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Linda Thomas-Greenfield is Interviewed about Russia and Ukraine; Prince Charles Tests Positive for Covid; Rep. Jim Cooper (D- TN) is Interviewed about Redistricting. Aired 9:30-10a ET

Aired February 10, 2022 - 09:30   ET

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

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[09:30:28]

BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR: This morning, the Kremlin is denying Ukraine's accusations that Russian warships are blocking commercial shipping routes ahead of Russia's naval drills next week in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. The Kremlin claims the drills are in accordance with international law.

Now, it comes as today marks the start of 10 days of joint military drills for Russia and Belarus. And as another round of Normandy format talks kicks off today between Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany in Berlin.

Joining me now to discuss is U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield.

Madam Ambassador, welcome to the program.

So, let's begin there. We have the joint exercises between Russia and Belarus kicking off today. Ukraine accusing Russia of blocking access to parts of the Black Sea. This is happening as Russian leaders, Russian foreign ministers are still continuing to meet with their counterparts.

Are you concerned they're just biding time now?

LINDA THOMAS-GREENFIELD, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED NATIONS: We are going to continue to push for a diplomatic solution to this, despite the fact that we see Russia continuing to escalate and be confrontational. What we have said over and over to the Russians is they need to choose diplomacy and they need to de-escalate if they want us to address the security concerns that they have expressed worry about. And these actions, over the course of the past few days, certainly are not in any way going to push us away from trying to find a diplomatic solution, but also we're continuing to prepare. So as they do these very confrontational actions, we're working with our allies to be prepared for any eventuality.

GOLODRYGA: We know Russia, President Vladimir Putin, had a lengthy meeting with Emmanuel Macron for France and the German chancellor scheduled to meet in Moscow with Putin next week. But everyone who studies Vladimir Putin knows that he considers himself a co-equal with President Biden and that it's another meeting with Biden that he would like to see happen.

Is the administration considering that in the coming days?

THOMAS-GREENFIELD: We have kept the doors of communications open with the Russians. As you know, Secretary Blinken met just -- spoke just last week with Foreign Minister Lavrov. And we know that they plan to speak again. So, again, we are prepared to have as many diplomatic discussions with the Russians as they need to encourage them to deescalate.

GOLODRYGA: Does that include -- does that include President Biden too?

THOMAS-GREENFIELD: We have not put that off the table, but it has to be under the right circumstances.

GOLODRYGA: We have seen a concerted effort now by western allies to try to get Vladimir Putin to de-escalate. I'm curious as to what role, if any, China is playing in this? Obviously, the two have become quite close. They released that joint statement last week in Beijing. And at the U.N. Security Council meeting last week, we saw China side with Russia as well.

But one thing that was noticeably missing from China's format here was the mention of Ukraine. Do you think China and President Xi can play a role here in getting Vladimir Putin to de-escalate, and is he?

THOMAS-GREENFIELD: You know, we would hope that the Chinese would play a role in encouraging the Russians to do the right thing. The Chinese have expressed a strong concern in the Security Council for protecting the -- protecting borders, the integrity of borders and sovereignty of states. This is exactly what the Russians are doing. They are threatening the integrity of a border. So, for China to deliver that message would be extraordinarily important.

We were certainly hoping that that would happen in those meetings with Russia. And I will look forward to encouraging my Chinese counterpart in New York to deliver that same message.

GOLODRYGA: Has the U.S. -- has the president, has the U.S. administration specifically reached out to China behind the scenes to do just that?

THOMAS-GREENFIELD: I am working almost on a -- on a daily basis with my Chinese counterpart in New York. And I know that Secretary Blinken has had a number of conversations with his counterpart. GOLODRYGA: Let me ask you about reports about the U.N. -- the U.S. now

approving Pentagon plans to evacuate U.S. -- for U.S. troops to evacuate Americans who may be in Ukraine from Poland, not in Ukraine itself.

[09:35:03]

Given that that has now been approved, what is your message to U.S. citizens and nationals that are currently in Ukraine right now? There are thousands of them, at least 7,000 that are officially registered. Should they be leaving the country?

THOMAS-GREENFIELD: We have encouraged American citizens to leave Ukraine while the situation is permissible, to take private means to leave because we see that the situation on the ground is unpredictable at the moment. It is a responsibility for us to give that kind of guidance to American citizens anywhere in the world. And that is exactly what we're doing in Ukraine. And we've been consistent in that message over the past few weeks.

GOLODRYGA: Let me switch gears and ask you about Syria because there was a report in "Foreign Policy Magazine" this week that the United States has quietly cut a deal with Russia that eases some of the political pressures towards Syria in the U.N., and that the U.S. has signed off on that. And that would ease some of the pressures that we have put on them about their human rights abuses and chemical weapons abuses. Is that, in fact, the case?

THOMAS-GREENFIELD: Our discussions with the Russians and in the United Nations were very open and very public. It was about keeping the one border crossing open that allowed for needed humanitarian assistance to reach millions of vulnerable Syrians who were on the other side of the border. And we were very, very pleased that we were able to achieve that. The border has remained open.

GOLODRYGA: That's not what this reporting says. That's not what this reporting says.

THOMAS-GREENFIELD: Yes, well that --

GOLODRYGA: You refute the reporting?

THOMAS-GREENFIELD: I -- what I'm saying is my discussions with the Russians have been on making sure those borders stay open and we're continuing to have those discussions right now as we move toward July when the current mandate ends. The discussions have been strictly on those terms between me and my Russian colleagues in New York.

GOLODRYGA: All right, Ambassador Linda Thomas-greenfield, we'll have to leave it there. Thank you so much.

THOMAS-GREENFIELD: Good. Thank you very much.

SCIUTTO: Clear there many big decisions still to be made regarding Ukraine. New this morning, another story we're following, Prince Charles has

now tested positive for Covid-19. Where the prince of Wales was spotted just last night before that positive test. We're going to have a live report, next.

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[09:42:04]

SCIUTTO: For the second time in just under two years, Prince Charles has now tested positive for Covid-19. He is now self-isolating, according to announcement from Clarence House this morning.

GOLODRYGA: Let's get right to CNN's Max Foster, who is in Dubai, where Prince William is visiting on -- Prince Charles is visiting on business.

Max, have we heard anything about any other member of the royal family having close contact with Charles and possibly being exposed?

MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Yes, so Prince William in the building behind me. Big crowds. The big talking point, he's here to promote export -- promote the U.K. here on the world stage.

But, obviously, the big talking point now is news from home on his father, catching Covid for the second time.

It was -- you know, I think they just found out about this effectively because there was engagements that Prince Charles was meant to go to in the U.K. They're still being canceled at the moment. Prince William hasn't had a chance to respond to this.

And the questions we're asking are exactly the ones you're asking me, has he met the queen recently? It's not entirely clear. He was in the same area just on Monday, but we don't know whether or not they met. We don't know whether they were together over the weekend. So we're trying to get information on that.

But this is the second time Prince Charles has had it. He's in his early 70s. We're not being told what symptoms he's got, how bad they are. All we've been told is that he's in isolation. So we're waiting to hear when he last saw the queen.

We do know that his wife Camilla has tested negative. So some good news there. And actually last night he was out with government ministers, the finance minister and the home secretary. So, also, questions being asked in Westminster about whether they've been tested.

SCIUTTO: Max Foster, thanks so much for covering. We'll continue to follow the story.

Still ahead this hour, redistricting, changing the landscape for elections across this country. One of the most impacted cities, Nashville, Tennessee. We're going to speak with their Democratic Congressman Jim Cooper about his warning to the party coming up. And there he is.

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[09:48:28]

SCIUTTO: Right now, legal challenges are playing out over newly drawn congressional maps in a number of states going into the 2022 midterms. Critics say that many of the maps favor Republican candidates, in some states, dilute the electoral power of minority voters but also Democrats redistricting in states. One of the states most affected, Tennessee, where lawmakers have taken the diverse area around Nashville, broken it into three districts. My next guest recently announced plans to retire following this term after determining he no longer had a path for victory under the new map.

Joining me now to discuss, Congressman Jim Cooper. He's a Democrat from Tennessee.

Congressman, we appreciate you taking the time this morning.

REP. JIM COOPER (D-TN): Great to be with you, Jim.

SCIUTTO: You've served in Congress for decades. You have a reputation for being someone who could work across the aisle and pass legislation across the aisle. Does this march towards even further gerrymandering make it virtually impossible for someone like you to be elected, whether in Tennessee or elsewhere?

COOPER: Yes, Jim, you've got it exactly right, this will freeze national politics for about ten years as both types of states are indeed trying to lock in their advantage for a decade. It's a shame because we've got to work across the aisle to get things done. Every American voter really wants that underneath, even the partisans, because they want our nation to be successful.

SCIUTTO: The thing is, this Supreme Court has made it clear that they're very open to deferring to states on this, state legislatures. The Alabama case most recently particularly notable because it seems to knock down the rest of the Voting Rights Act in terms of allowing gerrymandering that explicitly grouped virtually all the African American voters in that state into one district.

[09:50:17]

COOPER: It's a shame because the court could play a very constructive role here. They've chosen not to. They don't want to enter the so- called political thicket. And yet they do all the time, like with the Alabama case you just mentioned. They're essentially making one mainly black district there as opposed to two challenge district in which people of any race, or color, or party could be elected. So it's -- they've chosen to do this. And this neglectful attitude towards U.S. politics could end up hurting our country more severely than the justices realize.

SCIUTTO: Is the Republican Party or Republican-led state legislature deliberately targeting race with these maps? COOPER: Absolutely. That's their number one goal and it has been

really since Richard Nixon had his southern strategy. You know, LBJ predicted that when he signed the civil rights laws that would hurt the Democratic Party in the South for 40 years. He underestimated the problem. Now, it's still the right thing to do, but it's a shame to see the party of Lincoln, the Republicans, abandon Lincoln's principles.

SCIUTTO: Now, the Democratic Party has other issues going into this election beyond redistricting. You've seen the polling on the generic ballot.

Montana Senator Jon Tester just told "The Axe Files," David Axelrod's podcast, the following, I honestly don't think the Democratic Party can be a majority party unless we start appealing to middle America a lot more. I'm talking about the area between the two mountain ranges, the Appalachians and the Rocky Mountains. And if we're able to do that, I think we will provide success.

You're in that area between the Appalachians and the Rocky Mountains. Do the Democrats, in your view, have a losing message for the midterms?

COOPER: Well, we shouldn't let the coasts dominate. Now, the coasts are fine, but the heartland of America is the heartland of our country. We've got to appreciate those folks because they are the true value keepers of our nation. And Senator Tester is right, not only reach out to middle America, but to rural America. So often we forget that rural people like -- we love farmers markets in cities, but you can't have a farmers' market without farmers.

SCIUTTO: Yes, no question.

We are seeing some course corrections or attempted course corrections by Democrats, Democratic governors, lifting mask mandates. They're clearly seeing the changing politics there. Biden focusing more on crime and inflation. Do you think those course corrects are sufficient?

COOPER: Well, Americans have always been a rebellious, anti-tax small government people. And Democrats are too often identified as the party of government. And we should be a party of government that really works to help people. And unless we can show that we do that, we're going to have a hard time at the polls.

SCIUTTO: So one way to show how to do that, at least in the view of the president and Democratic leaders, was to pass the Build Back Better Act. It's not going to pass as it is. There are discussions now about something pared down. And Biden himself has talked about passing big chunks of it.

Can the party -- does it have the votes to pass big chunks of it or even medium sized chunks of it before the midterms?

COOPER: Well, Jim, you know there's always more that can be done. But look at the infrastructure bill that is law. And every president had promised one for decades. And only Joe Biden was able to get it done.

Now, it's totally bipartisan. I'm ashamed that no Republican of Tennessee would vote for it. And Republicans all over America are happy to vote for it, including Mitch McConnell.

So, the accomplishments are great. The accomplishments should be appreciated. But, you know, the public mood is fickle. Remember, George H.W. Bush, he was at 90 percent of the polls right before he lost to Bill Clinton.

So, the public mood will matter.

SCIUTTO: It sounds like though that you're almost saying, hey, we should just be satisfied with infrastructure and go from there. You're saying you don't think it's likely that you pass more?

COOPER: I'm working hard for Build Back Better. But the problem there is the Senate. And that hinges on one vote.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

COOPER: And one senator just had a stroke this week. It's -- it's a very iffy matter when you have a 50/50 Senate. So, the public needs to factor that in.

I hope senators will come to their senses and realize that almost all the Build Back Better package is popular with everybody and we should pass it and make it become law.

SCIUTTO: Before we go, you are on the Armed Services Committee. Russia continues to add forces in and around Ukraine. There are exercises coming up, which many see as possible prelude to war.

Should Americans be preparing now in your view for war in Europe?

COOPER: We should be. Putin is a terrible bully. But so far, thankfully, his efforts are sort of backfiring. Europe is more united than ever against him and NATO is stronger than ever against him. So, I think that his efforts, his feeble efforts to preserve a weak nation are backfiring.

SCIUTTO: Congressman Jim Cooper, we'll be watching that story very closely as well. We appreciate you joining the broadcast this morning.

COOPER: Thank you, Jim.

GOLODRYGA: An ominous message there, Jim, telling Americans to prepare for war, right, as we see things continue to escalate in Europe.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

GOLODRYGA: Well, still ahead --

SCIUTTO: Remarkable warning (ph).

[09:55:03] GOLODRYGA: It is.

Still ahead, a key measure reveals inflation has led to a high not seen in nearly 40 years. That and a fresh warning from JP Morgan that the Russia-Ukraine crisis could increase oil prices as well. That's up next.

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GOLODRYGA: New this morning, in a really sad development, the family of beloved comedian and "Full House" actor Bob Saget has revealed that he died from head trauma. Saget's family released a statement overnight saying authorities, quote, concluded that he accidentally hit the back of his head on something, thought nothing of it and went to sleep.

[10:00:02]

SCIUTTO: Heartbreaking. They added that no alcohol or drugs were involved.