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Interview With Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D-MA); Tropical Storm Alberto Impacting Texas; Interview With Former U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta; Putin Visits North Korea; U.S.-Israeli Rift Forming?. Aired 11-11:30a ET

Aired June 19, 2024 - 11:00   ET

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

[11:00:28]

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: Canceled meeting. The White House no longer hosting Israeli officials after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly posted a video criticizing the U.S. for withholding weapons shipments.

Plus: safety in the sky. Families of passengers killed in two Boeing plane crashes and whistle-blowers pushing for more accountability, as Boeing's CEO says he's proud of the company's record. We will speak to a whistle-blower live who says he got off a plane when he realized it was a 737 MAX.

And extreme weather across the nation. In New Mexico, thousands of people are racing to escape two wildfires. At least one person has died and the number of destroyed buildings has just tripled in just a few hours.

Hello. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington, and you're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

All that coming up, but let's begin with some breaking news, the weather system churning in the Gulf of Mexico right now, and it just got elevated to a tropical storm, becoming the first named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, now known as Tropical Storm Alberto.

It has been lashing coastal Texas this morning and pushing ashore a surge of up to three feet. Take a look at these live pictures coming in from Texas right now. Some Texans could see 10 inches of rain. We will have much more on all of this and other extreme weather battering the United States in just a few minutes. Stand by for that.

But, first, let's go over to the White House,the White House grappling right now with uncertainty in Israel. They're also keeping an eye on North Korea, where Russian President Vladimir Putin is making his first visit in more than two decades.

Putin received a red carpet welcome at Pyongyang, including a military parade and a ride in an open top limo with the supreme leader, Kim Jong-un. Kim hailed North Korea's new -- quote -- "alliance" with Russia following a meeting where the two leaders signed a new strategic partnership.

CNN correspondent Mike Valerio is in Seoul, South Korea, for us. Mike, first of all, tell us more about this meeting in North Korea.

MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Sure.

So, well, good evening from midnight here in Seoul. And the main question as the dust is starting to settle here on the Korean Peninsula is this, Wolf. Did we just witness two autocratic leaders forging their own version of NATO's Article 5, which, of course, calls for the mutual defense of a member of the alliance if one of them is attacked?

So we have the pageantry in the middle of Pyongyang and these bizarre images, certainly indelible images, as you mentioned, Wolf, of these two autocratic leaders in an open air limo to throngs of clouds in the -- crowds in the center of the city holding up to 100,000 people.

They go in for this meeting, and then Vladimir Putin comes out, addresses cameras at the lectern and says, in the event of aggression directed towards North Korea or Russia, this new pact that they have signed on to earlier in the day allows for -- quote -- "the provision of mutual assistance."

So, what exactly does that mean? That is what so many diplomatic quarters across the world are now asking. Does that mean automatic military response if one of those countries are attacked? And therein lies perhaps the point, Wolf, that many North Korean analysts are telling us at this hour, that chaos and uncertainty, vagaries are part of the goal.

But something that is certain is Kim Jong-un and Vladimir Putin calling this an alliance for the first time, certainly strengthening ties. Listen to Kim on that front.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KIM JONG-UN, NORTH KOREAN LEADER (through translator): The great Democratic People's Republic of Korea-Russia alliance, which will be become a watershed moment in the development of these bilateral relations, finally raised its anchor in history and announced the solemn departure here today.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VALERIO: OK, so where does this lead us?

Now that they have forged this mutual defense agreement, does this lead to military drills, perhaps on these disputed islands on the border of North and South Korea? Wolf, you were there in late 2010, when North Korea opened fire and started shelling those islands.

Well, Russian President Vladimir Putin opened the door for sustained military cooperation, the possibility of that. But there seems to be no doubt that what began as a -- quote, unquote -- "strategic partnership" between these two states under tremendous sanction pressure in September of last year has now certainly elevated to a new level of cooperation, Wolf. [11:05:08]

BLITZER: Mike Valerio in Seoul, South Korea, for us.

Mike, thanks very, very much.

Meanwhile, there are new signs of the Biden administration's deep frustration right now with the Israeli prime minister. CNN is now reporting that an envoy for the president told Benjamin Netanyahu that the new video of Netanyahu saying the U.S. was withholding military aid to Israel was -- quote -- "unproductive and completely untrue."

The White House also canceled one of its meetings with Israeli officials in response to this Netanyahu video.

I want to go to our White House correspondent, Arlette Saenz. She's joining us from Rehoboth Beach in Delaware, where the president is today.

Arlette, update our viewers on what's going on.

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, there is a growing sense of frustration among Biden administration officials towards Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after his comments in that video yesterday saying that it was inconceivable that the U.S. is withholding military aid for Russia (sic).

That is something that White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre just yesterday said that they have no idea what Netanyahu is talking about there. And, privately, the administration has also started conveying their frustration directly to Netanyahu.

CNN has learned that Amos Hochstein, who had been traveling in the region, met with Netanyahu yesterday and told him very frankly that his comments were unproductive and, more importantly, completely untrue.

The U.S. ambassador to Israel, Jack Lew, was also meeting with Netanyahu and reiterated that these comments were incorrect, actually running through the types of weapons that the U.S. has been sending to Israel over the past few months.

Now, it's unclear what exactly Netanyahu was referencing here. In early May, we know that the administration had put a pause on the shipment of some heavy bombs to Israel amid concerns about its operations into Rafah.

Just yesterday, both Secretary of State Antony Blinken and the White House press secretary said that that is still under review, but that there haven't been any other pauses in the shipments. Take a listen to what Jean-Pierre had to tell reporters yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KARINE JEAN-PIERRE, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: We generally do not know what he's talking about. We just don't. There was one particular shipment of munitions that was paused. There are no other pauses, none, no other pauses or holds in place.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAENZ: Now, one senior administration official told us that the U.S. postponed a meeting that they were supposed to have with the Israelis to talk about Iran, in part due to these comments, though we also have heard from other officials pushing back, saying that it's not because of the comments from Netanyahu, that there were simply some scheduling issues.

But this does come at an incredibly tense time. We have often seen these frustrations between the U.S. and Israel aired out in public. But it comes as there's tension, as the U.S. wants Israel to do more to try to put an end to this conflict in Gaza.

And then there's concerns about the possibility of this conflict widening even further. So we will see what more both sides have to say as the days continue. But it's clear that there is a palpable sense of frustration from the Biden administration towards Netanyahu because of these comments.

BLITZER: That's absolutely clear.

Arlette Saenz reporting from Rehoboth Beach in Delaware, where the president is.

Arlette, thank you very much.

I want to get some analysis right now.

Joining us now, the former U.S. Defense Secretary and former CIA Director during the Obama administration Leon Panetta.

Secretary Panetta, thanks so much for joining us.

The Biden administration, as you just heard, is calling Netanyahu's comments completely untrue and unproductive. You have done a lot of work in U.S.-Israeli relations over the years at the CIA, the Defense Department, when you were in Congress, when you were at the White House. Give us your sense of what's going on.

How serious is this rupture in U.S.-Israeli relations at this critical moment right now?

LEON PANETTA, FORMER U.S. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: Well, Wolf, in my experience, the one predictable thing about Netanyahu is that he is unpredictable.

Whether it was working with President Clinton or President Obama, my experience was that it was always very difficult to try to figure out exactly what Netanyahu was up to. And so you had to basically try to understand that he is always about survival, survival in office.

And I think, for some reason, he decided to come out and attack the United States, although we are providing billions of dollars of weapons to Israel. There is a pause with regards to one shipment, but that's it. So it clearly is not true that we have not continued to provide assistance to Israel.

So we have just got to straighten out the record and determine whether or not ultimately we can reestablish a relationship, because this is a very sensitive time in terms of the war with Hamas.

[11:10:11]

BLITZER: You make a very, very important point, all this coming, Mr. Secretary, just a day after the U.S. actually green-lit one of the largest ever weapons packages to Israel, including F-15 fighter jets, billions and billions of dollars worth of weaponry.

And the Biden administration was leaning heavily on key Democrats in the House and Senate to support this package, which eventually they clearly did do. So what do you think of Netanyahu is hoping to achieve here?

PANETTA: You know, it's -- what concerns me more than anything is the decision not to go ahead with the meeting on Iran.

The problem right now is, Iran is within a very few weeks of being able to build a nuclear weapon. They have got a lot of enriched fuel. And if Iran gets ahold of a nuclear weapon, that could be a real threat to stability in the Middle East. And so I hope that, ultimately, they can try to reestablish a relationship here.

We have gone through a lot of ups and downs in the relationship with Netanyahu, but the fact is, right now, Israel is at a point where they are successful in trying to diminish Hamas' ability to be able to conduct warfare there.

And if we could demilitarize Hamas completely, get rid of the tunnels, get rid of the support systems they have and their depots, I think we could move on to try to establish some kind of governance system for Gaza, kind of protect the border, so that weapons don't continue to come into Hamas and create a better situation ultimately to try to achieve a more lasting peace.

BLITZER: And on top of all of this, all the other threats that are going on right now, Israel is now publicly warning of the prospect of a -- quote -- "all-out war" with the Iranian-backed Hezbollah forces in South Lebanon after that militant group published drone video showing Israeli military and civilian locations around Haifa, very sensitive locations.

How concerned are you about this potential escalation that could happen?

PANETTA: We always have to be very concerned about what could happen with Hezbollah, as well as what could happen with the other proxy forces in that region.

If, for some reason, Iran gives the go-ahead to Hezbollah to continue the kind of assaults we have seen over these last few weeks, then I think there really is a chance for continuing war in the Middle East, because Israel cannot afford to just simply allow Hezbollah to continue to send hundreds of missiles into Israel and not respond to that threat.

So this is, as I said, a very sensitive time in which, frankly, the United States and Israel and our allies in the Middle East have to work together to try to figure out how we provide for better security in the region.

BLITZER: Yes, it's so, so critically important, such a sensitive moment, indeed. As someone who's covered that part of the world for many, many years, it's really potentially extremely dangerous.

And, as a result, the Israelis have already forced the tens of thousands of Israelis who live in Northern Israel north of Haifa, the Galilee, near the Lebanese border, to evacuate, because they're deeply concerned that the situation could escalate into a full-scale war, which would make Israel's war with Hamas in Gaza look like relatively small potatoes compared to what could happen with Hezbollah in South Lebanon and Israel in the north.

Leon Panetta, thanks so much for joining us. We really appreciate it.

PANETTA: Good to be with you, Wolf.

BLITZER: Thank you.

And still ahead: Boeing's CEO confirms that his company has retaliated against whistle-blowers as he's grilled up on Capitol Hill. We're joined live by one of a dozen whistle-blowers who have raised major concerns about the company's planes.

And there's more breaking news we're following. Tropical Storm Alberto becomes the first named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season. CNN's Rosa Flores is live in Corpus Christi, Texas. We will check in with her.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:19:25]

BLITZER: All right, there's breaking news.

Tropical Storm Alberto has now become the first named storm of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season. On the Texas coastline right now, Alberto is already pushing ashore with a storm surge of up to three feet. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's definitely worse than I expected, or I'd have been gone, you know? So I should have been more prepared. And it's not even a hurricane.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: CNN's Rosa Flores is in Corpus Christi for us.

Rosa, so how are the conditions there, over there, where you are? [11:20:04]

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Let me show you around, Wolf.

Right now, we are seeing some downpours. You can see behind me this is the Bay of Corpus Christi. Normally, it's a beautiful beach people are enjoying out here. And, today, we're seeing waves crashing like it, if it was the ocean. You can see that some of the parking meters show the water line.

I can tell you that my team and I have been out here since about five am this morning and the water has gone up several inches. Earlier today, we were able to walk up several feet beyond this area. We're not able to do that anymore, just for safety reasons. But you can see just how angry the water is.

This is a scene that is being multiplied all along the Texas Gulf Coast from Galveston-Houston, area all the way to the Rio Grande Valley. And that's what stands out about the storm, is the fact that the center of the storm is hundreds of miles away, and, still, this area of Texas feeling its effects.

I have talked to officials. They say that they always prepare for the worst. They have high-water vehicles and rescue vehicles in strategic locations just in case there are emergencies. But they're not expecting to evacuate any areas or to issue any evacuations at this point.

But they do warn that, if that storm moves to the north, in essence, closer to Corpus Christi, things could change. And that's what they're prepared for. But, for now, Wolf, there's nobody on these beaches. You can see this is actually the entrance to a store here with this giant shark, because this is a beach area where people come and enjoy, vacationers come and enjoy.

But, right now, nobody's out on the beaches, people probably staying at home and in their hotels because of the conditions outside -- Wolf, back to you.

BLITZER: Yes, it sounds like it's going to get worse.

Rosa Flores in Corpus Christi, Texas, for us.

Rosa, stay safe over there. Thank you very much.

And coming up, we will have more on the Middle East on edge right now, as Israel threatens a -- quote -- "all-out war" with the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon.

We're talking to Democratic Congressman Jake Auchincloss. He's standing by live. His warning about the alliance between the U.S. and Israel, that's next.

Stay with us. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [11:27:11]

BLITZER: We're now getting more details about a rather tense meeting between the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a special U.S. envoy, Amos Hochstein, after Netanyahu claimed in a video that it's -- quote -- "inconceivable" that the U.S. is withholding weapons in the fight against Hamas.

Hochstein said that the prime minister's comments were unproductive and, more importantly, completely untrue, that according to a senior U.S. official.

Let's discuss this and more with Democratic Congressman Jake Auchincloss of Massachusetts.

Congressman, thanks so much for joining us. I know you have spent a lot of time looking into these issues, the U.S.-Israeli relationship, for example.

What do you make of the mounting frustration that's clearly developing right now between these two allies, the United States and Israel?

REP. JAKE AUCHINCLOSS (D-MA): Good morning, Wolf. Thanks for having me on.

It's really not about the White House or its frustrations. It's about Benjamin Netanyahu and his increasing isolation. His dangerous and disingenuous video statement is really further isolating him at a time when his war cabinet has dissolved and when a former prime minister, Ehud Barak, has criticized him for a lack of strategy in Gaza.

Prime Minister Netanyahu needs to be sealing shut any daylight between him and Joe Biden, so that he can drive towards the strategic defeat of Hamas in Gaza and so he can prevent all-out escalation with Hezbollah.

BLITZER: Do you believe, bottom line, Congressman, that the United States has a trusted partner in Prime Minister Netanyahu?

AUCHINCLOSS: I believe that the U.S.-Israeli relationship is stronger than the vicissitudes of politics or personal relationships.

Our reliance -- our alliance -- excuse me -- is built on shared values, a commitment to freedom and democracy, and that's more powerful than ever as we face this tight-knit alliance of Iran, Hezbollah, Hamas, China, Russia, North Korea, as they all seek to upend the rules-based international order.

And we are going to hold our allies close, even when we're frustrated with them.

BLITZER: A number of your Democratic colleagues at the House, as you well know, are saying they won't even attend Prime Minister Netanyahu's speech before a joint meeting of Congress next month in Washington.

What's your response to that, and will you be in attendance?

AUCHINCLOSS: Yes, I don't think Democrats should be playing into Speaker Mike Johnson's RSVP guessing game on Prime Minister Netanyahu's speech.

This is exactly what the speaker wanted. He has continued to use Israel as a wedge issue, when it should be a bipartisan issue. And, really, the hypocrisy is glaring, because House Republicans showed their backs for Volodymyr Zelenskyy when he came to address Congress in a joint session to ask for their support as he fought on the front lines of freedom and democracy.

They didn't even have the respect to show up. They didn't even have the respect to heed his call for support.

BLITZER: So, I take it you will be at the session, the joint session of Congress, when Netanyahu addresses the House and the Senate?