Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Three U.S. Servicemembers Killed In Jordan Drone Attack; CIA Chief In Paris For Israel-Hamas Ceasefire And Hostage Negotiations; Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA) Is Interviewed About The Conflicts In The Middle East; President Biden Calls Trump A Loser; Biden Campaigns For Roe V. Wade As Law Of The Land Again; Allie Phillips Is Running For Tennessee State House; WWE Officials Sidestep Questions After Vince McMahon Exits. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired January 28, 2024 - 17:00   ET

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

[17:00:00]

MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And when federal investigators started talking to her, they came away with the feeling that this story is not adding up and then she was charged with lying to federal investigators. And that was really at the cross of the trial. She was never charged with insider trading.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Incredible. Mary Snow, so glad. You worked your fingers just like the sneakers had to work at the trial. And you re-established the connection. So, I thank you for that. Mary Snow, great to see you. We'll be watching.

SNOW: Great to see you. Thank you for having me.

WHITFIELD: Wonderful. We're gonna start watching tonight. The CNN epic four-part television event unraveling "The Many Lives of Martha Stewart" starts tonight at 9:00 right here on CNN. Thanks so much for being with me today. I'm Frederica Whitfield. The "Newsroom" continues with Jim Acosta right now.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN HOST: You're live in the "CNN Newsroom." I'm Jim Acosta in Washington. Good evening. We begin with breaking news overseas. Three American service members have been killed and more than 30 others injured after what U.S. officials say was an overnight drone attack on a U.S. outpost in Jordan. This is near the border with Syria and Iraq. P

President Biden is blaming Iran-backed militant groups and vowing to hold them responsible. This marks the first time U.S. troops have been killed by enemy fire in the Middle East since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas. Right now, CIA Director Bill Burns is in Europe preparing for key talks on a possible hostage deal that would pause the fighting in Gaza.

We've got a team of reporters tracking all these latest developments, both here at home and abroad. Let's start with CNN's Natasha Bertrand, who's with me here in the studio. Natasha, there's been some sense that perhaps this was only a matter of time before these Iran-backed militias were able to successfully strike U.S. service members in a way that left some casualties like this. Obviously, a critical moment in what's taking place in that region right now. What more are you learning?

NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN NATINAL SECURITY REPORTER: It's really hard to overstate just how significant this attack was because as you have said, we have seen over 150 such attacks by these Iran-backed groups on U.S. and coalition bases in Iraq and Syria since October alone. This is something that has been happening on a near daily basis.

You have seen these rockets and drones being fired by these Iran- backed groups towards American personnel and trying to kill them, according to officials that we've spoken to. But this is different because they finally, sadly, succeeded.

And three U.S. Army soldiers were told were killed in this drone attack and upwards of 30 other U.S. personnel were injured when this drone kind of landed in the vicinity of the living quarters of this military base, which is in northeast Jordan, right on the border there with Syria.

And what we are hearing as a reaction from, you know, the President Biden, from Secretary of Defense Austin, is we are going to respond. That has been the consistent statement ever since this news broke early this morning about how -- where things are going to go from here.

The question now is are they going to respond by hitting the Iran- backed militant group that they say is responsible for this or are they going to stage some kind of attack that is larger than that, perhaps hitting Iran itself as many Republican lawmakers are now calling for. Something that obviously the president and his administration would want to avoid, but this is a very serious escalation that likely will require a more forceful response.

ACOSTA: And it also suggests that the capabilities of these Iran- backed militias are something to be reckoned with. If they are able to use a drone that can have this kind of an impact, that is worrisome.

BERTRAND: It is something that really stuck out to U.S. officials that the drone was able to cause this much damage. Thirty-plus U.S. service members injured, three killed. It is obviously a big concern. It's going to be a question as to what kind of drone it was that actually caused this damage.

ACOSTA: Yeah, very significant, very concerning development. Natasha, thank you very much. Now let's go to CNN Senior White House reporter Kevin Liptak for more on how the president is reacting to this. Kevin, what's the president saying?

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yeah, he's calling this attack despicable and wholly unjust. And we did hear from him a couple of hours ago. He's on a political trip to South Carolina and he did respond to these attacks overnight in Jordan. Listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: We had a tough day last night in the Middle East. We lost three brave souls in an attack at one of our bases. I'd ask for a moment of silence for all three of those fallen soldiers. And we shall respond.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIPTAK: So, we shall respond. And the president also saying a statement that that will come at a time and a manner of our choosing and the president does face quite a consequential choice here.

[17:05:00]

He is under pressure to react more forcefully, including from some Republicans who are calling on him to take strikes inside Iran. But at the same time, there is this imperative to not widen this conflict any further and not to become dragged into a more direct conflict with Tehran.

So certainly, President Biden facing a very consequential decision. He was briefed by his national security team while he was on the road today, including top officials like Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and the National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan. And you can imagine in those discussions really centering Iran around how to respond without causing this conflict to widen any further, Jim.

ACOSTA: And Kevin, what about the latest on the efforts to revive hostage negotiations between Israel and Hamas? President Biden sent the CIA director to France to help with those talks. What do we know?

LIPTAK: Yeah, and there is hope among American officials that these talks could eventually yield a deal to include the release of all of the remaining hostages inside of Gaza in exchange for a prolonged pause in the hostilities.

And Jim, I don't think this is unrelated to the deaths of those Americans. That really lends some urgency here to try and come up with an agreement that would essentially bring down the tensions somewhat and allow some space for the U.S. and its partners in the region to come up with some sort of plan to end this conflict permanently.

The CIA Director, Bill Burns, has acted as President Biden's point person on this issue. He is in Paris today in talks with his intelligence counterparts from Egypt and Israel. The contours of this deal include a phased release of the hostages in exchange for a longer cessation of hostilities.

American officials have been very careful to set expectations. For example, John Kirby, the National Security Council spokesman, said on Friday that there was no imminent developments in the offing here. But certainly, President Biden very eager to come up with a plan that would get these hostages out and pause the fighting for a prolonged period of time, Jim.

ACOSTA: All right, Kevin, thank you very much. Let's bring in CNN's Jeremy Diamond in Tel Aviv. Jeremy, what are you hearing on your end in terms of progress in getting these hostages released from Gaza?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jim, there's no question that this is the most momentum that we have seen behind these negotiations since that week-long truce between Israel and Hamas that saw dozens of hostages released fell apart in early December. When you look at just the pace and the scale of the meetings that have been happening over the last couple of weeks, culminating with this summit in France today between the head of the CIA and intelligence chiefs from Israel, Egypt, and the prime minister of Qatar, you can really get the sense that there is something under the surface that may come above.

And so, in Israel here today, what we are hearing is that they view these meetings today as constructive. They believe that there has been progress, but at the same time, they are underscoring the fact that significant gaps still remain between them and Hamas. And the primary sticking point, of course, is over the duration of a cessation of hostilities.

Israel has put on the table the longest cessation of hostilities to date, up to two months in exchange for the phased release of these hostages. But Hamas, up until now, has still been demanding an all-out end to the war, an attempt to try and salvage their position inside the Gaza Strip. But the Israeli Prime Minister, no doubt, is under mounting pressure here domestically.

Thousands of people last night protesting in Tel Aviv for elections and also calling for a hostage deal now. But the Israeli Prime Minister is also facing pressure from his right flank as well. Minister Ben-Gvir, for example, saying if he ends the war that he will exit the government. And there is certainly a concern about what will happen if there is a two-month pause in the fighting? How can Israel then resume the war? That will certainly be a challenge if indeed that comes to pass. Jim?

ACOSTA: All right. Jeremy Diamond, Natasha Bertrand, Kevin Liptak, thanks to all of you. Really appreciate it on this busy Sunday evening. Thanks for your time.

I want to bring in Democratic Congressman Adam Smith of Washington State now to discuss. He's the ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee. Congressman, thanks so much for being here. What are you hearing about this attack? What are your thoughts?

REP. ADAM SMITH (D-WA): This is a dangerous escalation. But we've been trying to make sure that this conflict doesn't escalate. This pushes it much closer to that point. It's imperative that the U.S. respond and find a way to stop these attacks. And I know the president's working on that. Key question there, as you have already discussed, is do you go inside of Iran?

Because Iran does not appear to be directly ordering these attacks, but they are giving space to their Shia-backed militias to conduct these attacks. And we need to change that calculus. But I also think the last point that you were talking about, about what happens in Gaza, is crucial. The conflict in Gaza is empowering Iran right now. And that is bad for

us, bad for Israel, bad for the Arab states, and bad for the world. So, finding a resolution to that is a crucial part of this challenge as well.

[17:10:03]

ACOSTA: And Congressman, the president has vowed that those responsible are going to be held accountable. How far should the administration go?

SMITH: I think it is quite worthy at this point to consider whether or not there are targets within Iran, targets where the drones are being made, where the missiles are being made, military targets to send the message that they're not going to get a free pass anymore because that's what Iran has gotten out of this.

They have been able to attack us, undermine Israel, undermine our presence in the region with no direct consequences because they've been using proxies. It's very clear Iran does not want to direct conflict. Hezbollah does not want to direct conflict with Israel. So, they've been attacking on the margins. And to the extent that they're able to continue to get away with that, they inflict costs on us without any consequences to them, and that makes it more likely that that's going to continue.

But I do want to circle back to Israel's policy with the Palestinians. Prime Minister Netanyahu's position that there'll never be a Palestinian state and his desire to continue to try and weaken all Palestinians, not just Hamas, really strengthens Iran right now.

And Prime Minister Netanyahu needs to think about a different policy in terms of how they deal with their very legitimate conflict with Hamas in a way that doesn't empower the Houthis and Iran-backed militias in Syria and Iraq, Hezbollah and Iran itself. I mean, that is a serious part of the situation that we're in right now.

ACOSTA: Are you concerned that this attack could draw the U.S. further in, lead to a wider war in the Middle East? You were just saying a few moments ago that the administration should consider targets inside Iran. But hitting inside Iran, doesn't that potentially draw the U.S. into something that could become much more escalated?

SMITH: Yes, I am concerned about that, and that's something that the Pentagon and people with far more knowledge than I possess right now can analyze. But I do know that Iran doesn't want that direct conflict with us. So, I don't think they are going to attempt to escalate and have direct attacks on us. We have to find a way, as I said, to change their calculus.

Right now, they think they can promote their proxies to attack us with no consequences. If that doesn't change, these attacks will continue. Now I do believe again, because Iran, you know, they are a very weak government right now. The protests continue to go on. They had their own terrorist attack from ISIS within Iran. they're not in a position for a larger conflict, but again, that's something that the leadership at the National Security Council of DOD and the White House will have to carefully calculate in the days ahead.

ACOSTA: And how critical are these talks that are going on in Paris right now involving the CIA director Bill Burns pertaining to the release of hostages? Is there the potential for some kind of an agreement to emerge where hostages are released, perhaps tensions are lowered, a ceasefire is in place for two months, and things can simmer down a bit?

SMITH: Yes, there is potential for that. And look, they're absolutely critical. And I understand the argument. Look, the Hamas, other Palestinian groups, they have not been helping towards a two-state solution. And I understand the sentiment that a two-state solution at this point seems like a fantasy. Is that ever really going to happen?

But the alternative is to say that there's just no future for the Palestinians, period. Better to have the hope of some type of viable Palestinian state than no hope at all. We're not going to get there tomorrow. The blocs, again, coming from the Palestinians, coming from Hamas, a number of different sources are great, but we have to show that we're moving towards it.

This is crucial for our Arab partners, for Saudi Arabia and Egypt and Jordan. They are worried about Iran. They want to work towards greater peace. But if there is no future for the Palestinians, the pressure on those Arab governments is such that they're not in a position to negotiate with Israel, to work with us as much as they otherwise would. It's very complicated, but that's a simple truth. There has to be some future for the Palestinians in this to up our leverage and stop Iran from being in the strong position that they're currently in.

ACOSTA: All right, Congressman Adam Smith, thank you very much for your time tonight. We appreciate it.

SMITH: Thanks, Jim. Thanks for giving me the chance.

ACOSTA: All right. Thank you. And we're going to be following this breaking news all evening long and we'll bring you much more ahead. Stay with us. You're live in the "CNN Newsroom."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:18:58]

ACOSTA: President Biden is previewing his general election arguments against Donald Trump, deploying this new tactic of trolling the former president. In a fiery speech in South Carolina last night, Biden repeatedly cast his GOP rival as a, quote, "defeated loser" and continued to question his mental acuity.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: Donald Trump, when he was commander-in-chief, refused to visit a cemetery, U.S. cemetery outside of Paris for fallen American soldiers. And he referred to those heroes, and I quote, as "suckers and losers." How dare he say that? How dare he talk about my son and all those (inaudible) like that? The only loser I see is Donald Trump. You're the reason Donald Trump is a defeated former president. You're the reason Donald Trump is a loser. By the way, have you noticed he's a little confused these days?

[17:20:02]

He apparently can't tell the difference between Nikki Haley and Nancy Pelosi.

(END VIDEOC CLIP)

ACOSTA: Joining me now is David Frum, staff writer at "The Atlantic." David, what do you think of this new tactic? I mean, this is obviously --they've decided, okay, let's just dive right into the deep end here.

DAVID FRUM, STAFF WRITER, THE ATLANTIC: Well, this is the tactic that President Biden used before the 2022 election. Remember, in '22, it was very important for Republicans that Donald Trump not be on a ballot issue. They want -- they had recruited some good candidates. They had some weirdos and they wanted to focus on their good candidates and just keep Trump off the stage.

But a week before the election, the '22 election, President Biden went to Philadelphia. People remember the brightly lit shot of him in cast in red light.

ACOSTA: Oh, right, yeah, yeah.

FRUM: In which he did a very provocative speech about Donald Trump. And Trump, of course, could not control himself. He did respond. And Trump made himself the ballot issue, highlighted the weirdo candidates. And the Republicans in '22 had a terrible election. They lost two governorships, one senatorship, four state chambers, and this narrowest majority in the House of Representatives.

ACOSTA: Yeah, there was no red wave. They were predicting a red wave. It didn't. That was the non-existent red wave.

FRUM: And the key to the red wave was keep Trump out of people's minds. Biden pushed and Trump said, okay, I accept. I will admit and agree that this election be a referendum on me. That's what they're trying to do now for 2024.

Normally, elections are referendums on the incumbent. But Trump will insist and Biden will agree that it should be a referendum on Donald Trump.

ACOSTA: And you have a new piece in "The Atlantic" in which you call President Biden the least objectionable candidate, which I guess that's faint praise, I suppose, in this day and age. But polling seems to suggest that many Democrats aren't too enthusiastic about the president. And yet, to be counterintuitive about this, I have to say, the results out of New Hampshire seem to suggest that maybe the Democratic base is there to some extent for Joe Biden. How do you parse this out?

FRUM: I didn't mean the phrase, least objectionable candidate, as a backhanded compliment. It's a reference to the old days of TV.

ACOSTA: You mean it in a good way.

FRUM: I meant it that I was borrowing a phrase from the old days of TV programming. So, once upon a time, Americans lived in large families with one single television set. And there would always be tension about what to watch. Some people liked one thing, but everyone liked nature shows. So, at peak viewing times, like Sunday night, nature show because it was the least objectionable program. No one would veto it.

Donald Trump is like those products that are sometimes advertised. Those who like it, like it a lot. But most people don't like it. Biden, those who like him, like him maybe a little. But a lot of people like him a little. And that is what we're going to see is this contest between someone who's broadly acceptable to many and someone who's acceptable, who's intensely liked by a few, but disliked by many more.

ACOSTA: Dean Phillips had this awkward moment last night when speaking to Democrats before President Biden's speech in South Carolina. And here he is pleading with the audience to listen to his remarks. Let's look at this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. DEAN PHILLIPS, DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You know what, everybody? Can I have your attention for just a minute? We're all Democrats. We got a lot of speakers tonight and I know what it's like when no one's paying attention. I was asked for just about two of your minutes. I would just be grateful and afford the same respect to everybody who's up here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: I can relate. That's how I feel at dinner sometimes. Can I have everybody's attention? But, you know, I wanted to ask you about this, David, because unlike other elections where you have an incumbent like President Biden, who doesn't do all that well in the polls, there is no Ted Kennedy this time. There is no Bernie Sanders this time.

Joe Biden has Dean Phillips, which isn't that much of a challenge. Doesn't that say something about his strength heading into the general election campaign?

FRUM: Well, especially when you consider how many millions of dollars, of Republican dollars are spent to create an alternative. Robert Kennedy Jr.'s super PAC was flooded with Republican money, not Democratic money, and he entered the Democratic race early in '23 and withdrew in October. There have been attempts to stand up other alternatives.

So, look, I think that the people who are putting up with Trump in the Republican world understand Trump's capped at 46 percent. Maybe he might just make it to 47, not past. So, the only hope that he has is to push down Biden's vote or divide Biden's vote enough that the Electoral College can do some pro-Republican magic for Trump and maybe he can win 46 to Biden's 48 the way he won against Hillary Clinton with 46 to 48.

That's the plan. And so, you need to create trouble, you need to create turmoil, you need to split the democratic constituency. As for Dean Phillips, I do feel for him. Incredibly successful business executive, three term member of Congress. I don't understand -- why didn't -- he's bored in the House? Sure, that makes sense. Go back and run for mayor of your town. Do something that makes sense that could give you a chance to do some real public service where people need you.

ACOSTA: All right. David Frum, great to talk to you as always. Thanks a lot. Appreciate it. Good to see you. Still ahead, we're going to be joined live by a woman in Tennessee who got a medically necessary abortion and is now running for the state house so she can protect the right for others to get one. And we'll talk about that in just a few moments. Stay with us. You're live in the "CNN Newsroom."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:29:09]

ACOSTA: On the campaign trail, one issue that President Biden continues to hammer home, abortion.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: MAGA Republicans try to pass a national ban on abortion, I will veto it and consider that a promise made, and a promise will be kept. If you re-elect me in Kamala with a Democratic House and a bigger majority in the Senate this November, imagine a future where we restore Roe v. Wade as the law of the land again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: The president is hoping that reminding Americans that abortion is on the ballot will galvanize voters. For one Tennessee woman, her access to abortion isn't just pushing her to vote, it's pushing her to run for office. I want to bring in Allie Phillips, who is a candidate for a Tennessee state house seat.

Allie, thank you so much for being with us. Share your story. I mean, tell us about this. Take us through your experience with Tennessee's abortion laws and why this pushed you to run.

[17:30:04]

ALLIE PHILLIPS, DEMOCRATIC HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVE CANDIDATE, TENNESSEE: Yeah, so thank you so much for having me here today. I appreciate it. So, my story is like so many women. My husband and I wanted to expand our family, so we were extremely excited to find out that I was pregnant in November of 2022. Everything proceeded as normal. And then we went to our routine anatomy scan at about 19 weeks pregnant, and it was at that ultrasound that we found out the worst news that any parent does not want to hear. Our daughter, we were having a little girl, we named her Miley Rose (ph), we found out that pretty much every major organ in her body did not form correctly and was not functioning. Also, she stopped growing at 15 weeks and there was little to no amniotic fluid surrounding her.

So, my pregnancy was deemed incompatible with life and that she was non-viable in or out of the womb. I was told that I had two options. I could continue my pregnancy but put myself at risk for miscarriage, still birth, or if she did survive birth, she'd be going into hospice care immediately after the pass. But continuing my pregnancy, my doctor told me that the longer I stayed pregnant, the worse Miley (ph) would get and the higher risk my health would become.

Now, at this point, I already have a daughter here who is five. Her name is Adelie (ph), and I didn't want to put myself at risk of leaving her without a mom. So, the other option I had was I could get an abortion but I was told, because of Tennessee's ban, I could not do that here and I would have to look out of state to get that health care.

ACOSTA: And Allie, abortion in Tennessee is completely banned except when necessary to prevent the mother's death or serious risk of substantial and irreversible impairment of a bodily function. And so, you did not qualify for that. Is that -- that's what you're saying.

PHILLIPS: No, I did not qualify for that. At that point in time, my body was not actively dying. So, I guess our government didn't think it was a good idea for me to get health care before I was actively dying. But I will say there is new exceptions in Tennessee for ectopic and molar pregnancies, but still that's not enough for women like me who have these non-viable pregnancies that are putting our lives at risk.

ACOSTA: And you're running against Jeff Burkhart, who you actually spoke with about your experience. We did invite him to come on. We did not get a response to our request. How did that meeting go? What did he have to say? What do you -- I mean, I suspect you talked to state lawmakers about this or leaders in Nashville about this. What kind of response do you get from state lawmakers?

PHILLIPS: Yeah, so I actually met with a few of my representatives or a few of representatives here in Montgomery County. Jeff Burkhart, just being my actual representative, I wanted to go to him as a constituent. We sat in the Clarksville Library for two hours.

I told him my story and what happened to me. I told him that I wanted help getting a bill into the legislator called Miley's Law, and Miley's Law would give choice back to parents when diagnosed with fetal anomalies. He said he would help me. That was back in June last year, and he has not helped me.

But moving forward, I've talked to so many other lawmakers and ex- lawmakers, and they said that the more I push, the better chance I have, but I need to make sure I word things correctly if I want to get it to be a nonpartisan bill, which is what I want to happen.

If I do win my election, I want to be able to work with people across the aisle to make this across-the-board decision and not just a liberal or a democratic decision.

ACOSTA: And so, you're running for the state house now. You want to see that kind of change firsthand by trying to draft legislation yourself. What do you think the law should be in your state and what are the prospects for that as Tennessee is a very red state?

PHILLIPS: So, for me, personally, I would love to see abortion -- the abortion ban lifted completely because I think when you try to limit health care, you're asking for a whole new can of worms that's going to unopen because every pregnancy is different and you can't pick and choose who gets health care and when. That is dehumanizing and it makes women feel like we are not equal with our male counterparts.

With Tennessee being a super majority red state, I know asking for a complete lift is not going to be taken easily, so baby steps and tossing them a bone here and there.

There is Representative Biggs who is a Republican who has recently proposed a bill that would give exceptions for non-viable fetuses. Now, he is a doctor, so the fact that he is on the republican side proposing new exceptions, I think, says a lot, and I'm hoping that his Republican colleagues will agree with him on that.

[17:35:00]

But those are the kinds of steps that we're going to have to take, and we have to be able to sit down and have open discussions to understand that women aren't getting abortions for birth control, we're not just having field days to the abortion clinic. These are serious and hard decisions to make and some women like myself wanted these pregnancies and, unfortunately, it ended in an abortion.

ACOSTA: These are extremely difficult, heartbreaking decisions in so many cases, and I think just about every one of us knows somebody who has been in a situation like yours.

Allie Phillips, thank you so much for your time. Please keep us posted on how things are going in Tennessee. When you run, if you win, we'd like to have you back on. So, thanks very much for your time.

PHILLIPS: When I win, I'll be back.

(LAUGHTER)

ACOSTA: Sounds good. Much appreciated.

PHILLIPS: Thank you.

ACOSTA: All right. Thank you. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:40:02]

ACOSTA: Welcome back. We continue to follow the breaking news out of the Middle East. The U.S. is working to identify exactly which militia group carried out a deadly drone attack on a small U.S. outpost in Jordan that killed three U.S. troops and injured more than 30 others. This happened near the border with Syria and Iraq.

And joining me now to talk about this, CNN military analyst and retired U.S. Air Force Colonel Cedric Leighton and former Middle East negotiator for the State Department, Aaron David Miller.

Colonel, I guess -- let me go to you first. Your reaction to this deadly attack on U.S. troops? There have been these moments that we've seen over the last several weeks where these Iran-backed militias have been wreaking havoc, have been a nuisance to U.S. forces in the region. Obviously, this time, it's much more serious and it may bring about a U.S. response.

CEDRIC LEIGHTON, CNN MILITARY ANALYST, RETIRED AIR FORCE COLONEL: Yeah, I think it certainly will, Jim. Good to be with you again. This is a really serious escalation at this point and what it has done, because of the deaths of at least three American service members and the injuries of 30 more, 30-plus soldiers, it is clearly raising the ante here.

And the group that did this, whichever one it was, is clearly asking for a response from the U.S. and what that, of course, means, it remains to be seen. But, you know, one of the key suspects here is probably Kata'ib Hezbollah, the group in Iraq that is the main Iranian proxy there. It could be one of the other Iranian proxies, but it clearly points to a possible escalation in that direction.

ACOSTA: And before I go to Aaron, colonel, just a quick follow up. Can you tell us more about this outpost known as Tower 22 in Jordan and the military installations that are located in that general area? This sounds a bit of a remote outpost, and I wonder if it raises the question about security at some of these installations where U.S. forces may be vulnerable to this sort of thing.

LEIGHTON: Yeah, it certainly does raise a lot of security questions and, of course, force protection, as we call security in the military, is a key and dominant mission requirement for U.S. forces there.

But this base, Tower 22, is right near the base of Al Tanf, which is in Syria. So, Tower 22 is right on the Jordan-Syria border but it is also close to what they call the tripoint where three countries come together, in this case Syria, Iraq, and Jordan. Because of that, it's in a unique position where it can oversee a lot of the smuggling routes that have been there for thousands of years between all of the different areas within Syria, Jordan, and Iraq.

And it is at a very strategic location, has provided a lot of supplies to Al Tanf, which is the primary base in this part of Syria that has been used against the ISIS forces that we fought against over the last few years. ACOSTA: And Aaron, President Biden has been briefed on the attack. He has released a statement valiantly to hold those responsible accountable. We are already seeing calls from Republican lawmakers for a strike inside Iran. As a matter of fact, we talked to Congressman (INAUDIBLE) at the top of the hour, and he said that perhaps some sites in Iran should be considered for some sort of proportionate response.

What might that do to the situation that obviously has been simmering with a lot of tensions over the last several weeks and, obviously, things could get way more escalated if something like that happens?

AARON DAVID MILLER, FORMER STATE DEPARTMENT MIDDLE EAST NEGOTIATOR: You know, whether we're on the cusp -- thanks for having me, Jim. It's great to be here.

ACOSTA: Yeah.

MILLER: Colonel Leighton. Whether we're on the cusp of a regional war or not, I don't know, we're almost five months in, February 7th will be the fifth month of this war, you're looking at controlled escalation to a large degree across the Israeli-Lebanese border and even these attacks against American bases and troops in Iraq and Syria.

I think the administration on this one has options that run from bad to worse. And I think there are only two options. They're going to respond. The question is, are they going to respond against Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps actual forces in Iraq and/or Syria or, as Adam Smith suggested, are they going to risk something that this administration and none of its predecessors have done, and that is to strike Iranian assets in Iran proper, which for the Iranians is a self-proclaimed red line? Whether or not that proves to be the case, we may actually begin to find out.

The other option, of course, is to strike fast boats and Iranian naval assets in the Gulf. But the administration understandably, given the regional hotspots that the Israeli-Hamas war has generated, has a certain amount of risk aversion in our own response. I mean, they've responded actually to what, 160, 170 attacks since October.

[17:45:00]

Maybe a tenth of those, we've responded to. I think on this one, however, you're going to see some -- you're going to see some fireworks. I think -- I still think we are not -- this is not going to trip the U.S. and Iran into a major confrontation, but it certainly raises the stakes.

ACOSTA: Colonel, what do you think? Can the U.S. hit Iran without hitting inside Iranian territory, as Aaron is suggesting, and perhaps strike a balance that sends a message without getting things out of control?

LEIGHTON: I think it's imperative that the U.S. does that, Jim. And, you know, as Aaron was pointing out, this is -- you know, there are several options here. Most of them are very bad.

But the best option of a bad series of choices is going to be to hit something that is very important to the Iranians, but it is not something that strikes at the core of the regime or at the core of some of their capabilities, but it would serve as a warning to them. So, something like attacking naval assets in the Persian Gulf, something like that, which kind of goes up to the line.

But, you know, they could do that or they could stick with hitting the proxies in either Iraq or Syria. But if there's a hand that is hidden, that is revealed for, let's say, the contact from Tehran that perhaps directed this attack, then they have to consider going all that way to send a message to the Iranians.

ACOSTA: And Aaron, while all this is unfolding, the president had sent the CIA director to Europe in the hopes of reviving these hostage negotiations, to get some kind of deal going between Israel and Hamas to simmer things down. I wonder, do you think the Iranians were trying to blow this? They were trying to have an impact on this process? What do you think? And could this -- could this get worse if we don't see a deal reached?

MILLER: It definitely going to get worse. It's going to get worse before it gets worse, I suspect. But I -- you know, usually, I'm pretty knowingly negative on these matters. Bill Burns has a very close relationship with Mossad Director David Barnea. The Israelis actually, I think, are under an enormous amount of pressure, rising pressure from the hostage families, growing casualties, the IDF's understanding that they may well have reached the limit of the most intense kinetic phase.

And a pause, two months, which the Israelis could resume against Hamas leadership would, in fact, do a couple things. It would allow a surge, not a dribble, of humanitarian assistance, which is badly needed in the Gaza. It would free the 100-plus hostages that remain and the return of the 20 or 30 that the Israelis believe are no longer living, either killed on October 7, their bodies taken to Gaza to trade for Palestinian prisoners or died in captivity.

I think it will offer some respite badly needed. Will what's happening with respect to this attack in time derail that? I don't think so. I think if Hamas and the Israelis all both want to pause, then the U.S. is well-positioned, I think, right now to try to deliver one. But remember, Middle East negotiations only have two speeds, Jim, slow and slower.

ACOSTA: Yeah.

MILLER: So, this may take some time.

ACOSTA: All right, Colonel Leighton, Aaron David Miller, thanks so much to both of you. Really appreciate the insights on an important night. A lot of critical things happening, I think, in the next couple of days ahead. We'll stay on top of it. I really appreciate it. Thanks so much. We'll be right back.

MILLER: Thank you, Jim.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:53:07]

ACOSTA: Last night, the WWE held its first major wrestling event after its 78-year-old founder, Vince McMahon, resigned amid a second wave of disturbing allegations of sexual assault, trafficking, and abuse.

CNN's Rafael Romo is following this. Rafael, tell us about this press conference last night where WWE wrestlers and officials face questions. What did they say?

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, they only talked about the allegations in very general terms, Jim, and there was nothing specific about those allegations. Vince McMahon resigned only a day before WWE's first premium live event of the year. Fans know it well. The 2024 Royal Rumble was held Saturday night at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. It was a sold-out event with 48,000 fans attending.

But, of course, there was a dark cloud hanging over the entire show. A lawsuit filed on Thursday accuses McMahon of explosive allegations of sexual assault, trafficking, and physical abuse. The lawsuit was filed by Janel Grant, a former WWE staffer who worked at the headquarters of the wrestling behemoth McMahon founded.

A press conference held at the conclusion of the event. We heard from Paul Levesque. He was the most senior executive for WWE on hand. Levesque serves as chief content officer and happens to be McMahon's son-in-law. The executive chose to focus on the success of the company instead of addressing the allegations against his father-in-law. Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL LEVESQUE, MCMAHON'S SON-IN-LAW, WWE CHIEF CONTENT OFFICER: We just had an amazing week. I just had a 10-year, $5 billion Netflix deal. Rock joining our board. We just sold out the Royal Rumble, put 48,000 people in the Tropicana Field. I choose to focus on the positive. And yes, there's a negative, but I want to focus on that and just keep it to that.

[17:55:04]

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: And Jim, Levesque was specifically asked what measures the wrestling and entertainment company is putting in place to protect employees and make sure that people in positions of power can't take advantage of employees under them. Levesque's answer was everything possible without going into any specifics.

When asked whether he had read the lawsuit filed by Grant's attorney, Levesque said that he has not and once again mentioned that he would rather focus on the positive aspects of the business. As we reported previously, Jim, Janel Grant is alleging that McMahon dangled the job offer at WWE and later promotions in exchange for sex and, of course, McMahon is denying the accusations. Back to you.

ACOSTA: All right, Rafael Romo, thank you very much for that update. When we come back, more on the breaking news out of the Middle East. Three U.S. troops killed in a drone attack in Jordan. Very latest, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)