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Opposition Leader Navalny Reportedly Missing From Russian Prison; Zelenskyy To Meet With Biden, Senators & House Speaker Johnson; CNN Poll: Biden Trailing Trump In MI & GA, States He Won In 2020. Aired 11-11:30a ET

Aired December 11, 2023 - 11:00   ET

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

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[11:01:46]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Breaking News, where is Alexey Navalny? His team says they've lost all contact with the imprisoned Russian opposition leader last known to be in a penal colony just east of Moscow. They say his whereabouts are unknown.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN HOST: Brand new polling out this morning from key general election swing states. Major warning signs for President Joe Biden but also an Achilles heel for Donald Trump.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN HOST: Ukrainian President Zelenskyy is headed to Capitol Hill trying to secure more funding for Ukraine's war against the Russian invasion. Is he on an impossible mission though? The new reporting on what he's up against on Capitol Hill. I'm Kate Bolduan with John Berman. Fredricka Whitfield is in for Sara today. This is CNN new Central.

WHITFIELD: Breaking news jailed opposition leader, Alexey Navalny has gone missing from a Russian prison. Navalny has been in a penal colony east of Moscow. But now his team says his whereabouts are unknown and he has been missing for now six days. CNN chief international anchor Christiane Amanpour joining us right now. All right, so Christiane in recent, you know, interviews, his daughter on our air actually has expressed how concern she and her supporters have been about his health and conditions. And now that his team says he has been missing for now six days, are they thinking the worst?

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Look, it's really hard to tell what is the motivation? Where is he? All we can say is what his team inside Russia have told us that they've searched and they've gone to two penal colonies, and he's not there. And then the question of, why now? Some speculate that because he is the most prominent, the most articulate and most followed, and the most internationally renowned opposition figure inside Russia, President Putin did not want him around and able to communicate with his following when he announced that he's going to seek a fifth term. And did not want a Navalny need to do his usual, quote unquote, spoilers, because he will be out there telling the Russian people why Putin is anti-democratic waging what he would call an illegal war against Ukraine, and basically doing what he always does.

Now, Navalny has been in this penal colony for a while. He was sentenced to 11.5 years the first time and then another 19 years. He has been poisoned. The Russians deny it. The government denies it. But he was discovered to have been poisoned in about 2020 with Novichok, which is the same nerve agent that was used to poison two expat Russians here in the U.K., former spy and his daughter, the Skripals. And so his life is very, very precarious. And his safety is very, very precarious.

I asked him directly why now that he was free outside Russia, why he wanted to go back to Russia, given the fact that Putin's government wants to silence him. This was a few years ago. Here's what he said.

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AMANPOUR: Why do you want to go back? And I guess, do you think you'll be safe when you go back?

[11:05:03]

ALEXEY NAVALNY, RUSSIAN OPPOSITION LEADER: Well I don't think that I can have such a privilege being safe in Russia. But I have to go back because I don't want these, you know, groups of killer exist in Russia. I don't want Putin be ruling of Russia. I don't him being president. I don't want him being Tsar of Russia, because well, he's killing people. He's the reason why ours -- the whole country is degrading. He's the reason why people are so poor. We have 25 million people living below the poverty line, and the whole degradation of system. Fortunately, for me, including system of association of people, he's a reason over that. And I want to go back and try to change it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AMANPOUR: So that's his motivation. And he was absolutely determined, despite a lot of advice from those in the international community that his life would be increasingly in danger. But all those things, he just laid out the poverty level, you know, the difficulties, the anti- democratic movement in Russia have only got worse, of course, with the war against Ukraine. And so now it is, you know, time for Putin to say he's going to stay in power even longer. Maybe he wants Navalny out of the way for a few days, but it's very difficult to surmise what actually has happened to him.

He's been on hunger strike in the past. His health hasn't been good in the past. We don't know whether it's a, quote unquote, best case scenario that he's been kept out of public life for the moment or a worst case scenario, that he is either incredibly sick or worse.

WHITFIELD: All right, Christiane Amanpour, thank you so much. Of course everybody is wanting to know especially his attorneys and families about his whereabouts. Thanks so much. Kate? BOLDUAN: President Biden is going to be hosting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House tomorrow. It is Zelenskyy's third trip to Washington since Russia invaded his country and this is likely his toughest trip yet. The Biden administration has been sounding the alarm. We've been talking about it for weeks about the need for Congress to improve more aid for Ukraine. It hasn't gone anywhere. And then the White House is now warning -- has been warning that current military aid to Ukraine is about to run out. CNN's Arlette Saenz is at the White House. She's joining us now. Arlette, you're also learning more details about how and why this trip really kind of came together and came about. What are you learning?

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kate, the White House finalized those details and plans to have Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visit the U.S. on Friday. Zelenskyy was already set to be traveling to Argentina over the weekend for the inauguration of the president there. And since he was sitting the same hemisphere thought, it was a good idea to come here to Washington at this time. They decided to move forward with that trip at a time when that nearly $60 billion in funding for Ukraine are remains in limbo up on Capitol Hill.

Now Zelenskyy will be here at the White House tomorrow afternoon. But he starts his day up in Congress, meeting with lawmakers. There will be a briefing with the full Senate and then a one on one meeting with House Speaker Mike Johnson. Zelenskyy, a White House official argued to me this morning is really the best advocate for his own country and is hoping to be able to make this personal appeal to lawmakers to approve this aid.

But that personal appeal doesn't necessarily guarantee that Republicans will get on board with passing this additional U.S. assistance from -- for Ukraine. Some Republicans have wanted the administration to outline a bit more of the path forward in Ukraine. And then there's also the issue of border policy as some Republicans are insisting that any aid for Ukraine or Israel also include changes to border policy in this country.

Senators have been working for weeks trying to see if they could reach some type of agreement on that front. President Biden himself last week said that he is open to some changes when it comes to border policy. But there's very clearly a very tough road ahead. Lawmakers are set to depart at the end of the week. It's unclear whether they'll be able to get -- come together on that border piece.

And the White House has been warning that time is running out to get more aid to Ukraine. Zelenskyy is expected to make that personal appeal, urging lawmakers to pass that assistance as he's here tomorrow.

BOLDUAN: All right, so we'll be with the President for his third visit with the President tomorrow at the White House. Arlette, thank you so much. But first to Capitol Hill. John?

BERMAN: Yes, let's go right to Capitol Hill right now. Arlette was talking all about these meetings that Zelenskyy will have up there. CNN's Lauren Fox on Capitol Hill. How daunting of a task is it Lauren?

LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I mean, it's extremely daunting for President Zelenskyy in part because he is meeting with stakeholders who have yet to find a path forward on that critical border security piece that Arlette was discussing. Perhaps his most important meeting tomorrow is the one he will have with newly minted House Speaker Mike Johnson. That is because it is a relationship that will be so key and essential to shoring up in the months ahead even if there isn't action in the next several days on this supplemental package, when they return in January, you can expect that this will again, be a topic of discussion, and it is going to be up to Speaker Johnson to decide whether or not to put this package on the floor, assuming any agreement on that border peace actually happens in the next several weeks, which is still obviously a very tall order.

[11:10:26]

But, you know, Johnson has many conservatives, just like former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy did, who are opposed to more funding for Ukraine and simply deciding to put a bill on the floor of the House, could be decisive, could also be seen as many on the hard right, as something that the speaker shouldn't be doing at all. So you can expect that Zelenskyy's meeting tomorrow with Speaker Johnson what he implores him to do when he talks about the importance of this money. All of that is going to be extremely critical.

He's also going to be meeting with that bipartisan group of senators, but many of them are already supportive of this funding, despite the fact again, that they are still trying to find that critical, perfect middle ground when it comes to border security that remains very elusive up here on Capitol Hill.

BERMAN: All right, Lauren Fox on the Hill, keep us posted. Kate?

BOLDUAN: Coming up for us, a new look at the state of the 2024 presidential race, how voters feel about a possible Biden-Trump matchup right now in Georgia and Michigan, and in Iowa, how Trump is gaining ground rather than gaining a real challenge as the Republican field narrows.

Plus, Rudy Giuliani in court right now, jury selection is now underway and the defamation trial against him. How much is he going to -- is he going to have to pay for those lies that he told about two Georgia election workers. That's at the key -- that's at the center of this. And the Texas Supreme Court has temporarily blocked a woman from getting an emergency abortion she says her life is on the line and now what this pause and the latest move by the state of Texas could mean for her health. We'll be right back.

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[11:16:46]

BERMAN: So is there enough time or a path for one of Donald Trump's Republican rivals to overcome his historic polling lead in Iowa, 35 days, 32 points. That's how much Trump leads by. He's a 51 percent in the Des Moines Register brand new poll. That's a record lead this close to caucus day. Brand new CNN polling shows Trump is leading President Biden in hypothetical general election matchups in key battleground states in both Georgia and Michigan, which were both crucial to Biden's victory in 2020. With us now, CNN political director, David Chalian. These new CNN polls, tough, tough numbers for President Biden, David.

DAVID CHALIAN, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: There's no doubt about it. These represent two of the five states, John, you know that he flipped from red to blue that helped deliver him his 2020 victory. And Donald Trump has a lead in both of them. Take a look in our Georgia results. You see Trump ahead of Biden, they're 49 percent to 44 percent, 7 percent unsure, and the lead is even wider for Trump in Michigan where Biden's victory in 2020 was actually wider than it was in Georgia, 50 percent for Trump, 40 percent for Biden, 10 percent of the electorate, really not into either one of them at the moment. But this is -- these are -- this is a clear warning sign to Joe Biden that he and his team have a lot of work to do over these next 11 months.

BERMAN: So one group that will be crucial or would be crucial for President Biden, and frankly, almost any Democrat is younger voters. What's in these polls -- what did these polls say about younger voters, David?

CHALIAN: So we were looking at folks here under 45. That's what we sort of defining as younger voters of a larger slath -- a swath of the electorate there. But under 45 years old, and this is about sharpness and stamina, is the sharpness and stamina of Joe Biden, exactly what you're looking for were the sharpness and stamina of Donald Trump exactly what you're looking for in the presidential candidate. Look at that, John, 27 percent of those voters under 45 in Georgia, say, yes, that's exactly what they're looking for in Biden, 54 percent, a majority of them say Trump does have the sharpness and stamina they're looking for. And you see a near identical result in Michigan.

BERMAN: That's -- those are huge numbers right there. That is a big, big margin between Trump and Biden.

CHALIAN: And it shows you what a challenge. This is a problem that doesn't go away with time, obviously, right, age. And so this shows the challenge over the next 11 months that this is going to be something that Biden has to constantly address, reassure, convince folks of that he does indeed have the stamina to serve out another term.

BERMAN: Now, again, tough polls for Joe Biden, but there may be for President Biden, but there might be something of an Achilles heel inside these numbers for Donald Trump as well. David, what's that?

CHALIAN: I think you're right to note this, John. It's about his legal troubles here. So we asked if indeed, the charges against Trump for overturning -- or attempting to overturn the legitimate election results in 2020 if indeed they're proven true would that disqualify him? Well, look at that, 47 percent of voters in Georgia say, yes, if they're proven true that would be disqualifying and another 14 percent on top of that, John, say that it would cast real doubts about his fitness for office.

[11:20:14]

And you see a near identical result in Michigan. So that -- when you see that only four in 10 voters in these two critical battleground states says that if these charges are proven true that that's not relevant to Trump's fitness for office. That is a clear concern for Trump. And it's what we've seen in some other polls, as you recall, that showed us that the needle does move when Pete -- when voters, at least in this early polling a year out, consider how they would think about Trump if he were actually convicted in these trials.

BERMAN: And just, you know, yes, this is a hypothetical. But it is not a farfetched hypothetical. This is a trial at least as of now scheduled to take place at the beginning of March. And it's absolutely conceivable that he'd be found guilty in that trial, even before the conventions. We'll just have to wait and see there. I want to circle back to the Iowa poll David right now and talk about Donald Trump's lead there. It's a 51 percent there, his lead has grown. And one of the things that's happened since the last Des Moines register poll is some candidates have dropped out of the race, people wondering, oh, you know, get that one-on-one matchup with Donald Trump or fewer candidates. And that's how you take them down. Maybe not so much.

CHALIAN: Well, not if you tried to do the math here. I mean, you could add up everything else. And, you know, when you're at 51 percent, you've got a majority of the vote and your right to know that as the field is shrinking, we're seeing Donald Trump get a little stronger. And that's an important reminder because voters who say they are not yet locked in, though most of Trump voters say they are. Donald Trump is still a potential consideration for them. So it's not as if he's hit his ceiling.

BERMAN: Yes. And again, he's leading him on first time voters, among all the groups he needs to. David Chalian talking your throat dry. We appreciate the personal sacrifice you made by coming on and putting your body at risk like this. Thank you so much for being with us. CNN political director and CNN hero, David Chalian.

BOLDUAN: I think he's allergic to us.

BERMAN: Yes.

BOLDUAN: I mean like his job visually allergic to us. And now we've broken one of the most important people at CNN, David Chalian.

All right, joining us now is CNN political analyst and Washington bureau chief for the Boston Globe, Jackie Kucinich. Jackie, I hope you're not allergic to me. Over the years, my friend, I really hope that you've not developed that allergy quite yet. Let's start where they left off.

JACKIE KUCINICH, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Off course not. Off course not.

BOLDUAN: Let's start in Iowa. David Chalian pointed out this morning that when you look at Trump's lead in Iowa over the Republican field, it is now the largest lead that any Republican has held this close to the Iowa caucuses. You can never say someone's inevitable but you see, take a look at these numbers --

KUCINICH: Right.

BOLDUAN: What does this say about Donald Trump? What does this say about Ron DeSantis? What does it say about Nikki Haley right now?

KUCINICH: I think it says a lot of things, honestly. I think that, you know, Donald Trump really does have a hold on those Iowa voters. And we haven't seen that diminished through this contest. And you had the Nikki Haley, Ron DeSantis, trying to make the electability argument that they're more electable. And now you have, you know, national polls and state polls that show that former President Trump could potentially defeat President Biden.

So that argument is kind of out the window and you haven't seen DeSantis or Haley really make the inroads that they needed to. And, you know, DeSantis has had umpteen endorsements so has Nikki Haley. But DeSantis have been some of the most high profile people in Iowa. And none of that has seemed to make a dent. And, you know, it is -- we've both covered some pretty crazy Iowa caucuses over our years. But this one just seems to -- Trump really does seem to be on a glide path to winning the Iowa caucuses this year or next year rather.

BOLDUAN: And Jackie, I don't know if we talked about like, a bigger look at this. You'll -- if you look at the change over time since October, I mean, you've got more -- since then more Republicans have started dropping out of the race. And John and David were talking about this too, and longtime adviser to Mike Pence, Marc Short, he has been hammering me with this is kind of like the counterintuitive take on what the direction this race takes, rather than that whole consolidating the field concept doesn't strengthen the alternative to Trump but rather makes him seem more inevitable. Is that -- do you think that's what we're seeing play out here?

KUCINICH: Potentially, I mean, Marc Short, usually knows what he's talking about. So he's definitely worth listening to, particularly when it comes to places like Iowa. But I do think we're seeing his sport. We've just seeing it more solidified. That said, if you do look in the poll, there are 46 percent of people I think that say that they are persuadable perhaps they will not I vote for Trump perhaps they'll, you know, go for Haley or DeSantis at the last minute. But really when you look at these numbers, I mean we have the pollster herself saying this is a historic lead that he has in this Iowa poll.

[11:25:14]

BOLDUAN: Yes, it sure is. It's great to see you, Jackie. Thank you.

KUCINICH: Thanks so much Kate.

BOLDUAN: Fred?

WHITFIELD: All right. Right now Rudy Giuliani is in court as the trial begins to decide how much he has to pay to Georgia election workers for the lies he told about them after the 2020 election. Plus, a Texas woman who was granted an emergency order to get an abortion, then have that order blocked is now waiting for another court decision to terminate her high risk pregnancy. She is now more than 20 weeks pregnant with her own health on the line.

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