Return to Transcripts main page
CNN News Central
Pentagon Issues Guidance On Reshuffling Leadership Roles As GOP's Tuberville Blocks Military Confirmations; U.S. Officials: Putin "Trying To Hold Out" Until 2025; Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) Discusses 2 Navy Sailors Accused Of Spying For China & CNN Poll Showing U.S. Majority Oppose More Ukraine Aid; Kohberger's Alibi: He Had Habit Of Taking Long Drives; "Weed 7: A Senior Moment" Airs Sunday at 8PM ET/PM. Aired 2:30-3p ET
Aired August 04, 2023 - 14:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[14:30:00]
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: In terms of how serious this is, Lloyd Austin issued a memo this week, in which he wrote that it was "having an unprecedented hold, having a cascading effect, increasingly hindering the normal operations of this department and undermining military readiness and our national security."
That gets right at and goes right against Senators -- Senator Tommy Tuberville's argument about national security.
The defense secretary clearly say, yes, it is affecting the military and affecting other military functions and its ability to lead and move forward.
Austin said three and four-star officers and admirals may have to stay in their positions longer. And if possible, do the job above them, do the job in the line of succession above them as they have to fill both roles.
We are seeing that. Look at this picture right here. This is a picture of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the military's senior officers.
Today, with the retirement of the chief of staff of the Army General James McConville, there is another vacant position, right in the bottom left.
The picture on the bottom right, that was General David Berger, the commandant of the Marine Corps. He retired last month.
And, Jim, there will be another photo vacant in a couple weeks when the chief of the Navy retires.
So this problem affecting the military, even at the very top and moving on down.
JIM SCIUTTO, CNN HOST: Yes, at the time of the largest war in Europe since World War II. And of course, a lot of military families are deeply affected by this as well.
Oren Liebermann, at the Pentagon, thank you very much.
Brianna?
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Russia's war in Ukraine may potentially hinge on who wins the next U.S. presidential election.
CNN has learned that top U.S. and European officials are concerned that Vladimir Putin will not change course until after the 2024 contest is decided in the hopes of President Joe Biden being defeated and that his successor cut off U.S. aid to Ukraine.
CNN's Jennifer Hansler is at the State Department for us.
Jennifer, tell us more about your reporting on this.
JENNIFER HANSLER, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT REPORTER: Well, Brianna, U.S. and European officials told us that they absolutely believe that the 2024 U.S. election is playing a significant role in Putin's thinking about how he focuses on the war.
They say he wants to wait out the U.S. and European support to Ukraine. He is looking to next November in the hopes that the U.S. people elect someone who is willing to cut off aid and is not going to the same level of funding, the same kind of weaponry we have seen the Biden administration give to Kyiv.
One official who is familiar with the intelligence but it pretty bluntly, that Putin is looking for people like former President Donald Trump to take control next year.
And he said to us, quote, "Putin knows Trump will help them and so do the Ukrainians and our European partners."
Even though we did not see anything explicitly to that effect, you have to assume everyone is thinking it.
So while there is no specific U.S. intelligence assessment on his thinking about this, these European and U.S. officials are incredibly worried that this means Putin is not going to relent. He is not going to stop his attacks on these civilian targets we have seen.
He will not be willing to come to the negotiating table until he sees what happens next November.
Another key factor in this, Brianna, is the Ukrainian counteroffensive, which has not yet made significant gains.
Officials say that without those gains, he is likely to be even more confident that he can carry on for another year or more -- Brianna?
KEILAR: Purely from his perspective, it would make sense to wait this out, with how much he has invested in this. And if he is looking for a turn, that might be the one that he could hope for.
Jennifer Hansler, live for us at the State Department, thank you for your latest reporting. Boris?
BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Two U.S. Navy sailors are under arrest, accused of spying for China. They allegedly shared sensitive military secrets with Chinese intelligence officers, including information about military exercises, weapons and radar.
The sailors worked at naval bases in California and prosecutors say they chose cash over country.
Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi joins me now. He serves on the Select Committee on China and the Intelligence Committee as well.
Congressman, thank you so much for being with us today.
It appears China is interested in learning more about the U.S. military capabilities in the Pacific. And notably, it comes as China has made enormous strategic strides against the U.S. The Chinese navy now larger than the U.S. fleet.
How confident are you the United States is poised to defend its interests in the region?
REP. RAJA KRISHNAMOORTHI (D-IL): I am very confident. But it is still concerning that the CCP, the Chinese Communist Party, is doing everything in his power to try to gain information about our weapon systems and capabilities and plans and tensions.
And of course, information about our partnerships with our allies and friends in the region.
In this particular case, one of the people who was indicted was stationed on the "USS Essex," which is a WASP class amphibious landing ship, which is very important. That ship is very important for building up our deterrence in the Indo-Pacific region.
[14:35:01]
And then the other person was indicted, in part, for providing information about our operational plans and exercises coming up in the Indo-Pacific region. So, they are absolutely trying to get more of this information.
And on the flipside, we have to do more to protect that information. And quite frankly, it continues a pattern where I am concerned that low-level folks in the military have access to too much classified or protected or sensitive information. And that is a separate issue we have to tackle as well.
SANCHEZ: On that note, Congressman, do you think they are isolated cases? How expensive do you think China's reaches within the U.S. armed forces?
KRISHNAMOORTHI: I think they are doing everything they can to target members of our military. You know, they have 110,000 people in their equivalent of our CIA,
which is called the Ministry of State Security, the MSS. These people are trying to go after targets, trying to recruit people, like these individuals who were indicted recently.
It is a good thing that we uncovered this particular plot, but going forward, we obviously have to continue to be vigilant because these folks, the CCP, are hell-bent on getting information advantages on us.
SANCHEZ: To your point, these two arrests mark the third time a U.S. servicemember has been arrested this year and charged with espionage. Jack Teixeira was the other. There are serious concerns about cyber espionage.
Do you think the Pentagon is adequately protecting its secrets?
KRISHNAMOORTHI: I think it could do more. I think it is doing a decent job but it needs to do more.
What we know about the CCP is that roughly two-thirds of the cyberattacks in the U.S. is generally coming from the PRC.
And on top of that, they have recently been found to be planting malware in critical infrastructure related to military bases. I'm talking about power and water and communication lines.
They are trying to go after secrets within the Pentagon, obviously, and our federal contractors.
To that extent, we have to do a better job of promoting cybersecurity, not only at the Pentagon, but also in the private sector and making sure that those who are subject to attacks or victims of attacks are willing to share the information about it so we can all be protected.
SANCHEZ: Congressman, I want to talk about another international adversary and that is Russia.
There is a new poll showing that, for the first time, a majority of Americans oppose Congress providing additional funding to Ukraine. And 55 percent in this poll said no. What is your reaction?
KRISHNAMOORTHI: Well, I think, at this point, what I sense among most Democrats and Republicans in Congress is strong support for the Ukrainians, perhaps putting more provisions in place with oversight and further into them.
By and large, the vast majority of the people I speak with want Ukrainians to prevail on the battlefield. And that makes all the sense of the world because they are fighting a war so we do not have to.
And the cost of not supporting them far exceeds the benefits of letting them go. So, to that end, I think we have to continue to support them.
I am concerned about reports that Vladimir Putin is somehow interested in Donald Trump becoming president as part of his battlefield strategy.
I am concerned about what he and the Russians might do to interfere in the upcoming election, not only in the general election, but perhaps even in the primaries on the Republican side.
We have to be vigilant about all of that right now.
SANCHEZ: Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, we have to leave the conversation there. We appreciate your time, sir.
KRISHNAMOORTHI: Thank you so much.
SANCHEZ: Thanks.
[14:39:11]
SANCHEZ: Jim?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: Now to the other headlines we are watching this hour.
Some California politicians are urging Taylor Swift to cancel her Los Angeles shows as hotel workers there are going on strike.
The pop singer is bringing her tour to Sofi Stadium through next Wednesday and is expected to bring in huge revenues to hotels in the area.
Around 15,000 workers have been staging rolling strikes as early July. CNN has reached out to Taylor Swift's team for comment.
Also, it appears Tupperware is here to stay. The company just reached a deal with its creditors allowing it to reduce its interest payments and secure new financing as it works to pay back more than $300 million in debt.
Four months ago, Tupperware cautioned it was close to going out of business. Today, investors sent the company's stocks surging up 47 percent.
And this just into CNN. The 17-year-old accused of stabbing a gay professional dancer at a Brooklyn gas station has just turned himself in to police.
Witnesses say the dancer was dancing to a Byonce song when he was killed. Police have been investigating his death as a hate crime.
Jim?
SCIUTTO: In just two months, Bryan Kohberger will go on trial, accused in the grisly stabbing deaths of four University of Idaho students last November.
[14:44:57] Now we are learning his lawyers cannot provide a major detail they intend for his defense. Court filings that Kohberger's attorneys planned to present an alibi for the time of the killings but they admit they do not know an exact location for the defendant.
CNN's Veronica Miracle joins me now with the details.
So, what are they saying? He was not there, but we cannot tell you exactly where he was, but it wasn't there?
VERONICA MIRACLE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right, exactly, Jim. Last week, his defense team were required to submit an alibi and he said - they said that he has an alibi and he was not at the home where four University of Idaho students were murdered. But they would not specify a location.
Well, just yesterday, they filed another motion and they gave a little more information but they still did not specify exactly where he was that night.
They said, quote, "Often, he would go for drives at night. He did so late on November 12th and into November 13th, 2022. Mr. Kohberger is not claiming to be at a specific location at a specific time."
And they go on to say in the filing that they do not have a specific witness to say exactly where he was, but they believe that during the trial, which is set to start in October, that corroborating evidence will come up through the examination of witnesses and defense experts.
All of this has come up because the prosecution has pushed back on Kohberger's alibi, saying this is not enough evidence and they want more.
So will this information, this newly filed motion satisfy a judge? A judge will hear this motion and others in a hearing coming in a couple of weeks -- Jim?
SCIUTTO: Help me understand us and maybe the folks at home. His lawyers are saying he was driving around at the time. Is that right?
MIRACLE: Correct. That is exactly correct. But they would not specify exactly where he was driving.
SCIUTTO: Now that is notable because I know some of the evidence from the prosecution involved his phone pinging cell phone towers in the area before and after the crime, right?
MIRACLE: Exactly. It will be interesting to see exactly what the defense does with that information. Cell phone triangulation that shows where he was in the general area. They're going to push back on that. How is the prosecution going to weigh out that evidence?
So that is going to be something that we will watch come October.
SCIUTTO: Yes, it will be a fascinating trial. Just torture for those families. Veronica Miracle, thanks so much.
Boris?
SANCHEZ: A Ukrainian source telling CNN there were nearly 1,000 pounds of TNT on the sea drone that struck a Russian warship during an attack on a naval base. Details on a big move in the Black Sea when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:52:05]
KEILAR: Over the last 10 years, Dr. Sanjay Gupta has reported on how medicinal cannabis has been life saving for many, focusing several times on young children.
This Sunday, "THE WHOLES STORY WITH ANDERSON COOPER" brings you the latest installment of the award-winning series "WEED." But this time, Sanjay explores how life changing it might be for older adults aged 55 and up.
Sanjay and his team travel to Israel, which some call the Holy Land of medical marijuana, and what he found there might surprise you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): 62- year-old Nama is a cancer survivor. She now deals with chronic pain.
(on camera): Were you taking opioids and other medications for pain?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I tried 10 years before. I stopped work. I couldn't -- could hardly walk. It was difficult, and it was terrible.
GUPTA (voice-over): Her life is so different now. She couldn't even get out of bed back then but is now a thriving yoga teacher.
Her visit today is to learn how to vape cannabis instead of smoking it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So, in Israel at the moment, we have too much people use it by smoke. It's not good for your health.
(KNOCKING)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK: OK, you want to sit down? I think it's going to be more easy for you.
GUPTA (on camera): Keep in mind as you watch this, we're in a clinic in a hospital. This is a treatment that they're administering.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK, so, Nama, this is the vaporizer. We start now. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's a little bit different.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is a little bit different.
GUPTA (voice-over): A difference Nama says she felt almost immediately.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Wonderful. Great. And I'm not coughing.
GUPTA (on camera): You're not coughing?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I wonder how it would be later. But right now, it's wonderful. It's nice.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Nice?
GUPTA (voice-over): Again, what really struck me about all of this as I sat there was that this was all happening in a hospital.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's not a secret anymore. It's not behind the table.
(KNOCKING)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So, this is a huge change.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GUPTA: So, Brianna, I think because of a lot of concerns regarding opioids, and the potential for overdose, there's been this significant push to figure out other options.
As you just saw there, possibly, for some people, the use of cannabis to treat the pain.
Now, in the United States, people who are seniors are the fastest growing demographic of cannabis users. Although, I think it's going to be some time before we get to the point where you see something in the United States like you saw in Israel.
But I think there's no question for many things, be it pain, be it sleep, bet it mood, you're more and more seeing seniors turning to cannabis as an option for some people versus a lot of prescribed medications -- Brianna?
[14:55:10]
KEILAR: Sanjay, thank you so much. Always illuminating.
And be sure to tune in for that all-new episode, "THE WHOLE STORY WITH ANDERSON COOPER," one whole story, one whole hour. That airs Sunday at 8:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific only on CNN.
Jim?
SCIUTTO: Still to come on CNN NEWS CENTRAL, the FDA could soon approve the first pill for postpartum depression. We'll have the important details just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:00:05]
SCIUTTO: Ukraine is taking its counteroffensive right to the Russian Navy.
