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Democrat Wins Ousted Santos' Seat, Narrowing House GOP Majority; Now: Suspect Barricaded, Three Police Officers Hurt In D.C.; Kansas City Mayor: Chiefs Kingdom & Swifties Are Great Together. Aired 11:30a-12p ET

Aired February 14, 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]

RAHEL SOLOMON, CNN ANCHOR: Power even thinner. Democrat Tom Suozzi won the special election to take the seat vacated by disgraced New York Representative George Santos. Now, when he takes that seat, Republicans will have just two votes to spare.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. And Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas was impeached by just a one-vote margin. So, you can see how close things are. CNN's political director, and sometimes CNN NEWS CENTRAL anchor David Chalian is here with us.

We have now -- since we last spoke, which was actually just like an hour and a half ago, House Speaker Mike Johnson came out trying to spin the loss. They're saying, you know what, you know, if I were the Democrats, I wouldn't be happy with the results in New York Three.

DAVID CHALIAN, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Yes. I'm sure if they had won the race, he would also not be happy if they won the race, right?

BERMAN: Yes.

CHALIAN: Yes. Obviously, he was doing his best to put a positive face on what is a -- you know, bad loss for them. And as you just noted, the Mayorkas vote is a perfect example. In fact, you know, given absences or whatever, if Suozzi had already been sworn in, that may not have happened.

Yet again, that could have failed. So, he knows he has such a complicated task. He's trying to keep morale high among his troops, obviously.

SOLOMON: Let's switch gears for just a moment. Let's talk about Nikki Haley this morning on the "Today" show, essentially saying that she is still competitive. She pointed to delegates. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CRAIG MELVIN, ANCHOR, NBC NEWS: Is there one state where you can see right now, we can win there?

NIKKI HALEY, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You need 1215 delegates. Coming out of New Hampshire, he had 32, I had 70. We've got multiple states. After South Carolina, within 10 days -- 10 days, we're going to hit 20 states. Let it happen. As long as we keep it competitive --

MELVIN: Well, so --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOLOMON: So, David, on the one hand, she didn't answer the question in terms of is there a state. On the other hand, she said, look, she's still competitive. I mean --

CHALIAN: I --

SOLOMON: Does she have a point?

CHALIAN: It depends on how you define competitive. I mean, yes, there haven't been many delegates awarded yet. There have only been a few contests. And she's gotten some and Donald Trump has gotten more.

Does that mirror the reality -- the political reality of what we're doing? No, not at all. I mean, Nikki Haley has a very tough climb ahead here.

And I actually think that this period between New Hampshire and South Carolina has been so long that it has been hard for her to maintain a truly competitive race. They put out occasionally the fundraising that they do to show that there are still anti-Trump Republicans willing to write checks to her and keep her campaign afloat. But there was a brand-new poll out of South Carolina this morning, that showed Donald Trump 35 points ahead.

This is in her home state that she says she's going to get even closer to him than she did in New Hampshire. We'll see.

BERMAN: There's not just the math issue. There's also a messaging issue which is sometimes in conflict with itself. As part of CNN's fantastic New York Three special coverage yesterday. And I was out at Kroll Place High School, home of the frogs.

CHALIAN: Come frogs.

BERMAN: Dana Bash did a great interview with Nikki Haley, where she pushed Nikki Haley, are you going to stand by your loyalty pledge to support the Republican nominee, even if it's Donald Trump? And she won't answer the question yesterday. This morning, on the "Today" show, this is what she said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HALEY: Every Republican nominee signed a pledge before they could even get on the debate stage that said, if the -- we were not the nominee, would we support the nominee? And I said, yes. And I stand by that, that I would support the Republican nominee.

(END VIDEO CLIP) CHALIAN: I think it's one of the most intellectually dishonest things that Nikki Haley is doing. Because every day on the campaign trail, she is out there saying Donald Trump's not qualified to be president. She talks about his disrespect for those who serve their country in uniform, and that he can't be trusted to be the commander-in-chief.

Well, then how can you square that with pledging your support for him if he is the eventual nominee, which he's likely to be? And I get she's running against him. I get that she's making the case there are many more contests to go, and she wants the opportunity to go collect delegates and continue to take this race to him.

That's fine. But if he's the eventual nominee -- and by the way, the question on that debate stage was, even if he's a convicted felon, do you stand by it? And she's standing by that pledge. So, she thinks he's disqualified. Even if he's a convicted felon, she thinks he's not suited to the commander-in-chief. But she's ready to stand and support the nominee that the party -- (INAUDIBLE)

SOLOMON: And just to that point, she said she doesn't think that the American people will vote for a convicted felon. But -- or -- I mean, that's essentially what she got to I mean, so she's sort of banking on that this will happen before November, and that she'll still be standing.

CHALIAN: Yes. The big question I have for that is, what does that mean to still be standing? Nikki Haley is not shown to be all that popular with conservative Republicans who dominate the convention and the people that nominate the candidates. And so, is she going to be the fallback plan if somehow Donald Trump disappears from the equation, which I don't see happening for a Republican Party dominated by Republicans and conservatives? I think that's an open question.

BERMAN: Sort of on the next episode of The West Wing situation here. David Chalian, thank you very much.

CHALIAN: Sure.

BERMAN: Great to see you.

[11:35:00]

SOLOMON: All right. Still ahead for us. Lloyd Austin reporting for duty. New video of the defense secretary back at work, working remotely after he was rushed to the hospital on Sunday.

Plus, what's the difference between a box of chocolates and a Valentine's Day box of chocolates? Well, money, of course. We'll break down the inflated special occasion candy costs when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SOLOMON: All right. Now, to a developing situation unfolding right now in our nation's capital. Three D.C. police officers were shot and injured while trying to serve an arrest warrant this morning. The suspect apparently remains barricaded inside a home.

This is obviously a very active scene. What when is -- one witness described hearing gunshots earlier. Listen.

[11:40:05]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE HOOD, WITNESS: We're sitting at the table. All of a sudden, I heard about at least 10 shots at --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 10 shots?

HOOD: 10 shots. So, all of a sudden, about 5 or 10 minutes later, and you hear all the police started coming. Once I came out, I saw all the police is coming out. And he was running up the wall and it was then heading to the street down here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: From the police, yes?

HOOD: Yes. And all of a sudden, I asked one of the police what happened. He said a couple of cops got shot.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOLOMON: All right. Let's get right to CNN's Gabe Cohen who was following all of this for us. Gabe, what more can you share with us? What are you learning here?

GABE COHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rahel, not only is that man still barricaded inside that house, but police say he has been firing a gun into the neighborhood. And so, they're still working to keep that area contained, including a lockdown in at least two different schools. Negotiators also on the scene right now. Police say they're trying to talk that man out of the house.

Now, to backtrack. This started roughly four hours ago when police came to that house to execute a search warrant for animal cruelty. They say the man inside would not open the door. Police then tried to gain entry to the house. And that is when they say the man inside opened fire at those police officers hitting and injuring three of them.

Now, the chief of police said just last hour that those are non-life- threatening injuries. She mentioned wounds to their hand and their feet. Nothing too severe at this point. But again, this is still very much an active scene.

And at this point, no indication that anyone in the neighborhood has been injured because of everything that's been unfolding. But look, this is all happening as the nation's capital has seen a surge in violent crime. It was up 39 percent last year. There has been a lot of concern across the district.

And when the chief of police, Pamela Smith, arrived at the scene last hour, she was venting about Washington, D.C.'s gun laws that she believes are too lenient. Take a listen to what she said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAMELA SMITH, CHIEF, D.C. METROPOLITAN POLICE: So, let me just say this, you know -- and I'm not a politician, but here's the thing that we have to look at. There are a lot of individuals with guns on the street. And I know Security C is part of the legislation that we're asking our council members to pass.

The penalties for folks that are just discharging firearms who do not have a right to do that is very challenging for us. And so, I'm asking that we will certainly do everything we can to pass Security C, especially to the portion of that bill where we need to increase the penalties for firearms. That's all I'm going to talk about.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COHEN: Look, Rahel, we still don't know again, a lot of details around this scene and how gun laws like the ones that Chief mentioned might have played into it. Still waiting on those details. Obviously, it's an active scene so we may learn more in the hours ahead.

SOLOMON: All right. Keep us posted. Gabe Cohen, live for us from Washington. John.

BERMAN: All right. A terrifying scene at a Texas hospital. A driver was killed after the car crashed into the emergency room of the St. David's North Austin Medical Center.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Look at that. You can see the lobby filling up with smoke. Police in Austin say at least five other people were injured. The crash does not appear to be intentional. Not clear yet what cost it.

And newly filed court documents the parent of Brian Laundrie described "the day everything hit the fan" when their son told them his fiancee Gabby Petito was gone amid their cross-country trip and then he needed them to find him an attorney. He described a frantic exchange of phone calls with their son on August 29, 2021, three weeks before Petito's body was found in Wyoming. Brian Laundrie was later found dead in Florida. A medical examiner determined he died by suicide.

This morning, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin made his first appearance since being released from Walter Reed for a second time. This time, yesterday. Austin led a virtual meeting with the Ukraine defense contact group and gave an update on his health after canceling his trip to Brussels due to the recent hospitalization.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LLOYD AUSTIN, U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY: I plan to be in person with you today in Brussels, but I had to return to the hospital for non- surgical procedures. I'm in good condition and my cancer prognosis remains excellent. And I'm really grateful for all the well wishes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: The secretary is working remotely today but it's expected to return to the Pentagon later this week. Rahel?

SOLOMON: All right, John. In about an hour, fans will celebrate the Chiefs' third Super Bowl win with a massive parade through Kansas City. But before the big party, Travis Kelce addresses pushing his coach on the Super Bowl sidelines. Maybe you saw that video -- that clip has been going around. We'll talk about it when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:49:10]

SOLOMON: Welcome back. Kansas City is in a sea of red and yellow this morning. Fans had been out since the early hours today, some even before sunrise ready to cheer on their back-to-back Super Bowl champions. The Chiefs' victory parade is set to kick off in just about 10 minutes. But one question still remains. Will Taylor Swift be there?

Now, we do know that Swift has a concert on Friday on the other side of the world, in Australia. And while -- the mayor of Kansas City wouldn't confirm or deny if Swift will be there today. And John Berman did try. He asked many times. He did tell us she's been a great addition to the city. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

QUINTON LUCAS, MAYOR OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI: I know there has been -- I -- it's hard to say controversy because it's usually just dudes on social media saying they don't want her mentioned. But my view is she is nothing but admin. I've loved this team since I was born.

But I love that we've added somebody who says yes, Kansas City is cool. It's a dynamic place. We have melded Swifty Nation with Chiefs Kingdom with all that is Kansas City. And I think that this makes us a much happier place.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[11:50:13]

SOLOMON: All right. Let's bring in CNN sports reporter Carolyn Manno who is with us now. So, Carolyn, the question is will she won't wait -- won't she -- I mean, what can you tell us?

CAROLYN MANNO, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Not much, but it doesn't seem feasible. Let's just say that. This is very much unlike when she was flying from Tokyo to Vegas for the Super Bowl. Even though that was a very long trip.

She's going to lose several hours in the air going to Australia in order to be there for the first concert that she has in Melbourne on Friday. So. it's not likely. But the pair have had a little bit of time to celebrate. You've probably all seen by now Swift's videos on TikTok of everybody partying in Vegas after the game.

This right here though, everybody having a great time was a pretty far cry from a very tense atmosphere. A few hours earlier during the game, Travis Kelce took quite a bit of heat for a moment on the sidelines where he shoved his head coach Andy Reid. He was screaming in his face. You can see there well on the sideline after a fumble deep into Niners territory.

He was mad that he wasn't on the field. He did address this incident a little bit earlier today on his podcast. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRAVIS KELCE, THREE-TIME SUPER BOWL CHAMPION: Sometimes, those emotions get away from me, man. And I've -- that's been the battle of my career. But everybody else -- I don't -- I don't give a (BLEEP) what anybody else says. I talked to Coach Reid about it today. We kind of chuckled about it.

It's definitely unacceptable. And I would -- I immediately wish that it took it back. Coach Reid actually came right up to me after that and didn't even have harsh words for me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MANNO: And Andy Reid did really downplay this exchange. She said that Kelce just caught him when he wasn't looking. And that his balance is terrible and that's why he was caught off balance.

But he said you know his player just wanted to be on the field, wanted to play, emotions were running high, and we've seen this before, players acting out of character not exactly centered when they're on the sideline in the middle of a tense game like this. But the two, at least from the outside seemingly putting it behind him after a lot of people were saying that it was an unacceptable move what you heard Travis Kelce say there that it was.

Today though, I'm sure everything is under the bridge. Everybody wants to party. What better day than Valentine's Day to show Chiefs Kingdom some love? You got hundreds of thousands of people lining the streets since very early this morning.

They are just the second team in nearly two decades to win back-to- back. Super Bowlist John Berman might know the other one. The parade wraps up at around 12:30 today. Rally at Union Station.

Very unseasonably warm there as well, Rahel, for this time of year. So, you got kids that have the day off from school. You got warmer temperatures in the middle towards the end of February. It's going to be a party.

SOLOMON: And it's Valentine's Day. So, what's not to love if you're in Kansas City? Carolyn Manno, great to see you, my friend.

MANNO: Yes.

BERMAN: I do like the Travis Kelce -- said it was unacceptable, you know.

SOLOMON: Yes.

BERMAN: And owned what he did there.

SOLOMON: Yes.

BERMAN: And he says it's something he shouldn't done. I mean, it's -- when people do something wrong, it's really good when they --

SOLOMON: Admit it.

BERMAN: Admit it.

SOLOMON: Yes.

BERMAN: All right. Today, your Valentine's date might be stuck on you and also stuck at their pickup location. Thousands of drivers for Uber and Lyft in the U.S. and UK are planning to go on strike today.

SOLOMON: Yes. Let's bring in CNN's Vanessa Yurkevich with more on that. So, Vanessa, talk to us about what led to this strike.

VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN BUSINESS & POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, these are Rideshare app drivers who are doing a two-hour strike between 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. today at 10 airports around the country. And they say this is to make a point. They're not going to be picking up drivers. They're not going to be picking up riders or dropping them off.

And they're doing this because they say that they make poverty-level wages, working 80 hours a week. Cost of living is also rising. They say the companies like Lyft and Uber are taking more money out of what they should be making.

And they're doing this on Valentine's Day, a day that is supposed to be about love. But they want to flip the script and they want people to know exactly what they feel is going on. These ride app -- Rideshare companies, Lyft, Uber, DoorDash, they have said that they're always working to improve conditions with their drivers.

However, in many ways, these drivers are contractors. They don't have a union behind them or a company supporting them. So, these are the kinds of things that they do around the country throughout the year. Today just happens to be Valentine's Day.

SOLOMON: Speaking of Valentine's Day, if you are fortunate enough to be in love, you might notice that it stings a little bit more. Talk to us about the cost of things.

YURKEVICH: Yes. So, if you're making a last-minute decision to stay home or to go out for dinner, staying home is a cheaper option. Because food prices up 1.2 percent on the year. To go out to eat though, up 5.1 percent. And that's largely because yes, food prices are more expensive, but also wages are up for workers. And that's playing into that increase.

But I also want to turn to an important part of Valentine's Day and that is candy.

SOLOMON: You always come bringing treats.

YURKEVICH: Always got to bring the props. But it's amazing. The Valentine's Day theme which I could not find, gummy bears, and Sour Patch Kids much more expensive than these generic.

[11:55:06]

So, for example, at Walmart, we looked, and we saw that the Valentine's Day Sour Patch Kids, $3.96. For the generic, $1.24.

SOLOMON: Oh.

BERMAN: Wow.

YURKEVICH: And then for the gummies, Valentine's Day themed which again, we could not find, $5.97. For the generic, 2$.38. But here's what you do, guys. You buy the generic, you open the bag, you put it in a heart-shaped bag, and then you've saved money. And it's a beautiful little treat.

SOLOMON: No one will know. So, I, like Vanessa, came bearing treats.

BERMAN: Nice.

SOLOMON: I cannot give you the cost-benefit analysis, John. It was very expensive. But you, my friend, are worth it and so are you, Vanessa.

BERMAN: Nice.

YURKEVICH: Thank you. Baked goods are actually up in price. So, it was expensive.

SOLOMON: It was expensive, John.

BERMAN: Thank you so much.

YURKEVICH: Thank you, Rahel.

BERMAN: Thank you all so much. Happy Valentine's Day, everyone. Nothing says I love you more than being thrifty. That's it for CNN NEWS CENTRAL. "INSIDE POLITICS" is up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

END