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CNN This Morning
Source: Arab American Community Leaders Postpone Meeting With Harris Amid Concerns; White House Fights Back Against Biden Age Criticism; Trump, Haley Trade Barbs In South Carolina; Trump Faces Deadline To Appeal Immunity Ruling To Supreme Court; Qatar & Saudi Arabia Warns Israel Against Rafah Incursion; Netanyahu Pledges "Safe Passage" To Civilians Ahead Of Rafah Operation But Offered Little Detail; 2024 U.S. Election; Senate Works On Huge Foreign Aid Bill Over The Weekend; Congress Will Reconvene Tuesday To Discuss Mayorkas' Impeachment; White House Letter Responds To GOP Remark About Biden's Age; After Being Diagnosed With Cancer, King Charles Appeared In Public For The First Time; Couple From Idaho Recounts How Prohibition On Abortion Compelled Them To Seek Care Outside Of Their State; Countdown To Super Bowl LVIII; Patrick Mahomes Addresses Similarities To Tom Brady. Aired 7-8a ET
Aired February 11, 2024 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BROCK PURDY, SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS QUARTERBACK: Then you can achieve it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[07:00:03]
ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Would be rather amazing if Brock Purdy, Mr. Irrelevant, leads the Niners to their first Super Bowl title since 1995. Now, guys, I've been walking around Vegas all week talking to people getting their predictions. A lot of people are picking the Chiefs to win this game. Here's some of the predictions I got from the red carpet at the NFL honors.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MICAH PARSONS, DALLAS COWBOYS LINEBACKER: There'll be a close winner. Whoever wins going to win by six.
RICH EISEN, NFL NETWORK HOST: I've gone back and forth. That's the problem with these predictions. I started this --
SCHOLES: You're going to be right somewhere.
EISEN: -- started a season saying the Chiefs and Niners were going to be in the Super Bowl together.
ALY RAISMAN, OLYMPIC GYMNASTICS GOLD MEDALIST: I feel like the Chiefs have just been so dominant. But I've learned in sports, like, to never make a prediction because you never know it's going to happen. So I don't know.
BARRY SANDERS, PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAMER: I'll go with the team that beat the Lions. I'll go with them.
SCHOLES: Niners, Niners. You got the Niners.
SANDERS: I'll go with the Niners, yes.
MARCUS SPEARS, 9-YEAR NFL VETERAN: If I'm Travis Kelce and I win the Super Bowl, I'm proposing to Taylor Swift after the game and it's probably going to be the greatest sports moment in the history of sports.
SCHOLES: That would destroy the internet. You know that pays more than 10 to 1. You can bet on it.
SPEARS: But that's what we live for. We live to destroy the internet, man.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHOLES: Guys, if that happens, I mean, well, I don't know what we're going to do because that would be the biggest thing to ever happen probably at a Super Bowl, maybe in the history of sport. I give that a less than 1 percent chance of happening. No, I don't think Travis Kelce would do it if they win. I don't know. We'll see, though. It would certainly be fun.
AMARA WALKER, CNN HOST: I mean, he would take away all the spotlight on the winner of the Super Bowl. You can't do that. OK, Andy, who do you have?
SCHOLES: Right.
WALKER: Who's winning this thing?
SCHOLES: Can't bet against Patrick Mahomes. I'm going Chiefs.
VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN HOST: All right. I'll go --
WALKER: Oh my gosh.
SCHOLES: What about you guys? Who do you got?
BLACKWELL: Oh my gosh. You can't see this, but Allison Chinchar is here with a t-shirt that says, "Go Taylor's Boyfriend."
WALKER: What's his first name? Does Allison know his first name?
BLACKWELL: She doesn't care.
ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: That's true.
BLACKWELL: She doesn't care what his name is.
WALKER: She's one of those.
BLACKWELL: I'm going to go with the 49ers because I like the Mr. Irrelevant storyline. WALKER: Underdog.
BLACKWELL: I like that storyline. Yes.
WALKER: My prediction is Usher. He's going to be the big winner.
BLACKWELL: Yes, yes, yes.
WALKER: Right?
BLACKWELL: Yes, yes, yes. All right. OK.
WALKER: Did you really do that?
BLACKWELL: Did everybody get it? All right.
Thanks, Andy.
WALKER: The next hour of CNN This Morning starts right now.
Can you do that again?
BLACKWELL: I won't, but I am impressed that Allison came up with that "Go Taylor's Boyfriend" t-shirt.
WALKER: You should say, I'm Amara's co-anchor.
Good morning, everyone.
BLACKWELL: Good morning. Welcome to CNN -- last for the bag. Thanks for that, Khalil (ph). Welcome to CNN This Morning, Sunday, February 11th. I'm Victor Blackwell.
WALKER: And I'm Amara Walker. Thank you so much for being with us.
And we begin with this CNN exclusive this morning about the rift that is growing between the president and the Arab American community over the U.S. stance on a ceasefire in Gaza. Community members have canceled a meeting with Vice President Kamala Harris that was scheduled for tomorrow.
BLACKWELL: Yes, and this comes right after a meeting last week between senior administration officials and community leaders in Dearborn, Michigan. But some of those leaders said that they walked away from the meeting unsatisfied. I spoke with one of those who attended the meeting yesterday on "First Of All."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ABRAHAM AIYASH (D), MICHIGAN STATE REPRESENTATIVE: We were very clear that we are committed to the same message we have been talking about for the last 124 days. So we are here and we were consistent with our message. It was a very frank discussion. We did not mince words and we made it clear to the Biden administration that unless we saw policy change, there would not be any follow-up discussions as a result of the meeting that we had this week. (END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: All right, with us now is White House Reporter Camila DeChalus. Camila, good morning to you. What was the reason given for canceling the meeting with the vice president?
CAMILA DECHALUS, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Good morning, Victor, Amara. Well, there was a multitude of reasons of why the meeting was canceled. But some of the reasons that they gave CNN was because they were scared of the backlash that they may receive over meeting with the Biden administration and fears that they didn't want to be perceived as trying to speak for the entire Arab American and Muslim communities out there.
Now, one really big picture note, just something to really think about is the fact that this postponement of this meeting just signifies how there's still this high tension running between the Biden administration and the Arab American and Muslim community in the U.S.
And, you know, I've spoken to several Arab American and Muslim voters across the U.S. and they say that they're very frustrated by how the White House has not fully supported a permanent cease fire in Gaza, and some have even said that they're considering not voting for Biden, and actively campaigning against him in the upcoming election.
Victor, Amara?
[07:05:09]
WALKER: Camila, then what do we know about what the Biden administration is doing to try to mend this relationship?
DECHALUS: Well, Amara, we know that just last week, senior White House officials met with Arab American and Muslim leaders in Michigan, and just as an ongoing effort on their end to just have more open conversations and just to engage with Muslim and Arab American leaders just about this issue, and tensions are really running high.
And so they know that they have to keep these conversations going. And they say that they're still working just to have just open communication with these groups. Now, Muslim Americans and Arab Americans make up a huge voting bloc for the Democratic Party. And just even in Michigan, more than 200,000 Muslim American voters casted their ballots.
And so, Biden knows that he narrowly won Michigan the last election and that he's going to need a lot of these voters to come out and support him. But this is an issue that they're running time and time again, even hitting the campaign trail where they're meeting protesters calling for the Biden administration to support a ceasefire at this time.
Amara, Victor?
WALKER: All right, Camila DeChalus, thank you very much. Now, the White House is now fighting back against the GOP's criticism of President Biden's age. The White House released a memo Saturday citing various instances of people describing President Biden as sharp and alert. On Thursday, Special Counsel Robert Hur released a report ending the investigation into Biden's handling of classified documents and not pursuing charges.
BLACKWELL: But the same report ignited a debate after Hur wrote that Biden would present to a jury as an elderly man with a poor memory. Both Trump and Haley latched on to the report on the campaign trail this weekend.
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DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He said he was a disaster mentally and he willfully stole gigantic numbers of classified documents, willfully. But because of his condition mentally, is this guy going to make it to the starting gate seriously?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: And Nikki Haley handed out mental competency tests at a campaign stop in South Carolina.
WALKER: And Biden's age wasn't the only target for Trump as he hit the campaign trail in South Carolina. CNN's Alayna Treene explains his strategy.
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: Well, Amara and Victor, Donald Trump set foot in South Carolina on Saturday for the first time this year, and he delivered a clear message to his supporters, which is that South Carolina is his to lose. Now, Donald Trump and his team really have increasingly saw this state as a place where they would deliver the final blow to Nikki Haley's campaign, and that's in part because of his continued success in the polls.
He's consistently had an overwhelming lead over Nikki Haley in recent months, but also because of the intensity they've seen in the ground. And on Saturday, I can tell you, the venue was packed. They had many people who were not able to get in because it hit capacity very early on. And I think that just gives you a sense of how they're viewing the energy from his supporters in the Palmetto State.
But despite that confidence from Donald Trump and his team, Trump still ramped up his criticism of Nikki Haley on Saturday. And he even went so far as to question the absence of her husband on the trail. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Where's her husband? Oh, he's away. He's away. What happened to her husband? What happened to her husband? Where is he? He's gone.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TREENE: Now, Victor and Amara, I do want to be very clear that Michael Haley, Nikki Haley's husband is currently deployed in Africa, and that's why you have not seen him appear alongside her on the trail. But it's also worth pointing out that Melania Trump, the former first lady, has not been appearing at Donald Trump's campaign stops or any of his court appearances thus far.
We've really only saw her when she appeared alongside her husband when he launched his White House bid in 2022. But look, Donald Trump did not just go after Nikki Haley. He also really tested out some of his general election rhetoric against President Joe Biden. That included attacking his handling of the southern border as well as ramping up his criticism of the Justice Department's decision not to charge Biden over his handling of those documents while repeatedly questioning Biden's mental fitness.
Alayna Treene, CNN, Conway, South Carolina.
BLACKWELL: Alayna Treene, thank you so much.
Both Haley's responded to Trump's comments about Michael Haley's absence.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NIKKI HALEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If you mock the service of a combat veteran, you don't deserve a driver's license, let alone being President of the United States.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: And Michael Haley posted a meme on X that said, "The difference between humans and animals? Animals would never allow the dumbest ones to lead the pack."
WALKER: It is shaping up to be a busy week in Washington. Here are five things to watch this week.
[07:10:05]
Former President Trump has until tomorrow to ask the Supreme Court to step in and block the ruling by an appeals court last week that he is not immune from prosecution. The ruling was a major blow to Trump's key defense in the federal election subversion case brought by Special Counsel Jack Smith for Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election results.
And the House will try once again to impeach Homeland Security Secretary, Alejandro Mayorkas. The resolution failed last week in an embarrassing defeat for Republicans. But with House majority leaders, Steve Scalise returning to Capitol Hill this week, Republicans are confident they will have enough votes this time around.
On Tuesday, a special election will be held to fill the seat previously held by Congressman George Santos. It is a crucial election because a win by Democrats would further narrow an already tight Republican majority. And President Biden will travel to East Palestinian, Ohio this week. The site of that toxic trade derailment just over a year ago. The White House says Biden will be there to discuss his administration's continued support for the community.
Vice President Kamala Harris will lead the U.S. delegation to the Munich Security Conference this week. The White House says that while there, she will deliver a, quote, "major foreign policy speech and meet with foreign leaders."
BLACKWELL: Let's dig a little deeper on that first thing to watch. Tomorrow, it is key day for former President Trump and this attempt to avoid being tried for his alleged role in the January 6th insurrection. His legal team is expected to appeal the scathing ruling last week from a federal appeals court in D.C.
Last week, a three-judge panel said his actions after 2020 election were, if proven, an unprecedented assault on the structure of our government. How the Supreme Court's non-justices address a potential appeal could have major ramifications for the 2024 presidential campaign.
With us now is CNN Legal Analyst and former House Judiciary Special Counsel, Ambassador Norm Eisen. Mr. Ambassador. It's been a minute since we have spoken. It is good to see you. Thank you for being with me on a Sunday.
NORM EISEN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Thanks, Victor. Great to be with you.
BLACKWELL: All right, so let's take this step by step, the possibilities here for the court. We really do expect that there will be this filing tomorrow. The deadline is from the Trump team. So let's stipulate that that happens. The first thing is, will the court take the case? Do you expect that they will?
EISEN: I expect that they'll grant the stay that the D.C. Circuit said Donald Trump must file by tomorrow. But it's a coin flip whether or not they take the next step and accept the case. Probably given the momentous nature of a prosecution of a former president for attempting to overthrow the democracy, allegedly, Victor, allegedly, given the momentous nature of that question.
And does a former president have absolute immunity? Can he, as came up at oral argument in this case, order SEAL Team Six to assassinate his political opponent and be immune? On the one hand, that's such an absurd question the Supreme Court, after granting the stay, may think about it and say, nah, we don't have any need to take this up.
On the other hand, because it does deal with a question they've never dealt with before, probably slightly greater odds that they decide to take the question up and then say, no, there's no such thing.
BLACKWELL: OK. So, we assume now that they have taken up this case, the question now is of timing because they are aware that delay here could be a de facto immunity if they wait until the fall to get to this case that pushes the trial back beyond the election in November, and then Trump could just do away with the whole thing. So how quickly do you expect that they will act once they have the case?
EISEN: I think that it's unlikely that they wait until the fall to take the question up, although you're absolutely right if they do, this case won't go to trial. I think the more likely thing is like in United States, v. Nixon, the Watergate tapes case, or in the 14th Amendment Section 3 case that they just heard this week, they will go fast.
They'll put it on the Supreme Court Rocket Docket. Depending how fast they go, the case could be back on trial, back on track at some point over the summer. If they're in really speed mode early summer, it brisk but more normal pace for an emergency case, the trial could be starting again towards the end of the summer.
[07:15:04]
BLACKWELL: OK. So the trial could start again if they agree that he does not have immunity. So let me read here. This is from the ruling from the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. 57-page opinion here, the decision was scathing. They write, "We cannot accept that the Office of the Presidency places its former occupants above the law for all time thereafter." Is there any scenario here in which you see the Supreme Court disagreeing with that?
EISEN: They could offer slightly different reasoning. They could modify the legal test. The D.C. Circuit modified Judge Chutkan's test, they made it more narrow. That makes things easier for the Supreme Court, Victor. They said we're only deciding as to former presidents not as to sitting ones.
There's a big difference between the two, so they could make some modifications. I never make guarantees in the law because it's so uncertain what courts will do. But I don't think there's any way the United States Supreme Court is going to say it's OK for a president to order political assassinations.
That's not the rule of law. That's not the Constitution, that's not the idea of America. So I do not think they're going to find that Donald Trump is immune. It's just a question of when.
BLACKWELL: Ambassador Norm Eisen, always good to have you. Thanks so much.
WALKER: Saudi Arabia is vowing very serious repercussions if Israel storms the city of Rafah and the Gaza area. We are live in Tel Aviv.
Plus, lawmakers are working through the weekend to pass a foreign package for an aid package that will provide billions of dollars in aid for Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan. A final vote could be just days away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[07:21:16]
BLACKWELL: Qatar strongly condemned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plan for ground and offensive in Rafah. Qatari officials urged the U.N. Security Council to intervene and prevent what they call a genocide.
WALKER: Saudi Arabia and the UAE also voiced concerns about the potential Israeli military incursion. CNN's Jeremy Diamond is live in Tel Aviv tracking all of this. Jeremy, what's the latest and what is Israel saying?
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is stressing the importance militarily of going into Rafah, the potential next target for Israel's military offensive in Gaza. Saying that without going into Rafah, Hamas would remain in power in the Gaza Strip effectively.
And he is vowing that there will be safe passage for civilians to leave Rafah. But that city right now is home to more than half of Gaza's population, an estimated 1.4 million people. And the Israeli government, the Israeli military, have yet to provide any kind of detailed plan for exactly how they plan to evacuate so many civilians from that area ahead of a planned military offensive in the coming weeks.
Here's the Israeli Prime Minister when asked where all of those civilians would go.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: The areas that we've cleared north of Rafah, plenty of areas there, but we are working out a detailed plan to do so, and that's what we've done up to now. We're not cavalier about this. This is part of our war effort to get civilians out of harm's way.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DIAMOND: So he's talking about areas north of Rafah. But north of Rafah most of the buildings have been absolutely destroyed or damaged by military operations over the last several months. And the humanitarian aid infrastructure is mostly concentrated in that city of Rafah actively right now.
And further north, we have seen how difficult it has been to get the necessary humanitarian aid into the northern part of the Gaza Strip. So enormous questions about the feasibility of not only evacuating so many people in such a short period of time, but also what they will find in the areas where they're told to evacuate too.
And that's where we have widespread international concern right now being expressed the United States saying that it would be a disaster for Israel to move in militarily in Rafah without serious planning for how to mitigate the harm to the civilian population there.
And we're also hearing from a number of Arab countries in the region. You mentioned Qatar, of course, but Saudi Arabia also warning of very serious repercussions if Israel moves into Rafah. The United Arab Emirates saying that Israeli offensive in Rafah would threaten to cause loss of more innocent life and exacerbate the humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip.
So a lot of concern, a lot of uncertainty. And for the people living in Rafah, a lot of fear about what could come if Israeli tanks and ground forces begin rolling into that city.
Amara, Victor?
BLACKWELL: Jeremy Diamond for us there. Thanks so much, Jeremy.
Ukraine is pushing forward with the revamp of its highest military command. President Zelenskyy recently appointed five additional senior commanders. The decision comes after closely on the heels, I should say, of his replacement of the top military chief just a few days ago.
The newly appointed leaders face mounting pressure to take action, particularly with reports of Russia's making some advances in Avdiivka. Zelenskyy emphasizes the need for the army to prioritize new responsibilities, including the utilization and advancement of drones.
Back here in the U.S., we are keeping a close eye on a fast-moving winter storm that's set to bring up to 1 foot of snow to some parts of the northeast this week. Just look at that map. Purple is not good, or maybe it is good depending on how you see it. We're tracking it for you.
Also we have brand new video of King Charles appearing publicly for the first time since his cancer diagnosis. We'll bring you that and the latest on his condition.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[07:29:18]
BLACKWELL: The Senate is working through the weekend to craft a foreign aid bill, but former President Trump has already signaled that he will oppose it. And it's not the only bill he's worked to tank in recent weeks as you know.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: What we also had another massive victory that every conservative should celebrate. We crushed crooked Joe Biden's disastrous open borders bill. Crushed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: President Biden has already blamed both Trump and Republicans for the deals failure and says that he will make it into a key campaign issue heading into November.
WALKER: All right, let's talk more about this with Politico White House Reporter Daniel Lippman and Chicago Sun-Times Washington Bureau Chief Lynn Sweet. Welcome them to you both. Daniel --
DANIEL LIPPMAN, WHITE HOUSE REPORTER, POLITICO: Thank you.
[07:30:01]
WALKER: -- let's start with you. So Trump, as you heard, they're trying to sabotage this latest foreign aid bill and we also saw him on social media saying that America should only give money as loans. And he also recounted this conversation with the world leader at a campaign stop in South Carolina.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: One of the presidents of a big country stood up, said, well, sir, if we don't pay and we're attacked by Russia, will you protect us? I said, you didn't pay, you're delinquent? He said, yes, let's say that happened. No, I would not protect you. In fact, I would encourage them to do whatever the hell they want. You got to pay. You got to pay your bills. And the money came flowing in.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALKER: OK. Never mind that Trump's encouraging invasions of American allies while Ukraine's still at war with Russia. Daniel, does this bill go anywhere with Trump saying don't do it?
LIPPMANN: Probably not because he has been made very clear that he doesn't want Republicans to give Biden any victories in an election year. He has said that part out loud. He has not said, oh, this page five of the bill was too weak on asylum. One other point about that comment he made about the NATO dues.
I interviewed the NATO Secretary General a couple weeks ago, and he said, he thinks that Trump won't pull out of NATO, but this is going to give more grist to people in Europe who are very worried. The Secretary General told me, well, Trump -- well, he was -- he really wanted to support NATO because he wants people to pay their dues. But this comment really undermines people thinking that Trump will stay in NATO.
WALKER: Yes, European leaders obviously very concerned of a potential Trump presidency again.
Lynn, so despite Trump, you have senators working through this bill in a rare session this weekend. There's a critical vote expected today. What are you watching for? Any specific amendments expected?
LYNN SWEET, WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF, CHICAGO SUN-TIMES: Well, there's a bunch of amendments that could be put on the floor. One of them, in particular, addresses a big concern among Democrats who have their own concerns in the Senate about what's not in the border bill part of the legislation, including protections for dreamers. The young people who are brought to America as youth do no choice of their own, and who are looking for legalized permanent status in the United States. That's just one element that's there.
There are also amendments about putting more strings attached to foreign aid. And, by the way, that NATO getting countries to pay their full share of what they committed to in NATO, it's different than not paying anything. And using the threat of the encouragement of an invasion as blackmail is something that is indicative of what will happen in the second Trump term, which he hopes to get by blocking all legislation in Congress.
So, for example, in the border bill, if the Senate indeed musters the votes to pass it, and they may. They had a vote to advance it on Thursday that passed with 67 votes. Contrary to what Trump said, it actually explicitly gives Biden more power that he wanted. to close the southern border.
WALKER: Yes, but even if it passes the Senate, it looks like it's going nowhere in the House.
Daniel, so -- but one item House Republicans are willing to vote on again this week is on impeaching DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, which, as we all saw, failed in this massive blow to Republicans last week. So, the House is going to vote on Tuesday. You've got House Majority Leader Steve Scalise returning to Washington after some medical issues, that will give the effort a boost. But there's also this special election happening in New York on the same day to replace George Santos. How does that -- all that play into the timing of the impeachment vote?
LIPPMANN: Yes, they're basically rushing this impeachment vote because they're worried that the New York delegation will get another Democrat and not a George Santos type Republican. And so, then they would lose another Mayorkas impeachment.
But it was highly embarrassing last week when they -- when Mike Johnson lost both Mayorkas and also the Israel aid bill. Usually, you don't see that happen when you put up two important legislative fixes or legislative bill -- proposals on the floor because he obviously didn't do a great whip count. And Republicans are going to still get criticism for focusing on a highly symbolic thing of Mayorkas's impeachment instead of increasing the budget for DHS and changing the asylum laws to actually address something that could make a difference in terms of stemming the flood of migrants at the border.
WALKER: Yes, choosing to play politics over legislating.
Lynn, I mean, it goes without saying it was a really bad week for Biden after the special counsel report questioned his mental fitness and put all that in the spotlight again. The White House even responded yesterday with a memo citing, you know, areas of where they have seen Biden being sharp and alert.
[07:35:00]
But, you know, of course the Trump campaign is seizing on this. There's a pro-Trump campaign that's been super PAC that's already out and attacking Biden's competence. Specifically, when it comes to the Super Bowl is it a missed opportunity for Biden not to give -- I mean, he didn't do it at the previous Super Bowl, but this time around, with all that swirling around, not to give the traditional Super Bowl interview, is that a missed opportunity to the tens of millions of viewers he could reach? SWEET: Well, on the whole, no, because if there was even on a one-on- one interview, which is what perhaps Biden should have considered the other night, rather than what turned out to be the raucous press conference that he had. You are probably playing it safer or by having no interview, especially during a sporting event, and I know it's traditional. So, that loss was -- is minor compared to the real kind of catch-up you have to do or damage control for the press conference.
I know the -- I just think this Super Bowl presidential interview is somehow overrated because it's not all a win, win. Remember, it's a Super Bowl. Someone's going to win and someone's going to lose. It's very hard to calibrate an interview that will do something to change the minds of people who are persuadable.
WALKER: Daniel, we've got to go, but just giving you a few seconds. You've been talking to Biden officials about what they're going to do moving forward to tamp down these concerns. I mean, Biden has a perception problem, even though he and Trump are around the same age, and they both have had some questionable verbal gaffes.
LIPPMANN: Yes, I think what the Biden administration officials I talked to saying they really have to flood the zone, get Biden out there publicly. Much more -- do more town halls and press conferences and interviews. Even if you have more gaffes, you still will reassure Americans that Biden is up to the task of being president for next four years.
WALKER: Daniel Lippman, Lynn Sweet. Thank you both.
LIPPMANN: Thank you.
SWEET: Thank you.
BLACKWELL: And join Jake Tapper as he unpacks the most outrageous political scandals in his new CNN original series, "United States of Scandal". That premieres next Sunday at 9:00 p.m. right here on CNN.
Still ahead, is normally a happy moment full of hope, but for some women in Idaho, learning they are pregnant now brings fear. And a lot of them say it's all because of the state's ban on abortion.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JENNIFER ADKINS, DENIED ABORTION IN IDAHO: As soon as that ultrasound technician put that wand on my stomach and I saw the baby on the screen, I knew something was wrong.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[07:42:12]
WALKER: This just in, King Charles has appeared in public for the first time since his cancer diagnosis. He attended church this morning alongside Queen Camilla in Sandringham where the royal family owns a country estate.
The king joined other members of the family for the service. Buckingham Palace announced Monday that the 75-year-old royal will be stepping back from public duties while he undergoes treatment for an undisclosed type of cancer.
An Idaho couple says they feel betrayed by state lawmakers because they had to go across state lines to end a high-risk pregnancy.
BLACKWELL: Idaho has one of the most strict anti-abortion laws in the country, only allowing an abortion in order to save the mother's life. CNN Medical Correspondent Meg Tirrell sat down with that couple.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JENNIFER ADKINS: As soon as that ultrasound technician put that wand on my stomach and I saw the baby on the screen, I knew something was wrong.
MEG TIRRELL, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): 12 weeks into Jen Adkins pregnancy, she and her husband John got devastating news. Their baby had Turner Syndrome, a chromosomal disorder. The longer the pregnancy continued, Jen's doctors told her, the higher the risk she had for developing life-threatening high blood pressure.
JENNIFER ADKINS: I wanted to be pregnant. I wanted to have this baby, but she wasn't going to live and my risk -- my health was at risk too.
TIRRELL (voice-over): Jen and John are Idahoans through and through. John's family goes back six generations. They're raising their two- year-old son here along with 11 cats they took in and ended up adopting. So, what happened next made them feel betrayed by the state they love.
JENNIFER ADKINS: They said, well, because you're in the state of Idaho, we cannot provide a termination for you. We cannot provide an abortion.
TIRRELL: In 2020, lawmakers here in Idaho passed a trigger ban, which would essentially ban abortion in almost all circumstances if Roe v. Wade got overturned. Of course, that happened in June of 2022. So, the abortion ban went into effect. Now, it's illegal in Idaho to get an abortion in almost all circumstances. One of the few exceptions is to save the life of the person who's pregnant.
TIRRELL (voice-over): There's no exception for a circumstance like Jen's, where her health was at risk, but her life was not immediately threatened.
TIRRELL: How are you just weighing the risks to yourself and to, you know, to your family?
JENNIFER ADKINS: I knew there was no question in my mind that I was going to travel and get an abortion one way or the other because I knew my son deserves a chance to have his mother here and healthy and a non-viable pregnancy is not worth risking that comfort and safety to my living son.
TIRRELL (voice-over): Jen and John ended up driving six hours from Caldwell, Idaho to Portland, Oregon for an abortion.
[07:45:00]
JOHN ADKINS, WIFE DENIED ABORTION IN IDAHO: We honestly felt like we were fleeing and had to do so under the cover of darkness. It was a really, really bizarre feeling. Like we were going to get -- you know, like we're criminals that have to hide from the state.
TIRRELL (voice-over): Those kinds of drives are becoming more common.
TIRRELL: This is one of the least densely populated states in the whole country. One doctor we spoke with said that in the rural area where she practices, the drives already before the abortion ban were 65 miles for her patients to get this kind of care. Now, with abortion banned in Idaho, she says those drives are more than 300 miles.
TIRRELL (voice-over): These laws are weighing on doctors, too. Dr. Julie Lyons has practiced family medicine in the rural community of Hailey, Idaho near Sun Valley for 18 years.
DR. JULIE LYONS, FAMILY MEDICINE PHYSICIAN: It's a little bit terrifying to know that we can't practice our full scope. That we are now needing to manage and triage patients, often outside of the state, to get the reproductive health care that they need.
TIRRELL (voice-over): She says, the laws mean many of the colleagues she depends on for higher risk pregnant patients have left the state.
DR. LYONS: We had 10 perinatologist taking care of women in Idaho, that's down to five.
TIRRELL (voice-over): And she says, the laws are even changing how she talks to patients on their first visit in a healthy pregnancy.
DR. LYONS: We, more than ever, are having that discussion. Like, if you need to go out of state, you need to check with your insurance. You need to make sure you buy life flight insurance. Many of my patients are scared to be pregnant in Idaho. It's really tragic.
TIRRELL: When you expect to go into that appointment and talk about prenatal vitamins and what should I be eating?
DR. LYONS: Exactly. It's supposed to be a really happy, wonderful visit. And yet then we have this whole other discussion of -- around how care looks now.
TIRRELL (voice-over): Back across the state, Jen and John have recently had that conversation because they're pregnant again.
TIRRELL: Congratulations.
JOHN ADKINS: Thank you.
JENNIFER ADKINS: Thank you.
TIRRELL: How does this pregnancy feel knowing what you went through for your last pregnancy.
JENNIFER ADKINS: Anxiety, nervousness, hoping that everything goes well. I have friends that are pregnant at the same time as me here in the state, and we all kind of share the same sentiment. We all just hope that we get through this pregnancy unscathed.
TIRRELL: Both Jen and Dr. Lyons are plaintiffs in a lawsuit against the state of Idaho over its abortion law and its lack of medical exceptions. Dr. Lyons' health care system isn't party to that same lawsuit. CNN also reached out to Idaho's Attorney General's office. We did hear back from them. They told us, the law, "Safeguards the life of pregnant women." And said, the state's health care system, "Is stronger and better serves women and children when our doctors prioritize saving two lives rather than prioritizing abortion on demand".
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: Meg Tirrell, thanks so much for that report.
We're now just hours away from kickoff of Super Bowl LVIII. Andy Scholes joins us now live from Las Vegas. Andy, am I hearing you losing your voice a little bit? Have the days been fun there in Vegas?
SCHOLES: Well -- yes.
WALKER: You mean the nights?
SCHOLES: Yes, Amara and Victor, yes, the days, the nights, it's all running together at this point. You know, it's still Saturday night here for a lot of people in Las Vegas, but it's quickly going to turn Super Bowl Sunday. And boy, do we have a great game between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers. And coming up, we're going to take a look at some of the fun prop bets you can make on this game. And yes, of course, there are some involving Taylor Swift.
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[07:52:57]
WALKER: Super Bowl Sunday, it is finally here in less than 11 hours. The San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs will square off in the big game.
BLACKWELL: CNN Sports anchor Andy Scholes is outside the stadium in Las Vegas. Big day. Fewer than 11 hours now.
SCHOLES: Oh, yes, Victor and Amara. I did -- I cannot wait for this game. You know, the 49ers, they are two-point favorites, but you know, walking around Vegas this week, talking to people, man, overwhelming amount of people. They're just -- they're picking the Chiefs in this game and I think that's because no one wants to bet against Patrick Mahomes. You know, this is his fourth Super Bowl appearance in just his sixth season as a starter. He's 10 and three in his career as an underdog, and he's never lost here in Las Vegas. He is a perfect 4-0 at Allegiant Stadium. And if he can get his third ring at just 28 years old, you know, could he then eventually catch Tom Brady's record of seven Super Bowl titles? Holmes is aware of the incredible pace he's on, but he's focused on the Niners.
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PATRICK MAHOMES, KANSAS CITY CHIEFS QUARTERBACK: I mean, I'm not even close to halfway, so I haven't put a lot of thought into it. I mean, your goal is to be the best player that you can be. And, I know I'm blessed to be around a lot of great players around me.
And so, right now, it's doing whatever I can to beat a great 49ers team and try to get that third ring. And then if you ask me that question in like 15 years and I'll see if I can get close to seven, but seven seems like a long way away still.
SCHOLES: All right. So, this is a Super Bowl so that means you can pretty much bet on anything that has to do with the game. There are all kinds of fun prop bets. I'll show you some of my favorites. We'll start with the coin toss. And, you know, this is kind of a boring bet. It's 50-50, right? But I tell you what, tails is winning 30 to 27 all time in Super Bowls, including seven of the last 10. What does that mean? That means heads is due. So, maybe you can go heads this year for the old coin toss.
What color Gatorade's going to get poured on the winning coach? Purple is the favorite that's because it was what was poured on Andy Reid last year when the Chiefs won. Orange pays five to one. That's what the chiefs used back in 2020 when they won. So, some good value there.
[07:55:00]
And of course, there are some Taylor Swift prop bets that you can make at certain sports books. And one of them, will she get mentioned in the Super Bowl MVP speech? That only pays about five to one. And then the big one, will Travis Kelce propose after winning the game on the field? Guys, somehow, this only pays eight to one, which I think is ridiculously low because first of all, the Chiefs have to win the game for you to have a chance of winning that bet. Then the -- then Kelce has to actually do it, which I think -- I really just don't think there's any chance he does it for a number of reasons.
One, he would take away from the rest of his teammates after they just won the Super Bowl. And two, Amara, help me on this. Do women want to get proposed to --
WALKER: No.
SCHOLES: -- when everyone is talking about it --
WALKER: No.
SCHOLES: -- may be happening?
WALKER: Not at all.
SCHOLES: Exactly.
WALKER: No.
SCHOLES: I mean, she's a -- let me tell you, she's a billionaire. I think he'd have to surprise her on some yacht or something, right? I don't know. How do you propose to this?
WALKER: Listen, she already -- I mean, they're getting so much attention already.
BLACKWELL: Yes.
WALKER: You know, Taylor Swift mania --
BLACKWELL: Yes, they are.
WALKER: -- I mean, maybe there's a little fatigue setting in because, you know, there's a lot of talk about her. There is a game.
BLACKWELL: Yes.
WALKER: There is a game.
BLACKWELL: There is a game.
WALKER: Yes, a pretty big one. Yes.
BLACKWELL: And a halftime show.
WALKER: And a halftime show --
BLACKWELL: Yes.
WALKER: -- with a man named Usher.
BLACKWELL: Usher.
WALKER: Yes. So --
BLACKWELL: Looking for that.
WALKER: -- we're looking forward to that as well. Andy, good to see you. Hopefully you don't have too much fun. I'm saying that for your wife. Have a good one.
SCHOLES: I'll try. All right.
WALKER: Coming up, a CNN exclusive, Vice President Kamala Harris's plans to meet with Arab-American community leaders fall apart over concerns about the administration's stance on Gaza. What we're hearing from those who were supposed to attend.
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