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Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) Is Interviewed about Afghanistan and Congress; Biden Dispatches Delegation to Taiwan; Companies and Business Leaders Unite over Voting Rights. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired April 14, 2021 - 08:30   ET

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

[08:30:00]

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): We've done a very good job of that thus far.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: A lot going on in the U.S. Senate --

SCHUMER: Yes.

BERMAN: That you are central to, needless to say, as the Senate majority leader, including today a vote on an anti-Asian hate crime bill that we understand there is some bipartisan support for.

SCHUMER: Yes.

BERMAN: But that might depend on what exactly is voted on today.

What can you tell us on what will be voted on today and how much support there is?

SCHUMER: Yes.

Well, first, the bill is a very good bill. It's modest, but it's important. It sets up a person in the Justice Department who will make sure that anti-Asian violence is gone after and prosecuted whenever that's appropriate. It also sends a signal in two ways, to the Asian- American community that this country is paying attention to this. The rash of Asian-American violence is just awful. I went to five or six rallies throughout New York state. An Asian-American senior gentleman told me he's afraid to go out on the streets because he might be ridiculed, spat upon, cursed at. We've had violence. A young lady told me she wouldn't take the subway in New York because everyone's just staring at her with fierce, harsh stares. So sending the signal to America that this is wrong. So different than the previous president, who, at times, encouraged bigotry and never -- or almost never did enough to push it down. It's a very important symbol.

And I'd say one other thing related to what you said, John. I was very gratified -- excuse me. I was very gratified that Leader McConnell said he wanted to move forward. This was not intended when we put it on the floor as got you. It's led by our two Asian-American women senators, Mazie Hirono and Tammy Duckworth. It was intended to be bipartisan. And the fact that Leader McConnell indicates that they want to be constructive is a good thing. And we welcome some bipartisan amendments. I know that Senator Moran, a Republican of Kansas, is working with Dick Blumenthal to strengthen it. We welcome that kind of approach.

BERMAN: One policy item in terms of the administration.

President Biden had promised to lift the refugee cap that had been in place during the Trump administration, raise the number of refugees that could come to the United States. He needs to sign the determination. He has not done so. And, as a result, that number has not been raised. And Democratic senators, including Tim Kaine, have been critical. He says Team Biden said they were going to return to a more normal posture in the U.S. with respect to refugees and they haven't yet done it.

SCHUMER: Well, they haven't yet done it. Yet is the key word. I think we should admit more refugees.

BERMAN: What's the wait?

SCHUMER: Well, I think they have to take a careful look at the whole -- we, again, the last administration so screwed up immigration in every different way that looking at this in a thoughtful, careful way and then coming up with a policy which I believe -- I can't imagine that they won't move the refugee cap considerably higher -- it's something I'm for -- is the right way to go.

And so, you know, we know that it's been totally turned on its head. Our -- generally, the pro-immigration policies of America, the Statue of Liberty and everything else, my middle name is Ellis, and we have to reverse it, but it's got to be done in a thoughtful, careful way. But that's what this --

BERMAN: How long are you willing to wait?

SCHUMER: You know competence and facts are beginning to matter.

BERMAN: How -- but how long -- how long -- how long are you willing to wait?

SCHUMER: How what, I didn't hear?

BERMAN: How long are you willing to wait on this?

SCHUMER: Well, I'll -- I'll give them a chance. Let's see. I have faith that they will -- that they will have -- be far more pro- immigration on refugees than the previous administration.

BERMAN: On the issue of timing, let's talk about the infrastructure bill. And you have a tremendous amount to say on how this timing will play out. We -- there was a meeting yesterday and Chris Coons, senator from Delaware, came out of that meeting saying, you know, I have a sense that we're not going to wait forever before we try to pass this bill with what could be only Democratic votes.

SCHUMER: That's right. BERMAN: What does that mean?

SCHUMER: Yes, we --

BERMAN: How long are you willing to wait for Republicans to talk to Republicans to see if they will vote for this bill before you start the procedure to pass this with just Democratic votes?

SCHUMER: Well, certainly our preference is to work in a bipartisan way. And there are parts of the bill that might be bipartisan, that can be bipartisan on water resources, which is a significant, not the largest, but a significant part of the bill. Senator Carper, our chairman of our EPW Committee, Environmental and Public Works Committee, and Senator Capito, the ranking Republican, reported out a bill that would be -- that is part of the Biden plan, not the largest, but still a part, unanimously.

I'm going to -- provided we get through the Asian -- anti-Asian hate bill this week, I'd like to put that on the floor next week and begin on a bipartisan note.

There are a few other areas that may be bipartisan. Our competition bill, strengthening America's competitive position in the world and making sure the Chinese government doesn't take advantage of us is possibly bipartisan. Debbie Stabenow has done some good things with regenerative (ph) agriculture, working with her Republicans on her committee.

[08:35:01]

So we're going to focus at the beginning on some of the bipartisan parts of the bill. But make no mistake about it, if the Republican -- our Republican colleagues -- we welcome them on amendments throughout the bill, but if they don't see the big, bold need for change in infrastructure and climate that the nation sees and wants and that we see and want, we will have to move forward without them.

BERMAN: Right. When?

SCHUMER: But our first preference, let's see if they can work in a bipartisan way.

BERMAN: My question is when.

SCHUMER: Well, you know, we're going to work on the bipartisan parts of the bill first and then we'll move forward. But we're not going to repeat the mistake of 2009 and '10, John, where for a year and a half they negotiated and then nothing came of it. We're not doing that.

BERMAN: When was the last time --

SCHUMER: We will expect the two big things -- two of the biggest things we have to get done in the next several months are Build Back Better and S-1.

BERMAN: Got to let you run here, but when's the last time you talked to Senator Joe Manchin about reconciliation, about passing this bill with Democrat --

SCHUMER: Oh, at about 10:00 last night on the phone. I talk to him quite a bit.

BERMAN: And he said to you? And he said to you?

SCHUMER: Well, this was on one part of the bill that he had some input into, which was the competitiveness part. I said to work actually with Todd Young, a Republican, in a bipartisan way on it, and they're talking to each other.

BERMAN: And did he say he would support reconciliation if push comes to shove?

SCHUMER: Look, I -- Joe Biden -- sorry, Joe Manchin -- got a lot of Joes around here. But Joe Manchin, you know, you know what his views are. I treat him with respect. But we have to move forward in a big, bold way, and we will.

BERMAN: Senator Chuck Schumer, thank you for being with us. Senate Majority Leader, we appreciate your time.

SCHUMER: Thank you. Bye-bye.

BERMAN: So, President Biden sending what the White House calls a personal signal to China. A live report from Beijing, next.

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[08:40:44]

POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: Well, President Biden is sending a delegation of former U.S. officials to Taiwan, clearly a show of support for the self-governed island and its democracy. This comes as China has carried out a number of very aggressive actions toward Taiwan.

Our David Culver joins us live in Beijing with more on this.

This follows the extraordinary reporting we saw from you earlier this week about just exactly what China is doing over -- literally over Taiwan.

DAVID CULVER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: And, Poppy, you well know, Taiwan, the most sensitive issue when it comes to China. I mean this is what they consider to be their red line, that they don't want the U.S. or any other country to cross. So that's why they're quite upset with how this is playing out right now with this unofficial delegation that's currently visiting Taiwan from the U.S. representing the Biden administration.

As you point out, it's also considered to be a personal signal to the People's Republic of China, to Beijing and to officials here. Chinese officials have said today, just in the past few hours, that they have issued a formal complaint to the U.S., but this goes beyond words. In the past several days, we have seen rising tensions with regards to military exercises being carried out on the part of the Chinese, namely sending in a record number of aircraft, talking about fighters and bombers, over Taiwan. Some 25. And they also have been performing some military and naval exercises off to Taiwan's East Coast. That's strategic, according to military experts, because that shows that they can essentially cut off the island from any sort of help, namely from the U.S.

Now, obviously, this is playing out at a time when tensions between the two countries are at all-time highs on really multiple fronts, Poppy. But right now this unofficial delegation is meeting with Taiwanese leadership and it's not clear what exactly will play out, but it is, of course, pointing the signal to China and Beijing that the U.S. is looking to really safeguard what they consider to be the stability and peace for this region.

HARLOW: For sure. I mean and, David, you reported on U.S. military officials warning leaders there in Taiwan that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could be within years.

CULVER: Right.

HARLOW: And you do have rising tension and you do have escalated rhetoric, as you've reported on.

But I just wonder what your take is on the opportunity here for real diplomacy, substantive talk and dialogue, because their have been decades in this conflict where that has happened and where it has been relatively successful for a period of time.

CULVER: It's a good point. This is not all antagonistic and there are careful wording that's playing out here. And part of that is the unofficial delegation aspect of this. It's not showing an official Biden administration cabinet member, for example, going there because that would anger the Chinese even more.

But there is opportunity for cooperation and collaboration. And I think what we're seeing actually at the same time play out, just in a couple hours from now, we're expecting John Kerry, who's serving as a special envoy representing the Biden administration, to land here on the mainland in the People's Republic of China to meet with officials to talk about climate. So that's one aspect in addition to pandemic relief that will be perhaps places where the two countries can work together, Poppy.

HARLOW: David, thank you very much, from Beijing for us this morning with that reporting.

BERMAN: Well, a watchdog report on the botched response to the January 6th insurrection cites intelligence failures, equipment breakdowns and orders for the Capitol Police to use less aggressive measures.

CNN's Whitney Wild live in Washington with the details here.

What does that mean, Whitney?

WHITNEY WILD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, basically this report focused on two areas that were major breakdowns on January 6th, leading up to January 6th as well.

The first focuses on their civil disturbance unit. This is a critical unit within USCP. This was the unit responsible for a riot, the civil unrest. These were the people who were basically tasked with protesting the Capitol. And what this OIG report details is failures in preparing leading up to this day.

So, for example, they were not keeping their very critical equipment in temperature-controlled settings. That meant on January 6th, when this CDU (ph) unit went to try to get their shields, in some cases they couldn't get them because they were locked. In other cases they shattered on impact.

[08:45:04]

And what this all is an example of is failing to -- failing to plan is planning to fail. That's something people talk about a lot in law enforcement and that was the breakdown here.

Another example, on the day of the insurrection, the crowd control measures were available. These less than lethal crowd control measures were available. However, USCP leadership told CDU not to use them.

As far as the intelligence breakdowns, lists of problems there as well. For example, there was more explicit intelligence, we are learning about now, that basically explicitly said Congress was going to be the target of this riot, of this rally on January 6th. Additionally, and this is probably the most chilling, the Department of Homeland Security had told USCP on December 21st that there was chatter among -- on a pro-Trump website that discussed tunnels beneath the Capitol. So that is just one more example of an intelligence breakdown.

We're going to have a lot more detail when the OIG testifies on Thursday, Poppy.

HARLOW: Critical testimony, clearly.

Thank you, Whitney.

Developing this morning, the U.S. Coast Guard searching for 12 missing people. This is after a commercial boat capsized. Look at that. That is off the coast of Louisiana during, obviously, a storm. Officials say six others were rescued with the help of multiple good Samaritan vessels. The National Weather Service says the area experienced a weather phenomenon Tuesday known as wake low, resulting in 70 to 80- mile-an-hour winds. It would have made the seas incredibly rough.

BERMAN: A major break this morning in a decades old missing persons case in California. Forty-four-year-old Paul Flores and his father are charged in connection with the 1996 disappearance of college student Kristin Smart. Flores was the last person to see Smart and has long been a prime suspect. He's now accused of murder. His father is charged as an accessory. Kristin Smart's body has never been found. Police say new forensic evidence is linked to the victim. HARLOW: Well, late Hall of Fame baseball legend Hank Aaron will soon have an Atlanta school named after him. Forest Hill Academy, originally named after the first Ku Klux Klan grand wizard and Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forest, but the city's school board has approved renaming it. It will be called the Hank Aaron New Beginnings High School. Aaron broke racial barriers and in 1974 smashed Babe Ruth's career home run record.

BERMAN: That's fantastic.

HARLOW: He died in January at the age of 86.

That should have been all you, Berman, right there, but great to see.

All right, new this morning, hundreds of companies taking a stand against new laws that make it harder for people to vote. We'll talk about them, next.

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[08:51:53]

HARLOW: Just a remarkable show of force this morning with major companies issuing a new statement supporting voters rights, publishing it all in "The New York Times" and "The Washington Post." And I will let our chief business correspondent, Christine Romans, literally show it to you.

Romans.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Here it is. And, look, it's so big, so many names, personal names and business names, law firms, you can't even really see it. It's hard to even show you how sprawling this list is. It's the largest show of support, Poppy, for voting rights from corporate America we've seen so far. These leaders saying, quote, for American democracy to work for any of us, we must ensure the right to vote for all of us.

Hundreds of companies, law firms, non-profits, business leaders standing together, they say, for democracy and against discriminatory voting laws. These are companies like Amazon, BlackRock, General Motors, Netflix, Starbucks, Google, American Express, Goldman Sachs, Johnson & Johnson, Target, Best Buy, American Airlines, Ford, IBM, FaceBook, led by Ken Chenault, the former CEO of American Express, and Kenneth Frazier, the CEO of Merck, who organized dozens of black leaders last month to call on companies to oppose these state laws making it more difficult for people to vote.

Signing on personally, billionaires, Michael Bloomberg, Warren Buffett, Larry Fink. You've got names like James Murdoch, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Shonda Rhimes, George Lucas, Jane Frasier, that's the new CEO of Citi. This statement, it doesn't signal out any specific state here but says protecting voter rights should not be a partisan issue.

Now, missing from this new statement, Delta and Coca-Cola. Remember, they strongly opposed Georgia's voting law after it was passed, but they decided not to add their names to this group. Home Depot also not on the list.

But, John, again, just to show you how a picture is worth a thousand words here. In this case, many thousands of words. This is a sprawling list of companies and individuals who are standing together on this -- on this one issue.

BERMAN: Yes. Got to put on the reading glasses to read -- to read through all of them there, there's so many there.

ROMANS: Exactly.

BERMAN: Christine Romans, thank you very much.

ROMANS: You're welcome.

BERMAN: All right, we have a special "Good Stuff" this morning, or should we sad stuff about a good guy or sad for us and happy for him.

This is the last day at NEW DAY for executive producer Javi Morgado. Javi is the guy in charge. He is the voice in our ears telling us that our 8:00 a.m. guest didn't show up, the power in the control room is out, there are stunning pictures just in from a tornado, there's a news conference we need to take live in 30 seconds, make sure to ask about this new development. Also, wrap, because you're two minutes heavy.

All of this actually happened, most of it this morning, most of it every morning, and Javi has been doing it every morning for a long, long time, with CNN nearly ten years, as executive producer here since 2014.

And the thing about Javi is, no matter how many things he's juggling before the show, no matter how many fires he puts out during the show, he always walks out of the control room with a smile after the show. No joke. It's astounding.

And despite the busy, no-sleep schedule, he's always reaching out to the next generation of news producers and reporters.

[08:55:00]

He has generations of news offspring.

So, Javi, all of us at NEW DAY just want to say thank you. Thank you for sacrificing those years of sleep to help keep this show going. We will miss you. Rest up. You deserve it. We know you're going to crush it at the 11:00 a.m. show. Thank you, Javi. You are one of a kind.

HARLOW: He really, really is. That was beautiful.

BERMAN: And he didn't tell me to wrap. It's like the one time.

HARLOW: I know.

BERMAN: It's like the one time he didn't tell me to wrap, coincidentally. HARLOW: Probably got tears coming down his face right now.

Javi, we love you. And just sitting in this chair keeping it warm for you guys, you have been a dream to work with. But I get to see you in the daylight hours now, Javi, and I can't wait for that.

BERMAN: He's like a vampire, though. It's not going to work. Something's going to go wrong in the daylight.

Javi, thank you very much.

HARLOW: Thanks.

BERMAN: CNN's coverage continues, next.

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