Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

President Zelenskyy Visits U.K.; Race to Save Lives in Turkey and Syria; President Biden Hits the Road Following State of the Union Address. Aired 1-1:30p ET

Aired February 08, 2023 - 13:00   ET

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

[13:00:00]

JOHN KING, CNN HOST: Passing of the guard doesn't come without at least a little tension. LeBron and Kareem have at times clashed, including over COVID.

But, last night, the Hall of Fame center was on hand to celebrate LeBron, who was all smiles.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEBRON JAMES, LOS ANGELES LAKERS: To be able to be in the presence of such a legend and great as Kareem, it means so much to me. It's very humbling. Please give a standing ovation to the captain, please.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: You see Magic Johnson there as well. LeBron is now a Laker, Kareem still a legend.

Thanks for your time today on INSIDE POLITICS. We will see you tomorrow.

Abby Phillip picks up our coverage right now.

ABBY PHILLIP, CNN HOST: Hello, and thank you for joining us. I'm Abby Phillip in Washington.

President Biden has just arrived in Wisconsin after last night's optimistic and at times fiery State of the Union address. It is no accident that, after he repeatedly vowed to finish the job, the president's first stop is in a 2024 battleground state.

And, last night, when he wasn't listing his economic gains and bipartisan policy wins, Biden was sparring with Republican hecklers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Some Republicans, some Republicans, want Medicare and Social Security to sunset. I'm not saying it's the majority. (SHOUTING)

BIDEN: Let me give you -- anybody who doubts it, contact my office. I will give you a copy -- I will give you a copy of the proposal.

I'm not -- politely not naming them, but it's being proposed by some of you.

(SHOUTING)

Look...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIP: And there was another key moment that may have stolen the show, another display of GOP infighting on the House floor, and it involved embattled Republican George Santos. We will break it all down for you.

We have Arlette Saenz in -- in Wisconsin traveling with the president, and Manu Raju is over on Capitol Hill.

Arlette, I want to start with you.

The White House, they're feeling pretty good about this speech today. Do they see it as preparation for what could be the launch of President Biden's 2024 campaign?

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Abby, President Biden definitely showed off a fighting spirit last night, as he showed his willingness to go toe to toe with Republicans.

And that is something that would certainly play out on a 2024 presidential campaign trail. The White House views the speech last night as serving as a split screen that they believe serves in their advantage, with the president touting the progress that has been made in this country, while Republicans sat and cheered and heckled him.

And that is going to be part of the delicate balance the president has to strike in the coming months. He wants to call out Republicans for areas where he believes they differ on things like economy, taxes, and, much to the Republicans' chagrin, Social Security and Medicare.

But the president also is seeking to highlight some of the bipartisan work that he's done that has led to some of the progress in this country. One of those areas is on some of the economic proposals, such as that infrastructure law that he signed.

And, here in Wisconsin, the president's focus today will be on manufacturing, as he's trying to tout some of the investments that have come to the states since he took office. But, last night, you also heard the president really strike this populist tone, trying to appeal to blue-collar working-class voters. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BIDEN: Folks, my economic plan is about investing in places and people that have been forgotten. So many of you listening to me tonight, I know you feel it.

So many of you felt like you've just simply been forgotten. Amid the economic upheaval of the past four decades, too many people have been left behind and treated like they're invisible. I get that. That's why we're building an economy where no one's left behind.

Jobs are coming back, pride is coming back, because of choices we made in the last several years.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAENZ: And that is a message that the president has brought here to Wisconsin in the past.

I remember traveling with him back during the 2020 campaign. And he was trying to make those same types of arguments to try to appeal to working-class voters. Of course, Wisconsin is a critical battleground state that he narrowly won against President Trump at the time.

And this is certainly a state that he would continue to visit to try to stress that messaging. Now, one through line that was consistent throughout the president's speech last night was this idea of finishing the job, finishing the job on the accomplishments and progress that they have made so far, certainly an argument that he could carry into a 2024 campaign, as a likely bid is expected in the coming weeks.

PHILLIP: And, Manu, I know you remember back in 2009, when Republican congressman Joe Wilson yelled "You lie" during President Obama's speech.

[13:05:00]

And in the years since Nancy Pelosi ripped up President Trump's speech, you had Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert screaming at President Biden in years past. Have things deteriorated at these State of the Union addresses? How are lawmakers reacting to really the spectacle that unfolded last night?

MANU RAJU, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it wasn't just one member yelling at "You lie" last night. It was multiple members.

And the Republican members who did heckle Joe Biden last night are defending their decisions. They are defiant, even though some other members of the Republican Conference believe it was simply a distraction. And that's what Kevin McCarthy believes as well. He believes that Republicans who heckled Joe Biden essentially took his bait

The president goaded them, and, essentially, they pushed back, and now they have created a narrative that they don't want going forward. But I asked some of the members who -- about McCarthy's concerns, and they pushed back.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RAJU: Did you yell out liar?

REP. BOB GOOD (R-VA): I did.

RAJU: You did? You were one of the...

GOOD: I did.

RAJU: Do you feel like that's something that could look badly upon you by heckling the president in this forum?

GOOD; Well, I think the greater offense is for the president to lie to the American people about something so important.

REP. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE (R-GA): Yes, he got exactly what he deserved. And I am not sorry one bit. No, thank you. I don't clap for liars.

REP. TONY GONZALES (R-TX): I think the quorum here has been terrible on all sides, and that needs to go away. The sooner we can get back to treating each other with respect and dignity, the better it will be for this country.

REP. MICHAEL MCCAUL (R-TX): There's a decorum with the State of the Union. And on either side, I think it's inappropriate. So I don't want this to be routine-ish in being disrespectful to the president in the -- for the State of the Union.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RAJU: Behind closed doors, Kevin McCarthy told his conference yesterday to be aware of the fact that they were going to be on camera, that there are hot mics.

He wanted to show a Republican Party that was -- appeared different than what vote -- what member -- what people in the country saw in the beginning of January. They went to 15 ballots and elected the next speaker of the House. He did not want to show that messy side that led to his election as speaker.

Instead, he wanted to -- didn't want to hear any of this heckling. But they did hear the heckling. But, nevertheless, McCarthy is ready to move on. He said that his members took the bait, but, as you can see from there, that sound there, Abby, they don't they don't believe they did.

PHILLIP: Yes, you could literally see McCarthy shushing them from the podium.

Manu, I want to ask you before you go. There was one other thing that happened yesterday on the floor. The other congressman who's been a huge distraction, George Santos, he was confronted by Senator Mitt Romney last night. What are you learning about what they said to each other in that moment?

RAJU: Yes, Mitt Romney telling him: "You don't belong here."

Romney made very clear that he does not believe that George Santos should be a member of Congress, in fact, saying that he should -- he believes he should resign. And when I asked Mitt Romney about that yesterday, he made very clear that he didn't think that Santos should be in the -- should have been so out front in shaking the president's hand.

And he also believed that Kevin McCarthy should call on Santos to resign.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MITT ROMNEY (R-UT): I didn't expect that he'd be standing there trying to shake hands with every senator and the president of the United States.

He shouldn't be in Congress. And they're going to go through the process and hopefully get him out. And -- but he shouldn't be there. And if he had any shame at all, he wouldn't be there.

(CROSSTALK)

RAJU: Are you disappointed that Kevin McCarthy has not called on him to resign?

ROMNEY: Yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RAJU: McCarthy has said that there is an Ethics Committee process that will play out. He is expected to face an Ethics Committee investigation.

But McCarthy has not yet gone as far as a lot of the members in the Republican delegation in New -- from New York have in asking him to step aside, in part because this is a seat that, of course, could flip to the Democratic side and potentially tighten his already very narrow majority if Santos were to step down -- Abby.

PHILLIP: What a moment, Manu. We have seen a lot of things on the Hill, but that was certainly one of them for the books.

Thank you so much.

RAJU: Thank you.

PHILLIP: And with me now is a pair of CNN political commentators, Democratic strategist Maria Cardona and Republican strategist Alice Stewart.

Maria, I want to start with you.

Obviously, 2024 is the subtext of all of this. You're a Democrat. Did Biden show Democrats actually, who may be some of the more skeptical people on this, that he has the juice for another run?

MARIA CARDONA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Undoubtedly, Abby.

I think that was one of the most important takeaways from last night's speech, because if you are anyone, and you're right, including people in my own party, who might have had misgivings about whether Joe Biden is up for a reelection fight, because it will be a fight, I think they came away last night saying, yes, absolutely.

He is not only ready, but we should be enthusiastic about a Joe Biden reelection fight, because what he demonstrated, Abby, is that he not only has been able to deliver these past two years massive accomplishments on behalf of the American people, both just with Democrats, as well as with bipartisan and help. So, he demonstrated he can actually reach to the other side of the aisle and get things done on behalf of the country.

[13:10:08]

But he also demonstrated that, moving forward, he still has plenty of fiery fight in him and plenty of ways to go about expanding those who are not just supporting him now, not just who supported him in 2020, not just who supported Democrats in 2022, but he wants to expand the pool of Americans by showing that he is fighting for everyone.

We talked about how he did a lot to show blue-collar working-class America that he is there for them. He talked about very specific issues. He talked about big, broad issues. He really showed that he is there from a substantive standpoint. And he was funny, and he was witty and smart and fiery, and really brought it to the Republicans and showed them what real leadership looks like.

PHILLIP: And, Alice, I know you will respond to a lot of that.

But the speech was, according to CNN's polling, pretty well received; 72 percent said they had a positive reaction. That's pretty much in line with the last few addresses that Biden has given. Obviously, more Democrats tend to tune in when it's a Democrat giving the State of the Union address.

But from a Republican's perspective, are there things about a potential 2024 Biden run that Republicans should be nervous about? I mean, this is a man who has often been underestimated.

ALICE STEWART, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, look, I mean, we can all acknowledge President Biden is a very friendly and folksy person. He was fiery last night.

And when he gives a speech, it is received positively across the aisle. But the problem is -- I hate to correct my friend, Maria -- while he did point out the accomplishments of this current administration, he also threw out some red meat to the progressives, talking about everyone will pay their fair share.

Just because the president says this does not make it so. We look at recent polls, ABC/Washington Post poll, while the president touts great unemployment numbers and job creation, 40 percent of Americans don't feel they are financially better off than when he took office. And we see the only has an approval rating around 40 percent and six in 10 Democrats don't want to see him run for reelection.

And I think Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders in the GOP response speaks for a lot of Republicans, who feel that she is the youngest governor in the country, and he, as the oldest president in American history, it's a perfect example of this is time for a generational change in America. It's time for our Republican leadership.

And she made it clear, pointing out several cases with regard to how he has failed to secure the border, his failure to stand up strong and early on China, and a lot of the economic problems that we're still having. She made the case that he is unfit to continue to serve as commander in chief.And there are many Republicans who feel the same way.

The goal now is to find the best Republican to stand whether against him or the Democratic nominee as we head to 2024.

PHILLIP: So, Maria, since you brought it up, I want to -- or, Alice, since you brought it up, I want Maria to respond.

I'm going to play a little bit of what Sarah Huckabee Sanders had to say in her response.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS (R-AR): The dividing line in America is no longer between right or left. The choice is between normal or crazy. It's time for a new generation of Republican leadership.

I'm the first woman to lead my state, and he's the first man to surrender his presidency to a woke mob that can't even tell you what a woman is.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIP: This seems like a pretty strong kind of culture war argument, to be frank. I mean, Maria, what does that say to you?

CARDONA: It says to me that they have absolutely -- Republicans have absolutely no interest in expanding their party.

And Alice just said it. She said that the Republican response by Sarah Huckabee Sanders really spoke to Republicans. And that is a huge problem, because if Republicans do not expand the ways in which they reach out to new voters, younger voters, voters of color, women voters, they are never going to win the White House ever again.

So, I welcomed Sarah Huckabee Sanders' speech, because I agree with her on the very first part of what she said. This is a fight and a division between normal and crazy. And she, as well as the unhinged, uncivil, rude, immature responses that Joe Biden got from the most extreme Republicans in Congress, showed exactly who was normal and who was crazy. (CROSSTALK)

PHILLIP: Alice, I will let you respond real quick. Go ahead.

STEWART: Yes, just real quick, I have known Sarah for 20 years.

I worked with her on her father's two presidential campaigns. I worked for her father in the governor's office. And I can say that she does have a good pulse of what is reflective of what not just Republicans, but all are feeling.

[13:15:05]

And she made a very important point that the president's commitment to the far left agenda is not working. People do not want far right or far left. They want more of the middle. And she pointed out a very important aspect, that while the president was talking about resort fees and airline baggage fees, most Americans are worried about how they're going to pay for the cost of eggs and home heating fuel.

Those are the issues that are really concerning Americans.

PHILLIP: I think -- real quick, Alice, because we do have to go, but this kind of raises the question.

I mean, in the room at the State of the Union last night, there was heckling on the Republican side. Does that not undermine the argument that Republicans are sort of the sober adults in the room, when this is going on, Marjorie Taylor Greene there standing up screaming "You lie."

STEWART: That was childish. And it was uncalled for.

Look, the State of the Union is a time-honored tradition. And I agree with Congressman McCaul. It should be treated with the utmost decorum and respect. And any of those that had a problem with what the president said, there's plenty of time after that speech and for many days to make your case to stand up to him.

And I agree with what they had problems with his incorrectly stating that Republicans want to do away with Social Security and Medicare and his talk about securing the border. Those are issues that he strictly got wrong. And I agree with their problems with this and their speaking out. They just went about it the -- completely the wrong way.

CARDONA: They demonstrated who was normal and who was crazy.

(CROSSTALK)

(LAUGHTER)

PHILLIP: Alice and Maria, always so good to have both of you .

CARDONA: Thank you so much, Abby.

PHILLIP: If you want more of these two, this dynamic duo, be sure to tune in to their weekly podcast these two host together, two -- "Hot Mics From Left to Right." I almost messed that up.

Both of you, thank you so much. Always good to see you.

CARDONA: Thanks, Abby.

STEWART: Thanks, Abby.

PHILLIP: And the race to save lives in Turkey and Syria is now entering a new, desperate phase. It is a critical window for survival, and it is now closing. How many more can be rescued before it's too late? We will be live in Turkey when we come back.

Plus, a disturbing revelation in the case of Tyre Nichols. One of the officers that was charged with murder stood over Nichols' handcuffed, bloody body, took pictures, and then sent them to at least five people. And they weren't all police.

And then this: why the family of Gabby Petito just released this selfie found on her cell phone after her fiance killed her.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:21:45]

PHILLIP: Desperation is growing more dire by the second in earthquake-ravaged Turkey and Syria, as the so-called 72 hour golden window to find people alive in the rubble will end soon.

Earlier today, there was a miracle, in the 60th hour, rescuers cheering as they pulled six people, including this child with short brown curly hair, out of the debris, that glimmer of joy amid so much grief.

The death toll is now 12,000 people, making this disaster one of the deadliest quakes in decades.

CNN Nick Paton Walsh is inside the region where the 7.8-magnitude epicenter was recorded.

Nick, what are you seeing in this hour?

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL SECURITY EDITOR: You're absolutely right, Abby, to say that window of rescuing people alive is certainly closing.

It is still bitterly cold here. And the commotion you can see behind me is the continued bit in the dark of night to excavate. And I think it's fair to say they're moving in a way which shows a lot less of the caution we saw when we first got here last night, when they were piecing their way very carefully, sometimes by hand, listening, looking for survivors.

It's noisy. It's fast-paced. And I have to tell you also too today we have been here. And across here, this town, Kahramanamaras, so close to the epicenter, we have seen a lot of bodies being pulled out, a devastating number, to be honest, in large numbers, a 4-year-old girl pulled away in a blanket from here, an 8-year-old girl, a number of men often lined up in the streets in large numbers in tarpaulins.

Often, the ambulances whose blue lights you can see flashing in my face here arriving and having to take away the dead, not the living. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, he flew into this town today as part of a trip to earthquake-ravaged areas. I think he accepted, it's fair to say, that the government's response in that first day wasn't that fast.

It was, it's also fair to say, hampered by appalling weather conditions that meant so few could get to here. But there is anger amongst people here specifically that things were not done fast enough. You would feel it too if you felt more could be done to save your loved ones. And, in fact, earlier today, on top of that piece of rubble there, we climbed up to see medics rush in.

They thought they'd found somebody alive. Sadly, they left with their stretchers empty and the daughter of the man who died furious that nothing had been done faster.

We will see this play out in the days ahead across Turkey, as something of a reckoning occurs as to how any country possibly could have done more, could have responded faster, but, right now, still, the digging continues, the bodies that are brought out, so many of them lifeless -- Abby.

PHILLIP: So many doing so much to try to save whoever they can at this point.

Thank you, Nick Paton Walsh, for that report.

And Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a surprise visit to the U.K. today, just his second trip overseas since Russia invaded his country. He met with King Charles III and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

Zelenskyy, who is lobbying hard for British fighter jets, also delivered a rousing speech to members of Parliament.

[13:25:06]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: Do you have a feeling that the evil will crumble once again? I can see in your eyes now we think the same way as you do. We know freedom will win.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIP: CNN's Scott McLean is in London for us.

Scott, what is the British government saying about that possibility of sending fighter jets over to Ukraine?

SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it is very complicated at this point, Abby. But, look, President Zelenskyy was very clear that his country needs

them. Fighter jets, long-range missiles, those are at the top of his wish list. And he made that abundantly clear when he spoke to lawmakers earlier today.

In fact, he seemed confident that he would actually get fighter jets, saying that, two years ago, he thanked lawmakers for the delicious tea. This time, he thanked them in advance for the jets.

Now, the U.K. is not sending fighter jets. What they are committing to, though, is more sanctions on Russia, more training of Ukrainian troops. And part of that training actually includes training Ukrainian pilots to fly Western NATO standard jets.

But the caveat here is, the jets aren't actually included here. The U.K. had previously said that it's just not that practical to send fighter jets to Ukraine, because these are complicated machines and the training on them takes a heck of a long time.

And so Prime Minister Sunak earlier today was asked to clarify his stance, why they're providing the training, but not the jets. And here's part of his answer.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RISHI SUNAK, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: We have been very clear and we have been clear for a long time that, when it comes to the provision of military assistance to Ukraine, nothing is off the table.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCLEAN: And Prime Minister Sunak went even further than that, saying that, look, the first step of providing advanced aircrafts is actually training Ukrainian pilots, Ukrainian aviators to actually fly them.

Now. Another thing that's on the Ukrainian wish list is those long- range missiles, specifically missiles that can go at least 200 miles. The hesitation from the West is that they may be used to strike inside Russian territory, Russia itself, not just Russian-held territory.

The U.K. has said that they're going to offer Ukraine longer-range capabilities, but Prime Minister Sunak was vague in the press conference earlier today about what precisely that would entail -- Abby.

PHILLIP: Scott McLean, thank you so much for that report.

And coming up next for us: a new controversy today involving one of the former police officers charged with murdering Tyre Nichols, the disturbing photo he allegedly admits taking and sending to several people.

That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)