Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

McConnell Under Pressure to Distance from White House; Legislative Changes Across the Country Take Effect in 2020; Interview with Linda Ronstadt. Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired January 01, 2020 - 10:30   ET

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

[10:30:00]

RACHAEL BADE, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: -- specifically his instructions were to Giuliani. You can't get any closer than Giuliani himself, so I'm sure Democrats would love this. McConnell will not let it happen, I can almost assure you, because of the blowback that he would think the president would get.

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR, NEWSROOM: Shan, beyond the politics here, if this were to happen, I mean, it would represent something fairly alarming, right? Because the whole impeachment was about the question of foreign influence and foreign help in an election.

Rudy Giuliani has continued to do just that, go to Ukraine, try to dig up dirt on Joe Biden. In fact, meeting with some less-than-credible sources there, a member -- former member of the parliament who is pro- Russian, trained with the KGB. I mean, tell us how remarkable that would be if he were to sit at the Senate and say, hey, here's what I found there, you know, regardless of that information being at all corroborated.

SHAN WU, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: It would be remarkable. I completely agree with Rachael, the idea of him doing that is quite comical.

I don't think, actually, if I was advising the Democratic legal team on impeachment, I would not want him on the stand. I mean, he's the sort of the witness that nobody wants to take the stand. I mean, I think Bolton put it best when he described him as a grenade, and we all know what happens to everything in the proximity of a grenade.

I mean, he is just all over the place. He's talking about wanting to put on demonstrations. I don't know what kind of demonstration he wants to put on, maybe he wants to do some handstands or something. But he's desperate to be in the limelight, and that's the last thing you want in your witness, is someone who is desperate for attention to be up there. Because he is doing to ramble all over the place and nobody knows what he's going to say.

SCIUTTO: Rachael, your job is to cover Congress. You cover it well. Tell us what you're hearing about negotiations, if any, between Democrats and Republicans in the Senate.

Because you have had some Republican senators say, one, they're not comfortable with McConnell coordinating directly with the White House, but also expressing some openness to witnesses such as a John Bolton, you know, folks with actual material knowledge of the president's involvement in Ukraine policy here. Are there substantive negotiations going on or is McConnell going to do what he wants to do?

BADE: Not at this point. I mean, clearly, McConnell wanted to start the trial on Monday or Tuesday of next week, but it looks like at least those days are going to be, you know -- we're going to still be in the same position, where both sides are sort of in their corners.

I do think that Pelosi will send over the articles of impeachment pretty soon. I -- you know, I've sort of struggled to understand the leverage that Democrats think they have over McConnell by holding these impeachment articles. I know that the president wants to be acquitted, and so they're sort of hoping that he will press McConnell to move forward, and McConnell will agree to have all these witnesses.

But, look, McConnell, he knows what he's doing. I mean, he knows how to blockade the house and how to keep things over there and stand his ground, and that's what he's going to do and he's been doing right now.

And he is getting some pressure from his own members to sort of put some distance between himself and the White House, so it doesn't just look like Senate Republicans are doing whatever the White House wants them to do: people like Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, more moderate Republicans who want to be seen as fair jurists, are uncomfortable with this language, that they're coordinating with the White House. So they have pushed back on that.

However, I mean, it's just a matter of time, I think, before the articles go over. I think the question of whether they actually have central and key witnesses --

SCIUTTO: Yes.

BADE: -- is still up in the air because these moderate Republicans do want to hear, perhaps, from some of these people --

SCIUTTO: Yes.

BADE: -- who were at the heart of the scandal.

SCIUTTO: They have direct knowledge, seems natural.

BADE: Right.

SCIUTTO: Shan Wu, final -- of course, the chief justice, John Roberts, will play a prominent role in a Senate trial. It's his job to preside over the trial. And in his annual report on the state of the judiciary, this line caught our attention.

"We should reflect on our duty to judge without fear or favor, deciding each matter with humility, integrity and dispatch -- of course, referring to the duties of his own court. But I imagine that you read a message there to Republican senators who will sit as jurors in an impeachment trial. WU: Well, I'm not sure about the Republican senators, but I certainly

think it's part of his continuum of messaging to the president. He did not like Trump referring to that district court judge as an Obama judge. Roberts is very much a champion of independence of the federal judiciary as well as the integrity of the Supreme Court, as all chief justices are. I mean, that's what they defend.

I don't think he'll take a very prominent -- meaning assertive -- role in the impeachment proceedings. I think he'll look to historical precedent, to Chief Justice Rehnquist, who presided over the Clinton impeachment. And Rehnquist, of course, famously said, quoting from Gilbert and Sullivan, that "I did very little but I did it very well." And I think that's what we will look for from Roberts. But Trump is mistaken if he thinks that he has a partisan jurist presiding over that.

SCIUTTO: Yes. Well, he's often referred to him as "his judges," right? And expects --

WU: Right.

SCIUTTO: -- friendly decisions and disappointment when he doesn't get them.

Shan Wu, Rachael Bade, Happy New Year to both of you.

WU: Happy New Year.

BADE: Happy New Year.

[10:34:52]

SCIUTTO: Still to come this hour, the president signs a new law cracking down on unwanted robocalls. But will it mean an end to all of them?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCIUTTO: South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, pulling in really big fundraising numbers for the fourth quarter of 2019. His campaign says it raised more than $24.7 million last quarter. That may be one of the largest hauls in the whole Democratic field. Andrew Yang, also seeing a bump. His campaign raised $4 million in just the last few days of 2019.

Joining me now, CNN political reporter Arlette Saenz. I mean, these numbers for Buttigieg, just remarkable. And he's had a couple good cycles before that. Where's this money coming from?

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN POLITICAL REPORTER: Well, Jim, this certainly shows a sign of strength for Pete Buttigieg, as we get closer to the Iowa caucuses. He's been rising in the polls, and now these fundraising numbers coupled with his previous fundraising hauls, show that he has the ability to maintain an operation, not just heading into the Iowa causes, but also for the long haul.

[10:40:09]

And if you take a look at his fundraising over the past almost year of this campaign season, he, compared to last year -- last quarter, he raised more, about $5 million more. But then this is about on par with his second-quarter fundraising, when he had raised $24.8 million.

But one thing that is significant about Pete Buttigieg is that he really entered this race as a relative unknown. He didn't have a huge e-mail list or network of national donors that he could tap into. And Buttigieg has been relying a lot on holding big fundraisers. That's something that he came under criticism for from Senator Elizabeth Warren. You'll remember at the last debate, when she was criticizing the fundraiser he held at a wine cave.

But his campaign is also touting those donations that have come in online. They said that last quarter, their average contribution was about $33, so this is certainly a sign of strength as we get closer --

SCIUTTO: Yes.

SAENZ: -- as we're now 33 days to the caucuses.

SCIUTTO: All right. Let's talk about the other candidates, how their numbers might look. Particularly Joe Biden, because previous cycle, not particularly stratospheric numbers. What do we expect?

SAENZ: Yes, Joe Biden, you know, last quarter, underperformed compared to his first quarter in the race. But his campaign recently hinted, in a fundraising e-mail, that his donations this cycle -- or this -- last quarter -- I'm sorry, forgive me. Last quarter, they actually might exceed what he raised in the third quarter. He's had an uptick in online donations.

Now, Elizabeth Warren, last Friday, she indicated that she's raised more than $17 million. And she was trying to get closer to a $20 million mark. All of these candidates are going to be releasing these numbers in the coming days, as they're trying to show that they have the money to carry on this race into the long haul, as we get closer to the caucuses -- Jim.

SCIUTTO: They need that money, it's going to be a long cycle. Arlette Saenz, thanks very much.

SAENZ: Thanks.

SCIUTTO: When the new year comes, new rules will come into effect across the country. A wave of new laws, officially on the books today, covering things from gun rights to minimum wage hikes. CNN's Nick Valencia joins me now with more on the changes.

So, Nick, what are some of the interesting new laws out there, as we kick off 2020?

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Happy New Year to Jim -- to you, Jim.

SCIUTTO: Thank you.

VALENCIA: Let me start by saying that. We have a new year, time for new laws. And here's what you need to know, starting your 2020. Minimum wages are going up in 21 states, starting today, according to the National Employment Law Project. In 17 of the 72 jurisdictions where wages are going up, the new rate will reach or exceed $15 per hour. Remember, for reference, the national minimum wage, that stays the same at $7.25 for non-tipped employees.

Moving to the Midwest, big news for pot-smokers. They can rejoice there. Starting today, anyone 21 years old or older can buy and possess recreational marijuana in Illinois. Under the new law, you can possess up to 30 grams of marijuana -- just over an ounce -- five grams of concentrate, and no more than 500 milligrams of cannabis- infused products. The new law, we should mention, also pardons individuals with nonviolent convictions for amounts of marijuana up to 30 grams.

Big news in New York this morning as well, no more cash bail. The state becomes the latest to end the money bail system for nearly all misdemeanor and non-violent felony cases. The new law could take thousands of incarcerated people from pretrial detention, big news there.

And in other news, other laws we found interesting include a ban on single-use plastic bags in Oregon. If you like to text and drive in Florida, don't do it unless you want a $30 ticket for non-moving violations, $60 ticket if you are driving and texting.

And some might say, in a sign of the times, the state of Texas will now require local school districts to stock gunshot wound kits, anticipating a mass shooting at a school. The wound kits will be equipped with other things like tourniquets, chest seals and compression bandages. Both students and teachers will now be trained in how to use them.

If you're interested in learning more about these stories that we talked about, go over to CNN.com. We just put that article up there on the screen. We have a more in-depth write (ph) by our Harmeet Kaur, who wrote about these new laws and others. Head on over to CNN.com.

SCIUTTO: Goodness, gunshot wound kits --

VALENCIA: Yes.

SCIUTTO: -- in schools.

VALENCIA: Pretty sad, Jim.

SCIUTTO: A measure of where we are. Nick Valencia, thanks very much.

VALENCIA: You got it.

SCIUTTO: Well, you may receive fewer unwanted phone calls this year. President Trump has signed a new law that is supposed to cut down on some robocalls as part of a federal push against phone scammers. CNN's Alison Kosik joins me now with more.

So tell us what this bans. Because you get a lot of annoying robocalls --

ALISON KOSIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh, yes, we do.

SCIUTTO: -- I certainly get them -- and what it does not, as we enter a political year?

KOSIK: OK. So, first of all, what is this really going to do? I think what you're going to see it do is, it's going to go ahead and reduce the number of robocalls you get. It's not going to completely magically make them all go away, it may make it more difficult for those behind the robocalls, but you're not going to see them completely vanish. I know I get plenty of calls from the Drug Enforcement Agency, I'm in a lot of trouble with the DEA. Of course, those are not real.

[10:45:03]

So what is this law going to do? So, first of all, it's going to increase the fines on robo-callers who break the law. It's going to increase fines from $1,500 to $10,000. It instructs the FCC to crack down on robo-callers. And the great thing is, is this law makes it so the FCC is going to be able to work with the Department of Justice.

TEXT: Trump Signs Robocall Bill Into Law: Increases fines on criminal robocall violations; Instructs the FCC to crack down on robocalls; Accelerates rollout of "call authentication" technology; Phone companies can't charge to block unwanted calls

KOSIK: But the reality is, you know, enforcing this is going to be really difficult, enforcing these fines, because a lot of the robocalls originate overseas. Just a case in point, millions of dollars in fines were issued just this year -- or last year, I should say -- and only a fraction of those fines were recovered. So that shows you just how hard it is to enforce this.

Now, the one part of the law that could really make a difference is this law is looking to accelerate the rollout of some technology called call authentication technology. And what this would do -- and it's in development right now -- it allows the phone companies to go ahead and block these unverified calls.

You know, the calls that have your area code, that look real, and the calls from supposed government agencies, like the ones that I get from the Drug Enforcement Agency, where you -- you know, you automatically pick it up because it's stunning to see it. So this technology is being encouraged to be rolled out more quickly. And once it is rolled out, these phone companies are going to be required to use it.

One more thing, phone companies have already been blocking calls. Now, this law is saying, look, phone companies, go ahead and just block the calls without the customers giving their consent. Customers could always opt out of they want.

SCIUTTO: But you could still get robocalls from political candidates --

(CROSSTALK)

KOSIK: Yes, and that always has been --

SCIUTTO: Yes.

KOSIK: -- the FCC has rules in that place. On your cell phone, they may not give you --

SCIUTTO: But land lines.

KOSIK: -- robocalls unless you give your consent. Land lines are fair game.

SCIUTTO: All right. Alison Kosik (ph) --

KOSIK: Yes, you got it.

SCIUTTO: -- thanks very much. Coming up this hour, we are live outside the U.S. embassy in Baghdad where protestors who had been surrounding the embassy, attacking it, are now clearing out. Stay with us for an update.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:51:34]

SCIUTTO: Linda Ronstadt is simply a musical legend. CNN's Anderson Cooper recently sat down with her to talk about her career, which includes 10 Grammys, 11 Platinum albums and a version (ph) of Parkinson's disease, which changed her life.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Do you ever sing out loud?

LINDA RONSTADT, SINGER: No, I can't. I can't do repetitive motion. And I read someplace that there's, like, over a thousand vibrations per second for a female voice, to sing with your vocal cords, you have to vibrate that many times. It's a lot of repetitions. For somebody with a movement disorder, it's just impossible.

COOPER: You were diagnosed with a Parkinson-like condition --

RONSTADT: It's called progressive supranuclear palsy Parkinsonism.

COOPER: You knew there was something going on, long before you were ever diagnosed --

RONSTADT: Oh, yes. In the year 2000, I was trying to sing and I kept thinking there was something wrong with my headphones because I couldn't hear the top end of my voice, I couldn't hear the part that I use for -- to get in tune, for one thing. And the whole top end of my voice just wasn't in -- I'd start to sing, and my throat would clutch up, it would just be like I had a cramp or something, I don't know what the hell (ph) --

(CROSSTALK)

COOPER: Did other people notice, or was this something that at first you just noticed?

RONSTADT: They didn't notice until after a while, then they noticed. By the time they were noticing, I was retiring because I don't think it's fair to charge money to hear somebody struggle.

COOPER: You took yourself out of touring, of singing in front of other people?

RONSTADT: Yes. I remember the last show I did, literally, my entire career flashed in front of my eyes. I remembered every show I'd ever done.

COOPER: You know, there's going to be people who are seeing this who are facing obstacles or facing Parkinson's or facing -- maybe some people who have just received diagnoses. What advice do you give people?

RONSTADT: Acceptance, because there's nothing you can do about it.

COOPER: Acceptance?

RONSTADT: And for my form of Parkinsonism, there isn't even a treatment. People with regular Parkinson's disease can take L-dopa. If I take it, it makes me worse. (INAUDIBLE) made me forget everything.

COOPER: Did it take you a while to be able to get to a place of acceptance?

RONSTADT: No. I -- my grandmother had it, and I knew what it was. And I just went, OK, that's what I have and just have to learn to live with it.

I find creative new ways to do things. I'm like a toddler, you know? You get pared back in your brain to sort of the skills of a toddler. So eating is hard, I've had to learn -- I had to re-learn how to eat. You could carve a new brain map, if you're patient and willing to do that. But it's hard because the disease also brings kind of lack of will. Like, I'm pretty happy to just sort of lie down and read a book and look out the window.

COOPER: Right.

RONSTADT: Whereas before, I was running all over the place, you know?

COOPER: Reading -- I mean, that's the extraordinary thing about books, is then you travel in your mind, through books --

RONSTADT: Yes. I can go anywhere.

COOPER: Also, my mom used to say about sort of health being this thing that every -- we all take for granted until it's suddenly --

RONSTADT: Yes. It's like, what, I can't do that? I can't put my pants on? I can pull my boots on? What is this, you know? I remember how -- I forgot -- it's like I forgot how.

COOPER: When my mom found out that she was going to die in several days, and that she had cancer and she hadn't realized, the first thing she said is, show me -- she said, well, it's like that old song. "Show me the way to get out of this world, because that's where everything is."

RONSTADT: Well, we're all going to die. And I sat with my father while he was dying, I think it's a real privilege to sit with the dying. And they show you how to -- how it goes, you know? You hope for -- for a peaceful death and not too painful.

My father, when he died, I wasn't as afraid of death after I watched him die. He was very brave, he looked it straight in the eye, he sailed out pretty peacefully. And he knew it was time. It's going to be time for all of us one day.

[10:55:08]

COOPER: Does that scare you?

RONSTADT: It doesn't scare me like it did. I mean, I'd prefer not to be hit by a bus tomorrow, but I don't know --

COOPER: I would prefer that as well.

RONSTADT: -- I don't wish for a particularly long life. I've had a long life already, I'm 73. Anything past this is gravy.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SCIUTTO: You can catch the "LINDA RONSTADT: THE SOUND OF MY VOICE" tonight, 9:00 Eastern time, only here on CNN.

And thanks so much for joining me today. I want to wish you and your families, from all of us here at CNN, a very happy 2020. I'm Jim Sciutto. "AT THIS HOUR" starts right after a quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:00:00]