Return to Transcripts main page

CNN This Morning

Hostage Talks in Cairo; Video of Hamas Leader in Tunnel; Biden Urges House to Take of Foreign Aid Bill; U.S. Fight Against the Houthis; In-Person Dating Sees Boost. Aired 6:30-7a ET

Aired February 14, 2024 - 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: Not gotten as far as was hoped?

NADA BASHIR, CNN REPORTER: Look, that is certainly the hope for many in the international community. We heard yesterday from a U.S. official saying that those discussions are nudging forward, but that they are still difficult. And, of course, as we saw in those talks yesterday, according to the U.S. officials, no major breakthroughs that would result in any sort of agreement at this stage are yet to have been reached according to U.S. officials.

We know that negotiations are still ongoing. And, of course, we heard from a Hamas official telling CNN that if there is indeed progress in these talks and negotiations, that they would be prepared to send a delegation back to Cairo for further discussions. At this stage, two Hamas officials have told CNN that they have no immediate plans to send a delegation back to Cairo.

So, of course, those talks are still very much ongoing. And as we know, according to one U.S. official, one of the key sticking points, one of the key areas of disagreement remains the ratio of Israeli hostages to Palestinian prisoners that would be exchanged as part of this agreement.

As you mentioned, Poppy, we did see last week the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, dismissing that counter proposal put forward by Hamas, which would see a prolonged truce and the gradual release of Israeli hostages held captive by Hamas, in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails. Prime Minister Netanyahu described this as delusional. We know, of course, that Hamas is calling for all Palestinian prisoners to be released. The Palestinian prisoners commission says there are around 8,000 Palestinians held in Israeli jails, many of them are believed to be held under administrative detention, meaning no clear charges laid against them.

Hamas has said the next 24 hours will be critical, that we may have a clearer picture of where these negotiations stand over the next day. But, of course, mounting pressure from the international community, particularly as we continue to hear warnings of a looming ground offensive in the southern city of Rafah, and fears that that ground offensive could put those talks in jeopardy.

HARLOW: OK, Nada Bashir, reporting in Cairo, thank you.

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN ANCHOR: Now to Tel Aviv.

Nic, what more are we learning about the Hamas leaders whereabouts? It was striking to watch this video of Yahya Sinwar yesterday that was released by the Israelis. He's been kind of public enemy number one. Everyone has been looking for him. But it also was from October. What more do we know?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, it was taken from CCTV footage that the IDF say that they recovered quite recently in Khan Younis. They say they've been developing intelligence about where Yahya Sinwar is, those movements from Hamas captives, particularly sort of Hamas officials, that they say they're detaining, they say they've captured or killed or injured about ten -- 20,000 Hamas operatives so far.

So, from those intelligence investigations, interrogations, that the IDF are performing, they believe that they're building up a better picture of where Sinwar is and they're presenting this material as an indication of that. They also showed material that they said, the IDF said, we can't stand up what the IDF is putting forward, but they showed video of what they describe as millions of shekels and dollars in a room that they said -- a bunker room, deep in a tunnel system, where they said Sinwar was using.

I think this is indicative of where the conflict is at the moment. For months in, the IDF said that its direction, political direction, that it was given, and what it intends to do, which was crush Hamas, but take down its leadership as well. And I think this is indicative of the fact that for months in they have not been able to capture or kill Yahya Sinwar. And I think by offering this material publicly at this stage kind of keeps alive the narrative that they're on his trail. It's not clear to us at the moment, from what we know, how this video really advances that surge.

MATTINGLY: Yes, it's such a great point on the timing.

Nic Robertson, as always, thank you.

Well, history is watching. Up next, hear President Biden's latest plea for House Republicans to act on providing funding for Israel and Ukraine.

HARLOW: Plus, a driver has died, at least five people hurt after a car crashed into the lobby of an emergency room. Look at that. This happened in Austin, Texas. Police say they don't believe the crash was intentional. Four victims were taken to other hospitals, including an adult and child who were both in critical condition. Officials say the child has life-threatening injuries.

Back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:38:01] (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: But I call the speaker to let the full House speak its mind and not allow minority of most extreme voices in the House to block this bill, even from being voted on.

This is a critical act for the House to move.

For Republicans in Congress who think they can oppose funding for Ukraine and not be held accountable, history is watching.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: That is President Biden. He was urging the House speaker to bring this bill to the floor and hold a vote on the $95 billion foreign aid bill passed by the Senate this week. Speaker Mike Johnson says he does not plan to bring it to the floor.

S.E. Cupp, Scott Jennings, Max Rose back with us.

Max, starting with you.

We had a long talk about this in the makeup room. I applied a little bit more makeup than you did, but we had a long conversation about this. You have an interesting take on what's going to happen here.

MAX ROSE, FORMER U.S. REPRESENTATIVE (D-NY): Sure. I mean there's a few options here for the speaker. One, he could split the votes into three separate packages, put them all individually on the floor, Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan. In addition, though, they could pare back, particularly to Ukraine bill. One of the principal criticisms from folks like J.D. Vance has been that the Ukraine aid actually would extend nine months into the next presidency, and to which they purport will be the Trump presidency. I, of course, disagree. But they think that this would handcuff Donald Trump. So, potentially, Speaker Johnson could pare that back.

Of course, the worst thing he could do is not put anything on the floor because that, once again, just talking strictly politics, would put his moderates in such a disadvantage to say that once again the Republican Party is on the side of extremism and authoritarianism, both at home and abroad. That's a -- that's disastrous politics.

MATTINGLY: I really thought we were this close to talking about previous questions -

HARLOW: Makeup.

MATTINGLY: And - and discharge petitions. And instead you have tried legislative options, and I'm very disappointed. I just want to make that clear there.

The split between Senate Republicans and House Republicans on this, no one personifies it like the leader, like Leader McConnell.

[06:40:00]

SCOTT JENNINGS, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes.

MATTINGLY: He made this the cornerstone, a legacy issue to some degree, not that he's leaving anytime soon, though if he is feel free to flag. He put it all on the line when his conference was moving away from him on this. The idea that House Republicans, after a 70 vote -- 70 total votes in the Senate wouldn't do anything with it.

JENNINGS: Yes. Well, also, there are a lot of House Republicans that want to help Ukraine. I mean I think there is a -

MATTINGLY: You put this on the floor now. It gets 280 to 300 votes, period.

JENNINGS: Absolutely. And so, you know, splitting it, I mean, they just - they just tried this with Israel and it didn't go anywhere.

I think McConnell said yesterday, you know, I don't know where everybody is. Maybe the best way to find out is just to vote and see what happens. I don't know what Speaker Johnson is going to do.

But there is a constituency for all of this. There are probably 300 votes for all of this. And maybe they could tinker with it and find a way to modify it to help people.

But remember, the bulk of this money goes right back to American companies in American states that have American workers that are making these munitions and weapons for Ukrainians. So, I think there's a misperception that we just basically write a check and, you know, FedEx it over to whatever, Ukraine. That's not the way this works. And my hope is, is that cooler heads prevail, and we realize it's not a good idea to let the Russians run all over Europe. I mean that's our traditional view as Republicans, and we ought to keep it.

S.E. CUPP, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, to that exact point, if you had told me ten years ago that Democrats would be begging Republicans to do something to stand up against Russia and China and help out Israel against Republican desires, I would not have believed you. That's -- that shows just how completely the Republican Party has changed.

And it's not just about intransigents, because it's a lot about intransigents and just not doing something that Democrats want. It's more than that. It's not doing stuff that Republicans generally want. And the border bill that they said no to is a perfect example, more stuff than they could ever have imagined, more stuff than Democrats have ever offered on the border, and they still said no.

HARLOW: Listen to what President Biden said about all of this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: No other president in our history has ever bowed down to a Russian dictator. Well, let me say this as clearly as I can, I never will. For God's sake, it's dumb, it's shameful, it's dangerous, it's un-American. When America gives its word, it means something. When we make a commitment, we keep it. And NATO is a sacred commitment.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: Referring to the president's comments, Scott.

JENNINGS: Yes.

HARLOW: I don't have to remind anyone what he said, everyone's seen it, over the weekend with sort of an invitation to Russia for anyone who doesn't pay up.

JENNINGS: Yes, the word was "encourage."

HARLOW: Yes.

JENNINGS: Yes, I'm going to encourage them to do whatever they want.

HARLOW: Yes. Yes.

JENNINGS: You know, Joe Biden, last week, last few weeks, has been doing everything he can do to hand this election of Donald Trump. And his reaction to that was to say, well, we should encourage the Russians to, you know, attack our friends. Really not a great posture. And, again, I think there's a misperception about where the party -- there's a belief that all Republicans have just become of this world. That's not true. There are a lot of Republicans in Congress and just in the middle of the country that think, oh, wait a minute here, maybe, maybe we ought to keep up our traditional role in the world of countering these dictators and countering our enemy, the Russians. I mean, remember, we're degrading them in this fight without a single military - U.S. service member being in harm's way. And that's a good thing.

MATTINGLY: Can I pull that thread back to what we were talking about at the end when Max was trying to spike the football in the first panel, which is, what happened in the last ten years. Well, nine years ago Donald Trump started running for president.

CUPP: Exactly right. You did the correct math.

MATTINGLY: Donald Trump is going to be - thank you. Math guy. Ohio State.

Donald Trump will be running against Joe Biden. Joe Biden has defeated Donald Trump. Over the course of the last two-and-a-half years, every single special election, every single ballot initiative, Democrats have overperformed. How -- in the House state -- special - statehouse special election yesterday they overperformed, kept the majority in the Pennsylvania statehouse.

Why is this such a toss-up? Why is this race not necessarily in Biden's hands? In fact, he could very well lose the general.

ROSE: I mean its clear we - we steal the special elections, right? That's - that's what we - that's what we do, of course.

MATTINGLY: Careful.

CUPP: Oh, don't even joke about that, dude.

HARLOW: Careful.

MATTINGLY: He's kidding, guys.

ROSE: So - so - so, look, here's the deal. I think we -- Democrats have to be cognizant of Donald Trump's unique strengths, right? And there is a unique political strength to draw out non-traditional voters. You can't ignore that.

But with that being said, though, you know, we've had seven or so elections, right? And you've had consistent Democratic victories or overperformance. We also shouldn't overestimate the power of this MAGA extremism at the ballot box. It is constantly rejected by these moderate swing voters, particularly in suburban areas. And there's no reason to suspect that 2024, if Democrats stay disciplined, would be any different.

[06:45:03]

HARLOW: Thank you all.

MATTINGLY: Thanks, guys.

HARLOW: Appreciate it.

As Houthi rebels in Yemen launch attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea, the U.S. Navy has been fighting a stop them. And CNN went on board a U.S. warship, spoke to crew members at the forefront of this fight. We're live on the ground with the latest, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MATTINGLY: Well, welcome back.

The U.S. Navy has been maintaining a visible and active presence in the Red Sea to protect international shipping from the constant threat of missiles and drones being launched by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.

CNN's Natasha Bertrand was on board a U.S. warship on the frontlines of this fight in the Red Sea, capturing just how quickly the crews on these ships need to react in order to successfully shoot down an incoming missile.

And CNN national security correspondent Natasha Bertrand joins us now from Manama, Bahrain, which is the headquarters of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command.

[06:50:05]

Natasha, it's fascinating that you had this opportunity. Tell us what you saw when you were embedded here.

NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, Phil, we were really on the front lines here of the U.S. Navy's fight against the Houthis, who, as you know, have been launching relentless missiles and drones out of Yemen targeting commercial ships in the Red Sea, targeting U.S. and coalition forces who were also in the Red Sea to try to protect that shipping lane.

It's really hard to overstate just how intense and frenetic the paces onboard the USS Eisenhower, which is the aircraft carrier that is given the jets -- flying jets over the skies at a constant rate, up to 50 fighter jets per day taking off from this aircraft carrier to patrol the skies over the Red Sea and, of course, to strike targets inside Yemen when necessary.

Now, we also had the chance to go onboard a U.S. destroyer - U.S. destroyer called the USS Gravely, which has been, again, on the frontlines, kind of the tip of the spear of the attacks against the Houthis, intercepting missiles and drones on a regular basis as they are launched from inside Yemen.

Here's just a quick look at what the crew onboard this destroyer has to deal with when they detect a missile and respond.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All stations air, new track, 80306, ISS (ph) is anti-ship cruise missile, inbound Gravely.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Killed track, 80306, with missiles, (INAUDIBLE) screen.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Break (ph) MSS (INAUDIBLE) 80306.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: MSSI (ph). Missile (INAUDIBLE), 80306.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) check 80306.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERTRAND: Now, the radars on that warship, they can quickly detect an incoming missile. And the crew on board that ship, they really only have a matter of seconds to respond by shooting a missile of their own. There is a very sophisticated set of missile systems on board the USS Gravely, but sometimes those systems don't work.

And we actually saw one of the last lines of defense that the Gravely was forced to use just a few weeks ago, called the Phalanx System, when the -- one of the Houthi missiles that was coming inbound towards that very ship, that destroyer, managed to fall through some of the cracks. Ultimately, they were able to shoot it down, but it was a very close call.

HARLOW: There is -- first of all, it's amazing that you're there and I can't wait to see more of your reporting, Natasha. One of the big questions is how long can, you know, U.S. forces sustain this as they keep taking incoming? Did you get a sense of that?

BERTRAND: Well, it is a very high tempo of operations. As I said, you know, these jets have been taking off at a frenetic pace, really hour by hour on this ship. And these sailors, they have not gotten a break. They have been out there for months and months without a port call, without being able to go to port and get on land and without a break, really. But we spoke to the commander of Carrier Strike Group Two, which is in charge of this Eisenhower aircraft carrier, and he said that the U.S. is going to stay there and complete this mission and be there really for as long as it takes to defeat the Houthis.

Here's what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REAR ADM. MARC MIGUEZ, COMMANDER, CARRIER STRIKE GROUP 2: The sustainability, we can go for a long time. We've got our logistics train already mapped out to stay here as long as the president needs us to stay here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERTRAND: Now, the Houthis have said for their part that they're not going to stop, and the U.S. doesn't have a great idea of just how much of their capabilities remain. So, it remains to be seen just how long the U.S. is going to be stationed there. It could be a very long time.

MATTINGLY: Yes, it's a remarkable window into an ongoing conflict. I can't wait to see more, just like Poppy.

Natasha Bertrand, thank you.

Well, Donald Trump's business empire on the line with the judge expected to issue a ruling in his civil fraud trial by this Friday. What that means for Trump's business in New York and how significant that verdict could be. Thats ahead.

HARLOW: Is it time to ditch dating apps? This Valentine's Day, more people are looking to mute someone the old fashioned way, like old people, like me and Phil did. We'll discuss, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:57:43]

HARLOW: Awe, dating not always easy, as we all know, as -- and if you're single and looking to make a romantic connection today on Valentine's Day, apparently you may want to ditch the dating apps and try the old school way to finding love, meeting someone in, as the young kids say, IRL. Do you know what that is?

MATTINGLY: In your life.

HARLOW: In your life.

Nathaniel Meyersohn, our guest report, is here to explain. Good morning.

NATHANIEL MEYERSOHN, CNN BUSINESS REPORTER: Good morning.

HARLOW: What do you got for us?

MEYERSOHN: Meeting an IRL, that is the big trend right now in dating. So, singles, they are tired of the swipes, they're tired of the dating apps, and they want to meet in person. So, we're seeing the return of speed dating events, singles, mixers, other type of in-person events. So, game night mixers, that's been really popular, board games, trivia night, chess. We've seen the chess really explode. Attendance up 163 percent year-over-year according to Eventbrite. And then athletic dating events, pickleball, spin classes, that's another way that singles are trying to find romance.

HARLOW: Spin class.

MEYERSOHN: Spin class. I'm not hopping on the, by the way.

MATTINGLY: Why the -- why the shift?

MEYERSOHN: Yes, some interesting trends here. So, dating apps, they were supposed to help us with dating, but there are a lot of people who have negative experiences with the dating apps. Forty-six percent of users have negative experience on the apps. And the way that our parents met and baby boomers met, they were being set up in person or they met at work. Forty-five percent of baby boomers met in-person compared to just 26 percent of gen z and millennials. And so these -- these in-person dating events, they're designed to facilitate connection and get off the apps.

HARLOW: OK.

MATTINGLY: How's inflation changing everything?

MEYERSOHN: Well, inflation is changing everything, including dating. So, instead of the expensive white tablecloth meals and going out for drinks -

HARLOW: Yes.

MATTINGLY: Yes.

MEYERSOHN: People want free activities. We love free stuff. So, meeting for coffee, going for a walk in the park, my -

HARLOW: It's better.

MEYERSOHN: So much better. My favorite, going to Costco for the free samples. What a -- finding love in the Costco aisle.

HARLOW: Nathaniel, wait a - no, no, no, no, no.

MATTINGLY: Yes, I feel like that - no, if you thought that's - no, we're going to - HARLOW: Time out.

MEYERSOHN: Maybe that's why I'm still single.

HARLOW: Ladies, anyone want to go to Costco with Nathaniel. That's - that's creative.

[07:00:00]

MATTINGLY: Yes.

HARLOW: That's creative.

MATTINGLY: What else you got?

MEYERSOHN: So, we have an important question for you guys.

MATTINGLY: Yes. Yes.

MEYERSOHN: Phil and Poppy, how did you guys meet your spouses?