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Haley Campaign Raises $16.5 Million In January; Blinken Meets With Saudi Crown Prince On Hostages, Gaza; People Trying To Save Money Now Embracing "Loud Budgeting." Aired 11:30a-12p ET

Aired February 05, 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]

EVA MCKEND, CNN NATIONAL POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Helping her I have to say from being out in the state with her just the past week. Folks are showing up in big numbers at these rallies. She does seem to have a lot of momentum.

And a lot of folks are echoing what she's saying. You know, they may have liked the former president, what he did when he was in office, but they believe she is the most competitive person to go up against Joe Biden. Sara.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: It is interesting to watch all this happen, Eva, as we get closer and closer to the primary there. And Super Tuesday, a lot of people wondering if she's going to stick around. I know you'll have the details when they come. Eva McKend, thank you so much. Appreciate it. John?

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. Nikki Haley has been very busy not just raising money. She had an interesting Saturday night. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KENNAN THOMPSON, ACTOR: Our next question comes from someone who describes herself as a concerned South Carolina voter.

NIKKI HALEY, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Yes. Hello. My question is why won't you debate Nikki Haley?

JAMES AUSTIN JOHNSON, ACTOR: Oh my God, it's her. The woman who was in charge of security on January 6. It's Nancy Pelosi.

HALEY: Are you doing OK, Donald? You might need a mental competency test.

JOHNSON: I see dead people.

HALEY: Yes, that's what voters will say if they see you and Joe on the ballot.

AYO EDEBERI, ACTOR: I was just curious, what would you say was the main cause of the Civil War? And do you think it starts with an S and ends with a Lavery?

HALEY: Yes, I probably should have said that the first time. And live from New York, it's Saturday night.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Nikki Haley on "Saturday Night Live." With us now, Meg Kinnard, national politics reporter for the Associated Press. Look, we've seen politicians for generations on "Saturday Night Live." It was interesting to see her such an integral part of that opening monologue.

MEG KINNARD, NATIONAL POLITICS REPORTER, ASSOCIATED PRESS: Hey, John, it's good to be with you. You're absolutely right. Seeing presidential candidates at all different times is nothing new for SNL. But for Nikki Haley, this appearance is really just kind of going along with what she's been doing on the campaign trail, which is attempting to troll Donald Trump.

He says that, essentially, she should be dropping out of the race. There's no point. He's leading her in delegates. But as we see her with that elevated language, as Eva was just mentioning, plus doing things like this, she's taking these jabs at him while also kind of highlighting some of the issues that she herself has had on the slavery issue on the cause of the Civil War. And that's kind of just also bringing that back in front of people, which is an interesting way to do it.

BERMAN: Forgive me, I forget where I read it this morning. I think it was Politico. But they call this the YOLO part of her campaign which the kids mean, you know, you only live once. How do you think it's being received? Is this Nikki -- is this really Nikki Haley unplugged, do you think?

KINNARD: It may be the YOLO moment. That is an interesting way to put it. But what Nikki Haley is really trying to do throughout this campaign is appealing to those people who have previously supported Donald Trump while also kind of going after maybe the more mainstream Republicans that she's used to having support from when she was running for governor the last time, remember was back in 2014. It's kind of a delicate balance.

But you know, that's something that I'm hearing from Republicans here in South Carolina. It's also kind of confusing because when she's doing these things, like saying the cause of the Civil War wasn't necessarily slavery and then walking it back, the Texas border issue can Texas secede, that's another one we've seen coming up lately, it kind of into -- it gives an in message of not really knowing where she stands. And that's what I'm hearing from folks down here.

BERMAN: And of course, in South Carolina, there is no party registration. So, ideological Independents and Democrats could vote in the Republican primary. But there's no real tradition of that either, Meg, at least in any kind of decisive way. But it -- so, how much can she really, you know, hang her hopes on that?

KINNARD: This primary down here is not what we saw in New Hampshire, where independent voters have long traditions of kind of going with whichever primary seems to suit their interests. Here in South Carolina, that's not it. We heard state-level Democrats saying when Joe Biden was in town just the weekend before last, hey, Democrats don't cross over and vote in the Republican election. We have a Democratic primary. You should be participating in that one.

So, it's kind of something fun maybe to talk about, and a notion that Nikki Haley would certainly be benefiting from if some of those people did cross over and vote for her instead of Donald Trump. But there isn't a long tradition of it here. And I'm not really seeing that it's going to be playing a major role in the vote on February 24.

BERMAN: So, if the YOLO path does not work out for Nikki Haley, and if it truly is YOLO an unplugged, presumably Donald Trump would want to have nothing to do with her going forward. So, where would that leave Nikki Haley in the Republican Party in 2025, 2026, and forward?

KINNARD: That's a good question. There certainly has been in conversation that maybe she would be a V.P. pick for him. I personally don't see that necessarily happening.

And let's remember. The Republican Party particularly has a long tradition of people running for the nomination, not making it, but then coming back around in four years.

[11:35:04]

Nikki Haley doesn't have a current office that she has to go back to. So, if she does do well or if at least there's a positive perception of her after whenever her time in this campaign is finished, that may position her well for campaign cycles to come. She's only 52 years old. And currently in our political atmosphere that, is really, really young.

BERMAN: Meg Kinnard, great to speak to you. Thanks so much. Kate?

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: YOLO is not a campaign strategy.

KINNARD: Thank you.

BOLDUAN: Maybe it is. YOLO -- I know we're going to -- we're going to marinate on that one. This is also ahead for us this hour.

We have a first read and assessment from the White House right now on how successful those retaliatory strikes were over the weekend. And new reporting that President Biden has approved further action. And rapper Killer Mike arrested just after winning three Grammy Awards. The charges he's now facing.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:40:18]

BOLDUAN: Secretary of State Tony Blinken is in Saudi Arabia right now and meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Blinken is back in the Middle East. This is his fifth trip to the region since the October 7 Hamas terror attack on Israel. He's trying to make progress on a hostage deal and also a longer-term plan for a pause for Gaza. That very same time, Iran's foreign ministry is lashing out against the United States, condemning the U.S. strikes against Iran-backed militias in Syria, in Iraq, and Yemen. And there's new reporting this morning that President Biden is already approving further action.

Let's get over to the Pentagon. CNN's Natasha Bertrand is standing by for us. Let's start there. Are you getting any indication from the administration on what that further action could be or look like?

NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, they're really not telegraphing any of their moves, Kate. Understandably because they do not want to give these Iran-backed militias and Iranian militants a heads up of where exactly they are going to strike. Because according to the administration, they don't want to escalate unnecessarily or kill, you know, more civilians or more people than they are actually aiming at. And so, they have not given us a good sense of where that action is going to be next, or even if it's going to be some kind of kinetic action or non-kinetic action.

For example, cyberattack, which we had been told was a possibility as a response to the attack that killed three U.S. service members in Jordan last month. But one thing that we have been told is that it is extremely unlikely that the administration is going to attack inside Iran itself. The administration has said repeatedly that they do not want to go to war with Iran. They're trying to de-escalate tensions in the region rather than escalate them.

However, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan did say just yesterday that that response that we saw on Friday night with strikes in Iraq and Syria, that is only the first step of the response to common. There will be more. Here's what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAKE SULLIVAN, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: We are still assessing the battle damage. Our CENTCOM, Central Command, is looking at the capabilities we reduced and the casualties that were incurred. The president was clear when he ordered them and when he conducted them that that was the beginning of our response, and there will be more steps to come.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERTRAND: Now, the question is, how much can the administration actually do to degrade these groups' ability to conduct these attacks on U.S. forces for good? Because they have repeatedly struck U.S. and coalition bases in Iraq and Syria over the last several months, over 160 times. And it remains to be seen whether or not they're actually going to be deterred by these latest round of strikes, Kate.

BOLDUAN: But still, there is a kind of a preliminary assessment that you're getting from defense officials about how successful they believe the -- this -- the strikes have been that started on Friday. What are you picking up?

BERTRAND: So, according to defense officials, the U.S. does believe that they successfully hit 84 out of the 85 targets inside Syria and Iraq that they were targeting on Friday night. According to a defense official, all but one of those 85 targets were "destroyed or functionally damaged." And there is still a pro-strike analysis underway that is going to determine just how much of that was actually fully destroyed. How much of the capabilities have been degraded here?

But one thing defense officials really wanted to emphasize here, which is interesting is that there is no indication at this point that any Iranians themselves were actually killed in these attacks. Given the administration's desire to avoid a full-scale war with Iran, that is a very significant detail.

BOLDUAN: Yes, it sure is. It's good to see you, Natasha. Thanks for reporting. Sara?

SIDNER: All right. Coming up in just a bit "ON OUR RADAR" this morning.

Boeing says it has found a new problem during the production of 737 Max airplanes. A part supplier notified the plane maker that two holes may have been missed-drilled on 50 undelivered planes. Boeing says the issue is "not an immediate flight safety issue, and all 730 sevens can continue operating safely, but it will cause delays in their shipment and production schedule."

Patrick Mahomes Sr., a former MLB pitcher and father of Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was arrested over the weekend on suspicion of driving while intoxicated. That happened in Texas. The 58-year-old's arrest comes just one week before his son takes on the 49ers in Super Bowl 58 in Las Vegas.

Mahomes Sr. was released from jail yesterday after posting a $10,000 bond. According to jail records, he has been booked 11 times since 2009 with five previous DWI charges.

OK, some drama as there always is at the Grammy Awards last night. Rapper -- but this one's different. Rapper Killer Mike won three awards. A big hole for him. Then, got arrested just moments later.

[11:45:00]

The LAPD says he was booked on a misdemeanor battery charge. It apparently involved in altercation at a pre-televised event for the Grammys. He was later released on his own recognizance.

All right, the 2026 FIFA World Cup's grand finale, John is listening closely to this story. It set to light up MetLife Stadium in New Jersey beating out Texas and California. The U.S., Canada, and Mexico will share the stage for this expanded tournament, that for the first time will feature 48 countries instead of a typical 32-team tournament. MetLife Stadium can seat more than 82,000 fans. John, are you buying your ticket?

BERMAN: I am willing to be a plus one for anyone who has an extra ticket.

SIDNER: Excellent.

BERMAN: Call me. All right, a new internet trend has people getting open and honest about their budgets. Could it help you save money?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:50:57]

BOLDUAN: Touchdown in Vegas. OK. Obviously, not an actual touchdown, but they are at least touching down in Sin City. The San Francisco 49ers, Kansas City Chiefs, they all arrived last night, which is a big deal because the only thing I care about are their pregame fashions. And you can see, they're fancy.

The 49ers and the Chiefs, they met at the Super Bowl four years ago in Miami, which I remember so fondly. But that was long before the Chiefs Travis Kelce started dating Taylor Swift, which clearly has changed everything in football. Taylor Swift is scheduled to perform in Japan on Saturday, if you were unaware, sparking fears that she would not make it to Vegas IN time.

This is now such a thing that this weekend, the Japanese embassy in Washington actually put out an official statement to try to alleviate concerns stating that Swift will be able to make it back to the United States and to Vegas in time for the big game. You know, who is not hating on Taylor Swift and this magic, John? Bob Kraft. He thinks it's a good thing.

BERMAN: I think it's a great thing. I believe in love. And, Kate, I just want to say, you know, as an experienced traveler, I'm wondering what tips you have for Taylor Swift as she tries to get from Japan to the Super Bowl in time. No middle seat, right?

BOLDUAN: No middle seat. I would also -- given that I'm a broken woman, a good light came back patch for those many hours. But as you have uncovered, there are no middle seats when you fly private. So, I think she's going to be fine.

BERMAN: It's hydrate. Lots of hydration, Kate. Thank you very much for that.

So, what started as a joke is now a new -- a hot new financial trend. It is called "Loud Budgeting." And followers say it makes talking about money and saving a lot less awkward because this isn't awkward at all. CNN's Vanessa Yurkevich is with us now to explain. Vanessa?

VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN BUSINESS & POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: So, you may have heard about something called Quiet Luxury last year. This was a trend on TikTok. It was all about being subdued about how much money you had. Don't be showy.

Loud budgeting is just the opposite of this. And the guy who started it on TikTok says that this new trend is for everybody. Your average Joe.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) YURKEVICH (voiceover): In an online world where opulence is king.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was sad, so I went shopping.

YURKEVICH (voiceover): This was a joke.

LUKAS BATTLE, COMEDIAN & WRITER: Loud budgeting is a new concept I'm introducing for 2024. It's the opposite of quiet luxury. If your friend texts you I want to hang out, you say I don't want to spend gas money on coming to you to hear you talk about your extra three hours.

YURKEVICH (voiceover): Comedian and Gen Zer, Lucas Battle, inadvertently started a new financial trend.

YURKEVICH: What is loud budgeting?

BATTLE: Loud budgeting is kind of new terminology for people to use when they don't want to spend money. And I think it's a term people can use that doesn't make talking about money awkward.

YURKEVICH (voiceover): The joke took off with his more than 600,000 TikTok followers, financial influencers, and even himself.

YURKEVICH: Were you surprised by how many people have related to it?

BATTLE: Yes. Only because -- and I would love to say I'm a genius, brilliant economist, but this is like a concept that's been around. And I really do think the loud part in front of it is what people are kind of drawn to.

YURKEVICH (voiceover): Gen Z and millennials especially feel the burden of inflation, expensive housing, and student loan payments. Budgeting has been around since the beginning of time. But in just the four weeks since Battle came up with loud budgeting, more and more people are feeling they now have permission to talk about it.

YURKEVICH: What do you think about that being transparent about the fact that you're on a budget?

JAMES SAMPSON JR., SOCIAL WORKER: I think more so it should be normalized about budgeting and saving.

YURKEVICH: Why do you think so many people are resonating with it?

VIVIAN TU, FOUNDER, YOUR RICH BFF: Because for so long, we have been shamed into silence. Loud budgeting is amazing because instead of having to hide and like be ashamed about the fact that you have debt or need a budget or want to save for certain things in your life, you can proudly say them and share them with your friends.

[11:55:04]

YURKEVICH (voiceover): Gen Z and millennials social media as most active users were either entering the job market or working when the pandemic hit. Despite having the lowest financial literacy of any generation, recent economic uncertainty has made them the hungriest for information.

TU: With the social mediafication of society, keeping up with the Joneses is no longer the Joneses. We're keeping up with the Kardashians. So, we're starting to get visualizations of wealth that most regular people will never ever see in their lives.

And so, if I'm a young person and I'm in an environment where I feel like it's going to be challenging for me to succeed, I want to arm myself with as much information as I possibly can to give myself that leg up.

YURKEVICH (voiceover): And that makes it cool to talk about money, not just on social media.

BATTLE: Through all this attention, which I love, I've decided that I want to become an economist -- an economist, which means that I'm going to have to push Janet Yellen out of office.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SIDNER: John.

YURKEVICH: And loud budgeting is actually a larger part of a bigger financial trend on social media, something called FinTok. It's financial TikTok. It's a community of billions of people who go on TikTok and look up financial information.

But let's be honest. You're getting financial information from everyone from a stay-at-home mom who is really, really good at budgeting.

SIDNER: Yes.

YURKEVICH: And then you're also getting financial information from experts or Finfluencers.

SIDNER: Wow.

YURKEVICH: So, the important thing to do is to make sure you cross- reference all that information that you're getting to make sure it's real.

BOLDUAN: I was --

SIDNER: Hey, John and Kate. So, I cannot hang out with you guys this weekend because I'm on a budget.

YURKEVICH: Loud Budgeting.

BOLDUAN: Here is loud budgeting. Stop spending, John.

BERMAN: Vanessa, thank you very much for all of this.

BOLDUAN: Sorry, Vanessa.

SIDNER: Poor Vanessa. Thank you for joining us. This is CNN NEWS CENTRAL. Hope your budgets are doing very well. "INSIDE POLITICS" is up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

END