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New Audio of Samuel Alito Emerges; Russian Navy Ships Arrive in Cuba; Hezbollah Reportedly Firing Rockets Into Israel; Interview With Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL). Aired 11-11:30a ET

Aired June 12, 2024 - 11:00   ET

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

[11:00:23]

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: We're following breaking news this hour, a group of Russian navy ships, including a nuclear-powered submarine, arriving in Cuba just 90 miles from Florida, as tensions grow between Russia and the West over Ukraine.

And America's top diplomat, Tony Blinken, questioning whether Hamas is -- quote -- "proceeding in good faith" amid Gaza cease-fire negotiations. He just wrapped up a critical Mideast visit.

And President Biden is back on the world stage. He's headed to Italy right now for a highly anticipated summit with world leaders one day after his son's conviction.

Hello. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington, and you're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

We begin this hour with a dramatic escalation of tensions in the Middle East. Israel's military says Iranian-backed Hezbollah forces have fired at least 200 rockets into Northern Israel today. No injuries are reported, not yet. The IDF says it responded by striking the rocket launcher in Southern Lebanon and other Hezbollah targets.

This new exchange of hostilities comes as cease-fire talks between Israel and Hamas have descended into turmoil. This morning, the secretary of state, Antony Blinken, is in Qatar to meet with mediators on a plan that would end the fighting in Gaza and free the hostages who were seized back on October 7.

I want to bring in CNN's national security correspondent, Kylie Atwood.

Kylie, you're there in Doha, Qatar, where Secretary Blinken spoke just a little while ago. Update our viewers. Tell us what he said.

KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, listen, he said that Hamas came back to the table and proposed multiple changes. He said some of their proposals are workable and some of them aren't, Wolf, clearly, not a full-throated assessment that things are going incredibly well here.

Listen to the secretary's own words just in the last few hours.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: Hamas has proposed numerous changes to the proposal that was on the table. We discussed those changes last night with Egyptian colleagues and today with the prime minister.

Some of the changes are workable. Some are not.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ATWOOD: Now, he went on to say that he believes they can bridge the gaps between the two sides here, but he said that just because he believes that doesn't mean it's going to happen, Wolf.

He also expressed some frustration that Hamas put forth some positions that go beyond positions it had previously put on the table, effectively saying that they are going backwards here with what they are putting now on the table, so also questioning if Hamas is negotiating here in good faith.

But the secretary of state said that, in the coming days, they're going to be engaged in an urgent effort to try and bridge these differences between the Israelis, between Hamas. Of course, we will watch and see if they can do that with the mediators here in Qatar, also the Egyptians and U.S. officials who are intimately involved in this process.

And he also said that in the coming weeks, the U.S. and the other players in the region are going to be releasing proposals for the day- after plan for governance and for what it could look like in Gaza after this conflict is over. He said that will be necessary to push a cease-fire towards an enduring peace.

But, of course, in order to get there, you have to get a cease-fire. And we just aren't there right now.

BLITZER: Did the secretary, Kylie, say anything about the potential of a second war erupting now between Hezbollah forces in South Lebanon and Israel in the northern part of the country?

ATWOOD: Listen, he said he's incredibly concerned watching what is happening there.

U.S. officials have been concerned over the last week or 10 days on this, as they had seen the tension rise along that northern border with Israel. They have made the case that, if Israel comes to an agreement with the -- with Hamas on this proposal that's on the table, that it could really bring down the tensions in the entirety of the country.

And that would do so on the northern border as well. But there are real concerns about that turning into a second conflict, as we have seen those tensions really rise -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Kylie Atwood in Doha, Qatar, for us.

Kylie, thank you very much. I want to continue this conversation right now. Joining us,

Congressman Jared Moskowitz. He is a Democrat from Florida. He's also a key member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Congressman, thanks so much for joining us.

[11:05:00]

As you heard, Secretary of State Blinken today questioning whether Hamas is actually negotiating in good faith, but believes -- and I'm quoting him now -- "The gaps are bridgeable." That's a direct quote.

Are you optimistic, Congressman -- I know you're well plugged into all of this -- that a peace deal between Israel and Hamas can still be struck?

REP. JARED MOSKOWITZ (D-FL): Well, thanks, Wolf. Thanks for having me.

Look, I hope so. But, so far, right, there's not a lot of evidence to point to that. I think Hamas has been stringing not just the Israelis, the U.S., but the world along. If you listen to Sinwar, who is sitting 10 stories below the ground, where he's safe, I mean, he has talked about how Palestinian deaths, civilians, are a necessary sacrifice in the war.

That is the evil that we are dealing with. So I don't know that Hamas is negotiating in good faith. The Palestinians, the people in Gaza, need a cease-fire. I mean, look what they're doing. They're keeping civilians in areas that are filled -- I mean, they're keeping hostages in areas filled with civilians.

And they're doing that on purpose, right? Why? Because they just want to win the media war, at the expense of those innocent civilians. And so it's time for the world, the world, to put pressure on Hamas. All the pressure is on Israel. It's time for the world to put pressure on Hamas to agree to a cease-fire and bring this war to an end.

BLITZER: As you know, Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas, says he wants a permanent cease-fire and a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, says he's not going to do that, at least not now.

His hard-line allies in his cabinet have threatened to implode the entire coalition if he were to launch an immediate Israeli withdrawal from all of Gaza. Is a peace agreement even possible, do you think? Some of your Democratic colleagues in the House don't believe it's even possible with Netanyahu as Israel's prime minister.

MOSKOWITZ: Well, look, he's the democratically elected leader of Israel. So he's the person we have to deal with in Israel, right?

And so if they have elections there and there's somebody new, wonderful for them. But,right now, that's who we have to -- who's negotiating on their behalf. Look, Israel has agreed to the cease-fire proposed by President Biden.

So we can focus on Netanyahu all we want, but they have agreed to the cease-fire. It is Hamas who has not agreed to the cease-fire. So if the war goes on, it's because Hamas wants the war to go on. If there are more civilians that get killed in the war, it's because Hamas wants that to happen in order to sell that propaganda to America and around the world.

So the Israelis have agreed to the cease-fire as proposed by President Biden.

BLITZER: As you know, in the northern part of Israel in South Lebanon, Hezbollah is saying it's retaliating right now, launching these dozens and dozens of rockets into Northern Israel for killing one of its commanders yesterday.

At least 200 rockets in all were fired into Israel overnight. As you know, 30,000 or 50,000, maybe more, Israelis have been evacuated from Northern Israel and the Galilee elsewhere in Israel because of the dangers right now, the possibility of a full-scale war erupting.

Prime Minister Netanyahu has said Israel is prepared for strong action in the northern part of the country.

Are you worried, Congressman, that all of this could escalate into a second front of the war and potentially an even more dangerous, brutal war?

MOSKOWITZ: I am.

President Biden did a fantastic job in the very beginning sending a strong message to try to contain this. But let's be honest. Hezbollah and Iran sense an opportunity. They sense an opportunity because they see the world shunning Israel, based on the propaganda that Hamas has sold and antisemitism that exists that is being tapped into.

They see the U.N. going after Israel. They see the ICC, who has no jurisdiction, going after Israel. They see the protests on college campuses. They see the "Death to America" chants. They see the "Jews go back to Poland," right? They see the "Kill all Zionists."

They're watching everything, and they sense an opportunity. And that's why they're escalating. And it's why right now the world needs to put as much pressure on Hamas as possible to agree to a cease-fire. If we get that cease-fire, this thing that's going on between Israel and Hezbollah will tamp down.

BLITZER: And in a related development, and I know it's a subject very close to your heart, I want to turn to another story briefly while I have you, Congressman.

Last night, I don't know if this, but vandals targeted the homes of several Jewish board members of the Brooklyn Museum, including its Jewish director. They splattered the homes, as you can see there, with red paint and antisemitic symbols. The New York Police Department Hate Crimes Task Force is investigating. What's your reaction to this rising wave of antisemitism that's

connected to the Israel-Hamas war?

[11:10:06]

MOSKOWITZ: Well, I mean, look, that's the one thing that the right and the left of this country have a lot in common, and that's the hate of Jews, whether it's Nazis protesting in front of Disney World in Florida or watching students on college campuses saying "All Zionists should die" or "Go back to Poland," right, which is no different than what was chanted in Charlottesville, which is "Jews shall not replace us."

The protests in New York in front of the memorial for the Nova Festival, where hundreds of people were slaughtered, is disgusting. We would never tolerate people protesting in front of the 9/11 Memorial on behalf of Osama bin Laden.

I mean, and that's what's happening in New York City, and it's antisemitism that is growing around the country, right? We have seen this show before, right? This is never late, right? It's always blame the Jews. This has been going on for thousands of years.

But, right now, the Jewish community is at an inflection point, and we need our allies to stand with us. The Jewish community has stood with many people, many different races, ethnic backgrounds over hundreds of years fighting for things, and now we need those allies to stand up for the Jewish community, because we are being targeted not because of Israel, but because we're Jewish, period, OK?

It's disgusting. President Biden's done a great job standing up against antisemitism. My colleagues, my Republican colleagues in the House have done a good job, and so we need an all-of-government approach. We need Democrats and Republicans to stand up to the extremism in both of their parties in order to tackle this antisemitism problem.

BLITZER: And what do you say, Congressman, to some of your Jewish Democratic colleagues in the House who are very, very critical of Israel?

MOSKOWITZ: Well look, I think you can criticize a government. I think you can criticize a leader without being antisemitic. That is possible, right? You can absolutely do that.

The problem in the streets is that's not what we see, right? We don't see "Down with Netanyahu." We see "Down with Zionists." We don't see, "Netanyahu, go back to Poland." We say, "Jews go back to Poland."

It's not Jews that are conflating it. It's the people who are protesting, right? I didn't see one single college student during the protests come out and say, hey: Look, I'm here to help the Palestinians. I'm here to help free Gaza. The folks over there that want to kill all Jews, they're not with me.

I didn't see one student do that, OK? And so that's what this movement has become. This movement has become anti-Jewish. It's not become anti-Israel.

BLITZER: Congressman Jared Moskowitz of Florida, thanks so much for joining us.

MOSKOWITZ: Thanks, Wolf.

BLITZER: And still ahead this hour: This is new video just coming in from Havana, Cuba, right now, a group of Russian Navy ships, including a nuclear-powered submarine, arriving there right now.

And that's just 90 miles, by the way, from U.S. soil in Florida.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:17:50]

BLITZER: Happening now: a group of Russian naval ships has arrived at Havana Harbor for upcoming military drills with Cuba. The convoy includes three warships and a nuclear-powered submarine.

Our chief global affairs correspondent, Matthew Chance, has more on Putin's flex of military might in the Atlantic.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): These are the first images of the Russian flotilla steaming towards Cuba just 90 miles off the U.S. coast.

The Russian Defense Ministry says the strike group, including a nuclear-powered submarine, the Kazan, armed with modern Kalibr cruise missiles, is practicing the use of high-precision weapons. But it's really about Putin flexing his muscles on the international stage.

Led by the flagship of Russia's northern fleet, the Admiral Gorshkov, which Russia's Defense Ministry says is normally equipped with the latest Zircon hypersonic missiles, this is meant to deliver a powerful message to Washington.

Russian state television has been celebrating the naval deployment, placing some of Russia's most powerful vessels in Cuban waters. "The American media has been discussing the event," reports the Russian news anchor, claiming the Pentagon has no idea where our submarine is positioned.

In fact, U.S. officials are downplaying any threat that Moscow has been signaling displeasure that Washington recently green-lighting Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory with U.S.-supplied weapons.

Speaking ahead of the Cuba naval visit, Vladimir Putin warned of a possible Russian response.

VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): If they in the West supply weapons to the zone of combat operations and call for the use of these weapons against our territory, then why do we not have the right to do the same to mirror these actions? I'm not ready to say that we will do it tomorrow, but we, of course, should think about it.

[11:20:00]

CHANCE: Elsewhere, Moscow has been stepping up tactical nuclear drills too, staging exercises with neighboring Belarus near the Ukrainian border. Russian tactical nukes, delivered from either ground or air, can level entire cities, although the Kremlin insists it has no plans at this stage to use them.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And Matthew Chance is joining us now from Moscow.

Matthew, excellent report.

This is the largest show of Russian force, I take it, in the region, in the Atlantic, in a long, long time. What kind of message do you think Putin is trying to send to the United States and its allies?

CHANCE: Well, I -- Wolf, I think these Russian naval deployments always send the same kind of message, which is that Russia is able to project power as far afield as the doorstep of the United States.

And I think that's what this does very clearly. But, additionally, it comes against the backdrop of President Biden's decision to allow the Ukrainians to use the U.S. weapons to strike targets inside Russia. That's something that's very much angered the Kremlin.

And so I think this deployment takes on an additional message as well, which is, look, from the Kremlin point of view, you can make our lives, our task very difficult in Ukraine, but we can also be a nuisance to you in your own backyard as well.

And I think that's very much the message the Kremlin wants to put across with this latest naval deployment, Wolf.

BLITZER: Yes, tensions between the U.S. and Russia now escalating. Let's hope they don't get worse.

Matthew Chance in Moscow, thank you very much.

Still ahead this hour: a newly released secret recording of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito where he speaks candidly about some of his political biases. What Republicans up on Capitol Hill are now saying.

Stay with us. You're live here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:26:42]

BLITZER: Today, up on Capitol Hill, more fallout over the explosive secret recordings of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito. The liberal activist Lauren Windsor represented herself as a religious

conservative and captured Alito speaking candidly about the difficulty of living -- quote -- "peacefully" with liberal opponents.

And in a newly released audio, he slammed the news media for holding the nation's highest court accountable.

Lauren joined my colleague and friend Jim Acosta in the last hour. Here's how she responded to attacks from the right.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LAUREN WINDSOR, INDEPENDENT JOURNALIST: Shocker, I mean, Republicans being cynical about anything.

But -- but I wish that they were more shocked about the ethics breaches at the Supreme Court than some lies that I told them in order to elicit truths that serve the greater public good.

Clarence Thomas just refiled his ethics disclosures to reflect all of these trips that ProPublica unearthed. So, obviously, there's a "there" there with ProPublica's reporting. Obviously, there's a "there" there with what I'm reporting. Otherwise, people wouldn't be talking about it and they wouldn't be attacking me.

He thinks that he shouldn't be held accountable, that the Supreme Court is just not subject to Congress.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: All right, let's disgust with Vice President Kamala Harris' former communications director Ashley Etienne and CNN senior political commentator Ana Navarro.

Ana, let me start with you. What's your response to what we just heard?

ANA NAVARRO, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: You know, I think it's very concerning.

First of all, it's very rich for people to be criticizing this woman, but they have been cheering on Project Veritas for years, who basically have been doing the same thing.

I am very concerned, as somebody who believes in the need to have trustworthy institutions in this country, with the lack of accountability and with the crisis in the Supreme Court. You have had leaks of opinions. You have had financial conflicts issues. You have had the Ginni Thomas issue. And now you have got this.

I think Justice Roberts has a crisis in his hands, and it would behoove him to work with Congress to figure out how to develop a code of ethics and for there to be some accountability. They cannot continue policing themselves. They're doing a terrible job.

BLITZER: Let me get Ashley to weigh in. As you know, Ashley, some progressive activists have actually

criticized Senator Dick Durbin, who's the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, for not being aggressive enough in reviewing what's going on inside the U.S. Supreme Court.

Does the legislative branch, from your perspective, need to do more?

ASHLEY ETIENNE, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Absolutely.

And Durbin's actually advancing a bill in the Senate today, in fact, to hold the court to a higher standard. So that vote is going to take place. But I don't think anyone's going to be shocked by the turnout. I think Republicans are not going to vote in support of the bill, obviously.

I mean, I agree with Ana, and I agree with the reporter. I'm not so sure why Republicans aren't more outraged. Can you imagine if this was just this Brown Jackson or Sotomayor? I mean, the Republicans would be burning them at the stakes.

The court is actually embroiled in scandal and rampant corruption, and it's clear that they can't police themselves. So, Senator Durbin's advancing this bill. Let's see how it goes, but I think we all know where -- how it's going to turn out.

BLITZER: We will see. We will see how -- we will see what happens on that front.

Ana, Republicans...

(CROSSTALK)

BLITZER: Yes, go ahead, Ana. Make your point.

[11:30:00]