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CNN Reality Check: The State Of The Union Moments That Mattered; U.S. Weapons Falling Into Hands Of Iran And Al Qaeda-Linked Militia. Aired 7:30-8a ET

Aired February 05, 2019 - 07:30   ET

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

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[07:33:18] JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: In just hours, the president will deliver the annual State of the Union address. CNN's new poll shows that 55 percent of Americans asked disapprove of his performance as president. So can a speech -- one speech -- turn that all around?

John Avlon here with a reality check -- sir.

JOHN AVLON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Welcome to Super Bowl for policy wonks. The State of the Union is here. And tonight, President Trump will offer his scripted vision of governing in a constitutionally-mandated report to Congress.

Now, he enters the arena with a robust economy but barrel-scraping approval rating, fresh off the longest government shutdown in history.

What's worse, a new CNN poll shows that 43 percent of Americans say the federal government is doing the worst job of governing in their lifetime. But there's always a chance that a strong speech could leave analysts saying that tonight was the night that Donald Trump finally became president.

We judge our presidents against the benchmark of history. And so, here's a brisk look back at some of the most memorable State of the Unions in the past 50 years. This is the good, the bad, and the ugly State of the Union edition.

Let's start with the president who was in even more trouble than Donald Trump -- Bill Clinton, 1998. He took the podium just 10 days after the Monica Lewinsky scandal broke. Clinton gave a bold political performance, reminding people that they liked his policies even if they loathed his behavior.

With a budget surplus, Clinton framed the choice facing the nation like this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL CLINTON (D), FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: What should we do with this projected surplus? I have a simple, forward answer. Save Social Security first.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AVLON: Now, Clinton's speech was interrupted 104 times for applause and his job approval rating actually went up 10 points to an astounding 69 percent.

[07:35:00] Now, the only modern president with a job approval rating lower than Trump at this point in their term is Ronald Reagan who went on, of course, to win a landslide 49-state reelection.

The Gipper gave us what's now a State of the Union staple, a shout-out to a deserving citizen. It's a move sometimes known as a Lenny Skutnik after the brave CBO employee who dove into the icy Potomac to save the life of a woman who had survived a horrific air crash.

But not all State of the Unions are celebratory. In 1974, Richard Nixon was somewhere between the anger and bargaining stages of grief when he told the Congress this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICHARD NIXON (R), FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: One year of Watergate is enough.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AVLON: Needless to say, it wasn't. Less than seven months later, Richard Nixon was out of a job. And so it fell to his successor, Gerald Ford, to level with the American people.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GERALD FORD (R), FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The State of the Union is not good.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AVLON: Fast-forward to 2002 when President George W. Bush was still rallying the nation after 9/11 with an approval rating of 84 percent. He called out Iraq, Iran, and North Korea with this memorable phrase.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH (R), FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: States like these and their terrorist allies constitute an axis of evil.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AVLON: The invasion of Iraq began a year later. Its aftereffects, along with Iran and North Korea, still preoccupy American foreign policy.

Now, in 2010, we saw an open conflict between the branches of government after President Obama criticized the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BARACK OBAMA (D), FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Last week, the Supreme Court reversed a century of law that I believe will open the floodgates for special interests, including foreign corporations, to spend without limit in our elections.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AVLON: In a major break with tradition, Justice Alito could be seen shaking his head and mouthing "not true."

Well, in the years since, we've seen Citizens United lead to more money in politics without the promised transparency. And we're still learning about how foreign entities funnel money to influence our elections in 2016.

Politics is history in the present tense and we'll all be watching tonight to see whether President Trump can present a unifying vision bolstered by policies that can pass a divide in Congress.

And that's your reality check.

BERMAN: You know, it's such interesting history. Can you imagine a president today ever saying the State of the Union is not good?

AVLON: Right.

BERMAN: Right -- I just can't imagine, no matter what -- no matter what the State of the Union actually is, I don't believe any president would ever do what Gerald Ford did.

POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: I think you're absolutely right.

AVLON: Give him credit.

BERMAN: Absolutely. It's so weird.

HARLOW: There you go.

AVLON: It's also stunning to see these approval ratings -- you know, 69, 84 percent. We're a long way from that.

BERMAN: All right. John Avlon, thank you very much.

HARLOW: Ahead, American weapons being used by America's enemies. How Iran and al Qaeda-backed fighters are getting their hands on some of the U.S. military's best technology. An incredible CNN exclusive with Nima Elbagir is next.

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[07:42:05] HARLOW: Welcome back.

U.S. lawmakers are renewing their efforts to pass a War Powers Resolution through Congress in an attempt to end American military support for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen. As the U.S. government grapples with its entanglements in Yemen's civil war, our Nima Elbagir has been following the trail of U.S. weaponry and the devastation left in their wake.

BERMAN: So, after CNN presented its findings, a U.S. Defense official told CNN exclusively that an investigation into violations of U.S. arms agreements by coalition partners is ongoing.

Nima joins us now live from London with this exclusive report, "Made in America, Lost in Yemen." Nima, what have you learned?

NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Oh, Poppy and John, we went to Yemen to try and track down some of this high-tech U.S. weaponry that we knew was ending up in the wrong hands.

Take a look at this.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELBAGIR (voice-over): Shells of millions of dollars' worth of abandoned American armored vehicles litter the road. Welcome to Yemen where weaponry made in America is sold, stolen, and abandoned, and making its way into the wrong hands.

We're here to follow the trail of those weapons and the chaos they've left behind. Our journey starts at the Hodeida frontlines where a ceasefire was recently signed. Climbing up a defensive berm for a better look, the Houthi position, we're told, is only around 200 to 300 meters away.

ELBAGIR (on camera): There's movement there on the horizon. Did you hear that? Scotty, get down.

(Gunshots)

ELBAGIR: There, another shot. That's coming from over there.

They want to take us to the actual position. They want to show us the ceasefire violations. OK, all right.

So there, they're now firing on us. You can hear it.

I can hear some -- I can hear a mortar that's incoming. It's getting heavier and we're told we have to leave. Even as we're driving away -- even now, you can hear that. It's getting -- it's getting much, much heavier.

(Foreign language spoken)

ELBAGIR (voice-over): The influx of weaponry is prolonging the conflict. On our way back from the frontline we spot what we've come in search of.

ELBAGIR (on camera): It's absolutely incredible. We're driving past and it's like a graveyard of American military hardware. And this is not under the control of coalition forces. This is in the command of militias.

ELBAGIR (voice-over): Which is expressly forbidden by the arms sales agreement with the U.S. On the outside of these mine-resistant armored vehicles -- MRAPs -- there are even stickers proudly proclaiming them as property of Alwiyat al Amalqa, a militia allied to the coalition.

[07:45:02] We zero in on the serial numbers, tracing them back to U.S. manufacturer Navistar, the largest provider of armored vehicles for the U.S. Army.

We're told to stop filming but we are able to find another vehicle. This one even has the export sticker from Beaumont, Texas to Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.

As we arrive back in town we pass yet another militia-held MRAP. Everywhere we look, it seems, it's made in the USA.

Yemen is split between warring factions. U.S.-backed and Saudi-led in the countries south; Iranian-backed Houthi militias in the north. We can't cross the frontlines to go north. But the MRAPs have, captured by Iran's allies, the Houthis.

To the backdrop of chants of "Death to America" this U.S. MRAP was broadcast on a Houthi-backed channel with Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, the deputy leader sitting behind the wheel.

CNN was able to obtain the serial number from one of the Houthi-held MRAPs and verify that it was part of $2.5 billion 2014 U.S. sale to the UAE, a coalition partner.

So why does it matter? Because these very MRAPs and others like them have already, we're told, fallen into the hands of Iranian intelligence.

In an audio interview with a member of a secret Houthi unit -- a preventative security force -- CNN was told some U.S. military technology has already been transferred to Iran.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Iranian intelligence are assessing U.S. military technology very closely. There isn't a single American weapon that they don't try to find out its details, what it's made of, how it works.

ELBAGIR: Advanced improvised explosive devices with Iranian components are now mass-produced by Houthi forces on a scale only previously achieved by ISIS. And the U.S.' first line offense against IEDs, the MRAP, has been compromised.

The Houthi leadership denied to CNN the existence of the preventative security forces. CNN has also reached out to Iran for comment but received no response. Regardless, at the very least, these high- profile captures of American hardware make them safer and harder to fight.

Our next stop is the mountain city of Taiz where we're told an al Qaeda-linked militia is in possession of American weaponry. In these images obtained by CNN, you see the Abu Abbas militia, founded by an al Qaeda funder, Abu Abbas, currently on the U.S. terror, list proudly patrolling the streets of Taiz in U.S. MRAPs.

If that wasn't unsettling enough, Taiz, we learned, is also awash with weaponry. Arms markets are illegal in Yemen but that hasn't stopped them from operating.

Using undercover cameras, we are able to film arms sellers hidden amid women's clothing shops. He doesn't today, but we're told we can put in a special order for an American assault rifle. Sellers like these are driving a black market for high-tech American weapons, sustaining the conflict and that's just the tip of the iceberg.

CNN was told by coalition sources that a deadlier U.S. weapons system, the TOW missile, was airdropped in 2015 by Saudi Arabia to Yemeni fighters -- an airdrop that was proudly proclaimed across Saudi-backed media channels.

So where were they used and by whom? We try to find out.

ELBAGIR (on camera): Here, yes. Can you hear me?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. I'm trying to lose the other guys, though.

ELBAGIR: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, that will do you. Thank you.

ELBAGIR: OK. We've been told that we can't go ahead with the interviews that we had preplanned. This local government is under the aegis of the coalition and they are completely blocking any of our access or any of our ability to do any work.

ELBAGIR (voice-over): The intimidation continued throughout that day and into the night. Ultimately, we're chased out of town. But we still want to find out what happened to the TOWs.

So we asked the U.S. Department of Defense whether they knew what happened to the U.S. anti-tank missiles. They say that despite Saudi T.V. coverage, they weren't even aware of the claim that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia used TOW anti-tank missiles in Yemen in October 2015. After CNN presented its findings to the DOD, it says it has now launched an investigation.

[07:50:04] The Saudi-led coalition has not responded to calls for comment. But a senior UAE official denied to CNN that they were in violation of the arms sales agreement, saying, "The Giants Brigade are part of Yemeni forces that fight the Houthis on the ground and are under our direct supervision."

The U.S. DOD statement to CNN added, "They did not authorize any transfer of MRAPs or any military hardware from Saudi Arabia or the UAE to third parties."

So far, we've focused on the weapons fueling the war here, but the seemingly endless conflict they sustain has also sparked a manmade catastrophe. Just a short distance from the frontlines the human toll comes into full view. (Foreign language spoken)

ELBAGIR (on camera): This is Vashaed (ph) and she is so malnourished that she can't actually walk. Her mother has to carry her everywhere. There are 200 cases of malnutrition like Vashaed just in this one village.

ELBAGIR (voice-over): The local clinic had to shut down, so when word that the doctor is here gets around parents come out into the street to meet her.

Roula is 14 months old but looks far smaller. After the doctor finishes her checkup, her father takes us deeper into the village to meet other families.

ELBAGIR (on camera): This is Rehab. She's two years old and she is so severely malnourished that her chest has begun to cave in. But, incredibly, this is actually Rehab after she started getting better. The doctor said that they've been able to get her to keep some of the nutrition in and they're actually hopeful now.

ELBAGIR (voice-over): That hope, though, depends on peace and what we've seen here doesn't give much hope of a lasting one.

How easy it is to get your hands on high-tech U.S. weapons. How a swamp of uneasy alliances has led to sensitive U.S. weaponry ending up in both Iranian and al Qaeda-linked hands. How America's allies are making Americans less safe.

Wherever and with whomever the weapons end up, the war goes on and ultimately, it's the people here who, as ever, bear the brunt.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ELBAGIR: U.S. weapons manufacturer Navistar did not respond to our request for comment. It's also important to note that all U.S. arms sales are legally processed and sanctioned by the United States government, Poppy and John.

HARLOW: Remarkable reporting. John and I gasped when we saw that 2- year-old there who looks about five months old because of the starvation that they're enduring.

Nima, a few questions for you.

First of all, the president has repeatedly justified U.S. arms sales to the Saudis. As recently as November he said, and I quote, "The United States intends to remain a steadfast partner of Saudi Arabia to ensure the interests of our country."

But after you presented the administration with these findings, a Defense official acknowledged to you that the Department of Defense is investigating these coalition arms sales and violations there that may have occurred.

How does that square -- that concern square with the assertion from the president that this is in the best interest of the U.S.?

ELBAGIR: Well, it's clear that it doesn't and it's incredibly telling that the Department of Defense now has two investigations. One, off the back of the evidence that we presented to them regarding the anti- tank missiles, and one that clearly, they had already been running into the actions of the coalition.

What the president is saying publicly and what we are hearing from the Department of Defense, from other administrative avenues within the U.S. holds of power are very, very different. There is a clear awakening within Congress -- within the aisles of U.S. lawmakers' offices that this is not tenable. That what the U.S. allies are doing is palpably impacting American national security.

BERMAN: So, Nima, this week, Congress here in the United States is going to push to pass the War Powers Resolution Act, a new measure.

How do you see that affecting these arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the UAE?

ELBAGIR: Well, our understanding is that the next step after the War Powers Resolution comes through is that we're going to see another resolution specifically targeting arms sales. Bob Menendez, the senator from New Jersey, is looking to put that forward.

But also, don't forget that Sec. Pompeo is due to recertify to Congress not just with regards to the coalition's actions as they prosecute the war in Yemen, but also whether they are in adherence of the arms sales agreement. And we have shown that they are not.

[07:55:11] And it's going to be very interesting to see how Sec. Pompeo, given how insistent President Trump is on this relationship with the coalition -- how he takes that forward, Poppy and John.

BERMAN: Nima Elbagir, thank you for bearing witness.

HARLOW: Yes.

BERMAN: Thank you for going to see for yourself what is happening on the ground there and telling the world so the world can know and maybe, do something about it.

Nima Elbagir, thank you.

ELBAGIR: Thank you.

HARLOW: Extraordinary.

BERMAN: Or as my wife puts it, Nima is a badass.

HARLOW: She -- I mean, she risked her life, her entire crew. We are thankful to them, endlessly.

BERMAN: So, can President Trump bring Congress together after a divisive and historic government shutdown? We will be joined by White House press secretary Sarah Sanders in the next hour to get a preview with some new details of the State of the Union.

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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's going to be a speech that's going to cover a lot of territory, but part of it's going to be unity.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We can reach agreement. The problem is the president keeps changing the goal post.

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: This is the defining moment of his presidency. To every Republican, if you don't stand behind this president, we're not going to stand behind you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There are these continuing questions about where did all this money go.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There is information out there that may be likened to a crime.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If they're credible, let the investigation go forward.

LT. GOV. JUSTIN FAIRFAX (D), VIRGINIA: The governor has to make the decisions in the best interest of the Commonwealth of Virginia.

END