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New Day

Ukraine Braces for Potential Russian Attacks; Miro Popovich is Interviewed about the War in Ukraine; Biden to Announce Loan Forgiveness; Ohio Teachers Strike; John McEnroe and Barney Douglas are Interviewed about the "McEnroe" Documentary. Aired 6:30-7a ET

Aired August 24, 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]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Russia took control of the plant in March. A new video shows they are using the plant to store Russian military vehicles. As Ukraine passes this grim milestone, the concern is with winter approaching that the international community's support for Ukraine will be tested with rising food prices and rising energy cost to heat homes.

MCKENZIE (on camera): Are you not afraid that the international community, your partners, may begin to tire of this war?

OLEKSIY REZNIKOV, UKRAINIAN DEFENSE MINISTER: I call it fatigue syndrome. Yes. And, for me, it's one of the main threats. And we need to - to (INAUDIBLE) with this threat because we - we need to speak like with you to communicate, to ask people, don't be on this fatigue, (INAUDIBLE), because this is very, very dangerous for us.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MCKENZIE: Well, I don't know if you can hear it, but there it is, the air raid sirens again here in Kyiv. You know, you hear them several times a day here, John. It speaks to the ongoing threat. And that front line running through the southeast and northeast of the country is just a grinding conflict. There's no sign of this battle ending. And Ukrainians, even today, showing their resolve to move on and try and defeat Russia no matter what it takes.

John.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. I do know that Ukrainian leaders have asked people to pay attention to these air ride sirens today. They've become commonplace. Sometimes you forget they're there, but they've been asked to pay attention today given the heightened risk.

David McKenzie, thank you so much for being with us.

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: And joining me now is a U.S. citizen who has been fighting in Ukraine, Miro Popovich. Miro, we're now six months into this brutal war and, you know, six

months ago I don't think anyone really realized what this exactly was going to look like. And I wonder, here we are today, what your assessment is of where the conflict stands.

MIRO POPOVICH, U.S. CITIZEN FIGHTING IN UKRAINE: Well, you know -- hi.

First two weeks the whole world thought that we're not going to last -- we're going to last few days. But now it's six months in and we already liberated Kyiv area, Chernihiv, Kharkiv area. And now the fight is centered on the eastern and southern part of Ukraine. And, of course, with the big help from U.S. and Europe we are fighting back.

And I think that in the future we will -- we will win.

COLLINS: You're absolutely right about where the assessments were. I remember talking to officials at the time here in the United States about what that was going to look like.

You know, now, six months in, President Zelenskyy is warning that they do believe the attacks in the coming days could be particularly violent, particularly disgusting. And, you know, after these strikes in Crimea, the killing of this nationalist commentator, what are you expecting and does that include Putin just escalating further?

POPOVICH: Well, you know, it makes sense. I don't know what's going to happen. But looking back, Russians, they have no limits. And today is an independence day in Ukraine It's a big, big -- big celebrations. And it marks six months since the war started. And, you know, it's safe to say that there might be some escalations. So everyone here is, you know, on hold. There are no celebrations, but, you know, people still live their lives and, of course, we're waiting for something to happen and got to be safe.

COLLINS: What does it mean to you to have the six-month anniversary of this coming on a day that does mean so much to so many Ukrainians?

POPOVICH: You know, it means a whole lot because right now we're showing the whole world that freedom is not free. And you have to fight for it. And you have to be ready to fight for it. And six months, it's -- you know, it's six months of life. I mean it's -- it's half a year. It's a pretty long time. We are - we are extremely tired. And then all the whole world is tired of hearing about the war in Ukraine, but it's still going here. They're still bombing our cities. We're still fighting with them. There's still people - people dying every day. And the -- freedom is not free.

And today is - no, we're not celebrating, but, you know, we are -- we are happy that we can -- we have a chance to fight for our freedom, yes. And that's not - no, it sounds very cliche and it sounds - and those are big theatrical words, but, you know, in our case it's actually true. We have to. We have to fight and earn our freedom. And we're doing.

COLLINS: I don't think it sounds theatrical at all. And I know what you - what you were saying there, talking about concern about fatigue worldwide.

[06:35:03]

I will say, the United States is set to announce the largest ever security assistance package today. It's coming in at about $3 billion.

And so, Miro Popovich, thank you for joining us this morning to explain what it means to have these two days come together.

POPOVICH: Thank you. Thank you.

COLLINS: Also at the White House today, President Biden is set to make a major announcement on student loan debt forgiveness. What to expect and there are big questions even inside the White House about who won't be happy about it.

BERMAN: Plus, teachers in Ohio's largest school district on strike on the first day of class. We'll tell you what they're fighting for.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: Happening today, President Biden is expected to make a long awaited announcement on student loan debt.

CNN's Jeremy Diamond is live at the White House.

Jeremy, what can we expect?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, John that decision is expected to come today, but it comes after months of intense deliberations and fierce debate inside the White House and also a lot of pressure being brought to bear on the White House by some liberal activist groups.

[06:40:02]

And, look, here's the plan that we understand President Biden is likely to announce today. A lot of these final details are still in the works, though, we should caution. $10,000 of student debt cancellation for borrowers up to -- earning up to $125,000 a year.

Then they're also looking at potentially additional forgiveness for other student loan recipients, including Pell grant recipients. Pell grants are awarded to the most in need, most financially in need of students.

And then they're also looking at a one-time, final, short-term extension of that student loan repayment moratorium that has been in place, of course, since the beginning of this coronavirus pandemic.

Now, there's no doubt that what President Biden is expected to announce is going to draw him some praise, but also some criticism. There are economists who are warning that this could contribute to additional inflation. Other Democrats say that this doesn't go far enough. And to that point, it appears that President Biden was facing some

late night lobbying, including from the Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who we understood spoke with President Biden yesterday and pressed him to go as far as possible with this student loan forgiveness plan.

John.

BERMAN: Yes, President Biden caught in the middle, even as he pushes up against a deadline that he set for himself.

Jeremy Diamond, thank you very much.

We're going to have much more on this and the debate ahead.

In the meantime, it is the first day of school in Columbus, Ohio, but public schoolteachers will be on the picket line not in the classroom. Why they are doing this, ahead.

COLLINS: Plus, why Democrats are pointing to a special election in upstate New York last night as a reason to maybe change your expectations for this year's midterm elections.

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COLLINS: It's the first day of school in Columbus, Ohio, but substitutes will be standing in for teachers who are striking. The union demanding better conditions, not just for working, but also for learning. What's playing out now in Ohio's largest school district is just an example of really what's happening in many communities nationwide.

CNN's Lucy Kafanov is live in Columbus.

And, Lucy, I know there had been weeks of negotiations and they really didn't go anywhere.

LUCY KAFANOV, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They didn't, Kate. They met more than 22 times and they hadn't. Kids would normally be gathering for their first day of school at this Columbus elementary school, and, instead, classes are going to be held virtually today. We know that their teachers are hitting the picket line for the third day in a row. They are sick and tired of dilapidated schools. Amongst other thing were a lack of heating and air conditioning is creating a miserable learning environment, they say.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What do we want?

CROWD: A contract (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When do we want it?

CROWD: Now.

KAFANOV (voice over): As students across the nation head back to class, teachers in Ohio's largest school district are marking themselves absent, hitting the picket lines for the first time in nearly 50 years.

KAFANOV (on camera): The teachers union has been negotiating with the school board for months. Class was supposed to begin on Wednesday. But, for now, there's still no agreement in sight.

JENNIFER ADAIR, PRESIDENT, COLUMBUS CITY SCHOOLS: School does start on Wednesday, which means our children will be online learning. We know that this is absolutely not ideal.

KAFANOV (voice over): The school board president calling the decision to strike disappointing.

ADAIR: The board has demonstrated that it has worked hard to try to come to a resolution with CEA. And at this point we are where we are because CEA did not determine it wanted to be a collaborative partner at the negotiation table.

KAFANOV: But union leaders say they were left with no choice.

REGINA FUENTES, UNION SPOKESWOMAN: We have just reached a point where, you know, the conditions in Columbus City Schools are just not acceptable. Covid really kind of burned out a lot of teachers and we're afraid that if we don't put this out in the forefront now, that we will just continue to break down our teachers and lose public education all together.

KAFANOV: Their demands, smaller classes, functional heating and air conditioning, and a well-rounded curriculum that includes art, music and physical education.

For now, classes are being taught online by substitute teachers, but some parents say their kids won't be logging on.

For Kelly Freeman's (ph) son Arthur (ph), that means missing his first day in kindergarten.

KELLY FREEMAN (ph): We're going to be keeping him home. We're not going to cross a picket line, virtual or not.

KAFANOV: Others worry about how their kids will handle the challenge of learning from home.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What really went through my mind is that he wasn't going to have that interaction with his classroom.

KAFANOV: Some are now seeking education alternatives like charter schools.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So we have parents calling literally every second of the day right now, do y'all have wait lists, how soon can we get our - you know, our children in. KAFANOV: While students just want life to get back to normal.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We can just go back to a regular school year.

KAFANOV: Schools across the U.S. are scrambling to fill vacancies brought on by a shortage of some 300,000 teachers. The education secretary this week acknowledging that teachers should be paid more.

MIGUEL CARDONA, EDUCATION SECRETARY: In the last 25 years, when you adjust for inflation, teachers have made only $29 more than they did 25 years ago. We need to do better there.

KAFANOV: Educators report low moral and burnout exacerbated by the pandemic, meager pay, crowded classrooms, concerns about a growing number of school shootings and changing guidance on what they're allowed to teach.

FUENTES: We need to actually start investing in our schools. Teachers of America are crucial to the development of our society and we really need to put that focus back on the teachers and the students because they're the ones that are going to be the citizens of tomorrow.

KAFANOV: For now, these instructors say the best lesson they can teach is to strike.

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KAFANOV: And I can tell you that a federal mediator overseeing the negotiations between Columbus City Schools and the teachers union has called for both sides to return to the bargaining table this afternoon. That meeting is set for 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

But, again, Kaitlan, as we said, they have met 22 times already since March. They have not been able to work out a deal. It is not clear whether this impasse will come to an end today.

Kaitlan.

COLLINS: Yes, hopefully the 23rd time will work. But, you can see, with those conditions, no wonder there's a shortage of teachers nationwide.

[06:50:01]

Lucy, thank you for that report.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has a new challenger, and it's a former Republican governor of Florida. Democratic Congressman Charlie Crist will join us ahead to talk about what the next 11 weeks are going to look like for his campaign.

BERMAN: And tennis legend John McEnroe on his epic on-court meltdowns, his party boy history and how the world of tennis is different today.

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JOHN MCENROE, SEVEN-TIME MEN'S SINGLES GRAND SLAM CHAMPION: You can't be serious, man. You cannot be serious.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Tennis legend John McEnroe, from his on court antics to his off court rock and roll lifestyle, the former world number one took the sport by storm. Now, the new Showtime documentary "McEnroe" unveils what really went on behind the scenes of some of his most memorable moments.

[06:55:00]

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JOHN MCENROE, SEVEN-TIME MEN'S SINGLES GRAND SLAM CHAMPION: A lot of times when I was in the midst of some meltdown, it felt like I was thinking a funny thing at first.

You can't be serious, man. You cannot be serious. That ball was on the line. Chalk flew up. It was clearly in. How can you possibly call that out? How many are you going to miss?

And I'd end up saying the (EXPLETIVE DELETED) thing.

You guys are the absolute pits of the world, do you know that?

Which was really stupid.

I'm going to award a fine against you, Mr. McEnroe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Joining us now is seven-time grand slam singles champion John McEnroe, and the writer and director of the documentary "McEnroe," Barney Douglas.

Thank you both so much for being with us this morning.

And, John, let me start with you.

This is a really interesting documentary and a really inside look at you and your life and your mind and your heart. Why let people inside?

JOHN MCENROE, SEVEN-TIME MEN'S SINGLES GRAND SLAM CHAMPION: How much time do we have?

The people behind it, the production team, you know, did a couple of great documentaries. Amy Winehouse (ph), which is extremely revealing. (INAUDIBLE). So I was like, God, if they could do something close to this, you know, I'll be into it because I -- to be honest, I was sort of like, why the hell do they still want to do a documentary about an old fart that's, you know, allegedly still involved with the game to some extent.

So, I was happy ultimately in what I put out because I think it -- part of the importance of a documentary is to sort of show a little bit more than what people already know, or maybe a lot more, hopefully.

BERMAN: I think a lot more in some cases. And it gets to some of the basic questions that people have had about you and asked you, by the way, for, you know, I'm bad at math, 40 plus years. And what made you act the way you did? What drove you?

MCENROE: That's a question I've been asked before, as you can imagine.

BERMAN: Yes.

MCENROE: The answer is, it's a combination of things. You know, it would be my parents. They were perfectionists. That would be part of it. They were great parents. It would also be true that growing up in New York City, there's an energy here that I don't think you find in many other parts of the world. I was naturally competitive. And, by the way, initially I -- it wasn't that bad, my behavior. It got worse as time went on. And (INAUDIBLE) pits of the world as an example (ph). My dad used to say, look, if you're going to -- don't get mad at the umpire, you know. But he'd say, don't get mad at the umpire. But if you do, don't curse. So those are the phrases that I -- you cannot be serious. Well, what turned out that I said that once in a 15-year career and then for the next 35 years or whatever it was playing like other events, if I didn't say it, they'd be like, why the hell didn't you say that? You know, so it's, obviously, become a part of my life.

BERMAN: So, Barney, John talked about the importance of New York and how New York is part of him. So, explain how you set up this entire documentary, which is an interesting framing. It's almost like one night in New York.

BARNEY DOUGLAS, WRITER/DIRECTOR, "MCENROE" DOCUMENTARY: Yes, that's exactly it. I mean, look, John's an icon. He's a New York icon. He's one of the greats of the game. And he challenges. He's bold. And we wanted to show that in the film as well. We wanted to show a film that did him justice, married him with the city, so to speak, and also gave us this natural journey from dusk till dawn of John traveling back through time and going back through his memories and really exploring, as you say, those questions, what drove him, the search for connection, and really revealing like more of John's spirit and his heart than perhaps had been seen in earlier productions and even his tennis as well.

So, that was the reason for really kind of embedding him in the city. And it gave us this really beautiful end thing as well where the sun comes up and it's dawn and he's with Patty, which to me is - you know, there's a love story in the film to me. That's really what it's about. And it just gave us this framework to build John's life and career around.

BERMAN: John, if I can ask you a tennis question here. And you - obviously, you still are very much involved with the game, even though you sort of downplayed that. But you're watching these guys between Federer and Djokovic and Nadal all win more than 20 grand slams at this point. You won seven singles, nine doubles, right? You say in this documentary, you know, today there are all these questions swirling about performance enhancing drugs. You took what you could classify as performance detracting drugs. Do you think, had you not done that, that you would be closer to where they are in terms of all the grand slams they've won? I mean do you ever think about how many more you could have won?

MCENROE: Of course I often think about that because, at that particular time in the mid '80s, it wasn't the only thing. It was like, who's number one at the end of the year. And it was a different time, you know. Some -- these indulgences that some of us took part in, we didn't realize the negative effect or to the extent it was.

[07:00:03]