republicans some cracks in that?

I also would note, as you look at this Judiciary Committee today, it's different than the last time America tuned in to this committee. First of all, there's a new chairman, Lindsey Graham, now a strong ally of the president's. But on the Republican side, you'll recall during the Blasey Ford and Kavanaugh hearings there were no women on the Republican side whatsoever. Now you see there you've got Marcia Blackburn there. You've got Joni Ernst. You've got two Republican women now who are going to be serving on the Judiciary Committee. We didn't see that before. And you have those presidential contenders on the Democratic side, Amy Klobuchar, Cory Booker, Kamala Harris, those are three people who are very much lining up for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination race and they're going to use this moment in the spotlight, no doubt, to further those goals as well.

CAMEROTA: Right. And what's that going to look like? So is this an audition to introduce themselves and their positions to the American people? I mean is there any way they just ask questions?

CHALIAN: Yes, they're going to ask questions, and I am sure that they are going to seek to score some points, specifically with the Democratic base, right? I mean there -- this is a real opportunity for somebody who's thinking about running for president to have a moment in the spotlight and therefore create some momentum with liberal grassroots donors online, organizers. Just as you're on the precipice of jumping into a presidential campaign, here you are with the ability to take Donald Trump's likely next attorney general to task. [08:55:02] BERMAN: They'll ask questions, you know, after making

three-minute statements. They'll put like an inflection all the end. You know, they'll go, and. You know, let me make a statement, and.

CAMEROTA: And what do you think of my statement?

BERMAN: What do you think of my statement.

It's interesting to me that this is happening today and that so much of the focus will be on Russia on day 25 of the government shutdown. And I think all of this might only make it harder for the president going forward to figure out a way to end the shutdown on his terms, David.

CHALIAN: Well, it is clear that the president understands, I think, that he is painted into a corner here. I mean I think you just look at his Twitter feed this morning. He's going in every direction possible.

But I think you're right, John, I think the shutdown -- we're getting to a really acute point of pain here for a lot of folks. Anybody sort of experiencing airport situation, obviously the federal workers themselves and their structures, their family structures around them. This is now going -- it's not just breaking a record for the longest ever. This is now causing some real pain for many Americans. And Donald Trump -- I just thought this was astonishing yesterday -- closed off every avenue it seemed to actually get out of this. And he seemed to just further dig in here.

CAMEROTA: Hard to know what the strategy is. David Chalian, thank you very much for setting the table for us.

CHALIAN: Thanks, guys.

CAMEROTA: The hearing begins in just minutes. And CNN's live coverage will continue after this quick break.

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