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Biden Announces 2024 Bid; Court Arraignment for CashApp Murder Suspect. Aired 11-11:30a ET
Aired April 25, 2023 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:00:00]
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): President Biden announces he is all in for 2024.
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Chaos in the Montana state capital building leads to multiple arrests. The legislation at the center of the fight.
SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): And mourning the loss of a dashing Hollywood star and civil rights icon. The life and legacy of Harry Belafonte. These stories and much more coming in to CNN NEWS CENTRAL.
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BERMAN: So it is now official in writing, right there and also in video, President Biden says that he wants to finish the job and he wants to beat what he calls MAGA extremism.
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JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES (voice-over): When I ran for president four years ago, I said, we're in a battle for the soul of America. And we still are. The question we're facing is whether, in the years ahead, we have more freedom or less freedom, more rights or fewer.
I know what I want the U.S. to be and I think you do, too. This is not a time to be complacent. That's why I'm running for reelection.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: It was exactly four years ago today that Biden threw his hat in the ring for 2020 and warned voters then about Donald Trump's rhetoric. We will go to the White House now.
And Arlette Saenz, we have seen the president on video today.
What do we expect from him live and in person?
ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, in a little over an hour, President Biden is going to be holding the first public event since officially rolling out the reelection bid.
He is expected at 12:30 to speak at a union conference here in Washington, D.C., as he is looking to highlight the ties to the labor community but it is also going to highlight the strategy of how the president is going to be deployed in the coming months.
Advisers say not to expect the president to be out there on the campaign trail to hold the large rallies but said one of his selling points for the American people is simply doing the job as president.
He is going to be speaking to the union event and then hosting South Korean president here at the White House. A little later today, Vice President Kamala Harris is going to be speaking at a reproductive rights rally at a time when abortion is a mobilizing issue for Democrats.
This is coming as the president is officially rolling out his campaign and drawing comparisons to the 2020 launch, when he had warned that there is a battle for the soul of the nation.
And he said that battle is not complete and he needs four more years in the White House. He is also trying to warn that American freedoms are under siege by what he describes as MAGA extremists.
And he used the images of the January 6th insurrection and highlighted two Republican men, one of which could be his matchup in a general election come November 2024. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: Do you know, around the country, MAGA extremists are lining up to take on those bedrock freedoms, cutting Social Security that you paid for your entire life, while cutting the taxes from the very wealthy, dictating what health care decisions women can take, banning books and telling people who they can love.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAENZ: Now as the campaign formally takes shape, the president is facing challenges, including polling showing that the majority of the Americans do not believe he should seek a second term, with many saying that their concerns relate to the issue of his age.
President Biden and allies believe that he has a strong record to run on and, ultimately, voters will side with him when compared to the Republican alternatives.
BERMAN: Arlette Saenz at the White House. Very interesting, on the campaign video, seeing the scenes from January 6th even before you see Joe Biden himself.
SIDNER: You can tell where he is going with that.
With his announcement this morning, the 2020 presidential race is entering a new phase. The field is beginning to take shape. Who is in and who is out and who has yet to potentially declare. These are the candidates we know running now. On the Republican side,
former president Donald Trump and former governor and ambassador Nikki Haley and former governor Asa Hutchinson, radio host Larry Elder and business man Vivek Ramaswamy.
And on the Democratic side, there is President Biden and Robert Kennedy Jr. and Marianne Williamson.
Other potential candidates, Mike Pence, Liz Cheney, Chris Christie and Ron DeSantis. [11:05:00]
SIDNER: Still has not declared. There's Kristi Noem and Tim Scott and Chris Sununu and Glenn Youngkin.
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GOV. RON DESANTIS (R-FL): We have a legislative session we're working on, a few more weeks to go. So no announcements before then.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you leaning one way or another?
DESANTIS: Stay tuned.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SIDNER: The Florida legislative session ends on May 5. Mike Pence says he'll decide well before late June. And Chris Sununu says he is going to be announcing his decision before the 4th of July.
BOLDUAN: Joining us now, former Obama official Van Jones.
Good to see you, Van. We saw the video announcement from President Biden this morning, rolling out officially his reelection campaign. Themes: freedom, fighting for abortion rights, threats to democracy through the January 6th imagery, gay rights, voting rights, more the fight is not over.
What did you think of it?
VAN JONES, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, you know, one thing about Joe Biden, he has always been underestimated. He was considered a lightweight in the Senate. But he is a winner.
I think it is hard when you have won vice president twice and won the presidency twice, once, to not want to do it again. So I don't think that anybody is surprised that he is running.
I think that the themes that he is talking are interesting, because this battle about freedom -- and you hear both sides saying that the other side wants to take away your freedom of speech, your Second Amendment rights and the other side wants democracy itself.
I think he is right on target with where a lot of concerns where Americans are, concerned about the economy and democracy and I think he is lining up his forces for the fight. BOLDUAN: Do you think it is possible with, when he has been in
politics as long as he has and been president for four years, that he can run on something that is, you know, not a referendum and is the fight yet to be fought?
JONES: Look, I think that all elections are about tomorrow more than yesterday. You know, he has done an extraordinary job. I was also very pleased to see how prominent Kamala Harris was in that 30-second video.
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JONES: There were people who wanting him to back away from her and throw her overboard. And he is sending a clear message that they are a team. They got there together, they want to stay together and they want to win together.
By doing that, he expands the playing field. He can be at the White House doing what he does and she can be out in the community to do what she does and together, I think they are a double threat, a double threat already; whereas, the other people on the Republican side, they have do it all by themselves.
BOLDUAN: We have some recent polling showing the challenges that he does face in some way, shape or form, that is very clear. Even the Democrats are not entirely jazzed about him running for re-election again.
What do you think that his biggest challenges are, though, Van?
JONES: Well, I mean, he is just older. You just can't get away from the fact that he is the oldest president that we have ever had. Unfortunately, for him, people remember him when he was a young guy. He has been around for a long time so they can compare him to who he was 20 years ago.
But that said, when he announced four years ago, it was a yawn. When he announced four years ago, people said, so what. He is too old, too out of touch with the progressives and he is yesterday's man. And they said it four years ago and then he destroyed the field and became the nominee and beat Donald Trump.
So I think four years later, we should remember, we didn't think that he could pull it off four years ago. And look at what he has done.
BOLDUAN: When you know that he needs to hold the independent voters like he did in 2020 to remind the folks of the exit polls of 2020, in order to win election and re-election this time, what then do the progressives want to hear from him so they are motivated to turn out for Joe Biden once again?
JONES: I think that the progressives are in a good position, because he gave so much to the progressives in the first two years, when it is coming to --
[11:10:00] JONES: -- historic legislation and everything from climate to the CHIPS Act, marriage equality, we forget about that. He did a lot for the progressives in the first two years and, going forward, the progressives are going to be answering a call to defend democracy.
And I think that is going to be appealing to both progressives and independents. People always say the same things about Joe Biden -- I often say the things and then I have to eat my words because, later on, it turns out he was good for progressives.
I think he is will be able to hold on to the moderates going forward, because the Republicans are going to be so extreme. And he can probably pull it off. But right now the numbers are terrible, people are whispering that he is too old and he is right where he was four years go, being underestimated.
BOLDUAN: Love having you on, Van.
BERMAN: This morning House Republicans say they are confident they have the votes to pass their debt limit bill, to raise the debt ceiling by $1.5 trillion for a year in exchange for deep spending cuts. And they are pushing for a floor vote tomorrow.
Manu Raju is on Capitol Hill right now.
They say out loud they have the votes.
But what is going on behind the scenes?
Are they just as confident?
MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: There is a furious effort behind the scenes to try to lock down the votes McCarthy to pass this bill tomorrow. They are not there quite yet, because of the concerns in the ranks. In Iowa, a bill proposal to rescind ethanol tax breaks.
Four members of the delegation and then some who are fundamentally opposed to raising the debt limit no matter what is included in the package, a range of spending cuts and priorities that they have been pushing for some time.
Tim Burchett from Tennessee told me that he is still a no and others are pushing for changes, the issue of Medicaid and the beneficiaries for it. Under the proposal, there is a requirement for 20-hour work weeks to be eligible for those Medicaid benefits.
But there are some conservatives, like Matt Gaetz, who are pushing for more and, if those changes are not made, they will vote no.
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REP. MATT GAETZ (R-FL): An essential element to get my vote for any increase in the debt limit and, by the way, I have never voted for an increase in the debt limit, would be work requirements starting in 2024, not 2025, as this legislation is currently written. (END VIDEO CLIP)
RAJU: The challenge for the Republican leaders is that they are making clear that they do not want to change the bill as it is currently proposed, because they are worrying, if they open up the bill, they will have to change a whole sorts of other measures here.
And McCarthy can only afford to lose four Republican votes on the floor so the math challenge is there even though the Republican leaders are still confident they will get there.
And then the question is, what happens after that, because then it is dead on arrival in the Senate and the White House wants the debt ceiling raised without any provisions whatsoever and the debt default looms as soon as June.
BERMAN: Thank you, Manu Raju.
SIDNER: Still ahead, what we are learning about the suspect accused of killing CashApp founder Bob Lee.
And the Mississippi is rising. All eyes on the country's second longest river as melting snow causes it to rise to a level not seen in over 20 years.
And remembering legendary singer and American civil rights activist and actor, Harry Belafonte, who passed away at the age of 96. His legacy is ahead.
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[11:15:00]
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BOLDUAN: On the radar this hour, jury selection underway on the case brought by E. Jean Carroll, who alleges that Donald Trump groped and raped her in a dressing room in the 1990s.
Donald Trump denies this happened and he said that Carroll is not his type. There are big questions if Donald Trump is even going to appear in the court for the trial and he is not required to.
And the governor of North Dakota has signed what one of the strictest anti abortion laws in the country, which bans abortion after six weeks with no exceptions for rape or incest and limited exceptions for the risks to the life of the mother.
The state supreme court blocked a similar law last year. These new restrictions are also expected to face legal challenges.
After 18 seasons with the Green Bay Packers, Aaron Rodgers is headed to the New York Jets. He is a four-time MVP league and 2011 Super Bowl champion and the NFL draft begins Thursday night. Sara. SIDNER: In less than an hour, the man who is suspected of murdering CashApp founder Bob Lee is expected to face a judge in San Francisco.
[11:00:00]
SIDNER: The suspect knew Lee. And now Natasha Chen joins us to tell us about some new information about the suspect in the case.
What can you tell us about this?
NATASHA CHEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Last August, a woman says that Momeni attacked her in his apartment. Police cited him on battery almost an hour later. But the Alameda, California, district attorney says that they did not file charges in that case.
This gives a little bit more background about this person, who is going to be facing his arraignment this morning and he is on suspicion of murdering Bob Lee. He is currently being held without bail.
Now he is expected to enter a plea this morning and we believe that the arraignment may take longer than normal, because of the discussion about his bail. But to go over again what occurred on April 4th in the early morning hours, the police documents show that Momeni and Lee were spending time together and they were in Momeni's car.
Momeni drove them to a dark secluded place in San Francisco and surveillance video, according to the document, shows two people. And while the faces are hard to make out, the police say that the clothing is consistent with what the two of them were wearing earlier in the day.
And the person who is wearing what Momeni had, makes a sudden movement toward the person and the victim walks away injured. And police say the defendant threw the knife, fled in his vehicle left the victim to die slowly.
This was a planned attack, according to the police, and they say that the suspect brought the kitchen knife with him and they found the knife later in the vicinity of the crime scene.
We also believe that there may have been some argument between them, according to the document. The suspect's sister texted Lee and had said, I just wanted to make sure that you are OK, because I know that Lee came down hard on you.
So there is a lot that we want to learn further and will be monitoring the arraignment today.
SIDNER: Thank you, Natasha Chen.
BERMAN: And now, criminal defense attorney and CNN legal analyst Joey Jackson.
Counselor, starting with the most recent news, word of the previous domestic incident from Momeni, how significant is that? JOEY JACKSON, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Well, just to be clear, his attorney is spinning is it, nothing to see here. And there could be a lot to see here. Although he was not prosecuted on it, it is classified as a prior bad act.
Prosecutors could seek to elicit information in front of a jury to establish motive, to establish intent and to establish a commonly plan or scheme.
The evaluation on that, John, it is overly prejudicial to him or does it represent a fair trial or is it consistent with how he behaved in the past?
Based upon, that it could be admissible and, as you know, based on other evidence with that, it could be damning.
BERMAN: And so you used the phrase, "nothing to see here" from the defense.
How likely is that to literally be the defense if he pleads not guilty?
Because there is a video here which might sway a jury.
JACKSON: So at an arraignment, you are generally going to -- 99 percent of the time you plead not guilty. It is a formality. You appear before the court and the court indicates you are aware that you are charged with murder, gives you indication of your rights.
There's discussion of bail. We know that he is being held, detained without bail, consistent with a prior hearing that happened before. And then, John, it is on.
What do I mean?
It's the exchange of information called discovery and the evaluation of that discovery, which is any evidence that the prosecutors may have with respect to the case,, defense will go through it with a fine toothed comb, make any and all appropriate motions and the matter goes forward in a posture for trial.
Based on the information that we know publicly, boy, do the prosecutors have a compelling case.
BERMAN: So if the defendant wants a plea deal of some kind, given how high profile this case is, does it make it less likely?
Does the prosecution need to go for broke here?
JACKSON: Well, two things. One is you will evaluate -- at issue. You want to ensure the family and the community feels there is a measure of justice. Generally, you will see a plea deal if the prosecutor does not have the goods.
In this case, the goods being the evidence, they have it aplenty, the two of them in the apartment and the surveillance of them leaving, in the car and at that location.
[11:25:00]
JACKSON: Outside of the car, inside of the car for a while and outside of the car, they see Momeni lunging at Lee, who staggers away.
So with compelling evidence, certainly as a prosecutor, what incentive do you have to make a deal?
BERMAN: We will be watching intensely. Joey Jackson, thank you.
BOLDUAN: Coming up, major flooding in several state in the Midwest right now due to an epic snow melt. New video showing how bad it is.
Plus uproar in Montana, debate over gender care for trans youth ends in arrests. That's next.
