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1/6 Committee Reveals Text Messages; Jersey is Interviewed about Training Ukrainian Pilots; Food Truck Owners Forced to Raise Costs; Bracing for a Surge of Migrants. Aired 6:30-7a ET

Aired March 25, 2022 - 06:30   ET

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

[06:30:00]

JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: To be clear here, Brianna, though, she has long been a conservative activist but in recent months especially people have been wondering about whether there's a major conflict of interest given her husband's very important position, one of nine justices on the Supreme Court.

So, here are some of the text messages between Ginni Thomas and Mark Meadows where she really seems to urge him to continue the fight to overturn the election.

There's this one from November 10, 2020. Help this great president stand firm, Mark. You are the leader with him who is standing for America's constitutional governance at the precipice. The majority knows Biden and the left is attempting the greatest heist of our history.

Then there's another one on November 10th, just days after the Capitol attack. We are living through what feels like the end of America. Most of us are disgusted with the VP and are in listening mode to see where to fight with our teams. Those who attacked the Capitol are not representative of our great teams of patriots for DJT, Donald J. Trump. Amazing times. The end of liberty.

And so Ginni Thomas, she gave an interview recently in the past few weeks. She insists that she played no role in the Capitol attack. And she also, in recent years, months, she's been clear that she is careful to distance her politics, her activity from her husband.

But here's what's interesting and what court watchers are flagging. In those weeks when she was writing these text messages to Mark Meadows, the Supreme Court was actually considering several issues in regard to the election, as well as whether or not material should get handed over to the select committee.

In January, when she was sending these text messages, the court was considering Trump's request whether to block his White House records from the committee. Ultimately, the Supreme Court let those records be handed over. But here's the thing, the vote was 8-1. Justice Clarence Thomas was the lone dissent here.

So, the Supreme Court members, they have long said that they stay -- they steer far clear of politics. But this makes it a bit murky. And there are a lot of questions mounting. And no doubt the January 6th committee is also looking into all of these text messages, Brianna.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. It is interesting. Look, spouses can have autonomy from each other, certainly professionally. But what you're seeing here is that he is an outlier in line with what she is communicating there to Mark Meadows.

SCHNEIDER: That's right.

KEILAR: It's really fascinating.

SCHNEIDER: A lot of questions.

KEILAR: Jess, thank you so much for that.

We're following breaking news out of Mariupol. A new video showing these moments just after Russians bombed that big theater there that had women, children, and hundreds more people inside of it. The one that had "children" written outside. That has now claimed the lives of 300 people we are learning.

Plus, we spoke yesterday with two Ukrainian fighter pilots, you may recall, "Moonfish" and" Juice." Well, we'll be speaking with the retired U.S. Air Force pilot who trained one of them, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:37:11]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, breaking news.

We're getting our first look from inside the Mariupol theater where Russian forces bombed hundreds of people, including children, who were hiding there one week ago. This is the aftermath. You can see how packed it is. You see people trying to get out to evacuate.

In this clip, a Ukrainian man can be heard saying, quote, there are many people under the rubble. They are hiding from shelling. And that, quote, the air strike was right in the center of the drama theater where people came to get some water.

You'll remember the word "children" was spelled out clearly on both sides of the building. Very visible from the sky. But despite this, hundreds of people, we are now told, killed, perhaps many more as well.

So, Ukraine is putting up a fierce battle to prevent Russia from dominating the skies. I did speak with a pair of Ukrainian pilots. Their call signs "Juice" and "Moonfish," who were trained in the United States, about why their fight has been effective.

Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

"MOONFISH," UKRAINIAN AIR FORCE PILOT: What I would say that combining the efforts of our fighters, as well as ground air defense, is a really good mix, is a really good match. And yet it is true we feel free right now to operate in our airspace.

"JUICE," UKRAINIAN AIR FORCE PILOT: I'm not efficient. I am not effective against Russian jets or against Russian fighters. So, we need something more advanced, something modern. So, we need western platforms. Maybe -- it -- it could be (INAUDIBLE) jets as a platform. But with new missiles and with new (INAUDIBLE) and other systems to be efficient, not to be fighting -- not to be scared of Russian technology. So, we are pushing them from our border, from our front lines.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: All right, joining me now, retired U.S. Air Force Pilot "Jersey." He trained "Juice" and other Ukrainian pilots and has asked us to refer to him by his call name, call sign, in solidarity with his Ukrainian friends.

Jersey, great to see you. Thank you so much.

What do you think of the relative success that your friends, these Ukrainian pilots, have had?

"JERSEY," RETIRED U.S. FIGHTER PILOT: I'm not surprised. And nobody that has flown with these guys would be surprised. They are highly professional. They're motivated fighter pilots. They're very good at what they do. And like you heard them say, their big limitation is not their skills and not their training, it's their weaponry.

BERMAN: Now, what was it like to work with them?

[06:40:04]

JERSEY: I mean, it was one of the better experience of my career because it was impactful. We knew that this was something that was down the road. And training them to get ready for this was something that had huge meaning. We -- we love these guys as brothers. They're warriors. They're patriots. And it was amazing interfacing with them.

BERMAN: One of the things we hear from Ukrainian military overall, but certainly Ukrainian pilots, is they remind us, they've actually been fighting this war in some regards for years now, since 2014. They've got experience against the Russians.

How do you think that's played into it?

JERSEY: I mean, that it's a huge factor. Every time we went to Ukraine and trained with these guys, you know, we would tell stories to kind of relate to the stuff that we were teaching and discussing with them. And, you know, they would come back with stories that were 10 times better of actually fighting, you know, fighting against Russia.

I remember guys showing pictures on their cell phones of combat damage on their airplanes while we were at conference. It just put things in perspective.

I mean all this discussion about whether or not Ukraine belongs in NATO, I mean, they're rock stars when it comes to Russia and fighting Russia. They've got the most experience in Europe at it. Really, they're the only people that are doing it and have been doing it.

So, I don't think you need to make a case. These guys are doing amazing work right now.

BERMAN: Do you think they're doing it to an extent with one hand tied behind their backs? Do they have the equipment to make it an equal fight against the Russians?

JERSEY: I mean, they don't have the technological -- you know, they're not on the same level as Russia technologically, and they don't have the numbers that Russia has. But I think you're seeing them fighting with a tenacity that we haven't seen.

And they're defending their territory in Europe in the air repeatedly day and night, like, we haven't seen since the battle of Britain. These guys are heroes. I think history will bear that out when the stories start to come to light. And I believe in my heart that they're going to win and they're going to win big. And I just can't be more impressed with the effort that they're putting up. These guys are heroes.

BERMAN: You bring up a great point. I mean they're the pilots, some of the only ones, who have battled the Russians in the air toe to toe over the last several decades.

What did they have to teach you?

JERSEY: I mean they taught us basically, you know, you grow up in the air force learning from warriors and there's just not that many left in our Air Force that have seen actually combat that are still wearing the uniform. And these guys, I mean, they're going to be in their 20s telling war stories.

I foresee in the future U.S. pilots learning from these guys as the warriors of our generation and the younger generations as well. So they've got a lot (INAUDIBLE).

BERMAN: Before I let you --

JERSEY: And when I see these guys doing what they're doing, I want to say, I feel immense pride. But I also feel a little shame, because when we trained them, it was always understood that we would be beside them when this moment happened based on the commitments and assurances that our nation made to them in the Budapest Memorandum in 1994. We never once thought that they would be fighting this fight alone. I fully expected to be beside them doing it.

So, I feel a little bit of shame. The only reason that I'm able to talk to them without feeling more shame is that, you know, they're my friends and my brothers. So, we need to be there fighting alongside them based on the guarantees and assurances that we, as a nation. made.

BERMAN: Your friends and your brothers. You know Juice. How did Juice get his name?

JERSEY: You know, he came out to California when we were in the Cal Force National Guard. And we told them that if they want to westernize their air force and move towards NATO, then their fighter pilots need call signs. So we gave them a call sign. He doesn't drink. So, when we'd go to bars, he'd just keep ordering juice. So that was a pretty natural call sign.

BERMAN: Of course. Sounds about right.

Jersey, listen, thank you so much for being with us. Really appreciate it

JERSEY: Hey, thanks for your time. Glory to Ukraine.

BERMAN: All right, struggling with record gas prices. How food truck owners are trying to fight the high cost of fuel. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:48:25]

KEILAR: This is just moments ago. President Biden going up the stairs there to Air Force One in Brussels. He is now set to head to Warsaw, Poland, where he will be focusing on the refugee crisis that has been caused by Russia's attack on Ukraine.

We'll be tracking this. We'll have much more on this at the top of the hour.

Surging gas prices across the country hitting food truck owners hard. They say the weekly costs are adding up quickly, and it's forcing them to make changes that will impact their customers' pockets.

CNN's Dianne Gallagher is live for us in Charlotte, North Carolina, with more on this.

Dianne.

DIANNE GALLAGHER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Brianna, food trucks are kind of the definition of a small business, often with just one to three employees each. Many are spending hundreds, if not thousands of dollars more each week saying it's tough to do business when the two things that keep you in business, gas and food, are both going up.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GALLAGHER (voice over): Sizzling, savory, sauteed or smashed. The things that keep you in business. Sizzling, savory, sauteed or smashed. However, you like your meal --

FELICIA REESE, 22 STREET KITCHEN OWNER: Do you want any jalapenos?

GALLAGHER: It's probably served somewhere on wheels.

REESE: So I got a sub, no mayo, light tomato and a chips and salsa. GALLAGHER: But these days it's not cheap to eat mobile.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The prices. Everything's going on up. Gas is especially hitting us.

GALLAGHER: The one-two punch of inflation and gas prices is forcing food trucks from California to the Carolinas to tap the brakes.

REESE: Have a good day.

It's very uncertain right now.

GALLAGHER: Serving all well-seasoned American fare from his BCooks food truck --

BRYAN ANDERSON, BCOOKS OWNER: I don't skimp on the seasoning.

[0650:01]

GALLAGHER: Bryan Anderson says the rising cost of food and supplies has already impacted his menu.

ANDERSON: So, I would pay maybe $60 for a case of salmon. Now I'm paying close to $90 for a case of salmon.

GALLAGHER: But when the price of gas started to spike last month.

ANDERSON: I have propane, I heave diesel and regular gas.

GALLAGHER: He had to introduce a price increase of his own.

ANDERSON: I could have managed with one or the other, but both at the same time, I'm just like, OK.

GALLAGHER: During the height of the pandemic, with restaurants closed around the country, when customers craved a chef's cooking, these gourmet gas guzzlers cashed in on changing habits. Now many are struggling to survive.

REESE: I don't know what we're going to do.

GALLAGHER: In uptown Charlotte, Felicia Reese is changing her packaging and charging for condiments now.

REESE: Do you need any ketchup or anything?

GALLAGHER: But says she can't stomach the cost of ingredients.

REESE: We have gulf shrimp that we're using. It used to be like $120 a case and now it's like $200 a case.

GALLAGHER: Inflation data show the differences are real. Food prices rose 1 percent in February, the largest monthly increase in nearly two years. But over just the past 12 months, they went up 7.9 percent, the biggest spike since July 1981. Gas prices shot up more than 6.5 percent last month and 38 percent in the past year. And these numbers barely scratch the surface of any impact Russia's invasion of Ukraine may have on prices in the U.S.

REESE: We were paying $60 for a tank of diesel and now we're paying like $90. Our generation, it was about $8 to fill it up and now it's like $30.

MICHAEL TERRILL, TIN KITCHEN MANAGER: You just want like a -- just a regular corn tortilla on the side?

GALLAGHER: It's been a double whammy for the Tin Kitchen and its two truck.

TERRILL: Travel fee is something that we're charging now because -- it's not something we used to charge.

GALLAGHER: In business for a dozen years, Michael Terrill says he's never seen anything like this.

TERRILL: It just sucks. It just sucks.

GALLAGHER: Saving money by limiting where they go and what they serve.

TERRILL: We reduce our menu for sure. We're making sure that the spots that we're going to are either nearby or it's going to be worth our trip out there.

GALLAGHER: Permanently parking is not an option for these food truckers, but they do hope help, in any form, shows up.

ANDERSON: I have to just be strong and just, you know, fight through it. But I do wish that someone would just, you know, put their foot down and be like, OK, hey, these guys were killing it during the pandemic, let's do something about it. Let's keep them going. Let's, you know, help them out a little bit.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GALLAGHER: So, gas prices in North Carolina have ticked down just a little bit. I asked each one of these food truck owners, Brianna, what would help them the most, if gas went back down or food. Unanimously, the answer was food, saying that they simply just cannot keep up with inflation here.

KEILAR: That is interesting.

All right, Dianne, thank you so much for that report.

The Biden administration is bracing for a massive wave of migrants at the U.S./Mexico border. More details in a CNN exclusive report, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:57:07]

KEILAR: New this morning, U.S. officials are scramble to prepare for a record-breaking surge of migrants attempting to cross the U.S./Mexico border this spring. In a CNN exclusive interview, the chief of Border Patrol says he is

bracing for a staggering 8,000 apprehensions a day.

CNN's Priscilla Alvarez joins me now on this story.

That is a huge number.

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN REPORTER: Not just a big number, but the Border Patrol chief, Raul Ortiz (ph), told me that that is the norm that he is expecting over the next 30 to 45 days. So, there's a couple reasons why the concern is right now.

Number one, typically border arrests go up in the warmer months. And we are heading into the spring, so we're already starting to see that happen. Number two, we are waiting for a decision on a Trump-era pandemic emergency rule. What that rule did was allow authorities to turn people away at the border. We are waiting next week for a CDC decision whether that stays in effect. If it doesn't, that means we go back to the traditional protocols, which would be releasing migrants, sometimes monitoring them when that happens, detaining them or removing them if they don't have an asylum claim. But that takes processing. That takes time.

And so what the Border Patrol has had to do is prepare for the event that there will be many more people coming in the next few weeks. And they are already, by the way, Brianna, over capacity. This week they had 16,000 people in custody in their facilities.

So, what they're doing, they're expanding soft-sided facilities. So, they're expanding the footprints of those facilities to do processing. They are going to leverage partnerships with other agencies. For example, Bureau of Prisons, to use their vehicles to transport people from the border to intake. They're working on the ground with the Red Cross. They're working with other organizations that can help provide aid to these migrants. And they're asking for volunteers within the Department of Homeland Security and deploying additional agents so that they can help processing on the ground but also do so virtually.

And the reason they're taking all of these measures is they don't want to see what happened last year happen again. We had a surge of unaccompanied minors that caught the administration flat-footed and we also saw in September migrants, primarily Haitian, underneath the bring in Del Rio. So, they know where they could go. And so what they're trying to do now is prepare for that eventuality should it happen.

KEILAR: We're going to see these images all over again. And it's just a reminder of Congress not addressing the issue. They just don't.

Priscilla, thank you so much. Appreciate it.

NEW DAY continues right now.

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

KEILAR: Good morning to viewers here in the United States and around the world. It is Friday, March 25th. I am Brianna Keilar in Washington. John Berman live for us from Lviv in western Ukraine this morning.

And we're following breaking news. We are getting a first look from inside the Mariupol theater, which is where Russian forces bombed that building that had hundreds of people inside, including many children who were hiding there last week.

[07:00:03]

This is the aftermath that you're seeing right here. You can see just how packed this facility was.