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Today: Biden Hosts Meeting With Congressional Leaders; Biden Admin Re-Designates Houthis As Global Terrorist Entity; Bodycam Video Shows Police Raid Home Of Baby On Ventilator. Aired 11:30a-12p ET

Aired January 17, 2024 - 11:30   ET

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

[11:30:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, very shortly, top congressional leaders -- the top congressional leaders will head to the White House for meetings that the whole world is watching, especially in Ukraine. New Age Ukraine hangs in the balance. And this is what House Speaker Mike Johnson said about it just a few minutes ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA): Before we even talk about Ukraine, I'm going to tell the president what I'm telling all of you and we've told the American people, border, border, border. We have to take care of our own house. We have to secure our own border before we talk about doing anything else.

And that's the message I've had since day one. It's a message we'll continue to have. And I think that's the message that the American people want us to deliver.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: CNN's Arlette Saenz is at the White House. Arlette, this comes as there's new reporting that Mike Johnson is also telling Republicans he's not making any deal on the border anyway. So, it sounds like nothing, nothing, nothing.

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, and it's really a reality that this White House has been grappling with for months now. As for the fate of Ukraine aid, the president's request for that aid has been tied up in these talks over changes to border security policy. Now, President Biden is hoping to inject a new sense of urgency into this debate today when he hosts those congressional leaders here at the White House. It's included -- to include the leaders Democrat and Republican from both the Senate and the House, including House Speaker Mike Johnson.

Of course, this will be only the second time that Mike Johnson is meeting with President Biden since becoming the House Speaker. The last time the two met was when he was here at the White House for a briefing on this very issue relating to funding for Ukraine. And the president is expected to make the case to these lawmakers today that it is imperative that the U.S. provide additional aid for Ukraine or else Ukraine will be further hampered and impaired on the battlefield.

It comes as the war between Russia and Ukraine is about to hit the two-month mark in just a little over a month. And the White House has been warning for weeks now that they have really depleted the aid resources that they can provide to Ukraine at this moment. Now, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan just yesterday sat down with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Switzerland.

[11:35:00]

And after that meeting, he said that he is still confident they will be able to get that additional assistance to Ukraine. He said that despite all of the twists and turns, he does think that lawmakers will get there in the end. But the reality here is that this is completely bogged down in those talks over border security policy.

Negotiators, Republicans and Democrats in the Senate have been working for weeks now trying to hammer out some type of deal. The White House has made some concessions in these talks. But so far, House Republicans and Mike's -- House Speaker Mike Johnson have said that they want to see even tougher proposals put forth aside from what is being discussed in the Senate negotiations.

The White House has said that they've seen encouraging progress in those Senate talks. The lead negotiator for the Republicans, James Lankford had said that there's a possibility they could have some text relating to a possible deal. But so much of this will lie in how House Republicans want to handle this going forward.

Whether they will insist on having tougher border policies as any type of funding for Ukraine is passed as well. So, this will be a key meeting between President Biden as the -- and these lawmakers today as he's trying to make the case that that aid for Ukraine is needed ASAP.

BERMAN: And I know you'll be watching very closely. Arlette Saenz, thank you very much. So, the Navy takes new steps to crack down on attacks coming from Yemen as the U.S. issues a new terrorist designation.

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[11:40:48]

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Just this morning, the Biden administration is making new moves against Houthi rebels. Now, labeling the Houthis as a specially designated global terrorist organ -- entity. In the announcement from the Secretary of State, Tony Blinken, he said. This designation seeks to promote accountability for the group's terrorist activities. If the Houthis cease their attacks in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, the United States, will reevaluate this designation.

This is something that obviously the officials say is a bid to deter the Iran-backed rebels from continuing their missile attacks in the Red Sea. But this is the latest action taken by the Biden administration to try and stop or at least deter them from the barrage of attacks that they have leveled since the October 7 Hamas terror attack on Israel.

Now, joining us right now for more on this is Pentagon Press Secretary Major General Patrick Ryder. Thank you so much for coming in. This designation from State, the specially designated as global terrorists, this is not the more forceful I guess I'll describe it as a designation of a foreign terrorist organization. What does this do from the Pentagon's perspective, Major General?

MAJ. GEN. PATRICK RYDER, PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY: Yes. First of all, thanks for having me, Kate. And really what you're seeing here is a whole of government effort in terms of addressing the challenge that these Houthi attacks have continued to demonstrate. You know, what we've seen since mid-November is nearly 30 attacks by the Houthis against international shipping and mariners that are transiting the Red Sea.

And so, we know that this is an international problem that requires an international response, as well as a whole of government response. So, in addition to diplomatic and economic tools, of course, here in the Department of Defense, we're focused on the military aspects of using force. And we'll continue to work closely not only with the interagency of the U.S. government but also our international allies and partners to address this real problem.

BOLDUAN: So, the United States has now also this week, you know, conducted a third round of strikes against Houthis in Yemen. And an official told CNN on Monday that the first operation had destroyed less than a third of the Houthi's weapons capabilities. Can you give us some perspective or a sense of how much of their weapons capabilities have now been destroyed?

RYDER: Yes. So, to be clear, we had the effects that we were looking to achieve in terms of disrupting and degrading Houthi capabilities. In other words, we hit largely the targets that we intended to hit. We are not at war with the Houthis. We don't seek a broader conflict, obviously, but what we can't allow to stand are these reckless, illegal, and dangerous attacks.

And so, again, we're going to call on the Houthis to stop. We're going to continue to work with our international partners to address this problem. And as the president and as Secretary Austin have said -- has said, if we need to take additional steps, we will.

BOLDUAN: You'd said something in a briefing back in December that I've thought quite a bit about on this -- and it was a briefing in late December, and you said that the Houthis need to ask themselves if they've bitten off more than they can chew when it comes to taking on the entire international community. The attacks have not led up since you said that at the briefing, and they do not show signs of letting up. I mean, do you agree that they are not being deterred despite these strikes?

RYDER: Well, as you've seen in the last couple of days, we've seen a couple of additional attacks with missiles. You've also seen the United States take some additional strikes in terms of self-defense when it came to missiles that were being prepared to launch. But to that -- the point that I was making there was you know, for the Houthis again, how far do they want to escalate, and is it in their interest to keep doing this?

Clearly, they're attempting to exploit the situation and the tensions in the Middle East. But what's happening here is not an attack against the United States. It's an attack against the international community. And you've seen nations come together to address this, and with the goal ultimately of ensuring that international shipping and mariners can safely transit this vital waterway.

[11:45:04]

BOLDUAN: Yes, it just -- so far, you know, everyone -- every analyst I've spoken to says that they do not show any signs that they're being deterred despite U.S. and international efforts to do just that. But I do want to ask you before we go about Secretary Austin. We now have obtained the 911 call recording to -- that occurred to bring Secretary Austin to a hospital. The caller requested subtlety from the person -- the 911 operator as the ambulance was arriving at the home. Did the secretary request that the ambulance arrive without lights and sirens?

RYDER: Well, first of all, as you know, the secretary was released from Walter Reed on Monday. He's working from home, recuperating, actively engaged in performing his duties as the Secretary of Defense. As you've heard us say, we're conducting a thorough review to look at the notification timelines, to look at the processes here. And the secretary himself has taken full responsibility in terms of transparency when it comes to his medical status and care and has committed to doing better going forward.

So, we're going to allow that review to run its course. We owe that to the public and to the department. And we'll continue to stay focused on that.

BOLDUAN: OK. So, no comments on that right now. Major General, thank you for your time. Appreciate it. John.

BERMAN: All right. A pro -- police raid in Ohio under scrutiny. The city's mayor is calling for an investigation after police set off a flashbang at a house with an infant on a ventilator inside.

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[11:50:51]

BERMAN: This morning, an Ohio mayor is calling for an investigation after police released a new body camera video showing officers raiding a home and deploying flashbangs. Inside that house, a 17-month-old baby who was on a ventilator.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Police. Search warrant.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) Put your hands up.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My baby's right there. My baby's right there.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. Come to the door.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. Just come down to us.

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My baby's on a ventilator in there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: All right. CNN's Athena Jones, with us now with the latest on the -- this. Athena, what have you learned here?

ATHENA JONES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we've learned -- I can tell you that Waylon, this young son is in the hospital. He is in stable condition. And police -- the mayor of Elyria is calling for an independent investigation by the Lorain County Sheriff's Department into just what happened here.

But you can see on that video, what has startled that young mother was to have police arriving. And within just a matter about 10 seconds or less, releasing the flashbangs, banging on the door, ramming through, and then you see her interaction with them. This mother, Courtney Price says that her son -- there he is there, Waylon, was harmed during this incident, had to be hospitalized, and he was diagnosed with chemical pneumonitis, a form of lung irritation. And this is because she said of his inhaling the chemicals released by the flashbang.

Now, she has put together a GoFundMe page, has already raised more than $30,000, and she has said that her son had to be in an ICU at one point. I just spoke with a hospital who told me that he is in stable condition. So, no more information on his condition there.

But this is of course being looked at by the mayor's office, by the -- by the sheriff's department to find out you know why was this level of force needed in this incident. Now, I can tell you that this is part of an investigation into multiple gun theft. So, multiple stolen guns.

There had been a raid that carried out on a -- on a nearby residence were two juveniles were arrested and three guns were found. They believe that the other stolen guns had been taken to this home. But in the end, only the mother and this young son were in the residence.

And the aunt who owns that home told a local affiliate that the team that they were looking for -- the police were looking for hadn't lived there for more than a year. So, a lot of questions surrounding this. You've got that GoFundMe page. The child is still hospitalized. And the aunt told the affiliate that they're planning to take legal action here, John.

BERMAN: All right. Obviously, a lot of new information coming in. Athena, please keep us posted on this. Thank you. Kate?

BOLDUAN: Coming up for us. Even though the overall U.S. population is getting older, a new report is showing that more and more younger adults are being diagnosed with cancer leaving doctors to now search for answers. The details on who is most impacted and the theories as to why, that's next.

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[11:58:18]

BOLDUAN: So, cancer rates are on the rise among younger adults. This trend is being flagged down by the American Cancer Society. And what they found is that the only group if you will, seeing an increase in the overall incidence of cancer is adults under the age of 50.

CNN's Meg Tirrell has more on this. She's joining us now. Meg, tell us more about this report.

MEG TIRRELL CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Kate. This is adding to evidence that we've been seeing over the past few years and something that really is kind of a mystery in medicine right now. Why are we seeing these rates increase among younger people, particularly for cancers like colorectal cancer? The incidence of that has been rising since the 90s for younger people. And now, it's the leading cause of cancer death for men under the age of 50, the second leading cause for women.

Now, that's up from the fourth leading cause in the late 1990s for both sexes. They see these kinds of trends they're also seeing in pancreatic and gastric cancers as well. And so, there's really a need to figure the is out. They say it's unexplained but likely reflects changes in lifestyle exposures that began with generations born starting around 1950.

Now, overall, guys, the American Cancer Society here, giving projections for the number of diagnoses we should see with cancer in the United States this year of about two million. They're expecting about 611,000 deaths. However, they do say over the past three decades, the mortality rate from cancer has come down by 33 percent.

Mostly because of reductions in smoking, earlier detection for some cancers, and much better treatment in terms of targeted therapies for some cancers and immunotherapies as well. So, really seeing a lot there. But a lot more understanding needs to be done in terms of what's driving these younger diagnoses, guys.

BOLDUAN: Absolutely. Meg, thank you so much for that. It is really interesting. I mean, alarming. But it's interesting that they say lifestyle choices that started generations.

[12:00:02]

There's -- you know, is that what we eat, processed foods, something in the -- that was -- I saw one theory, had to do with the use of antibiotics -- broad use of antibiotics. Kind of changing our gut over generations. I mean, there are so many questions on it.

BERMAN: A lot of those numbers maybe raised my eyebrows. First of all, the numbers for people under 50. But also the cancer -- the deaths from cancer dropping 33 percent since 1991. That's a success right there.

BOLDUAN: Thank God for that. Yes, exactly. It's a great point.

BERMAN: All right. Thank you all for joining us. This has been CNN NEWS CENTRAL. "INSIDE POLITICS" starts now.

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