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Schumer Expects Agreement On $1.7T Spending Bill This Morning; Records Contradict Santos Claim Grandparents Fled Holocaust; Severe Weather Affecting Travel Across U.S. Causing Flight Cancellations; Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Addresses U.S. Congress; Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) Interviewed on the Need for Continuing U.S. Aid to Ukraine to Fight Russian Invasion. Aired 8-8:30a ET

Aired December 22, 2022 - 08:00   ET

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

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Also the White House and just in Washington D.C. in general yesterday.

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Very candid there, too. He said, yes, you gave us artillery, but it's not enough.

LEMON: Not enough. We're going to need more. We're going to have much, much more on Zelenskyy's speech in just a moment.

Good morning, everyone. Poppy is off. We're going to catch you up on the five big stories on CNN THIS MORNING.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer says that progress is being made on the government funding bill. Schumer took procedural steps just before midnight last night that could force a final vote on a year- long government spending bill on Friday or Saturday. Government funding runs out at the end of the week.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER, (D-NY) SENATE MAJORITY LEADER: We must finish our work before the deadline of Friday midnight, but in reality, I hope we can vote on final passage much sooner than that, even as early as tonight. Both sides will continue negotiating a number of amendments that I hope we can begin voting on later today.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: The January 6th committee has also released interview transcripts from key figures who aided former President Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election. They include the attorney John Eastman, former national security adviser Michael Flynn, and Trump's ally Roger Stone. The transcripts confirms that most of them invoked their Fifth Amendment protections during these interviews with the committee, but also couldn't back up their election claims.

LEMON: A major winter storm is bringing record-breaking low temperatures to the central and eastern part of the U.S. More than 100 million people across the country are currently under winter weather and windchill alerts. COLLINS: COVID-19 and drug overdoses have driven life expectancy in the United States to the lowest level in 25 years. New data from the CDC shows that life expectancy dropped from the second consecutive year in 2021. COVID-19 a major contributor to the decline. Drug overdose deaths also increased significantly throughout the pandemic, reaching record levels in 2021.

LEMON: This morning we have learned Brazilian soccer legend's Pele's health has worsened. The hospital says that he now requires greater care due to the progression of his colon cancer. Pele was hospitalized last month for a respiratory infection.

COLLINS: We start this hour with that weather alert, 100 million Americans under danger winter weather watches and warnings this morning as what people are saying is a once in a generation arctic blast is keeping the lower 48 trapped in a deep freeze. This is the scene in Denver right now. You see the roads are filled with snow. It's making travel difficult for drivers who are going to visit their families. Outside temperatures that are 10 below zero Fahrenheit. It's a similar situation in Marquette, Michigan, where snow on the roads and temperatures are dropping as the polar plunge is also creating travel chaos as thousands are trying to get home for the holidays.

CNN's Pete Muntean is live at Chicago's O'Hare airport, a major hub for so many of these flights. What are you seeing on cancellations, delays, and backup plans?

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: These are the folks who had the right idea, Kaitlan, get out before the snow starts here at Chicago O'Hare. The security line at some points comes all the way back here. We're talking hundreds of feet long. Look at the cancellations board. The numbers just keeps piling up. I just saw LaGuardia cancel, Pittsburgh cancel, one in every five flights at Chicago O'Hare has been cancelled so far today.

Look at the latest numbers according to Flight Aware. We're talking more than 1,200 flights cancelled nationwide. Airlines tried their hardest to avoid this, but there is no stopping mother nature.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

MUNTEAN: The biggest pre-Christmas travel day is meeting a major snowstorm threatening holiday travel plans nationwide. Blizzard conditions are forecast here at Chicago O'Hare where the airport was expecting Thursday to be its busiest. Perry (ph) Hun (ph) rescheduled his Christmas trip to California to leave early.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We thought it would be best to escape and get out just a little bit before to avoid the weather.

MUNTEAN: A forecasted 2.9 million passengers flying through Chicago are being met by 350 pieces of snow removal equipment and 400,000 gallons of de-icing fluid for taxiways and runways.

Here at United Airlines operations center in suburban, Chicago, they're meeting nearly every hour about the weather, but they know delays and cancelations are inevitable.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It seems like a lot of collaboration.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A lot of collaboration.

MUNTEAN: V.P. of Operations Joe Heins says United is preparing for the most passengers it's seen since the start of the pandemic. Customer solutions teams are now scrambling to save trips by rerouting passengers through other connecting airports.

JOE HEINS, UNITED AIRLINES: I wouldn't use the term meltdown, but it will be very, very challenging. But I can tell you, we have the best team working on it. So if customers are out there and they see themselves delayed, know and understand that we look at each and every customer.

MUNTEAN: Nationwide, AAA says one in three Americans will travel this holiday, and 102 million will be driving on top of the 7 million who are flying. But the weather will throw it all off.

[08:05:00]

SCOTT KEYES, SCOTT'S CHEAP FLIGHTS: I think there's going to be a pretty severe number of delays and cancellations.

MUNTEAN: Last Christmas rush, airlines cancelled 5,000 flights amid a coronavirus surge and staffing shortages. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has been coming down on airlines for the disruptions they can control. But they cannot control the weather.

PETE BUTTIGIEG, TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY: We have major weather events hitting hubs that affect major airlines. So unfortunately a lot of travelers are in for some disruption.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

MUNTEAN: The Transportation security Administration and the Federal Aviation Administration expect today to be the busiest pre-Christmas travel day, 47,000 flights were scheduled. We will see if that ultimately pans out with all of these cancelations piling up. Airlines say one of the best things you can do is download their app, that's the best way to get up to date information on whether or not your flight is cancelled or delayed. Kaitlan?

COLLINS: I want to know who asked for a bomb cyclone for Christmas. Was that Pete Muntean, you think?

MUNTEAN: That's totally right.

LEMON: It must be Pete Muntean traded Reagan for O'Hare. He's still talking. We don't want to hear from you, Pete, because you asked for a bomb cyclone.

Let's get our meteorologist in, Allison Chinchar, live in the CNN Weather Center. So the question is, how long is this plunge going to last? It is very serious. ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: There are going to be some cities that stay below freezing for multiple days. So this is not just going to be something that's a couple few hours here and there and we'll be back to normal. This is going to be a prolonged event, and you're talking a prolonged period at dangerous levels.

Here's a look at where we have all those windchill advisories and windchill warnings. Again, it stretches from the Canadian border all the way down to the Mexican border. This is a very widespread cold snap. Look at some of these windchills already reported, minus 70, minus 58, minus 57. Most of them so far have been in Montana and South Dakota, but that cold air is going to be spreading, especially today we're going to start to see some of those dangerous windchills down as far as Oklahoma and Texas.

But look at this, minus 35 in Casper, minus 47 in Pierre, minus 45 in Billings. But even as far south as Amarillo, Texas, minus 26 for that windchill. And ahead of all that cold air, you have all of this snow from this other system that's just out to the east. So that's what's going to be causing a lot of the travel concerns not just in the air but also on the road. So do make sure you give yourself extra time, pack a little bit more patience today and even tomorrow, because this system will be making its way off to the east.

So today the concern for the easter cities is going to be that mix of rain and snow and a little bit of ice before finally transitioning all into snow as we go into tomorrow. So here's all the areas where you have those winter storm warnings, winter weather advisories, as well as blizzard warnings. Again, as we go through the day today, Chicago is going to be a big focus, same thing with St. Louis.

Then by the time we get to tomorrow morning, you're still looking at some pretty heavy rain across Boston and Washington D.C., now looking at full slow for areas of Detroit and Cleveland. But the good news is by the time get to Friday night, the cold air will still be there, guys, but at least the snow will finally start to come to an end.

LEMON: We always say of course it's cold, it's winter, but this is a horse of another color, as they say. Allison Chinchar, thank you very much for that. And straight ahead we're going to be joined by Kelly Serr from the National Weather Service. She lives in South Dakota where they are bracing for a life-threatening wind chill.

COLLINS: Ukrainian President Zelenskyy made a historic visit to the U.S. yesterday, his first out of Ukraine since Russia invaded his country. He was greeted at the White House by President Biden. And as they spoke together at a news conference, the two leaders put on an incredibly united front.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, (D) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We share the exact same vision, and that free, independent, prosperous, and secure Ukraine has division.

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: The United States will help us to defend our values and independence. And regardless of changes in the Congress, I believe that there will be bipartisan and bi-cameral support.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Hours after that press conference, Zelenskyy delivered an impassioned speech before Congress, pleading for more support in his fight against Russia, and thanking the United States for helping Ukraine come this far.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: Against all odds and doom- and-gloom scenarios, Ukraine didn't fall. Ukraine is alive and kicking.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: So there is lots to discuss now. Joining us is Democratic Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin of Michigan who is also a member of the House Armed Services Committee. It's so good to you have on. Thank you very much, and good morning to you.

REP. ELISSA SLOTKIN (D-MI): Good morning. Thanks for having me.

LEMON: So what did you think of the speech and the case that he made for continued American support?

SLOTKIN: I think it was an historic moment, right? The House was full. We were listening to him come right from the battle front and deliver this speech and make the value proposition to members of Congress from both sides of the aisle, but also the American people why supporting Ukraine, as he said, isn't just charity. It's really defending the free world.

[08:10:09]

So I thought it was a strong speech. I think it was interest, I wasn't expecting him to do it in English. I think that was purposeful to make sure he was heard by the American people. And I think it was a proud moment since it is one of the most bipartisan things I've worked on in the last four years. I thought it was a really strong speech.

LEMON: I've got to ask you, watching, it was obvious that some of your Republican colleagues didn't even attend last night. Republican Chip Roy reportedly called the address political theater. Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz said that he was there out of just respect, not agreement. Republicans are going to control the House in just a few weeks. Are you worried about how that is going to impact Ukraine aid and support for Ukraine?

SLOTKIN: A lot of us are worried, sure. Frankly, on both sides of the aisle, I think people who have been supporting the Ukrainians, this moderate middle are concerned that it could turn with the next Congress, but I think that's why Zelenskyy chose this moment, right, to do this. We are literally voting on a full-year appropriation, hopefully today, with the money for Ukraine. And there's a lot of people who were on that floor yesterday on the Republican side of the aisle who have signed a letter saying, no, we do not support that full-year appropriation. We will go after Republican senators if they vote for it.

So I thought it was interest. At least a person like Chip Roy is consistent and he says I don't think we should be doing this, and so I'm not going to attend. I think what was surprising to me were the number of people who signed the letter saying no to all that money, and then yet were there clapping and standing and getting their moment on C-SPAN.

LEMON: Why do you think they were there, just to show their face? What was up with that?

SLOTKIN: I guess. I think guess to try and split the baby. They want to be in support of democracy and freedom because that maybe sounds good to some people, but then behind closed doors they're saying, hell no, we're never going to give this money to the Ukrainians. So I think that to me is that two-faced approach to things. And I respect people who say, look, I don't want to be doing this and so I'm not going to attend. That to me is more respectful than clapping and smiling in Mr. Zelenskyy's face and then not supporting the money to keep his soldiers alive.

LEMON: It didn't go unnoticed that you sat with outgoing GOP Congresswoman Liz Cheney last night. Why did you do that?

SLOTKIN: So I think a number of us wanted to make the point this was a bipartisan issue, and this has been a place where people with a national security background have really made the point to push our caucus, to push both of our caucuses. And I think if it were up to me we would have sat completely mixed, Democrat and Republican across the entire House floor to make that point to him. And I hope he got the impression, Mr. Zelenskyy, that there is strong bipartisan support in this coalition in the middle.

LEMON: Listen, I thought it was interesting because I was going over some of the things that you had said, especially around the midterms. You said, you were out speaking to voters recently and not once, I should say not once, but Ukraine was not very high on the list, right, what was happening in Ukraine because people are dealing with everyday issues with their family, trying to take care of their families. You said that people want to know about how the money is being spent. Do lawmakers need to make the case better for Ukraine aid? Should there be more oversight about the money and how much to give and where it should go, and so forth?

SLOTKIN: Yes, there definitely needs to be oversight. You're never going to get -- I was someone who worked at the CIA and the Pentagon. That's how our system works. We give aid to countries, to other militaries when they're fighting a common enemy. But then we make sure we have and use monitoring. We know where those weapons are going. So I support that idea. It's actually written in law that we must do that monitoring for a country. It's harder with Ukraine because they're in the middle of a hot war. So I don't mind the oversight, and I think it's a stronger case to make to the American people when it's there.

I think the other thing we need to do is explain the value proposition. People see money going out the door and they say what's the end game, where do we go from here, like, when does this end? And I think we have to make the clear case we either pay now or pay later with Vladimir Putin. In 2008 he went into Georgia. We didn't do that much. In 2014 he went into Crimea, we did a little bit more. But we just made a decision that we weren't going to really deal with it head on.

And here we are back again, 2022, spending a lot of money because we didn't put up a stronger front back then. And I think with bullies, people understand if you don't stop them, they're just going to keep pushing into NATO countries. And the worst case scenario is an extremely, extremely violent war where American sons and daughters are pulled into it, sucked into it, blood and treasure way beyond what we're doing now. So that's what I try to discuss in my district where this isn't maybe the first issue people are talking about, but that's their taxpayers' dollars and they deserve to understand the plan.

[08:15:00]

LEMON: And speaking of what you said, what affecting people in the immediate moment, right, money and so forth, taking care of their families. So, before you go, I have to ask you, are you confident that Congress can get it together this week to fund the government to avert a shutdown, Congresswoman?

SLOTKIN: Yes, last night, we were hoping that the Senate would do some work and get the bill done so we could vote on it today and get home to our families. The Senate, I guess, worked all night. It always comes down to crunch time. We desperately need a full-year appropriation for Ukraine, but a million other things. And my hope is that cooler heads will prevail, and we will get it done today.

LEMON: And one more thing before I let you go. There needs to be bipartisanship when it comes to what's happening at the border, Title 42, and comprehensive immigration reform. Where are you on that? And where's the Congress?

SLOTKIN: Yes, I mean -- well, I think that part of the reason why that bill that full year appropriation was held up was because of Title 42. Look, I've been very, very clear, especially from Michigan, we're a border state, right? What is going on at the southern border is a crisis. We shouldn't avoid that or pretend that's not happening. But we need a plan before we're going to open those doors. Again, I've written this right to the President. And part of that plan is Congress taking some legal action. We are literally one arm tied behind our back with dealing with the border because Congress, Democrats and Republicans haven't done their job to fix immigration. It's broken.

So, I feel -- I mean, we shouldn't be dealing with sort of immigration at our border. It should be vetted and handled outside of our borders. But Congress needs to own that responsibility as much as anybody else.

LEMON: Congresswoman, Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, whatever you celebrate. I hope it's a happy and safe one. Thank you so much.

SLOTKIN: Same to you.

LEMON: Thank you.

A disturbing new discovery in the George Santos resume saga. Fact check on the incoming Congressman's claims that he is the descendant of Holocaust survivors.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: This is a story that we will keep following here because there are questions about claims as an incoming New York Republican Congressman George Santos that he sold voters on the campaign trail. Now, multiple sources reviewed by CNN K File suggests that Santos claims about his grandparents fleeing the Holocaust are not true. The very first line of his bio on his campaign website states that his grandparents fled Jewish persecution in Ukraine, settled in Belgium, and again fled persecution during World War I. Public records contradict those claims.

Santos is facing very serious questions for his misrepresenting his educational background, employment history, and charity efforts. And Santos has declined CNN's requests for comment. But I am happy to have this person on because he can talk to us extensively about that. And that is Congressman-elect Daniel Goleman, an incoming Democrat from New York.

Congressman-elect, thank you so much. I really appreciate this, especially since you have called these claims startling and has said that Santos should be investigated for conspiracy to defraud the United States government. So, where do prosecutors begin on that? And what point do campaign lies become criminal?

[08:20:36]

DANIEL GOLDMAN (D-NY), CONGRESSMAN-ELECT: Yes, it's a very good question. It's a very fine line. But I do think in this case, because there's such a pattern of deception and misrepresentation that it is worth taking a much closer look. This is not a circumstance where someone may have embellished their military history or something on a resume. This is what is clearly a serial effort to defraud voters in his district.

And if George Santos did that, and he certainly appears to have made false statements in his disclosure forms to the FEC, I think it's worth the U.S. Attorney's office looking into this and whether he conspired with others or whether he had a scheme to defraud, which might be a wire fraud case. But this is a guy who has a prior fraud conviction in Brazil and appears to have lied over and over and over about his own background and experience.

And, you know, you see quotes from all sorts of voters in that district, New York 3, Long Island and part of Queens, who said they would have never voted for him if they didn't -- if they knew these lies or that these -- they were aware of the truth. So, it's a remarkable, remarkable set of facts. And it appears as if George Santos, who has not commented nor denied the allegations, is a complete fraud.

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR (on camera): Dan, you've talked about your own Jewish values as part of your inspiration for running for office. One of those egregious parts of this is now his claims that his grandparents fled the Holocaust are being contradicted by these genealogy records. And I wonder -- you know, I assume you find that insulting.

GOLDMAN: I find it insulting and I find it offensive. My grandmother did actually escape antisemitism in Russia, came through Ellis Island and settled down in the D.C.-Baltimore area where her brother, you know, work 16 hours a day to send all of his siblings to college. That is the American dream. And I'm very proud to be a descendant of that. And I identify very much with Jews and the American Jews who had to escape antisemitism in Europe for decades.

And for someone like George Santos to use that for political expediency and to lie about it is offensive to those of us who actually have family members who have had to endure that. And it's yet another example where it's not even just a legal issue, this is a -- this is a moral issue. And I do find it offensive and insulting. And it's so clear that 20 percent of his district is Jewish. And it's clear that he was targeting them by apparently falsely alleging even that he's Jewish, much less that his ancestors had to -- his grandparents had to escape antisemitism and the Holocaust.

LEMON: Yes, and then on top of that, he said -- remember the Pulse, that he apparently he had employees that, you know, who died in the Pulse -- not in the Pulse -- yes, in the Pulse nightclub.

COLLINS: He said he lost them.

LEMON: He lost employees in there. There's no evidence that even happened. He has that answer a lot of questions. Not -- he is not directly addressing any of the allegations, instead a spokesman saying that it is, you know, sort of a witch hunt against him and that people are out to get him.

I want to turn now and talk to you about something that, you know, it was a big part of when you were running for Congress, and that's crime in New York City. New York City Mayor Eric Adams has announced that crime is up 23 percent this year, but shootings and homicides are down 17 percent and 12 percent, respectively. What do you think? What steps can Congress take to address the spike in crime that we have seen nationwide? And also, was it actually crime actually portrayed as it actually is during the campaign? If you can speak to both of those? I'd appreciate it.

GOLDMAN: Look, I think what you find on this topic is that Republicans are able to prey on fear, on hate, on division, which is a much easier and simpler argument to make, and to sort of pull at the heartstrings of voters. You know, Democrats are the party of ideas and solutions. And in New York and elsewhere, Republicans' only policy is just to lock more people up, which has been proven over time actually not to make the public more safe. And so, it's a nuanced issue that we Democrats need to start tackling, addressing, and messaging better because there are a lot of different components to this.

And so, I look forward to working with colleagues in Congress, as well as my colleagues in the city and state level in New York to try to bring public awareness to some of the solutions that are out there that over time I think will help to reduce crime that is certainly spiked in a post COVID world.

[08:26:03]

COLLINS: Daniel Goldman, thanks for joining us this morning.

LEMON: Thank you, Daniel. Happy Hanukkah to you.

COLLINS: All right, we're monitoring temperature drops across the country and how the winter weather travel is impacting the holidays. Winter weather storms are impacting your travel for the holidays. That's ahead.

LEMON: Yes. And this. the January 6 Committee has released the first of its hundreds of interview transcripts providing a new view into their investigation. We're going to talk about this with the former acting chief of staff during the Trump administration, Mick Mulvaney. There he is on your screen, but you'll see him after the break.

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LEMON: Welcome back, everyone, to CNN THIS MORNING.

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