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Appeals Court Weighs Legality Of Texas Border Law; Blinken: Ceasefire Talks & Hostage Release "Closer"; "Ghost Army" Honored For Helping Defeat Germany In WWII. Aired 11:30a-12p ET

Aired March 21, 2024 - 11:30   ET

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

[11:30:00]

SE CUPP, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: And lie based on what -- wherever he's telling them to go.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN ANCHOR: And they're -- Ron, in so many of these Republican allies of the president has said they want this race to be about the future, and so on. But more and more it sounds as though the way they do this -- you know, this January 6 stuff at his rallies, it's almost like he's trying to make the race about January 6. Relitigating January 6, relitigating the 2020 election and his bogus claims of election fraud, and so on.

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Yes. First of all, I think, you know, this gives us an important signal that to whatever degree, there was internal resistance to Trump in the Republican Party in his first term. That is almost completely collapse. I mean, you see Mitch McConnell so abjectly refusing to even comment on this or to even comment on Trump's racist vitriol against his own -- his own wife.

You know, this is telling you that there is not going to be a lot of constraint put on Trump by Republicans in Congress. I think there was that much, to begin with. They'll -- they will -- there will be even less.

Yes, I -- you know, Donald Trump -- the retrospective that Donald Trump wants to frame the race around is the idea that the economy and the border were in better shape, at least at the end of 2019 than they are now. The Biden campaign obviously wants to introduce other elements of the retrospective into the --into the content -- you know, comparison --

ACOSTA: Yes.

BROWNSTEIN: Which are the COVID chaos of 2020 and the violence of January 6. Right now, Trump is winning that argument. And I mean, his -- the retrospective job approval that he gets in polls now is higher than he ever got when he was actually president, which suggests that you know, for many voters, the parts they don't like about his presidency are fading in memory in part because they see things that they care about now having been better than particularly inflation.

ACOSTA: Yes. BROWNSTEIN: So, it is incumbent on Democrats to remind -- certainly gives them you know, plenty to work with every day with the kind of language he's using about January 6, which the vast majority of Americans repudiate.

ACOSTA: And, Carrie, just finally -- I have to go to a break. But Trump has said -- I mean this is more than just rhetoric. He has said he wants to pardon January 6 criminals. From a legal standpoint, could he just come into office and just pardon --

CARRIE CORDERO, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: If he will be --

ACOSTA: Hundreds of people who have gone to prison for January 6?

CORDERO: Sure. If he is --

ACOSTA: He could do that?

CORDERO: If he is reelected, the pardon power is one of the strongest most unchallengeable powers that an executive has. And so, I would expect he is telling us that he would pardon those who participate and have been charged and convicted with January 6. And I would expect that he would.

ACOSTA: All right. Carrie, Ron, SE, thank you very much. Really appreciate it. Still ahead this hour. With the controversial Texas immigration law on hold, Governor Greg Abbott vows to keep arresting migrants and criminal trespassing suspects. We'll talk about that next.

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[11:37:27]

ACOSTA: Any moment, a Court of Appeals could decide on a controversial Texas border law that would allow state and local law enforcement to once again arrest people who come into the U.S. illegally. CNN Senior National Correspondent Ed Lavandera is in El Paso for us. Ed, what do we expect to see this court decision?

ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, that decision could come at any time. Impossible to predict. But the court heard oral arguments from the lawyer representing the State of Texas as well as the plaintiffs in the various organizations and the Department of Justice that have brought suit against the state of Texas for this controversial immigration law.

So, while we await that decision, the legal challenge, that's kind of to decide whether or not this law could go into effect temporarily while the bigger lawsuit continues to play out in court. Now, one of the things that was interesting, Jim, is that the judges who heard that hearing yesterday appear to open the door to the possibility of allowing parts of the Texas law to go into effect. Remember, there's a couple of different components.

One would allow local law enforcement agents like police, Sheriff, state police to arrest people suspected of entering Texas illegally, but it would also give judges the ability to deport those migrants to Mexico. So, there are a couple of different components of this law. Judges seem to be open to perhaps, maybe allowing parts of it to go forward while the bigger lawsuit continues to play out.

And incidentally, there's a much bigger hearing scheduled for early April on that lawsuit. So, no matter what we hear now from the federal appellate court, there -- you know, there could be more changes or more developments legal -- on the legal side of all of this as this continues -- this case continues to make its way through the courts, Jim.

ACOSTA: Yes, a lot riding on what the appeals court says in all of those. All right. Ed Lavandera in El Paso for us. Ed, thank you very much.

Coming up in just a few moments. Secretary of State Tony Blinken says a ceasefire deal with Hamas that would also free the hostages is getting close. We'll take you live to Jerusalem. That's next.

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[11:44:01]

ACOSTA: This morning, Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in Cairo meeting with the Egyptian president. Blinken says negotiations for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the release of Hamas hostages are getting closer. CNN's Jeremy Diamond is in Jerusalem for us. Jeremy, what's the latest?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jim, some optimism from key players including the secretary of state, Tony Blinken, who said that he believes that gaps are narrowing between Hamas and Israel over a potential ceasefire agreement that could see something like a six-week pause in the fighting, the release of dozens of Israeli hostages. But he also made clear that while he thinks an agreement is very much possible, we've heard from a number of other sources familiar with the talks that there are still major differences that remain between these two sides.

And it's not quite clear yet exactly how some of those gaps will be bridged, including the fact that Hamas is still pushing for some kind of a permanent ceasefire -- an agreement on a permanent ceasefire once the Israeli hostages are released -- once this first batch, I should say of Israeli hostages are released.

[11:45:06]

So, clearly, there is some momentum. There is some progress in these negotiations. But key moments still remain to be determined in terms of what the direction will actually be. That's why the secretary of state is meeting today in Cairo with key players including the Palestinian Authority, the UAE, Qatar. But tomorrow, he will head here to Israel to pursue further discussions around the ceasefire talks and of course, more broadly, about the future of Gaza after this war ends. ACOSTA: And, Jeremy, the IDF says it's killed more than 140 militants in that raid on the Shifa Hospital. What's the latest on conditions there? What can you tell us about that?

DIAMOND: Yes, 140 plus militants killed by Israeli troops according to the Israeli military. They also say that they've detained over 600 terrorists. That's how they describe those who are detained. Although, we do know that among those detained, there have also been civilians including at this shift operation but also in the past, when the Israeli military has detained Palestinians inside of Gaza.

We're also getting a sense from inside the hospital itself about the worsening conditions there. Shortages of food and water in a place where about 3000 Palestinian civilians were sheltering before the Israeli military carried -- began to carry out this operation on Monday. Israeli military officials on loudspeakers telling people not to leave the building saying that they will be shot if indeed they do so.

So, a very precarious situation. But the Israeli military insists this operation is legitimate. They say that they have encountered Hamas fighters inside the hospital and that they were using it as a staging ground once again, Jim.

ACOSTA: All right. Jeremy Diamond, thank you very much. Right now, up on Capitol Hill, something very special we want to show you. A special honor for a unique army unit that fooled the German soldiers in World War II. That incredible story is coming up in just a few moments. Stay with us.

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[11:51:28]

ACOSTA: Happening now. Take a look at this. The Congressional Gold Medal is being awarded to the so-called Ghost Army from World War II. It's a mix of artists, engineers, and soldiers who duped German Forces with things like inflatable tanks and fake radio communications.

CNN Pentagon Correspondent Oren Liebermann joins us now. Oren, this is just an incredible story. And the efforts of these ghost warriors potentially saved the lives of thousands of U.S. troops in World War II. What can you tell us?

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: The story of the Ghost Army was classified for more than 50 years until they've gotten to this point where they're receiving a Congressional Gold Medal, the highest medal or the highest honor that Congress can bestow upon civilians. And if you hear the story, it is clearly well-deserved. These men were not soldiers at first. They were recruited, as you pointed out, from ad agencies, art schools, tech schools, and their job in the weeks and months around the D-Day invasion, the invasion of Normandy was to essentially fool the Nazi Armony into how many U.S. troops there were and where those troops were focusing their effort.

So, they used inflatable tanks, loudspeakers, radio transmissions, fake airfields even to try to convince the army of Nazi Germany that U.S. troops and allied troops were moving in different directions, were in different locations, and at one point, as was pointed out in this ceremony, they created a diversion such that Allied troops could cross the Rhine River. A critical moment in the battlefield that was allowed by the Ghost Army.

In terms of the significance of what they did, the estimates are that they saved as many as 15,000 to 30,000 Allied troops, as the war was pushing on the door of Nazi Germany.

ACOSTA: Wow.

LIEBERMANN: Here is Speaker Johnson talking about the accomplishments they had.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA): Rarely, if ever, has there existed a group of such few men, which had so great an influence on the outcome of a major military campaign.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIEBERMANN: To put this in perspective, their job and their effort was to convince the Nazi army that they were much larger than they were. This was dozens, perhaps hundreds of soldiers that convinced the opposing troops that their size was 30 times as large. That is a major and very successful deception operation, Jim.

ACOSTA: Yes. Oren, I mean, it's so important also for our younger viewers out there to just constantly be reminded of all the sacrifices that were paid back during World War II. I was -- I've been watching masters of the air. It's just an incredible series.

And this Ghost Army, it just seems like something right out of Hollywood. I mean, this was one of many deception operations. You're looking at some of the pictures right there. That was crucial to the success of Normandy and the overall war.

LIEBERMANN: I'll point out that the three service members you're seeing here are at the ceremony. Even if we don't have a great shot of them --

ACOSTA: Wow.

LIEBERMANN: They are 99 and 100 years old.

ACOSTA: Oh, my gosh.

LIEBERMANN: Bernie Bluestein, John Christman, and Seymour Nussenbaum, who were part of this -- part of this Ghost Army to fool, to deceive the Nazis. And, of course, there was a much larger deception operation that led to this. Convincing the Germans that the real invasion was coming at Calais, the shortest crossing of the English chat -- channel --

ACOSTA: Yes.

LIEBERMANN: Instead, as we all know, it came at Normandy with the help of the success of the Ghost Army.

ACOSTA: Unbelievable stuff. I've been to Normandy a couple of times on POTUS trips. It's just an incredible place.

LIEBERMANN: Absolutely.

ACOSTA: Every American should visit someday. Oren Liebermann, thanks as always. Great story. Really appreciate it.

A quick check of the Dow before we go. The market is up close to 40,000. We're also monitoring what's happening with Apple as well after that big announcement at the Department of Justice.

But in the meantime, I'm Jim Acosta. Thank you very much for joining me in the CNN NEWSROOM. Stay with CNN. "INSIDE POLITICS" with Dana Bash is coming up in just a few moments. But first, here's today's "CHASING LIFE."

[11:55:06]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Dr. Sanjay Gupta, host of CNN's "CHASING LIFE" podcast. We've all seen this scene in a movie, a character goes through heartbreak and is now surrounded by ice cream, takeout containers, unhealthy snacks. Though this is typically exaggerated, these scenes are rooted in some degree of truth because our emotions do impact how we eat, that's why they're called comfort foods.

Now, research does show that emotional eating is in many ways a biological response. When we have intense feelings, our bodies make these hormones that make us seek out comfort and food. But there are ways to control these cravings.

For example, take a tea break. Sipping on beverages like tea can help these emotional cravings pass. I can tell you it works pretty well.

Go for busy snacks. That means foods that keep your hands moving. Vegetables in a healthy dip. Pre-proportioned some of your favorite snacks to avoid over-indulging and keep those tempting foods off the kitchen counter.

Finally, if what you're doing isn't working, talk to a professional about your emotions and how they might be impacting your dietary choices. And you can hear more about how to optimize your health and chase life wherever you get your podcasts.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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