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Trump And Biden Spar Dueling Events In Battleground Georgia; Biden Approved Operation For U.S. Embassy Evacuations From Haiti; First U.S. Equipment To Build Temporary Gaza Aid Port Now En Route; Harry And Meghan Visit Family Of Uvalde Shooting Victim; Eagles Creating Jobs For Disabled; Sinema, Romney And Manchin Retiring; 96th Oscars Tonight. Aired 4-5p ET
Aired March 10, 2024 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[16:00:00]
JESSICA DEAN, CNN HOST: We appreciate it.
Take a look at this jaw-dropping footage from a GoPro camera.
Thankfully he was not hurt, which is kind of amazing. After a terrifying drop into a hidden waterfall, John Toms was skiing around the mountains in Japan last week. He tumbled 20 feet down into a natural hot spring. The New Zealand man was able to climb out with the help of his skis.
Hi, everyone. And thanks so much for joining me this afternoon. I'm Jessica Dean in for Fredricka Whitfield.
And Americans now have a clearer view of what the 2024 race for the White House will look like. This weekend President Biden and former president Trump traded sharp jabs at dueling rallies in the battleground state of Georgia, which holds its primaries on Tuesday. Biden won Georgia in 2020 by about 12,000 votes.
And the state will once again be key to winning the White House in November. Trump used his rally to mock Biden's State of the Union speech.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Two nights ago, we all heard crooked Joe's angry, dark, hate-filled rant of his State of the Union address. Wasn't it -- didn't it bring us together? Bring the country to -- together? I'm going to bring it together.
(LAUGHTER)
TRUMP: It's not an age thing. It's a competence thing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DEAN: CNN White House reporter Priscilla Alvarez is joining us now.
And Priscilla, you were at Biden's rally on Saturday in Georgia. What is his message now as this general election gets underway?
PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Jessica. And really these two dueling rallies provided a window as to what the next few months are going to be as President Biden ramps up his attacks on former president Donald Trump and in doing so, the president touched on multiple themes, but the most prominent of them all was protecting democracy.
The president launched his reelection campaign on that issue. And he kicked off his remarks yesterday talking about the former president's coziness with authoritarian regimes and using that to draw a stark contrast with his rival. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: My lifetime has taught me to embrace the future of freedom and democracy. And Trump and I have a very different value set of it. An obvious already. Mine is based on core values that have defined America and the rest of the world looks at us that way. Decency, honestly, fairness, equality.
But we all know Donald Trump sees a different America. An American story of resentment, revenge and retribution. That's not me. That's not you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ALVAREZ: Now all of this is part of the argument that the president is trying to make about the stakes of this election. And look, in talking to voters before the event and also after the event, this was an issue that really does resonate with them among a host of others, including reproductive rights, lowering healthcare costs and student loan relief, all of which the president talked about and talked about forcefully in his remarks yesterday.
But he also faces a reality on the trail and that is hecklers who are protesting the way the administration is responding to Gaza and the Israel-Hamas war. And the campaign is well aware of this. The president himself acknowledged that Palestinians are being, quote, "unfairly victimized" but it is again another demonstration of what the president needs to navigate as he hits the trail this week where he goes to New Hampshire, Wisconsin, and Michigan.
But the president also clearly trying to capitalize on his State of the Union address. That really got the crowd going. They erupted into cheers whenever it was mentioned and the campaign tells CNN that in the 24 hours after the State of the Union, they raised $10 million. So they're going to continue to try to capitalize on this momentum in the days to come. as the president and the vice president hit multiple battleground states.
DEAN: All right. Priscilla Alvarez for us. Thanks so much for that reporting.
At Trump's first rally since emerging as the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, the former president focused a lot of his speech on Biden's handling of the border. He also attacked Biden for what he had to say about the alleged killer of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Joe Biden went on television and apologized for calling Laken's murderer an illegal. He didn't want to call him illegal. He apologized.
(CROWD BOOING)
TRUMP: He said he should have called him an undocumented not an illegal. Anyone I do apologize. Joe Biden has no remorse. He's got no regret. He's got no empathy, no compassion or worst of all, he has no intention of stopping the deadly invasion that stole precious Laken's beautiful American life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[16:05:14]
DEAN: Today, Georgia Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock criticized Trump for politicizing Riley's death and blamed the former president for the failure of a bipartisan border bill.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. RAPHAEL WARNOCK (D-GA): It's unfortunate that in this moment of grief, there are those who are trying to score cheap political points. The border must be secured. We know this. There's agreement about that on both sides, which is why we had a bipartisan piece of legislation before us, just a matter of weeks ago. And the fact that they are those who walked away from this bipartisan legislation, or at least a chance to debate it, and now they're trying to score political points in the wake of a young woman's death? That is craven politics at its worse. It's what turns people away from politics. And I think we can do much better than that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DEAN: During President Biden's State of the Union address, he did call on Congress to send him a border bill.
New details now about another breaking story that we are following this out of Haiti, where we're learning President Biden approved the operation to get non-essential personnel out of the U.S. embassy. A spokesperson telling CNN the president is deeply concerned about the situation on the ground there. Those evacuations come amid worsening violence gripping the island nation.
CNN's Patrick Oppmann has more details for us.
Patrick, what are you learning?
PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, certainly a dramatic evacuation of that nonessential personnel. The U.S. diplomats, they were taken overnight by military helicopter from Port-au-Prince as well security was brought in, presumably U.S. Marines to help shore up the security at the embassy. And it just speaks to the difficult situation the diplomats and NGOs that are on the ground are facing. More diplomats and some NGOs are also evacuating personnel today.
And, you know, certainly these diplomats and others have been working for aid organizations are no stranger to the danger -- to the deadly circumstances that have been present in Haiti for years. But you have seen such an escalation in the last week that has closed the airport, that has closed other parts of Port-au-Prince that has led to demonstrations outside embassies that have turned violent.
And so very clearly the U.S. embassy, well, it says its embassy in Haiti will remain open. They are trying to lower the footprint, the number of diplomats who were there, the number of diplomats that are in currently exposed to danger. And so that is why they've taken this unusual step of evacuating them by military helicopter to get them out of harm's way.
DEAN: And so much of this violence, Patrick, is really concentrated in the capital. What are you hearing about that?
OPPMANN: What's really new here is that these gangs that already controlled much of the capital, but often fought each other as well as the government. And now what we're seeing is these gangs working together in a way that we really haven't in the past, and attacking a key spots like that, the presidential palace. Like the Port-au-Prince airport, which they managed to close for the last week after planes were shot at and some planes actually bullet damage to them.
And so it's an escalation in the country that has been wracked by gang violence for far too long. And this prevented the prime minister of Haiti, Ariel Henry, from returning. He was abroad trying to finalize a deal with the government of Kenya to bring in about 1,000 troops to help quell the gang violence. And now as a result, he is unable to return to his own country.
DEAN: All right. Patrick Oppmann with the latest from Havana. Thanks so much for that reporting. We appreciate it.
A quick programming note for you. What do rising tensions between China and Taiwan mean for the U.S.? Fareed Zakaria presents an in- depth look in the new special "TAIWAN: UNFINISHED BUSINESS." It's tonight at 8:00 right here on CNN.
Still to come this afternoon, U.S. equipment to start building a temporary port for aid in Gaza is now on its way as aid agencies warn a growing number of people are dying from starvation. Our team is live in the region.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[16:14:23]
DEAN: New this afternoon, a ship carrying aid for Gaza is expected to leave nearby Cyprus soon. Several countries, including the U.S., are behind that aid shipment. And for now, no one is saying exactly where that ship will land for security concerns. Also day some of the equipment to build a temporary port for aid is now on its way. The U.S. has pledged to build that structure to help get more assistance into Gaza.
The U.S. and other countries also continuing to airdrop bundles of food. The latest drops happening earlier today.
CNN's Scott McLean is following the developments from Istanbul.
Scott, what more do we know first about this ship?
[16:15:05]
SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Jessica. Yes. So as you mentioned, it is supposed to leave -- well, according to the Cypriot president at some point today. We don't have any official confirmation that it's actually left or when it might leave from the port of Larnaca. But as you've mentioned, all of this is being held pretty tightly under wraps for security concerns. We don't even know exactly where in Gaza that ship is going to try to offload its cargo.
The ship itself is not that big also. We're talking about a ship that is less than 120 feet long and so limited capacity for cargo, but it will also tow a small barge behind it. And it's carrying just the essentials. We're talking about rice, flour, beans, lentils, canned goods, things like that. The real basics that people need to survive because of course that is the situation that people are facing in Gaza. They need just the basics to get by.
It is being organized by World Central Kitchen. Obviously they're active in disaster zones in the United States, war zones and other disaster zones across the world, and they're getting help from an NGO called Open Arms. The reason being is because they have the ship. This ship is normally used to rescue migrants in the Mediterranean. Now it's being used for very different tasks, but there are still a lot of question marks.
What we have been told is that the plan is to build a jetty in Gaza where the ship will arrive and then it will be offloaded by crane. But again, how long it will need to be, what it will be made of all active question marks. And of course this is happening in an active war zone, so no shortage of complications. And the reason for the security is not only the war, but also the fact that you have desperate people there who might understandably tried get to that aid as quickly as possible, maybe even get on the ship.
And this is all being organized by civilians and so a lot of people will be watching closely how this might work. This is separate, completely separate from the U.S. effort also to build that floating pier, Jessica. That effort could take a month or two. Something that the Israelis say that they welcomed, but of course it's worth noting that all of this could be avoided if Israel would simply allow more aid to get into Gaza much, much quicker.
DEAN: All right. Scott McLean for us in Istanbul. Thanks so much for that reporting. We appreciate it.
And let's get more on negotiations for some kind of deal between Hamas and Israel. With us now is Barak Ravid. He's a CNN political and global affairs analysts. He's also a politics and foreign policy reporter for Axios.
Barak, thanks so much for being here with us. You have some new reporting out today, talking about the state of the talks and also President Biden trying to maneuver both his relationship with Benjamin Netanyahu and also sticking with Israel and its fight against Hamas, but breaking with Netanyahu and his war strategy. Tell us what you're learning.
BARAK RAVID, CNN POLITICAL AND GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: So I think first and foremost the talks are still ongoing. CIA director Bill Burns was in the region until yesterday, met with the Israelis, met with the Qataris, met with the Egyptians. And in trying to somehow break the logjam in those talks, because both sides, Hamas and Israel, claim that the other side is the one who is interfering with the talks and who's responsible for the stalemate.
And until now, it doesn't seem that CIA director or the Qatari and Egyptian mediators managed to somehow move this thing forward.
DEAN: And so what does that mean now as we are right about to start Ramadan in the next 24 hours? They had hoped to have this deal in place by now. The Israeli government has said if it's not in place, they're going to move forward with this operation in Rafah. What happens now?
RAVID: I think that's a big problem because the entire U.S. strategy for where we go from here in the war was based on this hostage deal, that there will be hostage deal, then six-week ceasefire, and, you know, the U.S. wanted to build up on that from, you know, on the way forward, maybe some sort of real regional arrangements day after in Gaza, reconstruction as some sort of entity that could replace Hamas in Gaza.
All of that is not moving because you don't have a hostage deal. And I think that this is a really big problem, not only for the U.S., but also for Israel and for the mediators because as long as there's no hostage deal it's either a stalemate in the war because right now Israel is not really moving anywhere in Gaza. It has soldiers there, but it doesn't get any military achievement. And then, you know, the next step could be an operation in Rafah.
This is something Joe Biden said just yesterday is a red line. And if Israel chooses to continue on down this path of an operation in Rafah, this is -- this will be a watershed moment of a real explosion between the U.S. and Israel.
[16:20:08]
DEAN: And to that end, President Biden, it appears to be going kind of around the Israeli prime minister, dropping this aid into Gaza, pledging to build the jetty to get the aid in from the marine corridor. What does it tell us about their relationship that Biden is now circumventing him while at the same time fighting for aid for Israel, for military aid for Israel in Congress?
RAVID: Yes, I think that's Biden's current strategy to break with Netanyahu and stick with Israel. It's a very tricky maneuver because at the end of the day, Benjamin Netanyahu is the elected prime minister. It's not that he's like this outsider that, you know, took control of the country. OK. And although 80 percent of Israelis want Netanyahu to resign, it is still problematic for U.S. president to say, OK, I'm circumventing him, but in practice, this is what Joe Biden is doing.
In an interview on MSNBC yesterday, he even raised the possibility of going to the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, and giving a speech the same way that Netanyahu did in 2015 that he went and gave a speech in Congress above the head of then-President Obama. So I think the relationship between Biden and Netanyahu are going to a very bad place. They're in collision course. And if Netanyahu doesn't change his policies in the near future, we will see this explosion between the two of them.
DEAN: Yes. Barack Ravid, thanks so much for your reporting. Nice to see you. We appreciate it
RAVID: Thank you. Thanks.
DEAN: Protesters upset about the situation in Gaza gathered outside the opening ceremony for the National Holocaust Museum in Amsterdam today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTER: Say it clear.
UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTERS: Say it loud, say it clear.
UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTER: We don't want the Zionists here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DEAN: Israeli President Isaac Herzog was there as demonstrators chanted never again is now. They were also demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Some of the demonstrators were seen holding signs that read "Jews Against Genocide."
Still to come, a royal visit for a family in Uvalde, Texas. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's moment with the family of one of the victims of the Robb Elementary School shooting.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[16:26:50]
DEAN: It is Mother's Day in the U.K. and new today people there got a special Mother's Day message from the royal family. For the first time since undergoing abdominal surgery in January, Catherine, princess of Wales, was pictured in an official capacity. You see her there surrounded by her three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis. In a post on Instagram. Princess Kate said, "Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the last two months. Wishing everyone a Happy Mother's Day."
Meantime, Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, were in Uvalde, Texas, Saturday to visit the family of a victim in the Robb Elementary School mass shooting with whom they formed a special relationship.
Joining us now CNN national correspondent Camila Bernal.
Camila, tell us about this visit?
CAMILA BERNAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Jess. So the family says that this was a beautiful experience and said that both Harry and Meghan spoke at length with the children of Irma and Joe Garcia. Now Irma Garcia was a teacher for 23 years before she was shot and killed during that Robb Elementary School shooting. She was one of the two teachers and 19 children that were killed that day. And unfortunately for this family, Joe Garcia, her husband, died just two days later of a heart attack.
So it's been very difficult for this family, but the family also saying that they have been in touch with Harry and Meghan since this attack. They've created this bond. And so CNN spoke to Irma Garcia's nephew, John Martinez, who said that it was Meghan who called his mother to tell her that she was coming. This was after a South by Southwest appearance where Meghan spoke at the conference and she came to the home and surprised Claudia Martinez, who is Irma's sister with a birthday cake.
They obviously singing happy birthday together. But as I mentioned, the most important thing here was that she spoke to or they spoke to Joe and Irma's children and talked about their future and their goals. And the families saying that they were humble, that they were down to earth. They are compassionate. And you know, they have offered support to this family and others. Meghan had already been to Uvalde and a spokesperson for her had said that she'd gotten a personal capacity to offer condolences and to just show her support.
And it's support that these families really need after a very difficult week. You know, last week, an independent investigator cleared local police officers of wrongdoing essentially saying they've done nothing wrong. This is after the Department of Justice and other agencies had agreed that there was a disastrous law enforcement response in this shooting. So a lot of the families of the victims just incredibly upset and saying they're going to continue fighting for their children, for these victims, and for justice -- Jess.
DEAN: All right. Camila Bernal for us, thanks so much for that reporting.
BERNAL: Thank you.
DEAN: The Philadelphia Eagles are part of a special partnership with a non-profit business dedicated to improving the livelihoods of people with autism and developmental disabilities.
As CNN's Danny Freeman reports, it all started with making popcorn.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DANNY FREEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is the story of a kernel of an idea. That just popped.
Did you ever expect that you would be making a whole business making popcorn?
[16:30:08]
SAM BIER, CO-FOUNDER, POPCORN FOR THE PEOPLE: Oh, no, definitely not. I never thought this dream could come that true.
FREEMAN: Thirty-three-year-old Sam Bier is on the autism spectrum. And, for years, according to his dad, Dr. Steven Beer, Sam had trouble finding a job that fit.
DR. STEVEN BIER, CO-FOUNDER, POPCORN FOR THE PEOPLE: Sam was working a job pushing shopping carts during the summer at a -- at a supermarket, and he wasn't very happy. It wasn't very fulfilling.
FREEMAN: So, the Bier family thought, why not create our own business?
STEVEN BIER: It's not seasonal. It's not a fad. It's not dangerous to make. No knives. Sam, how would you like to make popcorn?
FREEMAN: Soon after, Popcorn for the People was born, a non-profit selling the tasty snack, handmade by people with autism and developmental disabilities.
SAM BIER: I think this place can help people get the tools they need to send to another business. Help give the confidence, the optimism, the endurance. I think that's what it means.
FREEMAN: There's very little data, when it comes to employment and the neurodiverse community. But a 2015 report from Drexel Universities Autism Institute found that four out of every 10 young adults on the autism spectrum have never had a paying job. That's a much lower rate than young adults with other disabilities.
But Popcorn for the People has 39 neurodiverse employees here in their modest New Jersey workplace.
STEVEN BIER: Many people who work here never had a job before.
FREEMAN: Pop by pop, business grew, selling popcorn at college football games, on the Jersey Turnpike. And then, word spreads South.
CROWD: Eagles, Eagles.
JEFFREY LURIE, OWNER, PHILADELPHA EAGLES: Our collective effort --
FREEMAN: Jeffrey Lurie, the Owner of the Philadelphia Eagles, has a brother on the autism spectrum. For years, the Eagles have made autism research and care a core priority. Last season, they even set up a Popcorn for the People stand.
RYAN HAMMOND, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, EAGLES AUTISM FOUNDATION: I mean, who loves popcorn? Everyone, right?
FREEMAN: But Eagles Autism Foundation's Ryan Hammond knows good paying jobs are crucial for this community.
HAMMOND: I think people think it's hard, right? Or it's going to cost them money, or cost them time, or cost them uncomfortable conversations. I think the reality is that the nor (ph) diverse community as so much to offer.
FREEMAN: So, when she learned Philly area convenience store, Wawa, had an empty shop they didn't know what to do with.
HAMMOND: Without hesitation, I was, like, I would open and popcorn factory.
FREEMAN (on camera): When did you realize, oh man, this is a great idea?
DAVE SIMONETTI: The second we heard it.
FREEMAN (voice-over): Dave Simonetti is the senior director of store operations for Wawa. His stores already employed more than 500 neurodiverse people. Simonetti's daughter has Down Syndrome.
SIMINETTI: Well, my daughter is only 12, but I like the idea that she's going to have choices when she gets out of school. And she will have things available to her that maybe didn't exist 10 or 20 years ago, because of the work that folks like Popcorn are doing.
CROWD: We do --
FREEMAN: Less than a year here after the Eagles and Wawa came together to hatch this plan, a new Popcorn for the People factory was born. This one on Philadelphia's famous South Street, plans to make so 10s of thousands more bags of popcorn and hire 25 more neurodiverse employees, like 23-year-old Jarred.
(on camera): Have you tasted the popcorn?
JARRED SLOMINE, FUTURE EMPLOYEE, POPCORN FOR THE PEOPLE: Oh, yes, I've eaten the caramel. It tastes really good.
FREEMAN: Kylie Kelce, known as the first lady of Philadelphia, and is married to retiring Eagles' star center, Jason Kelce, is a passionate advocate for the autism community.
KYLIE KELCE, WIFE, JASON KELCE: To see something, like Popcorn for the People, who is encouraging those employment opportunities and allowing the autism community to find that independence, to find, sort of, that pride in their own work and earn their own paycheck. It's such a joy to say. FREEMAN: The hope now is others will take this kernel of an idea and
create more poppertunities.
STEVEN BIER: It's literally a non-profit version of the American dream. We wanted to create one job from my son. Did that. And then, another job, and another job, and another job. It's amazing.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DEAN: Danny Freeman for us in Philadelphia. Thanks so much.
Still to come, there are fewer Senate moderates running for reelection. We're going to take a look at the reasons behind that. What but it could mean for bipartisanship in Congress. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[16:39:06]
DEAN: Just in to CNN. A Sacramento hospital is reaching out to about 300 people who may have been exposed to the Measles. Last Tuesday, a child went to the emergency room at U.C. Davis Medical Center after traveling out of the country.
That child was later treated for the contagious respiratory illness. According to the CDC, dozens of cases of the measles have been reported in 17 states since the start of the year.
This past week, Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema announced she will not be running for reelection this year. She switched from the Democratic Party to becoming an independent in 2022, but has decided to retire from the Senate, at age 47, having served her one term.
With her departure, she becomes just the latest moderate to exit the Senate, following the retirement of West Virginia Democrat Joe Manchin and Utah Republican Mitt Romney. The exits of these so-called centrist are raising questions about the future of bipartisanship in the Senate.
[16:40:00]
DEAN: I'm joined now by Stephen Neukam, Congressional Reporter for Axios. Stephen, great to see you. Thanks for being with us this afternoon.
Your colleague at Axios wrote a piece this week titled "Centrist Extinction Looms as Sinema, Manchin, Romney Call it Quits." Help people understand the role that those three people, specifically, play and why are their departures a concern for people who are focused on bipartisan legislation?
STEPHEN NEUKAM, CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER, AXIOS: Yes, certainly. First of all, thanks for having me. Look, Kyrsten Sinema, Joe Manchin, Mitt Romney, these are folks who, within their own party over the last few years, have become increasingly unpopular. Kyrsten Sinema, like you said, left the Democratic Party last year, in actually 2022. But they were key in getting, over the last even few decades, with Mr. Manchin and Mr. Romney, in getting huge bipartisan legislation through the Senate. Kyrsten Sinema was instrumental in some of the Biden Administration's key legislative victories over the last few years, including the Inflation Reduction Act, and just massive pieces of legislation.
So, the concern is not only the fact that they're leaving for people who are worried about bipartisanship, but also, you know, who they're going to be replaced by.
DEAN: Right. And I want to play a clip from Senator Sinema's video where she announced that she was not going to run. Here's what she had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. KYRSTEN SINEMA (I), ARIZONA: In 2017, I warn we were approaching a crossroads. Our democracy was weakened by government dysfunction and the constant pull to the extremes by both political parties. We've arrived at that crossroad, and we chose anger and division.
I believe in my approach, but it's not what America wants right now. Because I choose civility, understanding, listening, working together to get stuff done, I will leave the Senate at the end of this year.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DEAN: I interviewed her right after her Bipartisan Border Bill, that she crafted with others. With James Lankford and others. It was killed, mostly because President Trump called Republicans and told them to kill it. And she was so very, very frustrated by the whole thing. And she said it's just not a place where -- you know, for serious business anymore.
You mentioned the people that may be replacing some of these senators. What could that mean, in terms of getting things done and the polarization that we've seen grip the House? But has -- the Senate has always, kind of, held itself up to be the more mature functioning, you know, side of the -- of Capitol Hill.
NEUKAM: Yes. Well, in Senator Sinema's case, we can, sort of, use her as a case study. The battle to replace her that's going on in Arizona right now, on the Republican side, you have Kari Lake, who is a Trump ally.
Sort of aggressively pushed claims that former President Trump won the 2020 election, and that it was stolen from him. Still, to this day, claims that she did not lose her 2020 gubernatorial bid to take Katie Hobbs in Arizona.
And then, on the Democratic side, you have somebody who is, you know, way more progressive than Kyrsten Sinema, Ruben Gallego -- Congressman Ruben Gallego.
So, whoever replaces Kyrsten Sinema in the Senate, and we can, sort of, use this as sort of a case study, is going to be either way further to the left or way further to the right than Senator Sinema. And may not be as willing as Senator Sinema was to compromise on major pieces of legislation to make sure that they get to the president's desk, no matter who that president may be.
DEAN: And I, lastly, just want to ask you about the filibuster because Sinema and Manchin or two holdouts on ending the Senate filibuster. On the Republican side, Senate Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell, ignored Trump's pleas, when Trump was in office, to gut the filibuster.
And then, told him that the votes didn't exist. Mitch McConnell, of course, going to step down as leader. Not leaving the Senate but stepping down.
What do you think these kinds of changes could mean for the filibuster going forward?
NEUKAM: Yes, we had Kari Lake on Capitol Hill last week, and we asked her, explicitly, if she would protect the filibuster and she said yes. And -- but we know candidates say things on the campaign trail that they don't mean, once they are elected and in office.
And there's going to be an appetite on both sides of the aisle to -- at least with some, to get rid of the filibuster. To ram through their agenda in 2025 and beyond.
And we're going to have to see if there will be enough folks who are willing to protect the filibuster, like Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin were willing to do.
DEAN: Yes, we will see what 2024 brings us in the fall. Stephen Neukam, thanks so much for being with us. We appreciate it.
[16:45:00]
NEUKAM: Thanks for having me.
DEAN: We are now just hours away from the Oscars. We're going to take you live to the Red Carpet for Hollywood's biggest night, when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
DEAN: Well, the wait for the 96th Academy Awards is just about over. Hollywood A-Listers are beginning to arrive at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
[16:50:00]
DEAN: While Barbie-Heimer broke records at the box office, racking up a combined 19 nominations between "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer." The question is, who will take home the Oscar?
Joining us now from the Red Carpet is CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister. Elizabeth, what's the mood like? It's a lot busier than when we last saw you. ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: It certainly is. The Red Carpet has really filled up. The show starts an hour earlier this year, which means that the stars are arriving earlier this year.
And, as you see right behind me, it is jam packed. We just spoke to Wolfgang Puck, who prepares all of the food for the stars tonight. He tells us he has made 5,000 chocolate Oscars.
But there's a lot more going on tonight, other than food, so let's take a look at what we can expect.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WAGMEISTER: If there's one Oscar this year --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oppenheimer.
WAGMEISTER: -- it would be Oppenheimer losing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because this is the most important thing that ever happened in the history of the world.
WAGMEISTER: The nuclear war epic has won all the leading indicators ahead of the Academy Awards.
LISA FRANCE, CNN ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER: It just stands to reason that it's also going to do equally well at the Academy Awards. These are the same voters. They had the same feelings.
WAGMEISTER: "Oppenheimer's" Robert Downey Jr. also won major precursor awards for best supporting actor, setting him up for his first ever Oscar win. Among his competition, veterans, like Robert De Niro for "Killers of the Flower Moon," Ryan Gosling in "Barbie," and Sterling K. Brown in "American Fiction."
(on camera): You are a first-time Oscar nominee. How does that feel?
STERLING K. BROWN, NOMINEE, BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Awesome. A little surreal.
WAGMEISTER (voice-over): If you're looking for possible upsets, pay attention to the best actress in a leading role race.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why did you come here?
WAGMEISTER: Lily gladstone is favored to become the first Native American person to win in her category, after taking home the Sag Award. But Poor Things, Emma Stone won the BAFTA, the British Oscar, a leading indicator of what international voters thing.
FRANCE: International voters have a tendency (ph) to be a little bit different from American voters. This year, they have a record-breaking 93 countries in which they have voters that are voting from those countries. So, that might tip the scales. HARI NEF, ACTRESS: This is the best day ever.
MARGOT ROBBIE, ACTRESS: It is the best day ever.
WAGMEISTER: "Barbie" topped the box office.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Great for Greta. Great for women.
WAGMEISTER: But fans that might want to prepare for a rough Oscars with Greta Gerwig overlooked for best director and Margot Robbie not nominated for best actress.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What was I made for?
WAGMEISTER: Best song for Billie Eilish, an adapted screenplay, are its best chances for high profile Oscar Gold.
OPRAH WINFRAY, ACTRESS: That to be in the room, that's the biggest deal ever.
WAGMEISTER: Oprah's "The Color Purple" also left out, after missing a best picture nomination.
DANIELLE BROOKS, ACTRESS: I wish we had a little more. I'm not going to lie.
WAGMEISTER: The hopes rest with Danielle Brooks for best supporting actress.
BROOKS: I feel like the lone wolf, and I'm just fighting for just not myself but for everyone.
JIMMY KIMMEL, HOST, "JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE": And I assumed that we'd never do it again.
WAGMEISTER: Jimmy Kimmel returns to host the Oscars for a fourth time. He tells CNN the new start time has him reminding the public to tune in one hour earlier this year.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Does that mean we're still going to try to keep it within three hours?
KIMMEL: The show will be starting an hour early and ending just as late as ever.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WAGMEISTER (live): As you see in Jimmy Kimmel, even joking with us in his interview. So, we can expect some big jokes on stage.
When we interviewed Jimmy, he said that he is going to be writing, along with his team of writers, up until the very moment. So, he had his monologue prepared but he might throw some things in there that will even surprise him and definitely us at home.
DEAN: That'll be fine. What else are we watching for? Ryan Gosling is singing tonight, right?
WAGMEISTER: Yes, he is. And that should be one of the big standout moments of the night. Ryan Gosling, who of course played Ken in "Barbie" will be performing his hit single, "I'm Just Ken." He's one of five performances that we will see tonight.
You know, in the original song category, Billie Eilish is expected to win for "Barbie." But, as we said, I think it's going to be a tough night for "Barbie." But it will be an exciting night for "Oppenheimer."
But, as you know, there's always surprises at the Oscars. So, even though were predicting now that "Oppenheimer" will be the big winner, you truly never know what's going to happen on that stage.
DEAN: Yes, are there any upsets? If you had to handicap one, is there one area or one category that people are keeping their eyes on?
WAGMEISTER: Absolutely. So, the category of a lead actress, Lily Gladstone is favored to win. But I think there's a good chance that Emma Stone, for "Poor Things," can win. "Poor Things" has 11 nominations. It really is a favorite of the academy.
And also, there's a film called "The Zone of Interest." It's a holocaust film. It's incredibly powerful. It's nominated for best picture, also best director with Jonathan Glazer. That has gotten a lot of buzz in the final stage of voting. So, don't be surprised if you hear that film also wins some unexpected awards tonight.
[16:55:00]
DEAN: And then, lastly, Elizabeth, give us kind of a vibe check of the Red Carpet there. Because we hear all the people behind you, and we're watching some of the stars here that are arriving. Who are you seeing and who's getting a lot of buzz?
WAGMEISTER: You know, it is really very crowded here. As you can see, there's people everywhere. Vanessa Hudgens actually stepped out a few minutes ago, and she debuted her baby bump. Her big pregnancy reveal.
As I said, Wolfgang Puck, who previewed the menu to us. I've got to tell you, the big stars, they usually wait until the last 30 minutes, maybe 40 minutes, to arrive.
So, were keeping an eye for all the A-Listers. But all the producers, directors, screen writers, they're here right now. And it is very crowded so it is going to be a great, jam-packed night.
DEAN: All right, Elizabeth Wagmeister for us on the Red Carpet at the Oscars. Thanks so much. Good to see you.
And thank you for joining me today. I'm Jessica Dean. CNN NEWSROOM continues with Erica Hill, after a quick break.
