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Biden Slams Trump's Jobs Record Without Saying His Name; Erdogan Expresses Confidence For Grain Deal Solution After Talks With Putin; Labor Day Travel Expected To Break Records. Aired 11:30a-12p ET

Aired September 04, 2023 - 11:30   ET

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

[11:30:00]

TIM RYAN, FORMER DEMOCRATIC REPRESENTATIVE, OHIO: We have to reindustrialize the country. We've got to make stuff again. I don't care how you feel about Joe Biden. The record is clear on what he has done and what the Democratic Congress has done. So, do you want a guy who cut taxes for his wealthy friends at Mar-a-Lago or do you want somebody who wants to bring back manufacturing and build stuff in places like Ohio? That message is clear.

You need an energetic, vigorous campaign over the next year-plus and get that message out. And I think the result the American people that will resonate with them, inflation is still coming down, these jobs are going to come online, these projects are coming online. And I think with a good campaign, there'll be a much different view in a few months.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: You use the words energetic and vigorous. A lot of Democrats are concerned with President Biden's age. President Biden made a joke about his age today, by the way, when he was in Philadelphia, so it's not a subject that is unknown to him. Do you think he is capable of the energetic vigorous campaign you're talking about?

RYAN: He's going to have to be. I mean because he stands between the insurrectionists, the anti-Democratic forces in us keeping America as we know it and love it, and what kind of future do we want to have for our kids. So, he's got to meet the moment. He's got to rise to the occasion.

And again, you know, being out of Congress now, for a few months, John, people out here in places like Ohio, they're not paying attention to every little detail of the political discussion going on in Washington, DC. They will start cluing in, in the last few months of the election next year. And that's when we've got to have some juice gone, we got to have some energy going, we've got to have, you know, a lot of these projects will be coming online, he's going to have a lot to talk about, and it needs to be done in a very energetic way.

BERMAN: You said he's going to have to be. My question was, is he up to the task? That's not -- that's not a yes or no. That's what he's going to have to be. What concerns do you have, if any? RYAN: Well, you know, look. I mean, it's not like he's running against -- you know, if it's Donald Trump, he's not going to be running against somebody who's you know fresh out of college. So, like this is -- these are going to -- be he's an elder statesman. He's got to be who he is. He's delivered, John. He's done a thing.

Again, look, everybody knows who watched my Senate campaign in Ohio, I could from time to time be very, very critical of the administration on different issues. But the reality is, he got the job done. And he needs to talk about that very clearly with a lot of energy.

And there's a lot of different ways to do that. But I think we could be entering an exciting time in America if we put this insurrectionist moment to bed, and we move forward with building stuff and building a future for our kids. And I think as an -- as the elder statesman who's delivered, who's -- you know, fighting the anti-Democratic forces in Ukraine, he's fighting them here at home, he's bringing back manufacturing, and he's doing it in a way with a little bit of class and a little bit of dignity, unlike what we have seen so much on the other side.

I mean, when Mitch McConnell was sick, he called him. Like, there's -- this guy's a humanitarian, he's a good person, you know, and he's done a good job. And I think most Americans when they start calling in, they're going to -- they're going to see that.

BERMAN: Congressman Tim Ryan, nice to talk to you again. Thanks so much for coming on. I look forward to speaking again soon.

RYAN: Always a pleasure. Thanks, John.

BERMAN: Rahel?

RAHEL SOLOMON, CNN BUSINESS ANCHOR: So, ahead for us. A manhunt is intensifying for a dangerous convicted killer who escaped from a Pennsylvania prison last week. We'll have updates when we come back.

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[11:38:03]

SOLOMON: Welcome back. And happening today, critical talks taking place a short time ago between Turkish President Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Erdogan is trying to revive a deal that allows grain from Ukraine to flow through the quarter of ports around the Odessa region to then the rest of the world. He says that he is confident a solution can be breached -- reach rather.

Vladimir Putin, who blames the West for the deals collapses, saying that Russia is open to negotiating. And all of this comes as Ukrainian officials say that two people were injured in Russian strikes in the Odessa region near the Romanian border. The target of the attacks appeared to be infrastructure around the port area.

Let's go to CNN's International Diplomatic Editor Nic Robertson who joins us now. So, Nick, what were some of the takeaways from today's meeting?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Well, I think the big takeaway has to be that the ball hasn't really moved, that Erdogan took in the UN's concrete proposals to Putin. Putin has said yes we can get to those but our needs have to be met first. And this -- these were things that we'd heard from his foreign minister just at the end of last week.

Specifically, Putin wants to be able to import more agricultural equipment. He wants some of their financial mechanisms to be easy for Russia to get payment for its fertilizer and for its grain. Of course, these have been in position sanctions put in place in Russia because Russia chose to go to war in Ukraine. That's why Putin is suffering the effects of the sanctions.

But what he is saying here, in essence is, you know, you want to get us back in the deal, then you're going to have to ease off on us a little bit. And Erdogan -- President Erdogan seems to reflect that a little bit. One of his comments in that press conference that Erdogan and Putin held after their meeting, Erdogan said that Ukraine needs to soften its position if it wants to get on track with Russia or get this Green Deal revived again. So, really, Putin today gets to grandstand if you will on a bigger platform and put out his issues and his complaints. And the deal doesn't at this stage, appear to be moving forward.

[11:40:13]

SOLOMON: Interesting, though, to see Erdogan back in this role of being a bit of a power broker between the two sides. Nic, we also learned that Zelenskyy fired his defense minister. Why would he do that so -- I mean it's a year and a half into the war, why would he do that so far into the war?

ROBERTSON: Well, what the Ukrainians are saying is that Reznikov, the defense minister or outgoing defense minister had requested that himself that he wanted to step down. Look, the -- I don't think anyone's under you know any illusions about what's been going on in Ukrainian military. Zelenskyy has been firing a number of senior officials, particularly on the recruitment side and in other areas, where he perceives there have been -- there's been corruption, and while no corruption allegations have been leveled at Resnikov.

Clearly, the buck stops with what happens in the Defense Ministry and all those commanders under him on his desk so he's asked to step aside. And the man that Zelenskyy is putting in, Rustem Umerov is a Crimean Tatar. He has been involved in international negotiations such as the Black Sea grain deal. He was involved with the Saudis in helping get some prisoners released from the Russians.

He's got a strong international profile. And perhaps one of the strongest cards that he has to play is because he's from Crimea, he has real moral authority when talking to allies and partners about the need to help Ukraine get Crimea back. That is something that he brings. But he's going to have to come into this with real energy and vigor because the international community is slowly beginning to potentially reconsider some of the -- some of the aid or the amount of military aid that they're going to give in the future to Ukraine. There are commitments being made about security pacts and that sort of thing. So, there's going to be -- need to be real energy in the defense ministry. And this is it appears what Zelenskyy hopes to get with his new -- with his new hire.

SOLOMON: Yes. A renewed sense of urgency perhaps because the counter- offensive hasn't exactly gone the way that many would have expected. Nic Robertson live for us in London. Nic, thank you. John?

BERMAN: Some sad news just into CNN. Steve Harwell, the frontman who co-founded the band Smash Mouth has died. His manager confirmed the news this morning and it comes after we learned just last night that Harwell had entered hospice care. He had multiple chart-topping hits with the group including "Walking On The Sun" and "All Star."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN (voiceover): Such a distinctive sound. He retired from the band in 2021. Steve Harwell was just 56 years old. We'll be right back.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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[11:47:27]

BERMAN: As millions of travelers wrap up Labor Day weekend, Americans are bracing for a travel jam at airports and on the roads as they try to make their way home. Labor caps off a record summer travel season and the Federal Aviation Administration predicts that this weekend will be the third busiest holiday weekend of the year.

CNN Aviation Correspondent Pete Muntean on the ground, at least for us today. Pete, what does it look like right now? How bad is it?

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: You know, let's talk about where we are, John. We're about a mile away from the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, which is a huge linchpin here in Maryland. You know, so many people expected to go back and forth over the bridge simply because that's how you get to the beach from the DC metro area and Baltimore.

350,000 people were expected to pass through here on U.S. Route 50 by state officials. And that really is in lockstep with the numbers we saw leading up to this weekend. A survey by The Vacationer taken just before the holiday anticipated 148 million Americans.

We're talking about 57 percent of the country to travel for the Labor Day holiday. And AAA actually anticipated that the numbers this weekend when you factor in rental cars, cruises, hotels, flights for domestic travel would go up about four percent compared to last year.

The way that people are really taking it on the chin is with gas prices. The national average for a gallon of gas of regular according to AAA is $3.81. Really, not all that far off from what we saw around this time last year. And these prices are among the highest we've seen all year long.

It's not really holding people back though, you know. Some of the busiest congestion points beside where -- besides where we are here in Maryland, in Denver on I-70 today will hit peak congestion. Also, on 15 between Palm Springs and San Diego. And on the Jersey Parkway -- on the Garden State Parkway between the Jersey Shore and Manhattan. So, the worst times to travel according to AAA.

Essentially the bottom line here is wait, wait, wait until after 7:00 p.m. today. We are in it right now. The worst time between 10:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. So, if you can put off your trip a little bit, maybe some of the advice occasionally from travel experts, simply wait until tomorrow if you can work, from home which a lot of people are doing these days.

[11:50:01]

BERMAN: Yes. Just stay on vacation. That's always the advice from all the travel experts. Pete Muntean, thank you very much for that. Appreciate it.

SOLOMON: Well, he was the hugely influential architect of rock and roll, but did he ever get his due? CNN Films presents the story of a music legend, "Little Richard: I Am Everything" which explores the black queer origins of rock and roll and the man who brought it all to life. Here's a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He is just like a shot out of a cannon. His voice that -- he created the Rock and Roll icon.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sorry, you all. It wasn't Elvis.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For first songs that you love that your parents hate is the beginning of the soundtrack to your life.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Little Richard's lyrics were too lewd to get airplay on the radio.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He was very good at liberating other people. He was not good at liberating himself.

LITTLE RICHARD, AMERICAN SINGER: Michael was inspired by me. Perhaps James Brown, I discovered him. Jimi Hendrix was my guitar player.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I used to stand on the desk and doing a Little Richard.

MICK JAGGER, SINGER: Everyone was beholden to him.

(END VIDEOTAPE) SOLOMON: And joining us now to discuss is Jason King. He is the Dean of the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California. And he appears in the film. Jason, good to see you again. I talked to Jason about the film yesterday. So, nice to be able to do this again.

Jason, I want to pick up on something you told me yesterday that got my attention. You said he, Little Richard, of course, is someone who in my opinion is one of the greatest and most dynamic figures of the entire 20th Century, not just in music, but in culture. Talk to us a bit about some of his lasting cultural implications.

JASON KING, DEAN, USC THORNTON SCHOOL OF MUSIC: Sure. Little Richard is one of the innovators and inventors of rock and roll music. So, rock and roll is not just music, but it's also a style, right? It's an energy that in some ways defined so much of the 20th Century.

And he was the -- you know, that original innovator, architect, framer of rock and roll. He did that by fusing together New Orleans R&B with gospel music and boogie-woogie in a style that had never been heard before. It displaced what was really popular in music at the time, which was jazz and swing tunes and easy listening, and completely revolutionized the way that people came together around music.

You know, rock and roll had a huge effect also in terms of desegregating America. So, Little Richard being at the center of all of that deserves way more credit for the work that he did in terms of changing the dynamics of 20th century culture.

BERMAN: You know, it's interesting you say he deserves way more credit. I love me a good music documentary. And you watch anything on the Beatles, on Elvis, and The Rolling Stones.

We saw Mick Jagger there, David Bowie, and they all will just gush about Little Richard. Who is your influence? Little Richard, they say. So, how can it be that all the biggest stars in the history of planet Earth point to him, yet he's still somehow underappreciated and not fully understood?

KING: I mean, I think the reasons are obvious. You know, he is somebody who influenced almost everybody who came after him, but he was also a gay or queer black man from the Deep South. He was a gender non-conforming human being at a time of incredibly you know repressed -- like this time of incredible repression and homophobia and you know just conservatism. And so, there's lots of ways in which he wasn't given his due because simply the time didn't allow for someone like Little Richard to be celebrated in the way that we might now.

You know, he -- his music was appropriated. He didn't get proper publishing royalties. He had terrible recording contracts. And he fought for his rights for his entire career. And it really has taken a very long time for people to fully appreciate all that he brought to culture and to music.

SOLOMON: And, Jason, let's stick with that thread a bit more. I want to toss to a clip of you in the documentary, and then I'll ask you on the other side of it one second.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LITTLE RICHARD: And the best new artist is me. I have never received anything. You all never give me Grammy.

KING: Is endearing. It's funny. But as a black man watching that, I heard seething anger that underwrites what he's saying.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOLOMON: And, Jason, I just wonder in 2023, have we come far enough in terms of black artists getting their due or do you think that there is still more work to be done?

KING: I think there's still more work to be done for sure.

[11:55:02]

I think in a lot of ways we have a different language than we had when Little Richard got his start in the 1950s. We have a language around cultural appropriation. We have a language around exploitation, especially racial exploitation. We didn't have that same kind of sophisticated language then.

But I think some of the dynamics in popular music still remain the same. There's a lot of asymmetrical power relationships. Certain people have and other people don't. Some people own and other people don't.

And so, I think there's still a ways to go. But Little Richard fought for those rights for such a long time. And it's really important to give him his due now so that we can really claim you know all that he did and all that is still to come in popular music.

SOLOMON: I know. It's a great point. Jason King, good to see you again. Two days in a row. Nice to chat.

And be sure to tune in to the all-new CNN film "Little Richard: I Am Everything." It premieres tonight at 9:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific right here on CNN.

BERMAN: Thank you all for joining us on this Labor Day. This has been CNN NEWS CENTRAL. Special "INSIDE POLITICS" is up next.

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