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Biden Lands in Israel; Key Inflation Measure Released; Tiger Woods Rips Greg Norman. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired July 13, 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]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Is what they're asking for.

State Senator Roland Gutierrez, we appreciate your time this morning. Thank you.

ROLAND GUTIERREZ (D), TEXAS STATE SENATOR: Thank you so much.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: All right, let's go live now to Tel Aviv, where CNN's Wolf Blitzer and Kaitlan Collins are standing by.

President Biden arriving here for his first Middle East trip in Tel Aviv. It's a controversial trip. One that includes Saudi Arabia.

Wolf, set the scene for us.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: The president of the United States walking down the stairs, just arrived at Ben Gurion International Airport in Lod, in Israel, just outside of Tel Aviv.

Brianna, I'm here with Kaitlan Collins, our chief White House correspondent.

The president being created by the president of Israel, Isaac Herzog. He'll also be greeted by the new prime minister of Israel Yair Lapid. There he is right there. And the alternate prime minister, the former prime minister, they've been switching because of politics, Naftali Bennett. There you see him on the left part of the screen.

So it's - they're - you know, Kaitlan, it's interesting, the president is not shaking hands. This became a little bit of an issue at that briefing that the White House just had with Jake Sullivan.

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: It's been a question because there had been this report that Biden was not going to be shaking hands on this trip out of concerns about Covid-19, new variants, obviously, Wolf, that have been going around. That obviously raised the question of, is this something that the White House was implementing in place ahead of his next stop after he leaves here in Israel when he does go to the Middle East and the question of whether or not he will be seen shaking hands with the Saudi crown prince, who, of course, the U.S. has said approved the murder of the reporter, Jamal Khashoggi. And so that's been a big question here and maybe that's a way for the White House to avoid that. They did face several questions about this earlier today. They've pushed back and said it had to do with Covid-19 protocols.

Of course, there have been some very busy events at the White House in recent days that reporters noted where the president has been shaking hands and greeting people. I think that, of course, you can see the White House said he was tested for Covid before he left to come on this trip. So, obviously, this is also a big trip for him because he has been to the Middle East many times as Joe Biden. This is his first time going as President Biden.

And, obviously, he's returning to a very different Israel with a different government than when he had visited last time when it was Prime Minister Netanyahu.

BLITZER: Yes, it's interesting, this is, as you correctly point out, his first visit to Israel as president of the United States, although as vice president and as a U.S. senator he was here at least ten times over these many, many years. He knows this country well. He's been very well -- well involved in U.S./Israeli relations. And I'm sure that will come through in the course of the next couple days here in Israel before he flies directly from Israel to Saudi Arabia.

And that's considered a big deal, too, that there will be a direct flight between Israel and Saudi Arabia. Israel and Saudi Arabia don't have normal diplomatic relations, although, as you know, and a lot of our viewers know, President Biden is going to be working behind the scenes to see if he can accelerate the normalization of relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia along the lines of what happened between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Israel and Morocco, Israel and Bahrain.

COLLINS: Yes, he will be one of the first U.S. presidents to fly directly to Jetta. That's the port city that he'll be going to in Saudi Arabia. Obviously this comes as there have been questions about whether or not they are going to make announcements when it comes to Israeli/ Saudi relations and maybe allowing all Israeli flights to fly over Saudi air space.

Now, of course, they've changed some of them that happened during the Trump administration and so that's a big question of whether or not that will be one of the tangible achievements to come out of this trip.

Obviously when it comes to Saudi -- and you see the president there walking. He's going to give remarks, we should note here, at the airport. You can see his top advisers around him, including Secretary of State Blinken to his right. You're going to see President Biden deliver some remark and he's also got a few stops today, including at the Iron Dome and part of a new system that they have when it comes to defense there, and then he is going to make some remarks and he's also going to visit a Holocaust museum as well, Wolf.

BLITZER: We're going to hear the national anthems of Israel and the United States and then the president of Israel, Isaac Herzog, I think, and the Prime Minister Yair Lapid, will be speaking, and then the president of the United States will be speaking as well. So we'll listen carefully to hear what they have to say to set this tone for these important talks that are going to be happening.

[08:34:23]

Let's pause for a moment and listen.

(U.S. NATIONAL ANTHEM PLAYING)

(ISRAELI NATIONAL ANTHEM PLAYING)

BLITZER: There we heard the Israeli national anthem, "Hatikvah," and before that the "Star-Spangled Banner," the U.S. national anthem.

Now this ceremony is going to continue. The full red carpet, Kaitlan, is here for the president of the United States. This is an important visit for the Israelis, and they're bracing for some good news and potentially some bad news as well.

COLLINS: It's a huge visit, of course, and he did not make the -- what was seen as a mistake by some that President Obama made not visiting Israel on his first trip to the Middle East after he took office. This is President Biden's first trip to the Middle East. It's obviously a little bit delayed given the Covid-19 pandemic and his international travel overall was delayed, but he made this a first stop for a reason, and that's to send a signal to them, to the importance of relationships and what that looks like going forward.

And it is a very different government and scenario than he has visited when he was not in office, when he was vice president and in the years before that. I believe this is actually his tenth trip to Israel in his lifetime. Obviously, his first since becoming president.

And, so, what we had heard from the White House when it comes to expectations of this trip is, don't expect any kind of ground-breaking proposals to come out of this. Yes, President Biden will reiterate his support for a two-state solution and he will talk about that, but it's not anything that you will see out of the ordinary. I think a lot of that has to do with the unsettled government here as well. And so those will be the remarks that President Biden is going to make shortly, emphasizing the importance of the relationship.

BLITZER: And it is a sensitive time in Israel for political reasons. The government of Israel has shifted prime ministers from Naftali Bennett to Yair Lapid, and they've now set the stage for yet another Israeli election coming up in November. So, it will be interesting, as we've been hearing from U.S. officials, that President Biden will also be meeting with the opposition leader, the former prime minister, Bibi Netanyahu.

COLLINS: Yes, that's protocol for them to come and visit. The prime minister of Israel does the same when he comes to the United States and visits with the head of whatever party is in the minority in the United States Congress. It is the prime minister's 13th day on the job, I believe, Wolf, and he's already welcoming the U.S. president here.

BLITZER: All right, we're going to continue to watch this ceremony unfold. We're waiting for the leaders - the Israeli and the U.S. leaders to speak. And I just want to go back to John Berman for a moment.

John, you've got some news.

BERMAN: All right, thanks so much, Wolf.

Brianna.

KEILAR: That's right. Joe Biden steps on to the tarmac there in Tel Aviv and we find out that inflation here in the U.S. has hit 9.1 percent in June, the highest in four decades.

Let's bring in Rahel Solomon, our business correspondent, on this.

Rahel.

RAHEL SOLOMON, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Brianna and John, certainly not a number that the White House would like to see, nor the Fed.

So, 9.1 percent year over year. Higher than even expectations and a fresh high. And 1.3 percent over the last month. These are not numbers that the Fed wants to see. It wants to see this moving in the opposite direction. Even core, when you strip away more volatile categories, like food and energy, even that coming in at 5.9 percent.

[08:40:06]

So that is a slight -- slight decline from last month when that number was 6 percent.

When we look at, guys, where we're seeing the largest increases, it's broad based. Gasoline, shelter, food being the largest contributors. Certainly a confirmation of what a lot of us consumers know is that inflation is rampant. It is pretty much everywhere these days. And this report suggesting that.

Guys, the Fed is going to be meeting in two weeks. This report is certainly going to be a big topic of conversation. The Fed has been trying to get a handle on inflation. And when we get numbers like this that show it is not decelerating, it is not peaking, it doesn't seem like just yet, you can understand the challenge for the Fed as they raise rates.

So, the question now is, what might we see in two weeks? Well, there was already an expectation that we would see half a percent to three quarters of a percent. When you get reports and numbers like this, it's looking almost certain.

Guys.

BERMAN: Just look at that chart. I mean you can just see it going up and up and up.

And, Rahel, I just think we need to make one thing clear, this was a bigger jump than Wall Street was expecting this morning, yes? SOLOMON: It's a great point because the expectation was about 8.8 percent, 8.9 percent. There were questions, could we see a 9 handle? That was hotter than a lot of people expected, but we're certainly seeing that.

One thing I should say is that these numbers are sort of a lagging indicator. We have seen gasoline prices start to fall from the middle of June. That will likely be much more reflected next month. But that said, if you are a consumer, if you are someone at home, these are the type of prices you're dealing with and it doesn't feel good.

BERMAN: All right, Rahel Solomon, thank you very much. Certainly, big economic news this morning.

KEILAR: Tiger Woods is breaking his silence over the Saudi-backed LIV Golf tour and its controversial CEO, former world number one Greg Norman.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TIGER WOODS, GOLFER, 15-TIME MAJOR WINNER: I know Greg tried to do this, you know, back in the early '90s. It didn't work then. And he's trying to make it work now. And I still don't see how that's in the best interest of the game.

You know, what the European Tour and what the PGA Tour stands for and what they've done and also all the professional -- sorry, all the governing bodies of the game of golf and all the major championships, how they run it, I think they see it differently than what Greg sees it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: All right, let's talk about this now with CNN contributor Bob Costas.

It was interesting, though, to hear Tiger Woods talk about it there. He wasn't having an issue, it seemed, with the person -- or the country that's underwriting the LIV tour.

BOB COSTAS, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Yes. There's two layers here. Rory McIlroy, Tiger Woods and many others, who are sticking with the PGA Tour, believe that the essence of the history and the traditions of golf are contained within the PGA Tour. Tiger is chasing a record held by Sam Snead. It would have no meaning if he won outside the PGA Tour for most total PGA victories. By the way, Greg Norman has been asked not to show up, and he's not showing up, at the British Open this weekend because the organizers there at the Royal and Ancient Club believe that he would be a distraction. In fairness, though, he hasn't come the last couple of years. They always invite the past winners back, and he did win the British Open a couple of times.

So, there's a thing here regarding PGA Tour and LIV Golf, which is more or less the same as back in the day if somebody objected to someone leaving the NFL and going to the AFL, or the NBA and going to the ABA. If it was just that, that's some internesian (ph) golf thing. But for many of us, the major objection is who is underwriting this. And it's the Saudis who are underwriting this. And there's no need to list all the reasons why that is objectionable.

So, while certainly Phil Mickelson and Brooks Koepka and Dustin Johnson, Sergio Garcia and the others have a right to play on the LIV Tour. For many it's a question of principle. So, they have a right to do it. Is it the right thing to do? If it was underwritten by almost any other entity, then it would just be a question of free agency in effect. And golfers do not have that kind of free agency until a parallel tour comes along. The PGA Tour has already said that if you play on the LIV Tour then we're suspending you. The DOJ is now investigating them for the possibility that there's an antitrust violation there. But golfers, unlike team sport athletes, are independent contractors. And part of their complaints, ongoing for many years is, they show up, there's no appearance fee, you know, you have a lousy year in baseball, you're still getting paid what your contract is. If you don't make the cut, you're walking away from these events with nothing.

The LIV Tour is offering gigantic prize money, no cuts, 48 players in each event, they only play 54 holes, everybody comes out of there with some money. And if you're Phil Mickelson or Dustin Johnson, you've got up front money that's in the hundreds of billions of dollars and the PGA Tour can't compete with that.

BERMAN: I'm so glad you point out that there are - oh, hang on one second, Bob.

[08:45:02]

President Biden's speaking in Tel Aviv.

COSTAS: Sure.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The United States of America.

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: President Herzog, Mr. Prime Minister Lapid, it's an honor to once again stand with - as friends and visit the independent Jewish state of Israel.

President Nixon was the first American president to visit Israel in 1974. I was actually -- my first visit was, as you mentioned, as a young United States senator from Delaware in 1973, just a few weeks before the Yom Kippur War. I had the privilege of spending time with the Prime Minister Golda Meir. I'll never forget, I was sitting next to a gentleman on my right when their aides, his name was Rabin (ph), I look back on it all now and I realize that I had the great honor of living part of the great history of this country (ph). And I did say, and I say again, you need not be a Jew to be a Zionist. The fact is that since then I've known every single prime minister and it's been an honor. Formed strong working relationships with each of them. And now this is my tenth visit.

Every chance to return to this great country where the ancient roots of the Jewish people date back to biblical times is a blessing because the connection between the Israeli people and the American people is bone deep. It's bone deep. Generation after generation that connection grows. We invest in each other. We dream together. We're part of what has always been the objective we both had.

I've been part of that as a senator, as a vice president and, quite frankly, before that having been raised by a righteous Christian who we had dinner at our table every night before he went back to work. And it was a place where we had conversation, and incidentally ate. And I remember he taught us all about what happened in the Holocaust. Why weren't the tracks bombed? Why did we not? Why, why, why? And he imbued in us a sense of obligation that we all have.

And now as president, I'm proud to say that our relationship with the state of Israel is deeper and stronger in my view than it's ever been. And with this visit we're strengthening our connections even further. We have reaffirmed the unshakeable commitment of the United States to Israel's security, including partnering with Israel on the most cutting edge defense systems in the world.

From here, I'm going straight to a briefing on Israeli missiles and rocket defense capabilities, including the U.S. support for the Iron Dome and Israel's new laser-enabled system called the Iron Beam.

We're going to deepen our connections in science and innovation and work to address global challenges through the new strategic high-level dialogue on technology. We'll continue to advance Israel's integration into the region, expand emerging forums and engagement like the new I2U2 Summit, which will bring Israel, the United States, the UAE together, and India as well, to deepen our economic cooperation between the Middle East and Indo-Pacific. Greater peace, greater stability, greater connection. It's critical. It's critical, if I might add, for all the people of the region.

Which is why we will discuss my continued support, even though I know it's not in the near term, a two-state solution. That remains, in my view, the best way to ensure the future of equal measure, of freedom, prosperity and democracy for Israelis and Palestinians alike. We're going to celebrate the ending of people to people connection and the enduring connection that binds our nations together, commemorate the history that we must never allow to repeat itself.

Later today I will once more return to the hallowed ground of Yad Vashem, to honor 6 million Jewish lives that were stolen in a genocide and continue, which we must do every, every day, continue to bear witness, to keep alive the truth and honor of the Holocaust -- horror of the Holocaust, honor those we lost so that we never ever, ever forget that lesson.

[08:50:04]

You know, and to continue our shared, unending work to fight the poison of anti-Semitism wherever it rises its ugly head.

Wherever we find it in the world, we make real on the promise of never again by taking it on. We have a full agenda over the next two days because the relationship between Israel and the United States covers every issue that matters to our mutual futures. We're united in our shared values and our shared vision. I'm looking forward to our time together over the next few days.

May Israel and the United States continue to grow and prosper together for the benefit of the entire world. And I mean that, for the benefit of the entire world.

Thank you and God bless you all.

BLITZER: The president of the United States speaking strongly about the U.S.-Israeli relationship. There he is with the prime minister of Israel, Yair Lapid. The president of Israel was there, Isaac Hertzog. This -- they're now going to go do a tour, Kaitlan, of Israel's Iron Dome system and what's the new system, an anti-missile system, called the Iron Beam. Israel's in the forefront of this - some of this new military technology to deal with these threats.

COLLINS: Yes, this is a laser defense system that President Biden will be touring as they were talking about after they look at the Iron Dome. It's not meant to replace the Iron Dome. Instead, it's more seen as complimenting it. And it is something that he'll be looking at as they've talked about showing that technology to the United States and sharing it. And so that will be a big part of this. And then he'll go and meet with Holocaust survivors later on this afternoon.

BLITZER: He's going to be driving from Ben Gurion Airport, just outside of Tel Aviv, in Lod, to Jerusalem and go to the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial Museum to pay his respects and to honor the 6 million Jews who were murdered during the Holocaust.

COLLINS: Yes, and those are two very clear signs of the purpose of this visit and what he intends to do, going to visit this and look at the Iron Dome, look at the Iron Beam system and then going to pay his respects and to meet with Holocaust survivors and lay a wreath as well. And so that is the focus of this visit. Of course tomorrow he's got a lot more of the meetings going on with Netanyahu, with the other leaders while he's here on the ground.

And they have a lot to talk about, Wolf, because this is really, obviously, coming before his trip to Saudi Arabia, his first trip to the Middle East.

One big thing that has been at the forefront when you speak to U.S. officials going into this trip is Iran and this announcement that you heard from Jake Sullivan, the national security advisor, before we left Washington earlier this week, that the United States believes that Iran is preparing to supply Russia with hundreds of drones that Russia will then use in Ukraine. And so they say that they don't have evidence yet that that has actually been carried out, that Iran has actually delivered those. But you saw today that the Russian president is planning to visit Iran next week. Jake Sullivan, the national security advisor, said he finds that timing very interesting, Wolf.

BLITZER: Yes, that's a source of deep concern.

And it's interesting, when he goes to Saudi Arabia, the president, we'll also hear a lot of concern from the Saudis about Iran. And it's one of the reasons why Israel, which has enormous concerns about Iran as well, Israel's relationship with some of these Arab countries has been improving over these past several months, since the Abraham Accords that were achieved during the Trump administration, went into effect. Israel has normalized relations with the UAE, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco. And the key, Kaitlan, right now is, will the Israelis be able to normalize relations with the Saudis. I know that's one of the top U.S. object going to Saudi Arabia right now.

We're going to continue watching what's going on here, this historic visit by the president of the United States to Israel, then Saudi Arabia.

John Berman, Kaitlan and I are here. Brianna, you're over there as well. We're watching all of this very, very closely to get a sense of what happens next because so much clearly is at stake.

BERMAN: And it is such an important trip. Thank you so much for helping us understand what we are seeing right now at the very beginning.

And there is a direct connection, Brianna, with what we were just talking about, Saudi Arabia. President Biden heads to Saudi Arabia after being in Israel.

I want to bring in Bob Costas, once again, because this gets to just what we were talking about, sort of, the conflict between the PGA and the LIV Golf Tour, which is backed by Saudi Arabia. If you're one of these golfers that's part of LIV and you're saying, well, Joe Biden, the president of the United States, is going to Saudi Arabia. Why can't I play in a Saudi backed golf game?

COSTAS: I think the answer to that is, we're talking about real politic. You're not financially in bed with them. You're not being paid by them. Biden, at some point, will have to deal with Putin, as other U.S. presidents have. So that's not directly analogous.

But, in fairness, and Greg Norman has brought this up, a bit of what about ism, that there are a number of U.S. corporations and various business entities that have relationships with Saudi Arabia, including some who are sponsors of the PGA Tour.

[08:55:11]

But that doesn't mean that because that happened someone can't raise an objection to these golfers being involved in something which they think is a question of principle. They bring up the NBA in China, or the IOC in China. Well, I've been critical of that forever. I was critical of that when I was hosting the Olympics. So, just because there are some who are engaged with Saudi Arabia doesn't get the LIV Tour off the hook.

As I said before, if it was just a question of golfers' free agency or having some leverage to improve the conditions they object to regarding the PGA Tour, then it's a business thing. The kind of thing that happens all the time in U.S. sports. But this is a different thing because of who is underwriting it and because they're using it as sport washing. Whatever business is involved in Saudi Arabia, where they're selling - their commercials are selling their products, they're not boldfaced names that the public is supposed to embrace and feel comfortable with, which is what sports washing is about. It's what's happening in Qatar or Qatar, whichever you prefer, with FIFA. It's what happened twice with China in this century with the IOC. It's what Putin did in Sochi in 2014.

KEILAR: Yes, the benefit to Saudi Arabia cannot be ignored. It's the whole point of why the LIV Golf Tour exists.

I want to ask you about Brittney Griner and sort of the latest turn of events here.

COSTAS: Yes.

KEILAR: Brittney Griner's coach had said, if there were LeBron, he'd already be home from Russia by now. LeBron has since spoken out. And I think we should be clear about the timing of what he said, but this is from his show "The Shop Uninterrupted," and this is what he said that has been controversial.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEBRON JAMES: Now, how can she feel like America has her back? I would be feeling like, do I even want to go back to America?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: This was actually said, or taped, I think, before a little more engagement or at least public engagement, because some of this happens behind the scenes. LeBron's back pedaling on this a bit. What do you think of this whole thing?

COSTAS: Yes, he tweeted, I didn't mean to say that she wouldn't want to come back to our beautiful country, but I might be feeling this way after more than 100 days in captivity there. I might be feeling this way. There's the tweet that he put out.

It's much more complicated than that. They're -- the Russians and Vladimir Putin are using this as a chip. What's the name of the - the arms dealer, Viktor -

KEILAR: Bout.

BERMAN: Bout.

KEILAR: Bout, yes.

COSTAS: Bout is the way it's pronounced. Bout. OK. The merchant of death. Twenty-five-year sentence. A true international criminal. They're holding Brittney Griner and maybe Paul Whelan, the former U.S. Marine, they're holding those people, Americans, as a negotiating chip to perhaps get Bout returned to Russia. So it isn't just a matter of, you know, poor Brittney or if it was LeBron or if it was - if it was a straight woman instead of a gay woman, as the coach of the Phoenix Mercury said. You know, sometimes we're reluctant to take exception with something when it's expressed under the banner of marginalized people, historically marginalized.

So, the Phoenix Mercury coach said, it would be different. This shows that -- how we value woman, how we value black people, how we value gay people. Well, if it was Serena Williams, it would be different because she's more famous than Brittney Griner. If it was Martina Navratilova, who's gay, it would be different because she's better known.

Now, whether it would have any practical difference in getting them out, I doubt it. But I think public concern is not always based on race or gender or sexual orientation, it's based on a number of interlocking factors. Paul Whelan sits there, male, white, straight. Sits there. His family wants him to come home just as much as Brittney Griner's teammates and family and friends want her to come home. It's a complicated, political situation.

BERMAN: It sure is.

And we've got about a minute left, Bob.

And I just want to say, the one thing that strikes me about this, and it gets back to the conversation we were having before about where sports and politics and world events intersects. I mean you have a major star that's being, the United States says, wrongfully held.

COSTAS: Yes, that's what the State Department says, she's a political prisoner in effect.

BERMAN: In Russia. And, really. And it just - it's something that's - it's almost staggering to think about, the length of time this has gone on. I can't think of an historical comparison where someone like this has been in custody for so long.

COSTAS: Individuals.

BERMAN: Yes.

COSTAS: The Iranian hostages, way back when, in the '70s and early '80s.

BERMAN: I'm talking about athletes. I'm just talking about a star athlete like this being used as a pawn.

COSTAS: Well, we know how ruthless Putin and present day Russia can be. So it shouldn't surprise us. It may concern us, but it shouldn't surprise us. They're political pawns right now.

[09:00:00]

BERMAN: Bob Costas, it's always such a treat to have you here on set. My mother likes it, which is -

COSTAS: Oh, does she.

BERMAN: Which is - which is the most important thing.

COSTAS: Your mom is obviously a perceptive and wonderful woman.

BERMAN: Yes. From your lips.

KEILAR: And she will continue to love watching.

Bob, thank you.

COSTAS: Thank you, Brianna.

BERMAN: All right, so much going on. You just saw President Biden arriving in Israel.

CNN's special live coverage continues right now.