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Senate Looks to Avert Rail Strike; President Biden and President Macron Hold Joint News Conference. Aired 1-1:30p ET

Aired December 01, 2022 - 13:00   ET

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

[13:00:00]

ANA CABRERA, CNN HOST: Hello, and thanks for being here. I'm Ana Cabrera in New York.

America's oldest ally, a visit more than a year in the making and a partnership facing an unparalleled stress test.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The choices we make today and in the years ahead will determine the course of our world for decades to come.

EMMANUEL MACRON, FRENCH PRESIDENT: This friendship always prevailed, with quite good results, by the way.

BIDEN: Yes.

MACRON: So it will prevail.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: In just moments we will hear much more from President Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron during this first official visit, state visit, specifically, of the Biden presidency.

And this is ahead of tonight's lavish state dinner. Right now, the two leaders are working through an onslaught of challenges. There's Russia's brutal war on Ukraine right on NATO's doorstep, an increasingly aggressive Iranian regime, China flexing its muscles, post-pandemic economic tensions, and anti-democratic forces emboldening on both sides of the Atlantic, so, so much on the line right now.

CNN's Phil Mattingly is at the White House inside the room where we're going to have this press conference with the two leaders any moment now.

What are the two leaders saying at this point? And, overall, what is President Biden's goal with this visit?

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Look, I think the symbolism is both very real and very intentional. Having President Macron here at the White House for the first state dinner of President Biden's time in office, it's something that underscores, yes, a very longstanding relationship, the first and oldest ally of the U.S., but also the critical role that France and President Macron play in all of those geopolitical challenges, which are quite consequential that you laid out, Ana.

In each element of that, whether you talk about Ukraine, whether you talk about how the president has tried to shift the West in terms of its posture with China, President Macron is a central figure in that and a critical player inside the bloc, particularly as you have seen other European nations and some other European leaders perhaps lose some of their ability to push things in a specific direction.

What we know for a fact that Ukraine is obviously central in this moment in time. Where the leaders agree is on the overarching process, on their overarching decision to back and unify behind Ukraine. Where they disagree, to some sense, and what we're going to try and figure out during this press conference is about the scale of the approach going forward, whether there should be negotiations, how the negotiations should happen, how the endgame actually plays out here.

But I do think it's worth noting right now that there's a very real tension point when it comes to the economy. As much as the relationship has recovered from an early stage kind of rift related to a submarine deal, right now, the decision by the administration to sign legislation that would have major -- put out major subsidies to North American companies has been a real tension point and one that President Macron has not hesitated to call out, been very aggressive in his language, making very clear he's going to raise that.

So there are -- it's not all kind of roses and butterflies here. It's not all just glitz and glamour, in terms of a state dinner. There are very real issues to discuss. But there's also a very real relationship, something the president discussed in the Oval Office. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: And I know it sounds like hyperbole, but from -- from the Revolutionary War to the world wars to today, we're -- we've been locked at the hip in what we've been doing.

And we're working together to strengthen the security and prosperity across the Atlantic and in each of our countries, but also Europe as a whole.

Emmanuel is not just the leader of France. He's one of the leaders of Europe. He's been very outspoken, and he has been very, very commanding in Europe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MATTINGLY: And, Ana, I think that point is a very critical one, not just the leader of France. He's a leader in Europe. And I think the White House implicitly, by having France as the first state dinner, is acknowledging President Macron's role there, his central role in the European bloc.

One other thing I would note, in terms of how things are going to move going forward, we are already past the allotted time that the two were supposed to have behind closed doors for this bilateral meeting. That is not a rarity. They have gone over time in past phone calls and meetings in the past, and say that they do have a genuine -- genuinely positive personal relationships.

So, when this press conference is actually going to happen remains a little bit of an open question at this moment, given how they tend to interact with one another. But there's no question that that interaction is really centered on a series of very substantive, very consequential issues.

CABRERA: Right. Phil, you just laid out a lot of those issues that are up for discussion today.

Do we expect anything concrete to come out of these talks today?

MATTINGLY: I mean, I think the biggest question right now is particularly on President Macron's concerns on the economic side of things, his concerns about what French advisers very clearly believe is protectionism on the American side.

There's not a whole lot that the U.S. or the president can do. It is law. It is the law of the land. And it was provisions that the president basically had to accept in order to get the votes to pass what was the cornerstone economic climate piece of his agenda right now.

[13:05:03]

But what the U.S. is willing to put on the table, perhaps, they have already started a task force, what they could possibly offer, it's very clear that President Macron has been going for. I think, more broadly, in terms of what the leaders say about how they envision any type of endgame, if there is one at all in Ukraine, that would be very substantive going forward.

One other element -- and I was going to say small element -- it is not small at all. President Macron met with Chinese President Xi in Bali shortly after President Biden did as well. He made clear he's going to push President Xi to take a more public stance, pushing Russia to ease what it's doing in Ukraine.

Whether or not they come out unified on that will also be an interesting piece to keep an eye on.

CABRERA: OK, you will be listening closely in the room. We will be watching closely and bring it to our viewers live as soon as this press conference begins.

Let's stay at the White House for now with CNN's Kate Bennett.

And, Kate, how do the Bidens plan to set this day apart from prior state visits between American and French presidents? Because this -- there's a history here. It goes way back to multiple administrations.

KATE BENNETT, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: It really does.

I mean, this dinner, though, it is the first state visit, as Phil said, of the Biden administration, after two years in the office. So, the last time that Macrons were here with President Trump and Melania Trump, it was a smaller dinner, about 120 people inside the White House.

Tonight, it's going to be a totally different story. It's about 400 guests, I'm told. There's a big tent on the South Lawn. There's going to be far more in terms of pomp and circumstance and guest list. The menu is going to be a sort of an equal parts nod to France and nod to the United States.

They're going to be serving caviar and poached lobster, beef, of course. And there will be little touches, like there will be French champagne flutes, but American sparkling wine served in them. So, again, it's that mix of French and American culture that's going to be on display.

And then also Jon Batiste will be performing. During the Trump administration state dinner, the Washington National Opera performed. So it's, again, a very different vibe tonight than the last time the Macrons were here.

And I will say there is the traditional exchange of gifts between the two couples, another sign of the good-natured friendship between the U.S. and the French, the Macrons giving the Bidens a few things here, a French-made peace of Christofle china, and also a vinyl and C.D. of the soundtrack of the movie "A Man and a Woman," the famous French movie from 1966, apparently, the movie that the Biden saw on their first date more than four decades ago, when they were dating.

And, also, Dr. Biden got a copy of "Madame Bovary" and some more French literature. Of course, she's a teacher. And, in exchange, the Bidens' gifts to the Macrons consisted of a mirror that's made from wood that had fallen on the White House grounds, so, of course, sort of a historic nod there, and another viny. -- I don't know why vinyl.

(LAUGHTER)

BENNETT: So, they gave the Macrons a vinyl of American singers, and then a print of a Thomas Edison phonograph patent. So there's a little bit of American history there as well.

And then Jill Biden gave Brigitte Macron a necklace from a French- American designer. So, all of these sort of protocol moments are part of this massive undertaking that really is the highest pinnacle of soft diplomacy, if you will, that the Bidens or anyone at the White House and the administration can give to the French visiting, culminating in this dinner, these gifts, these special moments.

We will see some people arriving late. I do hear there are celebrities on the list, another change from when the Trumps were here. There weren't a lot of celebrity-heavy state dinners, of course. But, before them, the Obamas always sort of brought out the star power here in Washington.

So people are expecting a little more tonight, that we will see that from the French-American dinner tonight, Ana.

CABRERA: Always fun to hear what the gifts are that these people exchange. I think vinyls just shot up to the top of the trending list for holiday gifts now after this.

BENNETT: Right.

CABRERA: How unusual is it, Kate, for there to be a first state dinner coming this late in the presidency, roughly at the halfway point after the midterms?

BENNETT: Yes, it is. It's very late to have your first one.

But, of course, there were so many COVID restrictions when Biden took office. So that's definitely the reason why. I'm also hearing this will not be the first and only or last state dinner. I hear that there are at least two in the works right now for future. So, there will be more Biden state dinners.

But precedents use them in different ways. Jimmy Carter had had over 30 state dinners by this point in his presidency, all, by the way, with no liquor served. He and his wife were pretty strict about that. But different presidents through time have used them to either thaw icy relationships. Eisenhower had Nikita Khrushchev, the first Soviet leader, for a state dinner in 1959. That was a huge deal. During World War II, lots of allies were invited for state dinners to shore up those relationships as the country was at war.

[13:10:02]

So, through time, these moments, these historic events, these traditions that we saw this morning on the state -- on the South Lawn, with all the military regalia and the 22-gun salute, those are all things that through history have been used by different presidents.

And, again, as Biden looks at this global atmosphere that Phil was talking about, he will want his leadership partners in other parts of the world to be here as his guest and really showcase the friendship that the United States has with some of these countries.

So it'll be curious to see who's next on the list after France and who's perhaps next after that. But I know that the Biden administration does intend to keep going with these state dinners. This is just the first of what should be several during his tenure.

CABRERA: Lobster on the menu tonight. Sounds delicious and decadent, 400-something guests. Who pays for this?

BENNETT: Sure.

Well, I mean, it's part of the administration's budget, ultimately. But these are very expensive, extravagant events. During the Obama administration, some of the smaller ones were -- it could be a quarter-of-a-million dollars, up to half-a-million dollars. That's the latest data that we have.

You're looking at an event planner tonight that the Bidens used to do this whole event, from the decor to the flowers. They didn't use the White House floral shop. And a fun fact here, Ana, also. They could not use the traditional presidential china that most presidents use for these kinds of dinners because it is happening in a tent on the South Lawn.

So the White House curators, who are kind of sticklers about where and when the China can be used, said there's just too much risk involved to perhaps have some breakable historic China be taken down to the tent.

So there are rentals tonight being used for things like the plates and the chargers and the linens and the glasses and all that stuff. So, it's definitely you're eating at the White House, but you're not -- you could be eating off of some rental plates. But that's just how it goes sometimes with these larger state dinners that need to be held outside of the State Dining Room.

But, again, they are expensive, but it is an investment. The White House will tell you, it's an investment in our country's diplomacy and our relationship with France. It's all part of this whole entire pomp and circumstance that we're offering them this evening.

CABRERA: OK, Kate Bennett at the White House for us, stand by, as we continue to await the press conference with President Biden and President Macron.

I want to drill down deeper right now on the significance of all of this.

And joining us now is Julia Ioffe. She's a founding partner and Washington correspondent of Puck.

Julia, thanks so much for being with us.

How important is Macron's state visit?

JULIA IOFFE, WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT, PUCK NEWS: Well, I think it's very important. It's significant that it's Biden's first state dinner and that he chose Macron to be the beneficiary of it.

Of course, this is coming at a time when Germany has kind of faded into the background. Before, it was Angela Merkel holding together Europe, and she was the main European leader, the main kind of -- with Trump in office, the main one who was holding together the transatlantic order.

With the U.K. in political disarray, still getting its shop back together after Liz Truss' tumultuous, very brief prime ministership, you have Macron emerging as the preeminent leader of the European continent. And you cannot understate how badly the U.S. needs Europe to stay united and behind the U.S. when it goes to bat against Russia in defending Ukraine, in going toe to toe with China in the Pacific.

So, this is very important to keep the Europeans on board. And Macron is the point man there.

CABRERA: OK, Julia Ioffe, thank you. I want you to stand by. We will talk to you more after the press conference.

I want to get to this other news happening on the Hill right now, the fate of the economy heading into the holidays hanging on a fight over sick days. Here's the deal. Railroad workers want more paid sick time. But a bill aimed at dodging a strike being forced through Congress right now only gives them one day, one personal day.

And the effort to add more doesn't appear to have enough Republican support in the Senate. Lawmakers now have this choice, stand by unions or keep trains running. Now, if the trains stopped for a strike, experts warn it could mean a billion-dollar hit to the U.S. economy in just the first week. Food and gas prices would rise. More than 750,000 Americans could temporarily lose their jobs.

Let's get to Capitol Hill. CNN's Manu Raju is pressing lawmakers.

Manu, the Senate could hold votes as early as today. Why isn't there enough support to give these rail workers more sick days?

MANU RAJU, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, you do have a lot of Republican opposition to that idea, concerns that Congress should not have a role in dictating the terms of a negotiated agreement that was reached between some labor unions and the major railways back in September.

[13:15:01]

Of course, that was a tentative agreement. That is one that Congress is now looking to enforce, that tentative agreement that is silent on the issue of paid leave. And there's a simple math problem. They need 60 votes in the United States Senate to adopt an amendment to that agreement, and they simply do not have those 10 votes in the 50/50 Senate.

One Democratic Senator, Joe Manchin, a moderate Democrat, indicated to me earlier that he is reluctant to support this plan because he is joining those GOP concerns, that there should not be an effort to dictate the terms of the agreement. Republicans -- there are some Republicans who might support this plan, but not enough to get over the finish line.

So the goal right now of Senate leaders is to simply get this agreement approved by the Senate. It was approved yesterday by the House on a bipartisan vote. Most Republicans voted against the plan. The question will be, can they get an agreement for a vote to enforce the tentative September agreement by today?

That is the hope. That is the push of Democratic leaders. Right now, Ana, behind the scenes, Secretaries Pete Buttigieg and Marty Walsh are meeting with Senate Democrats, urging them to get behind this, even though it is unlikely to include that paid sick leave, because they say the consequences are so dire that Congress must act immediately to avert what could be a potentially devastating rail strike that could occur by next week if the Senate doesn't act immediately, Ana.

CABRERA: That's right. Deadline day to avert this strike is December 9. Are they confident? Will a deal get done? What are the options?

RAJU: It still seems likely that a deal could get done by the end of today.

There is a push by some Republican members for an amendment to actually delay that December 9 deadline to force the negotiators back to the table and have 60 days for them to negotiate and come up with an agreement. That amendment to do just that seems unlikely to be approved amid Democratic opposition.

But they need to have an agreement to set up a vote because the United States Senate requires all 100 senators to agree to schedule a vote. Otherwise, the Senate majority leader needs to take time-consuming procedural steps that could take several days to play out if they do not reach an agreement among the -- all 100 senators.

So that is what they have been negotiating, Ana, since last night into this morning about getting to a -- getting to some sort of resolution to schedule the votes. And Chuck Schumer, the majority leader, indicated to senators that they should not leave town .They should not leave town today, where they usually leave town on Thursday afternoons to go home for the weekend.

They're -- he told them not to do that because they will stay in town until they get it done, because the economic impacts of a potential strike could be felt as soon as this weekend if they don't get a deal immediately, get a vote immediately, so a real sense of urgency in the Senate, even the lawmakers on both sides have concerns with this deal, concerns about voting for this deal, concerns about its lack of paid sick -- paid sick leave.

His push now is just simply to get it done. We will see if they're able to do just that.

CABRERA: Yes, we are told it could be a billion dollars a week economic impact, with hundreds of thousands of jobs potentially being lost, at least temporarily.

As we continue to look at the press conference room, we have French president Emmanuel Macron and President Biden now addressing reporters.

Let's listen.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

BIDEN: Please, take a seat if you have one.

Well, it's great to see you all today. President Macron and I have had a chance to spend some time together at a private dinner last night with our wives. And we're -- just came to tell you, and we're leaving.

(LAUGHTER) BIDEN: No.

But we've -- it's wonderful to have him here. We have had great conversations, and always appreciate the opportunity to share ideas with you, Mr. President.

And I especially enjoyed our time that Jill and I and Brigitte and I had last in our visit, first time I have gone to dinner, a private dinner in Washington in a long, long time, and that I had the protection of the French government with me that day.

(LAUGHTER)

BIDEN: But, all kidding aside, France is one of our strongest partners, and historically, but one of our strongest partners and our most capable allies.

And Emmanuel has also become a friend, in addition to being president of that great country. And we share the same values. And we will remain the core, common agenda that we all challenges together. And, occasionally, we have some slight differences, but never in a fundamental way thus far, at least as long as I have been in Washington.

And that's been more than a couple of years. Today, we reaffirm the that France and the United States, together with all our allies -- and our all our NATO allies and European Union and G7, stand as strong as ever against Russia's brutal war against Ukraine. We talked a lot about that in our bilateral meeting.

[13:20:01]

And we will continue the strong support for the people of Ukraine, as they defend their homes and their families and their sovereignty and territorial integrity against Russian aggression, which has been incredibly brutal.

I knew Russia was, but I didn't anticipate them being as brutal as they have been in what they have been doing. Many reporters in this room have been there themselves and covered from there. And they know what it's like.

Today, we reaffirm that, as I said, we're going to stand together against this brutality. And we will continue the strong support for the Ukrainian people as they defend their homes and their families and their nurseries, their hospitals, their sovereignty, their integrity, and against Russian aggression.

And I want to thank you, Mr. President, for the welcoming that the people of France have given to over 100,000 Ukrainian refugees. It's a mark of who you are as a people and fleeting -- or fleeing Putin's just barbarous -- Putin thinks that he can crush the will of all those who oppose his imperial ambitions.

But attacking civilian infrastructures in Ukraine, choking off energy to Europe and to drive up prices, exasperating food through the food crisis, that's hurting very vulnerable people, not just in Ukraine, but around the world. And he's not going to succeed.

President Macron and I have resolved that we're going to continue working together to hold Russia accountable for their actions and mitigate the global impacts of Putin's war on the rest of the world. The United States is helping Europe diversify away from Russian natural gas in the immediate term, and while accelerating our clean energy transitions.

And we're going to continue working in close partnership with Europe as we move forward. I welcome the progress we have already made in many of these issues through the U.S./E.U. Task Force on Energy Security. And, today, we also committed to deepening cooperation between France and the United States on civil nuclear energy through our bilateral clean energy partnership.

Around the world, France and the United States are working to strengthen stability and security. We share the vision and -- the same vision in the Indo-Pacific. We looking for one Indo-Pacific that is free and open, prosperous and secure.

And we're going to continue to strengthen our cooperation to defend core international principles in the Indo-Pacific, including freedom of navigation and freedom of overflight. We're working together to support the Middle East that is more integrated, peaceful and prosperous.

And we wanted to particularly thank President Macron for his efforts to help bring about historic Maritime Boundaries Agreement between Israel and Lebanon.

We also stand with the people of Iran. And then the French and the United States are working together to hold accountable those responsible for the human rights abuses, to counter Iran's support for Russia's war and to ensure that Iran does not, does not, emphasize does not, ever acquire a nuclear weapon.

And as we in the United States are looking forward to hosting the upcoming U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit, President Macron and I understand Africa's influence and importance. And he has much to add. France has much to add.

We're also going to deepen our engagement, listening to and working with our African partners to help strengthen the governance and security and economic opportunities across the continent and to tackle the global challenges of our time.

Our partnership also extends to cooperating in outer space, from coordinating defenses in our -- excuse me -- from coordinating defense of our space activities to strengthening scientific efforts to monitor Earth's changing climate.

And we're -- we are -- we had a detailed discussion of the Inflation Reduction Act. I know none of you are curious about that. But we did talk about that a good deal.

The United States and Europe share the goal of making bold investments in clean energy to meet the challenges of the climate crisis and to build, and to build the industries of the future, including batteries and green hydrogen. We agreed to discuss practical steps to coordinate and align our approaches, so that we can strengthen and secure the supply chains, manufacturing and innovation on both sides of the Atlantic.

We ask our teams to follow up on this part, as ongoing U.S.-E.U. consultation continues, because we can work out some of the differences that exist, I'm confident.

France and the United States are also leading efforts to strengthen the global health and global health security. President Macron visits -- visit falls on the World AIDS Day. And I want to particularly highlight our joint effort to reach our goal of ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030. That is the goal we set and a goal we're going to accomplish and the goal we're sticking with.

[13:25:04]

And to do it, we have the -- all the tools we need. We just have to make finishing this fight a top priority for not just the two of us, but for other nations as well.

And that's why I'm proud to take the baton from you, President Macron, and host the Global Fund's Seventh Replenishment Conference this year, building on France's strong record of leadership. We have raised $15.7 billion, with the United States and France as the two largest contributors to the Global Fund. And it's going to save millions, literally millions of lives.

If I listed all the areas where cooperation between France and the United States was delivered -- we're delivering meaningful progress, we'd be here until dinnertime.

But -- so let me just close by highlighting our long-term investment to deepen the ties between our people, particularly the French -- the U.S.-French Fulbright program, which celebrates its 75th anniversary, and has facilitated thousands of exchanges between our students, our educators over the last decades. It's been critical to our relationship.

And it's a key part of ensuring that the future of this vital alliances remain strong and vibrant for generations to come.

So, Emmanuel, I thank you again for all that our nations are doing together, the cooperation. My administration has built our foreign policy around the strength of our alliances. And France is the very heart of that commitment.

So, merci, my friend, and I look forward to continuing to work with you. And, as they used to say in the body I worked in a long time, the United States Senate, the floor is yours.

MACRON: Merci, Mr. President.

(through translator): Thank you, Mr. President. Mr. President, you too.

Thank you ever so much for these words that very much reflect the discussions we just had. But, most importantly, thank you very much for your warm welcome. And, indeed, together with my wife, Brigitte, we were very pleased to share this moment together with you and your spouse last night.

And let me tell you how honored and moved we are, both my delegation, myself to be here, invited by you on the occasion of this first state visit by your administration.

And regarding this relationship, well, we said it this morning, and you just said it again. There is some heritages based on lives sacrificed on so much. And I would like to say that, over centuries, every time there was something vital at stake, we were there, one for the other, without any doubt, without any hesitation.

And this is very much what should structure the rest of it. It is this spirit that is prevailing in the current circumstances, since last February. And I did not repeat what President Biden perfectly described.

And, dear Joe, indeed, you very much describe what we're doing together in Ukraine. We clearly condemned this war immediately. We led all the diplomatic actions to condemn this war, the war crimes committed by Russia on the Ukrainian soil.

And we support both the Ukrainian army that is resisting, the Ukrainian population resisting as well. And please allow me here to very much thank the United States of America for all the support that's provided, because this war is impacting the European soil even more directly.

And you have chosen to invest so much to contribute to this joint effort. In this context, our discussion this morning was an opportunity to confirm the initiatives we will be taking once again in the coming weeks and month to keep supporting, to strengthen our support to the Ukrainian troops and to enable them to resist.

We also agreed to continue to work together to support the Ukrainian people, to help them resist, because we can very well see today that the Russian war effort is very much targeting the civilian infrastructure, bringing even more violence to try and make the Ukrainian people desperate and make it impossible for them to survive this winter.

This is the reason why we decided to organize on the 13th of December a conference to support Ukraine, and very much would like to thank you for the close cooperation in preparing for that event.

And we're working in close cooperation with President Zelenskyy, based on his 10-point plan that he proposed. And I also would like to take this opportunity to commend the efforts of President Zelenskyy to try and find a way, a path to peace.

[13:30:00]