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CNN International: U.S. Pres. Biden: Hopeful For Ceasefire In Gaza By Monday; Sources: Hamas Soften Demands Amid Hostage, Truce Talks; European Leaders Push Back After French President Floats Possibility Of Sending Western Troops To Ukraine. Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired February 27, 2024 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:00:00]
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RAHEL SOLOMON, HOST, "CNN NEWSROOM": Good morning or good evening, depending on where you're watching. I'm Rahel Solomon live for you in New York.
President Biden says that he is hopeful that a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas could be reached by Monday. Israeli officials, though, say that they're surprised to hear that. We're going to have the latest live in Tel Aviv.
Also, right now in Michigan, voting is underway in the state's primary elections, and President Biden is facing a campaign by progressives not to vote for the President in protest of his policies in the Middle East.
Coming up, I will speak with Representative Debbie Dingell. Plus, surge pricing for a Baconator, the fast food chain Wendy's will test out dynamic pricing, allowing it to charge more for its products during periods of peak demand.
Happening now, you're seeing and looking at live images of the White House, as congressional leaders prepare to meet with President Biden. On the agenda today, averting a government shutdown now just days away and passing foreign aid. That's happening later this hour. So, we'll continue to keep one eye on this, and of course, bring it to you live as soon as it happens.
But, for now, we want to begin with President Biden's high hopes for a ceasefire soon in Gaza. He says that Israel and Hamas could reach an indirect agreement as early as Monday. But, an Israeli official tells CNN that optimistic assessment came as a surprise. But, it does appear that both sides are inching closer and closer to a deal that would pause the fighting in exchange for the release of dozens of hostages. Here is what Mr. Biden said about the prospects during a visit to New York.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Well, I hope by the beginning of the weekend, I mean, the end of the weekend. My National Security Advisor tells me that we're close. We're close, it's not done yet. And my hope is that by next Monday we'll have a ceasefire.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOLOMON: All right. Let's bring in CNN's Jeremy Diamond who was live in Tel Aviv for us for more. Jeremy, how are President Biden's comments being received there?
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, there is certainly some guarded optimism that there has been progress that is being made in these negotiations, but nowhere near as much optimism as President Biden himself expressed. One Israeli official telling us that they were surprised, that the Israeli government was surprised by the President's very optimistic timeline, saying that they don't know what he was basing that assessment off of.
And it's not just Israeli officials. Hamas, the other party in these negotiations, pouring cold water on some of the reports that we've seen of progress in these negotiations with Osama Hamdan, a senior Hamas official, saying on air television that these leaks have portrayed a "false sense of progress", in his view.
But, that being said, it is clear that some progress is being made in these negotiations. Just if you look at the fact that both sides are clearly at the negotiating table, Hamas' leader Ismail Haniyeh was in Qatar yesterday. We know that there has been an Israeli delegation in the capital of Qatar over the last couple of days as well. And so, there is some optimism that a deal is getting closer. But, that doesn't mean that we are on the precipice quite yet.
SOLOMON: Yeah. And tell us more about that, because the hostage deal is really at the center of any potential ceasefire, certainly temporary or otherwise. And so, everything sort of hinges on that deal.
DIAMOND: Yeah. That's right. And the parameters of what they are currently discussing, just to lay it out for you, we're talking about a potential six-week pause in the fighting that could see some 40 Israeli hostages released from captivity. That would be primarily women, elderly hostages, and Israel is also pushing for some five female Israeli soldiers who are believed to be held captive by Hamas, also be released under this initial deal. Hamas does seem to have moved off of some of its major demands, including the fact that they were demanding an end to the war altogether and the withdrawal of Israeli forces in order to implement even the first phase of this agreement. That was a non-starter for Israel, and it appears, according to sources, that Hamas has moved off of that.
They also appear to be demanding fewer Palestinian prisoners in exchange for those Israeli hostages. But, so far, despite, again, these signs of progress, it is clear that there are still obstacles that remain a gap that must still be bridged. And we know that the clock is ticking.
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We're less than two weeks away before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, and we know that that is the deadline as all of the parties see it in part because the Israeli government has indicated that it will move forward with a major military offensive in Rafah, that southern city in Gaza, where about 1.5 million Palestinians are currently believed to be living. The Israeli government preparing for that offensive should a deal not come through. Rahel.
SOLOMON: All right. Jeremy Diamond live for us in Tel Aviv. Jeremy, thank you.
Well, the French President Emmanuel Macron facing blowback after suggesting that Western troops might be sent to Ukraine. Now, he did not say that troops should be sent to Ukraine, but he told reporters that leaders at a Ukraine aid summit discussed the possibility and that nothing should be ruled out to stop Russia. Mr. Macron also said that there was not an agreement on sending troops, and that has become very clear today, because officials from a growing list of countries, including the UK, Slovakia, Hungary, and Poland, all say, they all say they have no plans to send their forces to Ukraine. A NATO official also telling CNN that the alliance will not be sending combat troops as well. And here was Germany's Chancellor.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OLAF SCHOLZ, GERMAN CHANCELLOR (TRANSLATED): -- in a very good debate, it was discussed that what was agreed from the outset among ourselves and with each other also applies to the future, namely that there will be no ground troops, no soldiers on Ukrainian soil sent there by European countries or NATO states.
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SOLOMON: All right. Let's bring in CNN's Melissa Bell who is live for us in Paris. Melissa, given how swift and how strong it seems the response has been from some of these allies, I mean, how seriously are these comments from President Macron being taken?
MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think it's been remarkable. We've seen European countries line up one after the other to say, look, we will not be sending troops under any circumstances, Poland, Germany, Spain, Italy. But, there has been also, Rahel, some support, for instance, in the shape of the Lithuanian foreign minister who has expressed his support for the idea.
Essentially, what the French President is suggesting is that there'll be the beginning of a debate about whether individual countries, not the European Union, not NATO, should consider sending some more help than they have already, for instance, in the shape of deminers, or people who might go in to train or to keep up to maintain Western equipment, even help with border control. I think that's behind his comments, the idea that nothing should be off the table, and that that kind of extra help, which would involve potentially soldiers from other countries going in, should at least be spoken about. This is what he had to say last night in those comments that stirred controversy at a press conference here in Paris.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EMMANUEL MACRON, FRENCH PRESIDENT (TRANSLATED): There is no consensus today to officially send support and to take responsibility for troops on the ground. But, as things develop, nothing should be off the table. We will do everything necessary so that Russia cannot win this war.
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BELL: The suggestion is that individual countries like France, Rahel, might begin to consider the possibility. And I think part of his point was what French forces have described as strategic ambiguity, that part of the conference -- the point of the conference that was held here in Paris on Monday was to send to Vladimir Putin a very strong message that everything would be done to ensure that Ukraine should win, and that that should mean the opening of all kinds of debates that hadn't taken place so far.
For instance, what Emmanuel Macron went on to say was that over the last couple of years, there have been any number of issues, the sending of fighter jets, for instance, at one point long-range missiles as well, that for a while had been off the table, and then had come off on the table and had in fact be sent, and that he believed the allies should be realistic about the potential for moving on to further debate about what would be substantial extra help to Kyiv, Rahel.
SOLOMON: And Melissa, I think Zelenskyy has been pretty clear all along that they welcome any additional help. I'm curious what the reaction has been from Ukraine itself, and even the Kremlin, even Russia.
BELL: We have had some response from Kyiv in the shape of a presidential aide of President Zelenskyy who has welcomed the news, explaining that anything that meant extra support for Ukraine's fight is to be welcomed. And there has also been very swift and strong reaction from the Kremlin, Dmitry Peskov explaining that the sending of any allied troops to Ukraine would mark a substantial escalation.
And he said, the inevitable confrontation with -- between a NATO state with Russia with all the implications that carried, I think here in Paris, certainly within the Elysee, that swift response is being taken as proof that the Kremlin is listening to what is coming out of conferences like the one held here in Paris, and that it is important therefore that strong messages, like the ones sent by Emmanuel Macron last night, should continue to be sent.
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They must not, sources here have been explaining, assume that this is as far as NATO or European allies intend to get involved, Rahel.
SOLOMON: Fascinating. Melissa Bell live for us in Paris. Melissa, thank you.
And Ukrainian drone teams have been a vital part of Kyiv's strategy to fight back against Russia. In many ways, they've written the book on drone warfare in the modern age. But, Russia has also changed its tactics and its techniques, and that has Ukrainian operators looking to adapt and overcome yet again.
CNN's Nick Paton Walsh has more now from Ukraine.
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NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (VOICE-OVER): They flit around fast, hiding each week in a new abandoned shell. Drone operators have been Ukraine's secret weapon for months, but now it is getting harder. We saw this unit in December, but their base back then has been bombed. Yet, still, they hunt every day for a single mistake, a Russian who gets himself spotted. They say the Russians are better at hiding themselves, although sometimes obviously not.
WALSH: Yeah. So, they've just spotted a Russian soldier carrying groceries, and a dog came out to greet him. So, I think it's quite possible that's where some Russians are hiding.
WALSH (voice-over): So, it begins, the first strike on the window. One drone watching, the other flies into the target --
TIMUR, 11TH NATIONAL GUARD (TRANSLATED): Launch another one immediately.
WALSH (voice-over): -- and quickly they prepare another. The hunt is no game, but has the tools of one. They lose about a quarter of their drones to Russian jamming.
TIMUR (TRANSLATED): The jamming got worse. It's affecting us more. But we won't give up. We have to evade like snakes. Invent things. Experiment.
WALSH (voice-over): They see the Russians running into the blue house, its roof clearly hit before a while ago. It becomes their next target. They go in again. It could be a mortar position they think. Watch how smaller explosions send fragments flying out.
TIMUR (TRANSLATED): Nice one. Not sure it's a kill. We'll see.
WALSH (voice-over): The Russians often have to stay injured inside the damaged building to not draw in more drones.
TIMUR (TRANSLATED): They usually wait. They don't run out immediately.
WALSH (voice-over): They go in again. It could be a mortar position, they think. Then suddenly, the power goes out. The internet down and screens black, but remarkably, they barely miss a beat. The commander sparks up his cell phone 5G with the drone feed and a chat group, directing the entire attack just from an iPhone. The smoke grows in intensity. They think they might have hit a weapons store.
TIMUR (TRANSLATED): There's something inside. Should be ammo. WALSH (voice-over): They never see Russian faces or taste the smoke.
The blast noise takes a few seconds to travel to them. But, this is still killing up close, yet far away, strike, launch, repeat, all day.
TIMUR (TRANSLATED): Nice. Nice.
WALSH (voice-over): Sometimes it is cheers here, screams there, other times, the other way around.
Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Kherson, Ukraine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOLOMON: And our thanks to Nick for that report.
And we are just minutes away from a critical meeting at the White House with a government shutdown looming. President Biden is trying to persuade top congressional leaders to reach a funding deal. Plus, U.S. President Biden's Israel strategy being tested at the ballot box today. Details ahead on what to watch for in the Michigan primary election. We'll be right back.
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SOLOMON: Right now in Michigan, polls are open in that state's primary, and President Joe Biden is facing in unexpected challenge from within his own party. The challenge is not from a candidate, but from progressives who are unhappy with his Middle East policies. Biden is being tested on his refusal to call for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza. As we've been reporting really all morning, he did tell reporters that he hopes that there will be a temporary ceasefire by next Monday. Now, one of Biden's more notable critics, Democratic Representative Rashida Tlaib, had this message to Michigan voters on social media. Take a listen.
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REP. RASHIDA TLAIB (D-MI): It is also important to create a voting bloc, something that is a bullhorn to say enough is enough. We don't want a country that supports wars and bombs and destruction. If you want us to be louder, then come here and vote uncommitted.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOLOMON: And joining us now with her thoughts on today's primary is another prominent Michigan Democrat, Representative Debbie Dingell, who is live in Ann Arbor. Representative, good to have you today. Thank you.
REP. DEBBIE DINGELL (D-MI): Thank you. It's good to be with you.
SOLOMON: Let me ask, Biden is widely expected to win Michigan. That said, how concerned are you about this push to vote non-committed?
DINGELL: Look, he is going to win today and it's going to be a very strong showing. I also think that we need to remember that we've got to show compassion and empathy, and listen to those that want us to understand what is happening to their families in Gaza. I've spent a lot of time with them. They do want to be heard. I know that the President is listening to them. And it's one of the reasons, quite frankly, I push to have us as an early primary or a state like us so that we're talking about the issues that are going to determine the election, not on October 15, but in February.
SOLOMON: And to that point, what happens in terms of messaging after Michigan, as opposed to later in the campaign? I mean, depending on what we see tonight with this vote to push uncommitted, what changes do you think we might see from the campaign?
DINGELL: I don't think you're going to see changes in the campaign. They know what they've got to do. Look, I was the person in 2015 and 2016, told people that Donald Trump could and would win Michigan and nobody believed me. We know that we are a purple state. We know what we have to do. We got to roll up our sleeves and do the work that's going to turn out voters.
And it's not just voters in the Arab American community. But, women who turned out in record numbers two years ago, are very, very concerned. They thought they took care of their healthcare. They weren't going to have to worry about the government interfering in it. And suddenly, a Supreme -- and a state Supreme Court has everybody saying, wait a minute. We could get the government interfering again. In many ways, nobody ever thought about or anticipated. We got to turn (ph) up the union workers. We're going to have to talk to young people. They're concerned about many of these issues. But, we know we're going to do, we're going to roll up our sleeves and we're going to get the work done.
SOLOMON: And I wonder -- I mean, President Biden did secure the endorsement of UAW, the union there. I'm wondering if you feel like he has spoken enough to the Arab American community in Michigan. Michigan, of course, has a huge Arab American community. I want to actually play for you a clip from earlier this morning from Senator Stabenow who spoke to CNN. Take a listen.
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SEN. DEBBIE STABENOW (D-MI): People who are wanting to be heard with the uncommitted vote have every right to do that. And it's so awful, so painful. There is a lot of pain. We need to hear that.
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We need to understand that.
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SOLOMON: And so, Representative, I wonder, do you feel like Biden has spent enough time on the ground in Michigan? He was last there in February. As far as I remember, he did not speak to the Arab community then. Should he?
DINGELL: I think that he will and must before -- in the next few months. What he did do, I had very direct conversation with him on many of these issues. I flew with him, spent a good eight hours with him on that trip to Michigan. I've talked to many of the senior officials since then. And by the way, many of them who traveled to Michigan have developed relationships and ones that they didn't have before, quite frankly, and I think are talking to many of the people that are leaders in this community. I think that's very, very important. So, the White House understands what they're saying, what their hurts are, what's happening on the ground in Gaza.
SOLOMON: Can I just ask before we let you go? Can -- are you confident that Biden can win Michigan come November, and can he win the White House if he doesn't win Michigan?
DINGELL: All roads to the White House go through Michigan. And I'm going to tell you, I am one hard worker, as are the people that I'm working with, Governor Whitmer, the rest of our congressional delegation. We are going to do the work that we have to do to deliver the state because the alternative could destroy democracy as we know it.
SOLOMON: All right. We will certainly be watching the primary results tonight very closely. Representative Debbie Dingell, thank you for the time today.
DINGELL: Thank you.
SOLOMON: All right. Let's continue this conversation now with today's panel. I am joined by Miles Taylor who served in the Department of Homeland Security during the Trump administration, including as that department's Chief of Staff, and CNN Political Commentator Karen Finney who served as Senior Advisor and Spokesperson during Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign. Welcome to you both.
Karen, let me start with you. Your reaction to the conversation I just had with the congresswoman. Do you think the campaign is doing enough in Michigan to hear the concerns of the Arab community there and address those concerns?
KAREN FINNEY, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR, & SR. ADVISOR, HILLARY CLINTON 2016 PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN: Probably not. And I'll tell you, one of the concerns that I have is that it's not just the Arab American community. It is a broader Muslim American community. It is progressive and the African Americans, particularly younger African Americans, and people of color are very concerned about what they're seeing the pain and suffering that we're seeing. And that doesn't mean that we don't still -- people don't still support the Israeli people and believe that what Hamas did was horrible.
And so, I think what you're seeing, though, is this is an opportunity. People feel like it is February. It's relatively safe to go ahead and say how we feel and try to send a message to the White House. As a strategist, I would certainly rather that this is happening in February than August, let's say. And I hope that, as President Biden indicated, that will get a ceasefire soon and soon be on the path to creating the two-state solution and helping to both rebuild Gaza for the Palestinian people and healing for the Israeli people.
SOLOMON: Miles, what are you watching tonight on the Republican side? I mean, Trump cruised to victory in South Carolina. Well, actually, someone would argue that maybe he didn't cruise because he got 60 percent, but Haley got 40 percent. I mean, what are you watching tonight in Michigan? Do you think it is smooth sailing through November, or are there some warning signs for him?
MILES TAYLOR, FORMER CHIEF OF STAFF, U.S. DEPT. OF HOMELAND SECURITY: Well, look, there is -- I think there is bigger warning signs right now for Joe Biden than there are Donald Trump. And that's something that certainly got the Biden team worried. And I suspect that after tonight, you're going to see gloating from the Trump team about this uncommitted vote with Biden. Regardless of how the numbers turn out, they're going to try to portray a President who has been relentlessly attacked by the right, who faces a lot of doubts from independents in the center, and who is now being attacked by his left flank. That's really worrying if you're sitting in the White House right now.
And for Donald Trump, they've pretty effectively managed to ignore Nikki Haley. And the fact that she didn't win in her home state, at least in their view, was sort of the tombstone on top of the grave. They are treating it as if she is almost not in the campaign anymore, and I think for your average American, that means we're careening towards a rematch that seemingly no one wants. And so, it's not a terribly good situation. And again, especially for folks in the Biden camp who want to make sure they go in strong in November in this Trump rematch and try to beat him again, it's not exactly the foot they want to be starting off on.
FINNEY: Can I just --
SOLOMON: Go on.
FINNEY: -- can I just add something to that, though? Remember that in about five to 10 minutes, President Biden and the Vice President will be meeting with the four Senate leaders to talk about how do we avoid a government shutdown?
[11:25:00]
So, in as much as from a campaign perspective, Michigan, I think, we will see something of a protest vote, and it does suggest that this is -- tells us that this is an issue that the Biden campaign has to deal with and recognize and acknowledge. At the same time, Republicans are careening us towards yet another government shutdown. Why? From their own dysfunction. This is completely a problem of their own making, and the President is in a much stronger position. So, again, I think we're going to see a contrast of a couple of different messages going on today and tonight.
SOLOMON: Last thing I want to get both of your takes on is another really important election issue this year, is the border. And we're going to see both the former President Trump and the current President Joe Biden at the border on Thursday.
Karen, let me just stick with you for a moment. I mean, this is not an issue that Biden tends to pull well on. Can he or the Dems change the narrative? Does it appear that they are trying to tackle this issue more head on, the fact that he is even physically there?
FINNEY: Yeah. 100 percent. And the most important thing for Democrats to continuously remind the American people is that what you are seeing at the border now is because, again, Republican dysfunction. Democrats went farther than ever before and were willing to -- on a border bill, a clean border bill, there were Democrats who didn't agree with that. But, the point is, the President was willing to really make a deal, and that included monies for cities around the country that are dealing with the influx of migrants. And Republicans said, no. So, I think they have to continue to press that message and the reality about why we're in this situation right now.
SOLOMON: And Miles, on the other hand, this does continue to be a winning issue in terms of polling for the former President.
TAYLOR: Well, it is. And I think what's especially concerning to the Biden camp is you would go back to 2016 and see that one of the issues Donald Trump won on was immigration, and he messaged that effectively to the Rust Belt and border states. Now, I would argue, he actually failed catastrophically as President to resolve the issue because he refused to work in a bipartisan manner with Congress to get a deal done. And so, that's something that's a concern. But, to Karen's point, right now, the Biden administration has put a historic deal on the table, and it's Republicans who are turning away from that, and that could come back to bite them if they play politics with the border, instead of accepting that historic deal that the Biden --
SOLOMON: Yeah.
TAYLOR: -- administration has put out.
SOLOMON: We shall soon see. We're going to have to leave it here. Miles Taylor, Karen Finney, thank you both.
FINNEY: Thank you.
TAYLOR: Thanks.
SOLOMON: And an urgent White House meeting just moments away, President Biden will meet with the big four leaders in Congress with the clock ticking toward a government shutdown. Plus, an emergency hearing is coming up in a few hours as Trump attorneys try to disqualify the lead prosecutor in his election subversion case in Georgia. We'll be right back
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SOLOMON: Welcome back. You are watching CNN Newsroom. I'm Rahel Solomon live for you in New York.
This hour, really any moment now, U.S. President Joe Biden will meet with the top four congressional leaders at the White House and the stakes couldn't be higher. We are just four days from a partial government shutdown without a clear path to a deal on Capitol Hill in sight, and the fate of Ukraine may be hanging in the balance without an agreement on a new U.S. aid package.
Let's go straight to CNN's White House Correspondent Arlette Saenz. Arlette, as we said, this meeting is set to begin really momentarily. Where do we stand and what can we expect?
ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rahel, we saw Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell arriving just a short while ago. So, we do anticipate this meeting between President Biden and those top four congressional leaders to begin pretty soon in the Oval Office. And this is really shaping up to be a consequential meeting on several fronts. As you noted, the most pressing issue is that partial government funding deadline that is approaching on Friday. At that point, there are some key departments which would shut down, departments like the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Food and Drug Administration. Then there is a second deadline of March 8 when the rest of the federal government would shut down.
Right now, Senate leaders or House leaders had been hoping to have some type of agreement on Sunday. Those talks hit a snag and the negotiations are continuing. But, it's entirely unclear whether they actually will be able to reach an agreement to fund the government by Friday. It comes as we've seen Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Minority Mitch McConnell are really on the same page, saying that a shutdown would be severely harmful to the country. And there is no reason that lawmakers can't act in these closing days. A big question, though, is the approach House Speaker Mike Johnson will take at a time when the right flank of his party is pushing for him to make more conservative demands in any funding agreement. So, that's first on the table.
But, the President also has a highly vested interest in trying to press House Speaker Mike Johnson on the issue of more aid for Ukraine. The President has requested about $60 billion in funding for Ukraine. Then there is also funding for Israel and Taiwan. That funding was approved over in the Senate, a clean bill that's solely focused on that national security funding request. But, so far, House Speaker Mike Johnson has refused to bring that up for a vote in the House. There are some within the Republican Party who do not want to see more aid for Ukraine at this moment. That includes former President Donald Trump. So, part of the President's mission in today is trying to convince Johnson otherwise.
For months now, the Biden administration has warned that not getting this aid to Ukraine would severely limit Ukrainian soldiers' abilities to fight against Russia on the battlefield. Administration officials say that that is already playing out. Just think back to when the Ukrainian forces were forced to withdraw from a key city in eastern Ukraine. That was a moment that folks here at the White House said was a sign that they are not getting the assistance that they need. And they have long argued that not giving Ukraine that additional aid will simply play into Russian President Vladimir Putin's hands.
So, these are just a few of the issues the President is hoping to bring up in his conversations today. Of course, there is also the issue of border security. The President had made concessions in that border security, a bipartisan negotiation. Ultimately, that did not move forward in the Senate in part because House Speaker Johnson wouldn't bring it up for a vote at the urging of former President Donald Trump. So, that's also something likely to come up today at a time when the President is preparing to potentially take some executive action on the front -- on the border front. And he himself is eyeing a visit to the border on Thursday, the same day that former President Trump is also visiting. They're really setting up a high- stakes moment.
But, to simply put, the President's focus today is on this meeting with these congressional negotiators, and the White House has said that they feel that these types of meetings have helped move the ball forward in the past. We'll see if that happens today.
SOLOMON: We certainly will. Deadline now just days away now at this point. Arlette Saenz live for us at the White House. Arlette, thank you.
And let's go now to CNN Politics Senior Reporter Stephen Collinson. Stephen, good to have you today. I want to start with your analysis piece that you put out this morning. You make the point in this piece that Johnson, Speaker Johnson, has the fate of democracy in his hands, but not U.S. democracy, Ukraine, and you say it's really created a defining moment for him and his legacy. Tell us more.
STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN POLITICS SENIOR REPORTER: Yeah. He is having to weigh the political pressures from his right, from former President Trump. The fact that he has got a very inoperable tiny majority in the House, which means it's very difficult for him to do anything, and the wider duties of a Speaker who after all controls one half of one of the branches of the U.S. government.
[11:35:00]
He has to think about U.S. national security, the question of what message it would send if the United States walked away from Ukraine at this point, and that led to an increase in Russia's attacks and breakthroughs for Russia on the battlefield. So, this is a very difficult situation for him. He is under pressure from all sides. And this is a Speaker that's only been in office for a few months. He is very inexperienced. He has very little experience counting votes, for example. And there is no real sign that in any of these issues, on Ukraine, on the government funding crunch that's coming down in about four days' time, that he really has a plan to get out of his very difficult political situation.
What we're seeing really is because of the fractures in the U.S. politics, because he can only afford to lose three or four votes on every vote, Johnson, Republican votes to pass a bill, Washington is becoming almost ungovernable and that counts for domestic issues like funding the government, and for its ability to project power across the globe, as we're seeing in Ukraine.
SOLOMON: And Stephen, as you make the point that he is facing pressure from all sides, certainly internally, but also externally and internationally, I want to play for you a clip of just some of the reaction from Democrats here. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN (D-MA): What is wrong with these people? This is the central thing Congress is supposed to do. The Republicans can't seem to get themselves organized, just a sign off on the basic work they're supposed to do. This is just ridiculous.
SEN. JOE MANCHIN (D-WV): I swear to God, it is sinful what is going on, and the games that are being played right now with the American people and all the people that are depending on services of the federal government, and we can't even get our act together. It's a shame.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOLOMON: So, Stephen, I wonder how you would explain what is really at issue here. I mean, is it his relative inexperience, or is it that he just came into this with a really weak hand because, of course, hovering in the background of all of this, the elephant in the room is this motion to vacate? I mean, Johnson has always just a hair away from a vote to just completely oust him from the position, which, of course, is what happened to his predecessor.
COLLINSON: That's true, and that's part of the issue of having such a narrow majority, is that just a few Republican members of the House could get together and try to oust him, as they did with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy last year. And if Johnson were to put that Ukraine aid bill, which many Republicans oppose on the floor, he would need Democratic votes to pass it. That could cause the uprising on his right. That could oust him as Speaker. And we could go through another period of chaos whereby Republicans choose a leader.
I think what you saw in those quotes there from Elizabeth Warren, for example, the Democratic Senator from Massachusetts, is the central contradiction in American politics. You have traditionalists, people who've seen their job is to go to Washington, do the business of the people. But, you have a more nihilistic pro-Trump wing of the Republican Party for whom stopping governance is an end in itself. They want to create chaos. If the government closes down, that's just fine by them, first of all, because of their philosophy of being anti- government, which is kind of deeply ingrained in part of America's political psyche, but also because it could create the conditions that would help Donald Trump as he campaigns for reelection. And he says that what America needs, because it's in such a mess, is a strong man to fix it.
So, you've got all sorts of political motivations on the right. Even if Mike Johnson was the best and most resourceful, experienced speaker in American history, he'd still struggle to control the Republican majority under the circumstances. SOLOMON: Well, and to that end, I mean, with those dynamics at play, is there any reason to believe that this friction, which we should say is beyond just typical Washington gridlock? I mean, for all of the reasons you have just laid out, this is different than that. Is there any reason to believe that that changes while this right flank holds this razor thin majority? Because, I mean, you can even point to this session, not just with funding the government, it has been famously the least effective session of Congress in terms of legislation.
COLLINSON: I don't think so, because what we're seeing over and over again is demands from these hard-right Republicans, for example, for massive spending cuts to fulfill the agenda of the people that sent them to Congress in very right wing and conservative districts, but it's simply impossible in the current dynamics in Washington, the power dynamics, because the Senate is controlled by the Democrats as is the White House. So, what they're trying to do is impossible to get done, and that is where the big gridlock comes.
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Normally, we sort of talk about how elections are needed to reset the table. But, American politics is so deadlocked. It's so divided right down the middle. I think the story of this year and previous years and probably years to come it is the fact that there is no dominant political force. And you're going to see these kind of crunches on Capitol Hill over and over again until there is a fundamental shift in the politics, and that doesn't look like it's going to happen anytime soon, at least while Donald Trump is still around.
SOLOMON: Stephen Collinson, we'll leave it here. Thanks so much.
COLLINSON: Thanks.
SOLOMON: Well, it's almost lunchtime, just about lunchtime here in New York. So, what's the price of a hamburger? Well, fast food chain Wendy's says that it might change based on the time of day. Details on their plans for surge pricing straight ahead. Plus, what has these college students jumping for joy? I've been jumping for joy too if I got what the (inaudible) got. We're going to have details on a historic gift ahead. Don't go anywhere. We'll be right back.
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SOLOMON: Welcome back. And here are some of the international headlines we're watching for you today. Around 10,000 farmers are marching in the Polish capital of Warsaw. This is the latest flashpoint amid weeks of protests against the EU's Green Deal and Ukrainian imports. Similar protests are happening across Europe.
Police in Australia, meantime, say that they're investigating an assault complaint against the father of Taylor Swift. Photographer Ben McDonald told CNN that a security guard forced an umbrella into his face after Swift got off a yacht in Sydney, and then her dad punched him. A spokesperson for the pop superstar says that two people were grabbing at her security personnel and threatening a staffer. And the historic U.S. mission to the moon is coming to an end soon.
These are the latest pictures from the Odysseus spacecraft, which is expected to stop communicating with flight controllers. It really just depends on the battery life of the lander which may last for another 10 to 20 hours.
All right. An emergency hearing is coming up in just a few hours from now. This is in the attempt by former President Donald Trump to get the lead prosecutor disqualified from his election subversion case in the U.S. state of Georgia. Now, in order to do that, Trump's attorneys have to prove that Fani Willis financially benefited from a romantic relationship with one of her top prosecutors, who you're seeing here, Nathan Wade. And in just a few hours, his divorce attorney, Wade's divorce attorney is scheduled to testify.
Joining us now with more is CNN's Nick Valencia outside the courthouse. Nick, what's behind this decision now for an emergency hearing? It seems like quite a twist.
NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rahel, this is all about attorney-client privilege. So, today is either going to be really, really exciting or boring for those watching here. But, you remember a couple of weeks ago when Bradley testified on the stand.
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There were some questions that he refused to answer because he said they were protected by attorney-client privilege. But, we want to remind our viewers that sort of earthquake moment that happened on day two of his testimony when the judge turned to him and said, I think you've been misinterpreting privilege this entire time.
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SCOTT MCAFEE, FULTON COUNTY SUPERIOR COURT JUDGE: A factual scenario that, to my mind, I don't see how it relates to privilege at all. And so, now I'm left wondering if Mr. Bradley has been properly interpreting privilege this entire time. And I think the only way I can cure that is by having that in-camera conversation with him.
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VALENCIA: So, that camera, that in-camera conversation took place behind closed doors yesterday, and after that, it was determined that there were some questions that Bradley did not answer, that were not protected by attorney-client privilege. So, he'll be back on the stand today to face questioning. Now, Bradley was labeled as a star witness for defense attorney Ashleigh Merchant. She said that Bradley could prove that Willis and Wade were lying or not telling the whole truth about when their relationship began.
Now, this is really important here because Nathan Wade swore in an affidavit that the relationship with Fani Willis, the romantic relationship began in 2022. So, if Bradley testifies that disproving that claim that was in a sworn affidavit, that could be deeply damaging, not just for Nathan Wade, but for the District Attorney's Office. And Rahel, what we will be paying attention to is any limitations placed on the questioning by Judge Scott McAfee and what he will allow ultimately as evidence. Rahel.
SOLOMON: And then, Nick, really quickly, I mean, we're still at this point where we're not expecting a decision from the judge, from the bench. I mean, we're still just sort of all waiting and watching to see ultimately what the decision will be.
VALENCIA: That's right. And those close to Fani Willis say that they expect -- they spoke to us last week, and they said they expect a decision in early March. But, with all these hearings and these emergency hearings, that timetable seems to be -- that window seems to be closing. So, the judge has not really made a lot of rulings from the bench so far, and we don't expect him to do that this time around either. So, it could be weeks before we have a conclusion into all of this drama. Rahel.
SOLOMON: All right. Nick Valencia, we know you'll stay on top of it. Thank you, live for us in Atlanta.
Well, Hunter Biden is expected back on Capitol Hill Wednesday. President Joe Biden's son will face U.S. House Republicans during a closed-door deposition. His testimony is part of the impeachment inquiry into his father, and it comes after months of resisting subpoenas. Now, there are two apparent concessions from Republicans involving this deposition. Sources tell CNN that Wednesday's deposition will not be videotaped, and that a transcript will be released quickly to the public to avoid selective leaks.
All right. We're also tracking some big shakeups in the U.S. food and retail industries. First, fast food chain Wendy's is about to test out surge pricing on its menu. And that means that prices could go up on your Baconator or your Frosty at busier times of the day. It also wants to roll out with the CEO is calling AI-enabled menu changes. Also, department store chain Macy's says that it is closing 150 locations over the next few years. The company says that it's going to focus more on its successful Bloomingdale's and Bluemercury brands.
All right. A lot to talk about in the retail and restaurant space. To talk about this, let's bring in CNN Business Reporter Nathaniel Meyersohn. Nathaniel, good to see you. So, let's start with Macy's. Macy's has been struggling for some time now. Why?
NATHANIEL MEYERSOHN, CNN BUSINESS REPORTER: Yeah, Rahel. You've tracked the decline of Macy's for several years now as well. And it really has to do with kind of the middle class shrinking. That was traditionally Macy's core customer, but those shoppers have been squeezed. And so is Macy's. You think about all the competition that it faces, Amazon, Walmart, Target, also discount stores like TJ Maxx. We've seen those rise. So, Macy's just has not been able to keep up with these trends. And so, it's shrinking to try to stay relevant, close its underperforming stores.
SOLOMON: And focusing apparently on Bluemercury, which I didn't even realize was involved with Macy's. So, what's the comeback strategy? MEYERSOHN: Yeah. Not only Bluemercury, Rahel, but Bloomingdale's as
well. So, we're seeing a lot of growth right now in luxury retail, which is where Bloomingdale's specializes, and also in beauty, particularly coming out of the pandemic, stores like Sephora and Ulta. They're doing really well. So, Macy's, instead of focusing on its traditional Macy's stores, it's going to open more of these Bloomingdale's and Bluemercury locations. It's also going to be opening Macy's small stores. You think of the traditional Macy's store. It's really big, lots of different sections. It's typically in a mall as well.
But, these new Macy's stores, it's going to open, are going to be smaller. They're going to be away from the mall, kind of a more convenient shopping experience for folks. But, they're going to -- the future of Macy's is fewer stores and more of these luxury and beauty stores.
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SOLOMON: Nathaniel, want to talk about Wendy's in just a moment. But, you just actually got me thinking about something. Have we seen this done successfully before just in terms of a department store focusing more on beauty? For example, I'm thinking about Kohl's, and Sephora. Has this worked before for some of their competitors?
MEYERSOHN: It has. It has worked for some of their competitors. Kohl's has seen strong growth from Sephora and added kind of Sephora mini sections to its stores. So, beauty -- and the beauty merchandise area is definitely a way for retailers to be able to bring in shoppers, particularly women, which are kind of their target customers. But, I don't think that just adding some beauty sections to Macy's stores is going to be able to combat kind of the structural trend that we're seeing of department stores in decline. Think of all the bankruptcies for department stores the last several years, Sears, Neiman Marcus, JCPenney. So, beauty is not going to be enough, I think, by itself to be able to save Macy's.
SOLOMON: OK. Now that we've gotten that out of the way, what is going on with Wendy's? What is going on with this pricing strategy?
MEYERSOHN: They're coming for the frosties, Rahel, not the frosties. Yeah. So, I think what we're seeing here is what we've seen, yes, with Uber, but also kind of Ticketmaster. You think about when you're trying to buy tickets for a concert or a sports game, sometimes the prices are just so expensive when there is so much demand. It's -- Wendy's has not defined exactly what its strategy is with surge pricing. But, I think it has to do with sometimes when you go to Wendy's or any other fast food store, they're going to -- demand is going to be really high. The store is going to be really crowded, lots of people trying to order. And so, that makes it really difficult for the workers and in the kitchen to get all these orders.
So, I think they're trying to level out the traffic a little bit, maybe say to people, why don't you come in when burgers are a little bit cheaper during a slower part of the day? And then, when it's more crowded, the prices are a little bit higher. So, try to kind of smooth out some of these gaps that you see during the day, make it a little bit easier for the workers and the demand a little bit more balanced. Does that make -- I mean, what do you think? Does that kind of makes sense?
SOLOMON: No, Nathaniel. I was wondering, does it run the risk of alienating some consumers who are thinking, what, I have to pay more for a burger because I want to come at dinnertime rather than two o'clock in the afternoon? I mean, does it have the -- run the risk of backfiring?
MEYERSOHN: That's a really good point, especially when you think about McDonald's and some of the backlash McDonald's has seen --
SOLOMON: All right. Nathaniel, we will talk about Wendy's another time. I actually want to take you to the White House. Let's listen to President Biden.
BIDEN: Funding the government, which is an important problem, an important solution we need to find, and I think we can do that. And Ukraine, I think the need is urgent. I hope we can speak to that a little bit. And I think the consequences of inaction every day in Ukraine are dire. I've been speaking to some of our G7 partners, and you just got back, Chuck. There is real concern, and also we need to -- we need in terms of supplemental, we need to deal with Israeli proportionate, but that also contains a significant portion having to do with humanitarian assistance, and to the Palestinians. I think it's important.
And we have to replenish the air defenses for Israel, and we have to work on making sure they don't face the threat from -- they can face threats from what's going on in the Middle East, not just from Hamas but from Iran. And so -- and government funding, I'm sure you guys had all of that all taken care of. It's Congress's responsibility from the government. We got to get about doing a shutdown would damage the economy significantly. And I think we all agree to that. And we need a bipartisan solution. So, I want to hear from the group and I want to hear from all of you here. So, thank you all for coming. That's what we're going to be talking about. Thank you.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you, everyone. All my fellows, please come this way. Thank you very much.
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[11:55:00]
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SOLOMON: All right. So, clearly, many questions among the press corps there. They did not answer questions, but I imagine we will get to that a little later. But, you were just listening to U.S. President Joe Biden. As you can see, he is surrounded by both the Vice President Kamala Harris, but also the four top congressional leaders from both parties, laying out his agenda for this meeting today. Among them, chief among them, I would argue, is funding the government with the shutdown looming just days from now. He said, look, government funding is Congress's responsibility. We need a bipartisan agreement. We'll keep you posted.
In the meantime, we know your time is money. So, thank you for spending some time with me today. I'm Rahel Solomon live for you in New York. Don't go anywhere. Stick with CNN. One World is coming up next. I'll see you tomorrow.
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