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Prices Rising; Bob Dole Remembered. Aired 2-2:30p ET

Aired December 10, 2021 - 14:00   ET

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

[14:00:02]

GEN. MARK MILLEY, CHAIRMAN, JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF: An incredible example of a lifetime of selfless service to our nation.

And it's fitting that we're here surrounded by this World War II monument that Senator Dole did so much to build, a memorial dedicated to 16 million Americans who donned the cloth of our nation and fought in World War II, and almost a half-a-million who paid the ultimate (AUDIO GAP) sacrifice in the defense of the liberties that we enjoy every day.

Senator Dole's commitment to this democracy was unwavering, a democracy that he died to defend, and he died just recently in order to give his life for this country. He almost died in World War II. He had a life of service defending this democracy. And we honor him today for his entire life.

Senator Dole began his career serving the United States on the battlefields of Europe during World War II, as so many here know; 80 years ago this week, on 7 December, 1941, the Japanese launched a surprise attack on what we now know as a day of infamy, an attack on our fleet at Pearl Harbor.

Senator Dole was just a humble kid from Russell, Kansas, whose family had struggled through the Depression, through the Dust Bowl. And on that day, on 7 December, 1941, he was just a freshman in college at the University of Kansas. And like many young Americans, like you, like my mother, like my father, like many of our mothers and fathers, the surprise attack on the United States on that day invoked his patriotic spirit and began his journey into the hell of combat.

Second Lieutenant Dole was assigned to the famous 10th Mountain Division. And we are blessed today to have the commanding general of the current 10th Mountain Division here with us, along with his sergeant major.

At the time in World War II, the 10th Mountain was in Northern Italy, fighting in the Apennine Mountains against a fortified German defense known as the Gothic Line. Bob Dole, Lieutenant Dole, was assigned to the 85th Infantry. And he was the platoon leader for 2nd Platoon, India Company, positioned near a small town of D'Aiano in Northern Italy.

India Company's mission was to attack and seize Hill 913, a small hill located just to the northwest of the town. And that hill covered -- it was the dominating feature and covered the drain at the mouth of the valley that the U.S. forces needed to cross.

The company, including 2nd Lieutenant Dole and his 2nd Platoon, commenced the attack in the early morning hours of 14 February, 1945, less than 30 days before V.E. Day, celebrating the end of the war in Europe in May.

After only going a short distance, one of the men in front of the column in Lieutenant Dole's platoon stepped on a land mine, triggering an explosion that shattered the stillness of the morning. The world exploded around Lieutenant Dole and his company, as machine guns began to fire and grenades and mortars filled the air, as German soldiers concealed in their defensive position opened fire on the 10th Mountain.

The company commander called Lieutenant Dole and told him to continue the attack. He gave his platoon the mission to take out the German machine gun nest.

Lieutenant Dole assembled the assault squad and positioned the rest of his men forward to provide covering fire. He was 21 years old. He and his soldiers attacked without hesitation, led by the lieutenant, Lieutenant Bob Dole, initially crawling on their bellies through an open field and then rushing forward up a hill toward the enemy machine gun.

As they closed in on the German position, the German fire intensified, and many of the soldiers in 2nd Platoon were wounded or killed. Lieutenant Dole looked around him, and he looked for his radioman, his RTO, Private Sims. And he saw him a short distance away slumped over, not moving still, clutching his radio.

[14:05:10]

Lieutenant Dole scrambled across the dirt, where Private Sims. Lieutenant Dole grabbed him by the shirt and began to drag him toward the relative safety of a nearby bomb crater. They hadn't moved more than a few feet when an enemy machine gun and shrapnel from an exploding moat around tore into Bob Dole's back near his right shoulder, the impact throwing him to the ground. He was very badly wounded.

His right arm and shoulder were completely mangled. His spinal cord was severely damaged, and he was unable to move either his arms or his legs. Another soldier, Frank Carafa, reached out and dragged Lieutenant Dole, dragged him back behind a nearby stone wall, and thereby saved his life.

Lieutenant Dole lay there, facing up in the dirt, not knowing whether he would live or die, unable to move as the battle raged around him, and he lay there for 10 consecutive hours before medics were able to reach him.

India Company fought all through the day, then to the next day, and they finally took Hill 913. In the end, India Company, Bob Dole's company, and the other 10th Mountain units fighting for Hill 913 suffered 460 casualties, of which 98 were killed in action.

Medics eventually got to Lieutenant Dole, and they evacuated him. He left the battlefields of Italy, and his war was over. But his fight was really just beginning. For months, he was largely confined to a bed, as Tom Hanks mentioned, in a full body cast.

He fought blood clots and life-threatening infections. And he fought despair and hope. But just as he did in the dirt on Hill 913, Lieutenant Dole refused to give in. And, as we know, he persevered. He healed. And he went on to distinguish himself in the service of his country, this country, many, many times over in both the House of Representatives and the Senate over a 35-year political career.

After leaving Congress in 1996, Senator Dole didn't slow down. He didn't stop advocating for worthy causes. In addition to practicing law and authoring several books, he served as a board member for the World Food Program. He served as the head of the Memorial Foundation for this memorial. And he raised millions of dollars to make this a reality.

So, today, we're honoring a man of deep character and tremendous accomplishment, a long and impressive record of selfless service. He suffered, he endured, and he showed us all what hope can do.

So, why, why did Bob Dole do it? Why did Bob Dole raise his right hand in 1942 and swear an oath of allegiance to the Constitution of the United States of America, and, after being wounded, when he couldn't raise his right hand any longer, he raised his left hand to swear his oath. Why?

Why, knowing the danger...

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN HOST: We have all been watching the ceremony honoring the late Senator Bob Dole.

We're now going to President Biden speaking live at the Summit for Democracy. He's taking questions.

Let's listen.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, my problem is I haven't seen -- I just got back. I just walked here from delivering Bob Dole's eulogy. So I haven't seen the report.

I will take a look at what the Supreme Court said. I don't know what it said. I don't know what it said, because the last three hours I have been involved with Bob Dole's eulogy and funeral. But I will have a comment.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE) law remains intact.

BIDEN: Well, I don't -- I'm not going to comment on something I don't know yet. But I will comment. Thank you all so very much. VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN HOST: All right, the president taking just a question about a CBO score that came out today.

Let's go back now to this memorial for the late Senator Bob Dole.

MILLEY: ... or you're female, whether you're black or white or Asian, or Indian, or no matter what the color of your skin. Doesn't matter where you came from or what your last name is. It doesn't matter whether you're Catholic or Protestant, Muslim or Jew. Doesn't matter if you believe or you don't believe.

[14:10:03]

Doesn't matter if you're rich or poor, from the city or from the country. Under the colors that he served, under the colors of red, white, and blue, in this country, Bob Dole knew that we were all born free and equal. And in this country, you're going to have an opportunity. You're going to rise or fall based on your merit, your talent, your skills, your attributes.

And you're going to be judged by the content of your character, your integrity, your perseverance, and your willingness to serve. He fought and, more importantly, he lived for an idea, an idea that says a kid from Kansas, some small town, who can make it through the Depression, can go to college, play sports, become an officer in the Army, go to law school, run for Congress, become a senator, and run three times for president.

He fought and lived. He fought and lived for that idea. And he built this monument to the other 16 million who fought and lived for that idea. When others would have given up, Bob Dole never did. When others saw obstacles, he saw opportunity. He continually raised his hand, mangled as it was, to support and defend the Constitution of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic.

He served the Army. He served the state of Kansas. He served his political party. But, above all, he served his country, and he served his fellow American. Bob Dole always, always put his country first. He was a great example of a selfless servant of this republic, for which we stand.

And we're all better off for the service of Senator Bob Dole, a member of the Greatest Generation, a statesman and a hero in every sense of the word. And may God bless him. May God bless Senator Elizabeth Dole. May God bless his entire family, Robin, and the extended family. And may God bless the United States of America.

("TAPS" PLAYS)

[14:15:40]

CAMEROTA: OK, we have been watching the poignant ceremony honoring Senator Bob Dole.

We heard a powerful speech there by General Mark Milley, a eulogy talking about just how selfless Senator Dole was in his service to the country.

We're now watching his widow, Elizabeth Dole, on the arm of General Milley after this very powerful tribute to the center.

BLACKWELL: Let's bring it down Joe Johns. He's at the World War II Memorial and is with us now.

Joe, fitting that this tribute is here, not only because of his service, but also the late senator would go to the memorial and speak with veterans who were there, advocated for the construction of this memorial.

JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: That's absolutely right, Victor. And I will tell you, it goes way back.

In fact, even before this memorial opened, Senator Dole wrote in his book that he brought Senator Dan Inouye, who was a Congressional Medal of Honor winner, also a member of the United States Senate, also a member of the United States military, the Army, who was severely wounded in 1945, down to the memorial to see it.

And he continued that tradition of bringing individuals here to the memorial just to see it. But it goes beyond that. In fact, it was 1997, right after the election that Bob Dole lost, the president that he actually lost to, Bill Clinton, gave him the Congressional Medal of Freedom.

And at that time, he asked Bob Dole if he would head up the committee to put together the financing for this World War II Memorial. He thought about it for a while, and he said he had to do it, and then moved forward with that. And over a period of years, he had to raise tens of millions of dollars. There were many obstacles.

Another thing that he wrote in his book is that what he did was essentially had to deal with all the legal challenges, including one challenge by a group called Save the Mall. And he wrote very famously that the World War II veterans have already saved the Mall. And now, of course, he had to go through this.

So Bob Dole, an American hero, loved this place. As Tom Hanks said, he alone willed this memorial into existence, so quite fitting now that we see this wreath-laying ceremony at the end of all the other remembrances of Senator Bob Dole -- back to you.

CAMEROTA: Senator Dole was 98 years old. It's very sad for the rest of us to be losing another member of the Greatest Generation, and just the words that they used that are, obviously, I think, some people think, are in short supply today in terms of sacrifice and service and hope and dedication and perseverance.

And those kept coming up again and again this morning in tribute to Senator Dole.

BLACKWELL: A selfless hero, in the words of General Milley and the sentiments shared by so many who knew him. CAMEROTA: Our thanks to Joe Johns for that, as we watch the funeral

procession heading out now and the memorial wreath honoring Senator Dole.

OK, there's other news that we need to cover, of course. Inflation in the U.S. has just hit a 39-year high. And President Biden just addressed it. So we will tell you what he wants Americans to know.

BLACKWELL: Also, coronavirus cases are rising in more than half of the states, including New Hampshire, where the governor is issuing a warning.

We will tell you about that. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:23:58]

CAMEROTA: New economic figures confirming what you are probably seeing firsthand, and that's the prices are surging.

A key U.S. inflation report found consumer prices rose by 6.8 percent over the past 12 months. That's the fastest pace in 39 years. And this is not just about gas prices, new cars and trucks up 11.1 percent. Food prices are up, with meat and poultry prices rising 13.1 percent. That's the biggest jump since 1979.

And living room, kitchen and dining room furniture increased at the fastest pace on record.

BLACKWELL: Now, there are plenty of signs that the U.S. economy is strong. Demand is high for goods. Gas and energy prices are coming down, and weekly jobless claims dropped to a 52-year low.

Now, a few minutes ago, President Biden spoke about the rising costs facing Americans and how his Build Back Better plan could help.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: Inflation is up. And there's a direct correlation in most people's mind. Well, why is inflation -- well, government is spending money.

[14:25:00]

Well, that's not the reason for the inflation. The reason for inflation is that we have a supply chain problem that is really severe. And it's causing a significant increase in prices in things that, in fact, are hard to get access to, because, at the bottom, the bottom of it all is COVID.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: With us now, our CNN business reporter Matt Egan and CNN senior White House correspondent Phil Mattingly.

Matt, let's start with you. And put these numbers into context for us.

MATT EGAN, CNN REPORTER: Well, we were bracing for an ugly report. And that is exactly what we got. Inflation is hot, and it's getting hotter. As you mentioned, we haven't seen a price jump like this since 1982. We have the -- we have a line chart that shows you how prices are going up, and it's accelerating, as you can see.

It is getting worse. It's hard to find any good news here. If there's any, it's that, month over month, prices actually decelerated. But they're still at elevated levels, as you can see. They're higher than they were just a few months ago. And what's key is that inflation is hot across the board, a range of products, everything from coffee prices to eggs, to used cars. And some of these price hikes are records, full-service meals, tools and hardwares, new cars and trucks because of the computer chip shortage.

Those are all record highs. Gasoline up 58 percent from a year ago. What's important to understand is kind of why this is happening. And simply put, supply can't keep up with demand. Demand is very strong as the economy recovers from COVID. But because of COVID, supplies, the supply chain can't really keep up, so prices have nowhere to go but up.

Now, the White House points out that energy prices have ticked down. And that's true, but gas prices are only down 2 percent from the peak. That's not enough. There's a forecast for them to go lower. Supply chains, they're working to try to unwind that. As you mentioned, there's positives in the economy, jobless claims 52-year low. GDP is expected to accelerate.

That's great, but the economy is really what people feel. And right now, they're feeling sticker shock.

CAMEROTA: Phil, of course, Republicans will blame the Biden administration for the inflation.

But you heard him say this isn't about government spending. Does this threaten Build Back Better?

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: It does, just to be blunt about it.

We don't know exactly how much yet. But I think the reality is that the president can't afford to lose a single vote in the United States Senate, which is split 50/50. And the president has one member in particular in Senator Joe Manchin who was made clear that he, for one, is very, very concerned about inflation.

And he said that for months on end. And the fact that inflation continues to tick upward at least year over year, ticking down a little bit, as Matt noted, over the month, is a significant problem.

Now, our colleague Kaitlan Collins asked the president what -- if he thought he would be able to secure Joe Manchin's support. And the president was honest. He said he didn't know. However, he will be speaking to Senator Manchin at the start of next week. And those will be critical conversations. As you guys know well,

Senate Democrats are trying to push the Build Back Better plan, that $1.75 trillion package, through the U.S. Senate before the -- before Christmas. That's a pretty minimal number of days at this point.

And Manchin has not signed on yet. So whatever the president can do over the course of the next couple days will likely determine whether or not Manchin is on board. The inflation numbers, look, Matt makes very clear not only did all economists know it was going to be bad. The White House was keenly aware of how bad it was going to be.

The question now becomes, how can they manage the aftermath of these numbers? The president alluded to the hope, to some degree, maybe some sense that this is the peak. And, if it is the peak, can you make that pitch to Senator Manchin and get him on board?

But, right now, it really comes down to an audience of one. Are these inflation numbers enough to push Senator Manchin to say I can't go any further? Or does he see something in these numbers or in what he's told by the president or the president's economic team that gets him comfortable with things at the most critical moment for the cornerstone of President Biden's domestic agenda, guys?

BLACKWELL: All right, Phil Mattingly at the White House, Matt Egan, thanks so much.

CAMEROTA: Meanwhile, the president just wrapped up his Summit for Democracy. He's been sounding the alarm on challenges to democracies around the world, as authoritarian regimes gain ground.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: The United States is committed to strengthening our democracy at home and to working with parties around the world, around the globe to prove that democracies can deliver for people on issues that matter most to them.

Here at home, that means working to make real the full promise of America, including by enacting both the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, because what's true around the world is also true in the United States.

The sacred right to vote, to vote freely, the right to have your vote counted, is the threshold liberty for democracy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: Well, voting rights advocates agree much more work needs to be done here at home on America's own democracy.

BLACKWELL: All right, joining us now, CNN political director David Chalian, CNN senior political analyst Ron Brownstein, and journalist Mara Schiavocampo. She is the host of the "Run Tell This" podcast.

Welcome, all. David, let me start with you, because one would not fault the attendees for the Summit for Democracy to kind of peek over the president's shoulder and look at the fight for democracy in his own backyard.

[14:30:00]