Return to Transcripts main page

New Day

Netanyahu Vows to Annex West Bank if Reelected; Severe Storms in Southern U.S.; Valerie Jarrett is Interviewed About Her New Book and Kirstjen Nielsen's Departure; NCAA Tournament Championship Game Tonight; Royal Baby Tax Dilemma. Aired 6:30-7a ET

Aired April 08, 2019 - 06:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:32:02] JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: It is the eve of a huge election in Israel. One that could be decisive in terms of the direction or even the possibility of Middle East peace. And the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, just announced a move that could shake up the entire election, vowing to annex settlements in the West Bank if he wins.

CNN's Michael Holmes live in Jerusalem with the very latest.

One day to go, Michael.

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Indeed. This time tomorrow, Israelis will be at the polls.

John, you might remember, back in the last election, 2015, Benjamin Netanyahu made that alarmist claim that Arabs were going to the polls in droves. It was seen as a way to fire up his base. He was widely criticized for it.

And just days before this election, a huge policy position to announce on the eve of an election, widely seen as a calculated play to try to pull votes from smaller, right wing parties so his Likud party gets enough votes head to head with the main opponent, Benny Gantz, to be the one invited by the president to form a coalition government.

But, John, there are risks involved in this. Those right wing parties are Netanyahu's potential coalition partners. Pull too many votes from them and one or more might not meet the threshold that they have here, 3.25 percent of the vote, in order to get seats. So he might pick up some seats from that party but lose coalition seats if both parties don't meet the threshold. It is complicated, as always.

As for the -- the promise of the settlements itself, it's hugely significant because Benjamin Netanyahu wasn't talking about major settlement blocks that most people think would be incorporated into Israel in any peace deal, he was talking about all of them, 130 or so settlements, big and small dotted all around the West Bank. Taking sovereignty of those, annexing those would take the notion of a viable Palestinian state pretty much off the table. It would be impossible. A lot of analysts saying here it's electioneering. Let's see what happens after the election were he to win. It might not be on his immediate to do list.

Alisyn.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Michael, thank you for explaining all of the complications to us.

Meanwhile, there are severe storms that are slamming the southern U.S. But the Northeast will feel summer-like temperatures today.

CNN meteorologist Chad Myers has our forecast.

How's it looking, Chad?

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Warm for you, all the way to 77 in New York. Some slow airports, though, across the Northeast with the rain and clouds this morning. Also some severe weather across the Southeast with the potential for tornadoes later on today. A busy day today.

This weather's brought to you by Boost nutritional drink, be up for life.

So let's get right to it. The yellow areas, tornadoes are possible today. Certainly hail as well.

There's the radar right now, 7:00 in the morning. But by 5:00, the storms get bigger. Charlotte, Atlanta, all the way up toward Richmond by later on tonight. That's just part of the story. How warm it's going to be with this as well. You'll break 80 degrees in D.C. today. There will be a lot of rainfall coming down. Could be two to three inches of rain there. D.C., 82. Look at this, Minneapolis, 67. But the problem here is that you're going to drop 30 or 35 degrees and by Wednesday a snowstorm is in your future. That's spring in the U.S., John.

[06:35:16] BERMAN: All right, Chad. We'll enjoy the warmth here --

MYERS: Yes.

BERMAN: Assuming the airports are open. Appreciate it very much.

All right, she is one of the Obamas' closest friend. Now former senior adviser Valerie Jarrett is out with a new book about her journey to the White House and poignant moments with the former first couple.

Valerie Jarrett joins us next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:40:10] CAMEROTA: President Trump's homeland security secretary is the latest cabinet official to be shown the door. A senior administration official tells CNN that Kirstjen Nielsen believed the president was, quote, becoming increasingly unhinged about the situation on the Mexican border and he was making unreasonable and impossible requests.

Joining us now to talk about this and so much more is Valerie Jarrett. She is the former senior adviser to President Obama. And she is out with a new memoir entitled "Finding My Voice: My Journey to the West Wing and the Path Forward."

Good morning, Valerie.

VALERIE JARRETT, FORMER SENIOR ADVISER TO PRESIDENT OBAMA: Good morning. How are you, Alisyn?

CAMEROTA: Great. Great to have you. And we'll get to your book in a second.

JARRETT: Thank you.

CAMEROTA: But, first, I do want to talk about the news of this morning. This happened late yesterday afternoon about Secretary Nielsen being unceremoniously dismissed from her position.

JARRETT: Well, look, it's a vitally important position. We want to have somebody in charge of our homeland security who can protect us. And so with her departure, there's an opportunity for the president to select somebody else. And I hope he selects somebody who's reasonable and puts America first, but is also consistent with our values. We have always been a nation of immigrants. We're also a nation of laws. And so that's what I would hope to see.

CAMEROTA: Do you know Macalinen (ph), who he's considering?

JARRETT: I do not.

CAMEROTA: Because they -- I think that he was there during the Obama administration.

JARRETT: I don't know him.

CAMEROTA: You don't know him personally.

Do you have a sense of what President Trump is looking for from a DHS secretary?

JARRETT: Oh -- oh, my goodness. My goodness, no. I have absolutely no insight whatsoever.

CAMEROTA: I want to ask you about someone that you did work closely with, and that is former Vice President Joe Biden. As you know, I think -- well, several women, maybe something like eight, have come forward to say that he made them feel uncomfortable through sort of overly familiar touches. He addressed that on Friday. And I just want to play that for you and our viewers. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, FORMER U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: I just want you to know, I had permission to hug Lonny (ph).

And you guys can sit on the edge or -- well, if you -- if you -- I don't want you to have to stand all along. But -- but it's up -- by the way, he gave me permission to touch him, all right.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: He's there, if you couldn't see it, he's there with a little boy, and he has his arm around the little boy in sort of a very Biden- esque hug there.

He's making light of the situation. What do you think of that tact?

JARRETT: Well, look, I think he was trying to make light of himself, but I don't think he's making light of the situation. What I heard him say, which was really important, is it's time for us, Alisyn, to listen to the voices of women. And that it is a new day and he says he gets that. And that's really an important message to send, not just to women, but to men.

CAMEROTA: And too soon to be sort of self-deprecating in that way and making light of it? I mean do you get the sense -- do you think that he has communicated to women, I hear you. He hasn't apologized, so he -- some people thought that he could say I'm sorry if I've made you feel uncomfortable. But he's, you know, obviously taking this more humorous tact. And how do you think that's received?

JARRETT: Well, I think in his video he wasn't humorous at all. He was very direct and clear. He said, I get it. I know it's a new day. He has spent his entire career committed to reducing violence against women. He wrote the Violence Against Women Act.

I worked with him day in and day out for eight years. And so -- well, the good news is, we have the opportunity to see, going forward, just how he does respond and whether or not you feel as though he's taken his words to heart. And -- and I think he will.

CAMEROTA: I want to talk to you about your memoir. As I understand it, I read that you said that the genesis for it was when your daughter, the wildly talented Laura Jarrett, our friend --

JARRETT: Thank you.

CAMEROTA: Asked you what you would tell your 30-year-old self.

JARRETT: Yes. And I realized I had a lot to say. And I've had -- you know, my life has been a seecuritous (ph) one. There have been ups and there have been downs. And I was hoping by explaining how I found my voice and tried to use it to be a force for good and to empower others it find theirs, that it might be useful in the lives of people who are still going through that struggle.

CAMEROTA: And you've also said -- I mean part of your advice is take chances. Take chances, get outside of your comfort zone. And I'm just wondering, practically speaking, what does that mean for someone who's living, you know, paycheck to paycheck?

JARRETT: Well, it make -- it means it's hard. And I think that one of the messages in my book is that taking those chances is very hard. It's even harder if you are living paycheck to paycheck where you have very little margin for error. And so there I talk about when I was in the White House, chairing the White House Council on Women and Girls, it was with those working families in mind that we drove policy. So everything like equal pay for equal work for women, work place flexibility so that we can take care of our responsibilities outside of the office, ensuring there's paid leave. We are the only developed country, Alisyn, that doesn't have a national paid leave policy, paid sick days, affordable child care and an environment that's free from sexual harassment and violence. And employers who appreciate that and make changes in the workplace to accommodate working families so they can thrive, I think, will be much more competitive in the long term.

[06:45:29] CAMEROTA: I was really interested to read the passage in the book where you talked about how some of the women in the Obama White House felt -- felt that they weren't heard, felt sort of intimidated by the style there. And you went to President Obama. You told him about it. He said, well, let's have a conversation about it. And you gathered a group of women and you went in and talked about it.

And I'm just wondering -- I mean I think that that's the experience of a lot of women in workplaces, or it certainly was up until this moment that we're having. And so how did you decide to address that? What did you change in the White House after women came to you with their concerns?

JARRETT: Well, I -- well, I think, first of all, he listened to them about what their concerns were. I think oftentimes when we start a new job we bring with us the baggage from our prior experiences. That's only natural. And many of the women didn't really know him. And so the message he conveyed to them was, look, you are here for a reason. I picked you. I want your opinion. I want to make sure that I'm making the most informed decisions possible. In order to do that, I need to hear from you. That was incredibly empowering. And so it wasn't -- he wasn't just going to create a culture by accident. He wanted to be intentional and deliberate and make sure that he encouraged them to speak up, and they did.

CAMEROTA: Valerie Jarrett, the book is called "Finding My Voice: My Journey to the West Wing and the Path Forward."

Thanks so much for sharing all of your thoughts with us this morning.

JARRETT: You're welcome. Have a great day, Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: You too.

John.

BERMAN: March Madness, it all ends tonight with the championship game, Virginia versus Texas Tech. Just like Alisyn predicted in her bracket. "Bleacher Report" is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:50:52] BERMAN: So, it all comes down to tonight. Texas Tech taking on Virginia for the NCAA championship.

Andy Scholes live in Minneapolis with the "Bleacher Report."

It's on, Andy.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, good morning, John.

You know, we're going to see some history tonight because neither Texas Tech or Virginia have ever won a men's college basketball championship. And for Texas Tech, I mean this would be huge because they've never won any kind of men's championship. The only team sports title the school has to its name is a women's basketball championship that they won back in 1993. And that team is still so revered in Lubbock, Texas, that they named a highway after the coach, Marcia Sharp.

Now, unfortunately, some of the students at Texas Tech not accustomed to handling all this success yet. After Saturday's big win, they were setting fires and turning over cars near campus. And I asked the Red Raiders players yesterday what they thought about those images and what message they had for their fellow students.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MATT MOONEY, TEXAS TECH GUARD: Don't burn down Lubbock, you know, before we can get back. You know, I just hope nobody gets hurt. But, you know, I heard it was crazy out there.

JARRETT CULVER, TEXAS TECH GUARD: Enjoy the moment. Don't do nothing too crazy. But, I mean, keep the city there for us when we get back.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Calm down. It seems like they're losing their minds. Sometimes you just have to like chill out a little bit.

I'm glad that they're having fun, but, like I said, they've got to calm down a little bit, you know.

Yes, I'm a little bit scared.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: And you may want to mix in a nap at some point today. The championship game, a late one, Red Raiders and Cavaliers tip off 9:20 Eastern.

The women's championship, meanwhile, taking place last night in Tampa. Notre Dame looking for back-to-back titles, taking on Baylor. This one was a nail biter. Under ten seconds to go, Cloe Jackson going to get the lay-up to go. Baylor would win 82-81. It's their third national title in school history. First since 2012.

And if Texas Tech wins tonight, that means the Big 12 Conference for the first time ever will own the men's and women's basketball championship, guys.

And I can't overestimate how much this means to Texas Tech. This is going to be the biggest night in the school's history. They've cancelled classes for tomorrow. And, guys, as someone who lived in Lubbock, Texas, for a few years, I'm mildly concerned about the city if they end up winning.

BERMAN: Yes.

CAMEROTA: You should. Yes.

BERMAN: Thank you.

CAMEROTA: Andy, thank you.

Now to something really important. Royal baby watch is in full swing. But the yet to be born royal will face a tax dilemma, John.

BERMAN: Oh, no. Oh, no.

CAMEROTA: Yes. Oh, yes. We're going to explain that, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:56:41] CAMEROTA: Excitement is building in the U.K. and here on set as Meghan Markle, the duchess of Sussex, is expected to give birth any day now, John.

CNN's Max Foster has more for us from London.

Max.

MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Alisyn, is duchess of Sussex is currently settling into her newly renovated home in Windsor and no doubt preparing the nursery. Her tax bill probably isn't at the top of her mind. But Meghan's finances are about to get a whole lot more complicated because under U.S. law both she and her baby will be liable for U.S. taxes.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are also incredibly honored to welcome their royal highnesses, the duke and duchess of Sussex.

FOSTER: Since Harry and Meghan announced their pregnancy last October, all eyes have been on one royal and her emerging bump. Even the palace accountants are taking an interest, and that's because Meghan is a U.S. citizen and both she and her baby, the seventh in line to the throne, will be liable for U.S. taxes.

DAVID TREITEL, FOUNDER OF AMERICAN TAX RETURNS LTD: Ultimately, the taxes of the United States, the law says all income everywhere is taxed unless it's exempt. So compensation for personal injury is exempt, for example. A few other things are exempt. But most income everywhere (ph) is taxed. So the baby has income, Meghan has income, they're taxed.

FOSTER: That could potentially open up the notoriously private royal accounts to the IRS, the Internal Revenue Service.

TREITEL: The queen's got to sit there and her advisers have to sit there thinking, well, if I lend Meghan the tiara, if I have the baby use a beautiful silver rattle that was used by Queen Victoria, how much is that worth? What's the value of it? How much do we report it to the states? It's a tough question. That's not easy.

FOSTER: There's the wedding ring, gifted by the queen from a nugget of welsh gold in the royal collection. There's the priceless diamond in the engagement ring from Princess Diana's world famous jewelry collection. There are also the wedding presents from international royalty and a-list friends. And the biggest gift of them all, the multi-million dollar newly renovated home in Windsor, where the couple got married.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I hope to cook for you next time.

MEGHAN MARKLE, DUCHESS OF SUSSEX: Oh, thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. I hope --

MARKLE: Yes. The whole family next time.

FOSTER: The only way for Meghan to avoid paying U.S. taxes will be to renounce her U.S. citizenship. However, even if she does that, the baby will still be liable to U.S. taxes until the age of 18.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Royals tend to be asset-rich and cash poor. They've got the palace, of course. But they don't necessarily have a large income. So this tax issue will only likely come up if and when they decide to sell any of those gifts, guys. A truly first world problem.

CAMEROTA: Yes, indeed.

Max, thank you very much.

She's so chic in all of her maternity wear. It's just wonderful to watch.

BERMAN: Can I just tell you something?

CAMEROTA: What?

BERMAN: This kid is like seventh in line to the throne. I'm going to be king before this kid is. Let me -- let me just thank you that, all right?

[07:00:01] Thank you to our international viewer for watching. For you, CNN "TALK" is next. For our U.S. viewers, the revolving door at the Trump White House continues to spin.

END