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Southwest Flight Forced To Land After Bird Strikes; Four Americans Kidnapped In Mexico; Speeches Offer Preview Of 2024 Race; Republican Race For President In 2024; Russian Forces On Verge Of Taking Bakhmut. Aired 9-9:30a ET

Aired March 06, 2023 - 09:00   ET

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

[09:01:05]

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR: Good Monday morning to you. I'm Jim Sciutto.

ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Erica -

SCIUTTO: Hello, Erica.

HILL: Good morning, Jim. Nice to see you this morning.

SCIUTTO: Nice to see you.

HILL: Good to have all of you - all of you with us as well.

Happening right now, officials are investigating after a Southwest flight was forced to make an emergency landing, this as smoke filled the cabin. Look at these images here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Cover your nose and face please and remain seated please.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: An (ph) engine failure just moments after takeoff.

SCIUTTO: Yes, cover your nose. I don't know if that's good enough.

Plus, the FBI is now offering a $50,000 reward after four Americans were kidnapped at gunpoint in Mexico. What we know now about their abduction.

And, the battle for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination on full display this weekend. Dueling speeches highlighting the differences between two potential candidates, former President Donald Trump, already announced, and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, previewing a possible showdown. What is next as they head to Iowa this week.

HILL: Let's begin, though, this hour with Carlos Suarez in Miami where passengers are now safely back on the ground following that midair scare. So, we all remember, I think those of us in New York certainly

remember quite well the miracle on the Hudson in 2009. That was a bird strike. No one was hurt in this instance. Can you give us a better sense of what we're hearing from the airline, what happened here to cause all that smoke in the cabin.

CARLOS SUAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's exactly right, Jim and Erica, good morning.

So, unlike what happened in 2009 and the miracle on the Hudson, this situation played out a whole lot differently. You're taking a look at that video inside the cabin of that Southwest Airlines flight shortly after it took off from Havana's international airport, on its way to Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood International Airport.

Now, according to the airline, right after that 737 took off from the airport, it hit a number of birds. One of those birds hit the plane's engine, which then laid it -- which then led to a fire. And it also hit the nose of that aircraft.

Now, by the time the aircraft made it back onto the ground in Havana, we're told that firefighters were there. They were able to put out that fire. And that all of the passengers that were on board that plane were able to safely get out using those emergency chutes.

One of those passengers talked to the "Today" show. Here's what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A big explosion and the plane just shook and then it dropped. It was very terrifying because a lot of kids and a lot of women.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SUAREZ: In that cellphone video you really can hear the folks, the passengers there, all of them shaken up. Some of them are yelling. And you can also hear the flight attendant telling the passengers to please make sure that they put on their oxygen masks while that plane made that emergency landing.

Now, Southwest Airlines, they did put out a statement about these -- about the incident, telling CNN in part, quote, we commend the swift, professional actions of our pilots and flight attendants in responding to this event. We apologize to our customers for the inconvenience and have reached out to address their needs and support.

Jim and Erica, one final note this morning. According to Cuban state- run media in Havana, it appears that the engine that was hit by that plane did suffer some type of engine failure. However, the airline is still investigating.

Guys.

SCIUTTO: Goodness. Scary moments for those passengers. Carlos Suarez, thanks so much.

Well, new this morning, the Biden administration is helping families figure out which airlines will not charge them for the simple privilege of sitting together with their kids. A new online dashboard launches today that will showcase which airlines charge and which do not to select and book seats together. I've run into this.

HILL: Yes.

SCIUTTO: I bet a lot of you have. It's no fun.

HILL: It is no fun. It's all part of the administration's push to end what are known as junk fees and to improve customer service. Looks like it's starting to pay off, too. American, Alaska, Frontier Airlines, they have all agreed, in writing, to eliminate family seating fees if -- because isn't there always and if or a but --

[09:05:10]

SCIUTTO: Yes, exactly.

HILL: Adjacent seats are available during booking.

SCIUTTO: I will say, though, I wonder if you have the same experience, Erica, if you do ask people, like, most of the time people will move when the kids are involved, but, anyway.

HILL: Yes. They probably don't want to sit next to your kid anyway.

SCIUTTO: Exactly.

HILL: Not meaning your kids specifically, Jim.

SCIUTTO: As charming as they are. As charming as they are.

HILL: You know what I mean.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

HILL: In other news this morning, right now the FBI is offering a $50,000 reward, this is for the return of four Americans kidnapped in Mexico. So that kidnapping happened on Friday. A car full of U.S. citizens drove into the border city of Matamoros, Mexico. You see it there on the map. It's just southeast of McAllen, Texas.

SCIUTTO: CNN correspondent Rosa Flores, she's in Houston now covering this story.

Rosa, you're familiar with this area of the country. What more do we know about the circumstances? What kind of groups are operating there? Do we have any idea at this point?

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, right now, the FBI is saying very little. Their statement only saying that this happened on Friday and that these four U.S. citizens crossed the border from Brownsville, Texas, into Matamoros, Tamaulipas, which is just south of where I am, just south of the Rio Grande Valley of south Texas.

Now, according to the FBI, these four individuals were driving a white minivan with North Carolina license plates. And shortly after they crossed into Matamoros, Mexico, that's when they were fired upon by an unidentified individual. And shortly thereafter, the four U.S. citizens were taken from the scene by armed individuals.

Now, the FBI says that it is asks for the public's help in identifying these suspects and that there is a $50,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest. The American citizens have not been identified and the FBI does say that they're working with their federal and local law enforcement partners in Mexico.

Now, about Matamoros and about this area. Matamoros is in the state -- Mexican state of Tamaulipas. The U.S. Department of State has Tamaulipas on its do not travel list for U.S. citizens because U.S. citizens have been victims of crime and kidnapping.

And so, Erica and Jim, this area is known for this. Cartels operate there. One of the reasons why I cover this -- in this area is because a lot of the migrants that we cover when we cover the border end up in these areas, in these very dangerous conditions. And so right now, of course, the FBI focusing on these four U.S. citizens. We do not have the identities of these U.S. citizens, again, but the FBI is investigating and trying to get more information.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

FLORES: Back to you.

HILL: Yes, and I know you're trying to do that as well.

Rosa, appreciate it, as always, my friend, thank you.

Well, Republicans offering up a preview of the party's 2024 race, that strategy, what it might look like, as they push to regain the White House, as we get former President Donald Trump speaking to crowds of loyal supporters at CPAC, while Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who, of course, has not formally declared a 2024 bid, addressed a sold out audience in California at the Reagan Presidential Library.

SCIUTTO: CNN's Kristen Holmes is following it all.

And, Kristen, CPAC, it's different than it used to be, right, I mean to the point where you have several serious candidates for 2024 giving it a miss entirely, including Ron DeSantis. What's =-= what was the message from there, one, I suppose, and the other question is, how do party leaders view that message from CPAC and how influential it is?

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We'll start with what the message was, because it was clear at CPAC that Trump is the future of the party. That was the message that we heard from attendees, from almost every single speaker there. He won their unscientific straw poll, 62 to 20 percent. DeSantis was at 20 percent. And, actually, the vice presidential straw poll, also, again, unscientific, DeSantis came in second to failed gubernatorial Arizona candidate Kari Lake. But the question now is, how indicative is CPAC of the party as a

whole?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: We are never going back to the party of Paul Ryan, Karl Rove and Jeb Bush, OK.

HOLMES: As the GOP primary just starts to take shape --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you so much.

HOLMES: With Republicans barreling towards a battle over the direction of the party, former President Donald Trump drawing a line in the sand.

TRUMP: I am your warrior. I am your justice. And for those who have been wronged and betrayed, I am your retribution.

HOLMES: The ruckus reception for Trump at the Conservative Political Action Conference, which included a wide victory in the event's unscientific straw poll, demonstrates the former president's enduring support with part of the GOP base.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The popularity with Trump is ridiculous.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The only one that can pull this through.

HOLMES: And while the former president remains a clear frontrunner for the party's nomination in 2024, his third run for the White House facing fresh challenges, including ongoing criminal investigations of his handling of presidential documents, and his role in the attack on the U.S. Capitol.

[09:10:08]

Ahead of his speech, Trump telling reporters that he would not exit the race even if he is indicted. On stage, painting a dire picture of the 2024 election.

TRUMP: This is the final battle. Either they win or we win.

HOLMES: More than three months since announcing his presidential bid, Trump advisers are taking steps to position him for a protracted campaign, building out a policy platform, including an education plan heavy on culture war proposals.

TRUMP: Our public schools have been taken over by the radical left maniacs.

HOLMES: The former president is also set to dial up his travel in the coming weeks with an event planned in Iowa next week, just days after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis plans to visit the key early nominating state.

While DeSantis isn't expected to launch a presidential bid until at least May, Trump and his team have been digging into the potential rival's record for months. One area of focus, DeSantis' past support for reforming entitlement programs.

TRUMP: We're not going back to people that want to destroy our great Social Security system. Even some in our own party. I wonder who that might be.

HOLMES: Facing criticism from Trump, as well as Democrats, the Florida governor now says Republicans won't, quote, mess with Social Security.

GOV. RON DESANTIS (R-FL): We're not going to mess with Social Security as Republicans. I think that that's pretty clear.

HOLMES: Even as Trump takes aim at DeSantis, other hopefuls seeking to draw contrast with the current leader of the pac.

NIKKI HALEY, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: If you're tired of losing, put your trust in a new generation.

MIKE POMPEO, FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: We shouldn't look for larger than life personalities, but rather we should find power in the rooms like this one.

HOLMES: But one potential candidate officially stepping back from the fight.

LARRY HOGAN (R), FORMER MARYLAND GOVERNOR: I didn't want to have a pileup of a bunch of people fighting. Right now the more of them you have, the less chance you have for somebody rising up.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Now, of course, not all Republican hopefuls agree with former Governor Hogan. We expect this to be a fairly crowded field. And you're going to start to see that field becoming more and more defined in the next several months as these hopefuls go meet with donors, travel the country and try to determine their future.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

HILL: Kristen Holmes, appreciate it, as always. Thank you.

Joining us now to discuss, David Gergen, CNN senior political analyst, former adviser to Presidents Nixon, Ford, Reagan and Clinton.

Good to see you, as always, David.

If we pick up with those comments from former Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, you also had former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson saying, look, I think Larry Hogan's a star, but I think more voices are really where it's at in terms of the party.

Larry Hogan said, elected office isn't the only way to make a difference. There's a frustration about the divisive politics in this country at this point, and yet the loudest most extreme voices do continue to dominate. Do you see a scenario where that changes at all? DAVID GERGEN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: We'll have to wait and

see, Erica. But it's good to be here this morning.

And I must tell you that I think increasingly the -- this has become a two-person race. There's Trump and there's DeSantis and then there's everybody else on the Republican side. And no one in that everybody else column, I think, has a chance to really advance until DeSantis has been - has been checked out. You know, the press is -- we know all about Donald Trump. More than we want to know in some cases. But DeSantis has not gone through that kind of screening. And the press -- the press will be doing that in the next few weeks because it's so obviously a Trump versus DeSantis race right now.

And from that we'll know, does anybody else have a chance? And right now I would say that nobody else is in the running. As I say, there's DeSantis, there's Trump and then there's a whole stream of other people coming on.

But look at -- Jim Sciutto would respond to this, look at Mike Pompeo. You know, one would think that he's heavy weighted within the party, and he's not showing up anywhere and he didn't - he was not speaking at CPAC the best I can tell. And I don't think he had an invitation there.

SCIUTTO: David Gergen, I would never debate you on political history, or if I did I wouldn't be very bright. But I'm going to do it anyway. No, I'm just going to ask the question.

GERGEN: OK.

SCIUTTO: If we look at the last several presidential cycles, the frontrunner or frontrunners at this stage of the race almost always flame out, right? I mean you go back to 2008, McCain was dead in the water, going nowhere. I mean Obama was considered a long shot, then came through. You know, you go to 2016, of course, people eliminated Trump as a candidate. Biden, you know, was -- really didn't have a chance until South Carolina in the 2020 cycle.

GERGEN: Right.

SCIUTTO: What does history tell us about frontrunners at this stage of the race and why would - why do you think that this one -- those frontrunners are likely to stay frontrunners?

GERGEN: Well, I think Trump is likely to stay a frontrunner because, you know, he's taken a lot of hits and there he is still standing.

[09:15:05]

You -- the CPAC piece is still his. You know, there's no -- the fire and brimstone we associate with CPAC has gone out a lot and Trump's fire has gone out a lot but he's still out there.

On the other hand, DeSantis has not -- I think a more -- if anybody's going to go down, it may be DeSantis. Typically when these new faces come on, some of them peak very early, as you suggest, and then they - and then they -- after some initial view that they're going to do very, very well, they fade and new people come to the fore, like an Obama comes to the fore out of nowhere. And when -- and Biden came back, he was a known figure, but he was more durable because he was such a known figure. We don't know yet whether DeSantis is durable as a candidate. He's got -- he's clearly very shrewd, very interesting, very bright guy.

On the other hand, you know, a lot of the early reporting suggests he can be very mean, he can, you know, can be very tough on people, not very pleasant underneath all this. So, we'll have to wait and see, Jim, how that all sort of works. Does DeSantis wear well? You know, do people sort of (INAUDIBLE).

If I were Donald Trump, I'd be really worried about DeSantis.

HILL: Well, and -

SCIUTTO: Seems like he may be based on how much time he's spending on him.

Sorry, Erica.

HILL: Yes. I think -- no, I would agree, Jim. I think you're right.

But I think that then leads us to this question. So, if it is Trump and DeSantis right now, but there's a chance, as you point out, David, that for all of the excitement about Ron DeSantis, maybe that doesn't work out, is there anyone else you see in the wings who could then step in, or does that then just hand this nomination to Donald Trump?

GERGEN: Well, that's a really, really good question. I think it could easily hand the nomination to Donald Trump and then he would reach out and possibly get Nikki Haley to be his vice presidential candidate for some obvious reasons. I think she's sort of -- she has some upside potential that I don't think has been tapped into yet. She's one of the more -- I've done events with her, and I must tell you, she's attractive, she's interesting, she thinks well on her feet. So, I could see her rising as this process goes on. But some of the rest of them, I just don't see where -- I don't see where the rise comes from.

SCIUTTO: Well, we'll keep talking about it because we've got a lot of time.

GERGEN: Yes. OK.

SCIUTTO: Don't forget Senator Tim Scott. He's got a following, too.

David Gergen, thanks so much, as always.

GERGEN: Thanks so much, Jim. Thanks, Erica.

SCIUTTO: Programming note, CNN's exclusive interview with First Lady Jill Biden airs tonight in CNN -- on CNN primetime. Don't miss it, 9:00 Eastern Time.

Coming up next, the Ukrainian president has vowed to defend the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, despite Russian efforts to encircle the area. And a lot of progress, a lot of losses. We're going to break down how that city plays into the larger war strategy.

HILL: Plus, Florida's governor going after a local prosecutor, claiming she isn't doing enough to combat crime. This after a nine- year-old girl and a TV reporter were shot and killed in Orlando. The state attorney is with us to respond.

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[09:22:22]

SCIUTTO: Despite Ukraine's best efforts and bloody, bloody fighting for weeks, right now Russian forces, for the first time in eight months, are believed to be on the brink of capturing the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut. Today the eastern frontline city lying in ruins after Ukrainians endured yet another intense Russian assault from both the air and the ground. And while most residents there have vacated, desperate, dangerous evacuations still going on. This as Ukraine's army has vowed to keep defending every inch of land.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR NAZARENKO, DEPUTY COMMANDER, UKRAINE NATIONAL GUARD (through translator): There were no orders. No decisions were made regarding withdrawal from Bakhmut. There have been no tactical changes. We are holding the defense.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCIUTTO: Let's speak now to CNN military analyst Colonel Cedric Leighton.

Good morning, sir. Thanks for joining us.

COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Good morning, Jim. Good to be with you.

SCIUTTO: This has been a bloody fight for weeks. A lot -- a tremendous number of losses on the Russian side, but also the Ukrainian side. There's a read that this is less about Bakhmut itself than Ukrainian forces showing they'll fight for every inch of territory. They don't want to give any ground anywhere.

And I wonder, is this the right use, in your view, of Ukrainian resources and manpower?

LEIGHTON: You know, I certainly understand the desire to keep every inch of Ukrainian territory. And it's very much an emotional argument and kind of like the Alamo in Texas, you know, back in the 19th century.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

LEIGHTON: But, you know, there's a reality here and Ukraine needs to save as many of its soldiers as possible. This is not the right strategy for the situation that they find themselves in. There are times when you have to do a tactical withdrawal. Some other times we have to do a strategic withdrawal. And this is one of those times where it becomes imperative to save as many Ukrainian soldiers as possible to basically fight another day.

And what that means is they have to really pull back to more defensive positions, ones that they can hold, so that they can save as many of their own people as possible.

SCIUTTO: What does this mean for the next step? Russia has been attempting some sort of offensive, at least throwing more men, more manpower in the east without making much progress. Ukrainians planning a counteroffensive. Does ceding Bakhmut at all imperil Ukraine's plans to counterattack and try to gain back more pieces of Russian-held territory in the east?

LEIGHTON: I think that's one of the biggest worries that the Ukrainian command has. And it's a legitimate concern. But if you perform a strategic withdrawal in the right way, you can actually save not only your troops, but also your capability.

[09:25:06]

And this is what's important. They need to save as much capability as possible in order to mount a counteroffensive. They can withdraw from Bakhmut and then, for example, mount the counteroffensive, let's say, in the south, around Buladar (ph) or some area that they believe is softer. And that's the kind of thing that I think they should be considering at this point.

SCIUTTO: Yes, I always think, as we're looking at that footage there of those towns laying in ruins, those are people's homes. They've been destroyed in all this.

What does this tell us about the relative strength of the Ukrainian and Russian militaries as we brace ourselves for what by all designs seems to be an even more brutal spring with both sides in effect planning to throw more at this fight in the east. Does it tell us anything about where the relative strength stands?

LEIGHTON: Well, one of the things that's, I think, very interesting about that question, Jim, is that, you know, when this war started, when this invasion started back in February of last year, it was pretty clear on paper that the Russians were far superior. The problem that the Russians ran into, though, was Ukrainian morale and Ukrainian willingness to fight for their homeland. So, there are these intangible situations where Ukrainians are far better at this than the Russians are. Their command structure is far better, their leadership is far better and they're proving that every day. The fact that the Russians have not been able to take Bakhmut after seven months of fighting right there in that city and around that city really shows how critically important morale is for any type of military fight. And the Ukrainians have definitely won in that regard.

SCIUTTO: Yes. Well, a tremendous amount of losses as well.

Colonel Cedric Leighton, thanks so much to both of you -- thanks so much to you. Not both of you. Good to have you on.

LEIGHTON: Thank you. Yes, thanks.

HILL: Still to come here, in the wake of a deadly shooting spree in Orlando, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis directly calling out a state attorney. That state attorney, Monique Worrell, joins us live next to respond to the criticism and to some questions about what happened.

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