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CNN International: Biden To Make High-Stakes State Of The Union Address; Trump To Provide Live Commentary On Biden's Speech; Children Face Starvation In Gaza As Supplies Run Out. Aired 8-9a ET
Aired March 07, 2024 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[08:00:10]
ERICA HILL, HOST, "CNN NEWSROOM": Hello, and welcome to our viewers all around the world. I am Erica Hill. This is CNN Newsroom.
Just ahead, Joe Biden's big night, the U.S. President preparing for his State of the Union address as his rival Donald Trump prepares to weigh in. Full coverage is ahead for you this hour. Plus, talks aimed at reaching a ceasefire in Gaza appear stalled as the humanitarian crisis continues to grow. A powerful report coming up. And parts of Germany's travel network grind to a halt as strikes also shut down the country's biggest airport. We're live in Berlin.
Joe Biden is set to make his case to the American people for another four years as President. Tonight's annual State of the Union address comes with added importance in an election year, especially for a candidate like Mr. Biden who is staring down low approval numbers and questions about his age. Much of the speech is expected to focus on domestic issues, including the state of the economy, the battle over abortion and reproductive rights. Biden, though, is also expected to address the conflict in the Middle East and the war in Ukraine. And then there is Biden's rival, Donald Trump. The former President announcing his plans to provide real time play-by-play commentary of Biden's address on social media.
So, what can we expect tonight? CNN's Edward-Isaac Dovere joining me now live from Washington. Good to see you this morning. So, we know about some of these broad themes the White House has made clear that the President will address. There is also going to be a real focus on his delivery. That we'll be studying. What are we expecting tonight?
EDWARD-ISAAC DOVERE, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Well, look, State of the Union speeches are always a little bit about theatrics, if not a lot about theatrics. For Joe Biden, that comes at a crucial moment right now, because it's not just the beginning of the campaign season for him. It's at a time when a lot of Democrats and voters overall are questioning whether he is up to the job, whether he is up to the job for another five years on it, which is what it would be if he want a second term.
Look, when I talk to top Democrats across the country, what they're saying to me is they use words like pride, passion, enthusiasm. That's what they want to hear from him. Governor Tim Walz in Minnesota said to me, people want to see it from the candidate themselves. That's what they need. There are people questioning, is he tough enough for the job? There is this real feeling here of Democrats trying to see that Joe Biden that they keep hearing about, who is cursing about Donald Trump or Benjamin Netanyahu behind closed doors or ripping into Republicans at a fundraiser, that that guy can show up and tell voters that he wants them to vote for him come November.
HILL: Edward-Isaac Dovere, appreciate it. Thank you.
DOVERE: Thank you.
HILL: Donald Trump says he will be watching the address as well, and he is promising real-time reaction. CNN's Alayna Treene is tracking that side of the story for us, joining us this morning from Houston, where the Republican National Committee is holding its spring meeting. So, what more do we know about these real-time play-by-play plans from the former President?
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: Well, Erica, Donald Trump is going to be watching Biden's State of the Union address from Mar-a-Lago with a small group of his advisors. And as you said, he plans to be hosting a live play-by-play or writing a live play-by-play in response to that speech. I'm told that it's mainly going to be on Truth Social, with Donald Trump sharing a flurry of posts in real time as Biden is speaking.
Now, I do just want to quickly read for you some of how Donald Trump phrased it on social media yesterday. He said, "I am pleased to inform you that tomorrow night, we will be doing a live play-by-play of crooked Joe Biden's State of the Union address. I will correct, in rapid response, any and all inaccurate statements, especially pertaining to the border." And then he went on to say as well as anything about political persecution against him. So, the type of rhetoric we can often expect from Donald Trump, and we know from covering -- I know from covering him for many years that he likes to insert himself into these speeches, make sure that he is being heard as well. So, that's what you can expect from him tonight.
But look, Erica, this comes, the State of the Union address, just one day after Nikki Haley dropped out of the race, essentially making Donald Trump the presumptive Republican nominee and setting him and Joe Biden up for a rematch in November. And part of that -- part of why Donald Trump is so eager and excited to be the nominee so early is because it will give him some of the resources and infrastructure of the National Republican Party to tap into as he mounts that general election campaign. And a big part of that is the RNC, and that's really what I think the next turn of the wheel is here.
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We're going to see the RNC and many of its leaders gathering here in Houston today and tomorrow, and tomorrow during their spring meeting, we are going to start to see a change in leadership at the top of the National Committee. Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel is expected to step down tomorrow. And then, immediately after, we're told they're going to begin nominating new leaders for that Chair position, and people will be voting on that. And Donald Trump, we know, has put forward North Carolina Republican Party Chairman Michael Whatley as well as his daughter-in-law Lara Trump to serve as Chair and Co-chair of the RNC. I'm told very much that they're expected to officially take on those roles tomorrow. So, we're really seeing kind of the next phase of the Republican Party rallying around Donald Trump just this week. Erica.
HILL: Yeah. We absolutely are. Alayna Treene live for us in Houston, thank you. And stay tuned. We will have much more on the State of the Union address ahead this hour.
But, we do want to turn out to Cairo where hopes are fading that a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas can be reached before Ramadan, which of course begins early next week. A Hamas delegation left Cairo on Thursday without a major breakthrough. Israel did not send a negotiating team to the talks at all. The stalling talks are raising major fears for what could happen next in Gaza. Israel previously said it will launch a military offensive into the city of Rafah where 1.5 million Palestinians are sheltering if the hostages are not released by Ramadan. Negotiations are reportedly set to resume next week.
As for those trapped inside Gaza, a terrifying new thread is quickly becoming a deadly reality. On Wednesday, a 15-year-old boy died of malnutrition. Gaza's Health Ministry says he is one of at least 20 people who have died from starvation and dehydration since the war began. The youngest was just a day old.
With hospitals running out of food and supplies, CNN's Nada Bashir reports more parents are burying their children. And while these images you're about to see are difficult and distressing, the mothers interviewed say they want the world to see them.
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NADA BASHIR, CNN REPORTER (voice-over): Tiny limbs, wounds protruding, the constant sound of crying from children now facing starvation in Gaza. In this overrun hospital ward, anxious mothers watch on as doctors provide whatever care they still can. But, for some, there is nothing more to be done. Three-year-old Mila (ph), who had been suffering from acute malnutrition, now another victim of this merciless war. She was healthy. There was nothing wrong with her before, Mila's mother says. Then suddenly, everything dropped. She wasn't eating anything. We had no milk, no eggs, nothing. She used to eat eggs every day before the war. But now, we have nothing.
Across Gaza, too many are feeling the pain of this deepening hunger crisis, small children emaciated and malnourished. These were little (inaudible) final moments, his tiny fingers gripped in his mother's hand. He like, Mila, would not make it. Others are still just barely holding on. But, there is no telling how long they will survive. Standing beside me this body, Dr. Ahmad Salam (ph) says many children at this hospital are now dying due to a lack of food and oxygen supplies. With limited aid getting in, many have grown desperate, searching for food wherever they can. Nine-year-old Mohamed (ph) says he walks for about a mile every day to collect water for his family. You seem sad. Why, this journalist asks him. Because of the war, he says. It is all too much. On Tuesday, UN experts accused Israel of intentionally starving the
Palestinian people in Gaza, nothing that the Israeli military is now targeting both civilians seeking aid and humanitarian convoys. Israel has denied targeting civilians, and says that there is "no limit to the amount of humanitarian aid for civilians in Gaza." But, the reality on the ground paints a very different picture. There was no food, no water, no flour, cooking oil or anything, this woman says. Death is better than this. According to a senior UN official, at least a quarter of Gaza's population is now said to be just one step away from famine with aid agencies facing overwhelming obstacles in getting the bare minimum of supplies into Gaza.
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And as Israel's ground offensive threatens to push further into the strip's densely populated south, time is quickly running out. While international efforts to airdrop humanitarian supplies have provided some respite, it is simply not enough, with stalling negotiations leaving a little hope for an end to the suffering and hunger of the Palestinian people in Gaza.
Nada Bashir, CNN, London.
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HILL: The U.S. has conducted strikes against two drones in a Houthi- controlled area of Yemen, saying those drones presented an imminent threat to U.S. Navy ships and merchant vessels in the region. The strikes coming just hours after Houthi missiles killed three crew members on a commercial ship in the Gulf of Aden on Wednesday.
CNN's Scott McLean is live in Istanbul with more for us. So, what more do we know about this attack, Scott?
SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So, Erica, this the very first time that crew members had been killed in any of these Houthi strikes, which is pretty remarkable to think that there have been some 45, approaching 50, attacks on commercial shipping vessels. And while there had been some injuries, no one has been killed at thus far until now. But surely, it was only a matter of time, because in those 45 attacks, many of them have been hits.
Now, oftentimes, these ships are big enough that they're able to absorb some damage and continue sailing. Other times, though, they're not so lucky, as it happened with the Rubymar ship that was actually hit back in February, and for weeks it has been slowly sinking. We just got word over the weekend that it has officially now sunk, and it's also carrying thousands of pounds of fertilizer, creating an environmental problem now as well.
The Filipino government says the two of the three victims in this attack were its citizens, as are two of those who were injured as well. This shouldn't be surprising given that Filipinos make up about one fifth of the global workforce of commercial shipping. These are crew members who are away from their families for months at a time. They are often paid extra, paid double off and to go to dangerous places, though that will be obviously little consolation for their families. Most container ships are now taking the long way around Africa, but this was a bulk container ship. Bulk container ships and tankers are usually still taking the Red Sea route.
And the Houthis say that they had warned this ship to change course before they struck. These warnings often come before a hijacking attempt or before an attack. They say that they targeted it based on American ownership. But, a U.S. defense official says that this was not an American ship. It was a Barbados-flagged ship and owned by a Liberian company after having been sold from a previous American owner to the Liberians. The world of international shipping though is often quite opaque, quite confusing. Obviously, the Houthis are targeting British, American, any ships with links to Israel, obviously in an effort to pressure them to stop the war. But often, you have a different crewing company, a different company leasing the ship, and obviously a different ownership as well where the true beneficiaries are often quite opaque.
You mentioned that the U.S. launching those two drone strikes just hours later, Erica, well, this has been a pattern that we've seen for months with the U.S. trying to degrade Houthi capability with strikes in Yemen. But, they still acknowledge that even months later, this is not something that's going to happen overnight. Maybe it may not happen overall at all, because they say that the Houthis are still very well equipped with very sophisticated weaponry, a big arsenal of sophisticated weaponry that is being supplied by Iran.
And while, of course, many ships who are continuing to take this route are taking more security measures, many more are now carrying armed guards, that's not going to do much to stop an attack like this, an anti-ship ballistic missile. And even other security measures aren't going to do much to stop the attacks like we saw on the Galaxy Leader which was hijacked. And it's worth pointing out as well that, of course, the one in Gaza is not the only hostage crisis taking place in the Middle East right now, Erica. 25 crew members of the Galaxy Leader have now been held hostage in Yemen for coming up on four months.
HILL: Scott, really appreciate the reporting. Thank you.
Well, there are questions and concerns today following a close call for Ukraine's President and the Greek Prime Minister. The two leaders narrowly missed being hit by a Russian missile on Wednesday. That attack which killed five people happened as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was showing the Greek leader around the Black Sea port city of Odessa. Zelenskyy confirmed the leader's convoy did feel the impact of that strike, which was just some 500 meters away.
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It is important to note there is no evidence that the Russians were aware the two leaders were in the convoy. The White House is now using the attack to ramp up pressure on the U.S. House Speaker to bring up a vote on Ukraine aid.
With more now, CNN's Clare Sebastian joins us. So, Clare, the attack was just 500 meters away, clearly a close call for President Zelenskyy. The fact that they could feel it even if he was not specifically targeted, how much could this potentially galvanize support in the United States to move that funding?
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Erica, I think it certainly brings home, one, the scale of this war. Odessa is nowhere near the frontlines but it's still regularly targeted, and two, the potential, I think more importantly in this case, the potential for the war to escalate suddenly, and without warning. Obviously, President Zelenskyy's proximity to this strike along with the Prime Minister of Greece, the head of state of a NATO country, raises those fears, even though as you say, neither of them were injured in this incident.
And Russia claims that it hit its target, which it says was a hangar where Ukraine was preparing for the combat use of unmanned sea drones, essentially. So, that's what it says. It was targeting, I think it's possible we'll never know, whether or not it actually knew of President Zelenskyy along with the Greek Prime Minister in that area.
But, I think, look, it could potentially move the needle in Europe. I want to show you a tweet from the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, on Wednesday, who said essentially "No one is intimidated by this new attempt at terror, certainly not the two leaders on the ground nor the brave people of Ukraine." She said "More than ever, we stand by Ukraine."
But, as for the U.S., even though the White House would like it to be so, it seems that the Ukraine funding issue is still tangled up in domestic issues, namely the U.S. border and that Congress and the Republicans in the House are still very divided on whether a new bill that has been crafted could get anywhere on the House floor. So, that is the current state of things as of now.
And I think this is something that Ukraine is still grappling with, even though incidents like this, and frankly Odessa was the site of one of the most deadly attacks on civilians in recent weeks, 12 civilians killed on March 2, continue to happen.
HILL: Clare, really appreciate the reporting. And I know we're going to have much more from you. So, please stay with us for the rest of the hour. More reporting from Clare Sebastian coming a bit later.
Meantime, ahead of Russia's presidential elections later this month, the country's media is boosting up the likely winner, President Vladimir Putin. It is a fascinating report you'll want to see just ahead.
But, first, as Haiti descends further into chaos, a stark warning from a gang leader to the Prime Minister. More on that just ahead.
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HILL: In Germany at this hour, thousands of rail and air passengers are feeling the impact of the country's transport strike.
[08:20:00] That strike action by Lufthansa ground staff prompted Frankfurt Airport, Germany's largest and of course a major European hub, to close on Thursday. In Dusseldorf, airport security workers walked off the job without prior warning. Train drivers were also on strike with their GDL union expecting a massive impact on the country's rail operations. Salary negotiations are at the heart here of this unrest, high inflation, of course, eating into real wages. And it's only the latest wave of industrial disruption affecting the country.
We have more details now. Fred Pleitgen joining us live from Berlin. So, talk about a bit of the standstill today. First of all, we have, I guess, two things happening here. There is the wage negotiations, right, and the demands, the request from workers and then the ensuing impact. Let's start off with what they're asking for.
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. You're absolutely right. First of all, there are the demands that are being made, and they're different, really, as far as both of these things are concerned. On the one hand, you have Lufthansa where the staff there is demanding more pay, which coincidentally also comes on the day that Lufthansa just announced the third best results of the company, financial results in the company's history. And the staff, they're now saying, the ground staff saying that they want around 12 percent more wage. And Lufthansa obviously saying that is not going to happen. They're offering four percent.
All this has been going on for a very long time between the ground staff and between the union that represents the ground staff, the Services Union. And so far, the negotiations obviously haven't come to any sort of conclusion. They also want some sort of extra additional money, because of the inflation that obviously has taken place in Germany, like in so many other places as well. So, the negotiations have been going on, but they don't appear to be anywhere close to some sort of resolution of all of this. Then you have the security staff where you have your own wage issues as well.
It's different as far as the railway strike is concerned, Erica. The train drivers' union are saying what they actually want is that they want shift workers to work less. They want them to work instead of 38 hours, 35 hours. And it seems as though they're also in that negotiation, is not really close to a conclusion either. This is a round of strikes where we've seen this repeat over the past couple of months here in this country for Lufthansa, but also for the train drivers as well, where this is not the first round of strikes.
So, certainly, commuters here in Germany knew this was coming. Nevertheless, of course, traffic has been very difficult for a lot of people. Getting around has been difficult for a lot of people because especially as far as the railway services is concerned, of course, as you know, here in Europe, railway is extremely important to getting people from point A to point B, and it's really long distance and commuter travel that is highly affected here in this country, Erica.
HILL: Right, which just underscores how broad this impact is, and the fact that we've seen multiple rounds, as you point out. Fred, really appreciate it. Thank you. In Haiti, as violent surges across that country, the U.S. is now
calling on Prime Minister Ariel Henry to urgently establish a presidential transitional council. So, that would clear the way to hold national elections. This as gang leader Jimmy Cherizier, a foreign police officer, who is also known as Barbecue, has warned Haiti will suffer a genocide if the Prime Minister remains in power, saying that the gangs are actually working to oust Henry as quickly as possible.
CNN's David Culver recently returned from Haiti and has more on this developing story.
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DAVID CULVER, CNN SENIOR U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A major escalation of gang violence is taking Haiti hostage. Scenes like this playing out in Port-au-Prince Wednesday, banks looted, with ATMs smashed open, people scrambling to gather whatever they can. Several police stations bombed out by powerful gangs who now freely stroll through the streets. The rising anger directed towards Prime Minister Ariel Henry. One gang leader in the capital threatening that if Henry does not step down, it'll mean genocide for the Haitian people, and it is most often the people who pay the price.
We were in Haiti just before this recent surge in violence, people venting to us their frustrations, wanting Henry to go, and barricading their neighborhoods to stop would-be gang kidnappers. Perhaps the biggest indicator of dysfunction comes from the top. All of this happening while a major mystery looms. Where exactly is Prime Minister Henry? He was last seen last week signing an agreement in Kenya, securing the deployment of Kenyan police officers to Haiti, expected to arrive any day now.
The Miami Herald says Henry then boarded a flight that went first to the U.S. and then on toward Haiti's island neighbor, the Dominican Republic, for an indefinite stopover. But, officials in the DR blocked his arrival. Instead, Henry's plane went on to Puerto Rico. The Miami Herald reporting that Henry was mid-flight when the Biden administration asked him to agree to a new transitional government and resign.
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The White House pushing back on that.
KARINE JEAN-PIERRE, PRESS SECRETARY, WHITE HOUSE: We are definitely not pushing the Prime Minister to resign. That is not what we're doing. But, we have underscored that now is the time to finalize a political core to help set Haiti on a path to a better future.
CULVER (voice-over): Where Henry is now, is not clear, nor is the direction of his country, which is increasingly under the tightening grip of gangs.
David Culver, CNN, New York.
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HILL: Let's get more from the region now. Patrick Oppmann joining us from Havana, Cuba. So, Patrick, as we look at this unfolding, even just the changes in the last 24 hours, the UN calling for swift actions, from the international community and effort to prevent further violence, what are the chances at this point of some sort of successful diplomacy?
PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It seems very difficult because, of course, how do you negotiate with gang members, like the gang member you featured, really brutal people who -- let's be clear about why they want to hold on to their turf in Port-au-Prince and the rest of Haiti, and that's because many of these gangs are moving in large shipments of cocaine, of drugs through Haiti. They are bringing guns into Haiti, and that's why they have more gun power than the police. So, they are protecting their illegal businesses, and they don't want to give those up.
And when they saw the news that perhaps 1,000 Kenyan soldiers could be deployed to Haiti, of course, that set off alarm bells and actually caused some of these gangs to unite, something that's very unusual because they're usually fighting each other and the government at the same time, and take on the government, and that's why you have seen -- well, Haiti has teetered on the edge of collapse for so long. It's really just the last few days where the gangs uniting, fighting against the government, appears to push Haiti to the point of collapse now.
And so, what has to happen? The U.S. would like to see Ariel Henry, however, they want to call it, begin a transition. Call for elections. Put that process forward. Because of course, we're talking about a Prime Minister who is in power after the assassination of the President about three years ago. So, it's hard to say, though, how you do that, though, without security, and how do you have security without some sort of international force coming in? That's not going to happen anytime soon. It appears at least certainly with the political stalemate that's going on. And if your government like the United States, like the other governments in the region, well, how do you negotiate with gangs directly and gangs that won't allow the Prime Minister come back in, won't allow the airport to reopen and really holding an entire country hostage?
HILL: Yeah, such important points. Patrick, appreciate it. Thank you.
Still to come here, it is a critical moment for the U.S. President as he puts the finishing touches on a high-stakes speech. Just ahead, what Joe Biden is expected to talk about during his State of the Union address tonight? Stay with us.
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HILL: Joe Biden is set to give what could be one of the most consequential speeches of his presidency tonight. It's his chance to make his case directly to the American people for a second term in the White House. This all coming, of course, during the annual State of the Union address. And along with touting his accomplishments, the President is expected to showcase economic policies which he hopes will really strike a chord with voters, things like a new tax plan targeting corporations and the wealthy. Mr. Biden also expected to warn the country about the need to preserve democracy and freedom and to protect reproductive rights.
His main rival for the job, former President Donald Trump, is promising his own real-time rebuttal to that address. And it is, of course, down to this two-man race now for the U.S. presidency after Nikki Haley suspended her campaign on Wednesday. There is a big fight for her voters, supporters who must now decide who they will back come November.
Here is CNN's Jessica Dean.
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JESSICA DEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As she announced the suspension of her presidential campaign on Wednesday, former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley had a clear message for her rival.
NIKKI HALEY, FORMER U.S. REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It is now up to Donald Trump to earn the votes of those in our party and beyond it who did not support him. And I hope he does that.
DEAN (voice-over): Where will Haley support go now that she has exited the race? In Virginia, where she captured nearly 35 percent of the vote on Super Tuesday, we caught up with voters to ask, what will you do in November?
DEAN: Now that she is out and it's Trump versus Biden, what do you think?
BARBARA GREEN, VOTED FOR NIKKI HALEY: Oh, no question, Biden. We cannot have another four years of that man.
CAROLE COLBURN, VOTED FOR NIKKI HALEY: I at this point can't answer that question. I think that this country can do better than the choice that we've been given. And I don't know how we can change that. But, I think it's going to be a lot of difficult, thoughtful for people to decide what to do in the future.
KELLY SCHOFIELD, FAIRFAX COUNTY VOTER: I think people are looking closely at the vice presidential candidate because it's a very probable possibility that they will be President by the end of the four years.
DEAN (voice-over): So far, the former President has offered little in the way of an olive branch to Haley or her supporters, writing on social media "Nikki Haley got trounced last night in record-setting fashion" after weeks of lobbing insults in their direction.
DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Nikki Haley has made an unholy alliance with rhinos, Never Trumpers. The people behind Nikki are pro-amnesty. You like that?
DEAN (voice-over): CNN exit polling found among Haley supporters across five states that 19 percent say they would be satisfied with Trump as the nominee, and 79 percent dissatisfied. And yet, her supporters could be crucial for Trump's chances of winning back the White House, especially in battleground states where the margins are likely to be slim. But still, some voters told us now that Haley is out, neither Trump nor Biden will win their support.
JIM FETGATTER, VOTED FOR NIKKI HALEY: I'm not going to vote for either one, Biden or Trump. I'd love to vote for her again. He has just lost me in this past few years. And I'm -- and mostly his attitude about foreign policy in Ukraine and the trend has the chaos. Biden, I just think is not fit for office.
SCHOFIELD: I think it is not a sure thing that Donald Trump is going to win the general election, because if you're a voter like myself, I am going to write her in. I am not going to go to vote for Trump. I don't think he is going to be able to corral Nikki Haley supporters and independent voters back.
DEAN: So, the attention now turns to the likely general election matchup of Trump versus Biden, a redo of 2020. President Biden is going to have quite an opportunity on Thursday night with his State of the Union address, likely one of the largest audiences he is going to have between now and Election Day in November. And of course, he is going to try to fire up the base. But also, can he persuade any persuadable? It's the question for him and for the former President. They're going to need all the support they can get.
Jessica Dean, CNN, Arlington, Virginia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HILL: Well, for a preview of tonight's State of the Union, let's get straight to the White House and CNN's Arlette Saenz. Arlette, good to see you. So, what will the President and his advisors as they're putting these final touches on the speech today, with a sense of what we're going to hear, what are their goals for tonight?
ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Erica. President Biden is known to work up until the final minute on this -- these types of addresses and this is expected to be no different.
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The President and his team have been working on this speech for months, trying to identify which issues to prioritize but also develop a message to convince voters that the President is up for a second term. We know that there is allies who have pushed for the President to really engage in more fights with the Republican Party. So, it will be interesting to see whether he uses the State of the Union address to do that. If you think back to last year's State of the Union, he went toe to toe in an impromptu moment with Republicans over the issue of Social Security. So, we'll see whether the President brings any of that fighting spirits that some of the Democratic allies would like to see him portray in his address today.
But really, the key messaging focus from this event will be trying to tout his legislative accomplishments but also lay out a vision for a second term. The President is expected to focus heavily on economic issues. He'll talk about plans to raise taxes on the wealthy and corporations. That includes calling for the corporate tax rate to jump to 28 percent, and also increasing the corporate minimum tax rate from 15 percent to 21 percent. The President is also expected to talk about trying to lower everyday costs for Americans, especially when it comes to the issue of healthcare. He will push for Congress to expand the ability for Medicare to negotiate drug prices, which is currently, for 20 drugs, he wants to see that go up to 50, trying to make a dent in the high prescription drug crisis so many in this country are facing.
The President will also talk about democracy and freedom, cornerstones of his reelection bid. And one of those key freedoms that the President often points to is the need to preserve reproductive rights. That's an issue that the Biden campaign believes is a real vulnerability for former President Donald Trump and one that will energize voters heading into November. Then there is Ukraine, Israel, border security, the President's unity agenda, which he has pointed to in each State of the Union address.
And if you take a look at the people who will be sitting with the First Lady in her box at the State of the Union, that really highlights some of the priorities the President will discuss in this speech. There will be Kate Cox, that Texas mother who was traveled to -- was forced to travel out of state for an abortion while she was facing a life-threatening pregnancy. There will also be an Alabama woman who was trying to go through IVF and had her procedure canceled due to Alabama Supreme Court decision relating to IVF.
There will also be the Prime Minister of Sweden. Today is actually the day that Sweden will join the NATO alliance. That is something President Biden had pushed for back when Russia invaded Ukraine, expanding the alliance. And it comes as a contrast point to former President Trump, who has suggested that Vladimir Putin should do whatever he wants to ally -- NATO allies who don't meet their obligations. That's just a glimpse at some of the people who will be in attendance today.
But really, this offers Biden a high-stakes opportunity to try to define his presidential campaign. It comes at a challenging time for the President. There is discontent within his own party about his handling of the conflict in Gaza. We have seen a lot of questions about his age and his physical fitness, and whether he is ready to serve a second term. That will be one of the key implicit goals of this speech as they're trying to reach as many voters as possible to convince them to reelect Biden to the White House.
HILL: Arlette, picking up on that point and the pushback that the President has received, and we saw it in those uncommitted voters in a couple of states, right, including on Super Tuesday, that pushback coming specifically to what is happening in Israel and Gaza. There are Americans who are really pushing the President to push for a ceasefire. How much do you expect the situation in Israel and Gaza to feature into the State of the Union tonight?
SAENZ: I think it's a tricky subject for President Biden to navigate in his State of the Union tonight. Obviously, he has pushed for Israel's right to defend itself, for their ability to go after Hamas. But, he is also facing significant political pressure here at home. And also noting that there is international pressure as well. There is the groups who have voted uncommitted in the Democratic primaries, really a protest vote against the President for his continued support of Netanyahu and the way that he has handled this conflict in Gaza.
So, it will be interesting to see how the President will try to thread the needle, whether he will try to make some overt appeal to those Democrats who are frustrated with his approach, because this is an issue that could prove troublesome for him heading into November. It's not just Arab American and Muslim communities that are frustrated. It's also young voters who are frustrated. So, this is an issue that the President will continue to have to navigate. And perhaps the State of the Union will offer one glimpse into how -- what he sees as the path forward, and not just when it comes to the conflict in Gaza, but also how to win back some of those voters who are very frustrated at this time.
HILL: Yeah. A lot to watch for. To say the State of the Union address an annual event, of course, in the United States, takes on added importance in an election year. Maybe an understatement. Arlette, really appreciate the comprehensive reporting this morning.
[08:40:00]
Thank you. And of course, be sure to stay with CNN for full coverage of Joe Biden's State of the Union address. Our special coverage gets underway at 8 p.m. Eastern Time, 1 a.m., of course, if you're watching from London, or 2 a.m. in Berlin.
The woman in charge of guns and ammunition for the movie "Rust" has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter for the 2021 fatal onset shooting of the film's cinematographer. Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was the movie's armorer. She was responsible for firearm safety and storage on set. Halyna Hutchins was killed when a live round of ammunition, which should not have been there, was fired from a prop gun held by actor Alec Baldwin. Gutierrez-Reed is now facing up to 18 months in prison and a $5,000 fine. Alec Baldwin is also charged with involuntary manslaughter in this shooting. The actor has pleaded not guilty. His trial is set for July.
Opening statements set to begin later today in Michigan in the trial of the father of a teenage school shooter. James Crumbley is facing four involuntary manslaughter charges, one for each student his son Ethan shot and killed at Oxford High School in 2021. A jury found James' wife, Jennifer, guilty last month on those same charges. The historic trial tests whether a parent can be convicted for a mass shooting carried out by their child, and that's because they purchased a gun for him and disregarded signs of mental health issues.
Still to come here, the Kremlin's propaganda machine shifting into overdrive ahead of this month's presidential election. We'll show you how far state media is going to shine President Putin's image.
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HILL: The head of the UN's nuclear watchdog, Rafael Grossi, spoke about nuclear safety with Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying that he had an important exchange about Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant. It happened during a meeting between the two in Sochi on Wednesday. The plant is, of course, currently occupied by Russia. All of its reactors are reportedly shut down. But, because of the fighting, it has lost external power supply multiple times. That power supply, of course, is needed to cool down its nuclear fuel and to avoid a potential nuclear incident.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to cruise to reelection later this month. Independent observers say the presidential vote which begins on March 15 is really just a rubber stamp to give him at least six more years in office. Despite that, though, the Kremlin's propaganda machine is still working to prop up Putin's image. Clare Sebastian has that story.
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SEBASTIAN (voice-over): Flying into a fifth time, the war of Putin's nuclear capable strategic bomber almost as loud as the propaganda machine propelling him forward.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (Interpreted): Vladimir Putin on board the most powerful, the biggest, the fastest strategic bomber.
[08:45:00]
SEBASTIAN (voice-over): This is Putin's desired pre-election image, strong, vigorous, calling the shots in his so-called special military operation and letting his chief propagandist's campaign on his behalf on state TV.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (Interpreted): He works until late, late at night, starts again in the morning. I just want to say thank you to him, to our President.
SEBASTIAN: As we get closer to elections in Russia in March, we're seeing more and more of this more obvious propaganda. But, there are also slightly more subtle tactics at play. And the most prominent of those is the constant scapegoating or even outright trolling of the U.S. One popular talk show played this split screen on a loop, Putin boarding his bomber, Biden tripping up the steps of Air Force One. News reports on the war in Ukraine regularly showing off the wreckage of Western weapons. There is even a discarded starling cantenna.
Boris Akunin, one of Russia's most popular modern authors, says the West needs to take note of this.
BORIS AKUNIN, RUSSIAN WRITER: Putin benefits from this picture of the outside world as something hostile so that people would unite around him. When the war started, a lot of Russians start emigrated. Then they met with hostility. A lot of them had to return. And every single case has been used by Putin's propaganda to strengthen this idea that we are together. We are a besieged camp.
SEBASTIAN (voice-over): Alexei Navalny knew how to get around Putin's propaganda machine and its long-standing policy of ignoring him. From this cramped Moscow headquarters, which I visited in 2017, he and his colleagues beamed their message to millions of Russians by YouTube. And yet, his death was something state media temporarily found itself unable to ignore, first discrediting his legacy --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (Interpreted): He was a Nazi.
SEBASTIAN (voice-over): -- then blaming the West.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (Interpreted): For them, this is excellent timing. We have elections coming up. Support for President is off the charts.
SEBASTIAN (voice-over): Finally, turning on his widow, Yulia.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (Interpreted): We looked at the life of the queen of the opposition, during the time he was in prison.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (Interpreted): Two hours after the news of the death of her husband, the wife emerges all made up. Listen, the girls will understand me, even her mascara didn't run. How do you manage that?
SEBASTIAN (voice-over): For Akunin, Navalny's death is more than just a propaganda challenge. It signals propaganda may now be taking a backseat to a much blunter instrument of control, outright repression.
AKUNIN: By killing Alexei Navalny, they lost the last chance of trying to pretend that they were legal dissent, law-abiding. Intimidation is now going to be the main instrument.
SEBASTIAN (voice-over): Clare Sebastian, CNN, London.
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HILL: Now, the Kremlin has called accusations that Russian authorities were behind Navalny's death "unfounded". Navalny's spokeswoman says the official cause of death on his medical report seen by his mother was "natural causes".
It is day three of China's biggest political gathering of the year, and the topics returning to foreign affairs with wars in Gaza and Ukraine as well as U.S. relations all in focus, as Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with reporters during the National People's Congress a short time ago. He also addressed Taiwan and tensions in the South China Sea, as well as China's struggling economy remains a big talking point.
Still to come this hour, scientists again sounding the alarm over climate change. What they found when it comes to these record-setting temperatures, warming, both sea and land?
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[08:50:00]
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HILL: A new study shows dozens of U.S. coastal cities are sinking at alarming rates. Take a look at this map. You'll see in red there the cities that are sinking the fastest. The analysis showed the 32 coastal cities studied were far more vulnerable to devastating floods than previously thought, particularly those, as you just saw there, along the Gulf of Mexico, followed by, as we see here, those along the East Coast of the United States. The study in the journal "Nature" says nearly 1,400 square kilometers of land, that's an area a little less than the size of London, could be exposed to destructive floods by 2050. Climate scientists say last month was the world's hottest February on record, more than 1.7 degrees Celsius warmer than pre- industrial levels. And ocean temperatures were also the highest on record.
CNN's Chad Myers has more.
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CHAD MYERS, CNN WEATHER CORRESPONDENT: According to the very latest press release from Copernicus Climate Change Service, February of 2024 globally was the warmest February on record, and really to no surprise. It was 1.77 degrees C above pre-industrial levels. And in fact, there were some days at the beginning of February that were more than two degrees C above normal globally. Again, we're talking land and sea and all that. And look at this. This is the warmest sea surface temperatures we have ever experienced here. Like how big of a gap that is too. It's like 0.2 degrees higher than any time we've ever seen that we've been measuring ocean surface temperatures.
Something that's disturbing for the Atlantic hurricane season is this big red area here, the warmest on record for this time of year for that eastern part of the Atlantic. It is so warm that there was a very rare tropical system that moved into Brazil over their summertime, of course, but still very rare for that to happen. Moving farther on down to the South, because we know this is southern hemisphere summer, we did have a near record for Antarctic Sea ice, a near record low, but not quite, still about the third lowest. But, look how close that was to the bottom of this scale. So, not much ice down there either. And now, with sunshine, the Northern Hemisphere is starting to heat up as well.
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HILL: Is it really something. Plus, a marine heatwave, we should point out, is also breaking temperature records. As of Tuesday, sea surface temperatures from the North Atlantic Ocean have now set daily highs for an entire year. Experts say the warm waters are here to stay until at least September. Those balmy waters are more typical of summer in the North Atlantic and of course that could mean an earlier and more extreme hurricane season.
Well, it turns out humans are not the only species to enjoy a popular tourist spot. The Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas had to briefly pause its famous fountain show on Tuesday when a rare bird was spotted taking a little dip in the water. The yellow-billed loon is a migratory bird that's generally associated with coastal regions, not the desert, according to wildlife officials. Biologists were able to safely capture the fair-feathered tourist the next day and then sent it to a more suitable quieter location. Officials say the juvenile bird did appear to be in good health, apparently did not put in any request for the next Bellagio fountain show.
[08:55:00]
Well, she has the honor of damehood, an Academy Award, and now her very own Barbie doll. Actress Helen Mirren, look at this, the latest have a Barbie created in her likeness. The doll features the same look that Mirren down on the red carpet at last year's Cannes Film Festival. She is holding the Oscar she went for her role in the 2006 movie "The Queen".
The star who narrated the hit film Barbie has said that she was blown away by the doll. Toymaker Mattel created it for her as part of a series of eight to mark International Women's Day, which of course is tomorrow, Friday. Other stars receiving their own dolls includes, you see them there, Kylie Minogue, Viola Davis, and Shania Twain.
Thanks so much for joining me this hour on CNN Newsroom. I'm Erica Hill in New York. Be sure to stay with CNN for full coverage of tonight's State of the Union address from Washington, D.C. For now, though, Connect the World with Becky Anderson is up next.
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