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European Leaders Recognize Guaido; Interview with Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL); Snow and Ice Target Central U.S. Aired 6:30-7a ET

Aired February 4, 2019 - 06:30   ET

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


[06:30:00] TOLUSE OLORUNNIPA, WHITE HOUSE REPORTER, "BLOOMBERG NEWS": Resignations if we do start to see maybe other people in the Democratic Party. President Obama hasn't spoken out yet. His lieutenant governor so far hasn't called for his resignation. And if we do start to see more -- more Democrats call for his resignation, this could become a situation where he has no choice but to resign. But for now it seems like he's trying to dig in and fight.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: It's interesting, President Obama, if I remember correctly, did do a high profile rally for Ralph Northam in Virginia during the campaign. So it will be interesting to see if and when he weighs in.

POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: See what he says. Yes, that's a good point.

All right, thank you, gentlemen, very much.

European leaders uniting to back Venezuelan opposition leader as President Trump weighs in on whether he would meet with Nicolas Maduro. The latest on the crisis in Venezuela is ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: Many of Europe's leaders are uniting to recognize opposition leader Juan Guaido as Venezuela's president, as Nicolas Maduro rejects a Sunday deadline from European nations to hold free elections.

[06:35:06] CNN's Isa Soares is live in neighboring Colombia with the very latest.

Good morning.

ISA SOARES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, John.

That's right, Spain, France, the U.K., Germany, (INAUDIBLE), among many other European countries have recognized national assembly leader Juan Guaido as the interim president of Venezuela, adding yet more pressure on Nicolas Maduro to either call presidential elections, which he hasn't until now, or really step aside. But it seems he's not going anywhere. He's trying to project power. He's been projecting placidity in the last couple of days and sounding extremely defiant.

In an interview on Spanish television, he said he could not rule out the possibility, he said, of civil war. He also said that he does not take to ultimatums. That message directly to Europe.

He then had a message to U.S. President Donald Trump. He told President Trump that if he interfered in Venezuela's affairs, he could end his presidency with his hands stained with blood. He also went on to accuse the United States and President Trump of a drone attack on him on August of last year.

This all coming on the same day that President Trump had this to say on Venezuela. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARGARET BRENNAN, CBS ANCHOR, "FACE THE NATION": What would make you use the U.S. military in Venezuela? What's the national security interest?

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, I don't want to say that, but certainly it's something that's on the -- it's an option.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: Well, President Trump, in that same interview, said he turned down a meeting with -- with the leader of Venezuela, and he also said the reason he turned down a meeting with Maduro is because what he's seeing in Venezuela in the young leader is democracy in action.

But while the rhetoric is ramping up, the reality is that people in the streets are in dire need of help. Between 250,000 and 300,000, says Guaido, people need, almost at the point of dying because of medicine -- of medicine shortages.

Poppy.

HARLOW: Should not be like that.

Isa, thank you for bringing us the latest from the ground. We appreciate it.

Ahead, President Trump not ruling out another government shutdown as the deadline to reach a deal quickly approaches. How do his fellow Republicans feel about another pending shutdown? That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:41:11] BERMAN: There are less than two weeks for Congress to pass another spending bill or the U.S. faces the prospect of a new government shutdown. President Trump is not ruling that out as he considers declaring a national emergency to fund the border wall that he wants.

Joining us now is Republican Senator Rick Scott. Up until a few weeks ago he was the governor of Florida. Senator Scott joins us now from Puerto Rico, where he's getting an update on recovery efforts after Hurricane Maria.

Senator Scott, thank you very much for being with us.

We played the sound earlier in the show where the president said that he doesn't want to take the idea of a shutdown off the table. Are you glad he's leaving the door open to the possibility of another shutdown?

SEN. RICK SCOTT (R), FLORIDA: So, I don't want a shutdown. I have no interest in another shutdown. I also don't understand why we're not having real conversations about funding our border security. You know, we have to do both. We don't want the government shutdown. We expect our government to work. And number two is, we expect our border to be secure. So I don't know why we can't do this together.

I did an op-ed piece last week about this. And it seems to be on the Democrat side a lot of hatred for the president and everybody's got to come together here. And on top -- on top of that, we ought to take care of the DACA kids. We got -- we can do all these things. I went to D.C. to get something done.

BERMAN: There is a bipartisan, bicameral committee actually meeting to discuss border security and they will fund -- they will make proposals that do fund border security. In fact, the Democrats say, this is their argument, in December they offered $1.3 billion in border security. They are for border security, they say. What they are not for is a border wall. And that's what the president won't rule out shutting the government down over again.

SCOTT: Well, I went and met with border security, you know, Custom and Boarder Security about a week and a half ago and it takes all three -- all these things. It takes more people, it takes technology, and it takes barriers. Now, they can -- you can call it whatever you want, but you have to have all those things if you want to secure our border. And I don't know why they're talking about, you know, $1.3 billion when you -- when you look at the whole project, you ask border security what they need, it's in excess of $20 billion. We have to take this seriously.

You know, Americans want a secure border. This is not a -- it shouldn't be a political issue. We want our government to work and we want our borders secure.

BERMAN: Americans do want a secure border. The polls typically show that more Americans do not want the border wall per say than do, but they absolutely do want border security.

One option for the president is to declare an emergency. You have said at this point you would support that.

SCOTT: Well, here's the way I look at it. Look, I'm -- I have -- it's not the first goal. I don't want presidents to have to use emergency power. I didn't like it when Barack Obama did it for -- for the DACA kids because he didn't go through and try to get it done legislatively through Congress. The president has proposed things and Nancy Pelosi has said there's not going to be any money for a wall. That's not a negotiation. You know, we -- we know that -- I mean I -- let me talk about Florida

for a second. We did a poll. Hispanics in Florida, 69 percent of them want stricter enforcement of our immigration laws. This is not a political issue. This is what all Americans want. But it's not $1.3 billion. So if I was the president, I'd sit there and say, what are my options? If Congress won't do their job, then if he has the power, then he should use the power to fund the border security. And I think, on top of that, he ought to take care of DACA kids. We need to have a permanent solution to border security and our DACA kids and temporary protection for a lot of people that have come from other countries during crisis.

BERMAN: Just one point of clarification. President Obama and the Democrats and Republicans, including Marco Rubio, your senator, did try to work out a deal in 2013 to pass legislation that would add billions in border security and take care of the DACA kids. So that was -- legislation was attempted there before the president, President Obama at that point, took executive action.

[06:45:18] One last question. You're in Puerto Rico, obviously, where the rebuilding efforts are so active and necessary and in some cases still in need and in want. You said before you don't want the president to declare executive action that would take disaster funding from Puerto Rico, correct?

SCOTT: Absolutely. I don't -- I don't believe the -- I mean you look at the wildfires in California, you look at the hurricanes in Texas and Florida and here, this money needs to be allocated by the federal government. We pay our taxes. Puerto Rico pays their, you know, their taxes. And so we need to have a federal government that does the right thing.

My first amendment as a senator was to make sure we got disaster relief for Puerto Rico. What was in the House side, the -- the shutdown bill, but not in the Senate side. And so I'm -- this is my -- I came here eight times as the governor. This is my first time here as a senator. I meet with the governor, lieutenant-governor, a bunch of business leaders, the speaker of the house and say, what are your needs, how can I be helpful? I will work hard to be the voice for Puerto Rico in the U.S. Senate.

BERMAN: And it is important that you are there on the island talking to those leaders and finding out what is needed there at this point.

Senator Scott, as I said, up until a month ago so you were a governor. Governor Ralph Northam of Virginia is taking a lot of heat this morning for the racist photo that was on his medical school yearbook page. Should he resign? What should Governor Northam do now?

SCOTT: Well, I think he clearly should resign. The pictures are horrible. But, on top of that, what he said about a new baby, that possibly would not be taken care of to make sure it survived after birth, is -- is disgusting. I am absolutely pro-life. But I think anybody would -- I mean I have six grandsons. I love my family. And I just can't imagine somebody would say, after a child's born that we're going to decide whether they're going to live or not. That's disgusting.

BERMAN: Again, what he's going to resign over potentially, or what he's facing heat over now, is the racist yearbook photo. Governor Northam, and take it for what it is, says that on that radio show, when he was talking about abortion, he was talking about in cases where the fetus or the baby was not viable.

On Governor Northam and the racist photo, do you think there's a different standard for Democrats who are involved with racist or sexist activity and Republicans, obviously the president didn't resign or drop out after the "Access Hollywood" tape, so why should it be different for Governor Northam now if he says that it's not him in that photo?

SCOTT: Well, first off, it shouldn't be -- there shouldn't be a different standard for anybody. But I think he should resign on the photos and what he said with regard to the abortion. So, I think it's disgusting what he said about abortion.

BERMAN: Senator Rick Scott of Florida, thank you for joining us from Puerto Rico. Thank you for being there, as we said, to see the situation on the ground for yourself.

SCOTT: Thank you.

BERMAN: We'll talk to you again soon.

Poppy.

HARLOW: Yes, really important that he is there doing that.

All right, so, if you haven't heard, good morning, everyone. A big night for Tom Brady and JB, John Berman, as the Patriots' dynasty rolls on, that is the headline of "The Boston Globe," of course, this morning on the front page, clinching --

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[06:52:40] HARLOW: All right, millions in the central U.S. facing -- I'm so sorry -- another blast of snow and ice this week, while the Northeast warms up a bit from the polar vortex.

Let's go to our meteorologist Chad Myers with your forecast.

I just feel for my family in Minnesota, Chad.

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: I know. It's still -- Bismarck is 7 below. Even Minneapolis right now is 30. Although it's going to get colder behind that front, yes, but the Northeast finally is thawing out.

This weather is brought to you by Boost nutritional drink. Be up for life.

Be up this morning because temperatures are nice. In fact, Chicago, you're 60 degrees warmer than you were four days ago right now. Sixty degrees. Just think about that. Put that in your head just for a second and think about how summer's going to be warming up.

Here comes the rainfall for tomorrow across the northeast, though, but it's a warm front. In fact, two -- two warm fronts that will approach the northeast that will warm things up. You're not going to get to you in the Northwest and also into the Midwest. It's not going to quite get there. There's going to be snow up there. Quite a bit of snow too. But, I mean, this is wintertime for Minnesota. You expect that.

But look at this, for D.C. on Thursday, how's 70 degrees sound? Sounds like spring. Go Punxsutawney Phil.

John, back to you.

BERMAN: All right, Chad Myers, thank you so much for that.

Five people are dead after a small plane crashed into a California home. Officials say the pilot was killed along with four people inside the house. The FAA says the aircraft had just taken off from a nearby airport before the plane fell out of the sky. The NTSB is investigating the cause of this crash.

HARLOW: Well, power has been restored at a federal detention center in Brooklyn, New York, after inmates were left shivering in their cells for days due to a partial power outage there. A U.S. representative who visited that facility says the temperature was as low inside as 49 degrees. Prison officers were said to be working while wearing coats and hats and scarves. Of course things the inmates don't have. A fire in the room housing the electrical switches caused the outages there.

BERMAN: Stephen Colbert scored some big laughs after the Super Bowl which the Patriots won. Here are your late night laughs.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEPHEN COLBERT, HOST, "THE LATE SHOW WITH STEPHEN COLBERT": All right, so our one, true national holiday. This is the one day when despite our divisions Americans come together around their TVs and for just one, beautiful moment don't fast-forward through the commercials.

Another annual tradition is the pre-game presidential interview. Last year Trump skipped the interview but Friday he sat down with Margaret Brennan of CBS' "Face the Nation."

[06:55:05] DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: When you have people dying all over the country because of people like Nancy Pelosi, who don't want to give proper border security for political reasons, she's doing a terrible disservice to our country. And on the 15th we have now set the table beautifully.

COLBERT: Not a hopeful sign because we all know what it looks like when Trump sets the table beautifully.

We're barely a month into 2019. We've already got at least ten different candidates hoping to security the Democratic Party's nomination. Booker's taking a real risk with the name of his campaign, Cory 2020. Bold move going with the first name. If you'll recall, that did not work out too well for Jeb 2016.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: That exclamation point lives in infamy.

HARLOW: Forever and ever.

BERMAN: All right, on the eve of the State of the Union Address, a new CNN poll shows where President Trump stands. That's next.

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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I don't like to take things off the table. It's national emergency. You need a wall.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He knows it's not an emergency. He's using the threat as leverage.

SEN. RICK SCOTT (R), FLORIDA: I would go out there and I would say, I'm going to use whatever power I have to solve the problem.

[07:00:00] GOV. RALPH NORTHAM (D), VIRGINIA: I am deeply sorry. I believe that I am not either of the people in that photo.

END