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CNN International: House GOP Scrabbles for New Speaker After McCarthy Ousted; Trump New York Trial Calmer After He Returns to Florida; Biggest Health Care Strike in U.S. History Now Underway; Ukrainian Forces Running Short on Vital Munitions. Aired 4-4:30a ET
Aired October 05, 2023 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[04:00:00]
BIANCA NOBILO, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and a warm welcome to our viewers joining us in the United States and all around the world. I'm Bianca Nobilo.
MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Max Foster joining you live from London, just ahead on CNN NEWSROOM.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think we're a conservative center, right party. I think I'm the guy who can help unite that. I think my politics are entirely consistent with where conservatives and Republicans are across the country.
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We have a racist Attorney General who's a horror show who ran on the basis that she was going to get Trump before she even knew anything about me.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. Trump's comments were offensive. They were baseless. They were void of any facts and or any evidence.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's not OK for our patients to have to wait such a long time to receive the patient care that they need and that's why we are out here for our patients.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: Live from London. This is CNN NEWSROOM with Max Foster and Bianca Nobilo.
FOSTER: It is Thursday, October the 5th, 9:00 a.m. here in London, 4:00 a.m. in Washington, where the fallout from the historic ouster of U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is rattling Capitol Hill.
NOBILO: The race is on to find his replacement after Tuesday's stunning vote removed him from the top leadership post. Several names of possible successes have emerged, but so far only House Majority Leader Steve Scalisi and Representative Jim Jordan have officially jumped into the race until a new leader is chosen House business is on hold. FOSTER: Now anger is building amongst some Republicans who are lashing out of members of their own party over the chaos caused by McCarthy's ouster.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MARKWAYNE MULLIN (R-OK): You got eight people over there that say they stand on principle and policy and it's really all about, you know, self promotion. It's beyond frustrating. I would have a hard time actually saying they are true Republicans. They're about promoting themselves. They're Republicans by name and registration only. If they are for the party, they would have done what was best for the party. What was the party doing now? We're not able to do anything.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Excuse me. CNN's Manu Raju following developments and has more from Washington.
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MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The unprecedented move to oust Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House has set up a leadership scramble. Behind the scenes his successors are trying to see if they can unite a badly divided House Republican Conference, one in which there are raw emotions, feelings bad will. Mostly directed towards Congressman Matt Gaetz, someone who led the charge to oust Speaker McCarthy and got the support of seven other Republicans, eight in total voting with Democrats to push McCarthy out of the speakership, something that has never been done before in American history.
But now, where does the house go from here? It is unclear. The House is in the state of paralysis. It cannot move forward until a speaker is named, meaning no legislative action at all. The House is out of session until next week. In the meantime, behind the scenes, two candidates have emerged. Speake -- two speaker candidates, one of them the House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, along with the House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan. Both of whom are trying to secure enough support to become the conference's nominee to be elected speaker.
Once they have a majority of votes next week we'll expect that vote to happen. Then there will be a vote on the House floor. But that is the tricky part. Getting 218 votes in the House, more than four Republicans could be enough to scuttle that entire effort. That is the problem that Kevin McCarthy ran into time and time again in the narrowly divided House. But no question about it. Many members pointing fingers at those eight Republicans for a state of chaos that they warned could come back to haunt them in November 2024.
SEN. KEVIN CRAMER (R-ND): I think it makes the House Republican rebels look foolish. They look unserious. I think they look like they're more interested in fighting than governing. REP. MAX MILLER (R-OH): Mr. Gaetz is only doing this for himself and I believe that he should be looked at for an expulsion. I have not made- up my mind on if I would vote to expel him. This guy doesn't have his ducks in a row and that's what you see with people who lie, they can never keep their story straight. And that's what Matt is doing right now. He's going to continue to lie.
RAJU: What do you think of the chances of your party retaining control of the House next year given all this disarray?
MILLER: I think it's -- I think it's be incredibly tough.
RAJU: Now as part of the discussions for the speaker candidates is the issue of the motion to vacate.
[04:05:00]
That was Matt Gaetz used to push out Kevin McCarthy. One member could actually call for a vote seeking the speakers ouster. There will be a lot of members who I spoke to who want the speaker candidates to try to raise the threshold. To make it much harder to force such a vote, warning that keeping it at one member creates this period of instability that the party cannot afford. But some of those hardliners who have used -- threatened to use that tactic and align themselves with Matt Gaetz, say they would not support a speaker candidate that did that.
The other big issue? A policy issue, Ukraine aide. Jim Jordan told me that he does not support more funding for Ukraine. A big question mark for Ukraine, especially if Jordan becomes elected speaker amid the divisions among House Republicans about how to move forward and whether to provide aid to Ukraine in its war against Russia. All showing how much concern there is and how much divided within the GOP about simply how to govern at this time. When there is no speaker, the House is in a state of paralysis and Republicans are badly divided about how to move forward from here.
Manu Raju, CNN, Capitol Hill.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NOBILO: The mood in former U.S. President Donald Trump's civil fraud trial might be a bit calmer today because he won't be in court. He left New York Wednesday afternoon and returned to his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
FOSTER: Before he departed, Trump continued his tirade against New York Attorney General Letitia James. And for the first time, she fired back. Calling his appearance of the trial, quote, a political stunt. And referring to his departure, adding, quote, the Donald Trump show is over. CNN's Kara Scannell reports from New York.
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KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Outside and inside the courtroom on Wednesday, the rhetoric was rising. Trump arrived for the third day in a row, and he took every opportunity to lash out at the judge, the New York Attorney General, Letitia James, and her case. Here's what he said.
TRUMP: Prosecutor Letitia James is incompetent. We gets sued by a political animal.
TRUMP: We have a rogue judge.
TRUMP: The judge already knows what he's going to do.
SCANNELL: Trump left at the lunch break, and the New York Attorney General then decided to respond for the first time since the trial began. To all of the comments that Trump has been making, here's what she said.
LETITIA JAMES, NEW YORK ATTORNEY GENERAL: Mr. Trump's comments were offense. They were baseless. They were void of any facts and or any evidence. What they were, were comments that unfortunately fomented violence. Comments that I would describe as race baiting comments. Unfortunately, that appeals to the bottom of our humanity.
This case was brought simply because it was a case where individuals have engaged in a patent and practice of fraud. And I will not sit idly by and allow anyone to subvert the law. And lastly, I will not be bullied. And so, Mr. Trump is no longer here. The Donald Trump show is over.
SCANNELL: Inside the courtroom, tensions were rising. The judge became so frustrated with the cross examination techniques of one of Trump's attorneys that he slammed his hand on the bench and said this is ridiculous. You're not allowed to waste time.
After the lunch break the temperature inside the courtroom came way down. There was even some levity. The judge wished one of the state attorneys a happy birthday. And the Trump's own lawyers objected less to some of the questions that were asked by the state. And when Trump's lawyers were cross examining, the states first witness Trump's longtime accountant, Donald Bender, that is expected to continue on Thursday, and it could last all day.
Kara Scannell, CNN New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: Now to a CNN exclusive. Sources say Hunter Biden has wrapped up more than $10 million in legal bills and could face millions more. The U.S. president's son is said to be weighing his fundraising options.
NOBILO: Legal bills are a combination of fees incurred during a lengthy federal investigation, a divorce and custody dispute, and lawsuits he's brought against his political detractors. White House says President Biden is staying out of it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) KARINE JEAN-PIERRE, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: So here's what I'll say about that, and I've said this many times. You've heard it from the president. The president loves him -- his son. He's going to continue to support him as he rebuilds his life. Not going to speak to any private conversations that this president has with any member of his family that is private. And just to remind you all, as you all know, we guys reported on this. This is an independent Department of Justice investigation. It has been, and which has been led by one of the prosecutors from the last administration. And so we're just not going to comment on the investigation specifically.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Hunter Biden was in a federal court in Delaware on Tuesday, where he pleaded not guilty to three gun charges.
NOBILO: Industrial action is expanding across the United States. First came strikes in the entertainment industry, and then it was auto workers.
FOSTER: Now it's the healthcare employees hitting the picket lines.
[04:10:00]
A record number of unionized staff members at Kaiser -- Kaiser Permanente skipped work on Wednesday. We're talking about 10s of thousands of employees as well. CNN's Brian Todd picks up that story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Striking employees of Kaiser Permanente walk the picket lines in Springfield, Virginia. Starting Wednesday, more than 75,000 unionized employees of Kaiser have walked off the job, making it the largest health care worker strike in U.S. history.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We feel like we're overworked, stretched thin, rushing.
TODD (voice-over): Workers say they have been hard pressed since the crushing COVID pandemic.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They're working 14, 16 hours so they're tired.
TODD (voice-over): Their demands, improved staffing levels and better pay and benefits.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We want wages that keep up with the cost of living.
TODD (voice-over): Kaiser says it has offered a wage bump and a plan to staff up, but no deal yet. Kaiser Permanente serves 12.7 million people in the U.S. The company says some patients could see nonemergency and elective services affected.
CHRISTOPHER KAYES, PROFESSOR, MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT, GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY: They may have trouble getting their prescription. They may have trouble getting access to health care. They may appointments that are going to be cancelled. They may have to reschedule those appointments.
TODD (voice-over): Kaiser workers are not the only ones on strike right now. The United Auto Workers are in their third week of strikes against Ford, GM and Stellantis, which makes vehicles under the Chrysler, Jeep, and Dodge brands. A work stoppage that has slowly grown to 25,000 workers at dozens of locations.
Their demands? Higher wages, better benefits, better job security. The automakers saying they have already made generous offers including a wage increase of 10 percent to start, reaching 20 percent by year four.
KAYES: Companies and organizations are really struggling to get enough workers these days. So, workers have the power now. They can leave, they can quit, they can go on strike, they can ask for better benefits, they can ask for a working wage.
TODD (voice-over): And while the writers strike in Hollywood has been resolved with them getting significant advances and late-night talk shows resuming, the standoff between the actors union and the Hollywood studios continues. So the production of new shows and movies is at a standstill.
Are all these strikes hurting the economy?
RICHARD QUEST, CNN BUSINESS EDITOR-AT-LARGE: They're not helping, but they're not damaging to a huge extent. The U.S. economy is truly huge. What would be damaging in a bigger sense would be the longer the strikes go on, and the more there are of them.
TODD: While the Kaiser strike is temporary, there could be a longer, more contentious Kaiser strike in November if a deal isn't reached. And Chris Kayes of GW University warns, there's another potential strike on the horizon that could affect a wide swath of the country. A possible airline pilot strike in the coming months.
Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: 120,00 Americans will get their break on their student loan payments.
NOBILO: President Biden announced a new round of debt relief on Wednesday, which comes just days after federal student loan payments restarted following a three-year pause. About $9 billion worth of student debt will be forgiven. Mr. Biden says it's also good news for the economy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm announcing my administration has approved an additional $9 billion relief for 125,000 borrowers in just the past few weeks under that program. With the latest debt cancellation in total, my administration has canceled $127 billion in student debts for nearly 3.6 million American.
This kind of relief is life changing for individuals and their families, but it's good for our economy as a whole as well. By freeing millions of Americans from the crushing burden of student debt, it means they can go and get their lives in order. They can think about buying a house. They can start a business. They can be starting a family.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Well, the administration has been finding alternative ways to provide debt relief after the Supreme Court struck down the president's hallmark student loan forgiveness program. The new debt cancellations come through what the White House describes as fixes to three existing debt relief programs.
NOBILO: Still to come, after months of record-breaking heat, much of the U.S. is in store for a major cooldown this weekend, but some areas are also keeping an eye on approaching tropical storm you see there.
FOSTER: Yes. Plus no Congressional funding for Ukraine, no problem. The Biden administration implements a temporary workaround that's been in the planning stages for months.
NOBILO: Plus, fierce fighting reported on the southern front, a look at Ukraine strategy for pushing back Russian forces.
[04:15:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NOBILO: A cold front sweeping across the U.S. is finally making it feel like autumn. Considering how hot it's been, the cooler weather could come as a shock to many, with temperatures dropping as much as 35 degrees.
FOSTER: Just admiring that lovely art behind us.
NOBILO: I was wondering what you were doing.
NOBILO: It's beautiful.
FOSTER: Isn't it? Lovely. It's a nice reprieve for the summer heat, but it won't last long in some areas, at least. CNN meteorologist Chad Myers has the forecast.
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CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Finally, the cold front is on the way Thursday, Friday, Saturday and offshore by Sunday, really cooling us down, drying out the air, making crisp, clear morning lows, clear skies. Beautiful out there for most of the weekend. And it's going to be a few things that go wrong in between. Temperatures are going to fall quite rapidly. From 71 in Chicago and then all of a sudden, by Friday, we're down into the 60s, 61 for your eye. And then down into the 50s. And morning lows are going to be obviously significantly cooler than this, where we're going to see 30s and 40s across parts of the upper Midwest and into the Great Lakes. Even down to the South. My beagles going to like this a lot. Morning lows back into the 50s and upper 40s -- even in Atlanta.
So here comes the colder air, warmer air in the West. Yes, that's going to warm back up again. The cool air is only in the East for a couple of days, but it is a cold front.
Now something else that's going to work our way into the weekend is Philippe. Philippe has been a tropical system in the Atlantic for almost two weeks, just kind of floating around out there. But now it's going to try to combine with this cold front and drag rain and wind into New England for Saturday and possibly even into Sunday as it makes its way up the East Coast.
[04:20:02]
Winds 40 or 50 miles per hour, a little bit of rainfall coming through. And you see that stripe there -- this is the European model -- but that's more than two inches of rainfall in places that certainly don't need anymore rainfall at least for a while.
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FOSTER: Now the chaos in the U.S. Congress is prompting concern from the White House to key that funding could run out for Ukraine very soon, with serious consequences on the battlefield. Here's one of the leading candidates to be the new House Speaker. It's Republican Jim Jordan on the prospect for future aid to Ukraine.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RAJU: What about Ukraine? Are you -- are you willing to move forward with an aid package for Ukraine, if you're Speaker?
REP. JIM JORDON (R-OH): I'm against that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NOBILO: President Biden is expressing concern and keeping up public pressure on House Republicans to pass more funding.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: It does worry me. And but I know there are a majority of members of the House and Senate in both parties who have said that they support funding Ukraine. I don't think we should let their gamesmanship get in the way of blocking it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NOBILO: Ukrainian soldiers on the front lines are anxious to get their hands on whatever weapons they can fight off the Russians with. CNN senior international correspondent Fred Pleitgen reports. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): The artillery troops need to move fast. Russian drones might be in the air. Line up, calibrate, fire. Every rocket -- that's it -- even though this Grad launcher would be more effective firing large salvos.
It's not very precise -- this soldier named Alex said. It also depends on the weather and the range. It would be good to have more precise rockets or guided ones.
But the Ukrainians are running short on even these unguided Soviet-era rockets, and ammo shortages are a problem across the battlefield here in eastern Ukraine. Soldiers from the 80th Airborne Assault Brigade have a quick snack, then get ready to fire their how western-donated Howitzer.
The American 105 millimeter shells are valuable, but increasingly scarce commodities.
PLEITGEN: The Ukrainians call this the sniper rifle of their artillery because it's so accurate. But it also illustrates one of the big problems they have. They have plenty of barrels to fire from, but not enough ammunition to fire.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): Battery Commander Myron telling me the lack of shells means his forces are badly outgunned here.
It's hard to give precise numbers, he says, but I think they fire ten times for every round we fire. Sometimes it's one to 100.
The Russians are constantly taking aim at this area, though the Ukrainians say they're making gains, pushing Vladimir Putin's army back, even using combat helicopters close to the frontline. Kyiv says it needs more ammo to sustain its offensives both here in the east and in the south. The U.S. budget impasse could mean further delays. On top of that, NATO is warning its members are running dangerously low themselves.
ADMIRAL ROB BAUER, NATO MILITARY COMMITTEE CHAIR: We started to get away from half-full or lower warehouses in Europe, and therefore the bottom of the barrel is now visible.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): For the Ukrainian artillery troops, that means rationing will probably continue, all while trying to support their advancing soldiers on the ground.
Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Eastern Ukraine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: Both Ukraine and Russia are reporting intense fighting along the southern front. Ukraine claims Russian forces launched 5 missiles and 60 air strikes in the past 24 hours. It also says it's conducting offensive operations in the Zaporizhia region and at Bakhmut in the east.
NOBILO: Kyiv claims Moscow has sent elite airborne troops to join the battle in Zaporizhia and more than two dozen Russian soldiers have surrendered in the past few days. Ukraine has been working to hollow out Russian defensive units with long range artillery.
And for the latest on what is happening on the frontlines as well as some other updates CNN's Nada Bashir is here. Nada, to first of all, President Zelenskyy has arrived in Spain in what is largely unexpected trip.
NADA BASHIR, CNN REPORTER: Yes, this is a surprise appearance by President Zelenskyy, who will be now taking part in the European political community, some meeting with other European officials and counterparts. So we've heard from President Zelenskyy already upon his arrival. He says that he is there to put forward substantial proposals when it comes to strengthening collective security across Europe. And of course, he sees Ukraine as a part of Europe's future.
We've heard from European officials describing Ukraine as now being the heartbeat of the European Union at this current point in time. And in fact, we have a tweet from Zelenskyy for this morning saying:
We will pay special attention to the Black Sea region, as well as our joint efforts to strengthen global food security and freedom of navigation. Ukraine's key priority, particularly as winter approaches, is to strengthen air defenses. We have already laid the groundwork for new agreements with partners and look forward to their approval and implementation.
[04:25:00]
Now, of course, strengthening Ukraine's air defenses has been a priority for Ukraine from the outset of this invasion. It continues to be so. What we have seen repeatedly over the last few months is this continued drone attacks by the Russian Armed Forces.
Now Ukraine says it has had some success, of course, in downing many of these drones. In fact, overnight we have seen attempted drone attacks once again. Ukraine says its air defenses were successful in downing 24 out of 29 drone attacks. Of course, this continues to be a priority for Ukraine and this has caused infrastructural damage, though not so much human casualties.
But Ukraine is also now targeting Russian territory once again. We've seen the Russian region of Kursk coming under a drone attack by Ukraine -- according to local Russian officials. They say that there was some infrastructural damage there. But they've also accused Ukraine of using cluster munitions in this region. They say some of the border towns along the Kursk region have come under attack, and that at least one person has been injured as a result of shrapnel wounds. And we know of course that the use of cluster munitions is deeply controversial because of the impact this can have on civilian lives when it comes to the aftermath and the shrapnel wounds that this can entail. But as you mentioned there, the BS fighting along the front lines
continues. Ukraine -- Ukrainian military officials say that they are making progress. They are repelling attacks, but over the last day we've seen 140 frontline settlements come under attack. And we are hearing that continued emphasis from Ukrainian officials from President Zelenskyy on maintaining that support and the level of support we've seen from the international community. Particularly as questions continue to right now and concern continues to run around the supply of NATO weapons and U.S. weapons to Ukraine.
NOBILO: The pressure is always on with this counteroffensive, but there's that added urgency as well as the weather starts to shift and it will be harder to move entrenched positions as well. Nada Bashir as always, thank you so much.
FOSTER: Russia sentenced a journalist who protested against the war in Ukraine on live TV to 8 1/2 years in prison, but it won't hold much weight because she's living in exile in Europe.
NOBILO: Marina Ovsyannikova staged this staring protest on Russian state TV right after Russian forces invaded Ukraine. You might remember it. She escaped house arrest last year. And is now living safely in France.
FOSTER: On Wednesday a Russian court found her guilty of spreading false information about Russia's military. A charge the journalist says is absurd and insane.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARINA OVSYANNIKOVA, RUSSIAN JOURNALIST: If I return to Russia, I will be immediately in jail. I'm very worried about the future of my country and I want to fight in for a better future for my country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NOBILO: Marina Ovsyannikova says she doesn't regret her protest, saying she made a very difficult but the only correct moral choice for which she's paid a deep price.
France will start pulling out its troops from Niger later on this week.
FOSTER: The French Defence Ministry made the announcement this morning, saying it's essential to coordinate the move with Nigeria's military. Tensions between the two countries have escalated since the military junta seized control of Niger in July. Last month, French President Emmanuel Macron announced France would be ending its military presence in Niger, saying the country's new rulers are not interested in fighting terrorism.
Up next, chaos on Capitol Hill. Republicans scrambling to fill the House Speaker role and get back to business. A closer look at the challenges that they face -- just ahead.
NOBILO: Plus, the wife U.S. Senator Bob Melendez was behind the wheel in a fatal pedestrian accident five years ago. We'll explain why is coming to light now and what it has to do with the federal indictment against the couple.
[04:30:00]
