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New Day
Kierna Mayo is Interviewed about the Halftime Show; Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) is Interviewed about the Bridge Opening to Canada; Remember When republicans Didn't Trust Russia. Aired 8:30-9a ET
Aired February 14, 2022 - 08:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[08:30:00]
KIERNA MAYO, CULTURAL CRITIC: We are featuring a Dr. Dre, a Snoop Dogg, when we're not asking larger questions about who was making allegations about these people over years and years and years. So it's a very -- yesterday, for me, was a complex truth, you know? I was overjoyed to see hip-hop make it this far. And these are the songs I grew up on. So, it was a party.
But I did feel a churning inside that brought me back to the larger questions of the day, you know, about gender-based violence, about race and racism in the NFL, and about how some of these larger questions are really being addressed when we're not in a moment of joyful reverence.
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, go ahead and ask the questions now because I was struck by the fact that this performance was so wildly embraced by everyone that I was seeing on social media.
MAYO: Yes.
BERMAN: Yet, if I rewind 25 years, these same types of voices would have been pushing for congressional hearings into the lyrics, into other things.
MAYO: Yes. Not even -- not even the lyrics so much, but some of the allegations that have been made for years against some of these people. You know, we talk about -- there's a song called "Forgot about Dre." In fact, they teased it. There's a lot of us that haven't forgotten about Dre, about the other parts of Dre that really -- you know, I don't know that we can unpack it here in a morning segment, but I would -- I would submit that the Super Bowl, at least for me and for many people that I know personally, did bring up some complications about hip-hop culture at large, about American culture at large. When is the appropriate time to have certain conversations and when do we say we've had enough of a particular player because of what has been alleged. You know, it's not for me to be judge and jury, but I do think as a cultural critic and as somebody who's observant, particularly around things that impact black people in this nation, we've got to be fair and honest and truthful.
So, yes, overjoyed. Here for Mary J. Blige in all instances. Certainly in her all white. You know, I was absolutely loving Kendrick. I thought it was an important moment for the culture. I do still hope that we can hold space, particularly for the black women and girls who have historically been saying some things happened to me from some very rich and famous and powerful people, men. And I'd like for those things to have, again, the space for us to tease it out and to get clear and be honest.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: Well, Kierna, we'll have you back where we can tease it out.
MAYO: Thank you.
KEILAR: As you said, maybe we can't get it all done in one morning segment, but maybe a few.
MAYO: Yes.
KEILAR: And we'll talk about it.
MAYO: Yes.
KEILAR: Thank you so much.
MAYO: Yes. Thank you for having me.
KEILAR: I really enjoyed you being on this morning.
MAYO: Thank you so much. I enjoy you every morning.
KEILAR: Awe, thank you so much.
Breaking this morning, a major bridge at the border. We were telling you about this last week. This bridge between the U.S. and Canada is now back open after police cleared all those trucker-inspired protests, but how much economic damage did this cause.
BERMAN: Plus, just in, just days after hearing she will be called the queen in the future, Camilla tests positive for coronavirus.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[08:37:24]
BERMAN: All right, we have some live pictures now of the Ambassador Bridge, the busiest land crossing in North America. It is now open after nearly a weeklong standoff that paralyzed traffic and clogged up supply chains. Canadian police made several arrests yesterday and towed vehicles in Windsor, Ontario, before the bridge was able to reopen. Our Miguel Marquez was there. We saw several trucks passing through now, so stuff is now getting across, but the protests themselves may have cost workers in the Michigan auto industry $51 million in lost wages.
Joining us now is Democratic Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin of Michigan. She is on the Homeland Security Committee.
Congresswoman, thanks so much for being with us.
The bridge is open. Trucks are getting through. Your reaction this morning?
Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI): It's great. Every Michigander loves to see those -- you know, our tunnels, our bridges open and busy commerce going on. And I think what happened this past week when we saw the blockade around Windsor, Canada, was just -- it really hit home for a lot of our auto workers in particular. Delta Township, in Lansing, Michigan, I represent most of Lansing, they had to cancel shifts almost immediately affecting thousands of workers. So it was just -- it brought it home, I think, for a lot of people just how dependent we are on kind of a global supply chain, again.
BERMAN: I wonder what lessons you think were learned with how it was handled. Because once the Canadians decided to go in and remove those protesters, it happened very quickly. I mean it really wasn't that much of a conflict to open that bridge.
SLOTKIN: Yes, I wouldn't say most of us thought it was quick. I think we were urging the Canadians to move, and they moved slower than I think we would have moved on the American side if the same thing had happened. We have the legal procedures in place to go ahead, if you block an international border like that, we can move, and our Customs and Border Protection folks were ready to act if that happened on our side.
The Canadians did it methodically. They did it responsibly. There was no violence. And, in the end, it was a bit of a paper tiger. It was 20 or 30 folks, 12 or 15 trucks. And now we just have to watch and make sure there's not copycats going on, on our side of the border. And, I mean, I think it just -- it just demonstrates again this idea of, first, how sensitive international trade is to what our economic security, but also just that -- that people are looking to disrupt and the workers are the ones who are paying the price.
BERMAN: I wasn't suggesting that it happened quickly. It did take a long time for the Canadians to act. But once they decided to go in and clear the bridge, the operation itself was relatively without conflict and it happened very quickly, which may be a lesson here if it does materialize on the U.S. side.
[08:40:03]
That's what I was getting at there.
Listen, I want to ask you also what you are hearing in terms of Russia and how imminent things are. When Jake Sullivan, the National Security adviser, says Russia can invade any day Ukraine, is it your opinion that it is that imminent? SLOTKIN: Yes. I think the administration is taking a very different
strategy than, frankly, we took in 2014 or we've taken on a lot of these issues. They're just declassifying classified information and putting it out in the public. And that's a very new thing to do, right? It's very sensitive information. The sources and methods in which we get that information are put at risk when you expose it to the world. And I think they're doing that in a concerted effort to expose Russia and stop them hopefully from taking this action.
But I absolutely believe that if they're putting it out on television, it's because they're seeing it in real time in the intelligence.
BERMAN: And so people know, you come from the intelligence community. You worked at the CIA and DOD. So you have experience in knowing just how knew this is.
I guess my question there, though, is, is you're getting it all out there, so Putin risks being exposed as a liar for saying, oh, I was never going to invade if he does invade. Does he really care about being exposed as a liar on the national stage?
SLOTKIN: Yes. You know, I think his Achilles' heel is what his own people think of him. And the more information that's out there in the international media, the more it seeps into Russia proper, the more his own people see that this is a fabricated thing, not, you know, some Ukrainian aggression that we have to respond to as Russians. And I think that all helps contribute to Putin making some decision to take an off-ramp diplomatically and getting out of the situation. I hope he does that. So I do think the Achilles' heel is his people's view of him.
KEILAR: Is there any magic wand of diplomacy that the administration could wave right now to stop this if Putin wants to invade?
SLOTKIN: Well, look, I mean, we negotiated with the former Soviet Union for years and years when we had very different views of what to do in places like Europe. So, there's nothing that's insurmountable. But when Putin comes in and says you have to just say that countries don't get to join NATO, even if they want to join NATO, we can't take that as an answer. We can't accept that. But that -- there is room to negotiate if Putin actually wants a diplomatic resolution to this. And we're not sure with 130,000 troops surrounding Ukraine right now that that's actually his intent.
BERMAN: The ambiguity here, though, is that while the United States recognizes Ukraine's right to join NATO, President Biden and others flat out say, Ukraine's not about to join NATO. It's not about to happen. So, is it -- you know, so is risking military conflict worth it for something that isn't going to happen now or for the foreseeable future?
SLOTKIN: Look, I think this idea that countries have the right to chart their own destiny is not something I want to give up on. I don't want to just say, OK, if a big aggressive state puts 130,000 troops around another country, they just get to decide what the future holds for that country. And think about who's watching, right? Think about the Chinese
watching, and Taiwan as a perfect corollary, a perfect example, in their own theater. I don't like this idea that big, powerful countries can just use the threat of force to chart the destiny of other countries. And I think that it is important to have a principled response to that, yes.
BERMAN: These are important distinctions. A really important discussion. And I really appreciate you joining us to have it this morning.
Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin, thanks so much.
SLOTKIN: Thank you.
BERMAN: All right, breaking news this morning, outrage around the world as the Russian skater who failed a drug test will be allowed to compete. How the Olympic committee just responded in a dramatic move.
KEILAR: Plus, the loss of a legend behind the ghosts.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And I bet we're the only ones who can do anything about it, right?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You bet we are.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[08:48:30]
KEILAR: Time now for "5 Things to Know for Your New Day."
The L.A. Rams are Super Bowl champs. They rallied to beat the Bengals 23-20. Matthew Stafford hitting Cooper Kupp for the game-winning touchdown with just over a minute left. And Kupp was named the MVP of Super Bowl XVI.
BERMAN: Fifteen-year-old Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva has been cleared to compete in the Beijing Olympics despite failing a drug test. Game officials say there will be no award ceremonies or medals handed out in the event that she wins a medal until it is established whether she violated the anti-doping regulations.
KEILAR: And a Russian invasion of Ukraine could happen as soon as this week. That is the latest assessment from President Biden's national security adviser. Over the weekend, the president spoke with Russian Leader Vladimir Putin and he told him to expect a swift and decisive response if he does invade.
BERMAN: So, just in, Camilla, the duchess of Cornwall, tested positive for coronavirus. This is her first time getting coronavirus, just days after her husband Charles, the prince of Wales, a lot of dukes and duchesses and princesses there. He got it for a second time.
KEILAR: And an unruly passenger forcing an American Airlines flight to make an emergency landing overnight. Witnesses say the man was trying to get into the cockpit and pry open a plane door. That's when the flight from L.A. to D.C. began rapidly descending and landed in Kansas City.
BERMAN: Those are the "5 Things to Know for Your New Day." More on these stories all day on CNN and cnn.com. And don't forget to download the "5 Things" podcast every morning.
[08:50:00]
Go to cnn.com/5things. You can also find it wherever you get your podcasts.
KEILAR: As the world waits to see if Russia will invade Ukraine, some members of the GOP seem more focused on echoing Russian talking points rather than condemning them.
John Avlon has your "Reality Check."
JOHN AVLON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: There used to be at least one thing you could count on in our politics. Republicans really didn't trust the Russians. But during the Cold War, this was a constant, from a steely containment strategy of Ike, to the unhinged witch hunts of Joe McCarthy, to the live free or die libertarianism of Barry Goldwater, to the righteous tear down this wall rhetoric of Ronald Reagan.
Now, back then, Republicans were a genuinely big tent part but anti- communism connected them all. And that fueled a robust internationalist consensus when it came to foreign policy.
But all that changed with the Trumpification of the GOP, with his constant refusal to ever condemn the ex-KGB agent turned Russian President Vladimir Putin.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: And I like Putin. He likes me. You know, we get along.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AVLON: And now we're seeing the worst of both worlds, with Republicans still reflexively fanning the McCarthy-Ike (ph) flames by calling anyone they disagree with a communist --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): We all know that AOC and this crowd are a bunch of communists.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They are trying to turn this country into a communist ash heap. REP. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE (R-GA): We have many members in the Democrat Party that you could definitely look at, read their bills, listen to what they say and you could call them communist.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AVLON: But that reckless rhetoric isn't matched by a resolve to take on Russian aggression. In fact, the data does show a real shift. Get this, back in 2014, only 22 percent of Republicans said Russia was an ally of or friendly to the United States. Four years later, middle of the Trump presidency, that number had almost doubled to 40 percent. And that wasn't a one-off. Same year, Pew Research found that views of Putin had turned less negative among Republicans and more negative among Democrats.
Now, you could say this was a result of Russian efforts to aid Trump's election, as the bipartisan Senate Intel Committee report conclusively proved. But thanks to popularizing the view that standing up to Putin is a provocation pushed by Tucker Carlson on the right wing talk TV, as well as the ex-president, we've seen a Trump's -- some of Trump's acolytes in Congress push this idea that the U.S. shouldn't act to help Ukraine.
Now, the good news is that there are still Republicans in Congress who are backing the international order against Putin's would-be power grab. But the isolationist wing of the GOP is more vocal and influential than it's been any time since the Second World War. And that could send a muddled message to our allies.
Remember, the liberal international order and security organizations like NATO are some of America's greatest bipartisan achievements, secured by presidents of both parties. Trump was the outlier in this effort, dismissing the danger of a further Russian invasion of Ukraine after their annexation of Crimea when he was first running for president.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: He's not going into Ukraine. OK. Just so you know, he's not going to go into Ukraine.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AVLON: OK then.
There was also the time he questioned to resolve of NATO in this 2018 interview with one Tucker Carlson.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TUCKER CARLSON, FOX NEWS HOST: Membership in NATO obligates the members to defend any other member that's attacked. So let's say Montenegro, which joined last year, is attacked.
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: That's right.
CARLSON: Why should my son go to Montenegro to defend it from attack? Why is that --
TRUMP: I understand what you're saying. I've asked the same question. You know, Montenegro is a tiny country with very strong people.
CARLSON: Yes, I'm not against Montenegro or Albania.
TRUMP: Right. No, by the way, they're very strong people. They're very aggressive people. They may get aggressive. And congratulations, you're in World War III.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AVLON: They may get aggressive.
Look, no one's looking for World War III. That's precisely why you need to stand up to aggression ahead of time with a united front. History is really clear on this, folks, the whole idea of peace through strength that Republicans used to believe because, as we should all know by know, bullies only respect strength.
And that's your "Reality Check."
KEILAR: All right, John Avlon, thank you.
Coming up, we say goodbye to the man who gave us "Ghostbusters" and so much more.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sorry. My fault.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[08:58:52]
BERMAN: This morning, all of us mourning the death of legendary film director and producer Ivan Reitman. He was the brains behind some of the biggest and most enduring film comedies of the '80s and '90s, including "Ghostbusters."
So the 1984 film made almost $300 million and earned two Oscar nominations and spawned a movie franchise. Reitman's big break, actually, came six years earlier when he produced another comedy classic "National Lampoon's Animal House."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Toga, toga, toga, toga!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: In a statement Reitman's children said they're grieving the unexpected loss of a husband, father and grandfather who always taught them to, quote, seek the magic in life. Ivan Reitman was 75. Some of the other films include "Dave," "Stripes." My favorite was
"Meatballs." And the thing about Ivan Reitman is, there was a sweet -- to his best comedy, there was a sweetness to it.
KEILAR: Yes.
BERMAN: And really, I think, made you smile in a kind way.
[09:00:04]
KEILAR: Yes.
BERMAN: I loved "Meatballs."
KEILAR: I loved "Dave." But I'll tell you, I have a three-year-old who was a ghostbuster for Halloween. It endures, as you said. It is beloved, certainly, in my house.
BERMAN: All right, our best to his family.
CNN's coverage continues right now.
