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Poor Weather May Disrupt Visibility of Solar Eclipse in Parts of U.S.; President Biden to Speak with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Israeli Attack on World Central Kitchen Humanitarian Aid Convoy; He's a Damn Fool: GOP's Greene Blasts House Speaker Johnson; CNN Takes Up-Close Look at Baltimore Bridge Damage. Aired 8-8:30a ET

Aired April 04, 2024 - 08:00   ET

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

[08:00:00]

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: You guys are talking about relativity and the corona, which I -- you know which one I thought it was. And I'm just focused on my changes to win Powerball. So that's where we are today. I don't know. That's all I'm going to say.

OK, but we're going to continue on this. We have been seeing severe weather across the country all week, and now there are concerns the forecast here down on earth, not in the stratosphere, could actually be a problem for the much-anticipated solar eclipse. Meteorologist Elisa Raffa is watching this one for us, and she's joining us now. What are you seeing in terms of forecast now?

ELISA RAFFA, CNN WEATHER ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: We're watching the possibility of a storm system developing on Monday. And here's the bullseye where a severe threat would be right over Dallas, parts of southern Arkansas there, right in the path of totality. The jet stream or the path of storminess kind of sitting right there. And that's where we can find that storm development and the clouds.

So our risk of seeing some rain is pretty high over parts of Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas. Another storm system up in the northern plains as well. And you can see where we can find some showers as we go into Monday, and that would, of course, come with some cloud cover. So when you look at the cloud cover, you could see it does look pretty cloudy, especially on the southern half of the path of totality here from Texas into Arkansas, maybe a little bit more clear up in New England, places like upstate New York and Vermont on that path of totality.

And again, if you're learning what this eclipse even is, we've got the moon that comes around the earth and the sun that's around both of them, where's we're going to get a shadow because the moon is just going to be right in the direct line of the three. And that's what we'll be looking for on Monday.

BOLDUAN: Absolutely. Elisa, thank you so much. We're going to continue to track this forecast for us.

A new hour of CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts now. BERMAN: We are standing by for what could be a pivotal moment in Israel's war in Gaza, not to mention the us presidential campaign. A phone call between President Biden and the Israeli prime minister with reports the president is angry in ways he has not been before.

And "he's a damn fool" with plans that are, quote, a "heaping, steaming pile of b.s." Those words from Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene about House Speaker Mike Johnson, whose job seems in increasing jeopardy.

And a powerful nor'easter Good dump more than two feet of snow on some states. Happy spring.

I'm John Berman with Sara Sidner and Kate Bolduan. This is CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

BOLDUAN: Today, a phone call that could alter the course of a war. The planned phone call between President Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, this will be the first call between the two leaders since that tragic incident where seven aid workers were killed in an Israeli strike in Gaza this week. Top White House officials are telling CNN that Biden is both angry and outraged about it. This morning, the founder of World Central Kitchen, whose aid workers worked for, Chef Jose Andres, is accusing Israel of systematically, his word, targeting the aid convoy car by car, and he is calling for an independent investigation into it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSE ANDRES, FOUNDER, WORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN: These was not a bad lag situation where, oops we dropped the bomb in the wrong place or not. What I know is that we were targeted deliberately, non-stop, until everybody was dead in this convoy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: CNN's Arlette Saenz is at the White House with more force. And Arlette, Democratic Senator Chris Coons, who is very close to Joe Biden, he was just sounds speaking to Sara, and he said this phone call he expects is going to be very important in the next step in the U.S.-Israel relationship.

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Kate, President Biden is expected to convey his personal anger and frustration directly to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as they speak in the coming hours. The Israeli strike that killed these seven aid workers with World Central Kitchen really marks the latest flashpoint in an increasingly tense relationship between Biden and Netanyahu. And many are questioning whether this moment could serve as a turning point in U.S. support for Israel as it conducts its campaign to root out Hamas in Gaza.

Now, the president has expressed his outrage about the incident. Frustration has been rising here at the White House. The president is expected to focus on the death of those aid worker while also broadening out the conversation, trying to discuss ways to ensure that there are protections for humanitarian aid workers. We have sources that told us that U.S. officials have already started talking to the Israelis about the need to change the way that information is transmitted when it comes to the locations of aid workers.

[08:05:06]

We also anticipate the president to talk about the ongoing hostage and humanitarian aid negotiations to try to get a temporary ceasefire, as well as that operation that Israel is expected to wage in Rafah.

Now, ahead of this call, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with his Israeli counterpart, Yoav Gallant, where a Pentagon spokesperson said that he conveyed his outrage while also saying that this incident reinforces U.S. concerns about needing to protect civilians in any type of operation that Israel conducts in Rafah.

But even as we have seen this heightened rhetoric from the administration expressing anger and outrage, what we have not seen yet is any shift in policy when it comes to the U.S. approach to Israel, especially when it comes to the U.S. continuing to provide military support to Israel without any conditions. Officials here at the White House said that they are not at that point where there is a shift in policy, though a senior administration official says that there has been a shift in the frustrations from the president.

Now, this all comes is President Biden is also facing significant pressure here at home when it comes to his handling of this conflict. He heard that directly from Muslim community leaders here at the White House on Tuesday. But many are questioning whether this exact moment could serve as any turning point in the administration's strategy. As of now, it doesn't seem that they're changing any pathway forward in the imminent future.

BOLDUAN: Arlette Saenz at the White House. Thank you so much, Arlette. Sara?

SARA SIDNER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: All right, thank you, Kate.

CNN chief international anchor Christiane Amanpour is joining us now. Christiane, we just heard from Senator Coons who says there is a line and there should be conditions, and the president of the United States had been very frustrated, we know, with Netanyahu and Israel's approach in Gaza at this point. The pressure is really mounting on Israel from other close allies. What are you hearing?

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Well, precisely that, and really in the United States, you'd have to go back as far as the first George W, George H. W. Bush administration, when they express public frustration and anger over different issues, the increasing building of settlements. And James Baker held out a phone number for the State Department to say, when you're serious, give us a call, you have the number.

But what does this actually change, this mounting pressure? As you heard from Arlette, it's unlikely to change any shift towards sending military aid to Israel. But that is precisely what governments around the world, Israel's allies are being asked to do, including here in the U.K. Defense minister, former prime minister and foreign minister David Cameron has said that he has demanded to his Israeli counterpart an immediate investigation into this appalling attack on aid workers. And he said, we want to see that happen very, very soon.

The problem here is that all the allies say that Israel has a right to defend itself after what happened on October 7th, but that it must act within the rules of the international world. They are international laws that include not firing on civilian convoys. And let's not forget, this one like the others were heavily coordinated with Israel. This is what the U.N. humanitarian chief told me about the World Central Kitchen assassinations or attacks on Monday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARTIN GRIFFITHS, UNITED NATIONS RELIEF CHIEF: Yes, it's a duty of care problem, but it's also a legal problem. Attacks on humanitarian institutions and workers is prohibited under international law. So whether it's intentional or not, it's a crime. And we must be very conscious of this. As I say, it's been happening, as you know, Christiane, to our colleagues from the outset.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AMANPOUR: And as you know, hundreds, nearly 200 U.N. and other aid workers have been killed, the vast majority of them Palestinians. Sara?

SIDNER: It strikes me in your conversation that he said whether it's intentional or not, it is still a crime. What is the impression that Netanyahu and his administration is giving to those who are calling for better treatment of civilians? What are you hearing?

AMANPOUR: Well, look, it's really, really difficult to understand this. Even former President Trump has told, and you can see it on an Israeli website, Israel Hayom, it's a rightwing website, they interviewed him earlier, and even he said, you've got to stop your war. Yes, you can defend yourself, but you've got to stop this. You're losing your international credibility and support, and we cannot keep seeing these bodies piling up in Gaza.

So this is really becoming -- and remember, Trump gave Netanyahu everything he wanted, moving the consulate and the embassy to Jerusalem, giving them sovereignty over the Golan Heights, practically inviting them to annex the West Bank. He was very much in Netanyahu's camp.

But right now, as I've said, there's an increasing number of allied governments, allies of Israel, who are looking at the very serious matter of continuing to send the massive weapons systems and the bombs, 2,000-ton bombs from the United States, that -- or two-ton bombs that are being sent.

[08:10:14]

And again, here is Jose Andres on his conversation with President Biden.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSE ANDRES, FOUNDER, WORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN: I spoke to President Biden yesterday. President Biden made a statement. It seems it's already hard to understand, but it's very complicated to understand that we are going to be sending -- America is going to be sending its Navy and its military to do humanitarian work, when at the same time weapons provided by America, not to defend Israel itself from missile attacks, but use weapons that are killing civilians in this moment.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AMANPOUR: And as you can imagine, if international aid organizations like the U.N., like Jose Andres stop doing their vital humanitarian work, who is going to do it? Is Israel going to do it? That's all that's left. And we saw the catastrophe when they tried that freelancing a few weeks ago, and some 180 people were killed in shootings and a stampede. It's a very critical issue right now.

SIDNER: Christiane Amanpour, thank you so much for all of your reporting, as always. John?

BERMAN: As we are standing by for that phone call between the president and prime minister, there already has been one conversation between U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his Israeli counterpart. So what took place there? CNN's Natasha Bertrand at the Pentagon. Natasha, what do they have to say?

NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, John, it was largely, largely a mirror image of the conversation that President Biden had, or the statement that President Biden had issued earlier this week, that he was expressing outrage over this WCK strike. Secretary Austin apparently told the Israeli defense minister that he, too, is outraged by this attack, and he urged them to conduct a swift, thorough, an independent investigation into this attack.

And importantly, something that we've heard from other administration officials, as well, they want the results of this investigation to be made public, and they want someone to be held accountable for this tragic mistake, which is what the Israelis are characterizing it as.

But the administration is really at this point kind of withholding judgment about whether or not this was deliberate. And for that reason, they are not giving any sense of what whether or not they're going to shift their policy towards Israeli defense and arms sales, which have been ongoing. As we reported earlier this week, the administration is set to approve an $18 billion F-15 sale to the Israelis where the jets won't necessarily be delivered for another four to five years. There are questions about why the administration, while they're expressing outrage over the strike, while they're expressing outrage over the fact that Israel does not appear to be doing enough to protect civilians, is engaging in these arms sales with the Israelis and thereby kind of affirming that they view them as a professional military that is capable of carrying out these operations in a way that is consistent with how the U.S. would expect their allies to.

And so while Secretary Austin did reiterate that he is angry about this strike, it remains to be seen whether anything is actually going to change when it comes to concrete U.S. actions, because at this point it does not seem as though the Israelis are necessarily listening to what the U.S. is saying. And we're seeing that play out in real time, of course, with the operation that they're planning in southern Gaza, in Rafah.

BERMAN: Indeed, indeed that is the case. Obviously, a very important day as we watch it unfold. Natasha Bertrand at the Pentagon, thank you very much. Kate?

BOLDUAN: Coming up for us, a fool and a liar, not just what we say to John Berman, just to say good morning every day. The Republican congresswoman unleashing on the Republican House Speaker as she pushes forward on the threat to try and oust him.

And nothing says spring a powerful nor'easter. Some states could see up to two feet of snow.

And Caitlin Clark has clearly earned her rockstar status and achieved about everyone you could ask for on the basketball court. The only thing is still missing a national championship.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:18:33]

SIDNER: "A damn fool and a liar," those words from Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene about how Speaker Mike Johnson. She is doubling down, refusing to let up on her threat to oust him if he gives way and allows more US aid to Ukraine.

Joining us now, CNN congressional correspondent, Lauren Fox.

Lauren, those are some really nasty strong words and I know a top Republican has called her a member of the chaos caucus, what's the speaker going to do about this?

LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. I mean, she may be a member who is on the fringes of her party when it comes to wanting to oust Speaker Mike Johnson. But here is the problem for the Speaker, it is such a narrow majority right now among House Republicans that any one member has excised power here, and what you're peering from Marjorie Taylor Greene is the idea of doing anything on Ukraine could potentially trigger her decision to go ahead and try to oust the speaker.

Our colleague, Manu Raju, caught up with Marjorie Taylor Greene yesterday over the phone, and she said one of the most egregious things that Mike Johnson could do right now is to go ahead and try to bring forward aid to Ukraine. Here is what she said.

It looks like we don't have that right now, Sara. But one thing to keep in mind here is the fact that she is arguing that she is not saying she is going to bring a Motion to Vacate against Speaker Mike Johnson if he moves ahead with Ukraine. She is also not saying it is not a red line for her.

[08:20:12]

And that is making it extremely difficult behind-the-scenes, Mike Johnson is still talking to members about the best path forward to do something on Ukraine aid, but sources that I am talking to say we should not expect that a vote would be ready to go next week, that's because he still wants to have these continued conversations with members of his conference in part because he has floated a series of ideas, including trying to make part of this funding a loan to Ukraine, something that he was hoping might assuage concerns from conservatives like Marjorie Taylor Greene.

But obviously, from Manu's conversation that he had with her yesterday, it becomes very clear that that may not be he enough, that any action on Ukraine could endanger Speaker Mike Johnson's job -- Sara.

SIDNER: It is very telling and striking how one member of Congress can cause so much chaos.

Lauren Fox, thank you so much. Appreciate it -- Kate.

BOLDUAN: So twisted metal, crushed concrete. CNN is getting a close up view of the wreckage from the Baltimore bridge collapse. We are going to bring that to you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:25:51]

BERMAN: So this morning, CNN got an up-close look at the bridge debris and ship wreckage in Baltimore.

Officials with the Army Corps of Engineers invited Gabe Cohen to ride along. Here is what remains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GABE COHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We are getting a surreal up-close look at the bridge collapse here in Baltimore.

COHEN (voice over): From feet away, the hulking wreckage towers over us, twisted steel and crushed concrete, a massive hole in the bough of the Dali.

Pancaked shipping containers and highway lampposts poking out from the choppy water, and most of the debris you can't see. It is crushed below the surface.

COHEN (on camera): We have to be very careful about how close we actually get to the wreckage. We've even pulled away at times because there is a dive operation happening right now.

There are divers in the water.

COHEN (voice over): They dive from this barge using sonar shown in these images to map the mangled mess and determine how they'll cut it into smaller pieces so they can lift it out, a process that's been far more complicated than officials had hoped and slowed by days of stormy weather.

COMMANDER BILL MCKINSTRY, US COAST GUARD: The visibility are very limited, maybe one foot at the most, and that makes it very treacherous for folks to be down there.

And if you have to remember, there is a lot of wreckage at the bottom and it is really kind of scattered and it is also almost like a spaghetti.

COHEN (on camera): Sitting on that barge is the first piece of the bridge that has been removed from the river.

COHEN (voice over): It weighs 200 tons. The largest crane here can lift 1,000.

Cranes are still arriving, but their work has hardly started with crews still surveying the scene, leaving the river blocked and the Port of Baltimore at a near standstill.

Crews have opened two small channels for essential commercial vessels. We went through them for the first time.

COHEN (on camera): This one is about 14 feet in depth. Officials have said this is the first step toward opening the Port of Baltimore, back up with be first essential commercial vessels being able to pass through it, but the governor has said that for large ships like the Dali to pass through this channel, they need 35 feet of depth.

GOV. WES MOORE (D-MD): We are still a long way from being able to get the size and the cadence of the commercial traffic back to where it was before the collapse.

COHEN (voice over): This complex salvage operation still in its early days, more than a week after the bridge came down.

Gabe Cohen, CNN, Baltimore.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN: It is slow going, but still good to see some movement there -- Sara.

SIDNER: All right, still ahead, Ukraine is waiting for more international support, but as it does, it is now lowering the draft age in the country. What to expect from NATO leaders as Ukraine desperately looks to bolster its resources on the battlefield.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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