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Rep. Michael Lawler (R-NY) is Interviewed about Immigration; John Kirby is Interviewed on Biden's Comments; CNN Series "Chance Encounters". Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired February 14, 2024 - 08:30   ET

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

[08:30:30]

REP. MICHAEL LAWLER (R-NY): If you note, Tom Suozzi ran away from President Biden, didn't want President Biden to come campaign for him.

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN ANCHOR: Right.

LAWLER: And, you know, really, frankly, went after the president on the border. So, you know, obviously, yes, Democrats can learn something from the fact that, you know, even their candidate here repudiated the policies that have been enacted by the Biden administration.

But you had a candidate that had been in office for nearly 30 years, and $25 million was spent to prop him up.

MATTINGLY: Yes.

LAWLER: So, you know, I give them kudos. But each race is going to be different. And like I said, in my particular race, my opponent is a far-left radical socialist who, you know, moved to Brooklyn to go run in 2022 -

MATTINGLY: Right.

LAWLER: Ran away from the Hudson Valley, shut down his office several months before his term expired.

MATTINGLY: Well, he got - he was redistricted out. No, and he was serving at the time it was redistricting.

LAWLER: Yes, but he - but -

MATTINGLY: I understand.

LAWLER: But any - any - any reasonable person would have stayed and fought for their community. He packed up and left. And that's something I would never do.

MATTINGLY: I want to ask you, the -- Suozzi made an interesting point to our colleague and everybody's friend on Capitol Hill, Manu Raju, earlier in the week when he was in the district, saying, it got a lot easier on immigration when the bipartisan border compromise crafted in the Senate was basically considered dead on arrival in the House.

I asked Kathy Hochul, the New York governor, about that when she was in here last week because I was a little skeptical of the actual effect of it. This is what she said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. KATHY HOCHUL (D-NY): If those 10 Republican Senators - or congressman from the state of New York stood here and said, we have to look out for New Yorkers, our state is being hit hard with this, other states are as well. If they banded together, they would have the political clout necessary to deliver for our state.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MATTINGLY: Do you think the kind of legislative back-and-forth resonated, both in this case and will continue to resonate in November?

LAWLER: Well, that's rich coming from Governor Hochul, who easily could go talk to President Biden and has failed to do so on numerous occasions. And, in fact, we have invited Governor Hochul to come meet with the New York Republican delegation. She has thus far refused to do so. So, I don't take any lectures from Governor Hochul, especially when she has enacted sanctuary city and state policies in New York where the right to shelter is being interpreted to mean that illegal immigrants get housing, where they're taking $2.4 billion in the state budget, cutting school aid to public schools in New York to fund illegal immigrants in New York City. So, I take no lectures from Governor Hochul on that.

But, at the end of the day, look, we have a crisis. Since Joe Biden took office, nearly 10 million migrants have crossed our southern border, most of them illegally. Ninety percent of them have been released into our country within 36 to 48 hours of being detained. In just the month of December, you had over 300,000 border crossings.

MATTINGLY: Right.

LAWLER: Yes, I would have liked to have seen a bill pass the Senate. And as - and as much as everybody wants to blame the House, the House passed HR-2 back in May of last year. Senate Democrats did nothing. Chuck Schumer, the Senate majority leader from New York -- I don't recall Kathy Hochul ever demanding Chuck Schumer do anything on the border until House Republicans said that a supplemental would not pass the House without action on the border.

And so, the Senate finally took some action. They negotiated, but ultimately, they could not pass a bill that included a border deal.

You know, we can talk pie in the sky about legislation, but you actually have to pass it through your respective chamber. And we were able to do that in May of last year after negotiating within the House.

MATTINGLY: Right. LAWLER: Senate Democrats were not ultimately able to pass a bill. And so, yes, I would like to see action. Yes, we do need to take action at the border. And yes, the president and his administration need to reverse some of the disastrous policies that they have enacted over the last three years.

MATTINGLY: I mean, I think we both know that being dead on arrival in the House certainly shrinks the whip count and changes the dynamic of things. But I'll also note that the Senate now has given you a bill on the national security supplemental. I do want to talk to you about that. We do have to go right now. Please come back so we can discuss that as it moves forward.

Congressman Mike Lawler, appreciate your time, as always. Thank you.

LAWLER: Thank you.

POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: All right, new this morning, Ukraine says it shank - it sank a Russian battleship in the Black Sea. National Security Council Spokesman John Kirby joins us as the White House pushes to pass aid for Ukraine, and Donald Trump threatens to abandon NATO allies.

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HARLOW: Welcome back.

Here are "5 Things" to know this Wednesday morning,

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will make his first public appearance today since he was treated for a bladder issue and then released from Walter Reed Medical Center. Austin will appear virtually at a military alliance meeting supporting Ukraine.

MATTINGLY: And a new filing in the corruption case against Senator Bob Menendez says his wife, Nadine, got an engagement ring as part of the bribes. Prosecutors say the ring was purchased in exchange for the New York -- New Jersey senator's intervention in a criminal insurance case. So far no comment from the attorneys for the couple.

HARLOW: Israel says this video shows Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar inside a tunnel below Gaza. CNN cannot independently verify the video. It appears to show Sinwar with his wife and other children just days after the October 7th attack.

MATTINGLY: And stocks are expected to open higher this morning after the Dow dropped more than 500 points yesterday. January's inflation report came in hotter than expected, triggering fears that the Federal Reserve could wait longer to cut interest rates.

HARLOW: Kansas City will throw a victory parade for the Chiefs after they won the Super Bowl. Many schools across the city are closed. Taylor Swift not expected to be there, though, because she's got a concert in Australia on Friday. More on these stories all day on CNN and cnn.com, Don't forget to download the "5 Things" podcast every morning.

MATTINGLY: Well, new overnight, military leaders in Ukraine celebrating what appears to be the sinking of another Russian warship. We're told Ukrainian see drones took out the ship in the Black Sea. Footage, posted on Telegram, you see some of it here, appears to follow a drone as it approaches the warship.

[08:40:04]

Then you see that fiery explosion.

Now this comes as President Biden is urging - is excoriating House Speaker Mike Johnson to hold a vote on the $95 billion foreign aid bill that passed the Senate on Tuesday, and that includes $60 billion to support Ukraine in its fight against Russia. It also follows former President Trump's comments over the weekend that he would encourage Russian aggression against any NATO member that doesn't pay enough.

Joining us now, White House National Security Council -- Communications Coordinator John Kirby.

We appreciate your time.

I may have messed -- I know you have a promotion and all that, Kirby, I apologize if your title has shifted.

JOHN KIRBY, WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY COMMUNICATIONS ADVISER: That's OK.

MATTINGLY: I'll call you admiral, as always.

I appreciate your time this morning.

I want to start with, the president's remarks yesterday, they were very sharp. They were very pointed.

KIRBY: Yes.

MATTINGLY: What led him to decide that he needed to make remarks like that in the wake of what we heard from his likely political opponent in November?

KIRBY: He wanted to mark, of course, an important moment in the Senate, which got this bill through, which was an important milestone hopefully to getting it to his desk. And I think he wanted to recognize the moment that we're in right now as the House has to now take this up and make -- and make a decision about where they're going to stand. And I thought the president felt it was important to make that case to the American people, why this bill needs to go forward, why a lot of hard work went into it, and why it's important for the House to vote on it and get it to his desk.

MATTINGLY: I don't think it's any secret, some Republicans on the House have acknowledged it, if this bill got to the floor, there's - there's more than 218 votes. It just needs to be put on the floor. Have you guys worked through, you know, plan b's or other ways to try and get around a speaker who said unequivocally this isn't happening?

KIRBY: It's not about getting around the speaker, Phil, it's about working -- it's about working with him and through him. And he's going to have to show some leadership here. Obviously, we're going to keep our consultations in our conversations with Congress going. We're going to - we're, obviously, going to keep engaging them. But the speaker's got a choice to make here. This is - this is a moment for leadership. This is, as the president said, an inflection points, and it's - it's - you know, we've got to wait and see if the speaker's going to be up to that moment.

MATTINGLY: I was struck when Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy, obviously a leader in foreign policy in the Senate for Democrats, not somebody who's prone to hyperbole, saying that the former president's comments related to NATO were essentially inviting world war three. Do you think that's true?

KIRBY: Well, again, I want to be careful here. I'm not allowed to talk about things on the campaign trail. But it -- as the president said, I mean, it's - it's quite remarkable that - that anyone who might have sat in the Oval Office and have been commander in chief would actually encourage our enemies to attack our friends. And that's basically what those comments were all about.

The president is 100 percent committed to our -- to our NATO commitments and to security on the European continent. As you heard him say again yesterday, we'll defend every inch of NATO territory if it comes to that. And anybody that thinks that Putin's not serious about those threats need to look a little closer at what he's been saying. Not just this Tucker Carlson interview. Look at his speeches, look at his writings over recent years. He absolutely bristles at NATO on his border. He absolutely bristles at the idea that NATO could be stronger and more relevant, which it is right now. And he has threatened some of our NATO allies. So, we've got to take this seriously because, I'll tell you, if you think it costs a lot right now to support Ukraine, think about the cost to American blood and treasure if, in fact, he goes after our NATO ally, and then you've got American troops on the ground involved in combat.

MATTINGLY: Turning to the Middle East, the war that's ongoing in Gaza right now, they're -- part of that has been the hostage negotiations that have also been ongoing. A very important meeting in Cairo. We've gotten some kind of cursory readouts that it was productive, that progress was made. Not really clear how much or how wide the gaps are. Can you fill any of those blanks in?

KIRBY: Actually, not, Phil, no. I think the less we say about these discussions, the better. And I think you can understand that. We don't want to torpedo any chances to get these hostages out. You start negotiating things in public about the modalities and the - the horse trading that's going on and -- and maybe you might spook somebody in the herd that may - may want to break from it.

So, we're - we're going to keep this nice and tight and close. We do believe that the conversations have been constructive. And it's important that they are still ongoing. That neither side has backed away and said, nope, we're not doing this.

MATTINGLY: Right.

KIRBY: That's important. And we're involved in this. And again, I think -- I think we hold out hope that we can actually get there.

MATTINGLY: There had been some reporting, and my understanding is that it's -- one of the sticking points has been kind of the ratio between prisoners released that are being held by Israel for hostages, the number. And there'd been some reporting -- the president actually discussed this with the prime minister in their call over the weekend. Can you elaborate on that at all?

KIRBY: I'm afraid not. No, Phil.

Now look, I mean, as you remember in the -- the weeklong pause that we got back in November, certainly part of the modality of that negotiation was how many hostages for how many prisoners that the Israelis had of Palestinians. That was all part of those modalities. So, look, it's -- obviously that's going to be part of any discussion going forward. But to the degree to which that that's an issue or - or what the specifics of it are, I really shouldn't be going into that.

[08:45:03]

MATTINGLY: Admiral, the president talks often about his decades long relationship with Bibi Netanyahu. Their disagreements they have, probably more than agreements over the period of that time, but it is a real relationship and it's one I think the president has utilized.

KIRBY: Yes.

MATTINGLY: Do -- does he believe that he's an honest broker right now?

KIRBY: He believes that Netanyahu is a - is a man, is a leader, that - that he can deal with, that he can talk to, that he can be frank with, and that he can disagree with. And, obviously, there have been disagreements since October 7th. And I suspect that that will continue on certain issues going forward.

But these are two men, they've know each other for four decades, 40 years, more than that. And they can argue, and they can disagree. And they can be dispectic (ph) with one another if that's what it requires. But that's what you can do with an ally and a friend. You can push, you can prod, and you can disagree.

So, I think it's more important that we focused on the things that we do agree on. And we do agree that Israel has a right to defend itself against Hamas, an organization that wants to kill all Israelis and wipe Israel off the map. We - we do agree that it's important to get humanitarian assistance into the desperate people of Gaza. And we do agree, quite frankly, and this goes back to your previous question, how important it is to get those hostages home with their families. And that's why we're working together, with our Israeli counterparts, to try to get this deal locked in.

MATTINGLY: But just, to what I asked, you know, given the political kind of constraints the prime minister faces right now, which the president has called out behind closed doors at fundraisers, including by name, does he believe he's an honest broker right now?

KIRBY: The - the -- he's the prime minister, the elected prime minister of Israel. And the president has known him a long, long time. And he believes that he can have honest, candid, forthright conversations with Prime Minister Netanyahu and get honest, candid, forthright answers in return. These are not two men that have to furnish their opinions very much with one another.

MATTINGLY: Yes, they've been very clear about that, both of them, and it's a value relationship for both of them as well, I think.

John Kirby, we always appreciate your time, sir. Thank you very much.

KIRBY: You betcha.

HARLOW: Well, this morning, Russia is responding after Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that he spoke with Paul Whelan, who has been detained in Russia since 2018.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTONY BLINKEN, SECRETARY OF STATE: Our intensive efforts to bring Paul home continue every single day. And they will until he and Evan Gershkovich and every other American wrongfully detained is back with their loved ones.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: This is at least the third time that Blinken has spoken with the former U.S. Marine, who was detained on espionage charges, which he vehemently denies, and the State Department says Whelan has been wrongfully detained. The U.S. also says that "Wall Street Journal" reporter Evan Gershkovich is also wrongfully detained in Russia and the United States says it has put a significant offer on the table to secure the release of both Americans this morning. Russia is declining to comment on those negotiations.

MATTINGLY: And, right now, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin making his first public appearance since he was released from Walter Reed Medical Center. You see him right there. He's speaking at a military alliance meeting supporting Ukraine. Austin was released from the hospital yesterday. Now, it was his second time being hospitalized after being treated for prostate cancer in December.

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[08:52:07]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LINDA PORTER: My name is Linda Porter. GEORGE PORTER: And my name is George Porter.

L. PORTER: And we met at JFK Airport in New York, 1971, and have been married for -

G. PORTER: 52 years.

L. PORTER: 52 years.

I think if you share interests and you have a fairly outgoing personality, which we both do, then things just grow from it. It was just one of those natural things where you feel the person is right and the time is right.

G. PORTER: A lot of things changed, but indeed the time was right and the person was right.

L. PORTER: Yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: I'm so excited for this next segment on this Valentine's Day.

Let's talk about love, of course. You just heard from a couple featured in CNN Travel's "Chance Encounters" series, Linda and George Porter. The series features incredible stories from couples all over the world, whether they met on a flight over the Atlantic, in the Himalayan mountains of Nepal, or on a Greyhound bus in California. These are all people who met while traveling.

MATTINGLY: And joining us now on this Valentine's Day is the CNN reporter behind this viral series, Francesca Street.

Millions of people read your stores. "The Washington Post" called her one of the most popular reporters of 2023.

So, at first I was very jealous and then a little bit bitter that you'd figured out how to do such amazing work that people loved. And then I started reading and watching, and I get it. And I think my question to you, as somebody who -- as you're reporting this out, why do you think people connect with these stories in such a clear cut way?

FRANCESCA STREET, CNN REPORTER: Oh, well, thank you so much for having me on today to talk about this.

I think that the stories are very cinematic in scope, but also they're grounded in every day. Like, everyone's been on a plane. Everyone's gone traveling. We haven't necessarily met the loves of our lives while doing that, but I think we can all kind of put ourselves in those peoples shoes and, yes, I think that sort of is what makes it so special.

HARLOW: One of the things I love about Linda and George's story is the detail. Like, they hadn't met. It was sort of a blind -- not even date, right? He's picking her up as she's getting off the plane. Tell us a little bit more about them.

STREET: Yes, so they have a great story where Linda was put in touch with George and back in the 70s she was moving to New York for the first time and, yes, she was told, like, this is a friend of a friend who will come and pick you up from the airport and take you where you need to be. She arrives at the airport. He's there. But also there's another guy waiting there unexpectedly as well. So, she has this strange dilemma almost where she has to choose between these two handsome men who've arrived at the airport for her. So, of course, we kind of know she picks George, and they've been married for 53 years this year. So, yes, it's a lovely story. And it was so funny to meet them in person as well and captured that video, which was - yes, expertly captured by the London video team. Yes.

MATTINGLY: You're interviewed folks who met on airplanes, at weddings, on the other side of the world.

[08:55:00]

Like, should single people be hopping on airplanes right now? Is this -- is this fate, or is there some, like, is there some formula or strategy to how these -- that you've picked up as you've reported these out?

STREET: It's so interesting. There will be common themes among the stories. Yes, I've been writing these stories for two years now. I think one thing is maybe when people are traveling, they're excited, they're open to new experiences. They may be embarking on a new chapter or a new adventures. So, maybe there's a bit of that.

But I also -- a lot of times I hear these stories and I'm like, this can't be real. And then I find out that they are. So, yes, I don't know. That's what makes them special. Definitely.

HARLOW: I - I love "The Washington Post" profile on you and it's so well-deserved. Why -- why did you start this? What made you so intrigued to start this series?

STREET: So, at CNN Travel we've always done human interest stories. And I think they always resonated. You know, we don't just do hotel reviews or write-ups like that. So, yes, there's always been like a bit of this kind of thing. But then during the pandemic, you know, obviously, our coverage was very different. This is all on digital, like our articles. And, yes, we just kind of stumbled across some of these stories on Twitter. I stumbled across them and then I was like, there must be more of these out there. We just need a way for these people to be able to get in touch with us because, you know, they're ordinary people, right, who just had extraordinary lives and extraordinary personal stories.

HARLOW: Yes.

STREET: So, yes, it's grown from there. And the stories keep coming, which is amazing to see.

HARLOW: Oh. MATTINGLY: And I cannot recommend them enough.

Francescas, thanks so much for taking the time with us.

STREET: Thank you so much for having me. Yes, this has been a pleasure.

HARLOW: Thank you, Francesca.

MATTINGLY: And thank you for the idea, Poppy.

HARLOW: Oh, I love her stories.

This just in, Travis Kelce addressing this moment during the Super Bowl when he got in Coach Andy Reid's face. We all saw it, right, and we were wondering what was said, kind of bumped into him, made him stumble.

MATTINGLY: Yes, don't - don't do that. On his "New Heights" podcast he said that it was unacceptable, saying, quote, "I can't get that fired up to the point where bumping coach and its getting him off balance and stuff. I just love playing for the guy. And, unfortunately, sometimes my passion comes out where it looks like it's negativity."

You just don't do that.

HARLOW: But a big parade today in Kansas City.

MATTINGLY: Yes, they got some stuff to celebrate. We'll be watching all of it.

We'll see you guys tomorrow.

"CNN NEWS CENTRAL" starts after this break.

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