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Stewart Returns to "The Daily Show"; Supreme Court Asked to Intervene in Immunity Claim; U.S. Concerned over Russia's Relations with North Korea. Aired 9:30-10a ET

Aired February 13, 2024 - 09:30   ET

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

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[09:31:54]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, he is back. So, in case you had to sleep last night, good for you. Jon Stewart, back anchoring "The Daily Show" for the first time.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JON STEWART, HOST, "THE DAILY SHOW": This guy couldn't remember stuff during his deposition. Do you understand what that means? He had no ability to recall very basic things under questioning. The footage of the president unable to recall simple facts must have been brutal to watch.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: James Webb.

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES (R) AND CURRENT U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE (R): I don't remember the names. Don't remember the names.

I don't remember ever buying something for myself.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did you recall what years you were married to Ms. Maples?

TRUMP: Umm.

I mean I don't remember that, OK? As good as my memory is, I don't remember that. But I -- I have a good memory.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So you don't remember saying you have one of the best memories in the world?

TRUMP: I don't remember that.

STEWART: I'm sorry, that was the wrong -- that was the wrong footage. That's the high functioning candidate from nine years ago unable to recall if he has a good memory.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: With us now, Maria Cardona, CNN political commentator and Democratic strategist, and chairman of the Charleston County Republican Party, Andrew Boucher.

How much did you miss him, Maria?

MARIA CARDONA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I loved it, John. You know, Jon Stewart was just incredible at really bringing home to a really important audience and bringing to new voters what the issues are. And I think he does it in a way that isn't just funny, but it's biting for both parties and both candidates.

And so I think that the Biden administration understands that, but ultimately welcomes it because he does it in a way that also shows the contrast between these two candidates, even with the fact that they are both, you know, elderly. But he's going to show the contrast. He just did. And I think he's going to do it moving on, in terms of what this election really means and the huge difference there is between the two, even as their ages are not all that different.

BERMAN: Andrew, you think it's a roadmap that may the Democrats can follow if they want to get past this?

ANDREW BOUCHER, FORMER ADVISER TO KASICH FOR PRESIDENT: No, I mean, I think Jon Stewart coming back is sort of fan service for a certain subset of the population that's nostalgic for that type of humor.

But, you know, we've got a serious issue right now with who's in the White House. And Joe Biden, after a disastrous three year, its now coming out in these depositions, what we who have been watching this administration have known for a long time, which is, we've got a serious issue with somebody who is incapable of stringing a sentence together, who is forgetful, who is in press conferences needing notes that -- on the most basic things.

So, it's a real constitutional question and it raises questions about his ability to continue to lead.

BERMAN: So, Maria, before you jump in here, and I know you want to, let me just say that what Andrew is leaning into is a line that is very much now part of Republican talking points, particularly on Capitol Hill.

[09:35:12]

"Axios" reports this morning that Republican House leadership plans to try to make this an issue in hearings over the next year, including calling the special counsel, Robert Hur, in to testify, which in and of itself by the way is not unusual. Special counsels often testify.

CARDONA: Sure.

BERMAN: And the quote from "Axios" is, "House Republicans plan to seek testimony from Hur and would ask him both about how Biden's storage of sensitive documents could have hurt national security and about the president's mental acuity in the interview."

So again I put to you, if you are a Democrat, which you happen to be coincidentally, how do you push back?

CARDONA: I do happen to be.

BERMAN: How much do you push back or how do you push back against all this?

CARDONA: Sure, John.

I think what Democrats need to continue to do and focus on is the reality of the contrast. And I don't know -- I guess Andrew didn't actually watch what you just showed. The footage of the person who couldn't remember basic facts, who couldn't answer questions under questioning was not Joe Biden, it was Donald Trump.

And so I think moving forward, what Democrats need to do is to kind of show the ridiculousness of what Republicans are trying to do. Their fecklessness, there un-seriousness of trying to govern, and where they go when they absolutely have no substance, they have no issues with which to offer the American people. And I think, you know, everyone thinks that Hur coming to testify is going to be not something positive for Joe Biden, and certainly Republicans are going to try to make it so, but he's also going to be facing Democrats in that questioning.

And Democratic senators or Democratic members of the House who understand what actually is going on and how Hur overreach, and they're going to be able to really show that Republicans, especially in the House, are desperate to weaponize something like this report because they absolutely have zero to offer the American people and the debacle within the Republican Party that they show themselves just how unserious they are as a party every single day is something that Democrats are going to be able to use to show in this election that Republicans do not deserve any kind of power because they don't know how to govern. They have no interest in doing so.

And the only thing they are there to do is to genuflect at the altar of Donald Trump.

BERMAN: Andrew.

BOUCHER: Right now the Republicans are attempting to perform an important role, when is oversight. We have a chief executive of the United States who is mis-remembering names of world leaders and confusing them with people who have died long ago. That's an important job. It's not a politicization of any. It' s not a partisan issue. Frankly, I think every American should want to know exactly what the capacity of the chief executive of the United States of America is. This isn't a Republicans and Democrats thing, this is an American issue. It's a constitutional issue.

BERMAN: Hey, Andrew, while I have you, you are in South --

BOUCHER: We can't just -- we can't just continue to (INAUDIBLE) what people have seen for the last three years. We have serious issues affecting (ph) --

BERMAN: I want to ask you, since you are in South Carolina --

BOUCHER: What's that?

BERMAN: We're going to use up all our time and I just wanted to get -- I wanted to get one South Carolina primary question in to you while you were in South Carolina.

BOUCHER: Oh.

BERMAN: You know we've been hear -- Bakari Sellers and others have been saying, you know, Nikki Haley may not -- you know, may not win there, but is making some ground with her attacks on Donald Trump, particularly on things that Donald Trump has been saying. What's your view of that?

BOUCHER: Well, I think we're going to find out in a couple weeks. It's really too early to say. Early voting is now underway. I'll say this, both candidates are barnstorming the states. Governor Haley is in the low country this afternoon. President Trump will be here tomorrow. It's showing a lot of respect for the process. It's showing lot of respect for South Carolina and South Carolina Republican voters that they're both working so hard. They're both getting out to meet the voters and talk to voters and find out what's -- what issues are most pressing.

BERMAN: All right, Maria Cardona, Andrew Boucher, thank you both for being with us. Appreciate it.

CARDONA: Thank you, John.

BERMAN: Sara.

SIDNER: All right, how the CDC is now easing COVID-19 isolation guidelines. What you need to know if you or someone you live with test positive.

Also, the major storm system moving through the northeast. It's already impacting travel this morning. Hundreds of flights canceled. Make sure you check with your carrier. We'll talk all about it, coming up.

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[09:44:06]

SIDNER: All right, Donald Trump is asking the Supreme Court to weigh in on his claim he has sweeping presidential immunity. He wants the nine justices to temporarily block an appeals panel ruling that he is not immune from prosecution for actions he took as president. In their request, Trump's legal team cites his busy political calendar, writing, "conducting a months-long criminal trial of President Trump at the height of election season will radically disrupt President Trump's ability to campaign against President Biden."

If the Supreme Court decides to take this issue up, it would be the second Trump case in front of them. Right now they are also considering if he should be disqualified from the ballot in Colorado, which determined he was part of an insurrection.

Joining me now, former Manhattan prosecutor, Jeremy Saland.

All right, there was a deadline. The attorneys met the deadline to get this appeal to the Supreme Court to temporarily try to block the unanimous decision from the D.C. court that was handed down last week.

[09:45:05]

What are the chances and how quickly might this go forward, or when you look at this case, because it has to have a strong possibility of appeal, does the court even take it up. When you look at this, what do you think?

JEREMY SALAND, FORMER MANHATTAN PROSECUTOR: It's a good question if the court is even going to take it up, but this is an emergency application. And what Donald Trump is asking the court to do is not necessarily make a ruling on the immunity issue immediately, but he's asking for a stay because if you recall the appellate court, out of the circuit court out of DC., said, you have to by today, Monday -- or by Monday, you have to either go to the Supreme Court or come back and do on bach (ph), which means all 11 judges in the circuit. But if you come back to us, it's not going to stop that clock from ticking and the case is going to proceed.

So, Donald Trump is asking the Supreme Court to say, time-out, I want to go back there, but don't count this towards me. Don't send it back to Judge Chutkan in the district court.

SIDNER: Do you think there's any possibility of that? Judge Chutkan has been very clear, she stops the case that was -- that was going forward with Jack Smith because she saw all of these issues. She saw them coming forward. Do you think there's a possibility of the court doing that?

SALAND: Well, I would think the court -- a very good chance they could stay this and press that pause button. And then, obviously, Donald Trump and his team have to make that application. They have to grant cert, and it has to go up to the Supreme Court, if they decide to do that. But again, what they can decide to do, they meaning the Supreme Court, could say, we can pause this and before it goes back to the district court we'll give all of those appellate judges in the circuit to have the opportunity to hear this case.

But this has already been briefed, right? This isn't -- I mean its novel obviously in the sense that it's a new idea or concept, but it's already been briefed before that court, so it should be expedited no matter where it goes.

SIDNER: All right, I want to talk to you about another case. The details of the relationship between Fani Willis and the attorney that she hired to help lead Georgia's election subversion case against Donald Trump and more than a dozen other defendants.

Some of the details are getting very problematic, all coming out in a divorce proceeding that has to do with the man she's having a relationship with, who is also an attorney. The courts are looking at whether their relationships started way before they admitted in paperwork and questions over a home that may have been paid -- may or may not have been paid for with public funds that -- where they were meeting. Can you give us some sense of what this might and whether this might impact this -- the case against Donald Trump and others?

SALAND: Well, impacted, it certainly can, but that's differentiated. Impact meaning result in a dismissal and everyone goes -- walks away from this, no, I don't see that happening. Let's break that apart.

I think more practical, if -- if one of the prosecutors, you know, ultimately had a relationship with Ms. Willis, and that predates his assignment to the case, and that $650,000 that Wade made, then that's a concern because the argument would be that before there was this relationship existing, a pre-existing situation, and all those monies that he made, ultimately, some of that came back to ADA Willis -- DA Willis, pardon me, and could have influenced her decision making in the case.

His argument is, no, I was brought on beforehand and this relationship evolved over time. So, inappropriate, potentially is their argument, but in terms of something that would have her removed from the case, her argument is no, but it certainly raises red flags. And the judge is very clear, she may, not necessarily so, but she may have to testify when this hearing comes up later this week.

SIDNER: So the possibility of maybe a recusal, although that -- she is saying that that's not going to happen right now, that would be the big impact on the case, not that the case would be thrown out. Very good to know.

SALAND: Correct.

SIDNER: Jeremy Saland -- Saland, sorry, I know you, thank you so much for coming on with your analysis.

SALAND: That's all right.

SIDNER: Appreciate it

John.

BERMAN: All right, officials in Washington are increasingly worried about Russia and North Korea's relationship, and Vladimir Putin's planned visit to Pyongyang

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[09:52:53]

BERMAN: All right, breaking news, the CDC is expected to ease its COVID isolation guidelines this spring. That's according to "The Washington Post." The new guidance will be that anyone who tests positive no longer needs to stay home from work or school for five days. That is so long as they have been fever free for 24 hours and that their symptoms are mild or improving. That's pretty interesting. In Utah, two National Guard pilots were hurt in an Apache helicopter

crashed during a training exercise. Both pilots were taken to the hospital, later listed in stable condition. The crash is under investigation.

So to our friends in New Orleans this morning, make good choices. It is Fat Tuesday, marking the end of Mardi Gras season. People around the world will mark the day with parades, parties and lots of food and beverages I am told.

The most watched Super Bowl ever and one of the most watched things on television ever. More than 123 million people watched on Sunday, which is really close to how many watched the Apollo moon landing in 1969. And estimated 125 to 150 million people saw that. So, you know, a lot of football, Sara.

SIDNER: And compare that to our show. I mean, what are the possibility --

BERMAN: We're number three on that list. It's moon landing, Super Bowl, CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

SIDNER: OK, John, this is no laughing matter, this story I'm about to tell, but thank you for that.

All right, this morning, U.S. officials are telling CNN there are growing concerns in Washington over the relationship between Russia and North Korea. A relationship that is getting visibly cozier. North Korea is even signaling that Vladimir Putin could visit North Korean Dictator Kim Jong-un sometimes soon. It would be his very first visit there in more than 20 years.

CNN's Katie Bo Lillis has been working on this reporting. What are you hearing from U.S. officials and what is their greatest concern here?

KATIE BO LILLIS, CNN REPORTER: Yes, Sara, so there's a lot of evidence that we can see publicly that this is happening. North Korea has supplied Russia with short range ballistic missiles that have showed up on the battlefield in Ukraine. We've seen a number of high-level meetings in between Russian and North Korean diplomats in recent months.

[09:55:04]

And, of course, now U.S. officials the closely watching North Korean state media reports that Russian President Vladimir Putin may visit Pyongyang. And as you mentioned, of course, if that happens, it would be his first visit to North Korea in more than 20 years. So, a particularly significant development.

I spoke to a number of analysts, both inside and outside of government, about this dynamic. And largely they believe that what's going on here is North Korea is trying to kind of cozy up to Russia in an effort to give itself a little bit of maneuver room when it comes to China. China does have influence over North Korea, but they're not exactly best buddies. North Korea is sort of persistently worried that China is going to amass too much political or economic control over its affairs. And so this effort to kind of cozy up to Russia may be Pyongyang's way of trying to kind of play the two countries off of one another and give itself a little bit of maneuver room.

The concern for U.S. officials is that if North Korea is successful at loosening some of China's influence over its affairs, that it could remove what some U.S. officials see as a very important handbrake on North Korea's nuclear testing program.

And there's some other concerns too here, Sara. Officials are also worried that if -- if -- if trade with Russia increases, that North Korea's economy may accelerate and that it may be able to sort of bolster its own defense industrial production base. And so this is -- this is really more of a kind of bigger strategic concern for the U.S. government that it is kind of an immediate crisis, but it is something that the Biden administration is concerned enough about that the national surety adviser raised this directly with the Chinese foreign minister during a visit last month, Sara.

SIDNER: Yes, this is a huge concern and sad to note that the United States, as most people would believe, they'd be spending money in North Korea on arms, not on feeding there are people.

Thank you, Katie Bo Lillis. I really appreciate your reporting on this.

John.

BERMAN: All right, schools closed, more than 1,000 flights canceled, hundreds of reported car accidents. The impact of this powerful winter storm that is hitting us in the northeast right now.

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