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Djokovic Wins U.S. Open; 22nd Anniversary of September 11th Attacks; Lawmakers Stare Down October Deadline; Wally Adeyemo is Interviewed about the Economy. Aired 6:30-7a ET

Aired September 11, 2023 - 06:30   ET

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

[06:30:00]

POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: While he may be 36, he is not slowing down.

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN ANCHOR: And I think it's important for ethical reasons to give full disclosure. Poppy's very biased on this issue because she was there last night to watch the win.

HARLOW: I am not conflicted.

MATTINGLY: That's Poppy with her husband, Sinisa, taking in the match.

CNN's Coy Wire joins us now.

Coy, we're going to start with Djokovic mostly because Poppy, I don't think, would have it any other way.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Right.

MATTINGLY: But we do want to get to Coco Gauff as well.

HARLOW: I'm a huge Coco fan.

MATTINGLY: I know you are, but it's a personal thing with Novak.

HARLOW: It's a little.

WIRE: What was it like seeing greatness in action?

HARLOW: It was a little personal. Well, this is like - so, full disclosure, I'm married to a Serb.

MATTINGLY: Right. Right.

HARLOW: My husband was Serbian, born over there. So, they've always talked about him being the greatest. To see it. This is the first time either of us had seen him play live. It was magical, remarkable in every way. What did you think?

WIRE: It's totally different when you see it in person, right?

HARLOW: Totally. WIRE: Same thing with most sports, at that level, when you see someone

like that in action, it is very impressive. And this guy's 36 years old. He's like the Energizer Bunny. He just keeps going and going and going. Twenty-four grand slam singles title now trying the great Margaret Court for most all time.

And this is against world number three Daniil Medvedev, who just beat Carlos Alcaraz, right, the number one player in the world. So, he avenges his loss from 2021 at the U.S. Open, where he lost to Medvedev.

There's a very sweet moment after this match. You know, he mentions -- he sees a special fan, who is his biggest inspiration, his littlest fan, up in the stands.

Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NOVAK DJOKOVIC, WON RECORD-TYING 24TH MAJOR TITLE: When I was struggling the most, actually, physically, and being under huge tension and stress, particularly in the second set, every time I would look at my daughter, she was sitting court side, facing me, facing the bench where I was seated, she would give me a smile and a fist bump. And that would, of course, melt my heart and give me this kind of energy and strength and also playfulness that I needed in that moment.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: So, to have his daughter there in the stands, his why, right?

HARLOW: Yes.

MATTINGLY: Yes.

WIRE: And -- but I'm just so jealous of you. I've never seen him play in person, Poppy.

HARLOW: There they are.

WIRE: So, there's that big moment. That sweet moment. That's what it's all about.

HARLOW: And then the t-shirt, mamba. I mean he had thought during the tournament - he's very - he was very close to Kobe Bryant. And so he thought a few days ago to make -- have this shirt made. His whole family was wearing 24, of course, to mark Kobe and to remember him and this --

WIRE: One of Kobe's jersey numbers, of course, his 24th grand slam title.

HARLOW: Yes. Yes.

MATTINGLY: I do want to get to the NFL in a second because yesterday was a big day and there's another big game tonight. But I also want to mention Coco Gauff, right, because that match was incredible.

WIRE: Go Coco, go Coco, go.

MATTINGLY: But also afterwards talking about her faith, her family.

WIRE: Yes.

HARLOW: Her dad.

MATTINGLY: Had like the greatest quote in the history of the world. Thank you to the people who didn't believe in me. To those who thought they were putting water on my fire, you put gas on it.

WIRE: Gasoline.

MATTINGLY: I want to like frame it and put it in my kids' room.

WIRE: Yes. And she is shinning and burning bright. And what a story. Fourteen years old she turns pro, right? And then, last year, she's at the French Open and she's in Paris graduating from high school virtually, right? It's a dream. It's a family dream. You see her talking about her mom and her dad. So, many congrats to Coco, becoming the first teen to win the U.S. Open since her idol, Serena, back in 1999.

HARLOW: And calling out her dad, saying this is the first time my dad, who used to coach her, by the way, has cried. And he's in tears. (INAUDIBLE).

WIRE: Oh.

MATTINGLY: Yes. It was - she's like, he usually tries to act all hard, and now he's not.

NFL.

HARLOW: Yes.

MATTINGLY: Big -- big opening Sunday. However, big game tonight with a personal tie for you.

WIRE: Huge game. Yes, well it's the highly anticipated debut of Aaron Rodgers, four-time league MVP, putting on that gang green Jets helmet. And -- but he has a tough task. They're playing against one of the greatest forces to ever step on a football field, and that are the Buffalo Bills. One of my former teams that I played for. It's going to be an awesome game. Rodgers against an incredible defense. And Damar Hamlin, this is his first live real game, regular season game, since he had cardiac arrest last season. Also on a Monday night game, it's going to be highly emotional. I talked to him just a bit earlier this week. It's going to be a very emotional game with lots of high stakes.

MATTINGLY: High stakes. Big game.

WIRE: Yes.

HARLOW: Yes.

MATTINGLY: And you're going to be there, too, right?

WIRE: Yes, I will be there.

HARLOW: And thanks for your report, by the way. You're really great special report on safety of football.

WIRE: Thank you.

HARLOW: If you didn't see it last night, everyone should tune in.

WIRE: Thank you. Appreciate you, Poppy.

HARLOW: Thank you, Coy.

MATTINGLY: Thanks, buddy.

Well, lawmakers are staring down a deadline to act before the government shuts down. Where the talks stand, that's ahead.

MATTINGLY: And today it has been 22 years since 9/11. And 22 years later, people are still dying because of that terrorist attack. You will hear their stories next.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CARRIE FOLEY, WIFE OF 9/11 FIREFIGHTER DANIEL FOLEY: He was diagnosed with 9/11 cancer. And we talk about the fact that 9/11 not only killed Uncle Tommy, but 20 years later killed daddy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:38:26]

HARLOW: In the September 11th terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, more than 300 firefighters were killed that day. But today, we are still seeing the devastating impact of those attacks on those who were the first responders and who did initially survive. There's new data that show nearly the same amount of firefighters, so more than 300, have died of 9/11 related illnesses.

Our Jason Carroll joins us outside of One World Trade Center this morning with his reporting on that. And to remember what they did that day, Jason, is everything.

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Everything. And, Poppy, for so many of the first responders who worked at Ground Zero, they have been waiting, looking at the calendar, and wondering when, and if, they would be added to the number of people diagnosed with post-9/11 related illnesses. And, Poppy, over the years, that number has just continued to grow.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) JIM BROSI, FATHER DIED OF LUNG CANCER: I think we just miss him. He was just always present in everything we did.

CARROLL (voice over): Jim Brosi says not a day has gone by where he has not thought about his father.

JIM BROSI: If you were speaking to him, you were the only person in the world he was talking to. And he was as good as they come.

CARROLL: His father, Lieutenant Joe Brosi, a veteran of the New York City Fire Department for more than three decades, died this past February 3rd after a long battle with stage four lung cancer. Doctors gave him months to live after his diagnosis in 2015. He gave this moving interview to the FDNY in 2019.

[06:40:05]

LT. JOE BROSI, NEW YORK CITY FIRE DEPARTMENT: Nothing's impossible. It just hasn't been done yet. You have to believe that you're going to beat it. If you believe it, it will happen.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Lieutenant Joseph Brosi, Engine 88, February 3, 2023.

CARROLL: Brosi's name, one of 43 added to the FDNY World Trade Center Memorial Wall last week, which commemorates firefighters, paramedics and civilian support staff who died from post-9/11 illnesses. It's the second largest group added to the memorial since it was created in 2011, when 55 names were added. The number of lives lost from post- 9/11 illnesses on the wall now stands at 341, almost equally the 343 FDNY firefighters killed that day.

JIM BROSI: That number has grown each year. And my fear is it will continue to grow.

CARROLL: Brosi says his father was at Ground Zero on 9/11 and remained working there day in and day out. So, too, was New York City Firefighter Daniel Foley. Foley pledged to stay at the site until his older brother Thomas, also a city firefighter, was found. Foley ended up finding his brother's body 11 days later. He continued to help with the recovery efforts for months. He died from pancreatic cancer in 2020. He was 46.

CARRIE FOLEY, WIFE OF 9/11 FIREFIGHTER DANIEL FOLEY: He was diagnosed with 9/11 cancer. And we talk about the fact that 9/11 not only killed Uncle Tommy but 20 years later killed daddy.

CARROLL: The message from firefighters and their families years after one of the darkest days in U.S. history, first responders are still suffering and dying as a result of their service.

JIM BROSI: The other thing is it's the people who aren't dying but are sick. And they're not living, but they're alive. And no one measures that loss.

CARROLL: A final note. Both Brosi and his brother Joe are New York City firefighters who were also there on 9/11 working alongside their father.

CARROLL (on camera): Are you concerned about your health in terms of the future?

JIM BROSI: I will say I - I monitor my health very closely. I will not live my life in worry.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CARROLL: Brosi and his brother, as you heard him just say there, they get check-ups every year, Poppy. Again, they monitor their health every single year, watch it very, very closely. He says his brother actually does have some respiratory issues.

But part of their message here is just not to forget, not to forget the service of so many first responders on that day and to remember that they continue to pay the ultimate price.

Poppy.

HARLOW: We will never forget and always remember.

Jason, it means a lot to have you there. Thank you for that reporting.

MATTINGLY: Well, it is a critical week -- economic week ahead for lawmakers in the White House. The deputy secretary of the Treasury Department, Wally Adeyemo, joins us live in the studio to discuss. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:47:05]

MATTINGLY: The House is back in session this week after a rather elongated break. Lawmakers, though, they are staring down a looming government shutdown. The date to watch, that would be October 1st. Now if lawmakers cannot come to an agreement by then, the government will shut down. That means hundreds of agencies and agency staff will all have to rely on nothing except to cease operating.

CNN's Lauren Fox is following the latest on Capitol Hill.

Lauren, we have been through this so many times, you and I in particular, over the course of the last decade. Do you feel like this time is different? Are they going to find a way out of this?

LAUREN FOX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, in conversations that I've had, Phil, over the last several days, it's become clear that there is no plan right now to avert a government shutdown. In fact, the plan is to get lawmakers in a room when the House returns and try to see if there's a path forward among House Republicans. All eyes are going to be on Kevin McCarthy, the House speaker, who has his work cut out for him. That's because typically when you don't have an agreement on the broader, year-long spending bill you pass some kind of short term spending bill. Something like a CR, a stop-gap measure, to make sure that you get over that October 1st deadline. But even that is going to be a huge challenge for McCarthy.

Over the recess, he had members on his right flank signaling that they were not going to support a short-term spending bill. Someone like Chip Roy arguing that he thought that that was something that he couldn't back unless there were a series of other writers attached to it, something that would never pass out of the Senate, Phil. So, you already have this fight over the larger spending bill, but then you have a fight over even a stopgap measure to fund the government for a couple of weeks.

Now, McCarthy can always choose to put a bill on the floor, to make sure that the government stays funded, but he could anger those on his right flank. And you're already seeing people like Matt Gaetz agitating that perhaps House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's time as speaker is coming to an end. So, those are the challenges that House Speaker McCarthy has in the weeks ahead, and that is some of the things that you're going to see over the next several days.

When the House returns they're going to try to pass a defense spending bill, but aides told me yesterday that they still don't have the votes for that. And over in the Senate, they are passing their bills on a bipartisan basis, which is going to make it very difficult for the House to continue to argue that they are going to be able to pass the funding bills with just Republican votes when the Senate is doing it on a bipartisan basis.

Phil.

MATTINGLY: Yes, that's a great point. A lot of maneuvering. No clear path forward. Nineteen days, guys. Don't - don't be in a rush or anything.

Lauren Fox, thank you, as always, my friend.

Well, just moments ago, the American flag has been unfurled at the Pentagon to honor the fallen on the 22nd anniversary of the September 11th terror attacks. Later this morning, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and the chairman of the Joints Chief of Staff, Mark Milley, will host a ceremony at the national 9/11 Memorial to honor the 184 people killed in the attack on the Pentagon. Now the ceremony is only open to family members of the victims.

[06:50:00]

HARLOW: Possible government shutdown, as Phil said, not the only critical date on the calendar that could affect the American economy and your bottom line. This week, 145,000 autoworkers could strike against the big three in Detroit. Next week the Federal Reserve considers another interest rate hike. And starting next month, 44 million Americans are going to have to start repaying those student loans. A lot of moving pieces here. But President Biden is pitching the public on a strong economy, embracing the term Bidenomics. However, a new CNN poll shows 58 percent of Americans think the president's policies have made economic conditions worse.

We are happy to be joined in studio this morning by the deputy treasury secretary, Wally Adeyemo.

Thank you very much, Mr. Deputy Secretary, for being here. It's nice to have you in person.

WALLY ADEYEMO, DEPUTY TREASURY SECRETARY: Well, it's great to be here in person. Thanks for having me.

HARLOW: Can you respond to that poll and how Americans feel because only 24 percent of Americans that we polled say the economy's gotten better under Biden. Are the American people wrong?

ADEYEMO: Well, let me start with where the last segment ended and say that today is 9/11 and we will never forget what happened. And our hearts go out to the family members that were lost, but also to the talented men and women of the United States who defended them.

Turning to the economy, over the last two years you've seen Americans start 10.5 million small businesses, which is a record number. One fourth of those are Latino businesses. We've created hundreds of thousands of jobs. The economy is moving in the right direction, especially when you look at our competitors internationally, in the G- 7, the U.S. economy is doing far better.

But it's important to remember where we're coming from. We faced a pandemic that had global repercussions. The American people are still recovering from that. But as we recover from that, what we know is the American economy is doing better than any other economy in the world. We're creating hundreds of thousands of jobs. Inflation is coming down. Our economy is growing. Investments are being made here in the United States.

When I travel around the world as part of my job, companies around the world keep telling me that the place where they want to make investments is here in America. And that's proving to be true.

HARLOW: So, to the question, though, about how American people actually feel, are they wrong? Do you believe the data is what they're misunderstanding? Where is the disconnect?

ADEYEMO: No, I think what's -- what we're seeing is that the American people are still recovering from Covid, still recovering from what has been a historically tough time in terms of a pandemic that cost lives and also set us back. But today, as we recover from Covid, we've seem what -- American family's wealth return to pre-Covid levels. We're seeing job creation at historic levels. We're seeing the economy come back and inflation come down. What we're saying is that there's more work for us to do. We're committed to doing that work. And America is further along in doing that work than any economy in the world. And that's because of the grit and determination of the American people. But also because of the policies of the president.

HARLOW: There is real economic concern, obviously, about what -- within China about what's happening to the Chinese economy right now.

President Biden talked about this a little bit yesterday at that press conference in Hanoi. Here's what he said. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Not a criticism, it's an observation. He has his hands full right now. He has overwhelming unemployment with his youth. One of the major economic tenants of his plan isn't working at all right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: Talking about President Xi. He called the situation a, quote, "particular crisis that they are having right now."

How troubled is the Chinese economy right now?

ADEYEMO: Poppy, I think this comes down to the choices we've made. In the United States we made choices to invest in the American people, invest in the American economy, and that's why the American economy is doing far better than China's today.

HARLOW: I know but I'm asking about China. What lens do you --

ADEYEMO: And China's economy faces headwinds today.

HARLOW: And how great are they? How great are those headwinds.

ADEYEMO: They have significant headwinds. But the thing the Chinese also have, is they have resources to deal with those headwinds in the short-terms.

For example, youth unemployment. The thing that we have to worry about is the long-term in China where they have structural channels as well.

HARLOW: Right.

ADEYEMO: Demographics, high debt, and those are going to be far harder for them to deal with over time. A slowing Chinese economy is going to have an impact, but mostly on their neighbors.

HARLOW: OK.

We heard Secretary Yellen, the Treasury secretary, say that the Chinese have, quote, "quite a bit of policy space if they decide it's necessary to use it."

Is your view that China is the biggest risk to the U.S. economy? You said mostly on their neighbors. You don't sound worried about the impact here. We saw their iPhone decision, for example.

ADEYEMO: And I think that, you know, one of the things China does is they make in particular decisions that may have impacts on selective companies. When you look at the Chinese economy, the U.S. has some exposure, but it's limited. And part of the reason that we feel confident about the U.S. economy's ability to grow is because of the investments we've made here in the United States. HARLOW: I do want to give you a chance to respond to what Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley told our Jake Tapper yesterday about how she views it. She said he views China clearly as a, quote, "enemy," and she criticized the Biden administration approach to China.

Here she is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NIKKI HALEY (R), 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I mean how much more has to happen for Biden to realize you don't send cabinet members over to China to appease them.

[06:55:05]

You start getting serious with China and say, we're not going to put up with it. They keep sending different cabinet officials over, Jake, and it's embarrassing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: Treasury Secretary Yellen was just there in July.

Your response to Nikki Haley's criticism?

ADEYEMO: It's important for us to talk to China. It's the second biggest economy in the world. We want to understand what the Chinese are doing. As I said, China's economy has an impact on their neighbors, but also on Europe and on the global economy. So it's important for us to continue to talk to them.

But the secretary sent a clear message, that America is going to do what's in its national interest. We're looking - we look forward to working with China when that is in America's national interest, but also to holding them accountable when they take actions that hurt our economy.

HARLOW: I'd be remiss if I did not ask you about what is going to happen this week with the United Autoworkers. You've got maybe over 140,000 auto workers striking against all big three automakers at the same time. The president said last week he doesn't think it's going to happen. We're four days from a potential strike. Is that still the belief of the Biden administration?

ADEYEMO: It is the belief of the Biden administration. The auto companies and the unions are working from a position of strength. When I was last in government in -- during the financial crisis, they were in a very different position. Today they're talking about how they can distribute profits and earnings in order to make sure that their companies can continue to grow. And we look forward to them reaching a resolution.

HARLOW: No strike.

ADEYEMO: Yes, that's -- that's where the president is. HARLOW: I appreciate your time. Please come back.

ADEYEMO: Thank you for having me.

HARLOW: Thank you very much.

Phil.

MATTINGLY: Well, this week we could get more insight into when former President Trump will go on trial in that Georgia elections subversion case. We'll have details.

Stay with us.

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