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Now, Polls Opening in Michigan Primary; Soon, Biden Talks Government Funding, Ukraine With Congressional Leaders; Emergency Hearing in Effort to Disqualify Fulton County D.A. Fani Willis from 2020 Georgia Election Subversion Case. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired February 27, 2024 - 07:00   ET

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

[07:00:10]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Michigan, you are on the clock. Polls open there literally seconds ago. And you might think you know what will happen the primaries there tonight, but by the end of today, there will be key lessons learned that will matter all the way until November.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: The White House is now heading to Alabama, sending in the nation's top health official after Alabama's IVF ruling and the message created of uncertainty and fear about fertility treatments nationwide. What can the White House do about it? The nation's top health official joins us.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: A $25 billion super market mega merger was just brought to a screeching halt, the brand new lawsuit claiming it could mean higher grocery prices for you.

I'm Sara Sidner with Kate Bolduan and John Berman. CNN News Central starts now.

BERMAN: So, how important is Michigan this morning? It's not just the birthplace of Eminem, Madonna and Burt Reynolds. It's not just where Dumb and Dumber star Jeff Daniels has a theater. It's not just where Tom Brady played college football. No. Tonight, Michigan is the subject of a CNN special report starting at 7:00 P.M. It is that important.

The Michigan presidential primary, it is today. And while you might think you know what will happen, do not fall victim to hubris.

President Biden faces a challenge from at least one sitting Democratic member of Congress urging people to vote uncommitted to protest U.S. support for Israel and the war against Hamas. Donald Trump has been winning by large margins in states so far, but underperforming in some pre-election polls. Will that trend continue? And can Nikki Haley stay relevant for the long haul? She will make that case this morning right here on CNN News Central. Tell that to Jeff Daniels.

CNN's Dianne Gallagher is outside a polling place in Waterford, Michigan. How do things look so far, Dianne? DIANNE GALLAGHER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You know, John, right now things do look quiet, but that's because polls just opened about two minutes ago. So, we don't have any lines forming yet. We haven't actually seen any voters go inside at this point.

But the reason why we're at this particular location is because we have a very good mix of both registered Republicans and Democrats here, and both are going to the polls today. In addition, according to the secretary of state, more than a million early and absentee ballots have already been cast here in Michigan.

And many voters getting an opportunity for days on end to actually vote early in person, something they had not had before. So, we're seeing them take advantage of that and do expect still good turnout today for those trying to cast their ballots in this presidential primary.

Now, let's talk about the Democrats first. Of course, President Joe Biden on the ballot, as well as several others, because they went ahead and set those ballot orders earlier last, or, excuse me, late last year. But the real key that people are looking at here is that uncommitted vote and whether or not this campaign to try and get progressive young voters out of Americans to vote uncommitted, sending a message to President Biden about their frustration with his policy on Israel's war in Gaza.

Now, look, they say that they want about 10,000. They expect to get about 10,000 votes. It's important to note that everyone who votes uncommitted is not necessarily supporting that campaign, but they've been working for three weeks as of today to try and sort of claim the uncommitted spot there to send that message to President Biden.

Now, what's key about Michigan is, of course, this is a true swing state for President Trump won in 2016 with just under 11,000 votes over Hillary Clinton. And in 2020, President Biden beat Trump by about 150,000 votes.

Now, look, there are a total of 140 Democratic delegates at state, including 23 unpledged super delegates. There are 55 Republican delegates at stake.

And the Republicans are having some intraparty issues. And so a lot of those are going to be pledged at a later sort of gathering a caucus of these Republicans.

[07:05:00]

But on the GOP side, it's not necessarily just whether or not Donald Trump is going to win in Michigan, but as you said, the nuance of what that victory might look at. Nikki Haley talked about her feelings on Donald Trump at an event she held in Minnesota yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NIKKI HALEY, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: And look at what he's doing to the RNC itself. The RNC, the Republican National Committee, was always about winning races up and down the ticket.

Now, he's turning around. Before the primary is over, he's putting his daughter-in-law as chair. He's putting his campaign manager to run it. And now, those two have said, the RNC is all for just Donald Trump.

Now, he's turning the Republican Party into his own personal playpen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GALLAGHER: Now, of course, Haley not here in Michigan today, neither are President Biden or Donald Trump, for that matter, she was here yesterday, none of the candidates again here in this state, as wonderful as it is and as great as we are expecting this primary to be, John.

BERMAN: Diane Gallagher in Michigan, thank you very much. Sara, Michigan, the swingiest of swing states in many ways.

SIDNER: John, I'm going to let leave it there, the swingiest of swing states, I think we have a new moniker for Michigan.

Let's dive deeper into this with David Dulio, a political science professor at Oakland University in Michigan, and Todd Spangler, Washington correspondent with the Detroit Free Press.

All right, gentlemen, thank you for being here this morning. Todd, I'm going to start with you. Both Trump and Biden are facing a test in Michigan today. What are you watching for? What are you hearing from Michigan voters? Because there are a lot of things going on that aren't particularly normal, if you will.

TODD SPANGLER, WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT, DETROIT FREE PRESS: Sure. I mean, you touched on it already. I mean, the uncommitted votes what we're really paying the most attention to now. The uncommitted votes got to get 15 percent actually get a delegates and really have an effect, really sort of push it past that that mark of is it really going to be in a -- have an effect in the in November which is when it really matters.

10,000 votes if they get uncommitted is not going to be a large measure compared to past elections. So, really they got to get past that to really make an impact. We're watching that very, very carefully. Clearly, we know that President Biden and former President Trump are going to win Michigan tonight. I mean, there's next to no chance of that not happening.

The other side of that, as you say, does Nikki Haley overperform, as she has done in New Hampshire? Obviously, in South Carolina, she did well relative to other states. But the real question is she didn't campaign much in Michigan. She hasn't spent a lot of time in Michigan it's a Trump state, Republican-wise. Just can she begin to that at all?

SIDNER: Todd, I'm curious to get your views on this as you talk to voters and you look at what this might mean nationally. Do you think that the parties will be looking at this very closely to see what happens here and how to maybe change their message or push forward with the message they've been putting out there for Super Tuesday?

SPANGLER: Sure. Yes, I don't I don't know that it necessarily changes former President Trump's message. I think he's his message has been consistent, will be consistent. You know, he hits many of the same notes.

I think President Biden has already been trying to change his message to some degree based on what he's seeing in Michigan. I don't think it's -- I think he's been working towards some sort of pause in fighting in Gaza for some time. But I don't think it's any accident that he goes on Seth Meyers last night and says, you know, we are hoping for a temporary ceasefire in the very near future with Ramadan approaching ahead of a Michigan primary.

You know, I do think this -- depending on what this uncommitted vote comes in, depending on how this looks for President Biden in Michigan could very much change his message heading forward.

SIDNER: All right. I do want to -- you just mentioned it and I do want to play what we heard from President Biden last night and yesterday both. Let's listen to what he talked about when it came to -- when it comes to the conflict in the Middle East between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. Here is what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: My national security adviser tells me that we're close. We're close. It's not done yet. And my hope is by next Monday, we'll have a ceasefire.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: Okay. You see him hanging out there with Seth Meyers, but he was asked a really hard question, and he answered it, hoping that there's going to be a ceasefire. What are you hearing? Is this going to matter if a ceasefire is announced? I mean, people are voting today.

[07:10:00]

SPANGLER: Well, a lot of people are going to vote today, but a lot of people have already voted. I mean, as was mentioned earlier, there's been more than a million votes that either were voted absentee already or done during the nine-day early voting period which ended on Sunday, those votes are cast. And so if there's a lot of uncommitted in there and if there's not, it's unlikely we're going to see a lot of uncommitted today, it's going to be a balance. This campaign has been going on for a while.

So, it really is up in the air whether or not that's going to have been, in fact. And, quite frankly, Governor Whitmer, who's co-chair of President Biden's campaign nationally, has said and is right, we don't know what uncommitted is going to -- how those numbers are going to look in Michigan after tonight. We just -- it might be a lot, it might be a little, and we're really just waiting like everybody else to see what that number is and what sort of impact it has on the president and his and his political future in Michigan.

SIDNER: David, I want to talk to you about --

DAVID DULIO, DISTINGUISHED PROFESSOR OF POLITICAL SCIENCE, OAKLAND UNIVERSITY: If I could jump in there and --

SIDNER: There's a lot of dysfunction, David, at the state level in the Republican Party. There's a power struggle, as you point out, who is going to actually be the party chair, Trump has thrown out a family member or two. What's going on here? How might this affect Election Day there?

DULIO: Well, we've got a power struggle here in Michigan at the state party level. Kristina Karamo was elected as Republican Party chair in February of 2023 and then was ousted not that long ago and replaced by former Congressman Pete Hoekstra, former ambassador to the Netherlands, who has since been recognized by the RNC as the state party chair and even by former President Trump as the state party chair.

And the interesting thing about this for the primary season is that both Karamo and Hoekstra are hosting dueling caucuses conventions on Saturday that are going to select the lion's share of the delegates to the convention over the summer. And it's going to be fascinating to see where folks to show up and, in fact, what the RNC does with those results after Saturday.

SIDNER: Yes, there's a lot to look at in this and we'll be, of course, watching as the numbers come in to see where things stand. But everyone agrees, I think you both agree that the two people that will be the nominee coming out of Michigan will be President Biden and former President Trump.

David and Todd, thank you so much for coming on and giving your expertise. Kate?

BOLDUAN: And heads up, just in a couple hours, Nikki Haley is going to be joining us here on CNN News Central to talk about what Sara was just going through today's primary and also the path ahead. You don't want to miss that. She would be joining us live at 9:00 A.M. Eastern.

Also, it's a big day at the White House. President Biden is hosting the top four congressional leaders at the White House to focus on, well, how to avoid triggering government shutdown at the end of this week and you can be sure the stalemate over Ukraine aid and U.S. border security. It is top of mind.

These leaders find themselves in what has sadly become a very familiar spot, divisions between parties and within at least one party is breaking down the necessary action from Congress and bringing it to a screeching halt.

Democratic Senator Jon Tester, he seemed to sum it up very well, saying just yesterday, we're doing this every six weeks, every six months, rather. This is bullshit. It's just bullshit. CNN's Arlette Saenz is at the White House joining us now. Arlette, always eloquent as it's quite wild. Your head is standing right next to Jon Tester's choice words. Regardless, what is going to happen at the White House in just a few hours?

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kate, this is shaping up to be a consequential meeting on several fronts. And the most pressing issue is that partial government shutdown that is looming on Friday. President Biden will convene the top four congressional leaders here at the White House for an Oval Office meeting as negotiators are still working to try to hammer out a deal to avert that first shutdown, which is on March 1st. That would affect departments like the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Food and Drug Administration.

But it comes as lawmakers, top Senate and House leaders had been working towards negotiations, hoping to release some type of framework on Sunday evening. That hit a snag, and those negotiations are still underway. But it's entirely unclear whether lawmakers will be able to reach an agreement before Friday.

Now, on the Senate side, you have Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who are really on the same page about trying to avert this government shutdown, McConnell warning yesterday that it would be harmful for the country. But then on the House side, House Speaker Mike Johnson is under incredible pressure from his right flank who want him to push for more conservative priorities in these discussions.

Now, the Senate returned last evening.

[07:15:01]

You heard those frustrations that were voiced by senators, like Senator Jon Tester. The House is not set to return until tomorrow. And even if they do reach an agreement, there are still the mechanics of getting this legislation written, getting it voted on, really highlighting the time crunch that lawmakers are facing before Friday.

But on top of this partial government shutdown that's looming right now, the Biden administration also wants to press these congressional leaders on getting more aid to Ukraine. Biden has consistently, for months, now been calling for House Republicans to get on board with that $60 billion in funding that he's requested for Ukraine. There's a belief within the White House that if this were to come up for a vote, that there would be a bipartisan majority to support this additional assistance for Ukraine.

Over the weekend, the national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, was warning about the further detriments that this could give to Ukrainian soldiers on the battlefield as they wage their fight. They've also argued not giving this aid to Ukraine is simply playing into Putin's hands. So, the president also trying to use this moment, especially to get in the ear of House Speaker Mike Johnson, urging him to bring this up for a vote in the House.

BOLDUAN: Arlette Saenz in the White House, Arlette, thank you so much. John?

BERMAN: I didn't know we were doing swear words with these new hours.

This morning, the White House sends a key administration official to Alabama to protest the state Supreme Court ruling there that stunned parents nationwide and all but stalled IVF treatment in the state.

Fulton County surprise, a hearing as early as today with a witness that the team of D.A. Fani Willis has tried to keep off the stand. Is the Georgia election subversion case against Donald Trump now on the line?

And clean up on aisle merger, a move to block the largest supermarket combination in history.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:20:00]

SIDNER: Hours from now, a star witness will take the stand again in the effort to disqualify Fulton County D.A. Fani Willis from the 2020 Georgia election subversion case. An emergency hearing today comes after the judge determined Terrence Bradley must return to the stand to testify about Willis' relationship with her top prosecutor, Nathan Wade.

It's been nearly two weeks since we last heard from Bradley, who declared -- declined, excuse me, to answer certain questions citing attorney client-privilege as Wade's divorce lawyer. At the time, the judge acknowledged that privilege and limited what lawyers could ask him.

CNN's Nick Valencia is in Atlanta for us watching this case. Nick, what sort of changed the judge's mind or what are they expecting to hear from Wade's attorney on the stand?

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, good morning, Sara. You remember two weeks ago when Terrence Bradley was on the stand and there were some questions that he declined to comment citing attorney- client privilege.

But there was some sort of a stunning moment, an earthquake moment at the end of day two of the hearing when Judge Scott McAfee, you know, he turned to Bradley and he said, I wonder if you've been misinterpreting privilege the entire time.

And as a result, he met with Judge Scott McAfee yesterday behind closed doors and it was determined from that hearing that some of the questions that Bradley was asked were not covered by this attorney- client privilege. So, now he has to come back to be questioned again by defense attorneys and the state. And that will resume sometime later this afternoon.

And to remind our viewers, Mike Roman, the former Trump campaign official and his attorney, Ashley Merchant, were the first to surface these allegations of what they called an improper relationship between Nathan Wade and District Attorney Fani Willis here. And they alleged that the relationship started well before Nathan Wade was hired. In fact, Nathan Wade responded in a sworn affidavit that the relationship didn't begin until 2022. But they say that Bradley can impeach that testimony.

And this is really important because if the court finds that Nathan Wade was not fully truthful while he was under oath, that could mean big problems for the district attorney's office. So, that hearing, an emergency hearing, we didn't expect or get news until late last night that this would be underway today. So, we're expecting that to happen just a few hours from now. Sara?

SIDNER: Right. Just reminding everybody you were under oath when you were testifying in this or any case. So, Nick Valencia, thank you so much for giving us the new update and the details. And I know you'll be watching it. We'll come back to you.

All right, still ahead an assault allegation and a police complaint filed overnight. What exactly happened between Taylor Swift's father and an Australian photographer? We will have that coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:25:00]

BERMAN: This morning the White House says the Republican lawmakers who are now pledging support for IVF are, quote, shamelessly attempting to erase their own records on the procedure following last week's Alabama Supreme Court ruling. The court declared frozen embryos are children and someone who destroys them can be held liable for wrongful death.

Frozen embryos are used in IVF and now three Alabama fertility clinics have paused IVF treatment.

HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra is in Birmingham, Alabama, and joins us now. Mr. Secretary, thank you so much for being with us.

You said the Supreme Court ruling in Alabama has heart-wrenching consequences for Alabama women and their families. Walk us through these consequences.

XAVIER BECERRA, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES SECRETARY: John, thanks for having me. And, of course, if you're looking to have a family, all of a sudden you're told that you could face prosecution, certainly, you're facing confusion as to whether or not you can continue with your in vitro fertilization.

And what are the consequences for you if they're not successful, if you have embryos that you don't use? It's just a situation that would not have existed had Roe versus Wade continue to be the law of the land, which protected everyone's rights to healthcare, including women's rights to reproductive healthcare.

BERMAN: This is a state Supreme Court decision. What, if anything, can the federal government do to alleviate this situation for families there?

BECERRA: Well, remember, the cause of concern is the undoing of the constitutional protections we had at the federal level by the Dobbs decision.

[07:30:00]

And so this state court decision was made possible by the Dobbs decision.