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Joe Biden Officials Dispute Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Claim U.S. Withholding Weapons; Vladimir Putin And Kim Jong-un Sign New Strategic Partnership Pact; U.S. And Allies Debate What Commitment To Give On Ukraine Joining NATO; Hours Left For Robert F. Kennedy Jr. To Qualify For CNN Debate Next Week. Aired 2-2:30p ET

Aired June 19, 2024 - 14:00   ET

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

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[14:01:53]

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Unproductive and completely untrue that is the message from the U.S. envoy to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after Netanyahu accused the U.S. of withholding weapons. More on the frustrations mounting within the White House, next.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: And that's a wrap on Vladimir Putin's day long visit to North Korea but not before Kim Jong-un hails a new alliance, what that means and how other countries are now responding.

We're following these major developing stories and many more all coming in right here to CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

KEILAR: Hello, I'm Brianna Keilar alongside Boris Sanchez. And we're watching several big stories that are raising concerns across the globe.

First, new signs of the Biden administration's frustration with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. According to CNN contributor and Axios reporter Barak Ravid, the White House has canceled a high level meeting with Israel on Iran that was set for tomorrow. And this is a response to a video of Netanyahu accusing the U.S. of withholding military aid.

And in North Korea, the U.S. is keeping a watchful eye on what is a deepening alliance between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un.

Today, those two leaders signing a major agreement pledging to help each other if their countries are attacked.

SANCHEZ: The CNN is also learning that the U.S. and several key allies are now calibrating just how much to push for Ukraine's membership in NATO ahead of the next month 75th Anniversary Summit.

Let's go live now to the White House and CNN's MJ Lee. MJ Lee, let's start with Israel. And that top U.S. official their private comments to Prime Minister Netanyahu. Walk us through the details of that reporting. MJ LEE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, what we're seeing Boris and Brianna are the tensions between the U.S. and Israel once again, spilling out into public view. This is after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent in a pretty remarkable video that the U.S. was withholding weapons and ammunitions to Israel.

That of course bothered a lot of U.S. officials here in Washington, given the lengths to which the U.S. has really gone to support Israel since the onset of the Israel-Hamas war.

One official telling CNN that those comments from the prime minister were perplexing and wrong. And our colleague Natasha Bertrand also reports that U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein told the prime minister in a private meeting yesterday that his comments were unproductive and completely untrue.

And in the meantime, we are also seeing U.S. officials publicly reiterating that there is only one shipment of weapons that the U.S. is currently holding, nothing else and that they essentially have no idea what the prime minister was referring to, take a listen.

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ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: We, as you know, are continuing to review one shipment that President Biden has talked about, with regard to 2,000 pound bombs because of our concerns about their use in a densely populated area like Rafah, that remains other under review. But everything else is moving as it normally would move.

[14:05:07]

KARINE JEAN-PIERRE, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: We generally do not know what he's talking about. We just don't.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEE: And I should note, there is currently an Israeli delegation that is in Washington here to meet with U.S. officials having a series of meetings over a couple of days.

But there was one meeting that was slated for tomorrow to discuss issues including the issue of Iran that does appear to have been postponed. The one official told CNN that that had everything to do with Prime Minister Netanyahu's comments. Other officials telling CNN that it was simply a scheduling issue.

But either way, what we are seeing is that these frustrations coming from U.S. officials and Israeli officials are no longer just being aired in private as the war continues. The ceasefire deal does not appear imminent.

And of course, both President Biden and Prime Minister Netanyahu are under tremendous pressure at home.

SANCHEZ: MJ Lee thanks so much for that reporting. And as the Israel- Hamas war rages, the White House is also closely watching the deepening ties between Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un.

Today, the Russian president and North Korean leader has signed a new partnership pact, pledging to help each other if their countries are attacked. Now, Kim hailed North Korea's new "alliance with Russia as a watershed moment."

KEILAR: Now, Putin just wrapped what's really a rare two day visit to Pyongyang, this was his first time there in more than 20 years.

CNN's Matthew Chance is live from Moscow for us. Matthew, how significant is this new agreement?

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I think it could be pretty significant. I mean, look, I mean, it's a strategic partnership treaty that they've signed. It was the centerpiece of these lavish ceremonies, welcoming Vladimir Putin, the Russian leader to the North Korean capital. There's an important security dimension as part of that treaty.

And so, we could see more of the kinds of things we have been seeing, which is North Korean ammunition, basically allowing Russia to sustain a massive barrage of artillery strikes predominantly on the frontlines in Ukraine.

Of course, the Kremlin and Pyongyang deny there's been weapons exchanges or ammunition shipments, because that's in contravention of U.N. Security Council resolutions.

But nevertheless, it's the assessment of U.S. officials and other governments as well, that that is what's taking place, it could be more of that.

And on the other side of that equation, there is concern about what it means in North Korea, what North Korea will get in return for the supplying of that kind of military assistance to Russia. It needs a lot of help with its ballistic missile program, its nuclear program, both programs that have been used to threaten the United States and its allies in the past.

And so, it could be a new and dangerous phase in military cooperation between these two countries.

Vladimir Putin as well saying that one important aspect of this new treaty is mutual assistance, so much like NATO's clause five, if one side is attacked, the other side is compelled to sort of join in the fight as it were.

It's not clear that would actually mean whether that would be a way of bringing North Korea even more into Russia's conflict when it calls its special military operation in Ukraine.

So, a period of great concern with this emerging alliance.

KEILAR: Yes, understandably. Matthew, thank you for the latest on that. We do appreciate it.

Let's discuss all of these international headlines a bit further now with former U.S. ambassador to NATO, Kurt Volker.

Ambassador, thanks for being with us. How significant do you see this agreement to be? And what are the possible implications as you see it?

KURT VOLKER, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO NATO: Yes, well, I don't think there's a whole lot new in this that we didn't already know before. Russia has become dependent upon North Korean ammunition to continue its ability to continue to attack Ukraine. We knew that.

And in exchange for that, Putin is granting Kim Jong-un a higher status. He's showing up there. They're signing this big agreement. He's making Kim Jong-un more presentable on an international stage by being with Vladimir Putin. Probably also helping with missile technology.

All of this is stuff we've known, I think what it shows is that Russia truly has become dependent upon these systems, and then wants to try to build this anti-Western alliance with whoever it can grab.

And so, working with North Korea is a -- is an easy one for Putin if he can get the weapons.

KEILAR: He said whoever he can grab, I mean, as you see it, is this someone -- and here he is, he's going -- making this overture to go to North Korea. What does that say about the state of where Russia is in the international community?

VOLKER: Well, I think Russia is rather isolated. Yes, they're cut off from a lot of energy sales around the world. They've lost pipeline access to Western Europe for gas sales, and are now only doing LNG. They are dependent upon Iran for the drones that they use to attack Ukraine. They're dependent upon North Korea for the artillery shells. They are increasingly reliant on China for trade, because others have cut off trade because of sanctions to one degree or another. Microchips are especially an issue for Putin.

[14:10:20]

So, he's trying to compensate for these things. But these are all indicators that the situation Russia has become more difficult.

KEILAR: Last week, NATO announced they are taking over the coordination of security assistance and training for Ukraine. In part, this is to guard against a potential Trump second term and uncertainty over continued U.S. support in that case.

I know you're just back from Ukraine from a security conference in Odessa. How worried are officials and folks that you talked to in Ukraine about that scenario?

VOLKER: Well, you know, I think they're kind of looking at it as, look, this is a U.S. election, people are going to choose who they choose. We have had a difficult time over the last 2-1/2 years, people look at the Biden administration as having gone too slowly and not provided enough and still providing restrictions on the use of weapons. They look at the Trump administration and remember that it was Trump

that reversed the arms ban on Ukraine and provided the first Javelin missiles and they fundamentally don't want to be a part of U.S. domestic politics. So, they're just taking it as it is.

What the Ukrainians focus on is what the needs are. And the needs are for more reliable supplies of arms and ammunition quicker and without restrictions so that they can truly defend themselves. And they're still pushing for that and will push for that no matter who's elected in the U.S.

KEILAR: Obviously, you have some familiarity with the Ukraine call incident involving former President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. I know that you had conversations in the wake of it with other Trump administration officials.

I do want to get your reaction because last night, Eugene Vindman, who is twin brother to Alexander Vindman, he was also on the NSC at the time. He won his Democratic primary in his Virginia congressional race.

Both the Vindmans have raised concerns over the call. And I just wonder, you know, since you were a witness to impeachment proceedings, what do you think about the Ukraine call incident spurring Vindman to run for office?

VOLKER: Well, that's, you know, obviously his personal call whether he wants to take an office in politics or not, and congratulations to him for winning his primary. I know Eugene and Alex both.

I think that the problem of that whole episode of 2019 was that Ukraine became an issue of domestic politics in the U.S., both parties using it to beat each other up for domestic political reasons.

And I don't think that serves U.S. national security interests. I don't think it serves Ukraine's interests, because Ukraine actually is facing a serious threat, a serious aggression by a much larger neighbor. They are fighting to defend their freedom, their families, their homes, they need help to do that. And it's, frankly, in our interest, and it's a bipartisan interest to help Ukraine, get what it needs and defeat Putinism inside Ukraine, so that we don't have to deal with Putinism attacking others.

KEILAR: Do you believe Trump sees it that way?

VOLKER: Well, he'll speak for himself as well, I think --

KEILAR: Do you have -- let me ask you this, because I know you must have reflected on, do you have concerns that he doesn't?

VOLKER: Well, I think we don't know what Trump would do if he's elected. I think he said very little about how he views things now, he said he wants to end the war in a day. He said this was -- would never have happened if he was president. He hasn't given any details about what he thinks.

He did provide political cover for Speaker Johnson when Speaker Johnson got the assistance package for Ukraine through the Congress.

So, there are indicators in every direction, and I don't think we can presume to know what he would do.

KEILAR: We can certainly raise a lot of questions about it. I think he's led us in that direction, for sure when it comes to NATO, and certainly the U.S. in support of Ukraine.

Ambassador Volker, thank you so much for being with us.

VOLKER: Thank you.

KEILAR: Still to come, the clock is ticking. Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. facing a midnight deadline to qualify for CNN's debate. Can he do it?

Plus, the latest on the deadly wildfire in New Mexico that has forced thousands of people to evacuate their homes on short notice.

And later, new video following the DWI arrest of Justin Timberlake.

You're watching CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

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[14:19:17]

SANCHEZ: Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. faces a midnight deadline to qualify for the first presidential debate of 2024 airing next week on CNN.

He needs at least 15 percent support in four separate national polls of registered or likely voters and he is still one poll shy. He also has to appear on enough state ballots to reach 270 electoral votes. Right now, he's on seven ballots, putting him far behind that magic number.

Here's CNN's statement on this, "The law in virtually every state provides that the nominee of a state-recognized political party will be allowed ballot access without petitioning. As the presumptive nominees of their parties both Biden and Trump satisfy this requirement.

[14:20:03]

As an independent candidate under applicable laws, RFK Jr. currently does not. The mere application for ballot access does not guarantee that he will appear on the ballot in any state.

In addition, RFK Jr. does not currently meet our polling criteria, which, like the other objective criteria were set before issuing invitations to the debate."

Let's talk all things debate with veteran pollster and communication strategist Frank Luntz.

Frank, thank you so much for being with us. What do you think the dynamic would have been like with RFK on stage?

FRANK LUNTZ, POLLSTER AND COMMUNICATION STRATEGIST: It would have been significant and I hate to admit this, Boris, but I've done every presidential debate since 1996, it was the first time that I started doing focus groups. So, I've had a chance to listen to what the American people think and how they react to everything that happens.

Point number one, is a Robert Kennedy Jr. doesn't deserve to be in this debate because he hasn't met the qualifications. And these have been very clearly defined, and they've been defined for 25 years now. So, it's not a big deal. He'll have the chance in September perhaps to be able to make that statement.

Second, is that I am so -- I believe this will be the highest debate audience that we've ever had, that even people who don't care that much about politics are going to be tuning in, because they want to see the -- I got to be careful about my language here, about the confrontation between Trump and Biden, and they both have so much to prove.

And really, this, to me, will be the most important day of the entire election campaign. Donald Trump has to -- go ahead.

SANCHEZ: No, I was just going to say, what advice would you give the candidates, you were saying Donald Trump has to be?

LUNTZ: OK, first thing is, he has to prove that he has learned from his presidency, that 2024 will be different, that he wants to try to bring back some of the things that the public, according to polling did appreciate such as a secured border, inflation under control, a very strong economy.

However, he's weaker on issues like abortion, and health care which benefits Joe Biden. Trump has to be able to prove that he is still presidential in his approach. And his final debate against Biden, the series that we saw in 2020, it was an embarrassment for him and for the country, that women turned against him because they found him rude, they found him abusive. This is something that Trump voters don't want to hear.

But the way Donald Trump acted in that first presidential debate with Chris Wallace, as the host, was vicious, personal, mean, and it turned voters off against him.

Joe Biden, on the other hand, has to prove that he's still not only with it, but engaged and involved. And voters are not going to be asking him what he did over the last four years, they're going to be asking him what he's going to be doing over the next four. And it would be a mistake for him to say, hey, look, look at all the legislation we got passed, look at the compromise that we were able to do with Congress, because that's not what this presidential campaign is going to be about. It's going to be about the future, not the past.

And one more point.

SANCHEZ: Yes. LUNTZ: I really believe that the American democracy is at stake here. I really believe that the level of trust and confidence that the public have in the media, in Congress, in the presidency, in the Supreme Court, in our governmental institutions are at or near all- time lows.

We just finished a project within the last 48 hours. I'm looking at the data and frankly, it's making me sick. I know it's amusing to some people, it's funny to them that the public so hates their institutions and the elites that run them.

Well, the fact is, if you don't trust your government, you don't trust your leaders, you don't trust the people who report information to you, you don't trust the system of government that has worked in this country for 250 years. If you don't trust it, then man, we are in serious trouble.

And I think that this debate is either going to turn the tide on that level of faith and trust, or it's going to confirm in the minds of more than half of Americans that our government, our democracy, our system of how things operate, our checks and balances, that it is not only broken, but that maybe we should get rid of it. And that scares the living hell out of me.

[14:25:06]

SANCHEZ: That is terrifying when you put it in context that way.

Frank, I did want to ask you about a new poll out of Iowa that you recently pointed out, this poll extends Trump's lead over Biden beyond his 2020 performance.

You argue this is bad news for Biden, even though Iowa has been reliably read for quite some time. What are you seeing in this poll that tells you something about where 2024 is headed?

LUNTZ: Well, first, I owe an apology because I should not be filibustering and that's what I did. And I've always appreciate the questions that you and your colleagues asked me on this show. So, I apologize for that.

And I'm going to apologize because I'm going to move to a separate poll. To me, it's not that Donald Trump is winning so big in Iowa. That's not the story. It's that he's making it close in Minnesota.

Minnesota is a reliable democratic state and votes Democrat in every presidential campaign and poll after poll. I see Trump within two or three points in Minnesota. I don't think the media understands exactly what's going on right now.

Yes, Trump dropped a few points after being found guilty on 34 felony accounts, but remember this, that would have destroyed any candidate as recently as 10 years ago. And the fact that Donald Trump is still even with or in some cases leading Joe Biden after being found guilty of 34 felonies? Oh, my God, that is so significant. And one more point, I'm watching the independent vote. I don't believe

that they're swaying back and forth between Trump and Biden. I think that they decided that they hate both candidates. They hate both parties. And they're voting out of anger, out of desperation, out of resentment, that this is what our political system has gotten.

So, be very careful on how you analyze what goes on from now to the debates, to the election, because I think there could be a hidden anger vote that surprises everyone on Election Day.

SANCHEZ: Well, Frank, I got to say, you may describe it as filibustering, I would say you were just on a roll, man.

I hope you don't mind me sharing with folks, you had some health issues a few months back, but it's great to see you doing well. We always appreciate having you on. Frank Luntz, thanks so much.

LUNTZ: I thank you, and I consider it an honor.

SANCHEZ: Of course. So, residents in New Mexico are now fleeing a deadly wildfire that's growing so fast, people only had minutes to grab a few items, and those were the lucky ones. We have details on that straight ahead.

Plus, another departure delay, why Boeing Starliner spacecraft seems to be stuck at the International Space Station.

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