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Rep. Warren Davidson (R-OH), Is Interviewed About Freed Americans Back On U.S. Soil After Historic Prisoner Swap; Israel Braces For Iran Retaliation After Killing Of Hamas Leader; Harris To Pick Running Mate By Tuesday. Aired 11-11:30a ET

Aired August 02, 2024 - 11:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:00:57]

PAULA REID, CNN ANCHOR: You're in the CNN Newsroom. I'm Paula Reid in Washington. And we start this hour with our biggest story. They're finally home, Wall Street Journal reporter, Evan Gershkovich, former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan and Russian American journalist, Alsu Kurmasheva, now back on U.S. soil after a historic prisoner swap with Russia. A joyous scene overnight as they embrace their families for the first time since being freed with the President and Vice President looking on.

Now the historic swap the largest since the Cold War involves 24 detainees and seven countries. The trio is now in Texas where they'll undergo medical evaluations. The gravity though of their release, continues to set in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL WHELAN, FREED AFTER FIVE PLUS YEARS IN RUSSIAN PRISON: You know, it didn't feel real until we were flying over England. I'm a British citizen, Irish citizen, Canadian and American. So as we came over England, and I looked down, you know, that's when it became real, getting off the plane seeing the President, the Vice President, that was nice. It was a good homecoming.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

REID: President Biden moments ago departing the White House for Delaware, and he was asked about his message to the family of Marc Fogel, an American still jailed in Russia. Of course Fogel not included in yesterday's prisoner swap. Biden told reporters quote, we're not giving up.

And with backchannel phone calls, clandestine meetings, covert discussions between world leaders, yesterday's outcome reads like something out of a spy novel. And this morning, we're learning the intricate details that went into the planning of this prisoner swap. For more, we're joined by CNN, Priscilla Alvarez. Priscilla, what else are you learning? PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, look, President Biden described yesterday as a, quote, feat of diplomacy. And what we have learned over about what happened over the last several weeks and months certainly demonstrates that, as you mentioned, there, there were multiple meetings and discussions underway over the last several months about what they could offer Russia to secure the release of these Americans.

And it is the reason why it was so important for the United States to work with other countries, especially for example, Germany. Germany, for example, had a Russian assassin and a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, serving a life in prison. And so the U.S. had to work with Germany, to see if they were willing to return him back to Russia to -- as part of this massive deal. This went all the way up to conversations between President Biden and the German chancellor in January, and then again in February.

Also in February, the Vice President speaking with the chancellor and the Slovenian prime minister, who also had two Russian nationals that would become part of this deal. And it was only in the moments before the President last month announced that he was withdrawing from the race, that he spoke to the Slovenian prime minister to really try to bring this home and across the finish line.

So you can see here how many puzzle pieces were having to come together and require the United States to work with multiple countries to try to bring together a deal that would include those being released from Russia, as well as an exchange that Russia would be open to, which has always been the difficulty in these painstaking negotiations. And it all culminated in that remarkable moment, last night, just after 11:30, when those three Americans disembarked the plane and were reunited with their family, and were greeted and embraced by the President and the Vice President.

And the President reflected on the importance of alliances after that, saying that it was one of the toughest calls not only for the U.S., but also for allies. And the Vice President talking about and underscoring the stakes of the elections, especially through the lens of foreign policy. So this has been the theme over the last 24 hours. But certainly the feeling here at the White House is similar to the one yesterday where U.S. officials are breathing a sigh of relief knowing there's more work ahead but also just taking a moment to commemorate what was a joyous occasion that occurred on the tarmac of Joint Base Andrews last night.

[11:05:15]

REID: A puzzle, that's a great way to describe what's happening here. And Priscilla, we've also learned that Biden finalized this plan for this exchange, just hours before he announced that he would withdraw from the race. I mean, what else are you hearing about the overlap between these two extraordinary moments in his career?

ALVAREZ: This is something that U.S. officials have been asked about repeatedly, because there were two critical things happening on that Sunday. The President trying to bring this deal across the finish line while also having to deliberate and come to a momentous decision in his own election. But the way that it's been described as, as two separate things, the President has often talked about his foreign policy chops. And this was always a priority for the administration securing the release of Americans who the U.S. described as wrongfully detained in Russia.

So this is something that will go as part of the President's legacy while he was also having to make the decision about the presidential race. But there is no doubt, Paula, that all of this happens against a political backdrop or President Donald Trump and his vice presidential nominee, weighing in as well, U.S. officials knocking what they've said so far to say there's no evidence to show that former President Donald Trump could have secured their release if he wins a second term, making the point that it was President Biden who did so.

REID: Priscilla Alvarez at the White House, thank you.

And joining me now for more on this, Ohio Republican Congressman Warren Davidson. He serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Thank you so much for being with us. Congressman, I want to get your reaction to President Biden's comments that the White House is not giving up on a deal possibly involving Marc Fogel.

REP. WARREN DAVIDSON (R-OH): Well, it's exciting. And look, it is a great day to have our prisoners freed and returned. It's a shame that they were held in Russian captivity for so long. And we should be grateful and thankful. So I'm glad to see this finally happened and -- and I'm greatly appreciative of Germany helping I mean, they released an assassin, he killed a Chechen terrorist. If he did it in another place, it would have been celebrated.

He did it in a public park in Germany. And so he's serving a life sentence. So not a small thing for Germany to release this person but it really did result in freedom for Americans, and we should expect the Biden administration to continue to fight to free American prisoners and hostage -- hostages that have been unjust and -- unjustly held captive, including in Gaza.

REID: I also want to play some a former President Trump's reaction to this news. Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: As usual, it was a win for Putin or any other country that deals with us. But we got somebody back. So I'm never going to be challenging that. It wouldn't have happened with us, we would have gotten it back, we wouldn't have had to pay anything, we wouldn't have had to let some of the great killers of the world go.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

REID: Your reaction to that, Congressman?

DAVIDSON: Well, look, I think the expectation around the world that Donald Trump may well be the next president is resulting in shuffling and foreign policy. If you look at NATO countries, they're trying to, you know, insulate their policies in Ukraine from the Trump administration. So world leaders are reacting to the possibility hopefully the probability that Donald Trump is in fact, the 47th president of the United States, and maybe it had an influence, I don't know. But I am glad that these -- these prisoners are free.

REID: I also want to play some of what National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan had to say in response to those who have criticized the deal. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAKE SULLIVAN, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR: These are hard decisions, as the President has said, you have to think hard about who you release and a prisoner exchange. That's been true for decades. But at the end of the day, the President looked at this deal. And he said, what we are getting the value of human life, the value of putting families back together, the value of standing of freedom of the press far exceeds what we are giving up by sending a few more criminals back to Russia.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

REID: Do you agree with that assessment of this exchange?

DAVIDSON: Well, I think a lot of people were hopeful that this would be a way to improve U.S. relations with Russia. And, you know, Joe Biden was asked about that. And he was immediately dismissive. He's like, yes, I don't need to talk to Putin. And that's a very different approach. Donald Trump was glad to reach out to world leaders where his dialogue could make a difference. Things were escalating with North Korea. Donald Trump built a relationship with Kim Jong-un. He built a relationship with Vladimir Putin. He built a relationship with Xi Jinping.

So I think it's a missed opportunity for Joe Biden to do better out of this, but you know, yes, I think it is a tough thing to pull off. And we shouldn't diminish the fact that it took a lot of work and a lot of countries to be involved in it. But I really do hope that the Biden administration does better with Russia, and certainly gets more serious about getting our hands hostages freed from Gaza unjustly held by Hamas terrorists.

[11:10:04]

REID: Congressman thank you.

DAVIDSON: Thank you.

REID: And for years, the families of the freed prisoners thought for their release, hoping and praying, they would come home one day. And here's how they never lost hope, as told in their own words.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(CHEERING) (APPLAUSE)

ELIZABETH WHELAN, PAUL WHELAN'S SISTER: These are foreign countries trying to coerce the United States, but they're also our family members, our loved ones, you know, we -- we hear their voices, but we can't -- we can't see them and touch them. Every time he goes -- he disappears like that, we wonder what's happened. I mean, occasionally, he has been put in solitary moved to different places. We never quite know what's going on.

DAVID WHELAN, PAUL WHELAN'S BROTHER: It's a pretty rough life. And it's not something that I would wish on anybody. I -- I think of it as surviving not living and I hope that it's not too long before the Biden administration or some White House can bring Paul home so that you can start living again.

(CHEERING)

(APPLAUSE)

JEREMY BERKE, EVAN GERSHKOVICH'S FRIEND: I think Evan is coping with this through sheer force of will, he's doing the best he can to stay both connected with us and -- and connected to himself while he undergoes this process and it's scary and troubling and difficult. He's reaching out to us and he's -- he's funny as ever in his letters, and he's trying to keep us and keep our spirits up and keep us engaged in the process. So that's a testament to who he is as a person.

DANIELLE GERSHKOVICH, EVAN GERSHKOVICH'S SISTER: I'm going to be moving. And he wanted to know is there a good size guest bedroom for him. So we're really can't wait for him to come home and -- and spend time together and I need to get the guest bedroom ready for him. It's really, really important to stay optimistic. We have to stay strong for Evan. It's -- it's hard not -- not to have a fantasy about the day that he does come home.

ELLA MILMAN, EVAN GERSHKOVICH'S MOTHER: Be optimistic, believe in happy -- happy ending, that's where we stand right now. But I am not stupid. I understand what's involved. But that's what I choose to believe.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:17:10]

REID: And breaking news, the Dow is plummeting right now down more than 900 points. This comes after a disappointing jobs report was released this morning. CNN's Matt Egan is following this. Matt, explain exactly what's happening here.

MATT EGAN, CNN REPORTER: Well, Paula, the July jobs report was weak. And it was really the last thing that we needed because investors were already growing concerned about the health of the economy and the state of the jobs market. And so this report just amplifies those fears. We saw that, yes, the U.S. economy is still growing, still adding jobs, seeing 114,000 jobs added in July. But this was tight. This was the second lowest rate since late 2020.

The unemployment rate also ticked higher, noticeably higher up well above 4 percent. Now and so this is raising some concerns about whether or not the Federal Reserve waited too long here, right? They could have cut interest rates earlier this week. They opted not to. And now this is raising some worries that maybe all that tough inflation fighting medicine from the Fed is really starting to damage the economy.

Some forecasters are even talking about the risk of a recession. I do think it's important to emphasize -- emphasize though, that it's just too early right now, we don't know if this is just a growth scare, or perhaps something more serious. I talked to Moody's economist, Mark Zandi, earlier and he said he still thinks the economy can avoid a recession. But he noted that the risks are rising, and it could be a closer call than people thought.

REID: Matt Egan, thank you. We'll come back to if there are updates.

And now to the Middle East, where fears of a wider conflict are growing as U.S. officials warned Iran's retaliation against Israel could come within days. Hamas has called for prayers and a day of anger over the killings of the group's political leader in Tehran. His funeral was held in Qatar earlier today. The Iranian government and Hamas say Israel carried out the assassination. Though Israel has not confirmed nor denied its involvement. President Biden says the escalating tensions are concerning as he weighs more U.S. defenses in the Middle East.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm very concerned about it. I had a very direct meeting with the prime minister and we had a very direct -- we got -- we got a basis for a ceasefire. We should move on and they should move on now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

REID: CNN chief international correspondent Clarissa Ward is live in Tel Aviv. Clarissa, how is Israel preparing for this imminent response by Iran?

CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, so far, Paula, the atmosphere here is still relatively calm. We did attend a rally last night and it was notable that many of the people attending so they had hesitated to go that they were somewhat scared about this and highly anticipated response from Iran from Hezbollah or whatever that response might look like. We are starting to see preparations beginning. We spoke to a hospital -- a hospital here in Tel Aviv that says it has cleared out a below ground parking lot of all cars so that it can potentially be used to treat patients that there was some kind of a strike.

[11:20:30] We have also heard from Jerusalem's municipality, which has urged people to prepare and clean their shelters to make sure that wherever they go, they are able to get to a shelter within 90 seconds, which is the amount of time they would have from an alert being given. And also telling people to stock up on supplies, to basically be prepared for potentially a power outage of several days. Also, one of the big supermarket chains here are saying that their sales have gone up 30 percent, that people are stocking up on toilet paper, on canned goods.

So definitely this is a country that is on higher alert and is preparing but still no real concrete sense yet as to what this attack might look like and when it might come.

REID: You make a good point because of course Iran has promised a, quote, harsh and painful response to this fascination of Hamas's political leader. You know the players, you know this region. I mean, potentially, what could that look like? Or is it possible that they might just hold off indefinitely?

WARD: Well, when we heard from Nasrallah yesterday, the leader of Hezbollah, he made it clear that there will be some kind of a response that it might be a coordinated response between Iran and its various proxies, the so called Axis of Resistance across the region. But he didn't yet really give a timeline. Not that he would, but he allowed for some wiggle room, if you will.

So while everyone is anticipating this, it's still not clear what exactly it what it might look like. Now, when we were here in April, when Iran launched its attack, 300 projectiles towards Israel, the primary target of that appeared to be the Nevatim Airbase where the F- 35 fighter jets are kept. In this instance, they may go for some kind of a military base. They might try to go for a power plant, for example.

It's interesting in all of the preparations we're seeing. We're hearing a lot of emphasis on preparing for the possibility of several days without power. But this is speculative and all we know is that they are having a lot of conversations here at the highest levels with U.S. counterparts. Yoav Gallant, the Secretary of Defense here spoke to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin for the third time this week today.

The British Secretary of Defense also here in Israel today as they tried to prepare to form some kind of a defense for whatever response we might be imminently about to see, Paula.

REID: Clarissa Ward, thank you.

[11:23:08]

And coming up, Kamala Harris is set to meet with her shortlist of vice presidential contenders this weekend, and we have new reporting on what's most important to her and selecting a running mate.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) REID: Kamala Harris is about to make one of the most consequential decisions of her presidential campaign, who will stand beside her and help make the case against Donald Trump. This weekend she's meeting with the top six contenders and she said to announce her pick by Tuesday. Sources tell CNN that Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Arizona Senator Mark Kelly are at the top of her list. And they've all given a preview of how they would go after the former president.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. JOSH SHAPIRO (D-PA): So I got a message to Donald Trump stop -- talk in America. This is -- this is the greatest country on the face of the earth. Let's start acting like it.

SEN. MARK KELLY (D-AZ): Donald Trump wants to drag us back to, you know, his prior administration, which was a bad deal for Americans.

GOV. TIM WALZ (D-MN): Listen to the guy, he's talking about Hannibal Lecter and, you know, shocking sharks and just whatever crazy thing pops into his mind.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

REID: All right, let's discuss this with CNN senior political reporter Isaac Dovere and CNN political commentators Maria Cardona and Scott Jennings. Isaac, I want to start with you. Your sources have told you that Harris is focused on picking someone who can help her win battleground states. Who can do that?

EDWARD-ISAAC DOVERE, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Well, that's the big question here. You've got Josh Shapiro in Pennsylvania, obviously top battleground state, very hard for Donald Trump to put together an electoral map without Pennsylvania. Then you've got Mark Kelly in Arizona has won their twice in Senate races. And that is a state that Joe Biden won barely in 2020 and was not on track to win again.

Harris is hoping to put that back on the map for her. Minnesota is a state that Donald Trump had been trying to make some inroads in that Tim Walz's state. He's won there twice as governor. These are all people. And -- and the other ones on the list too, the -- the big question here for Harris more than anything, is who is going to help her win because all the rest of these questions obviously don't matter if she has not elected president.

[11:30:02]

REID: Of course. And where freedom is a big theme of the Harris campaign. I want to take a listen now to how Josh Shapiro has framed this choice in a --