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Now: Biden On His Way To The U.S.-Mexican Border; Gaza Health Ministry: 104 Killed As They Lined Up For Food; Supreme Court To Hear Trump's Immunity Claim In April. Aired 11:30a-12p ET

Aired February 29, 2024 - 11:30   ET

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

[11:30:00]

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, Wolf, the White House, and Biden campaign officials clearly see an opportunity here to seize on border security, an issue that has typically been kept at a distance for this White House, and use it against Republicans, especially after that failed Senate border bill when Republicans walked away from it. But this is not where the White House was even three months ago. Again, this is an issue that they have grappled with over the course of the Biden administration, particularly as there were surges of migrants crossing the U.S. southern border and one that sources tell me would get very tense within the walls of the White House when it was discussed, especially as it became a political liability for President Biden.

But the pivotal point here was that Senate border bill. That was a bill that White House officials and Senate negotiators had worked on for months that included some of the toughest border security measures in recent history. Including, for example, that emergency authority that would have allowed the Homeland Security secretary to shut down the border if certain triggers were met.

So, the president, while he is going to meet with Border Patrol agents and law enforcement here, he's also going to deliver remarks where he intends to hammer Republicans on this point because it was them who walked away at the encouragement of former President Donald Trump. Take a listen to what we may hear from White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KARINE JEAN-PIERRE, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The folks who are getting in the way here are Republicans. They are getting in the way. And they are doing it because of what Donald Trump is telling them to do for their own -- for his own political game. And so, this is where we are right now. So, the president's going to take it directly to the American people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALVAREZ: So, the White House clearly banking on voters making the connection here between border security and Republicans. And the point that because they walked away, no solution was reached. That is what we expect to hear from President Biden today at this critical juncture in the election campaign.

BLITZER: Priscilla Alvarez is on the border with Mexico for us in Brownsville, Texas. Priscilla, thank you very much. We're continuing to follow the breaking news out of Gaza right now. More than a hundred people were killed after chaos erupted in a food distribution site.

We'll have more on that. That's just ahead. Stay with us. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

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[11:36:37]

BLITZER: All right. Going back to our top story right now. At least 104 people are dead, and 760 others injured in a chaotic scene in Gaza City earlier today. Eyewitnesses say hungry civilians swarmed around aid trucks coming into Gaza when Israeli tanks and drones started shooting at people in the street. As the trucks tried to escape, some people were run over and killed in the chaos. The IDF, the Israeli Defense Forces, tells CNN that the incident is now under review.

I'm joined now by Democratic Senator Chris Coons. He's on the Foreign Relations Committee. He's co-chair of the Biden reelection campaign as well.

Among other things, Senator Coons, first of all, thanks for joining us. You were just in Israel last week as part of a major congressional delegation. What's your immediate reaction to this awful incident we've been reporting on in Gaza earlier today?

SEN. CHRIS COONS (D-DE): Wolf, this is another heartbreaking incident in which civilians are being killed. The humanitarian crisis in Gaza is out of control. And it is time for us to take strong steps to address this challenge both with our close ally Israel and directly through American efforts to deliver badly needed humanitarian aid, whether by air or by sea.

I was just in Jordan visiting with King Abdullah, who has successfully air-dropped badly needed food and water into northern Gaza from the back of a C-130. My friend known to many of your viewers, Jose Andres, has also been successfully delivering relief into Gaza by air. I recognize there are real concerns about the possibility of Hamas taking some of that. But at this point, the conditions are near starvation. And the chaos that is unfolding on the screen right now to your viewers of starving people assaulting an aid truck is going to only get worse.

In the recent meetings I had in Israel and the region, I was pressing for a ceasefire. The month of Ramadan, the holiest month of the Muslim calendar begins in just about 10 days. And I think there is a critical opportunity here for hostages to be released, for humanitarian aid to get into Gaza, for the conflict to come down both on the ground in Gaza and throughout the region, on the border with Lebanon, in Iraq, in the Red Sea.

There are Iranian proxies in all of those areas who are attacking Israel or attacking American troops or attacking civilians shipping. A ceasefire in Gaza would reduce all of those tensions. And I urged Prime Minister Netanyahu to take the opportunity here to extend his hand and to secure the release of some of the hostages who've been trapped beneath Gaza by Hamas for 145 days.

BLITZER: As you know, the Prime Minister of Israel and the Israeli government, they're rejecting the notion of a permanent ceasefire. They might be interested in some sort of temporary pause in order to get the hostages out. But, Senator, is the Biden administration, from your perspective, right now doing enough to pressure Israel to prevent deadly incidents like the one we've been reporting about today?

COONS: Wolf, President Biden, Secretary Blinken, and National Security Adviser Sullivan have all communicated directly to the prime minister, to the defense minister. When I walked in to meet with him with Senator Blumenthal, who traveled alongside me, Prime Minister Netanyahu, the first thing he said was, I get it. I get it. I've heard a dozen times from your president that we have to have a plan for reducing the harm to civilians.

[11:40:13]

I pressed him on deconfliction on making it possible for humanitarian aid to be delivered safely without IDF units attacking or shelling the escorts who make it possible for aid to get into Gaza safely. The prime minister was not aware that that hasn't been accomplished and directed his aides to be more involved in deconfliction. Frankly, we have to hold Israel accountable here for delivering humanitarian relief and for deconflicting these issues, and for opening more gates into Gaza.

I understand the trauma of October 7. Just yesterday, I met with families who lost loved ones in the horrific attack of October 7. But we also have to find a way forward and hold Israel accountable for finding a way forward to delivering humanitarian aid into Gaza.

BLITZER: Senator, some of your Democratic Senatorial colleagues and pretty active members, they are working right now to try to put in place specific conditions on future U.S. military assistance to Israel. Is that something you would support especially in light of today's incident?

COONS: If Prime Minister Netanyahu goes ahead with a full-scale ground offensive against Rafah without having provided significant changes in how civilians are treated and how civilians are protected, and how humanitarian aid is being delivered? Yes, I would.

BLITZER: You would support restrictions on U.S. military aid to Israel. Is that what I'm hearing?

COONS: If they go ahead with a full-scale ground campaign into Rafah without taking into account their obligation under international law to protect civilians and to facilitate the distribution of aid? Yes.

BLITZER: Senator Chris Coons, thanks as usual for joining us.

COONS: Thank you.

BLITZER: And we'll be right back with more news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:46:21]

BLITZER: Here in Washington right now, the U.S. Supreme Court has handed Donald Trump a big win even before issuing a ruling. Justices have decided to take up his legal claim of presidential immunity from prosecution. Joining us now to discuss this very significant development is CNN Senior Supreme Court Analyst Joan Biskupic.

Joan, thanks very much for joining us. What's your immediate reaction? Do we know why they decided right now to take up this very sensitive and important issue?

JOAN BISKUPIC, CNN SENIOR SUPREME COURT ANALYST: Well, first of all, I think you've used exactly the right word here. It's an important question that the Supreme Court has never resolved. The Supreme Court has looked at immunity for presidents in civil situations but never looked at any kind of immunity or shield -- what immunity is as a shield from prosecution in a criminal context. So, it's an important question.

And as we know, Donald Trump has his presidency really posed unique challenges to the legal system. But there could be presidents down the road who might test this in some way. And the justices clearly felt it was important to resolve it.

Now, your question, though, implies a certain question about timing. You know, Jack Smith had gone to --

BLITZER: The special counsel.

BISKUPIC: Yes, the Special Counsel who's representing the United States government and Department of Justice bringing these counts of criminal wrongdoing against the former president. He had asked the justices in December to intervene, and the justices had declined without any kind of explanation. But you know, clearly, by taking it, it's important.

The timing is a little bit of a question, but they have at least put it on what for them is a faster track. Normally, cases taken in February, right now, would not be even heard until next fall and not resolved until 2025.

BLITZER: So, an issue before these nine Supreme Court justices is whether a sitting president or a former president has presidential immunity. In other words, cannot be criminally charged or convicted.

BISKUPIC: Right. And it's a distinct question they took. In fact, they said this is the single question we're going to hear. We're not going to hear any of his claims about double jeopardy arising from his -- to -- from his impeachment related to January 6. The Justice said we're only going to hear this specific question. And they phrased it in a particular way, Wolf. They said from criminal prosecution for alleged acts that would relate to official duties. Because as you know, Donald Trump is alleging -- is saying that anything that he is now being targeted for by this prosecution, he says was part of this official acts. And the justices have built that into the question they're going to take up the week of April 22.

BLITZER: Because if they conclude that he is immune from prosecution, the whole notion of no one in America is above the law, that goes away.

BISKUPIC: Right. And there's no criminal trial. Right now, we at one point, thought that there would be a trial of Donald Trump for election subversion on March 4. That definitely won't happen.

And we're unlikely to see a ruling in this case, Wolf, until late July -- June. And there's a possibility that Donald Trump will not be tried at all for the charges related to election subversion before the November 2024 election.

BLITZER: It's critically important development --

BISKUPIC: Right.

BLITZER: We'll be talking a lot. Thanks very much, Joan, for your excellent analysis. And we'll be right back.

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[11:53:53]

BLITZER: In Texas, the largest fire in the state's history has now burned more than one million acres. At least one person has died as a result of one of the five total fires burning right now in the state. Take a look at these before and after satellite photos of a town in the Texas panhandle, entire communities are now torched. As of this morning, the Smokehouse Creek Fire has only been contained by three percent.

Thanks very much for joining me on the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Wolf Blitzer. I'll be back later tonight, 6:00 p.m. Eastern for "THE SITUATION ROOM," and right here tomorrow morning, 11:00 a.m.

Stay with CNN. "INSIDE POLITICS" with Dana Bash will start after a short break. But first, here's CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta with today's "CHASING LIFE."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, host of CNN's "CHASING LIFE" podcast.

GUPTA (voiceover): Have you ever enthusiastically started to tackle a project and then just stalled, not knowing how to start? To initiate tasks, our brain uses executive function. Think of them as mental processes that help you plan and strategize and concentrate. [11:55:00]

Stress or lack of sleep or lack of exercise can compromise executive function. So can things like ADHD, depression, and anxiety. So, if you're struggling to get started, here are some tips to try and improve how well your executive function is actually working.

First of all, conceptually, think of the large task in front of you as a series of smaller tasks. Studies show that our brains tend to prioritize small tasks over large ones. Second, keep your space tidy. Research shows that clutter can decrease the executive function and also adversely impact mental health.

Finally, be honest about your skill set and don't demand too much of yourself, especially at the outset. Being realistic about what is possible or not will help you stay in your groove. And you can hear more about how to optimize your health and chase life wherever you get your podcasts.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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