Return to Transcripts main page
Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees
Awaiting New House Vote On Bill To Fund DHS For 7 Days; Pelosi Calls For Democrats To back 7-Day Funding For DHS; Outspoken Putin Opponent Murdered In Moscow; Jordan's King Calls Battle Against ISIS World War
Aired February 27, 2015 - 21:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN BERMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good evening again 9:00 p.m. here in New York, still Eastern Standard, chaos time in Washington. Still waiting for the House of Representative to past a bill almost any bill of this point so the massive and vital Department of Home Security does not run out of money.
Earlier tonight House Speaker John Boehner failed to persuade enough of this fellow Republican to support a GOP bill to fund the department for just three weeks, three weeks, almost all Democrats voted against it.
Just a few minutes ago the Senate past a seven day funding bill, we're waiting to see if the House can agree to that. Bottom-line though whatever you think of this bill, whatever you think of the issue, where you stand politically, it is hard to see what happens tonight and what is still going on right now as anything but a mess. DHS runs out of money at midnight, and remember ISIS is on the move.
Dana Bash, covering this all night for us, joins us from Capitol Hill. Dana, what's the latest?
DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The latest is that we do expect the House to take up that one week spending bill for the Department of Homeland Security probably in about the next hour.
And you mentioned the fact that part of the reason why that three week extension failed is because Democrats, for the most part, voted against it, because they said "We're not going to a short-term, we want to expand the department for the entire year". What we expect Democrats to come out shortly for press conference and say, this time for just a week, they'll go for it. They'll allow and in fact of the Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi just sent to dear colleague letter effectively unleashing her rank and file saying that they could vote for it.
And so that means that it is much more likely to see that this actually will pass and that we will avoid that shutdown that we've been looking for and that timing that we've looking for at midnight, tonight probably won't happen. But, again, as we've been saying, I don't want to be in the prediction business given what has happened over the past few hours. BERMAN: All right, that would be a key development in this saga to be sure, Dana. And you've got some information I understand just in a key development, perhaps, in the future of Speaker Boehner's leadership.
BASH: Perhaps but I think it's more -- when it comes to understanding and explaining why we are where we are, and why the Speaker has refused to put on the House floor that clean bill funding the department through the end of the year.
I've spoken to a couple of senior Republicans sources in the House, people who're close to John Boehner, like John Boehner and they say that they have been become increasingly worried that if he did that, if he defy conservatives, that he could be in a position where there would be -- what effectively a coup that they would try to challenge him formally, challenge he's speakership. And if that's not successful then at least embarrass him.
Now, we should also point out that at this point it doesn't seems like there's anybody who could ever even to get the votes to become Speaker. The whole house has to do that. Which were also point out that the people who're angry at the Speaker for not pushing forward or worried that he's not forward enough to confront the President's policy especially in immigration. They don't have an alternative to pass it either.
They're kind of -- they could spare to say their not living in reality politically of how things get done up here which is probably why we are where we are. So that is just the situation. There absolutely is concern about the people or fund people around him that some of the conservatives who have been intransigent have been even more (inaudible) than they have been in the past and that perhaps their just trying to not take yes for an answer to set the stage to really challenge him.
BERMAN: That is a problem for Republicans. Tomorrow, of course, the problem for the next three hours is getting something through. Dana Bash, thanks so much for being with us, keeping us up to the minute on what's going on behind the close door there.
Now to the White House and what President Obama has been doing tonight as all of these has been unfolding on unrevealing is the case maybe Michelle Kosinski, is there for us. Michelle, what are you hearing for the White House?
MICHELLE KOSINSKI, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hey, John, you know, while this is being going on for the most part, the White House has been quiet so has the President even though he made an appearing earlier. He did not mention this debacle.
He has mentioned it over the past week though, and used some pretty strong words about that, so has the White House. So for tonight we know that when the President got back from his appearance on the Department of Justice, he convened a meeting in the oval office with the Secretary of Department of Homeland Security, with the direct of the Office in Management and Budget, looking at a sort of way forward in the state of affair as it is now.
He also made two phone calls to Democratic leadership in both the House and the Senate. Only to Democratic leadership though. I mean the question has come up repeatedly in the past few days. What is the President going to do about this? Is he going to try to do some persuasion on hill? Is he going to sit down or at least call House Speaker Boehner or in the, Senate Mitch McConnell? What is going to do exactly?
And the White House respondent that, "Yeah, if he had to sit down with Boehner or speak to him he would." But that hasn't happened. And that's where it stand right now, John.
BERMAN: No, phone call to Speaker Boehner as far as we know, as this has been developing minute-by-minute over the course of the night. Michelle, we knew that the President would have signed the three week measure that went down in flame in the House a few hours ago. You have sense that he would sign as one week extension if it passes over the next hour or so?
KOSINSKI: Yeah, I mean its interesting to think about, because the White House has made clear that their willing to compromise, their willing to keep the Department of Homeland Security running. They want to do that, that's really point here. But they always said that they compromise up to a point. So we kept asking the White House over the past few days well, if there's going to be a short term measure, would the President veto that like he would have vetoed a bill that included defunding as executive action on immigration?
And they didn't want to go there. They didn't want to say if that happens because they said the hope was that it would be a long-term bill.
So they already have said that the President would sign the three week measure. Now, that it is down to a week, it's kind of an interesting concept to imagine him saying "No, you know, that's taking it too far. One week is ridiculous. I'm not going to do this." But that's not going to happen. I mean the White House says that they want to keep things running. It's a shame that it has comes to this, that's it's going to be a continued battle. But the White House has already express that they're ready to see this through, even if it's going to be a very short-term, John.
BERMAN: Your busy next few hours to see what get pass and what gets signed. Michelle Kosinski, thanks so much.
I should tell you, we're waiting to hear from House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. We'll bring that you as it happens. Dana Bash reporting to us moment ago, she does think that the Democrats will go along with this notion to extend funding for just one more week.
Let's talk about what this means. I'm joined now by anchor of The Situation Room, our very own on Wolf Blitzer along with CNN Chief Political Analyst, Gloria Borger.
Wolf, talk to me about this development. We may get a week-long extension here, still though, hard to see this as anything but a disaster for Speaker John Boehner.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Yeah, I think what the Democrats will say -- will go along with this week long extension as, you know, Dana reported, it's already past the Senate by a voice vote. If all the Democrats or at least most of them are on board and the House and a whole bunch of Republicans are on board in the House of Representatives, that's got that week extension.
The President will sign it into law before midnight tonight. I suspect at some point we're going to hear from Nancy Pelosi. She's probably going to indicate readiness to go along with this. I don't think she would be doing that if the President weren't ready to sign it, eventually within the next few hours. Presumably, he will as well.
I wouldn't be surprise if we eventually hear from the President at some point tonight as well. Assuming this thing get going, they got to keep the Department of Homeland Security funded. The stakes are simply too enormous right now, especially the time of terror threat out there for the U.S. and Department of Homeland Security to be without enough money to deal with all these. It's hugely embarrassing. So I suspect they'll work out some sort of short-term compromise.
The key question over the next week, though, will be, "Will the House of Representatives be willing to do what they U.S. Senate did overwhelmingly earlier today, pass legislation that funds the Department of Homeland Security for the rest of this fiscal year, through the end of September, until the new fiscal years begins October 1st?" If they get that commitment, it will pass.
Here is Nancy Pelosi. Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NANCY PELOSI, MINORITY LEADER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES: Wait room (ph) or not? What do you think?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm ready.
PELOSI: I have this note because this evening, I sent a dear colleague to our House Democratic members thanking them for their cooperation on their vote earlier today. "Our unity," the note says, "Was a strong statement that the Department of Homeland Security must be fully funded." "We are asking our members", it says, "to help again advance passage of the Senate bill, long-term funding of Department of Homeland Security by voting for a seven-day patch that will be on suspension in the House tonight." That is coming over from the Senate. It's already passed the Senate, its coming over from the Senate.
I say to them, further, "Your vote tonight will assure that we will vote for full funding of the Homeland and Security next week. Thank you for your leadership."
I'm very proud of our members, the unity that we had. It showed the commitment to full funding. We certainly want to protect the American people every minute of every day, 24/7, that includes today. And we believe that within the next seven days, hopefully five, that we will have a bill that takes us to the end of the fiscal year.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi saying she has written a letter to her members in the House of Representatives telling them that they should vote for a seven-day, what she calls, patch for funding Homeland Security for the next seven-say, so that Congress will then figure out a way to vote on funding Homeland Security for the rest of the fiscal year.
Gloria Borger and Wolf Blitzer, with me now to talk about this. Gloria -- and Diana Bash with us from Capitol Hill, I should. Gloria, help me understand this, did the democrats just play John Boehner here? They voted no on three weeks but now they're saying they're going to vote yes on seven days.
GLORIA BORGER, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL ANALYST: I think what the democrats did deliver a very strong signal. You can argue politically whether it's the right thing or wrong the thing to do because I think in the end Congress looks bad.
But what they did was they said to Republicans, "You know what folks? You run the House. We are not going to bail you out anymore. We want to fully fund the Department of Homeland Security. We want to deal with immigration separately. You should do it that way. And if you can't get a majority to do that, that's your own problem."
And they, as we're call in Washington (inaudible) to this, which means they were counting votes on this, they were arguing to all of their members that they ought to be united. And you saw Nancy Pelosi there saying she saluted her colleagues' leadership. And I think they proved their point and now they need to move on.
BERMAN: You know, Dana Bash, you know, one of the things when you have a smaller caucus is you tend to have more control over the members in your own party. But still, I have to think you're John Boehner right now, it's a very uncomfortable position to be in, when you need Nancy Pelosi, the leader of the other party to get anything passed.
BASH: That's right, especially when you have such a big majority like John Boehner has. The other reason why John Boehner might -- and other Republican leaders might be a little bit worried is because the Democrats are under the impression that in order to get their votes tonight, to keep this department running, in exchange, they will get that clean vote, the vote on the clean bill to keep the department running through the end of the fiscal year that Democrats have been demanding.
The Republicans so far has told us that they made no such promise but the Democrats believe that they have that promise. So we'll see what happens next weeks. But if that happens, if the House Speaker does bring up that clean bill, as I was reported earlier in the hour, there is concern that there will be a very real challenge to his speakership. Not necessarily concern from Boehner himself but people who I have talked to, who are close with him, who are his allies, who really like him, they are concern that this whole situation today of 50 plus Republicans voting against him was to set the stage for -- with effectively coup.
BERMAN: It would be an interesting next few hours here as we watch this vote unfold. It would be an interesting week as we see what happens with the funding all together.
Dana Bash, Wolf Blitzer, Gloria Borger, stick around. We have to take a quick break.
Next, more on what's been at stake in all of these. The real stuff, we're talking about Homeland Security, not just the political fighting.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BERMAN: The breaking news tonight, Democrats, just moments ago apparently offered the Republican Party, the GOP a way out of the trouble that's been happening on Capitol Hill.
Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi says, she has asked her members to support a seven-day funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security. And that vote could come very shortly. But as we've been seeing again and again, anything can happen.
So first, the practical implications of a shutdown if it does happen in less than three hours. For that, we're joined by Tom Foreman. Tom, you've been digging in. What would a shutdown, this hypothetical shutdown could happen at midnight, what would it look like?
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It would appear to have a massive impact. And this about that word appear, because what we're talking about here is a gigantic Department of Homeland Security, budget of almost $65 billion from fiscal year 2016, workforce of more than 240,000 people, the biggest (inaudible), other 16 different departments underneath it. What do they do? Well, if you look at the borders of the United States, they're in charge of immigration, border patrol, citizenship services.
They were also involved, heavily, in things like the TSA at the airport. All people are checking for your security, their customs. They were also involved in things like FIMA, disaster responses and something terrible happens. This falls under the Department of Homeland Security.
And of course, they were in charge of things like Secret Service, federal law enforcement training, cyber security and a whole lot more. So all these things look very, very big out there, John. One of the tricks of all this was been, almost all this is essential. Those (inaudible) I got from the beginning. So while they've been saying, it's a threat to this department. They've all allowed from the beginning almost none of these would change in terms of what the public sees, John.
BERMAN: But on Monday, will there be things that are happening now that will not be happening, some things being not done?
FOREMAN: Yes, there would be but by and large there would be things that very few people in the public would see. Pay checks would stop in many, many, many Department of Homeland Security workers.
Now, it doesn't mean they will get paid in the long run. They probably will base on pass patterns but they would have a real impact right up front. Training of many programs would be stop for time being, local grant programs. The police department, things like that would stop, E-Verify System would stop, that (inaudible) employers know who can legally be hired.
But all of this is a kind of thing that you really don't see as a member of the public. And in end of the year, you go back to the main number up there, of the roughly 240,000 people and more employees of this department based on the last shut down, about 200,000 of them would stay on the jobs even if they had some pay interruption.
BERMAN: 200,000 people not getting paid to keep America safe. All right. Tom Foreman, I appreciate it. Thanks very much.
Back with us now, Wolf Blitzer and Gloria Borger. Wolf, I want to bring up something important here. We said more than 50 republicans voted against this measure to extend funding for Homeland Security for three weeks.
These are 50 Republicans, presumably, by the way who have the support of their constituents, their constituents by and large probably do not want them to vote in favor of funding Homeland Security under these conditions or against President Obama's executive actions on immigration. Kind of seem likely to change their opposition of those measures over the next week.
BLITZER: Right. these are people, as a matter of principle, they don't want to fund the Department of Homeland Security even if it gives the President the opportunity to fund the executive orders that they consider to be unconstitutional, illegal, allowing some of the undocumented immigrants here in the United States to stay here, to get some sort of legal status.
And that is on hold now, ironically, right now, it's on hold because a federal judge in Texas said it was illegal for the President to go forward with those executive orders. The administration, the Justice Department is appealing that it's going -- they've ask the federal judge in Texas to issue stay, he's unlikely to do so. He's a conservative Federal judge.
The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans is pretty conservative. They're unlikely to go ahead with the President either. So this could take months and months if it goes all the way after the Supreme Court.
So for all practical purposes right now what the President wanted to do for the undocumented immigrants in the United States, he can't do it anyhow because it's all under judicial review. But for these 50 or so, Republicans who voted against the three-week extension day, this is a matter of principle and they're reluctant to go along with it.
I suspect most of them will vote against the one-week extension at the same time.
BERMAN: I feel very strongly about this to be sure.
Gloria, we're now what? Two months, not even two months in to this new Congress. What have we learned that will tell us about what's going to happen for the next year and 10 months? What have we learned about Speaker Boehner's leadership? And what have we learned about how the Democrats are going to play this game with sharp elbows.
BORGER: You know, I remember when Mitch McConnell became leader and he is a tactician in the Senate and he is somebody who is looking towards his legacy and he's finally gotten the job he always wanted. And he talked about being able to get things done, making the Congress functional again.
Well he kind of held up his end of the bargain, he had took four or five votes to get there. But he said, "OK, I'm going to separate these two things and we're going to do what's logical. And it will make some sense. And yes, maybe somebody in the party will be angry at me, but I think we don't want to be embarrassed again with any kind of word of a shutdown."
What we learn is that he and John Boehner are leading very, very different types of caucuses. They don't talk a lot. They hadn't talk for a couple weeks before this occurred. And that John Boehner cannot deliver. And the reason he can't deliver is that his conservative flank doesn't trust him, doesn't like him.
And I was interested in hearing Dana talking about the question of a challenge to his leadership. Because if an hour or so when this vote occurs or 15, 20 minutes, whenever it is, if John Boehner cannot make this happen, then I think questions will be raised about his leadership.
You know, my only problem is, if you strike at the king, you've got to kill him. I don't know who would replace John Boehner in that republican caucus right now, which is so desperate. But we've learned overall, it's just as dysfunctional as it always was.
BERMAN: Gloria Borger, Wolf Blitzer, thanks, as always for being with us.
Just ahead, we're going to have the latest on tonight's other major breaking story. Who is behind the killing of Russian opposition leader, Boris Nemtsov? Was this a case of political murder?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) BERMAN: All right. Our breaking news, we just learn the House of Representatives due back in session any minute now, at about 9:30 p.m. They could start voting by 9:45 p.m. on a measure to fund Homeland Security for one more week. Seven days, there's been an in passing Congress over the last day, that's putting it politely.
There's been a mess in Congress over funding Homeland Security. They have failed to pass a measure to funded for three weeks. Now, a seven-day extension to try to work something out on a more permanent basis.
We will keep you updated over the next 15 minutes to see if that measure passes.
Tonight's other major breaking news, Russian opposition leader, Boris Nemtsov, one of President Putin's most vocal critics, he was shot dead in Central Moscow. Gun down on a bridge within the site of the Kremlin. His associates are calling it a political murder.
Russian television said, "President Putin has condemned the killing. He launched an investigation." As CNN's Frederik Pleitgen reported, a man-hunt they say is underway in Moscow. Authority said they'll be looking for a white car.
In a statement, President Obama praise Nemtsov as a tireless and courageous advocate for his country. In an interview last year, CNNs Anthony Bourdain spoke frankly with Nemtsov about the dangers that anyone who criticizes Putin faces.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANTHONY BOURDAIN: We were supposed to be dining at another restaurant this evening and when they heard that you would be joining me, we were uninvited. Should I be concerned about having dinner with you?
BORIS NEMTSOV, FMR. DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER OF RUSSIA: This is a country of corruption. And if you have business, you are in a very unsafe situation. Everybody can press you and destroy your business. That's it. This is a system.
BOURDAIN: Meet Boris Nemtsov. He was deputy prime minister under Yeltsin.
Critics of the government, critics of Putin, bad things seem to happen to them.
NEMTSOV: Yes. Unfortunately existing power represent what I say Russia of 19th century, not of 21st.
BOURDAIN: And here's -- this is a case of the Litvinenko case, a known enemy of Putin stricken with about of radioactive polonium. Aren't you concerned?
NEMTSOV: Me, about myself?
BOURDAIN: Yes. You're a pain in the ass. NEMTSOV: Tony, I was born here 54 years ago. This is my country. The Russian people are in bit of trouble. Russian court doesn't work. Russian education decline every year. I believe that Russia has a chance to be free. Has a chance. It's difficult but we must do it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: You heard it right there, Boris Nemtsov clearly had no illusions about his own safety. He was 55 years old.
Joining me now Former World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov, he is now a Russian pro-democracy activist, Chairman of the International Council of the Human Right Foundation. Mr. Kasparov thanks so much for being with us.
GARRY KASPAROV, RUSSIAN PRO-DEMOCRACY ACTIVIST: Thanks inviting me.
BERMAN: You have lost a friend of some 20 years.
KASPAROV: And a colleague and one of the most local critics of Putin's regime, a brave man, full of life, who has been blasted Putin's regime for corruption, for violation of Human Rights, annihilation of Democratic institution up to the last -- little -- last hour of his life, his last interview was recorded 40 minutes before he was shot dead and just few hundreds yards away from Kremlin.
BERMAN: Who do you think killed him?
KASPAROV: Remain to be seemed. I have great doubts they will be ever found. So we can see pictures of police brining, you know, machines and using powerful hoses to wash away the murders spots. So it is -- if you're serious -- if you're trying to investigate it seriously, you don't do that of course.
I doubt that it was a direct order for Putin that was this toxic atmosphere of hatred has been promulgated by Russian television, 24/7. The Russian mass media has been spreading hatred. People like Boris Nemtsov have been called the fix column, enemies of the state, national traitors.
It is nothing but hatred in Russian mass media control by Kremlin. And I think that some of the Putin's (inaudible) has decided that they could moved, even further, you know, by just eliminating one of the enemies of Putin because murder, (inaudible), death, destruction, they are just regular guess of Russian television, you know. When you hear it for 30 minutes, I mean you can get sick because they're preaching death to everybody (inaudible).
BERMAN: The Russian leader had said he's launching investigation. Do you trust the investigation into this murder from the government of Vladimir Putin.
KASPAROV: No, I trust these investigations find nothing or they'll find someone that they'll blame for this crime. But again, what they did in first minutes after this crime tells us that there was no interest to find those who did it. And the fact that they did it just in front of Kremlin, I think this tell us that it's impunity, you know, so didn't believe that country belongs to them because you could how the Putin's power base have shifted. And now he relies on the most brutal, cruel, aggressive elements of Russian society.
BERMAN: You heard Boris Nemtsov your friend talk about the risk that he was taking as an opposition figure in that country in that clip we just played right there. You haven't been back to Russia for what? For two years.
KASPAROV: For two years.
BERMAN: Do you pray (ph).
KASPAROV: Look, I left because I was called that to testify or just to be witness on the one of the numerous political cases. And I spoke to Boris. I spoke Alex (inaudible) and other prominent opposition leader, what happened, what could not happen. And that they told me, "Look, you enter the building of Russian investigated media as the witness and you leave it, if you leave it suspect."
So I stayed away and it's more tragic to remember that when we argued with Boris about the future and you could hear him being quite optimistic. And I said it would be inevitable because this kind of tragedy was unavoidable in my view.
BERMAN: You told him he would be killed.
KASPAROV: It's not what was it was just about the outcome. I keep telling him no way Russia, won't be transformed through the ballot, elections and he said maybe but we have tried. He was one of the very few who believe that Russia could, you know, find the safe past -- safe past to the democracy so just to - we can somehow rebuild our country without revolutions and turmoil. And he pays for his life with his believes.
BERMAN: Garry Kasparov, we're very sorry for your lost. Thank so much for coming here tonight.
Again we should tell, in Washington any minute now we're expecting House member to begin voting on a seven-day extension for funding for Department of Homeland Security that will be happening within the few minutes. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BERMAN: All right, let me try to give you a sense of what's going on right now in the House of Representatives, if that's even possible after the day we've had. They're now voting on the House floor. You're at live pictures right now on a measure that would fund the Department of Homeland Security for seven more days.
Seven days of funding so they can then work out a more long-term solution to this problem. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi has said that she ask Democrats to vote for this measure, presumably, they think they have enough votes to get this through. The particular way their doing this requires a two third vote to pass.
Voting has just begun. It might take another 15 minutes or so. You can see the clock ticking down there on the screen, it says 13 minutes left, but sometimes they extend that. The vote going on right now, we're watching it very, very closely.
In the meantime we're learning more tonight about who may have influence four young Canadians to leave home and possible join ISIS. We learn their -- that we learn that their missing last night and their family had been frantic.
CNN's Paula Newton is been on this from the get-go join us now with the very latest. Paula, you actually interviewed someone who knew one of these teens. What did they say?
PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The shocking story when you listen to these kids talk about, you know, a girl Shayma Senouci who was incredibly bright, was a tutor in the school, well liked, very social. The entire school learning through social media that she was missing and now they're incredibly shock.
What's been interesting here is everyone wants to know, John, is how did this happen? How are they radicalized? And at this point split between two different institutions. It doesn't seem like the high school that she was at had any influence, but people are raising questions about a community college here and a controversial preacher who was there on campus. He today denied radicalizing people but again many here asking the same questions, John, that they're asking in the United States and Europe, how are these people being lured by ISIS. John.
BERMAN: Any sense of where these teens are exactly right now?
NEWTON: You know, John, that's the tough part. I mean trails have gone cold. By time these families call authorities, it's unfortunately too late. They believe that they've gone to Turkey. They lost the trail there. They're going to obviously their social media histories, going through anybody they had spoken to.
But again, they don't have much of a trail to go on. And they are quite working with officials on the ground in Turkey. And we've heard the story so many times before, of course, these families desperate to reach out to them anyway they can. But something authorities here keeping an eye on because they say, John, quite bluntly that this is a growing problem and they know that more young people are at risk.
BERMAN: Growing problem in Canada appear here in the United States. Paula Newton, thank you so much.
No small irony, by the way, that they exist here in the United States. As on Capital Hill they are debating, whether to fund Homeland Security for an extended period of time. You're looking at live pictures right now of the House floor. This is breaking news. There was a vote going on right now to fund the Department Homeland Security for just seven more days. It's been a tough day all day long for House Speaker John Boehner, (inaudible) to fund it for three weeks went down. Will this new measure for seven days pass? Will be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BERMAN: All right. Welcome back. You're looking at live pictures right now, the floor of the House of Representatives, voting underway right now on a bill that would fund the Department of Homeland Security for just seven days. A seven-day funding measures so that theoretically then Congress could workout a more long-term funding plan to keep the Department of Homeland Security open, perhaps for a longer period than just seven days.
The vote going on right now, it needs two-third of this particular measure to pass. You can see, it looks like about eight minutes left in that vote. We will keep you posted as we learn the outcome.
In the meantime something you will only see on CNN. Fareed Zakaria hosted GPS, sat down with one of the key players in the fight against ISIS. Jordan's King Abdullah in his exclusive interview appears on Sunday, free to ask about the war here at home over the words that the President uses and doesn't use when talking about ISIS.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FAREED ZAKARIA, FAREED ZAKARIA GPS HOST: President Obama has gone into a little trouble or at least has received some criticism because he says he doesn't want to call groups like ISIS Islamic extremist because he doesn't want to give them the mental of legitimacy by acknowledging that they're Islam. Do you think he is right?
KING ABDULLAH, KING OF JORDAN: I think he is right. And I think this is something that has to be understood on a much larger platform because they are looking for legitimacy that they don't have inside of Islam.
When we're asked in this debate, you know, are you a murderer or extremist? What these people want is to be called extremist. I mean they take badge of moral. So to label Islam under the term of extremist and modernist is that she completely wrong.
So I think by making this comparison that they are extremist Muslims actually is working exactly what these people want. No, we are Muslims I don't know what these people are. But they definitely do not have any relationship to our faith.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: Again, the interview airs on GPS Sunday morning. Fareed Zakaria joins us tonight.
So Fareed, King Abdullah has a lot of friends in the United States on both sides of the aisle. So when King Abdullah says, "I support the president's language here," do you think that has any sway here in United States?
ZAKARIA: Well, I would hope it would make people realize what the president was trying to do. You know, it's not as though Barack Obama doesn't know that this problem we're describing is emanating out of the Islamic world. And the interview he did with me he said, "Look, let's not (inaudible) ourselves. This is a problem coming out of Muslim communities, but I don't want to give them the legitimacy they're seeking." And that's essentially what the King told me. He said, "Look, let's not confer them the legitimacy that they so desperately seek and that they don't have", in his view he said from within the world of Islam.
So I think that what I would hope people would understand is this is not about, you know, we're not trying to be college professors here. This is not about accurately describing something. It's a political strategy design to say, we're not going to give you the satisfaction of calling you Islamic, of giving you that mantle of legitimacy and that when you hear an important voice from the Arab will say that I hope that in America we realize, oh that's why, you know, that's what this debate is about.
BERMAN: A political (inaudible) one at that political actor King Abdullah seems to support. Let me ask you this, he's got a war raging just over his board, which is not far away from where he wakes up every morning. His got a war raging there. He has a pilot who was slaughtered, brutally murdered by ISIS. Do you sense any annoyance or frustration that there's an argument here in United States over language where he is dealing with blood shed just miles away?
ZAKARIA: Well, he definitely was much more focus on the fight. You know, the actual fight on the ground than this issue of terminology, though he does think the ideological issue and the ideological struggle is important.
But yes, John, when he would talk he get very quickly into very detail discussions of the military strategy in Iraq, in Syria. Remember he's a military guy. He was trained at (inaudible) British Military Academy, understands the battle field very well, understands what military power can do. And by the way he was optimistic. He felt that ISIS was not invincible. He felt that already we're beginning to see tide turning.
He said to me at one point, I can't remember honestly whether this was on cam or off cam, but he said that, you know, things are -- the tide is turning. This is -- they're not doing as well as people think they are.
BERMAN: I want to play another clip here, because at one point he characterize the struggle in terms, it frankly, surprise me a little bit. So let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ZAKARIA: Should -- how should the West handle this? Should this the response to ISIS be essentially an Arab response, a Muslim response, or should the West be in the lead?
ABDULLAH: This has to be unified. I mean I said this to leaders both in the Islamic and Arab world and to the world in general. This is a third world war by other means. These brings Muslims, Christian, other religions together in this generational fight that all of us have to be in this together.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: Call this a third world war, those are fairly start terms. And aren't they terms that ISIS would actually approve of? Don't they want to couch this as a giant conflict of civilizations?
ZAKARIA: I was very struck by that as well. I think what he meant by that is this is a war that has not involved every major power in the region. Saudi Arabia is involved. Iran is involved. Turkey is involved. Syria and Iraq of course were involved. Jordan is involved. Egypt is involved. I'm not so sure that he meant by it, you know, this sort of catalyze clash of civilization. I think what he meant was this is not a local conflict. It now involves so many outside powers. Of course it involves the United States.
And in that sense, you know, he thought the stakes were very high. But I don't think he sees it as an Islam versus West issue. I think he just means this is no longer our local conflict. We're all involved and we all have to make sure that ISIS is destroyed.
BERMAN: Fascinating interview. Fareed Zakaria, thanks so much.
ZAKARIA: Pleasure, John.
BERMAN: All right, just ahead from us, a live update from Capital Hill, the breaking news, the House of Representatives seems (inaudible) to pass a seven day extension for funding the Department of Homeland Security. Will they get over the final hump? We tell you when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BERMAN: Our breaking news, voting on the house floor to fund the Department of Homeland Security for seven more days and joined again by Dana Bash, Gloria Borger, and Wolf Blitzer.
Dana, we're looking at the votes there. This measure appears to have the votes to pass the votes and then some nearly 340 votes now for this measure.
BASH: Yes. I think we are safe to say it can be without hearing that (inaudible) come down and formally end the vote.
What Democrats are hoping is that John Boehner will just let the seven days go and have that vote to actually fund the Homeland Security Department for the full year. Not just hoping actually our understanding is that they feel that they had a commitment from John Boehner.
Now, John Boehner and his officer saying that simply didn't happen. Now the reason I'm mentioning this is important. It is because there are people who are close to John Boehner, his allies, who are very concerned that some of the conservatives will wage what is effectively a coup. Well, either try to embarrass him in a formal way, move -- to remove him from the speakership. And they are even so concern that as of now, as we speak there were that if a conservatives hear that John Boehner cut a deal with Democrats over their objections that they could do that as soon as tonight.
So this is a real time issue going on with John Boehner and his fellow conservatives. And questions about whether or not he can do his job.
BERMAN: All right. The headline we should remind you is this means that Homeland Security will be funded tomorrow when you wake up apparently because the President will sign this measure when it is gabbled in. Funding for seven more days for Department of Homeland Security. Wolf Blitzer, as I'm looking at it right now this measure didn't pick up any Republican votes. It was pass exclusively with new Democratic (inaudible). John Boehner has his work cut out from over the next seven days.
BLITZER: Yeah, looks like those 50 or so Republicans who opposed the vote the first time they still oppose this one out of as a matter of principle because it doesn't deal with funding for immigration. But this will give everyone at least another seven days to play with it, we'll probably be back a week from today getting ready for another clip hang (ph). Let's see if that happens.
BERMAN: Well, we will definitely need another vote whether or not it comes at the very end, that still remains to be seen.
Gloria Borger, the end of a remarkable day no one predicted and frankly not many people in Washington wanted today.
BORGER: Right. And I think they're all happy it's ending one way or another. I think look, for the next week now John Boehner got to take all this knives out of his back. He's got to figure out where his votes are because if there are folks who were suspicious of him as Dana points out then he's got to figure out what deal he can cut with the Democrats to fund the Department of Homeland Security that doesn't create a coup within his own ranks, because there are lots of folks who are primed and ready I think to try and take this speakership away from John Boehner. And he's not going to go easily.
BERMAN: It's going to be a problem even with Homeland Security funded tomorrow morning. Dana Bash, Wolf Blitzer, Gloria Borger, thank you so much.
As we leave you with the gable still on struck it is going to pass the minute that gable does come down. A quick reminder, you can find out the latest details on this at cnn.com. So stay with CNN for the very latest information. We're going to leaving you now. We'll send you to Death Row Stories, which starts right now.