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President Trump To Demand $8.6 Billion For Border Wall In 2020 Budget; Rep. Michael Waltz (R) Florida Is Interviewed About President Trump's Proposed 2020 Budget And More; CNN Reality Check: Hypocrisy Alert -- Trump's GOP Allies Hated Bill Clinton's Lies; Boeing Stock Takes Big Hit After Deadly Plane Crash; Fox News Rebukes Jeanine Pirro After Questioning Rep. Ilhan Omar's Hijab. Aired 7:30-8a ET
Aired March 11, 2019 - 07:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[07:32:28] JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: President Trump -- is he inviting a new fight with Democrats over funding for a border wall? The president plans to ask Congress today for nearly $9 billion for the wall in his 2020 budget. This comes after Congress rejected far less than that amount. You might remember the shutdown that lasted more than 30 days.
Joining me now is Republican member of Congress, Michael Waltz from Florida. Congressman, it is always a pleasure to have you on NEW DAY. Thanks so much for being with us.
REP. MICHAEL WALTZ (R-FL), MEMBER, ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE: Thanks, John.
BERMAN: When you read the president's budget proposal of more than $8 million for a border wall, when his last fight over funding for the border wall led to a 35-day shutdown --
WALTZ: Yes.
BERMAN: -- was your response here we go again?
WALTZ: Well, it shouldn't be a surprise. The president's budget is to remind everyone is a reflection of his priorities. Every president's budget's a reflection of their priorities.
But it will come over to the House -- which is currently, as you know, led by the Democrats -- and then it will have to reach a bipartisan consensus over in the Senate. So I think this thing's going to go through some -- you know, through some machinations over the next several months.
But it doesn't surprise me that that's what came over. The president has been very clear about supporting the border.
And I think it's also worth reminding everyone that that $5.7 billion wasn't a figure that the White House made up. That came from border patrol. The president shifted on his rhetoric to say these are strategically placed barriers in places where the border patrol has requested them. So I think you're certainly going to see Republican support.
My point, John, is we have to get past this border control issue. We have to control our border so that we can get a meaningful legal immigration reform.
BERMAN: Sure.
WALTZ: So that we can get to DACA, to temporary protective status, to chain migration. To the visas that the technology sector desperately needs in order to get the talent that they need. And that's the bigger deal that I'm really looking forward to getting towards.
BERMAN: Is it worth another shutdown next fall, if it comes to that?
WALTZ: Well, I don't like shutdowns. I don't think anybody likes shutdowns. And certainly our -- you know, the folks in the Coast Guard and other places that are defending this country and aren't getting paid. So I hope we can avoid that.
BERMAN: Yes.
WALTZ: We should avoid that. Congress needs to do its job. Let's come to a compromise, let's cut a deal, and let's move the country forward.
BERMAN: Let me ask you this. I know you care deeply about the battle against ISIS. You, of course, are a decorated --
WALTZ: Yes.
BERMAN: -- veteran -- Special Forces veteran.
The president keeps on saying that the ISIS caliphate is 100 percent defeated. Why are you concerned --
WALTZ: Yes.
BERMAN: -- that declaring victory over ISIS.
[07:35:00] WALTZ: I think we're talking past each other in some ways. I give the president credit and certainly, the military for defeating ISIS as a caliphate. What they -- a country that at one point was the size of Maine with an economy the size of Austria. So it deserves full credit there.
But we have to stay on offense. ISIS is defeated as a caliphate but absolutely not as a movement. It's metastasizing -- it's actually growing in places like Afghanistan.
And we need to decide -- there's this notion John, in Washington, leave it alone and let the folks over in the region deal with it. If we don't fight it over there and fight these wars in places like Kabul and Damascus, it will follow us home. We saw that when President Obama pulled out of Iraq and that's where
we saw attacks all over Europe and in places like San Bernardino and Orlando. There's a reason that hasn't happened in the last two years because we've stayed on offense. But we can't -- we can't quit now. We have to keep our foot on the necks of these terrorist groups.
BERMAN: Congressman, if you will, I do want to ask you something. You are a frequent guest on cable across the board. You're a good sport about going on and answering questions.
You go on Tucker Carlson's show on Fox News. And there have been overnight, some transcripts of radio interviews he's done -- years' worth -- where he has said genuinely offensive things about women.
I want to read you one thing he said about current Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan. He was talking about her appearance.
He said, "I feel sorry for her in that way. I feel sorry for unattractive women.
No, it's just absolutely fundamental. Physically, the problems with her are fundamental. She's never going to be an attractive woman."
And this is just, I have to say, Congressman, the tip of the iceberg. He's said other things equally if not more offensive even than this.
Does it give you pause going on his show knowing that he said this?
WALTZ: Well look, he's never said anything like that to me or around me. I've known him both personally and on air. So that's -- you know, I'm very surprised to hear that. That's the first I've heard of it.
Look, I grew up with a single mother. I'm a dad of a -- of a -- of a little girl and I'm very surprised to hear that. But at the end of the day, I am a huge proponent of girls' education, of women's empowerment.
And it's not -- John, this is not just a domestic issue here that we need to get better on. This is a national security issue.
BERMAN: Yes.
WALTZ: In societies where women thrive around the world -- civil society, politics, business -- we don't have an extremist problem to the point we were just talking about with ISIS. So if I ever hear that type of language, I'll be sure to take it head-on.
BERMAN: All right. Well, I recommend that you go listen to these tapes or read these transcripts and you can take it up with him next time you see him.
I want to ask you about a piece of legislation. I think we should celebrate any bipartisan legislation any chance we get.
Bob Levinson -- it's been 12 years -- WALTZ: Yes.
BERMAN: -- since he was taken hostage in Iran. And you're part of bipartisan legislation to try to streamline and enhance the hostage recovery or negotiation process -- explain.
WALTZ: Well, you know -- so, Levinson has been held. He was a -- he was a former FBI agent that visited an island off of Iran and disappeared. I don't think for a second that the Iranian regime doesn't know where he is or what happened to him.
And for 12 years the Levinson family has been seeking answers. And, you know, to their point, multiple administrations have not held the Iranians to account.
And what's truly sad is both Levinson and a gentleman by the name of Siamak Namazi were left behind when the Iran deal was consummated. They were promised that they would be on the plane and then they didn't show up, and they'd been left behind.
The bigger point, though, is we need to increase the cost for whether it's the Iranian regime, your colleague, Austin Tice, over in Syria or various terrorist groups.
BERMAN: Yes.
WALTZ: Right now, there's very little downside for them to take an American hostage purely because they're American. And I want to increase the cost, whether it's through sanctions, whether it's through military involvement with these terrorist groups so that they think twice before they take an American because they have a lot more to lose than to gain. And currently, that's not the dynamic, but that's what we're seeking to get through this legislation.
BERMAN: Congressman Michael Waltz, thank you for the work you've been doing. Thanks for being with us this morning. Really appreciate it.
WALTZ: Thanks, John -- alrighty.
ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: All right, John.
Remember how Republicans treated President Clinton's scandal? Why is President Trump getting very different treatment? We have an eye- opening reality check, next.
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[07:43:02] BERMAN: Republicans who appear to be excusing President Trump's potentially lawbreaking behavior have remained remarkably consistent and held other presidents to the exact same standard, right?
CAMEROTA: Are you kidding?
BERMAN: John Avlon here with a reality check -- sir.
JOHN AVLON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: That's right, guys.
Look, there's an old saying in American politics that a Democratic crook is just as bad as a Republican crook. The point, of course, is that we should hold people to the same standards regardless of political party. It's a good, solid principle and today, it seems almost impossibly quaint.
During Michael Cohen's testimony, for example, we saw Republicans attack the witness rather than ask any questions about his serious allegations about President Trump.
Here on NEW DAY, we saw Sen. Mike Rounds essentially dismiss the hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels. Rounds excused the lies by saying that Trump did these things because --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. MIKE ROUNDS (R), SOUTH DAKOTA: I honestly think this president loves his family.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AVLON: Loves his family.
The standard we're in danger of seeing, of course, is that lies and obstruction of justice don't matter to Republicans when it's about a president from their party. And we know this is situational ethics because 20 years ago some of the same senators were singing a very different tune.
Here's Sen. Mitch McConnell talking to CNN in 1999 about impeachment proceedings against President Bill Clinton.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY), SENATE MAJORITY LEADER: The problem is lying under oath and obstructing justice. The subject -- the subject matter is not what is significant here. It is lying under oath and obstructing justice.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AVLON: And for the record, McConnell voted to find Clinton guilty on both counts, lying and obstruction of justice.
What about Sen. Lindsey Graham, one of President Trump's staunchest defenders? Well, when President Clinton was on trial he offered a very low bar for impeachment.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: The point I'm trying to make is you don't even have to be convicted of a crime to lose your job in this constitutional republic. Impeachment is not about punishment. Impeachment is about cleansing the office.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AVLON: Cleansing the office.
[07:45:00] To choose just another example, how about Sen. Chuck Grassley? Back in 1999, here's what he told CNN about the importance of leaving partisanship aside and focusing on the facts in pursuit of the truth.
Quote, "We are miraculously transformed from politicians to people who leave their Republican and Democrat labels at the door. We're there to seek the truth and to find out whether the president is guilty or not guilty, and no stone should be left unturned to make that determination."
But today, the search for the truth seems secondary for most Senate Republicans.
When it was all over in 1999, a handful of House Democrats voted against President Clinton and dozens of Republicans sided with the Democrats, crossing partisan lines. There were still some politicians who put the principles ahead of party in 1999 apparently, and there's precious little evidence of that now.
And for what it's worth, one of the first Senate Democrats to publicly condemn Clinton's behavior, though not to vote for his removal from office, was Joe Lieberman. And his independence earned him a spot on the Democratic ticket as Al Gore's running mate in 2000.
Look, hypocrisy used to be the unforgivable sin in American politics but that seems to be one more casualty of Donald Trump's presidency. But at least we have the evidence of the double standard and the complete surrender to situational ethics that is the hallmark of hyperpartisanship.
And that's your reality check.
CAMEROTA: Helpful reminder. Thank you very much, John.
AVLON: (INAUDIBLE).
BERMAN: And nothing says I love you more than hush money payoffs to porn stars, either.
AVLON: That's the Hallmark card that they're working on.
BERMAN: Exactly -- happy Valentine's Day.
CAMEROTA: Wow.
BERMAN: All right, John. Thank you.
Fox News issued a rare rebuke of one of its own hosts. What Jeanine Pirro said to draw condemnation from the network. And another host has said some pretty remarkable things as well. Will that receive a similar condemnation?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[07:50:57] BERMAN: All right, time for "CNN Business Now."
Boeing stock taking a big hit after a deadly plane crash involving its most popular aircraft and it's driving down the Dow ahead of the open.
CNN business correspondent Alison Kosik joins us now with more -- Alison.
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: John, we are watching share of Boeing right now. They are down 10 percent in the premarket after the second crash of a new 737 MAX 8 in the last five months.
We could likely see Boeing actually slice a couple of hundred points right off the Dow today. The Dow index -- it is price-weighted, so a higher share price will cause a bigger impact on the index as a whole.
So, Boeing shares were over $400 apiece Friday. Now, they are down to $382. So it's going to be a huge driver today to keep your eye on.
All 157 people on board an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Nairobi died Sunday morning when their plane went down shortly after takeoff. The pilot had reported technical difficulties.
This comes just five months after Boeing -- another Boeing jet went down, killing 189 people in Indonesia aboard a Lion Air flight.
Both flights involved Boeing's brand new 737 MAX 8, the manufacturer's top-selling plane. Now, there is no evidence the two disasters are linked but if one issue caused both crashes Boeing may have to very quickly implement modifications to its fleet -- American -- to its fleet. American, Southwest, and United fly dozens of them right here in the United States.
The crashes could result in major consequences for Boeing's 737 MAX 8 program and tarnish the company's reputation for safety. This morning, Ethiopian Airlines, all Chinese airlines, Indonesian and Cayman Airways are grounding all Boeing 737 MAX 8s.
Boeing is now delaying plans to unveil its huge new 777X jetliner this week. So huge implications after this accident -- Alisyn and John.
CAMEROTA: Alison, thank you very much. We've been following that all morning.
Meanwhile, Fox T.V. host Jeanine Pirro is under fire this morning for comments she made on her show Saturday night about Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, a practicing Muslim who wears a hijab -- listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEANINE PIRRO, HOST, FOX NEWS "JUSTICE WITH JUDGE JEANINE": Think about it. Omar wears a hijab, which according to the Quran 33:59 tells women to cover so they won't get molested. Is her adherence to this Islamic doctrine indicative of her adherence to Sharia law, which in itself is antithetical to the United States Constitution?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CAMEROTA: Let's discuss this with Brian Stelter, CNN chief media correspondent and anchor of "RELIABLE SOURCES." And, John Avlon, CNN senior political analyst.
Brian, this did not surprise me. When I worked at Fox, Sharia law was one of their favorite boogeymen.
BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA CORRESPONDENT, ANCHOR, "RELIABLE SOURCES": Yes.
CAMEROTA: Roger Ailes was very exercised about Sharia law and so we did a lot of segments on Sharia law. None of them were fact-based or they didn't -- there was no emphasis on them being fact-based.
STELTER: They were fear-based.
CAMEROTA: They were fear-based. They were fear-based.
And so, I hear that language.
STELTER: Yes.
CAMEROTA: That's familiar old language. And I guess the only thing that is surprising is that Fox put out a statement condemning Jeanine Pirro. I mean, it took them 24 hours to get around to it.
STELTER: Yes, it did.
CAMEROTA: So, after 24 hours of, I guess, outcry online, Fox put out a statement saying, "We strongly condemn Jeanine Pirro's comments about Rep. Ilhan Omar. They do not reflect those of the network and we have addressed the matter with her directly."
STELTER: And there could be two reasons why Fox issued that statement.
Number one, it could be advertiser pressure -- advertisers wanting to pull out. Number two, it could be staff pressure. Internally, staffers, including one who works on Bret Baier's show who is Muslim, spoke out against Pirro and said why are you spreading this false narrative that Muslims hate America.
If I could speak to Pirro -- if she happens to be watching, I would say what are you so afraid of? What are you so scared of? All of these lawmakers -- the Muslims in America -- people of many faiths -- people of many backgrounds, they're all trying to make America better. What are you so afraid of?
[07:55:00] CAMEROTA: I know the answer.
STELTER: The Fox narrative, for years, has been about fear of Muslims, fear of minorities.
CAMEROTA: Well, I mean, what they're so afraid of is ratings dipping.
STELTER: (Laughing).
BERMAN: Look, this isn't -- I don't want to call it ignorance --
STELTER: Sad -- so sad.
BERMAN: -- because ignorance implies she doesn't know better. But I guarantee you Jeanine Pirro knows the truth here, so it's not ignorance, it's just hate.
STELTER: This was also written in the teleprompter. This was put in the teleprompter.
BERMAN: And it's hate -- that's my point. It's hate in teleprompter.
AVLON: Right, and I think that's worse because it's not a slip-up, it's intentional.
But, of course, this all gets filed under the "I learned it from you, dad" because you're saying all members of Congress, you know, love America. But, Donald Trump, of course, the other weekend, said members of Congress hate America.
And I -- you know, folks got to stop getting on the soapbox and calling themselves a constitutional conservative without having a passing understanding of what the Constitution actually says. And this is exhibit A.
The default to fearmongers that Roger Ailes got exercised -- I like the verb choice on that one. But, you know, this is a fundamental problem of the fearmongering that has passed for too long. And the fact they issued a correction is actually surprising because usually, it's only been in reaction to advertiser boycotts and there's not any evidence of that as far as we know.
STELTER: Yes. I think this was maybe internal staff pressure. And look, maybe --
CAMEROTA: Well, and to that --
STELTER: -- the Murdochs just -- they look at this and they say don't go and be so blatant. Don't be so obvious about your fearmongering and your -- you know, maybe that's the issue is that they prefer to subtext sometimes.
CAMEROTA: Well, I mean, to that end, I do think that we should, via Twitter, read the producer on Bret Baier's -- is one of the producers on Bret Baier's show who put this out. I mean, who obviously felt so offended --
STELTER: Yes.
CAMEROTA: -- by what Jeanine had said.
He says, "Jeanine Pirro, can you stop spreading this false narrative that somehow Muslims hate America or women who wear a hijab are not American enough? You have Muslims working at the same network you do, including myself. OK, thanks."
STELTER: Yes, good on her.
BERMAN: Brave.
STELTER: Right.
AVLON: Absolutely.
STELTER: That's number one.
The idea here that Fox is surprised by this -- I agree with you, Alisyn, that this is something that's been going on for a very long time at Fox.
But right now, Fox is trying to do two things. It's trying to counter this narrative presented in the "New Yorker" last night that it's a propaganda network for the president. And, it's trying to promote its new brand. It's out there to advertisers promoting its news programs.
So where are the news anchors on Fox saying I don't want to work in this kind of place?
AVLON: Right.
STELTER: This is unacceptable. Jeanine Pirro should not be allowed to be on this network reading this script that she's written that's been put in the teleprompter. Where are those news anchors today? Are they --
BERMAN: They might be thinking about how they're going to respond to Tucker Carlson. This trove of --
STELTER: Yes. That's the other controversy.
BERMAN: -- recordings and transcripts of radio interviews he did. Let's just play a little bit. And my apologies to Justice Elena Kagan because what he says --
AVLON: Yes.
BERMAN: -- about the Supreme Court justice is offensive. But listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TUCKER CARLSON, HOST, FOX NEWS, "TUCKER CARLSON TONIGHT": You don't think she's hot?
TODD CLEM, HOST, "BUBBA THE LOVE SPONGE SHOW": Oh, come on. Seriously, I would have sexual relations with her.
CARLSON: I got to be honest with you. I don't like her and I wouldn't vote to confirm her if I were a U.S. senator. But I do feel sorry for her in that way. I feel sorry for
unattractive women. I mean, it's nothing they did.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: That's how Tucker Carlson, host of Fox's show at 8:00 at night.
Is Fox going to ask Tucker to apologize?
AVLON: We shall see. He released a statement saying that he was caught saying something naughty. But I think the full context of his comments -- and he's calling into this shock-jock show, "Bubba the Love Sponge" and that may be part of his defense.
But this goes well beyond something naughty. I mean, the comment about Elena Kagan is crass and clueless and callous, and perhaps an indication of how he would vote if he was in the U.S. Senate.
But his comments about Warren Jeffs and, you know, the child bride marrying in certain cults -- I mean, that, to me, is even a starker example and I don't think that can be simply excused away unless we're embracing a new era of normalization. That's a -- that's a more serious thing that goes beyond humor.
BERMAN: He calls women primitive, too.
CAMEROTA: Right. So he said --
AVLON: Yes -- many, many times.
CAMEROTA: Well, I mean, he said --
STELTER: Media Matters is an anti-Fox group that dug up this old audio. But he's not denying the audio. The audio is real, the clips are real, there's many of them, they're misogynistic, they're perverse.
And instead of apologizing, what he says is hey, watch my show. Come on my show, debate me. I mean, that's his -- that -- he's trying to turn this into a ratings ploy when, in fact, it's more evidence that some of these hosts on Fox engage in shock-jock behavior all the time.
CAMEROTA: And just a couple of things. I mean, this is not the Tucker that I know.
AVLON: That's right.
CAMEROTA: I worked with Tucker for many years. This is not the person that I know.
But this is also not old audio. I just want to be clear. It's from 2006. In 2006 --
STELTER: And some of it in 2011. CAMEROTA: -- misogynism and sexism was not in favor then in 2006, and saying stuff about young girls, it just wasn't in favor then. So I know that you -- you know, when you're on a shock-jock show you can try to be outrageous, but it -- this is diant.
AVLON: The gravitational pull goes and Tucker can be a charming guy. But there's also the question of applying standards and saying what is too far and not buying into the normalization.
BERMAN: This was out loud.
STELTER: Yes.
BERMAN: It was on the radio. He's not apologizing. He's promoting his show for tonight. That should tell you everything.
STELTER: You got it.
CAMEROTA: All right.
BERMAN: Brian, John, appreciate it.
CAMEROTA: Thank you very much.
We do have some breaking details for you on the Ethiopian plane crash. NEW DAY continues right now.
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.
BERMAN: All right, good morning, everyone. Welcome to your NEW DAY. It's Monday, March 11th, 8:00 in the East.
And we do begin with breaking news.
END
