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Inside Politics
WSJ Reporter Remains Imprisoned In Russia A Year Later; WSJ: Russia One Of The Most Dangerous Places For Journalists; What Arizona Voters See The U.S.-Mexico Border That National Politicians Don't; Chris Wallace & Larry David Interview Out Today On Max. Aired 12:30-1p ET
Aired March 29, 2024 - 12:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[12:30:00]
ALMAR LATOUR, CEO OF DOW JONES & PUBLISHER OF THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: I think -- we hope that this will come to a crescendo in the time ahead. We're in a critical period now for for Evan, because we expect a bogus trial to start in next few months in Russia, a secret trial that.
And there's a period between now and then. When I believe we should push as hard as we possibly can, and the administration should push as hard as it possibly can for his release to try to get to a deal. If not by that date, that might send a motion another another cycle of time, the duration of a trial, which, you know, if you look at spy trials throughout history in Russia, that could add a significant amount of time to Evan's incarceration.
So we're filled with hope today, is a very emotional day, obviously, here at the journal today. But there's also a sense of urgency, more resolved than ever before.
DANA BASH, CNN ANCHOR: Wall Street Journal Editor-in-Chief Emma Thompson told our colleague Oliver Darcy that she expects him to be home this time next year. I'm sure that is your hope, that your hope it is tomorrow, not this time next year. What is your sense of that? And as you answer that, and I understand that you need to be cautious because these are very delicate talks, but do you feel comfortable that the Biden administration is doing enough to help in your efforts to free Evan?
LATOUR: I have no doubt that the Biden administration and the people surrounding it have all the right intent and they have devoted a lot of time and attention to getting this deal done. But this -- the outcome is binary. He's either free or he's not. And that's the report card that we have to give ourselves and also to the Biden administration.
I think they are pushing, but until Evan is free, it's still not enough.
BASH: Yes, of course. I want to widen the aperture a little bit, if I may. And as I do, I'm going to hold up. I actually have an old school newspaper here, which shows what we showed at the beginning of the segment, a blank page here which was very powerful, very well done by the Wall Street Journal saying his story should be here.
Next to it, of course, is a story about what he lost in the year that he has been detained both personally, most importantly, personally, but also professionally. And when I say I want to widen the aperture, it just -- talk about Evan's case and how it illustrates the dangers that journalists worldwide have when they try to report on autocratic regimes and what it means about the importance of reporting on these autocratic regimes.
LATOUR: You know, first that last part, right, we need to understand globally what goes on in autocratic regimes, how freedom is repressed and all the negative consequences for citizens of those countries. I think that's a global theme, and the only way to find out about that really is through reporting on the ground.
And so that, at this very moment in time, when there's so many countries moving in an autocratic direction, it's probably more important than ever. And so, the dangers that are associated with that are also greater than ever before in my mind.
You can see that in the numbers. There are more reporters incarcerated. Russia has a hotspot for this. There are, I believe, over a dozen foreign journalists detained. The climate against the free press and Russia under Putin over the last two days has gotten, you know, worse and worse and worse, and is at a very intense stage there right now.
BASH: Yes. And I think we just -- what you just said is so critical. First and foremost, it is about Evan and his safety, his wellbeing, getting him home to his family, but also about how dangerous it is that there is a regime like what we see in Russia and how much of an illustration it is about what could happen when the freedom of the press and freedom to go in and explain and tell the world about what is happening in the government, which sometimes we take for granted here what happens when that freedom is taken away.
Thank you so much. We are thinking about Evan. We are thinking about all of his colleagues at the Wall Street Journal and, of course, his family today. Appreciate you coming on.
[12:35:07]
LATOUR: All right. Thank you, Dana. And thank you for your support.
BASH: Thank you.
And up next, John King went to the southern border in the swing state of Arizona to ask voters there what they think about immigrations and -- immigration, rather, and their answers may surprise you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BASH: In his latest installment of "All Over the Map", CNN's John King traveled to Arizona to talk to voters about what they think about critical issues especially the border.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
[12:40:08]
JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A wall as far as the eye can see. This is the Tucson sector, by far, the busiest corridor for illegal border crossings. Smuggling is a big problem, and a big business Faith Ramon knows all too well.
FAITH RAMON, MEMBER OF THE TOHONO O'ODHAM NATION: I needed money. I needed money quick. And because of my alcohol and my addiction, I just went to a party, met some friends, they offered me some quick money, I took it. And it was so easy. It was so easy. I did it again, and I did it again. Sure enough, I was doing it for years because of it being so easy.
KING: Then you got caught.
RAMON: And then I got caught. My luck ran out.
KING (voice-over): A felony conviction set Ramon in search of sobriety. Under 2018, Tohono O'odham tribal ritual would again put the border front and center.
RAMON: A sweat large ceremony. And I walked in, and that was the very first time I heard that there was a border wall that was going to be built on the reservation, separating and destroying some of our sacred sites.
KING (voice-over): Ramon is now an activist who registers voters and is eligible to have her own voting rights restored. Her first choice for president would be this November in Battleground Arizona.
RAMON: I will vote for Biden.
KING (voice-over): Donald Trump is not an option.
RAMON: I don't like the fact that our reservation was destroyed by a racist wall.
KING (voice-over): To win here again, Biden needs big margins here in South Central Arizona, Tucson, and south to the Mexican border.
Air Force veteran Melissa Cordero voted for Trump in 2020.
MELISSA CORDERO, ARIZONA VOTER: I was a small business owner at the time.
KING (voice-over): Cordero works for a conservation nonprofit now and will not vote for Trump again.
CORDERO: Reproductive rights. You know, as someone who was raped, sexually assaulted, I had the opportunity to make that decision on terminating their pregnancy. I can't imagine in future years to come if that happens to me again or to somebody else, them not having that.
KING (voice-over): Likely Biden, but Cordero will study third party options.
CORDERO: You know, my biggest issue with Biden is the Palestine issue. You know, you fight for queer, trans, BIPOC, immigrant, access to vote, veterans being deported, access for veterans to vote while they're overseas. You know, then also you just should care if people are getting killed at that rate.
KING (voice-over): Ray Flores is no fan of Biden or Trump, thinks both are too old to be president.
RAY FLORES, ARIZONA VOTER: At this juncture, they both had four years, and I'm just eight years more frustrated than I was before.
KING (voice-over): Flores runs El Charro, a family business for 102 years. A Tucson landmark famous for carne seca and the chimichanga. Washington's immigration paralysis hurts business.
FLORES: I mean, a clear process for work visas would be amazing. You're a technology company, you can get an engineer and you can get them immigrated and you can get a work visa. Why shouldn't I be able to do that with a chef? Or with a really good waiter?
KING (voice-over): The immigration conversation tends to be different in places at or near the border. More polite, more nuanced. Focused on solutions, not slogans.
EVAN KORY, ARIZONA VOTER: It's a unique situation where you have two countries that create a community and actually it's mutually beneficial for both countries.
KING (voice-over): Walk through the Nogales border crossing and the first business you see is Kory's bridal shop. Evan Kory is fine with the wall but didn't like it when Trump added the razor wire. He bristles when the former president talks about the border and Mexicans.
KORY: We've always depended on our Mexican neighbors to support our local economy.
KING (voice-over): Kory, a Democrat, also bristles though when liberals oppose more money for the border patrol and other security measures.
KORY: Yes. I mean, that's equally frustrating too, because you have to have a balance between all the needs and find a way to somehow work together.
KING (voice-over): Handmade boots are a specialty at David's Western Wear. For 44 years, a favorite of customers on both sides of the border. David Moore says 99 percent of his business was from Mexico before the COVID shutdown. It's about 70 percent now.
Moore says the wall helps stop illegal crossings. He wants more agents to cut long wait times that discourage Mexicans from making day trips to shop. And he says the asylum process is broken. DAVIN MOORE, ARIZONA VOTER: I don't know how that works, that people from Africa are coming in through Mexico, up through the Mexican border. I would want them to regulate that a little more.
KING (voice-over): Moore is a registered Republican, but a likely Biden voter, because Trump offends him.
KING: He said that, you know, the immigrants are poisoning our blood. What would you say?
MOORE: I'd say my mother was born in Mexico and she came across the border, legally. So, you know, that's poison I can deal with, I guess.
[12:45:01]
KING (voice-over): Moore says the way Trump and allies talk about the border is exaggerated and alarmist, and he says he pays the price. Customers call and say they're worried about making the trip to Nogales.
MOORE: People from everywhere do that. Because when they say on the news that the borders are a war zone, you know, that's -- those are the images they get. They think it's unsafe, but --
KING: Your home is not a war zone.
MOORE: My home is not a war zone. No, we've been here for a long time.
KING (voice-over): A long time, at what is now a major line of America's political divide.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BASH: So great. First of all, you should have gotten one of those hats for Beyonce day, but we'll talk about that in a second.
KING (on-camera): Right.
BASH: The fact that the arguments and the discussions are so nuanced solutions, not slogans. You can hear the frustration in the voices of those people you talk to that that doesn't translate when it comes to our politicians because they're trying to stir up hate and fear.
KING (on-camera): They live it every day. You ask them their favorite restaurant? Most of them tell you it's across the border in Mexico. And they like to go across to have lunch and they meet their neighbors and the friends and their customers who come across the border.
Because the border patrol is so stretched thin now, what used to take 20 minutes can take up to 3 or 4 hours. So you can't do that because there are wait lines at the border. These are their neighbors or their friends.
Evan Kory, who runs the wedding shop during COVID when the Mexicans couldn't come across, he would hold up dresses at the wall and customers on the other side would pick them out. He would have employees come out and model them at the wall so they could sell them to the neighbors across the place.
They want to have a conversation about immigration. Most of them support the wall, even the Democrats. Most of them want more Border Patrol, even the Democrats. They want the asylum process fixed. They just think the politicians just keep shouting, not doing anything about it.
BASH: And that was another thing that really did strike me, the asylum process. You asked that there are their neighbors. This -- the people who live and work there, their lives, their businesses, really depend on it. But there's a whole different question about it.
KING (on-camera): Stop legal immigration, fix the legal processes.
BASH: Right.
KING (on-camera): That's what they want. Pretty common sense.
BASH: Fantastic piece. Thank you so much.
Ahead, a candid new interview. I mean, would you expect anything different? Because it's Larry David and he sat down with CNN's Chris Wallace. I mean, just wait to see what he said about the Republican candidate for president.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[12:51:52]
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sir, in the Navy blazer. Put your hands in the air.
LARRY DAVID, COMEDIAN: Me?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, you. You are under arrest for violation of the Election Integrity Act.
DAVID: What? What are you talking about?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is illegal for anyone in the state of Georgia to provide food or water to voters in line at the polls.
DAVID: What? That's barbaric. What kind of law is that? Are you serious?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BASH: So good. And, of course, was a clip from "Curb Your Enthusiasm", Larry David's iconic series, which has been making us laugh since 2000. Really 2000, that long? It's in its final season right now.
Larry David sat down with the man you saw there, Chris Wallace, on his Max show, "Look Who's Talking" -- sorry, "Who's Talking to Chris Wallace."
CHRIS WALLACE, CNN ANCHOR: That's right. Not look --
BASH: There's no look.
WALLACE: Yes, exactly.
BASH: I look at it, but it's "Who's Talking to Chris Wallace."
WALLACE: And it's on right now. So people can match this as soon as this show is on.
BASH: Yes, don't do it right now.
WALLACE: No, 1:00.
BASH: Thank you. Let's play a little bit of your interview with Larry David.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WALLACE: So how much has the whole 2020 election and everything that has flowed from it pissed you off?
DAVID: Yes. I mean, you can't go a day without thinking about what he's done to this country because he's such a little baby that he's thrown 250 years of democracy out the window by not accepting the results of -- I mean, it's so crazy. He's such a sociopath. He's so insane.
He just couldn't admit to losing. And we know he lost. He knows he lost. And look how he's fooled everybody. He's convinced all these people that he didn't lose. It's -- he's a -- such a sick man. He's so sick. Anyway, no, it hasn't impacted me at all.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BASH: La (ph), as I call him, like Susie Essman calls him. I mean, really. I'm sure you talked about other things besides politics, but that was gold.
WALLACE: Well. First, gold, like in Jerry, this is gold. First of all, that's why we talk politics, is because, as you saw from the clip from "Curb," this season is built around the fact, the insanity of the Georgia law, where there's a woman on line, in the heat, he goes up to her, she's a friend, and she says, I'm so thirsty. And he says, and gives her a bottle of water, and he gets arrested, because that's the law in Georgia, if you're waiting on line to vote.
No, we talk about a lot of other things, obviously, what annoys him. I had sent him a thank you note after a dinner we had. Capital offense --
BASH: To say thank you? Or to do a note?
WALLACE: I took me to send a note. He, in fact, then had to send me a note back to say to me, don't expect a thank you note the next time we go out to dinner. We also talked about how long you can say happy new year, and he's actually now changed it from seven days to January 7th to January 3rd.
And then he said, and happy birthdays. Guess what? I don't want happy birthday notes. How about that? So, we talk about a lot of stuff.
BASH: No, no, no. You had me until the birthday thing. I think birthdays are important to celebrate.
[12:55:03]
WALLACE: Yes, but he's saying because you send me that, now I've got to send a note back.
BASH: Yes, yes.
WALLACE: And he says, you know, it's a nightmare.
BASH: So your interview was basically a "Curb Your Enthusiasm" episode?
WALLACE: Honestly, I -- my staff is going nuts because I have channeled Larry David and I find that myself talking like Larry David. They are so tired of me this week. They want this week to be over and hope that I'll -- I don't know that the hope I go back to normal, but just not be Larry David, Chris Wallace.
BASH: But, you know, I, first of all, I obviously I love the show, I love him. I think he's a genius. On the politics that you're talking about and the way that this season starts with what happened in Atlanta, the way that it develops and the satire and what they do with the ramifications, let's say, I don't want to give it away for people who haven't seen it, of what started with that arrest.
WALLACE: Well, he even gets a mug shot, and of course --
BASH: Exactly.
WALLACE: -- that's exactly like the Trump mug shot.
BASH: Exactly. I'll let you do the spoilers.
WALLACE: He's having a good time with this, but this is not -- he's got two more episodes this season. It's two more episodes this series with -- in a couple of weeks.
BASH: Sad.
WALLACE: The -- it's over, and I said to him, I mean, is this it? And he said, a shermanesque statement. I will not do another episode of "Curb" after this.
BASH: Thank goodness, it's all streaming. You know, what else is streaming? "Who's Talking to Chris Wallace?"
WALLACE: That's right. And you can see at 1:00 --
BASH: Right. WALLACE: -- and we're getting close.
BASH: That's right. That's right. A new episode stream every Friday on Max. Thank you so much for being here.
That's it for INSIDE POLITICS. Please join me on State of the Union this Sunday. I'll be talking to Georgia Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock and others. "CNN NEWS CENTRAL" starts after a break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
