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President Biden and Ukraine's Zelenskyy Meeting in Paris; Trump Says, Revenge Takes Time, Suggests He Would Prosecute Political Rivals If He is Re-Elected; Biden Says He Won't Pardon Son If He's Convicted at Trial. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired June 07, 2024 - 07:00   ET

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

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Thanks very much to our panel. Thanks to all of you for joining us. I'm Kasie Hunt.

Don't go anywhere. CNN New Central starts right now.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everyone, and we do have breaking news. President Biden just moments ago speaking as he is sitting alongside Ukrainian President Zelenskyy ahead of their critical bilateral meeting that they are now -- that's now taking place right now. They're both in France. As we know, the president has been there to mark and honor the greatest generation, the 80th anniversary of D-day, and he has been making the connections of the threats to democracy and freedom back then and the direct line to the threats to democracy and freedom today, pointing directly to Russia's invasion of Ukraine as the example.

Let's talk about what the president just said, though, first. We have CNN Senior White House Correspondent Kayla Tausche. She's traveling with the president. Stick with me, Kayla. Let's listen first to President Biden.

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VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: Thank you so much. JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: You know, as I said yesterday at the American Cemetery, the Ukrainian people have been incredibly brave, never given up, never stained, never even yielding. And it's impressive. And you saw the reception you received when everyone gave you a standing ovation. And they deserve it. You deserve it.

And, you know you haven't bowed down. You haven't yielded at all. You continue to fight in a way that is just remarkable. And I'm not going to walk away from you.

I apologize for those weeks of not knowing what's going to happen in terms of funding, because we had trouble getting the bill that we had to pass that had the money in it. Some, some of our very conservative members were holding it up. But we got it done finally.

And since then, including today, I've announced six packages of significant funding. Today, I'm also signing an additional package for $225 million to help you reconstruct the electric grid. And but once we got the national security bill passed, that was a political issue, we were able to get it all done.

And the way you've stood and holding on and holding on in Kharkiv, and you've proven once again that people in Ukraine cannot and will never be overtaken. And I assure you, the United States is going to stand with you. After you said that all during this debate, I continue to say, the United States is standing with you. You are the bulwark against the aggression that's taking place. We have an obligation to be there.

And so I'm looking forward to having a detailed discussion with you about where we go from here, but we're still in, completely, thoroughly. Thank you.

ZELENSKYY: Thank you so much, Mr. President. First of all, thank you so much for your significant support, you, your administration. We are very thankful from all Ukrainians to your military support, financial support, humanitarian one. And, of course, it's very important. And our meeting here is very symbolic. It's very important that you stay with us.

This bipartisan support with the Congress, it's very important that in this unity, United States, America, all American people stay with Ukraine. Like it was during World War II, how United States helped to save human lives to save Europe and we count on your continuing support and staying with us shoulder to shoulder. Thank you so much.

And this big package which has been signed it and supported and voted on. It's very important. It's so necessary for the feeling of our people that we are not alone. We are with you with our strategic partner.

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And, of course, I want today to speak about strengthening our Kharkiv region. You said already it's so important and your decisions have been very, very -- had a very positive influence. I don't want to share it, everything, all the details was pressed, sorry, but I think there are some details on the battlefield, which you need to hear from us. We're thankful for this.

Also, I want to speak about air defense totally on our territory, and we are thankful for participation Peace Summit on the level of vice president, thank you so much. We think that we will have more than 100 countries. And I hope that it will be first step on this way to peace. We need peace in Ukraine, but we will stay anyway, stay strong. And, of course, I want to discuss some future events. Thank you again.

BIDEN: Thank you.

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BOLDUAN: A show sign of support very clearly and just sitting there together, and also in announcing a new aid package that President Biden was announcing for Ukraine sitting right there.

As I mentioned before, CNN Senior White House Correspondent Kayla Tausche is traveling with the president this morning. Fred Pleitgen is in Berlin for us. Kayla, talk to us about what's in this $225 million package.

KAYLA TAUSCHE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kate, in this new aid package is ammunition, artillery, air defenses, and other critical systems that the U.S. will be providing to Ukraine as part of the sixth package that stems from that supplemental package that was passed earlier this spring after a six-month delay.

This, of course, comes ahead of President Biden's meeting with President Macron of France later this week and his G7 summit next week, and, of course, the NATO summit next month, where they will all be discussing new and novel ways to provide aid, not only military aid, but also financial aid to Ukraine as this war nears its third year.

President Zelenskyy has asked NATO countries for more fighter jets, more Patriot anti-aircraft systems. He's made some very tall asks and what some allies have described as a shopping list that continues. But today, the U.S. is committing yet another package, $225 million, to help Ukraine continue to make up for some of those losses on the battlefield.

That is what the two presidents are going to be discussing in that meeting that you saw just now. President Biden is expecting to get. A detailed state of play on what's happening in Ukraine on the ground and in the air in that country as he has just newly authorized Ukraine to be able to use some of the American-made weapons to strike just over the border into towns where Russia is unloading weaponry to be able to strike into Ukraine. That is a new capability and the president is likely to get an update on how that is going in today's meeting.

Later today, he's going to come where I'm standing right now. This breathtaking backdrop, it's called Pointe du Hoc. You may remember it from when President Reagan delivered a speech here 40 years ago, 1984, commemorating the 40th anniversary of D-Day.

Now, we know that President Biden is going to be honoring one veteran in particular. His name is John Wardell, 99 years old. He served in the U.S. Army and landed here at Pointe du Hoc just days after the D- Day invasion, just days after those brave Army Rangers, 225 of them, sacled the 100-foot cliffs here at a high cost of life to destroy the German lookout positions that allowed the U.S. and allied forces to succeed on land and at sea on D-Day.

We're expecting the president to talk about the heroism, the bravery of Wardell and others and be joined in the audience by many French officials and local leaders. Although at this point, we do not expect the attendance of French President Emmanuel Macron. But there are going to be many themes that will draw parallels to the address that Reagan made 40 years ago, the dangers of isolationism, the power of democracy and the desire to connect what happened here on that day and the bravery of those specific Americans to what is going on, on the frontlines of Europe today, to try to make it real for people at home as there are beginning to be some doubts about U.S. interventionism overseas, as the U.S. continues to be involved in two hot wars that are now going on much longer than the administration expected. Kate?

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. And, Kayla, I'll jump in here. Thank you for that reporting.

I also want to bring in Fred Pleitgen into the conversation. Because two things stuck out to me from what we heard President Biden say sitting along Zelenskyy, saying, one, we're not going to walk away from you, but also I apologize for weeks of not knowing what's going to happen. So, to hear that face to face from the president to, of course, Zelenskyy, you've done extensive reporting in Ukraine, what have those moments been like when soldiers on the front lines on the ground don't know whether U.S. support is actually going to come?

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FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, first of all, I think you're absolutely right that those were really the two key things. On the one hand, President Biden saying, look, the U.S. is now in it in the long run, but then also apologizing for some of the delays that happened in some of those weapons shipments, of course, as it was unclear whether or not Congress was going to approve with the Republican House leadership, whether or not it was going to approve any new weapons packages.

And you're absolutely right, Omar. I was on the ground in Ukraine when all of this started happening. And when the Ukrainians, I think it was in September of last year, those ammo supplies, especially really became very scarce. They had to ration some of the ammunition. They were very low on artillery shells and it was very difficult for them. They felt all but abandoned by western nations, specifically by the United States, because there simply wasn't enough ammo coming through.

And I think what we saw just there, the president sitting there with the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy showed that those two leaders but also the alliance right now of Ukraine and its western backers are very much in a different place now than they were before that decision by Congress was made to approve that aid once again.

You see right now what's going on in that the Ukrainians have stabilized the front lines in many areas. The president, I think, was talking about the Kharkiv region, where the Russians had been making some advances, but especially since the U.S. has allowed Ukraine to use U.S. weapons, western-made weapons, to fire across the border into Russian territory, as Kayla said, in a very limited way. That's done a lot to hold the Russians up, but also, of course, the fact that the Ukrainians now have a lot more in the way of ammunition and are getting new weapon supplies has also made a big difference as well.

The Ukrainians themselves, by the way, have also really stepped things up in a big way as well. As far as mobilization is concerned, they're getting a lot more guys mobilized, a lot more soldiers mobilized and are getting those to the front lines as well. So, right now, that alliance is in a completely different place than it was before.

And I think there's one more thing that we also need to pay attention to, Omar, which is absolutely key, and that is the fact that the U.S. is now back on board, in full strength, makes a huge difference also to the allies. You just had the president of France promising those Mirage fighter jets, but you also had for instance the Germans also allowing the Ukrainians to use German weapons to fire across the border as well. So, it certainly seems as though those nations have found their footing and they're certainly projecting a pretty bold picture right now with the president there sitting with the president of Ukraine, Omar.

JIMENEZ: And even though Zelenskyy didn't get into specifics, he did imply that in the Kharkiv region specifically, that some of that aid has already had a positive influence. So, as you've mentioned, seeing that dynamic of Zelenskyy and Biden next to each other, powerful, indicative of their strength and alliance.

Fred Pleitgen, Kaylan Tausche, I really appreciate the reporting. Thank you so much.

We've got a lot more to cover over the course of this morning. For one, Donald Trump is making yet another case for taking revenge on his political opponents, the third time in his many days, he says, quote, sometimes revenge can be justified.

And in just hours, President Biden's brother and granddaughter will take the stand at Hunter Biden's gun trial. What we learned from Beau Biden's widow about the gun at It's the center of the case.

And it's in your toothpaste, your chewing gum, and you may even use it in your morning cup of coffee. A new study links the popular sweetener, xylitol, to an increased risk of stroke and heart attacks.

A whole lot more coming up, stay with us.

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[07:15:00] BOLDUAN: Sometimes revenge can be justified. Those are the words of Donald Trump from last night, making his case for the third time really in as many days that he may try to exact revenge on his political opponents if elected in November.

CNN's Steve Contorno has been tracking all of this. He's with us now back on the trail for the first time since he became a convicted felon. What happened?

STEVE CONTORNO, CNN REPORTER: Kate, Trump appeared in Arizona. And within moments of taking the stage, he accused the ruling, or, excuse me, the verdict that was reached by this unanimous jury of being, quote, rigged. He went on to say, if the appeals court doesn't, quote, strengthen things out, we're not going to have a country anymore, so continuing to amplify this rhetoric. And earlier in the day, he also did an interview with Dr. Phil, where this rhetoric of retaliation continue. Take a listen to what he said.

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DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT, 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The word revenge is a very strong word, but maybe we have revenge through success. Well, revenge does take time, I will say that.

DR. PHIL MCGRAW, T.V. HOST AND AUTHOR: It does.

TRUMP: And sometimes revenge can be justified.

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CONTORNO: This is the first appearance of Trump since that verdict was reached. He will continue this West Coast swing. He has another appearance on Sunday in Las Vegas. And we have been told that now that he is no longer required to be in New York for this trial, we can expect a ramping up of political activity from the former president.

BOLDUAN: Oh, I'm sure that is certain. And Donald Trump is also talking more, teasing more about his eventual announcement of his running mate?

CONTORNO: Yes. Last night, he said that he will make a decision or an announcement at least about his running mate at the convention in Milwaukee that's slated for mid-July. So, we're just a little over a month now until that announcement comes. At this point he's basically down to seven individuals, or at least that's who his campaign is sort of vetting and putting out as like a quasi finalized list.

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There's a first tier of three names that I can read for you. It's North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, and Senator J.D. Vance of Ohio, who I should note was with Trump yesterday, in Arizona. And then there's this sort of second tier that he's considering, and that includes Senator Tim Scott, Representative Elise Stefanik, Representative Byron Donalds, and former HUD Secretary Ben Carson. So, Donald Trump, at least these are the names that he is considering in this moment, although he is likely to also, you know, entertain other names as he continues to meet with donors and others who have an interest in this.

BOLDUAN: All right. Stand by to stand by for that. It's good to see you. Thank you so much, Steve.

Coming up for us, there are new really brutal and gruesome details being revealed in the Gilgo Beach murders, including what investigators call the alleged serial killer's of blueprint to kill.

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JIMENEZ: Today, prosecutors in Hunter Biden's federal gun trial are expected to rest their case after calling two more witnesses to the stand. Now, it comes after a pretty dramatic testimony from Hallie Biden, the widow of Beau Biden, who also dated Hunter Biden. On the stand yesterday, Hallie Biden revealed that she believed Hunter was doing drugs when he purchased the revolver at the center of this case.

Now, today, the defense is hoping testimony from Hunter Biden's daughter, Naomi, and the president's brother, James Biden, will blunt that impact from yesterday. And all of it comes as President Biden continues to say pardoning his son is not an option.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let me ask you, will you accept the jury's outcome, their verdict, no matter what it is?

BIDEN: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And have you ruled out a pardon for your son?

BIDEN: Yes.

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JIMENEZ: CNN's Marshall Cohen is outside court this morning. All right, Marshall, I know you've been staying on top of all this. What are we expecting today?

MARSHALL COHEN, CNN REPORTER: Hey, Omar. Well, the prosecution is almost done with its case, which means it's Hunter's turn. And, as you mentioned, we are expecting that he is going to have some family members take the stand in his defense. People briefed on the matter tell us that his daughter, Naomi, and his uncle, James, are going to testify as part of the defense.

They are here to blunt some of the very painful testimony that the jury already heard about Hunter Biden's rampant drug use in 2018, the year he bought the gun. Hunter's attorney said in his opening statements that Uncle Jimmy was a big part of the support system and even paid for some of Hunter Biden's treatment.

But, Omar, those are not the only Bidens we're keeping an eye out for. The first lady, Jill Biden, was in France yesterday for the D-Day commemorations but she's back in Delaware today and expected to return to the courtroom to support Hunter before flying back to France for the state visit this weekend.

Look, looking ahead to next week, the defense has to make a key decision. Is Hunter Biden going to testify? It seems unlikely. And if he decides to not make that bold move to speak in his own defense, then both sides think that this case could wrap up early or mid next week, which would lead us to jury deliberations. So, we might be getting pretty close to a verdict here in the next within the next few days of trial. Omar?

JIMENEZ: And, Marshall, before we get to the defense, this case, obviously the prosecution, we're nearing the end here, but what did they gain specifically from essentially their star witness in Hallie Biden here?

COHEN: You know, she is the only person testifying in this case who was actually with Hunter Biden in October of 2018 when he bought that gun. He's accused of committing the crime of lying on a background check by saying that he was not a drug user. And Hallie said on the stand that she observed what she believed was Hunter Biden under the influence of drugs in October of 2018. But she conceded under cross- examination that she never personally witnessed him smoking crack cocaine that month.

She also told the very bizarre and frightening story of how she found the gun on October 23rd in his car, panicked, and brought it to a grocery store and threw it in a trash can. Omar, it's that decision that day to throw out the gun that, in so many ways, led us to this day here and entangled the entire Biden family into this criminal case.

JIMENEZ: Yes. And as you mentioned, it's been the prosecution that's building their case so far. So, we'll see once we transition into how the defense gets their side of the case going as well. Marshall Cohen, I really appreciate it. Thank you so much.

We're obviously covering a lot more going on today. In a new interview, President Biden says he thinks Benjamin Netanyahu is listening to him. But a new CIA report reveals the Israeli prime minister is likely to defy a U.S. pressure campaign to set a post-war plan for Gaza.

And a lawsuit could be coming against the largest alcohol distributor in the U.S. over rising prices. But could the move actually increase prices more for Americans? We'll explain.

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