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Top U.S. House Republican to Meet Biden This Week; Nationwide Protests in France Over Pension Reform; Police Still Searching for Man Suspected of Kidnapping Woman; Former Wagner Commander Describes Brutality in Ukraine; Biden Says U.S. Will Not Send F-16 Fighters Jets to Ukraine. Aired 4:30-5a ET

Aired January 31, 2023 - 04:30   ET

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

[04:30:00]

MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM, I'm Max Foster. If you are just joining us, let me bring you up to date with our top stories this hour.

More than 40 million people under winter weather alerts from Texas to Tennessee. Freezing rain and ice are expected to cause dangerous conditions for travelers. Already today more than 1000 flights have been canceled.

And Antony Blinken will meet with the Palestinian president in the coming hours amid tensions with Israel after an attack on a synagogue.

BIANCA NOBILO, CNN ANCHOR: America's national debt is more than 31 trillion dollars and talks are underway on raising the limit even higher to avoid a default. Top House Republican Kevin McCarthy is getting ready for his first meeting with the U.S. president since becoming House Speaker and he says he is looking for common grounds. But it's not clear what the Republicans actually wants at this point. CNN's Jessica Dean has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JESSICA DEAN, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and President Joe Biden scheduled to meet at the White House on Wednesday. It will be the opening act of sorts on this debt ceiling situation that we will expect to be a very long and drawn out process. The House GOP and Speaker McCarthy trying to get together on what exactly they want to ask for.

The White House is saying this is nonnegotiable. They do not want to negotiate lifting the debt ceiling which essentially allows the U.S. to go ahead and continue to pain what they've already signed up for. It's no new spending. This is paying for things that have already happened.

Meantime House GOP and Kevin McCarthy the Speaker are saying, no, no, no, hold on a second. We want to negotiate some spending cuts and we're not going to agree to raise the debt ceiling without those spending cuts. So the question becomes now what will the House GOP asked for? That is what they're grappling with right now. At this point it appears it would be cut to domestic spending perhaps

even cut to military spending. But we know that they want to stay away from Medicare and Social Security. Those two entitlement that they believe are still key that they do not want to touch. Because they are afraid, they may face voter backlash on that.

But this meeting on Wednesday will be the first time these two men have sat down since Speaker McCarthy became the Speaker. And again, there is a big difference remember between just sitting down and meeting and actually negotiating. We don't expect any sort of negotiation to start until at least the House GOP can name exactly what it is they want and that is continued -- what we're continuing to hear from the president and also Senate Democrat which is that we want to see a plan first before we even begin speaking to you about it. So now it's up to the Speaker and House GOP to really drill down into what they're asking for.

Jessica Dean, CNN, Capitol Hill.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: There's a new twist in the classified documents scandal involving former U.S. President Donald Trump. Sources tell CNN that two people who found additional classified documents in a Trump storage facility in Florida have now testified before the grand jury.

And federal prosecutors are pushing to look at files on the laptop of at least Mar-a-Lago staff member. These actions are the latest sign of an aggressive approach by the special counsel. Trump hasn't yet been charged with a crime. He's being investigated for possible violation of the Espionage Act as well as potential obstruction of justice.

President Biden is also facing a special counsel investigation into his handling of classified material. But the Justice Department says it won't be handing over most of the documents from the investigation until it's complete. The Republican chair of the House Judiciary Committee has demanded access to those records while the Justice Department says it'll stick to its long-standing practice at withholding information that could compromise ongoing investigations.

NOBILO: A second day of nationwide strikes now underway in France. And these are the images from Marseilles. Workers are furious over the government plan to raise the retirement age by 2 years and the countries preparing for closures and chaos throughout the coming days. CNN's Melissa Bell has this report from Paris.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The last protests against pension reform saw more than a million people take to the streets of France, according to official figures.

Just over 10 days later, unions are hoping to top that. They're also calling for strikes across the public and private sectors like the ones that paralyzed so much of the country on January 19th. But for now the government hasn't budged. OLIVIER VERAN, FRENCH GOVERNMENT SPOKESPERSON (through translator): We're not asking everyone to agree with the reform we're carrying out. What we want is, first of all, to explain that this reform is essential and that we must do it.

BELL (voice-over): Currently the French can retire at 62 or even earlier in some cases with a minimum monthly government pension of around a thousand euros.

Earlier this month, the French Prime Minister announced plans to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64 with a full pension raised by an average of 100 euros a month.

STEPHANIE RIST, GOVERNMENT MP (through translator): The reform is necessary because the accounts are in deficit from this year, our pension system is no longer balance and by 2027, we are looking at a deficit of roughly 12 billion euros.

[04:35:00]

BELL (voice-over): Pension reform has been derailed in the past in 1995 under then President Jacques Chirac, it also faced stiff resistance under Macron's two predecessors.

FRANCOIS HOMMERIL, PRESIDENT CFE-CGC UNION (through translator): This reform comes at a time when there's a lot of anger, a lot of frustration, a lot of fatigue. In fact, it comes at the worst time with living standards down and the cost of living up. For some people, shopping bills are up by 20 or 30 percent and rent hasn't fallen. And all of that creates a climate of defiance.

BELL (voice-over): Largely peaceful defiance so far, but also anger with more than 70 people detained last time.

Melissa Bell, CNN, Paris.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Just ahead, an exclusive interview with a former Wagner mercenary group fighter. Here his chilling account of how recruits are actually treated.

NOBILO: Plus, new details on a disturbing kidnapping case that started a sweeping manhunt. Why police in Oregon believe that the attack was not a random act.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NOBILO: One week gone and authorities in Oregon are still searching for a man suspected of kidnapping a woman and beating her unconscious.

FOSTER: Police are warning the public that Benjamin Foster is an extremely dangerous suspect and that he's a threat to anyone who might befriend him. And CNN's Lucy Kafanov has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) LUCY KAFANOV, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In southern Oregon, a manhunt is underway for 36-year-old Benjamin Obadiah Foster, on the run after allegedly kidnapping and trying to kill a woman, beating her into unconsciousness.

Police describing him as an extremely dangerous suspect who may attempt to change his appearance by updating his beard and hair or by changing his hair color. The public being asked to pay particular attention to Foster's facial structure and eyes, sense those features are very difficult to change.

[04:40:00]

Court documents allege Foster tried to kill the victim while in intentionally torturing her and secretly confining her in a place where she was not likely to be found.

Police say the victim was discovered last Tuesday in Grants Pass, Oregon, bound and severely beaten now hospitalized in critical condition. The suspect fleeing the scene.

CHIEF WARREN HENSMAN, GRANTS PASS POLICE DEPARTMENT: I think he's definitely a threat to others but I think he will be a threat to somebody who might befriend him. I don't think he is a random attacker. But I can't -- nothing's off the table with an individual like him. It was an absolutely disgusting scene, horrific scene. I've seen a lot in my career, but some things do stick with you and this will -- this will stay stained in my memory for many years to come.

KAFANOV (voice-over): On Thursday, local state and federal authorities raided a property about 20 miles north of Grants Pass, where they seized evidence, including Foster's 2008 Nissan Sentra. During that search, police arrested a 68 year old woman for hindering prosecution and allegedly helping Foster evade law enforcement.

Police say Foster evaded capture and likely received assistance in fleeing the area and believe he is actively using online dating applications to contact unsuspecting individuals who may be lured into assisting with a suspect's escaped or potentially as additional victims.

This isn't Foster's first run in with the law. Court records show he was charged in two separate cases, accusing him of attacking women while living in Las Vegas years earlier.

In the first case, Foster was charged with felony battery constituting domestic violence. His ex-girlfriend testified that he had attempted to strangle her in a rage in 2017 after another man texted her.

LT. JEFF HATTERSLEY, GRANTS PASS POLICE DEPARTMENT: He's a felon on the run. He doesn't want to go back to prison. He's probably willing to do anything to stay out of prison.

KAFANOV (voice-over): While that case was still pending in court in 2019, Foster was charged with felony assault, battery and kidnapping for allegedly attacking another woman, his girlfriend at the time. The victim told police Foster strangled her to the point of unconsciousness several times and kept her tied up for most of the next two weeks.

Court records show she said she escaped after convincing Foster to go shopping. Foster ultimately agreed to plead deals, sentenced to a maximum of 30 months in prison, but given credit for the 729 days served in the first case.

The police chief in Grants Pass, Oregon, expressing concern that he was set free.

HENSMAN: My response to that question is that, am I troubled by what I know already? The answer is yes. We're laser-focused on capturing this man and bringing him to justice.

KAFANOV: I interviewed the Grants Pass police Chief Warren Hensman will told me the Oregon victim and the suspect had a prior relationship, that they knew one another. She was only found, he says, because a friend was worried about not having heard from her, went to the house, discovered her tied up and unconscious. She contacted the police and was able to immediately identify the suspect as Benjamin Foster.

The chief also telling me he believes the suspect is a threat to others who might befriend him. And that he isn't a random attacked. But added the, quote, nothing is off the table within an individual like this.

Lucy Kafanov, CNN Denver.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: The former fighter with the Wagner mercenary group is describing the brutality he says he witnessed on the front line in Ukraine. Including the ruthlessness in terms of treatment a reluctant Russian recruits.

NOBILO: Wagner as emerged as a key player in Russia's invasion. One of its former commanders Andrei Medvedev escaped to Norway where he is now seeking asylum. He spoke exclusively with CNN's Anderson Cooper about what he experienced on the battlefield.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDREI MEDVEDEV, FORMER WAGNER COMMANDER (through translation): We weren't receiving any tactical plans. We just got a command to capture the position of the enemy and by ourselves had to come up with a step- by-step plan of how to fulfill it. It was our problem to ensure that a command is fulfilled.

ANDERSON COOPER CNN ANCHOR, AC360: You have said in the past that you saw Wagner troops getting executed for disobeying orders. Is that accurate?

MEDVEDEV (through translation): Such cases happen very often there. There was a question of how to persuade new recruits who arrived at the front lines and saw what is going on there and decided they don't want to fight, to still go ahead and fight. They would round up those who did not want to fight and shoot them in front of the newcomers to develop their self-preservation instinct.

COOPER: Why did you decide to leave the Wagner Group?

MEDVEDEV (through translation): I planned to leave Wagner for a while, but I didn't have the opportunity. I was afraid I will be captured and shot as a traitor. I am ready for serious action, but I also want to live. By the end I knew they won't let me go. I will return as part of the dead or the wounded. It was time to make a radical decision. If it wasn't for my guys, my comrades, I would have been buried at some training ground.

[04:45:00]

COOPER (on-camera): Why have you agreed to talk? What message are you trying to -- do you want people to know about Wagner, about your experience?

MEDVEDEV (through translation): My idea was to tell the people what was happening there. And my mates who died there, they died under orders. So, my aim is that the people who are guilty of these crimes should be brought to justice.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Medvedev also told Anderson Cooper he saw courage in both sides of the war including amongst Ukrainian forces.

NOBILO: Just days after the U.S. pledged to send tanks to the battlefield in Ukraine, President Joe Biden is making it clear that there is one type of military equipment he will not be sending -- F-16 fighter jets.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been seeking fighter jets from his Western allies to help his country battle Russia's forces.

Meanwhile, a Ukrainian commander did not mince words when describing the constant fierce fighting around the eastern city of Bakhmut. Calling it a living hell.

The commander told Ukrainian TV the country's troops are doing an incredible job as Russian forces try to take control of a key highway.

NOBILO: CNN's Scott McLean is following the developments and he joins us now. Scott, Britain's defense secretary Ben Wallace said rather wryly the other day that we know when Ukraine asked for weaponry or equipment the answer is always no at first and then ends up being yes. Do you think this is a hard no form the United States on F-16s which would tangibly revolutionize the way that Ukraine can conduct this war?

SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I mean I don't know but I think you're right that that's the sorted of the pattern that we've been seeing and President Zelenskyy seemed to summarize it yesterday when he said he is looking for strong action to be taken timelier. Strong decisions to be taking timely and implemented very quickly. In other words, figure out what your actually going to send us and then send it to us quickly. Because is needed very badly.

And so of course, they were asking for the HIMARS artillery systems. They got those. Then they were asking for air defense. They got not only just air defense but they got the Rolls-Royce of air defense systems in the Patriot batteries that are being sent to Ukraine. And then it was tanks. Something that didn't really seem like it was on the table that Western allies were going to send these fighting vehicles. They look like tanks but they're not as heavily armored. They don't have the same gauge or anything on them. And so, then eventually Western allies came around.

And even the U.S. had said its tank this M1 Abrams was too complicated, too finicky, too much of a gas guzzler to send. Maybe too much of a headache than it was actually worth. The Americans actually did come around on those. Same with the Germans as well.

And so, now the big asking for these fighter jets and you hear President Biden say point-blank, will you send fighter jets -- or F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. His answer was very clearly, no. The German chancellor also saying he doesn't see a situation where that happens. So, remember he said the same thing about tanks.

You have France and the Netherlands saying yesterday that they actually have a been asked so nothing is off the table. Incidentally, the Ukrainian defense minister was actually in Paris today.

But remember, even if Ukraine were to get these things, nothing happens overnight. I mean, the training on the Patriot missile system is several months, the same with the tanks. And now you have a situation where even if F-16s were to be sent today -- which is obviously not the situation -- it would still require Ukrainian pilots to train on them for some six months before ever getting onto the battlefield.

So, that's why President Zelenskyy is saying, look, guys, make up your minds, figure out what you're going to send and get it to us ASAP.

NOBILO: Yes, you can understand the implications because as you say, that deliberation time and that kind of internal politicking mean months of not getting this equipment actually in the field.

Speaking of what's happening in the live battles, give us the latest on Bakhmut. We're hearing that the fighting is like a living hell. Who has the advantage?

MCLEAN: Yes, so this is a town but I think before the war you wouldn't say was all that strategically important to anyone outside of that specific region. Now it is incredibly strategically important because it's really been a brick wall for the Ukrainians. It's incredibly well fortified. That's not me saying that that's not Ukraine saying that that's the head of the Wagner private mercenary group saying that the Ukrainian have it extremely well defended. It also has the natural defenses he says as well that make it extremely difficult to take. But now the Russians really not having a lot of success going straight

at it. They are using a more familiar tactic which is to try to encircle it. So, slowly but surely, they are moving in from the north and from the South and the few escape routes at the Ukrainians have left are under a heavy fire over the last week or so as well.

And so, now the Ukrainians are floating even the possibility of withdrawal. One commander saying, look, if we were to withdraw it would be to preserve the lives of our soldiers. Something that we heard ahead of withdrawal from Soledar about 10 miles to the north as well.

NOBILO: Scott McLean thank you so much.

MCLEAN: Thank you.

FOSTER: Now we finally know who is going to portray Michael Jackson in the new biopic about the late film star -- music star even, superstar either way.

[04:50:00]

That story and more when CNN NEWSROOM continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NOBILO: One of the breakout stars of a Netflix series "Bridgerton," will not be burning. Sorry it's a private joke -- in the next season.

FOSTER: Very private.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, pardon me.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Forgive me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Phoebe Dynevor told Screen Rant her character Daphne Bridgerton was sadly not included in season three but that she's excited to watch as a viewer. Dynevor added that Daphne could make a comeback in the future, so she's not been killed off. The premiere dates for the next season or the saucy series has not yet been confirmed.

NOBILO: It's quite unnerving hearing you saying saucy series for some reason.

FOSTER: And we know who will be playing Michael Jackson in the movie about the king of pop. The late superstars 26-year-old nephew Jaafar Jackson will portray him in the biopic "Michael." Lionsgate is producing the film and it'll include classics such as this one.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL JACKSON: SINGING "BILLIE JEAN": Billie Jean is not my lover She's just a girl who claims that I am the one But the kid is not my son ...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NOBILO: Jaafar Jackson tweeted this photo was tweeted where he seen wearing Michael Jackson's iconic moonwalk outfit. And wrote, he's very humbled and honored to bring his uncle life story to life.

FOSTER: It's sterling casting, he does look obviously like him though.

NOBILO: My cat started moon walking. It's very weird, she walks backwards. I don't know why she's doing it.

FOSTER: Amazing.

NOBILO: And I'm sorry to give that you piece of trivia. Here is another one. A new study finds a lot of similarities between human teenagers and adolescent chimpanzees. But the lead author says both are adjusting to their changing bodies and frame. They're willing to take risks but they're unable to control their emotions than adults.

NOBILO: It does show neither team species showed much patience when waiting for rewards but tended to act out when they didn't get their way. The study appears in the Journal of "Experimental Psychology."

NOBILO: I wonder how this knowledge will help us.

FOSTER: Yes, how do we apply it.

NOBILO: Exactly, well, you have teenagers.

FOSTER: I struck more than one page.

The man in the moon has some competition, the face of a bear on Mars. I mean, I was waiting to see that, it does actually look like a bear.

NOBILO: Oh, I think it looks more like a duck. It has a beak to me.

FOSTER: A circular fracture pattern on the Martian surface shaped the head while two craters resembling the eyes and a V-shaped structure creates the illusion of a nose. The University of Arizona, which developed the camera, shared it last week. I mean, like all these things, it depends what features of the face that you look at.

NOBILO: There is a main that escapes me of when people see images in random things.

OK, anyway, and we've to go, but we'll bring you much more news tomorrow when we look forward for joining you. I'm Bianca Nobilo.

I'm Max Foster. Thank you for watching. "EARLY START" with Christine next? We'll find out.

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