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New Day

FedEx Warns of Worldwide Recession as Package Volume Falls; Zelenskyy: Mass Burial Site Found in City Liberated from Russia; Russia: U.S. Providing Long-Range Missiles to Ukraine is "Red Line"; Some Vulnerable Democrats Keeping Distance from Biden; Slotkin Demands Pelosi Take Up Ban on Lawmakers Trading Stocks; Former Private Aide to King Charles Join New Day on Reign; Candidates in TX, OH, NM Launch Deceptive Ads on Crime, Policing. Aired 7:30-8a ET

Aired September 16, 2022 - 07:30   ET

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

[00:07:30]

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: The economy, the FedEx warning getting a lot of attraction this morning

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Bess, anything you're seeing in the real estate world that makes you think there will be larger economic implications?

BESS FREEDMAN, CEO, BROWN HARRIS STEVENS: I mean I think what you just said about FedEx it sort of echoes what's going on in the industry with challenges with labor and supply. And I think we're in for - it was like we were on a roller coaster last year because it was so crazy. We had such a great market.

I call it, you know, the Mohammad Ali of real estate markets. It was the greatest of all-time. And now this year we're sort of trying to get our balance on things. And so I think we're in for a little bit of a rocky volatile time. But we'll have to see how it goes.

ROMANS: I think no one is happy in the real estate. Sellers who didn't sell missed their moment, their Mohammad Ali moment.

FREEDMAN: Yes.

ROMANS: Buyers still can't find something in their price range. Interest rates are going up. So everyone's a little bit - trying to find equilibrium.

(CROSSTALK)

FREEDMAN: Trying to get their grounding.

ROMANS: Right.

FREEDMAN: That's what people are trying to do.

BERMAN: All right, Christine Romans, Bess Freedman, best to you. Thanks to both of you, really appreciate it.

(CROSSTALK)

ROMANS: Thanks, John.

BERMAN: Former Treasury Secretary, Larry Summers, is going to be with us a little bit later to talk about all this.

So in their first in-person meeting since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Vladimir Putin is admitting that China has raised concerns about the invasion. The details ahead.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: Plus Democratic Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin of Michigan will join NEW DAY as she faces a competitive race for reelection.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:07:35]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE (translated): We want the world to know what is really happening and what the Russian occupation has led to in Bucha, Mariupol, and now unfortunately Izyum. Russia is leaving death behind everywhere and must be held responsible. The world must bring Russia to real responsibility for this war.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: That's President Zelenskyy of Ukraine announcing that a mass burial site has been discovered in the City to Izyum after that area was liberated from Russian forces.

This as the White House announces an additional $600 million in security assistance for the Ukrainian military for its ongoing counter offensive against Russian forces.

Joining us now is Democratic Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin of Michigan. She is s a former CIA analyst and Pentagon official who oversaw policy on Russia at the Pentagon. And she visited Ukraine in July and actually met with President Zelenskyy there.

We're so grateful to have you in studio this morning. Thank you for being here.

(CROSSTALK)

REP. ELISSA SLOTKIN, (D), ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE: (Inaudible) of course.

KEILAR: You heard Russia reiterating yesterday that the U.S. providing longer range weapons to Ukraine is a red line. Do you think that the U.S. should provide weapons like that? And how do you think Russia would actually respond?

SLOTKIN: I mean look when Russia decided to invade the entirety of Ukraine they sort of lost out on their chance to declare these red lines and say we have these boundaries. I think we have to be conscious of it. No one wants escalation between two nuclear superpowers, right.

But I do think that the Ukrainians are defending their territory. If they made a commitment, which I understand they have done, not to use those weapons to go inside Russia, right, to fire inside and expand the scope of the conflict. I think they have proved that they're responsible actors and so I have supported them getting those weapons.

KEILAR: You've talked about how Americans have supported this conflict, that there's this tendency for support to wane over time. And as you're looking at hundreds of millions of dollars just over and over going out the door, do you worry at a certain point that that money going to support this war is going to turn public opinion in the U.S.?

SLOTKIN: Well I think, look, at a time when we have inflation as high as it is people are thinking about money a lot. And I think there's still a strong sort of sentiment about supporting a fellow democracy. People are used to, you know, from the Cold War, having Russia as an adversary. So it sort of - it is important to people.

But I do think that there just comes a time where the average citizen says like, what is the end game here. And I think that, you know, when we were in Ukraine, you know, the factor was there that the winter will set in and it's going to be very important if we're going to hold out against the Russians that the Europeans and our allies hang (ph) together through a very cold winter.

And I think that, to me, is the biggest open question. If they're not you can see a situation where the American public says, you know, how many times are we going to do this for the next couple of years, give all these weapons, give all this money.

So the European play on this is very, very important.

KEILAR: Vladimir Putin met with Xi Jinping and it was pretty interesting because Putin actually acknowledged that Xi showed some reservations about the war in Ukraine. I want to play some of that sound.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VLADIMIR PUTIN, PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA (translated): We highly appreciate the balance position of our Chinese friends in connection with the Ukrainian crisis. We understand your questions and concerns in this regard. During today's meeting, of course, we will explain in detail our position on this issue although we have spoken about this before.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Do you see a certain point where Putin is feeling pressure. Where China is actually exerting pressure on Russia to wind this down?

SLOTKIN: Yes, I mean I thought that was fascinating, right, because not only was he saying whatever he's going to say in private but he made the point to say it in public. To talk the Chinese being balanced in their views on Ukraine. A lot of this is code for the Chinese weren't thrilled with how things are going. That's great.

At the beginning of this war we were not sure what the Chinese were going to do. We're they going to line up and be kind of, you know, allied with Russia on this. And I think it's good that the Chinese are taking a second kind of look at this.

But, you know, I think the more we isolate Putin the faster we get to a better resolution. So I was happy to see that. An also happy to see it because the Chinese should be taking notes on what happens in Ukraine for whatever they may or may not want to do on Taiwan. So I thought that was a really good sort of signal.

KEILAR: You were in a Trump district, switching to politics now, you're facing a tough reelection. And abortion has created this issue that's animating a lot of voters and not just Democrats. What are you hearing from voters in your district? And how is this going to play in your race?

SLOTKIN: Well my district is Republican leaning.

[00:07:40]

The average person consider themselves pro-life but wanting some exceptions. And I can tell you, this was just not an issue that came up a lot in the previous four years that I was a member of Congress. The number of, frankly, Republican women who come up to me on the margins of events have those private conversations that women know are still going on on this topic, sort of women only conversations, and say, look, I'm pro-life, I could never choose to have an abortion but I would never tell another women how to live.

You know, and this idea of this black and white, you know, a ban on all abortion, which is what we have in Michigan, is just to strict for the average person. We need exceptions for rape, we need exceptions for incest. There's a strong feeling around that.

So we're seeing it really transform the election. And people may not talk about it within their families but we know from polling and just from the number of women who are pulling me aside that it's really moving the electorate. And in Michigan we have it on our ballot.

KEILAR: I want to ask you about this debate over whether members of Congress should be able to trade stocks. Speaker Pelosi was actually asked about this, if she supported a ban on members of Congress trading stocks. In December she said, no. Here's what she said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NANCY PELOSI, (D), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: This is a free market and people - we are a free market economy that should be able to participate in that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: She's changed her tune a little bit now saying, that a vote on this ban should come this month. What do you say to that?

SLOTKIN: Well I'm glad she's come around because I couldn't disagree more with her original statements on this. And I was surprised, I guess, when she came out that strongly in the beginning. We are in a moment in our history where we need to do everything possible to restore faith in our government, right. There's a real question about whether government is serving people.

And I think any perception of impropriety is bad. Not - I'm not accusing everyone who trades stocks of impropriety. But the perception is that you have insider information by being a member of Congress and then you use that to make trades or your husband or wife uses that to make trades that make you money.

So I think that that is a terrible signal to send for both Democrats and Republicans. We've seen opposition from both parties on this and I think it's insane, I am a co-sponsor of that bill. But it in a blind trust so that there's no even perception of impropriety.

KEILAR: Whatever the outcome of the election, would you vote no again for Pelosi for Speaker or for Leader?

SLOTKIN: Look, I have always said, I think it's time that we have new leadership. I think it's time, frankly, that some Midwesterners get into leadership. We have a lot of New York on California. I'd like to see more diversity in leadership there. I have made a commitment to my district, I stick to that commitment.

KEILAR: Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, thank you so much for being with us.

SLOTKIN: Thank you.

KEILAR: So next we'll be joined by King Charles' most recent Deputy Private Secretary as the new leader travels the U.K. honoring his late mother.

BERMAN: Chrissy Teigen revealing the miscarriage she said she suffered in 2020 was actually an abortion and why she's coming forward now.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:07:45]

BERMAN: This morning King Charles and the Queen Consort Camilla are travelling to the Parliament in Wales to receive condolences. Later today they will meet with troops who will take part in the funeral of Queen Elizabeth.

Joining us now is the British High Commissioner to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, Scott Furssedonn-Wood, he was previously Deputy Private Secretary to Charles and Camilla when they were the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall. Thank you so much for being with us this morning.

So how would you compare the Charles and Camilla you knew before they were King and Queen Consort with what you are seeing in public now? What kind if any of change have you seen?

SCOTT FURSSEDONN-WOOD, BRITISH HIGH COMMISSIONER TO BARBADOS & EASTERN CARIBBEAN: Well let me just say first of all how extraordinarily touched we've all been by the outpouring of sorrow and respect for Her Majesty over the past week particularly from people in the United States including President Biden and the First Lady. It's meant a huge amount to all of us.

But you asked about the change I see in the King and Queen Consort as they take on their new roles. Well of course their roles change and that's something that they've always known would happen and they prepared for for a very long time.

But actually what we see with them as people are very much the people that I know well, the people that I worked for for all those years. They are - they are incredibly warm individuals, very human people occupying rather extraordinary positions. And I think the country, in fact the world, is seeing that for themselves as these events play out in London and the U.K.

KEILAR: You're joining us from Barbados and you worked closely with the former Prince when it came to Barbados last year as the country became a republic. How does he relate to the changing relationship that parts of the world have when it comes to the monarchy?

FURSSEDONN-WOOD: Well the King is Head of State in 15 countries, the United Kingdom and 14 other countries around the world. But he's also Head of the Commonwealth which is a free association of 56 countries, just a small number which have him as Head of State, others of them are republics or have other monarchies of their own.

And Barbados last year made that change itself. It was - it was a realm with the Queen as Head of State, it became a republic and that's something that's happened throughout the Queen's reign. At the beginning of the Queen's reign she was Queen of Pakistan. She was Queen of Kenya, of Ceylon which is Sri Lanka of course.

So this is a process. This is something that happens. And the Prince of Wales, now the King, understands that very clearly.

[00:07:51]

He gave a speech in Kigali at the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting where he acknowledged that it's absolutely for countries to determine their own constitutional arrangements. He said these things can change calmly and without ranker. And I think that gives you a very clear indication of how he feels about this.

And in fact in Barbados he has a strong partnership, a friendship with the Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley. She was one of the very first people to speak to him on the telephone this week.

BERMAN: You know, on this subject there could be some very big changes going forward. As you well know Australia, New Zealand perhaps even Canada, there could be some of these commonwealth realms, these sort of 14 other nations that consider the Queen the Head of State, there could very well be a change in their decisions going forward.

And you talked about how King Charles, when he was Prince, addressed this before. You know, how do you think he will address that going forward?

FURSSEDONN-WOOD: Well I think he will remain very clear that these are decisions for governments and for people to take about their own arrangements. But what we saw in Barbados is that even in becoming a republic, Barbados remained committed to the Commonwealth, to that family of nations including countries that have joined recently like Togo, which were never part of the British empire. They've chosen to join the Commonwealth because they see value in it as a free association of people which shared values and as a forum for addressing some of the most pressing issues of our time; climate change, young opportunity.

And these are issues that the new King cars greatly (technical difficulty) determined that the Commonwealth remains a vibrant successful forum for addressing those shared challenges.

BERMAN: And again we see pictures there of King Charles in Wales where he is spending this morning. High Commissioner Scott Furssedonn-Wood, thank you so much for being with us this morning.

FURSSEDONN-WOOD: Thank you.

BERMAN: New campaign ads targeting Democrats on crime and policing omitting and twisting the truth. There's a fact check next.

KEILAR: And President Biden weighing in on the wave of migrants being sent from Texas to northern states. Chris Wallace joins NEW DAY to discuss next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:56:18]

KEILAR: With less than two months until the mid-term elections, Republican candidates around the country are running attack ads targeting their Democratic opponents on crime and policing. But not all of these ads have been accurate. So let's bring in CNN Fact Check Report, Daniel Dale.

Daniel, you watched the ads, what did you find out?

DANIEL DALE, CNN REPORTER: Brianna, I found a fair bit of deception. I want to go through three of the ads that have been released this month alone. So Texas Governor Greg Abbott has an attack ad that includes what the ad make sound like a sentence from his Democratic opponent Beto O'Rourke.

It's sounds like O'Rourke is categorically endorsing the idea of defunding the police.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BETO O'ROURKE, (D), GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: I really love that Black Lives Matters and other protestors have put this front and center to defund police forces -

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DALE: Here's the problem, that is not a sentence Beto O'Rourke ever uttered. That is an edit. So here's what the Abbott campaign did. It took a sentence from a podcast interview O'Rourke did two years ago where he spoke supportively of defunding line items that have over militarized the police. Then the Abbott campaign got rid of those words about over militarizing the police, got rid of a whole bunch of other words and attached the word defund to the words police forces even thought those were about 55 words apart in two totally different sentences.

Now, of course, the Abbott campaign is entitled to attack O'Rourke for what he actually did say but not to conjure up imaginary sentences especially because I fact check about these same kind of deception last year in November. They were doing the same kind of thing.

Now O'Rourke campaign has consistently said in 2021, 2022 that he opposes defunding the police.

Now Ohio Republican Senate candidate J.D. Vance also has a defend the police attack ad. This one goes after his Democratic opponent Congressman Tim Ryan.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. J.D. VANCE (R-OH): Streets are exploded with drugs and violence while Liberals like Tim Ryan attack and defund our police.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DALE: That Vance claim is misleading at best because Congressman Ryan has never expressed support for defunding police. Has never voted to defund the police. And in fact has released three separate T.V. ads during this campaign expressing opposition to the concept.

Here's a clip from the first one.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. TIM RYAN, (D-OH): Defunding the police is way off the mark. We need more cops not less.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DALE: Now the Vance campaign sent me a comment on this which you can find in my article on CNN.com. But that comment did not include any actual evidence of Ryan doing defunding or endorsing defunding. At very least the ad insinuates that Ryan has done one or both of those things.

Finally, Brianna, New Mexico Governor candidate Mark Ronchetti has a new ad out. The second part of the ad feature Ronchetti attacking Democratic incumbent Michele Lujan Grisham over crime. But right before that the ad features Ronchetti's wife telling the story of their home being broken into. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KRYSTY RONCHETTI, WIFE OF MARK RONCHETTI: I heard the door slam downstairs and I knew somebody was in our house. The girls were very upset, I started crying because I was so scared.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DALE: Now that sounds like an absolutely frightening ordeal of course. The problem is, as a bunch of New Mexico media outlets have pointed out, the ad didn't mention anywhere that this incident happened 10- years ago in 2012 under a Republican Governor not under Governor Lujan Grisham who became Governor in 2019.

The Ronchetti campaign has argued the ad didn't have to mention that. That this is just Ronchetti telling a personal story. But I think, Brianna, if you're going to tell a personal story about a frightening incident at your and then attack the democratic Governor it would be much more honest to mention somewhere in some way that the incident actually happened under a Republican Governor.

KEILAR: Yes. That's so important that you walked us through all of those details. Thank you for doing that.

DALE: Thank you.

KEILAR: NEW DAY continues right now.

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