Return to Transcripts main page

Wolf

Will Terror Arrests Influence DHS Funding Fight; FCC Approves "Net Neutrality" Rules; Republicans Gather at CPAC

Aired February 26, 2015 - 13:30   ET

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

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to our viewers in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer, reporting from Washington.

The arrest of three suspect accused by the federal government of attempting to join ISIS and making plans to potentially kill the president of the United States, it's all renewing pressure on the U.S. Congress to go ahead and support funding for the Department of Homeland Security. That funding is set to run out tomorrow, Friday night, midnight. The Senate has agreed to move forward on the bill that would keep the agency running but omit any language that would reverse President Obama's unilateral actions on immigration reform. Many Republicans in the House say that leaving out that immigration language is simply unacceptable to them.

Our chief congressional correspondent, Dana Bash, is joining us from Capitol Hill.

Dana, we only have a few hours left. Where do things stand now?

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: They're in limbo. It's kind of hard to believe that this is happening yet again, but that is the case. We expect the Senate to move probably later today to actually approve a bill fully funding the Department of Homeland Security. That is a big concession by the new Republican majority leader, Mitch McConnell.

The big question today is what it was yesterday and probably will be tomorrow, what is the House going to do, what is John Boehner going to do. Wolf, those of us in the press tried to ask John Boehner that question over and over again. His answer was the same, pretty much a non answer.

One of our colleagues up here, Todd Willis, asked a smart question. He said, "We know what the Senate is going to do. Can you please just give us an answer?" And his response was I guess vintage Boehner. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TODD WILLIS, REPORTER: You going to put on the floor, you going to kill it, let them vote on it? Have you even had this discussion?

(LAUGHTER)

REP. JOHN BOEHNER, (R-OH), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: When we make decisions I'll let you know.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Let me translate that for you. He wasn't blowing him a kiss. He was basically saying kiss my "you know what." Knowing Boehner the way we do here. He's just not going to go there. It is certainly maybe frustrating for us, and more frustrating for those who work at the Department of Homeland Security, those going through airports, those who are thinking about security, knowing that perhaps the TSA agent who, in 24, 48 hours, is going to help them through the airport, might not be paid. They have to come to work but they're not going to get paid. This certainly has real world effects. But it is still very much up in the air how Congress is going to handle this because, at the end of the day, you still have Republicans pressing their leadership not to give in and fund the Department of Homeland Security without also passing a measure to stop the president's executive actions effectively granting legal status for undocumented immigrants.

BLITZER: But those actions have been stopped at least for now because a Texas judge said they're unconstitutional. For all practical purposes, none of that is being implemented.

Dana, we only have a few hours left to go. We'll see if they can figure this out. I assume they will.

The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, meanwhile, is getting ready to fly off to Washington D.C. He's supposed to land here in Washington on Sunday. He'll then address a joint meeting of the U.S. Congress on Tuesday morning. It's not a routine trip, by any means, and it's eliciting an unusually angry response from top White House officials.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: The war of public words between the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and top White House Obama administration officials clearly deepening right now with the angry public rhetoric about as bad as I've seen it as far as U.S.-Israeli relations are concerned. The White House is upset that Benjamin Netanyahu accepted an invitation from the House Speaker John Boehner to address a joint meeting of the U.S. Congress Tuesday morning. In five days, he'll take the microphone on Capitol Hill. White House officials are clearly making their frustration known. Tuesday, it was the national security advisor, Susan Rice, calling the Netanyahu visit to Washington destructive. Her word, "destructive." Wednesday, it was the Secretary of State John Kerry questioning the prime minister's judgment when it comes to Iran and its nuclear program, and slamming his overall record, including his support for the war against Iraq back in 2003.

Let's go live to Jerusalem. CNN's Elise Labott is watching this.

What's been the reaction, Elise, to these angry words coming from top Obama administration officials?

ELISE LABOTT, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, the Israeli prime minister is trying to just keep focus on the issue, which is Iran. Yesterday, he was talking to his Likud Party members and said, listen, I really have a lot of respect for the White House, I have a lot of respect for President Obama and his staff. He didn't mention Secretary Kerry or Susan Rice by name, but clearly the implication was that he was trying to answer their criticism in saying, listen, I need to keep the world focused on Iran, I need to save the Israeli people from a possible Iranian nuclear weapon and that's what I'm going to do when I give me speech.

He realizes this political fraught tone surrounding the visit, but his aides tell me he's trying to keep focus on Iran. He's coming to Washington knowing the brouhaha and all of the fanfare surrounding the visit, but is really going to keep a low profile and stay focused on the Iranian issue -- Wolf?

BLITZER: He thinks this is also going to help him in his bid for reelection. March 17th, two weeks after that, he's got an election. The polls show it's pretty tight right now. There's not certainly he'll be reelected. But he believes a rousing address before Congress potentially could help him, right?

LABOTT: Well, that's certainly right. Security is his one issue, Wolf. That's really all he talks about. And, you know, listen, it helps him to keep security in the forefront. Housing prices, food prices also a big issue here. He's not talking about that. So to keep the issue focused on Iran and security, this is where he does well. A recent poll by Israeli television's Channel 10 that just came out moments ago said the Israeli public is split on this speech. 38 percent say he should be giving it. 38 percent disapprove of this speech. But on the issue of Iran, Prime Minister Netanyahu polls very well. Most Israelis feel he is the one to protect the Israeli people from Iran and an Iranian nuclear weapon. By keeping focus on this one issue, he thinks that is his way to boost his election. As you note, it's very close.

But I might add President Obama is not very popular here in Israel when it comes to the Iranian issue. Three out of four Israelis don't think President Obama will protect Israelis against Iran. This is really his issue and he's hoping not only will he be able to make a dent in the nuclear negotiations, but that it will have an effect back here at home -- Wolf?

BLITZER: Netanyahu, Monday morning, addressing the pro-Israel lobbying group, AIPAC, in Washington. The White House and AIPAC just announced that Susan Rice herself, the national security advisor, she'll be speaking before that Congress, as will the U.S. ambassador of the U.N., Samantha Power. Normally, it is a president or a secretary of state or a vice president. They're going a little bit lower this time, aren't they?

LABOTT: A little bit lower. But, Wolf, as you know, over the last week, there was talk about sending someone even lower, perhaps a deputy secretary or someone else. I think that the White House realized they needed to send someone of stature because there was a lot of talk about whether the White House would snub AIPAC to send a message to Prime Minister Netanyahu. I think in the end, they realized they would not be snubbing the prime minister, they would be snubbing the American Jewish community and the very relationship between the U.S. and Israel that they say that the prime minister is trying to damage. So I think they upped the ante a little bit. Clearly, it's not going to be the vice president or the secretary of state. Both have said they'll be out of town and will be unable to address the conference or meet with the prime minister -- Wolf?

BLITZER: We'll see what happens when Netanyahu is here in Washington Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday.

Elise, I know you're coming back to cover that visit as well. Safe travels. Thank you very much.

Some of the Republican Party's most influential conservatives have gathered to consider their potential favorites for president. This man, Scott Walker, the governor of Wisconsin, he's getting a lot of buzz right now. He speaks out later today. We're going to find out why his popularity among conservative Republicans is growing and growing.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: All right. This just coming in. The U.S. Federal Communications Commission just approved what's called the Net Neutrality Rules, extending government's reach over the Internet. The major rules would ban Internet service providers from blocking access to legal content applications, services, or non-harmful devices. It would not allow the process known as "throttling" and not allow broad band providers to offer so-called fast lanes. The Democratic-led commission approved the rules 3-2. The rules will not be official until possibly later this year and will likely face challenges in court. That just coming in.

If you're going to run for president of the United States as a Republican, one of the groups you need to impress is the group called CPAC, the Conservative Political Action Conference. This is where the top conservative opinion leaders and money raisers of the Republican Party, they get together, they decide who's up, who's down among potential contenders for the race for the presidency. Chris Christie, Scott Walker, two of the biggest names on today's list.

Here's what Chris Christie said when asked about his temperament a few minutes ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRIS CHRISTIE, (R), GOVERNOR OF NEW JERSEY: If I didn't care there's no reason to do this.

LAURA INGRAHAM, RADIO SHOW HOST: But sit down and shut up and --

CHRISTIE: Yeah, sometimes people need to be told to sit down and shut up.

(CHEERING)

CHRISTIE: And you know --

INGRAHAM: I'm sitting down, by the way.

CHRISTIE: Yeah. And quite frankly, Laura, some more of that stuff should be happening in Washington, D.C., because there's so much ridiculous stuff being spewed, especially out of the White House. Someone should say it's time to shut up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: The Wisconsin governor, Scott Walker, he's scheduled to address CPAC later today. A new poll from Quinnipiac shows Walker up by a wide margin in Iowa, getting almost double the support of his closest competitor, Senator Rand Paul. In Texas, Walker has surged to second place, just one percentage point behind Texas Senator Ted Cruz, well ahead of the former Texas Governor Rick Perry.

Joining us now from the CPAC meeting, our chief political analyst, Gloria Borger; and our national political reporter, Peter Hamby.

Let's start with Walker, Gloria. What's up with him, because he's getting up and up in this poll in Iowa, critically important Republican caucus state obviously as well as Texas?

GLORIA BORGER, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: I think he's the person that people here really want to see. He appeals to the grassroots folks that are here. Wolf, look, this is somebody who has not had national appeal. But he only has a 7 percent unfavorable rating. Nobody has a 7 percent unfavorable rating. That's because people believe that he can kind of united the party. He's got an economic reform message. They believe he's shown that he has a spine in winning that recall election in the state of Wisconsin, taking on the unions. And they also believe that he could win if he goes up against someone like Jeb Bush or Hillary Clinton, reaching into another generation.

BLITZER: And he's won the state-wide elections in Wisconsin now about three times.

Peter, what are folks over there at CPAC talking about, specifically the reaction to the New Jersey Governor Chris Christie?

PETER HAMBY, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL REPORTER: Look, he spoke just before we came on the air. I talked to a bunch of Republicans about his speech. It was a good speech. Don't forget, he came here last year and there were lots of questions about him. Is he a moderate? He talked about his pro-life credentials, his positions on social issues. He's been to Iowa 12 or 13 times now, so he knows how to talk to conservative audiences.

What was interesting in Q&A with Laura Ingraham, she asked about Jeb Bush. And Christie tried to frame himself a little bit as an outsider, that Jeb Bush will be the guy who you want if you like back- room deals. He's the establishment guy.

BORGER: Elite. HAMBY: Yeah, exactly. So he's trying to use Jeb Bush a little bit as

a foil and position himself as an outsider who is still palatable to the establishment, to donors, even though Jeb Bush has that sort of on lock right now.

BORGER: He also made the case he's sort of the guy ready to take on any question. He sort of made a reference to Jeb Bush. He said, look, if you like screened questions and people coming standing up in an audience when you know what question they're going to ask you, that's not me. I've had over 100 town hall meetings. And I'm there to talk to you directly. So another jab at Jeb. Honestly, I'm not sure who he kind of jabbed more, "The New York Times" or Jeb Bush today.

HAMBY: Wolf, one thing that's interesting about Chris Christie, he's sort of been deflated in the poll numbers and in the media. But his speech is still new to a lot of people here. He's still introducing himself to a lot of people. It's too early to count Chris Christie out. He got a good reception here.

BORGER: I think you can see what's going on from all the other candidates, is they're setting up Jeb Bush. When he reports at end of this fiscal quarter, he will raise an eye-popping amount of money. What they're trying to do is say OK he's the establishment guy, he's the money guy, but we're the people who can really represent the Republican Party.

BLITZER: Peter, tell us why the CPAC meeting is so important to these Republican presidential hopefuls.

HAMBY: Well, look, I think this is a good chance for activists, the sort of base Republicans, to kick the tires with these people that they see on TV all the time. They get to see them in person. There's lots of back room meetings at this place. I saw one adviser for Scott Walker, who's tasked with conservative outreach, sort of walking around doing introductions. It's still the, quote unquote, "invisible primary." So these camps are just meeting people.

One thing to point out about this place, there are so many young people here. This is like spring break for college Republicans.

BORGER: Yeah, I'm glad you're saying they're young because I though that was just --

HAMBY: Way younger than me.

BORGER: OK.

(LAUGHTER)

HAMBY: They're having a good time. This is sort of a carnival, parties, late night drinking. For the candidates, it's a chance to introduce themselves to the political right.

BORGER: Can I remind you, in the last presidential election, this was the audience that Mitt Romney declared himself severely conservative to. That was sort of a point in time when people started questioning Mitt Romney's authenticity. And I think that's what people are kind of looking for here today. They sort of a truth meter going on here.

HAMBY: There's a little bit of a risk in over pandering.

BORGER: That's right. They don't want to be pandered to too much.

BLITZER: They're wrapping up Saturday, Peter, with a little straw poll where we get a brief indication where everyone stands? Is that right?

HAMBY: I think we can expect that Rand Paul is going to win that one. Once again. I think it will be his third straight win here. Again, lots of young Libertarians come to this event. It's his audience.

BLITZER: Well, see what happens on Saturday.

Guys, thanks very much.

That's it for me. I'll be back 5:00 p.m. eastern in "The Situation Room."

For our international viewers, "Amanpour" comes up next.

For our viewers in North America, "Newsroom" with Ana Cabrera starts right after a quick break.