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Kimmel Rips Rodgers For Baseless Epstein Accusation; Review Ordered After Austin's Secret Hospital Stay; 2023 Is Officially The Hottest Year In Recorded History. Aired 7:30-8a ET

Aired January 09, 2024 - 07:30   ET

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

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[07:33:34]

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN ANCHOR: Well, Jimmy Kimmel, in his opening monologue last night, blasted Aaron Rodgers. That's the New York Jets quarterback who came under fire last week when he claimed without any evidence that Kimmel could be revealed as a Jeffrey Epstein associate. In response, Kimmel threatened to sue Rodgers, saying the claim is completely baseless.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIMMY KIMMEL, HOST, "JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE!": You know, when you hear a guy who won a Super Bowl and did the -- all the State Farm commercials say something like this, a lot of people believe it. A lot of delusional people honestly believe I am meeting up with Tom Hanks and Oprah at Shakey's once a week to eat pizza and drink the blood of children. And I know this because I hear from these people often. My wife hears from them. My kids hear from them. My poor mailman hears from these people.

He genuinely thinks that because God gave him the ability to throw a ball he's smarter than everyone else. The idea that his brain is just average is unfathomable to him.

Aaron got two A's on his report card. They were both in the word "Aaron," OK?

Aaron Rodgers is too arrogant to know how ignorant he is. They let him host "JEOPARDY!" for two weeks and how he knows everything.

And by the way, congratulations to Aaron Rodgers who has done the impossible. He made the New York Jets look even worse.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: There were some laughs there but this is really serious.

Joining us now, CNN senior media analyst Sara Fischer -- and senior media reporter for Axios as well.

[07:35:00]

The content of it is very, very serious. Give people the back story, and then what's going to happen today when Aaron Rodgers goes back on air to address this.

SARA FISCHER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA ANALYST, SENIOR MEDIA REPORTER, AXIOS (via Webex by Cisco): It's a huge deal, Poppy, because this has been sort of a far-right trope for a long --

HARLOW: Yeah.

FISCHER: -- time, accusing people -- particularly, people in the media -- of being linked to pedophilia. And so, Aaron Rodgers insinuating this draws back to many years, at this point, of people who have sort of right-wing viewpoints alleging without any evidence that folks, especially in media, are tied to pedophilia.

You heard Jimmy Kimmel sort of blasting Aaron Rodgers on his show yesterday.

Now, Aaron Rodgers is expected to go back on ESPN -- Pat McAfee's show today. He's expected to address whatever Kimmel said in his monologue. I would not expect an apology though, Poppy, from Aaron Rodgers. Aaron Rodgers has been pretty vocal about his political viewpoints for a long time. He tends to say pretty outlandish things, whether it's about not supporting vaccines, et cetera. So I think this feud is just going to continue to boil over.

MATTINGLY: Sara, can I get your read? Like, the business elements of this are completely fascinating to me because McAfee's show was a new introduction to ESPN. He's kind of been the new hot thing -- huge viewership and listenership. ESPN obviously is a -- is ABC, ESPN, and part of Disney -- Bob Iger. Like, all of this connects together in a way that I would think Bob Iger would not really enjoy right now.

How is this all playing out internally?

FISCHER: Yeah. Well, it causes major tensions, especially with "THE PAT MCAFEE SHOW." This isn't the only controversy that they're experiencing internally.

I think what you're seeing is that there is a certain type of internet culture where voices like Aaron Rodgers -- think about the Joe Rogan types, the Elon Musk types. They gained so much popularity. And if you're a traditional media company you want to tap into the zeitgeist of what's happening on the internet.

But, of course, as we're seeing, it comes with some brand safety risks. Obviously, you don't want infighting between two different voices within two different shows within your company. And so, I think for Disney and for every media company watching this unfolding you have to figure out what your boundaries are going to be.

HARLOW: But Phil also made a good point to me earlier that Aaron Rodgers is paid for these appearances, right? So, Jimmy Kimmel is paid by Disney and Aaron Rodgers is paid by these appearances. That makes it even more different Sara than having a guest on. Like, our guests are often not paid unless they're official contributors.

How does that complicate things?

FISCHER: Well, it complicates things enormously. I mean, first of all, you have two different networks with two different editorial standards even though they're housed by the same parent company.

HARLOW: Yeah.

FISCHER: So that parent company is going to have to decide do we want to have some sort of uniformity in how we bring guests onto our different shows? Now, the key difference though, Poppy -- we're not talking about necessarily new shows but they're all kind of news and commentary adjacent. That's what makes it difficult.

You mentioned CNN's standards. CNN is a news network.

HARLOW: Yeah.

FISCHER: Now, what's happening in late night versus what's happening on a talk show on ESPN -- they're going to have different expectations for how guests show up, whether or not they pay or they get paid, and what they say.

HARLOW: Fascinating. Thank you, as always, Sara for your reporting.

FISCHER: Good to see you.

HARLOW: Also news this morning that an American citizen has been arrested in Moscow. Details still coming in. We'll tell you what we know, ahead.

MATTINGLY: And a review is underway at the Defense secretary's office after Lloyd Austin was hospitalized and didn't tell his deputy or the president. Mark Esper, a man who previously held Austin's position, is going to join us next.

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[07:41:43]

HARLOW: Welcome back.

There is new fallout this morning over Defense Sec. Lloyd Austin's decision to keep his initial hospitalization a secret. His chief of staff has now directed a 30-day review of the process and the procedures around notifying national security leaders and the White House.

Austin is still at Walter Reed eight days after being admitted from complications from an elective procedure. He is out of the ICU, so that's good news.

Again, it took three days though before the White House was notified. President Biden says he has complete confidence in Austin. And joining us now, someone with a lot of perspective on the importance of that job, Mark Esper. He served as Defense secretary in the Trump administration. Secretary, good to have you. Appreciate it very much.

Primary importance is his health -- how he's doing. He appears to be getting better. He's out of the ICU.

But you've got a Republican congressman who is calling for the Defense Secretary to now be impeached over this.

You've got concerns from Democrats as well, including Sen. Jack Reed, who is chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, who said he is still concerned that, sort of, the vital chain of command here and procedure were not followed.

What do you think needs to change having sat in that seat?

MARK ESPER, FORMER SECRETARY OF DEFENSE, TRUMP ADMINISTRATION: Yeah, good morning, Poppy.

And first and foremost, you're right. I'm hearing that Sec. Austin is doing much better but he's still in the hospital.

Look, I think a big part of the problem here at his point is not just that it wasn't revealed early on but each and every day it seems like there's an additional piece of information that trickles out, right?

When I was first on CNN over the weekend it was the press corps wasn't informed. And then on Sunday, we learned the White House wasn't informed. And then we learned that Deputy Sec. Hicks was given authority but not told. And then we heard that he was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance.

Every day there's been a more -- a new detail coming out, which is I think causing this concern on Capitol Hill by members who are -- who are talking about things that you mentioned -- impeachment and inquiry. And I think it's been a big communications blunder as well built around something that is a very serious matter, and that is the president and the national security community knowing where a cabinet member is and how he's doing.

HARLOW: So just in the simplest terms, Secretary, what should this process look like? They're obviously reviewing it. They'll probably change some things. But what should the process look like to ensure that everyone knows who is in command when the Defense Secretary is not?

ESPER: Look, it's fine if they do a review. Maybe it will turn up something they didn't know before.

But I will just tell you by personal experience there is a process and that is the chief of staff or whoever she or he designates is responsible for notifying the White House, the National Security Council, and other key players whenever something like this happens. You know, every single day when I was in office, as Sec. Austin is as well, you're location is tracked. The Pentagon knows it. The White House knows it. All of the people who have to get in touch with you connected to the president know it. These are known things.

So I -- the problem is -- and this is the unknown -- is why weren't they told? Why weren't procedures followed?

HARLOW: Right.

ESPER: Was it in confidence? Was it people weren't empowered to do it or were they told not to do it? And I think those are -- that's the key question right now that really needs to be discovered --

HARLOW: That's an important --

ESPER: -- is why did the process break down?

HARLOW: That's a very important question.

[07:45:00]

Let's turn to Israel because the Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in Israel today. We saw him shaking hands with Prime Minister Netanyahu and meeting with high-level officials. This, as the Defense Minister Gallant, in Israel, just did this long interview with The Wall Street Journal this weekend and talked about the next phase of the war that he says will be different but it's going to last longer.

Do you expect that will also include significantly fewer civilian casualties in Gaza?

ESPER: Well, there will be a transition. I don't know that it will happen by the end of the month as he promised. I mean, they still have a big task ahead of them in the south sorting their way through the cities. And, of course, the underground network of tunnels, which is -- which is a really big challenge.

So will we see a significant drop in casualties? I don't know. I mean, it's one of the terrible aspects of war that innocent people die, and you have to be very discriminate in how you do it. So hopefully, they'll improve the procedures.

Look, I think the other important news coming out of the -- out of Sec. Blinken's trip is that he seems to have done some type of agreement from Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Qatar -- I'm sorry, Qatar and the UAE that they will participate or consider participating in some type of post-conflict governance and reconstruction. That's -- to me, that's news because the unanswered question is who will step in after the conflict ends and the Israeli military pulls out?

HARLOW: And you're speaking of the conflict between Israel and Hamas. A huge question mark, Secretary, is the north and what happens between Israel and Hezbollah, especially after the developments in the last couple of weeks. We just heard Netanyahu speaking to troops there saying look, Hezbollah is completely underestimating us and we will -- you know, we have the capability to destroy them.

Does Israel, right now, have that capability should it escalate on both of these fronts?

ESPER: Well, I think it does have the capability. I wouldn't recommend a two-front war but maybe they feel that they've made sufficient progress in southern Gaza that they can pull back some and be prepared to deal with Hezbollah in the north.

You know, we had that major attack that killed a Hamas commander in southern Lebanon. We had a strike yesterday. And then there was breaking news this morning that another vehicle that was in southern Lebanon was targeted by a drone strike. No news yet on who was in the car.

But the Israels have clearly ramped up the game here in terms of targeting individuals and that, of course, is what could provoke the escalation. But I -- you know, I assume that Israel didn't want -- I don't think Hezbollah wants it because of what happened last time they had a major conflict with Israel. And then, of course, we don't know what Iran is doing and what they're providing, provoking, and inspiring the background. But those are key factors here as this unfolds.

HARLOW: Certainly.

Former Defense Sec. Mark Esper, thanks so much.

ESPER: Thanks, Poppy.

MATTINGLY: Well, Moscow announcing the detention of an American citizen on drug-related charges. Russia says 32-year-old Robert Woodland was taken into custody on Friday and is being charged with attempted large-scale production and sale of illegal drugs.

A pro-Kremlin tabloid reported that Woodland was born in Russia and brought to the U.S. when he was two years old. Woodland could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

HARLOW: Well, 2023 has officially been confirmed as the hottest year ever. Is this year set to be even hotter? Our chief climate correspondent Bill Weir here with the numbers, next.

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[07:52:02]

HARLOW: Well, this morning, more than 40 million people across the country are under the threat of severe weather -- severe storms -- after Monday's whiteout conditions in the Midwest shut down some major roads.

But while this year is off to a chilly start, new data confirms 2023 was the hottest year ever on record. And experts are warning the world is inching closer to a critical climate threshold. Chief climate correspondent Bill Weir joins us now. I come home yesterday, pick up the kids from school. Luca, who is five, says to me, "Mom, the planet is dying."

BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: Really?

HARLOW: Five.

WEIR: Five-year-old, yeah.

HARLOW: And it is.

WEIR: Well, the planet we knew is and we're not really sure what comes next.

Back in 2015, almost 200 countries got together and agreed -- miraculously, because humans don't generally agree on stuff -- that we should try to hold the temperature to 1.5 degrees --

HARLOW: Yeah.

WEIR: -- above what pre-industrial levels were -- 1850 to 1900 or so.

Well, we, this year, not only topped that but annihilated the record over the year. As you look back at the daily surface temperatures for the first time ever we had a couple of days in November that was two degrees warmer. Not just 1.5, but two degrees.

HARLOW: Yeah.

WEIR: We shot past it. And if you average up the total global surface average temperature -- this is night and day around the world -- altogether -- look at where we are in 2023. Shattering previous records before right now.

And this is, of course, the limit where we think we can adapt to these changes. We don't want it to go to two degrees because then coral reefs start to die, and permafrost begins to melt, and these tipping points that are unstoppable.

But it's not the same everywhere. In fact, right now, there are parts of Canada three degrees warmer than average. Up in the Northern Hemisphere, it seems to be warming hotter. The only place that really escaped it this year was Australia -- parts of there.

But the rest of globe, when you think about it, and when you're measuring this much data and this much mass, usually you break records by a hundredth of a degree. It was almost two-tenths of a degree this time.

And El Nino, the natural warming pattern that happens in the Pacific, is just cranking up. So the 12 months that end in January or end in February --

HARLOW: Yeah.

WEIR: -- could be well past 1.5 degrees.

MATTINGLY: The point you make of the scale that is important -- you see The New York Times news alert about the new report, you kind of -- all of the news alerts -- drill down on this for people -- cost. Actual tangible costs because we saw so many billion-dollar disasters over the course of the last year.

WEIR: That's it. We set a record for billion-dollar disasters -- everything from the flooding in California. The weather whiplash where they go from --

HARLOW: Yeah.

WEIR: -- drought to these atmospheric rivers, to the heat waves in -- it doesn't even account for the heat deaths in Phoenix where they were over 115 degrees for over a month as well.

This means more water when you don't want it and not enough when you really want it. It's -- it affects everything from snowpack and cover, which we don't have any in the East as winter sports enthusiasts back here know. All of this is connected.

Overnight, we had a funnel cloud come ashore in the Florida Panhandle there. You see there's a thin sort of tie between tornado activity. We don't understand that as well.

But predictable weather -- what we grew up -- the seasons that we knew, you're seeing them slip away from us here. But this is not permanent. This is not -- we haven't hit 1.5 where we're going to stay here.

[07:55:08]

HARLOW: Yeah.

WEIR: And so, scientists want to see where we go from here. Could this year be even hotter? Could it slide back down as El Nino goes away? Very important conversations we should be having.

HARLOW: Ever the optimist at the end. I can go home with a little bit of good news about we can do things to make it doesn't happen.

WEIR: And we can. And humanity, right now, is on the cusp with this energy transformation. So many things are exploding --

HARLOW: Sure.

WEIR: -- that we're not talking about right now.

HARLOW: Well, you are. You show us those stories.

WEIR: You can focus on the hope as well.

MATTINGLY: Yeah.

Bill Weir, thank you as always, my friend. HARLOW: Thank you.

MATTINGLY: Well, brand-new CNN polling out of New Hampshire showing Nikki Haley closing the gap on Donald Trump.

HARLOW: And if you're looking at these live pictures now, that is Trump's golf course in Sterling, Virginia on the right of your screen and the courthouse in Washington, D.C. on the left where he will soon be attending an appeals hearing in his federal election subversion case. A lot of those details on a monumental day, straight ahead.

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