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2020 Democratic Candidates Call for Va. Governor to Resign; Trump Says Shutdown Talks a "Waste of Time" & Hints as SOTU Announcement; Trump: Pelosi Is "Very Bad for Our Country"; Coy Wire Talks Super Bowl with Shaquille O'Neal; Pompeo: U.S. Officially Will Drop Nuclear Treaty with Russia. Aired 4-5p ET

Aired February 02, 2019 - 16:00   ET

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


(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:00:43] ANA CABRERA, CNN ANCHOR: You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Ana Cabrera in New York. Thanks for being with me.

The governor of Virginia is now flatly denying that the racist photograph in his medical school yearbook next to his name is not a picture of him. Democrat Ralph Northam under pressure to resign even from his own party. Virginia State Democratic Party and nearly every prominent Democrat in the country right now, urging Northam to quit. The governor dug his heels in today admitting racially insensitive things in his past, but insists he is neither one of the people seen in that yearbook photo from 35 years ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. RALPH NORTHAM (D), VIRGINIA: When I was confronted with the images yesterday, I was appalled that they appeared on my page. But I believe then and now that I am not either of the people in the photo. I stand by my statement of the apology to many Virginians who were hurt by seeing this content on a yearbook page that belongs to me. It is disgusting. It is offensive. It is racist and it was my responsibility to recognize and prevent it from being published in the first place. My belief that I did not wear that costume or attend that party stems in part from my clear memory of other mistakes I made in the same period of my life.

That same year, I did participate in a dance contest in San Antonio in which I darkened my face as part of a Michael Jackson costume. I look back now and regret that I did not understand the harmful legacy of an action like that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: CNN's Jessica Dean joins us in Richmond.

Jessica, you were inside the mansion when the governor made that speech. He didn't say he thought it wasn't him in the photo. He left no question about it simply saying, it's not me. How does he explain his uncertainty?

JESSICA DEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that is exactly right, Ana. And he had gone from saying taking responsibility to saying emphatically today it's not me. And he tried to keep explaining that he saw the photo, that that was the first time he had seen the photo, that he said allowed that's not me, but instead of saying that to the public from the get go, offered these two apologies last night, one in written, one in video form. And then after consulting with family and friends came to the realization today that that indeed was not him.

Now the fall off from all of these press conference continues, we can now add the DNC chair Tom Perez to the list of high profile Democrats and Democratic organizations that are calling for the governor to resign. Tom Perez putting out a statement calling on the governor to resign and for the lieutenant governor Justin Fairfax to step up, become governor and lead Virginia forward.

Now lieutenant governor Justin Fairfax has all eyes on him. He also put out a statement that went on for a while, he mentioned to the fact that his relatives in his family's history have been slaves here in Virginia. That this hits him particularly hard. He told everyone that the governor had reached out to apologize to him personally. And that while he cannot condone any of this behavior and does not condone any of it, he did stop short from calling from any resignation from the governor.

So that is where the lieutenant governor stands right now. But a lot of people in the Democratic Party wanting him to step forward and becoming governor in Virginia.

And I want to go back - you played some from that press conference when he talked about going to that dance competition, that same year this photo was taken, and performing in black face as Michael Jackson. I want you to listen to this exchange from that press conference. Here's what he had to say about that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE REPORTER: Do you think Virginian will see a meaningful difference between you in the Michael Jackson paint in blackface photo. Is that a meaningful distinction?

NORTHAM: That's up to them. You know, if everything is in sound bites these days, but I really do believe that both of them are wrong. But there's a contrast between the black face and someone standing there in the Ku Klux Klan outfit and me dressed up in a Michael Jackson costume for a dance contest. Again, they are both wrong, but I hope people would see the contrast.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[16:05:12] DEAN: And you hear him trying to make that distinction there. After he answered that, I asked him as well, if a photo of that dance competition had come out with him in black face as Michael Jackson, would he have resigned? Would that be reason enough to resign? And he said, no. I have apologized for it. I'm telling you about it. That's not enough for me to step aside. I have made amends. That's not the person I am now, Ana. But still a lot of questions. That press conference went on for a

while. And there are still a lot of questions, the prime one being still, how did he get from taking responsibility yesterday to saying it wasn't him today.

CABRERA: And the reaction to all this is growing. I want you to fill us in on what we are hearing now from Tom Perez?

DEAN: Yes. And Ana, as I mentioned, Tom Perez is calling for his resignation. I was saying that he would like to see the lieutenant governor Justin Fairfax become the governor. He wants Ralph Northam to step aside. And again, that is just an added name and organization to the list that continues to grow, that's filled with pretty much every high profile national Democrat and Democratic organization as well as local Democrats here, his own party in the state of Virginia have called on him to resign - Ana.

CABRERA: Right. Got you. Sorry, I missed that earlier. There's so many reactions that we are all trying to keep track.

So Jessica Dean, thank you for keeping it straight. I appreciate it.

DEAN: I know, that's a lot. Right.

CABRERA: All right. Let's discuss further now, with the director of the center for politics at the University of Virginia, Larry Sabato. Also senior editor at the Atlantic, Ron Brownstein and former senior aide on the Hillary Clinton campaign Joel Payne as well as CNN's Ryan Nobles who is back with us, who got us covered Virginia politics for year.

Joel, I got to ask, why is today's statement not the statement Northam gave last night?

JOEL PAYNE, VICE PRESIDENT, MWWPR: Yes, it is a very good question, Ana. And you know, it is interesting you brought up Michael Jackson, a lot of people talk about him moonwalking. And that certainly sounds like what occurred.

Look, here's what's important to remember here. We don't know the sum total of Ralph Northam is as a person. We don't know that this was a moment in his life where he made a mistake, and that he has acted with honor and distinction beyond that. But we do know that he showed poor judgment in that moment. And from a political standpoint that's untenable. That's why you have seen senior Democrats across the country call on him to resign and step down and do the right thing. I think three people to look at, and I'm sure Larry can answer this. Tim Kaine, mark Warner and Bobby Scott, three of the most influential Democrats of Virginia, still have not done the full ask of him to resign.

And I think given today's press conference that it wasn't received quite the way governor Northam would want. I think that's something we could see coming up in the next few hours.

CABRERA: Are you surprised, Larry, that they haven't call on his resignation?

LARRY SABATO, DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR POLITICS, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA: No, because they are the most senior Democrats in the state, Kaine and Warner, and Bobby Scott as well. And I think they wanted to be in a position to perhaps do a little nudging after others had nudged at the press conference. So I think it's perfectly reasonable the reaction to this press conference has not been favorable. Anyone who is looking at twitter knows that.

CABRERA: I want to play something else the governor said at this press conference just a short time ago. Referencing why he doesn't think resigning is the right thing for him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NORTHAM: I cannot in good conscience choose the path that would be easier for me in an effort to duck my responsibility to reconcile.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: Ron, what's your reaction to that?

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, you could reconcile as a private citizen which may be more appropriate.

Look, I mean, he has put the Democratic Party of Virginia and the legislature of Virginia, in an extremely difficult position here. Where he is saying, not only is it not me in the photo, but I can't even explain how the photo ended up on my page. And it was probably a mistake that it should be on someone else's page, and therefore, I'm not going anywhere.

The legislators, the other Democrats in Virginia have to decide whether he can function on that basis. I mean, he is asking people to take awful lot on faith. It's going to be very hard to prove or disprove, I think his, you know, his allegations in this. And the question becomes, given all of these voices that he should step down, can he really function as governor, is that really a plausible? Larry would know better than. I, but I think it would be extremely difficult given the, for example, the African-American caucus among Democrats in the legislature have call for him to step down.

It is not really clear what the benefit is of trying to prolong this. And if he is looking to reconcile and make amends, he can certainly do that without being governor of the commonwealth of Virginia.

CABRERA: Larry, how would you answer that given your deep, deep knowledge of all things Virginia and politics? Can he continue to govern?

[16:10:05] SABATO: I think it will be very difficult. I think a lot of people within the Democratic Party, forget about the Democrats, they are going to be opposed to him. But the Democrats who are in office including for example the Senate caucus - after his press conference and said they hadn't their minds, he has got to go. They are the ones who really are revealing here. And part of it is, they think he is blown it, which he has.

But the other part of it is, we have elections coming up, 2019, in both Houses of the state legislature. Democrats have a good chance to take over one or both Houses. And then the 2020 presidential caucus (ph).

Democrats want to be able to say, here's what we do, with our people who embarrass us or who use racist symbols and do other outrageous things that maybe some Republicans have done and not been disciplined for. That's a useful contrast in an election. You can't do it if he is hanging on. And as Ron said, hasn't been able to prove that he is telling the truth. And it will be extremely difficult to prove after all these years that he is telling the truth, if in fact he is.

CABRERA: In fact, Ryan, is there anyone you have spoken to or heard from who believes Northam shouldn't resign?

RYAN NOBLES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The answer to that, Ana, is no, a resounding no. And I agree with everyone about the influence of both Kaine, Warner and Bobby Scott. But I would add two names to that group of people who have yet to call for Ralph Northam to resign. And that is the two other elected statewide Democrats, the lieutenant governor Justin Fairfax, who is in a position to take over should Northam step down. And the attorney general Mark Herring, who has already announced his attention to run for governor in 2021. And both of them are highly influential in this conversation.

Fairfax, just because of his role as the most prominent African- American elected official in Virginia, given the context of this controversy, but Mark Herring from a practical standpoint. If Ralph Northam chooses to hang on, you know, there is a mechanism to remove the governor of Virginia. It is not easy. And there are certainly a legal argument to be made that the governor's actions in this particular situation do not merit removal as according to Virginia law. But if it's going to happen, it's going to require the attorney general and the Virginia general assembly.

So where does Mark Herring land in all of this? He put out a very similar response to the ones that we saw from both Kaine and Warner, where he said he was deeply disturbed and offended by the photo. But he wanted to give governor Northam the opportunity to explain himself. He is still yet called for governor Northam to step down.

So there's a bunch of different avenues that we need to keep an eye on. There is obviously just the blatant problem that exists here because of what we found out about governor Northam's past. But we would be naive to just bury our heads in the sand and assume that there isn't also serious political calculation being taken here. Because if Justin Fairfax moves into the governor's office, he has the opportunity to become the first governor that's able to run for reelection. That doesn't happen in Virginia, because you can't run for consecutive terms.

So, you know, there are a lot of people who have a lot of say and a lot of ambition and a lot of concern about this decision making process for Ralph Northam. And while everyone is very concerned about the issue itself. There's a lot more than just this going on, and a lot more conversations that are taking place, having to do with this that are behind the scenes, but we will have an ultimate impact on the final decision from governor Northam.

CABRERA: Ron, I would like to get your reaction and thoughts about what we just heard from former NAACP President Ben Jealous who put this in a statement.

Governor Northam should resign period. We would not accept such behavior from a Republican. How can we from a Democrat?

Does the fact that Northam is a Democrat make this an even bigger deal?

BROWNSTEIN: Absolutely. I mean, look, as we have been discussing. I mean, the Democratic Party now is the party that represents diverse metro America all over the country. And the fact is, that they see as a central element of 2020 defending that diversity against a President who has more overtly stoke racial resentment than I think in a national candidate as George Wallace.

And while we are talking about Northam and we will be for the next few days, the contrast does kind of, you know, demand to be announced between the way Democrats are reacting to this and the way Republicans react to the President talking about very fine people on both sides of Charlottesville or disparaging entire countries with the vulgarity or for that matter, Cindy Hide Smith wearing confederate - the senator from Mississippi confederate paraphernalia.

We did not see anything approaching this magnitude of condemnation from the other side. And I do think that over time that contrast is going to be part of the discussion, about the way this is unfolding.

CABRERA: Joel, when we heard Northam in his statements in Q&A say, I think it's a different situation, you know, when I was dressing up in costume with black face as Michael Jackson, versus what you see in that picture, someone standing next to a person in a KKK attire outfit. Do you think there's a difference?

[16:15:19] PAYNE: You know, there is an old attitude (ph) in politics. You are explaining, you are losing. And you know, the governor was doing a lot of explaining there. That is not a discussion you want to be having when you are at the point where he is at. You know, putting out a public relations task force. The guidance is to get it out early, get it out accurate, get it out fast. He did none of those three things. He has had to come back with a third version of a story this morning. And frankly that made it all worse.

One other thing I would like to point out here. Democrats, you know, Larry talk about the contrast that Democrats want to make in the lead up to 2020. Let's just like we are focus on this Tuesday with the state of the union.

The Democrats have Stacey Abrams, the African-American candidate governor from Georgia, who is going to be the spokesperson for the Democratic Party on Tuesday night to response for the President. That's the image that Democrats want to project all across the country.

The likely that we have this now in the lead-up to that, 72 hours before that major moment for the Democratic Party to really step out and say, this is the spokesperson that we have chosen for our party. That's really damaging. Democrats want to move on from this. They do not want this to hang over them. I'm interested also to see whether the President will weigh-in on this. What he is going to say. Politically opportunistic, the President is always, and I would think this will be a pretty easy, you know, call for him to make in terms that he even support. But I think that would be another added dynamic view from the President that is something that more and more well on the fire, so to speak.

CABRERA: Yes. Well, remember what happened after Charlottesville. We remember his lack of response after the congressman King not too long ago involving racism and comments.

Everyone, stick around. Much more to discuss on this breaking news when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:21:10] CABRERA: Virginia's Democratic governor refusing to resign today after a racist photo surfaced on his personal page in a medical college yearbook. This is from 1984. Now, the photo depicts as you can see someone in black face standing beside someone in KKK robes. But Governor Ralph Northam who just last night apologized for this picture now insist he is not in it.

In a surreal press conference just a short time ago, Northam insisted he is not either one of the people in that photo. But he acknowledges wearing black face before once dressing up as Michael Jackson for a dance contest, he says.

I talked to Derrick Johnson. He is the president of NAACP, just minutes after Northam's conference. Here's part of our conversation.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CABRERA: I just first, want to get your initial reaction to Northam's refusal to resign. And his claim that he had no idea this photo was in his yearbook.

DERRICK JOHNSON, PRESIDENT, NAACP: Well, you know, whether it was him in black face, he was at the party, in a room, or the fact that it was in the yearbook is a demonstration of his lack of confidence in terms of race relation.

Black face in 1984 was a problem as it is today. Being an individual from the south, it is unfortunately a cultural norm for too many people to accept racism. And for him not to acknowledge this on the front end to identify this as a problem, to object to the yearbook, having black face in the yearbook, particularly on his page, it speaks to the character of the individual, and that individual's inability to understand that racism is a problem not only in Virginia, not only in the south, but across this country.

CABRERA: This yearbook is almost 35 years old now. Do you think Northam has done enough in the last three decades to show that maybe he is a different person now or to separate himself from everything that picture represents?

JOHNSON: Well, I think the first step should have been acknowledgement -- acknowledging prior to now, that this is a problem. You can't get your hands caught in the cookie jar and then say, look at me, I'm a different person. My hand just happened to be in the cookie jar.

You know, in order for us to turn the page on race relations in this country, there must be some level of acknowledgement before one is put in the spotlight of past activities.

CABRERA: So I'm just trying to understand, if he had been out there and said something about this in a more transparent fashion prior to being elected, that would have made a different, that would have been given you a different impression of him now?

JOHNSON: Absolutely. So why now, is the question.

Why now? Because his political career is at stake. What would have happened if he came out on the front end? I have a change of heart. I understand how my participation whether I was in black face or didn't object to the picture in the yearbook actually could hurt individuals. And is a part of a negative history and legacy of this country. That did not happen.

Racism is something we have to deal with in this country. And you don't deal with it after you have been exposed. You deal with it before you have been exposed.

CABRERA: I hear you. But of course, as politicians, I'm sure they would expect if they -- if you were to throw that out there, would he have been elected?

JOHNSON: Well, as a politician had he thrown it out there, and he showed that he had a change of heart and he was promoting public policy, that would have advanced all of America in a way in which we could have been afforded access to opportunity, equal protection of the law and received the needed services from everyone, then, yes, it would have been a bigger platform for him to stand on, and he would have had a larger microphone.

This wouldn't have been used as a weapon against him. And as African- Americans, we can embrace someone who step upfront before there is an issue at the polls to getting caught and being ask for an apology.

[16:25:8] CABRERA: What does this incident tell you about the state of race in America today?

JOHNSON: We have a long way to go. We have seen a rise in hate crimes since 2016. We have a commander-in-chief that allows racism and intolerance to germinate from the White House. We have public policy that is supporting their position. We have a president that have openly caught he is a racist.

Unfortunately, we have a long way to go. But I think the 2018 midterm elections have begun to turn the corner. Many Americans are seeing that we need to be an inclusive nation, not a nation based on divisive politics. And political parties have used race as their instrument of choice to divide this nation for political outcomes.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CABRERA: That was Derrick Johnson with the NAACP. We are back in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:30:27] CABRERA: Our breaking news this hour, Virginia governor Ralph Northam today insisting he is not the guy in a racist photo in his 1984 medical school yearbook. Reaction pouring in from 2020 Democratic presidential candidates urging Northam to resign even before he spoke this afternoon. And among them is New Jersey senator, Cory Booker. He announced his White House run just yesterday.

Senator Booker tweeting this. These images arouse centuries of anger, anguish and racist violence and they have eroded all confidence in governor Northam's ability to lead.

Senator kamala Harris also tweeting, leaders are called to a higher standard. And the stain of racism should have no place in the halls of government.

And here is what New York senator, Kirsten Gillibrand had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND (D), NEW YORK: He should resign. And I saw the photo, after I saw you guys last night. So disturbing, so racist. There's no place for racism in our government.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: Senators Bernie Sanders among others, including vice president Joe Biden also calling for Northam to resign.

Back with us now Ryan Nobles, Joel Payne and Ron Brownstein.

Ron, what do you make of the very swift reaction and condemnation from these 2020 Democratic hopefuls?

BROWNSTEIN: Yes, not surprising.

I mean, look, I believe as you know, the central fault line in our politics now between the two coalition is the degree to which they either accept or fear the demographic cultural and economic changes that remaking American society. The voters who vote for Democrats tend to be much more open and optimistic about the way in which the demographic face of the country is changing. The way gender roles are changing. And Republicans rely much more on voters who are at best uneasy about those changes. And so, anyone trying to lead that coalition, that Democratic coalition I think is going to be very unequivocal when anything like this comes up.

The place where this gets slightly complicated politically is that, you know, Democrats I think also have to be careful that they don't want to send a message to anyone in older America, who may have held views like this at one point in their life, that they are unwelcome in the party. And I think that's a line that the Democrats are going to walk carefully. But there's no question that they view defending a diverse tolerant America I think as central to their mission and really as the most powerful fuel in the engine for the Democratic coalition running in 2020 against Donald Trump, who as I have said is stoking, who is at various point stoke racial resentments more overtly than any national figures since George Wallace.

CABRERA: Ryan, vice president Joe Biden has not announced his candidacy. He is among those calling for governor Northam's resignation. Extra significant here because he was one of Northam's biggest backers during his campaign, right?

NOBLES: Yes. Ana, one of my favorite things about being a political reporter in Virginia was that the governor's race came the year after the Presidential election. It was one of only two states in the country that had a campaign schedule like that. And that meant prospects for the next Presidential election, frequently made their way to Virginia to be seen in this important state. We weren't quite an early voting state, but it gave us an alley to attract candidates like this. So it is not surprising.

Many of these 2020 candidates who were supportive of Ralph Northam in some way, shape of form. And Joe Biden campaigned on his behalf. He also raised money for him. And you will note that Joe Biden's decision to call for him to resign came well after some of these other candidates who came out immediately and called for him to resign.

Kamala Harris being among the first and as you know, she tweeted her support for Ralph Northam shortly after he won the election.

You know, I should caution though, you know, that there's a clear difference between the role that these 2020 candidates are playing specifically in Virginia, versus how their reaction to this is playing in their own individual campaigns.

I don't think that Ralph Northam was necessarily swayed in anyway shape or form in the fact that, you know, Bernie Sanders called for his resignation early this morning. He is much more concerned about the Virginia legislative black caucus and lieutenant Justin Fairfax than he is by them.

But to Ron's point, this is really a way for voters across the country to view these candidates through the prism of this controversy and how they respond to it could play a role in how they decide who they're going to support in this election.

CABRERA: Joel, weigh-in on that. Because with racism now front and center, how do you think it shakes up the 2020 campaign for the Democrats?

PAYNE: Listen, I think Ron nailed it right on the head. This is the central distinguishing issue, between the parties in a lot of ways. You go back to Charlottesville, you go back to the President talking about immigration, and talking frankly disrespectfully about people from different backgrounds, people that the TPS candidates, people from the s-hole countries as he called it. This has become the simple defining issues that differentiate the two parties. And Democrats want to speak with absolute moral clarity here. You saw it with senator Gillibrand when Al Franken got in trouble. She spoke with clarity and a lot others followed. They don't want any mistaking that they are on the right side of the issue. That is a central premise of the Democratic Party. That is a central point of contrast between the President and between the Republican Party. And I think that's going to continue to be the fact.

I think the best I have seen on this in the last 48 hours has been by governor Hickenlooperer of Colorado who said, this incident does not sum up who Ralph Northam is, but as a leader he cannot continue to lead, he has to resign. I think that's a perfect summary of how a lot of Democrats view this situation.

[16:36:05] CABRERA: All right. Joel Payne, Ron Brownstein and Ryan Nobles, thank you all. I appreciate the discussion.

President Trump hinting a big announcement on the border around next week's state of the union. We will have details, stay with us.

You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:40:26] CABRERA: President Trump now suggesting he is going to build the wall himself, calling talks to avoid another shutdown a waste of time. And with the state of the union now just days away, he is hinting at a big announcement. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE REPORTER: Mr. President, have you privately decided whether or not you will declare a national emergency? And just to clarify --

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Have I privately, you know? What's in my mind? Certainly thinking about it. I think there's a good chance we will have to do that.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE REPORTER: Are you saying that we should be prepared for you to announce at the state of the union to announce what you are going to do?

TRUMP: Well, I'm saying, listen closely to the state of the union. I think you will find it very exciting.

(END VIDEO CLIP) CABRERA: Joining me now from near the president's Mar-a-Lago state, a CNN political analyst and White House reporter for the "Washington Post," Josh Dawsey.

Josh, your paper is reporting tonight that Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell privately cautioned the President against declaring an emergency, a state of emergency. What more do you know?

JOSH DAWSEY, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Here's a challenge for the President, Ana. Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic House leader, obviously, says she is not giving him a single dollar for the wall. The President is telling allies that he can declare a national emergency. That he has found the money for it. That it is a viable option. But a lot of Senate Republicans led by Mitch McConnell are very skeptical of that choice and are saying that they would not support it. And would possibly even formally vote against it.

So the President is in a bit of a quagmire. In two weeks, obviously, the government would - were at a shutdown brinksmanship again. And the President has to figure out what he is going to do. Everything that we know indicates that the talks on Capitol Hill are going nowhere. That there's unlikely to be any money for the wall there, so the President has to decide how willing is he to pull this bigger option that many in the Republican caucus and the Senate are skeptical toward?

CABRERA: Now I want to show our viewers something because it can get a little bit confusing while the administration has not released details on where they want to build this wall.

Here is a look at where the wall has already been built there red, 654 miles along the border right now with Mexico has some kind of barrier. Our graphic also shows 82 miles of new and replacement wall that is already been announced and funded, but keep in mind the administration wants $5.7 billion for about 234 miles of additional construction. But again, that's without precise map locations.

Josh, is there any indication the President will get even a dollar of that money?

DAWSEY: Well, from Congress it appears unlikely, according to our reporting. The question is whether he is willing to declare this emergency or take some sort of other executive action to do it just from his branch of the government. The President has had backlash from conservatives like Ann Coulter. Even for even more reliable supporters like Mark Meadows, the Republican from North Carolina pushing him to really demand the money for this wall, to say, your supporters are counting on it. You have to make this promise kept.

And what we are looking at is the President who has two weeks to figure out what he is going to do. But by all accounts is looking to take executive action because he knows Congress is unlikely to give him anything.

CABRERA: You say Trump is planning a path forward in his state of the union address. But he has been so heated in this battle with House speaker Nancy Pelosi as you referenced earlier.

DAWSEY: Right.

CABRERA: I want everyone to listen to the latest comments from the President.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Well, I think that she was very rigid, which I would expect. But I think she is very bad for our country. She knows that you need a barrier. She knows that we need border security. She wanted to win a political point. I happen to think it is very bad politics because basically she wants open borders. She doesn't mind human trafficking or she wouldn't do this because, you know --.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She offered you over a billion dollars for border security.

TRUMP: Excuse me?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She offered over a billion dollars for border security. She doesn't want the wall.

TRUMP: She is costing the country hundreds of billions of dollars, because what's happening is, when you have a porous border and you have drugs pouring in, and when you have people dying all over the country because of people like Nancy Pelosi, who don't want to give proper border security for political reasons, she is doing a terrible disservice to our country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: Josh, is there anything the President can say to break the political stalemate at this point?

DAWSEY: Well, there are other topics that could possibly be compromised on. The President is expected to talk about the need for a large infrastructure bill, the need to kind of reform and lower drug prices.

In other topics, you have seen some Democrats willingness to work with him. But on immigration, it's not going to be the main focus of the state of the union or so we are told right now. But on that topic, I don't think there's going to be much compromise based on our reporting at the time, Ana.

Now, the President could focus on other things and make the speech less kind of an immigration Jeremiah and more of a, you know, different issues, a different kind of tone.

But, you know, what that means going-forward is hard to say. I mean, previously, in years past, the White House has often told us to expect an aspirational unifying speech and soon we are right back in political warfare. So it is really hard to know how much of the consequential difference that will make one way or the other. Even some of the President's allies can see that, you know, we are going to be back right in the heart of the immigration fight next week.

CABRERA: Josh Dawsey, thank you for your reporting.

DAWSEY: Thank you.

CABRERA: Breaking news now from the state department. The U.S. will pull out of a key Reagan era nuclear arms treaty. How Russia is responding.

You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:50:25] CABRERA: What will happens when a former NFL player meets up with a retired basketball superstar during the peak of super bowl week? You get a sports collision of epic proportions. You may want to brace yourself. Shenanigans ensued when he asked our Cory Wire to check in with NBA hall of famer, Shaquille O'Neal at Shaq's fun house in Atlanta.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Welcome to Shaq's funhouse.

CORY WIRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Shaq, honestly, I thought you were going to be a little bit bigger.

SHAQUILLE O'NEAL, NBA HALL OF FAMER: I'm not that big, I wish I was.

WIRE: OK. Big man, big party, let's go. One of your streets I guess to the Shaq's fun house, loser has to ride the mechanical bull.

O'NEAL: Well, I can't ride the bull because I have bad hips.

WIRE: So don't lose, baby. I'm an idiot. And 100?

O'NEAL: Your turn.

WIRE: Maybe I'll get lucky.

O'NEAL: (INAUDIBLE)

WIRE: Can we get that slow-mo replay on that? See, I played in the NFL.

O'NEAL: No one you can tackle me.

WIRE: What?

O'NEAL: Bro, you can't tackle me. I'm just telling you right now.

WIRE: I tackle Adrian Peterson. I tackle Wiki Williams. Both of them combine, as big as you. He is going to try to strip for the ball.

All right, Shaq, you had Shaq's funhouse last year in Miami. There were some viral moments. You had drunk on your shoulders at one point.

O'NEAL: Yes.

WIRE: Paint the picture. Take us there. What is that going to be?

O'NEAL: Circus atmosphere, circus -- waffle house and music. T-Pain, Tieto, Diplo, Lil Jon, Migos and myself. Everybody, who is who is coming and it's going to be a great time.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CABRERA: Got to love those guys. You can watch the kickoff in Atlanta as CNN Bleacher Report special with Dave Briggs, Heinz Ward and Coy Wire tonight at 5:30 eastern right here on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:56:46] CABRERA: It's now official, secretary of state Mike Pompeo announcing the U.S. will pull out of a key Reagan era nuclear arms treaty with Russia in the next six months. This coming after Russia announced this morning that it would dump the treaty if the U.S. did. And Russia promising to go one step further and build a new medium range nuclear missile.

CNN's Oren Lieberman is in Moscow now with more - Oren.

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Ana, it seems that Russia was very much expecting this move from the United States either a suspension or withdrawal from the INF treaty. And Russia has its response ready. On Saturday morning, President Vladimir Putin met with his defense minister and foreign minister, and announced that Russia would be suspending the treaty as well. Apparently, seem no reason to stay in compliance with the treaty if the U.S. isn't did going to do the same. The U.S. did give Russia 180 days to come into compliance with the treaty. But experts and analysts don't really expect that to work and they don't expect to see a true opportunity here to save what's been a critical treaty over past decades for arms control between the world's two major superpowers.

Now Russian president Vladimir Putin also said, there will be and there should be no arms race here trying to relate some of the international. But right after that he also said that Russia would engage in further development of one of its current missiles called the caliber missile. It is in its current form a sea based medium range hypersonic missile. That missile is permissible under the INF treaty. But Putin said, further development would make it a ground based missile which will be in strict violation of the INF treaty. So Russia is signaling that if this treaty is not going to hold up, there's no reason to abide by the terms of the treaty at this point. Question, what happens next?

Russia has in the past signaled that they would be open in to negotiations at a multilateral agreement to replace INF as supposed to just U.S. Russia treaty. But Putin today saying that Russia would not initiate that. Some of their nation has to show the initiative the will power to try begin those talks and it doesn't seem there's much optimism in the arms control community that something like that might actually happen.

Ana, if this falls apart, that means there's one major arms treaty still standing, arms control treaty that is the new star treaty and that comes up in 2021 -- Ana.

CABRERA: Oren Lieberman, thank you.

Third time was not the charm for passengers on board a flight from Los Angeles to Maui. Hawaiian Airlines flight 33 left and returned to Los Angeles international airport three times yesterday before finally being cancelled. And this is what passengers on that flight saw when they looked out their window. Fuel coming out of the plane. They never made it to Maui. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHARLOTTE STRADLEY, HAWAIIAN AIRLINES PASSENGER: I was really anxious, because I was really nervous, it was making a lot of weird sounds and (INAUDIBLE). They weren't really giving us a lot of information. One lady got kicked off because she was upset. She was like throwing a fit and they kicked her off.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: The airlines says that delays were caused by separate and unrelated faults with different systems.

You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Ana Cabrera in New York. Thanks for being here.

The governor of Virginia denying the racist photograph, the one you see there on the far right in his medical school yearbook, next to his name, is not a picture of him. Democratic governor Ralph Northam under intense pressure to resign even from his own party.

The Virginia state Democratic Party and nearly every prominent Democrat in the country right now are urging Northam to quit.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:30:27] ANA CABRERA, CNN ANCHOR: Our breaking news this hour, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam today insisting he's not the guy in a racist photo in his 1984 medical school yearbook. Reaction pouring in from 2020 Democratic candidates urging Northam to resign even before he spoke this afternoon.

Among them is New Jersey Senator Cory Booker. He announced his White House run just yesterday. Senator Booker tweeting this, "These images arouse centuries of anger, anguish and racist violence and have eroded all confidence in Governor Northam's ability to lead."

Senator Kamala Harris also tweeting, "Leaders are called to a higher standard. And a stain of racism should have no place in the halls of the Senate.

And here's what New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand had to say. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. KIRSTEN GILLIGRAND, (D), NEW YORK: He should resign. And I saw the photo, after I saw you guys last night, so disturbing, so racist. There's no place for racism in our government.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: Senators Bernie Sanders, among others, including Vice President Joe Biden, also calling for Northam to resign.

Back with us now, Ryan Nobles, Joel Payne, and Ron Brownstein.

Ron, what do you make of the swift reaction and condemnation from these 2020 Democratic hopefuls?

RON BROWSTEIN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Not surprising. Look, I believe, as you know, the central fault line in our politics now is the degree to which they either accept or fear the Democratic cultural or economic changes the voters, who vote for Democrats, tend to be much more open and optimistic about the way in which the demographic face of the country is changing, the way gender roles are changing. Republicans rely on voters who are uneasy about those changes. Anyone trying to lead that coalition, that Democratic coalition is going to be very unequivocal when anything like this comes up.

The place where this gets slightly complicated politically is that Democrats also have to be careful that they don't want to send a message to anyone in older America, who may have held views like this at one point in their life, that they are unwelcome in the party. That's a line that the Democrats are going to walk carefully. There's no question that the view defending a diverse, tolerant America as central to their mission, and really as the most powerful fuel in the engine for the Democratic coalition running in 2020 against Donald Trump, who has stoked racial resentments more overtly than any national figures since Joe Wallace.

CABRERA: Ryan, Vice President Joe Biden has not announced his candidacy. He's among those calling for Governor Northam's resignation. Extra significant, he was one of Northam's biggest backers during his campaign, right?

RYAN NOBLES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Ana, one of my favorite things about being a political reporter in Virginia was the governor's race came the year after the presidential election. It was one of only two states in the country that had a campaign schedule like that. And that meant prospects for the next presidential election frequently made their way to Virginia to be seen in this important state. We weren't quite an early voting state, but it gave us an alley to attract candidates like this. So it's not surprising. Many of these 2020 candidates were supportive of Ralph Northam in some way, shape or form. Joe Biden campaigned on his behalf. He also raised money for him. You'll note that Joe Biden's decision for him to resign came well after some of these other candidates who came out immediately and called for him to resign. Kamala Harris being among the first. She tweeted her support for Ralph Northam shortly after he won the election.

I should caution there's a clear difference between the role that these 2020 candidates are playing, specifically in Virginia, versus how their reaction to this is playing in their own individual campaigns.

I don't think that Ralph Northam was necessarily swayed, in anyway shape or form, by the fact that Bernie Sanders called for his resignation early this morning. He's more concerned about the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus and Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax than he is by them.

But to Ron's point, this is a way for voters across the country to view these candidates through the prism of this controversy. And how they respond to it could play a role in how they decide who they're going to support in this election.

CABRERA: Joel, weigh-in on that. With racism now front and center, how do you think it shakes up the 2020 campaign for the Democrats?

[16:34:55] JOEL PAYNE, PRESIDENT, MWWPR: Listen, I think Ron nailed it right on the head. This is the central distinguishing issue between the parties in a lot of ways. You go back to Charlottesville, you go back to the president talking about immigration, and talking frankly disrespectfully about people from different backgrounds, people that -- the TPS candidates, people from the S-hole countries, as he called it. This has become the central defining issues that differentiate the two parties. And Democrats want to speak with absolute moral clarity here. You saw it with Senator Gillibrand when Al Franken got in trouble. She spoke with clarity. Many others followed. They don't want any mistaking that they are on the right side of the issue. That is a central premise of the Democratic Party. That is a central point of contrast between the president and the Republican Party. And I think that's going to continue to be the fact.

The best tweet I've seen on this in the last 48 hours has been by Governor Hickenlooper, of Colorado, who said, "This incident does not sum up who Ralph Northam is, but as a leader, he cannot continue to lead, he has to resign." That's a perfect summary of how a lot of Democrats view this situation.

CABRERA: All right, Joel Payne, Ron Brownstein and Ryan Nobles, thank you all. I appreciate the discussion.

(CROSSTALK)

CABRERA: President Trump hinting a big announcement on the border around next week's State of the Union. We'll have details.

Stay with us. You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:40:26] CABRERA: President Trump now suggesting he is going to build the wall himself, calling talks to avoid another shutdown a waste of time. And with the State of the Union now just days away, he's hinting at a big announcement. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Mr. President, have you decided whether or not you will declare a national emergency? And just to clarify --

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Have I privately? What's in my mind? Certainly thinking about it.

(CROSSTALK)

TRUMP: I think there's a good chance we will have to do that.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Are you saying that we should be prepared for you to announce at the State of the Union what you're going to do?

TRUMP: I'm saying, listen closely to the State of the Union. I think you'll find it very exciting.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: Joining me now, from new the president's Mar-a-Lago estate is CNN political analyst, White House reporter for the "Washington Post," Josh Dawsey.

Josh, your paper is reporting tonight that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell privately cautioned the president against declaring an emergency, a state of emergency. What more do you know?

JOSH DAWSEY, CNN POLTIICAL ANALYST: Here's a challenge for the president, Ana. Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic House leader, says she's not giving him a single dollar for the wall. The president is telling allies he can declare a national emergency, that he has found the money for it, that it's a viable option. But a lot of Senate Republicans led by Mitch McConnell are skeptical of that choice and saying they would not support it and said they would formally vote against it. The president is in a big of a quagmire. In two weeks, the government would bring a shutdown again. And the president has to figure out what he's going to do. Everything we know indicates that the talks on Capitol Hill are going nowhere. There's unlikely to be any money for the wall there. So the president has to decide how willing is he to pull this bigger option that many in the Republican caucus and the Senate are skeptical toward?

CABRERA: I want to show our viewers something, it can get a little confusing while the administration has not released details on where they want to build this wall. Here's a look at where the wall has already been built, in red. And 654 miles along border right now with Mexico has some kind of barrier. Our graphic shows 82 miles of new and replacement wall that's been announced and funded. But keep in mind, the administration wants $5.7 billion for about 234 miles of additional construction. Again, that's without precise map locations.

Josh, is there any indication the president will get even a dollar of that money? DAWSEY: From Congress, it appears unlikely, according to our

reporting. The question is, whether he's unwilling to declare this emergency or take some other executive action to do it in his branch of the government. The president has had backlash from conservatives like Ann Coulter. Even more reliable supporters like Mark Meadows, the Republican from North Carolina, pushing him to really demand the money for this wall, to say, your supporters are counting on it, you have to make this promise kept. What we're looking at is a president who has two weeks to figure out what he's going to do. But by all accounts, he's looking to take executive action, because he knows Congress is unlikely to give him anything.

CABRERA: You say Trump is planning to offer an aspirational path forward in his State of the Union address. He's been so heated in this battle with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as he referenced earlier.

I want everyone to listen to the latest comments from the president.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Well, I think she was very rigid, which I would expect. But I think she's very bad for our country. She knows that you need a barrier. She knows we need border security. She wanted to win a political point. I happen to think it's very bad politics. Because basically, she wants open borders, she doesn't mind human trafficking or she wouldn't do this. Because you know the traffickers --

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: She offered you over $1 billion for border security.

TRUMP: Excuse me?

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: She offered over $1 billion for border security.

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: She doesn't want the wall.

TRUMP: She's costing the country hundreds of billions of dollars, because what's happening is, when you have a porous border and when you have drugs pouring in, and when you have people dying all over the country because of people like Nancy Pelosi, who don't want to give proper border security for political reasons, she's doing a terrible disservice to our country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: Josh, is there anything the president can say to break the political stalemate at this point?

DAWSEY Well, there are other topics that could possibly be compromised on. The president is expected to talk about the need for a large infrastructure bill, the need to reform and lower drug prices. And other topics, you've seen some Democrats willingness to work with him. On immigration, it's not going to be the main focus of the State of the Union, or so we're told right now. But on that topic, I don't think there's going to be much compromise, based on our reporting at the time, Ana. Now, the president could focus on other things and make the speech less on immigration mired (ph) and more of a -- different issues, a different kind of tone. But what that means going-forward is hard to say. Previously, in years past, the White House has told us to expect an aspirational unifying speech, and soon we're back in political warfare. It's hard to know how much of a consequential difference it will make one way or the other. Even some of the president's allies conceded that. And we're going to be back right in the heart of the immigration fight next week.

[16:45:30] CABRERA: Josh Dawsey, thank you for your reporting.

DAWSEY: Thank you.

CABRERA: Breaking news now from the State Department. The U.S. will pull out of a key Reagan-era nuclear arms treaty. How Russia is responding.

You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:50:25] CABRERA: What will happen when a former NFL player meets up with a retired basketball superstar during the peak of Super Bowl week? You get a sports collision of epic proportions. You may want to brace yourself. Shenanigans ensued when we asked our Coy Wire to check in with NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal at Shaq's Funhouse in Atlanta.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SHAQUILLE O'NEAL, HALL OF FAME NBA PLAYER: Welcome to Shaq's Funhouse.

(LAUGHTER)

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Shaq, honestly, I thought you were going to be a little bit bigger.

O'NEAL: I'm not that big. I wish I was.

WIRE: OKI. Big man, big party, let's go.

Win free tickets for Shaq's Funhouse. Loser has to ride the mechanical bull.

O'NEAL: I can't ride the mechanical bull, I have bad hips.

WIRE: So don't lose, baby.

(SHOUTING)

WIRE: I'm an idiot. Win 100? O'NEAL: Your turn.

WIRE: Maybe I'll get lucky. Maybe I'll get lucky.

O'NEAL: Nice ball. You can tie it up.

(SHOUTING)

WIRE: Can we get that slow-mo replay on that?

See, I played in the NFL.

(CROSSTALK)

WIRE: Yes. Yes.

O'NEAL: No one can tackle me.

WIRE: What?

O'NEAL: Bro, you can't tackle me. I'm just telling you right now.

WIRE: I tackled Adrian Peterson. I tackled Ricky Williams. Both of them combined are as big as you.

(CROSSTALK)

(LAUGHTER)

WIRE: He's going to try to strip for the ball.

All right, Shaq, you had Shaq's Funhouse last year in Miami. You had Gronk on your shoulders at one point.

O'NEAL: Yes.

WIRE: Paint the picture. Take us there. What's it going to be?

O'NEAL: Circus atmosphere, circus Cirque Du Soleil, Waffle House and music.

(CROSSTALK)

O'NEAL: Amigos and myself. Everybody, who's who is coming and it's going to be a great time.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CABRERA: Got to love those guys.

You can watch the kickoff in Atlanta, a CNN "BLEACHER REPORT" special with Dave Briggs, Hines Ward and Coy Wire tonight at 5:30 Eastern right here on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [16:56:46] CABRERA: It's now official. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announcing the U.S. will pull out of a key Reagan-era nuclear arms treaty with Russia in the next six months. This coming after Russia announced this morning it would dump the treaty if the U.S. did. And Russia promising to go one step further and build a new medium-range nuclear missile.

CNN's Oren Liebermann is Moscow now with more -- Oren?

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Ana, it seems that Russia was very much expecting this move from the United States, either a suspension or withdrawal from the INF Treaty. Russia had its response ready. On Saturday morning, President Vladimir Putin met with his defense minister and his foreign minister and announced that Russia would be suspending the treaty as well. They see no reason to stay in compliance of the treaty is the U.S. isn't going to do the same. The U.S. did give Russia 180 days to come into compliance with the treaty, but experts and analysts don't expect that to work, and they don't expect to see a true opportunity to save what's been a critical treaty over the past decades for arms control between the world's two major superpowers.

Russian President Vladimir Putin also said there will be and should be no arms race here, trying to alleviate the fears we've seen. But right after that, he also said that Russia would engage in further development of its current missiles, called the caliber missile. It is, in its current form, a sea-based medium-range hypersonic missile. That missile is permissible under the INF Treaty. But Putin said further development would make it a ground-based missile, which would be in violation of the INF Treaty. So Russia's signaling that if this treaty is not going to hold up, if it's in tatters now, there's no reason to abide by the terms of the treaty at this point.

Question: What happens next? Russia has in the past signaled that they would be open to negotiations on a multilateral agreement to replace INF as opposed to just a U.S.-Russia treaty. But Putin today saying Russia would not be initiate that. Some other nation has to show the initiative, the willpower to try to begin those talks. It doesn't seem there's much optimism in the arms control community that something like that would happen.

Ana, if this falls apart, that means there's one major arms treaty still standing, arms control treaty, and that's the New START Treaty, and that comes up in 2021 -- Ana?

CABRERA: Oren Liebermann, thank you.

Third time was not the charm for passengers on board a flight from Los Angeles to Maui. Hawaiian Airlines flight 33 left and returned to Los Angeles International Airport three times yesterday before finally being cancelled. This is what passengers on that flight saw when they looked out their window, fuel coming out of the plane. They never made it to Maui. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) CHARLOTTE BRADLEY, HAWAIIAN AIRLINES PASSENGER: I was really anxious, because I was really nervous. It was making a lot of weird sounds. They weren't really giving us a lot of information. One lady got kicked off because she was upset. She was throwing a fit and they kicked her off.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: The airline says the delays were caused by separate and unrelated faults with different systems.

You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Ana Cabrera, in New York. Thanks for being here.

The governor of Virginia now flatly denying the racist photograph -- the one you see there on the far right, in his medical school years, next to his name -- is not a picture of him. Democratic Governor Ralph Northam under intense pressure to resign even from his own party. The Virginia state Democratic Party and nearly every prominent Democrat in the country right now are urging Northam to quit.