Return to Transcripts main page
Isa Soares Tonight
President Biden Marks January 6th Anniversary; Russia Accuses Ukraine Of Violating A Unilateral Ceasefire; Erdogan: Turkey Ready To Mediate Peace In Ukraine; Biden Marks Second Anniversary Of January 6; McCarthy Appears To Lose On 13th Ballot Despite Flipping Holdouts. Aired 2- 3p ET
Aired January 06, 2023 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[14:00:00]
ISA SOARES, HOST, ISA SOARES TONIGHT: A very warm welcome to the show, everyone, I'm Isa Soares. Tonight, live events happening across Washington
right now. Any moment, U.S. President Joe Biden will mark the two-year anniversary of the Capitol attack with a special ceremony at the White
House.
But it's all eyes on the U.S. Capitol as you can see there, as Kevin McCarthy appears to have made a breakthrough in his bid for speaker of the
house. Then, Russia accuses Ukraine of violating a unilateral ceasefire, one Kyiv never agreed to, of course. A live update from the Ukrainian
capital is just ahead for you.
Well, exactly two years after Trump-enraged mob stormed the Capitol of the United States, the specter of the January 6th insurrection still haunts the
marble hallways. Perhaps, no one is feeling it more acutely than Republican leader Kevin McCarthy. You're looking at live images there from Capitol
Hill.
Ultraconservative house numbers are still blocking his election as speaker after 12 ballots. But this time, he did flip 14 opposition votes. A
significant development, still it's the lengthiest speaker fight in 164 years. Down Pennsylvania Avenue, President Joe Biden is marking the
anniversary at the White House.
A ceremony is getting underway there right now. We'll bring you Mr. Biden's remarks as soon as they happen. You can see the podium, of course, there.
As soon as we -- as that gets underway, we'll of course, bring you President Biden and his remarks. Let's get perspectives though from both
locations.
CNN's Kevin Liptak is at the White House, Jessica Dean is on Capitol Hill. Kevin, to you first. What are we expecting to hear today from President
Biden?
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, I think certainly, President Biden is watching what's happening on Capitol Hill. And he is not
necessarily separating the two events. The chaos that's unfolding within Republicans and the two-year anniversary of January 6. And while there
wasn't necessarily a planned event on Capitol Hill today to mark the anniversary, the White House has been very carefully planning how they
would mark it for the last several weeks.
And so what you'll hear from President Biden today is certainly remembering the violence, the chaos of that day. Sort of commemorating the events that
happened, but also looking forward to ensure that, that sort of event doesn't happen again. And that is something that the president has warned
of consistently.
The circumstances that surrounded January 6th have not necessarily faded from view. And so you'll see the president today honor several Americans,
more than 12 Americans who were involved in that day and sort of put themselves into the breach and held the line for democracy.
Among them will be law enforcement officers, Capitol police officers, officers from the Washington Metro police who were involved in the riots
that day. He'll also honor election workers from Georgia who had faced so much resistance from Trump and Trump supporters, but were able to count the
vote.
He'll also honor state election officials, state secretaries of state whose jobs it is to affirm the results of the election, and who also resisted
intense pressure from Trump and his supporters on January 6th to actually count the votes. And those are the people that President Biden really wants
to honor today on the two-year anniversary.
Because as he has said, the conditions that made January 6 possible have not necessarily faded from view. And it's impossible really to separate
that from what is going on, on Capitol Hill. In fact, of the 20 holdouts or former holdouts for Kevin McCarthy's speakership, 14 of them were those who
refused to certify the election in 2020.
So, there is intense overlap between those two groups. And what President Biden has said, what he said this week is, imagine how this looks from
overseas just as we potentially emerged from the chaos of the 2020 election. Just as it appeared for a moment that President Trump was
loosening his hold on the Republican Party.
This is all coming and rearing its head again. And so while President Biden won't necessarily reference the events on Capitol Hill in his speech today,
it will be the undercurrent of everything that he's doing from the East Room at the White House. Isa?
SOARES: Yes, very well put. Thanks very much, Kevin, do stay there just for a second. I want to go to Jessica.
[14:05:00]
And Jessica, what we heard there from Kevin, talking about chaos. A different chaos we're seeing today of course, at Capitol Hill. McCarthy
still hasn't been able to get the gavel on this 12th round, but as Kevin was pointing out there, he has picked up about 14 ballots or so, some
momentum is building.
JESSICA DEAN, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It is. And he kind of has the juice right now, and so they're going to keep forging ahead. The
thinking of McCarthy and his allies is they have gotten these 14 to flip, and now they just have to continue to put the pressure on.
Now, the remaining people that they're going to need to bring over to their side are harder, because they have these individual needs and wants and
asks. And some of them like Matt Gaetz are absolutely hard nose. So they can just put those people to the side, and then they have to get to work on
that small number of people to get him to that magic number.
And so what we're seeing now is another round of voting, they're going to keep doing this, the negotiating -- the negotiations are ongoing. And
what's likely to happen, Isa, is that we now begin to see some of these 14 who have flipped, going back to these others that are still on the other
side trying to bring them over to McCarthy.
But look, this was a critical turning point for him today, he had to show that he could build momentum, otherwise, he was really going to run up into
the end of patience for so many people who have supported him that he had not being able to show that he had momentum. So to get this done was big.
And it certainly gives him a lot of push towards the direction he wants to go. The question now is, can he close the deal? And this is where it really
is going to be difficult because he's going to have to pick these people off one by one. And what kind of concessions is he going to be making?
We now know that some language over raising the debt ceiling, which has huge financial implications, giant financial implications not just for the
U.S., but for the global economy. That there is some language in there about how they're going to move forward on that. Things like that, that
will come to past later down the road as he tries to get the gavel.
We'll have to see what happens if he's able to do that, Isa.
SOARES: Indeed, Jessica Dean and Kevin Liptak there, thank you very much to you both. We'll keep an eye on those numbers if of course, we go the
13th round does stop. Thank you very much. I want to bring in CNN senior political analyst Ron Brownstein from Los Angeles, he's also senior editor
at "The Atlantic". And Ron, of course, two events taking place right now. Of course, we are waiting --
RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Yes --
SOARES: To wear from President Biden when that does get underway, of course, I might have to interrupt you and bring that to our viewers. But
you know, what Kevin Liptak really outlined there, I don't know if you heard him, that we're -- you know, we're marking two events two years since
January 6th insurrection and the stalemate that we're seeing on Capitol Hill.
They may seem unrelated, Ron, but many of these election deniers are the ones voting against McCarthy. I mean, what does this tell you and tell us
about the state of the Republican Party today, and the chaos --
BROWNSTEIN: Yes --
SOARES: That we have been seeing for four days now?
BROWNSTEIN: They are -- they are intimately related, in fact, as he suggested. You know, the reason the Republican majority is so narrow to
begin with is that despite widespread economic discontent, too many voters in America swing in competitive districts, view the Republican candidates
as extreme or insufficiently committed to democracy.
That is why the majority is so narrow to begin with. And then, what we have seen over the last couple of weeks is the most militant extreme members of
the Republican caucus, have used that narrow majority to demand a series of concessions that will increase their leverage and visibility, and basically
move the party further towards the policies that were rejected in those competitive districts in November.
And McCarthy focusing on his, you know, understandably, I suppose, on his personal ambition over the institutional interest of the party, really has
elevated the most militant members of his caucus to push them in a direction that voters in the swing states and swing districts just said
they don't want to go. That really --
SOARES: Yes --
BROWNSTEIN: Is the big picture of what we're watching here over the last week.
SOARES: And he's been able to flip 14. I mean, my question is, I've always been following this for several days is, what are those concessions? What
exactly --
BROWNSTEIN: Yes --
SOARES: Has he -- has he sold here? And how hard would that make his life if he does get the gavel once he gets the job?
BROWNSTEIN: Right, there are two sets of concessions really. I mean, there are ones that weaken the power of the speaker. For example, allowing any
individual member to call for a motion to remove the speaker. But there are these other sets of concessions. As I mentioned, which in a whole series of
ways are going to give more leverage, more visibility to the most extreme conservative members of the caucus, the freedom caucus.
These are people from very safe Republican districts. These are districts that Donald Trump won by 20 points or more. And they are going to become
the face of the party in a whole series of ways. That will create challenges for Republicans in more competitive seats. Eighteen Republicans.
The reason they have the majority is they are 18 one districts that voted for Joe Biden in 2020. Those are not necessarily members who want to see
Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert on television holding hearings about the alleged, quote, "weaponization of the federal law enforcement --
[14:10:00]
SOARES: Yes --
BROWNSTEIN: Agencies against conservatives. But that is what they are going to get. That is essentially what McCarthy has given away in his drive
to climb the greasy bowl.
SOARES: And as he tries to build momentum here, Ron, he will be looking to flip what? I think he needs probably additional three or four if the
numbers stay --
BROWNSTEIN: Oh, yes --
SOARES: As they have in the last round. But we're learning here that Kevin McCarthy's allies plan to turn up the heat on the remaining holdouts and
picked them off one by one. But he won't involve horse trading or more negotiations. What it will involve is Donald Trump, leaning on former
President Donald Trump, is what we're hearing to help squeeze the holdouts.
BROWNSTEIN: Interesting --
SOARES: The camps have been in touch, I believe Trump is willing to make more calls. And we're also -- another source telling CNN that Trump is
making calls for McCarthy. I mean, we saw Trump trying to move the needle somewhat two days ago. That didn't work. What do you make of this strategy?
BROWNSTEIN: Well, it does go with the broader point I was making before you know, here on the second --
SOARES: Yes --
BROWNSTEIN: Anniversary of January 6th, McCarthy is ascending -- trying to ascend to the speakership by making concessions to some of the hardest core
election deniers in the Republican conference, and relying as character witnesses on figures who are intimately involved in the attempt to overturn
the election.
And he has Jim Jordan, a member of the house of the January 6th Committee singled out for his substantial involvement in Trump's effort to overturn
the election -- nominate him at one point. Marjorie Taylor Greene who the committee is also singled out as being an important validator for him on
the right.
And of course, at the end, he is turning to Trump. You have kind of an elite in the Republican Party, donors, strategists who believe that
Republicans have to move past Trump if they are going to regain the White House in 2024. But what you're seeing in the -- in this house fight is how
difficult that is and how much of the hard-core base of the party remains in the Trump orbit.
The fact that McCarthy is leaning on Trump shows you how difficult it's going to be for this house GOP to establish a different identity after an
election in which the key swing states, Arizona, Georgia, Michigan and Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, very clearly sent a message of resistance that
--
SOARES: Yes spiral politics. And I'm being told that the 13th round of voting has started right now, we will keep an eye on those numbers as soon
as they come in. But you know, I was reading a quote today from, I think it was Max Miller, who said that "I believe we have given too many concessions
to the 20."
I mean, he does risk, doesn't he, Ron, of alienating the other members within his party. How do you see this playing out in the next -- in this
next round or so? Do you think he may have it here?
BROWNSTEIN: He's getting -- look, he's getting close. Really, the question is, whether those last six or seven who are idiosyncratic members from the
most conservative districts generally, not really amenable to pressure or susceptible to pressure. Can he break them down and isolate them to the
point where they're at least willing to vote present even if they don't vote for him?
The part of the party from more competitive or swing districts, they pretty much thrown up the white flag long ago. They've signaled they're willing to
let McCarthy do whatever he has to do to, you know, accumulate the votes on the right and to mollify his critics on the right! But they will now have
to live with this over the next two years.
And again, we had in the swing districts and the swing states, Republicans underperforming what you would normally expect in the midterm, especially
when voters were this contented as they were about the economy. Precisely because so many swing voters view the candidates as too extreme. In fact,
Republicans lost independent voters in the national exit polls.
Which no party at the White House has done in the midterms since at least 1982. And after all of that, what they have now done, is spend a couple of
weeks ensuring that the members who most want to amplify the politics of those voters rejected, are given more visibility and more influence. That
is the outcome. Regardless of whether McCarthy gets it or not, it looks like --
SOARES: Yes --
BROWNSTEIN: You probably will, although who knows if those last ones will ever give in. Either way, he has ensured that the party is doubling down on
the kind of confrontational and culture-war politics that were so problematic in so many of these competitive districts and states.
SOARES: important analysis there from our senior political analyst, Ron Brownstein, thanks very much, Ron, always great to have you on the show,
appreciate it.
BROWNSTEIN: Thanks for having me.
SOARES: And of course, we are keeping an eye on those two events as we told you, looking for the 13th round for the U.S. house speaker to find out
whether Kevin McCarthy have those -- has those votes in this 13th round. We're also keeping an eye on the White House because we are expecting to
hear from President Biden, speaking sometime this hour.
I've been told marking the second anniversary of the January 6 insurrection. Of course, as soon as that gets underway, we will bring that
to you.
[14:15:00]
Now, we're about 10 hours or so into the so-called ceasefire in Ukraine during which Russia promised a truce, if you remember that it would lay
down its arms to mark Orthodox Christmas. So far, hasn't been a quiet holiday. Ukraine's military says Russia has launched one missile strike and
fired shells from multiple rocket launchers.
And CNN teams on the ground have witnessed artillery fire around the eastern city of Bakhmut. Moscow meanwhile accuses Ukraine of violating the
ceasefire, but Ukraine never agreed to it, if you remember. Officials in Kyiv calling it a lie and a trap set by the Kremlin. Scott McLean joins me
now live from Kyiv.
And Scott, I believe you just come from a press conference with President Zelenskyy and some U.S. senators. Any reaction to this unilateral ceasefire
by Russia?
SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, so a press conference with two U.S. senators, Jack Reed and Angus King who had just come from meeting with
President Zelenskyy. And Christmas has come early for the Ukrainians. They've managed to secure commitments to get armored vehicles from Germany,
France and the United States.
And the senators said very clearly that they are inspired by the people that they spoke to and what they've seen here in Ukraine, to go back to the
United States to try to expedite the shipments of even more weapons even more quickly to try to bring this war to an end. But I asked them also
whether the shipment of these armored vehicles that the U.S. is sending might open the door to what Ukrainians are really asking for, which is
proper tanks.
And Jack Reed told me pretty frankly, that there is no connection between those two things, which is not what the Ukrainians would want to hear.
Meanwhile, on the battlefield, as you mentioned, it was business as usual for the Ukrainians. They had no interest in this 36-hour Russian-declared
ceasefire that they never planned to take part in.
And frankly, you'd be hard-pressed to find much of anyone in this country who thought that today would be anything but an ordinary day, say for the
fact that it is Christmas eve in the Orthodox faith. And earlier today, I was at a prayer service led by the head of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine
praying for Ukrainian military.
And there wasn't a whole lot of Christmas cheer, but there was a lot of quiet determination to one day win this war.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MCLEAN (voice-over): Christmas eve in the Ukrainian capital, that Orthodox Christmas, January 7th, leaves little to celebrate this year. These men
have known nearly a year of grinding war with no end in sight. This service led by the head of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine metropolitan epiphany was
to pray for Ukraine's victory.
This Christmas, more than most, they need all the prayers they can get. Russian President Vladimir Putin invoked Christianity when he said he'd go
along with an appeal for a Christmas ceasefire from the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, a man openly supportive of the invasion.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy rejected the ceasefire declaration as pure deception.
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT, UKRAINE (through translator): Now, they want to use Christmas as a cover to at least, briefly stop the advance of
our guys in Donbas and bring equipment, ammunition and mobilize men closer to our position. What will this bring? Just another increase in the death
toll.
MCLEAN: Despite Ukraine's rejection, Russia claimed it was going ahead with a unilateral 36-hour ceasefire. Though, shortly after it began, CNN
reporters on the eastern frontlines witnessed incoming and outgoing fire. No surprise to Ukrainians. "This ceasefire is a complete lie", she says.
"If Putin said the ceasefire will take place only on the frontline, then unfortunately, we have to expect missiles in the rest of the country."
Midway through the prayer service, air raid sirens sounded across Kyiv and the rest of Ukraine. "We don't trust their statement", he says. "The air
raid sirens just went off during the service. They want to use the so- called ceasefire for their own reinforcement. We're aiming for peace and want a just peace, but this will come only when Ukraine wins."
In rejecting Moscow's ceasefire, Russia's former President Dmitry Medvedev accused Kyiv of rejecting the hand of Christian mercy. "Can we say Russia's
war against Ukraine is mercy? Any talks of mercy from the aggressor are nothing but a lie." For Ukraine, there is nothing Christian about Russia's
bloody invasion.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[14:20:00]
MCLEAN: And at that prayer service today, Isa, I heard prayers for the troops, prayers for peace, and the head of the church told me, he also
praised to God -- prays that God would talk some sense into the Russians, talk some sense into them finally leaving Ukraine. Isa?
SOARES: Thank you very much, Scott McLean there for us in Kyiv. Well, let's talk about what the ceasefire means for Russian President Vladimir
Putin. Nic Robertson is with me here. What does it mean for him? What is the messaging that perhaps he is hoping will play out in Russia here?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Well, I think one of the things that may have happened, and that is very hard to get a message
through to President Putin when it's determined to do something. He has persistently said we have to have peace on my terms. We're going to have a
ceasefire and we're going to keep those bits of the country we're already annexed.
I think the resounding message, again, this time, when he's sort of really put -- tried to put a big pause and everything and tried to sort of have
this event as he wants it happen. The resounding message will be no way. This is not going to be on your terms. So, will he have listened to that?
Will people around him have paid attention to it?
But it's a reaffirmation of it. And in that window as well, you've had these re-commitments of weapons for the Ukrainians. Important weapons to
help them advance across the frontlines and take more territory with the armored-fighting vehicles from the French, Germans and the Americans and
others.
But I think perhaps for him domestically, it gave the impression that he cares about his troops. A lot of people in Russia --
(CROSSTALK)
SOARES: That he's pious and he's orthodox --
ROBERTSON: Yes, he's pious and orthodox, and that's sort of part of what he's baked in over the years into his sort of version of Russian
nationalism, which is -- which is his platform. But I think he saw the message that I care about people, I care about the troops. And really, most
people in Russia don't believe that. That's why so many fled conscription - -
SOARES: Exactly --
ROBERTSON: Because they don't believe that. But it also allowed his aperture, if you will, the people at -- the former President Medvedev to
say, well, the Ukrainians -- you know, they don't care about Christianity, they're pigs. The only thing that they understand is by force. So, it
allows them --
SOARES: And that was a quote --
ROBERTSON: And that was a quote -- and that allows them to pick up on that narrative. So, you know, he's struggling to win the message at home,
across, you know, most Russians have got their heads down, they don't believe the leadership, they never have done. That's part of their
tradition --
SOARES: Yes --
ROBERTSON: And they're just going to get on and model through despite all the mess that he's making. But I don't think he's going to shift the dial
for the people in the country, but this time with this tactic.
SOARES: Yes, once the holiday is over, it's back to reality, and they'll be able to see through that. Thank you very much, Nic, appreciate it. Do
stick with us though, later this hour, I'll be speaking with Turkey's presidential spokesperson on the role his country is hoping to take, of
course, as a peacekeeper between Russia and Ukraine. We'll have much more on that.
Still to come, new details about a wave of deadly violence unleashed by the arrest of a notorious drug lord in Mexico. You are watching CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:25:00]
SOARES: A federal judge in Mexico City has just stopped the extradition to the U.S. of a suspected kingpin in the Sinaloa drug cartel. Mexico's
foreign minister earlier said any extradition of Ovidio Guzman would not be immediate for legal reasons. The operation to arrest Guzman on Thursday
triggered a wave of violence as gunmen went on a rampage to try to free him.
Mexico's defense secretary says 29 people were killed including 10 military personnel. Our Rafael Romo has the story for you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RAFAEL ROMO, CNN SENIOR LATIN AMERICAN AFFAIRS EDITOR (voice-over): Residents in the Mexican northern city of Culiacan woke up to what seemed
to many like a war zone. Roads were blocked throughout the city including this one, leading to the airport. This is how criminal groups responded
after this man, Ovidio Guzman Lopez was detained by Mexican security forces.
His arrest produced clashes between cells of his criminal gang and Mexican security forces. Mexican Defense Minister Cresencio Sandoval said that
after Guzman's detention, cells from his criminal group staged 19 blockades and armed attacks in different parts of the city, including its
international airport in an air force base.
Ovidio Guzman Lopez is also known as the Mouse, is the son of Joaquin El Chapo Guzman. The former leader of the Sinaloa cartel was convicted in the
U.S. in 2019 of ten counts related to leading a criminal organization, drug trafficking and firearms charges. He was sentenced to life in prison plus
30 years.
(on camera): Mexican Defense Minister Sandoval said Ovidio, El Chapo's son leads the criminal group known as The Minors, part of the cartel of the
Pacific, which is responsible for violence in four Mexican states in the country's northwest region. And according to the U.S. State Department, law
enforcement investigation indicates Ovidio and his brother Joaquin Guzman Lopez function in high-level commanding control roles of their own drug
trafficking organization, the Guzman Lopez transnational criminal organization under the umbrella of the Sinaloa cartel.
The Mexican government had already tried to capture Ovidio Guzman Lopez in October of 2019. After he was detained, the Sinaloa cartel unleashed a
heavily-armed fighting force. A gun battle in the streets of Culiacan ensued, putting the lives of countless civilians at risk. It quickly became
painfully obvious the Sinaloa cartel had outmaneuvered and overpowered Mexican security forces.
In the end, Mexican authorities decided to release Guzman to prevent further bloodshed. Rafael Romo, CNN, Havana.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: And still to come tonight, Turkey wants to play an active role in the Ukrainian peace process and is hoping diplomacy can end Europe's most
dangerous conflict. We'll ask how next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:31:40]
SOARES: Welcome back to the show, everyone. Now Russia's unilateral ceasefire in Ukraine is temporary. But Turkey is calling for a permanent
end to the fighting. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Ukraine's president that he's ready to be a mediator and facilitator for lasting
peace and as told Reuters president than he needs to lay down arms and come up with a fair solution. Let's bring in Ibrahim Kalin. He is the
spokesperson and chief adviser to Turkey's president. He joins me now from Istanbul Ibrahim, great to have you back on the show and Happy New Year to
you.
IBRAHIM KALIN, TURKISH PRESIDENTIAL SPOKESPERSON: Thank you. Good to be here. Happy New Year to you, too.
SOARES: Let's talk, Ibrahim, about this -- the ceasefire that it has been called by President Putin. As we have been reporting on the show, as our
correspondent was telling us about 20 minutes or so ago, it's clearly not working. I believe President Erdogan has had calls with both sides, with
Putin and Zelenskyy. What is the thinking and the reaction to this unilateral ceasefire?
KALIN: Our president spoke to President Putin and President Zelenskyy yesterday the same day and repeated this call for unilateral ceasefire, but
also bilateral or mutual ceasefire that shall be extended, of course, not just the 36 hours, but beyond that. But unfortunately, that is not working,
as you have pointed out. That shows the extent to which this war has turned into a stalemate right now.
And as we see it, neither side is in a position to have a decisive victory on the battlefield. But we will continue to work for a ceasefire in the
battlefield areas in the days to come, especially around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, which remains a very major security threat for everyone. We
want to make sure that no clashes, no accidents happen in the Zaporizhzhia area.
SOARES: And, Ibrahim, and I read in the Turkish Government readout, and you can correct me if I'm wrong, that President Erdogan had suggested a
unilateral ceasefire. Just explain why we turkey call for unilateral ceasefire. I mean, what is the thinking?
KALIN: Well, basically, I mean, it's the Russian bombardment that is making this war continue and more difficult for any negotiation. So the battle
itself is taking place on Ukrainian soil, and therefore the Ukrainians are, you know, right to be very suspicious of, you know, Russian attempts to,
you know, go for negotiations without stopping this bombardment and war.
So -- but at least it's some kind of a unilateral ceasefire, meaning that Russia stops, and then this is followed by Ukraine, and this is what our
President offered to both leaders yesterday on the call so that we can have localized ceasefires. Perhaps this can turn into some kind of a negotiating
environment where the negotiators can come together again.
But, of course, we are adamant to continue to make this call. But realistically speaking, the facts on the ground are such that neither side
seems to be willing to lay down their arms and come to the negotiating table at this moment. And we are concerned that in the next few months, we
will see a more escalation of fighting in Ukraine.
SOARES: So, it's a starting point is what you're saying. But, you know, Secretary of State Blinken, a month ago, predicted that the Russians would
propose a temporary ceasefire.
[14:35:05]
But I think he called it a phony off-ramp as a way to rest, refetch, regroup, reattack. Do you agree with this assessment?
KALIN: Well, it's understandable that there is mutual distrust between the Ukrainians and Russians and those who support both sides from different
angles. But I think they really have to have to see beyond that. What is the end game here? If you want to war to continue, all right, let it
continue, then this will be more disruption, more losses for everyone, and this is no good for anyone. I think we really have to ramp up our efforts
from all sides, from the Russian side, from the Ukrainian side, from the Western bloc, from NATO countries, the U.S. and others, to try to bring the
parties to the negotiating table.
I mean, the calls for a, you know, decisive military victory on the battlefield for either side are rather difficult to ascertain, difficult to
achieve. The sides may achieve some tactical goals, but they will not serve any strategic goals here. And what is the strategic goal? That is the main
question. And when you ask us, on one side, it says it's the destruction of Russia or the removal of President Putin, some others, you know, others,
you know, may -- can make other claims, et cetera. But we have to stop the bleeding first.
And we have the ongoing war, which is about to enter its first year in a month or so. Therefore, what we're trying to create is an environment in
which, you know, the two sides can come together. And if there is a ground for the leaders to come together with all the negotiating terms, of course,
on the table, understandably, and the Ukrainians, of course, need to see some concrete action or from the Russian side that is not only a ceasefire,
but also a kind of a phased, planned withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine and soil, talk about prisoner exchange, talk about securing the
Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, talk about the continuation of the grain deal, and a number of other terms, a number of other key issues that have defined
the main parameters of this war since the beginning.
Those are the things that we need to be focusing on. Otherwise, if you let this war continue, as it is, I think 2023 will be even more difficult for
both -- for Ukraine primarily, of course, because Ukraine has been carrying the main brunt of this war, but also for world economy, for the energy
security, for grain security, food security, as the IMF, for example, has predicted that 2023 will be a tougher year than 2022 because we will see
the global recession in the major economies of the world.
I mean, given all that, I think we really have to take a more realistic long-term perspective and here and give our full effort to create
conditions in which two sides can come together and stop the fighting.
SOARES: Ibrahim, really appreciate you taking the time to speak to us. I wish we had longer. Unfortunately, we are waiting for President Biden to
speak any minute now. But thank you very much. Good starting point of efforts still underway, of course, to find some sort of middle ground
between both sides. As soon as there any developments, please come back to us. Thank you very much. Ibrahim Kalin there. I want to take you --
KALIN: Thank you.
SOARES: -- to the White House where U.S. President Joe Biden is expected to mark the second anniversary of the January 6 insurrection. You're looking
there at live pictures. Let's just listen in.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: U.S. Capitol Police Sergeant Aquilino A. Gonell. U.S. Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman. Metropolitan Police Department
officer Daniel Hodges. Dr. Serena Liebengood, accepting on behalf of U.S. Capitol Police Officer Howard C. Liebengood. The Honorable Albert Albert.
Gladys and Charles Sicknick accepting on behalf of U.S. Capitol Police Sergeant Brian Sicknick.
SOARES: And, of course, we're waiting to hear from President Biden --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Erin Smith accepting on behalf on Metropolitan Police Department officer Jeffrey L. Smith.
SOARES: -- as they mark the second anniversary of the January 6 insurrection. What you are hearing is some of the heroes, really, that are
being honored today. One of them you heard there, Brian Sicknick, who was a Capitol Hill police officer who died defending the Capitol. And there's
many other unsung heroes that -- as you can see lined up there, that President Biden will be honoring today. Of course, we have seen lawmakers
holding an observance earlier today on the steps of the U.S. Capitol.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And now distinguished guest, the President of the United States.
[14:40:03]
SOARES: Let's listen in now.
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Thank you all. Thank you all very, very much. Hi. Three years ago, on January the 6th, our democracy was
attacked. There's no other way of saying it. The U.S. Capitol was breached which had never happened before in the history of the United States of
America, even during the Civil War. A violent mob of insurrections assaulted law enforcement, vandalized sacred halls, hunted down elected
officials, all for the purpose of attempt to overthrow the will of the people and usurp the peaceful transfer of power. All of it, all of it was
fueled by lies about the 2020 election.
But on this day, two years ago, our democracy held because we the people, as the constitution refers to us, we the people did not flinch. We the
people endured. We the people prevailed. On this day of remembrance, joined by the Vice President and the Second Gentleman, and all of you, we honor a
remarkable group of Americans who embodied the best before, during, and after January the 6th 2021.
For the first time in my presidency, I'm bestowing the Presidential Citizens Medal, one of our nation's highest civilian honors. It recognizes
"Citizens of the United States of America who have performed exemplary deeds of service for their country, or their fellow citizens." In a few
moments, in a few moments, the full citation of their exemplary deeds will be read by military aid. But this is who these people, these extraordinary
Americans are, heroic law enforcement officers.
As Congressman Bennie Thompson said, a man of immense character and honor himself, eloquently said about these officers, he said, "You held the line
that day. And what was on the line was our democracy and history will remember your names. And history will remember your names. Remember your
courage, remember your bravery, remember your extraordinary commitments to your fellow Americans." It's not hyperbole. That's a fact. That's a fact.
And, folks, history is also going to remember your instincts to respond to do something, as you did. And as we all watched, this is the irony of it
all. All America watched it, watched it on television and saw it repeated and repeated.
In the past months, we've heard you testify to the nation about what happened that day. What you were thinking of at the time it was happening.
What's your thinking now. The threats, the violence, the savageness of what happened, the trauma, all real. And it's not exaggeration to say America
owes you, owes you all. I really mean this. A debt, a debt of gratitude, one we can never fully repay unless we live up to what you did. Live up to
what you did.
And what you did was truly consequential. Not a joke. If I can halt for a second and just say to you the impact what happened on July the 6th had
international repercussions beyond what I think any of you can fully understand. The first meeting I had of what they call the G7, the seven
leading economies in the world democracies, I sat down. It was in February, it was in England. And I sat next to the President of France across from
the chancellor from Germany, et cetera. And I said "America's back." You know what the response was? Not a joke. "For how long?"
[14:45:00]
For how long? And I just sat there and looked. And I believe it was the Prime Minister of Italy who said, but I can't remember for certain which of
the seven, six said it. What would you think, Mr. President, if tomorrow you woke up and you have a headline in the press saying that in the British
Parliament, a mob had come down the hall, broken down the doors of the House of Commons. Police officers were killed or died. Place was vandalized
in order to overthrow the election of the speaker of the house, a Prime Minister's election.
Think about it. Think about it. What would we think if we heard that news today? And they're the leading democracy in the world through this. So
folks, what these people and the people representing those who couldn't be here, because they gave their lives for this, did is incredibly
consequential. It's not political talk, that's historical fact. Officer Daniel Hodges, Metropolitan Police Department, Virginia National Guardsmen,
eight years, eight years on the beat. His first time inside the Capitol was on January the 6th. Sprayed with poison, pinned and crushed. Eye almost
gouged out. But he didn't break.
After it was over, he was asked what he'd been fighting for. He's a local guy, an ordinary American. And he gave a simple, straightforward answer.
What were you fighting for? His spontaneous answer was democracy. That's what he knew he was fighting for. He wasn't a scholar. He wasn't a
historian. He was a red-blooded American. He was fighting for democracy.
Former Metropolitan Police Officer Michael Fanone, become friends, I've known -- I've come to know him more, 20 years in the job, a veteran
narcotics investigator. At a moment of crisis, he was asked to do undercover work elsewhere. But he answered the crisis call of our nation at
the Capitol. And you answered, Michael, and you always did. He was beaten. Beaten. Not pushed around, beaten. And he was tased, called a traitor, as
the mob shouted, if you remember, kill him with his own gun, kill him with his own gun. But he defended our democracy with absolute courage. And ever
since, he's spoken out forcefully to make sure people are held accountable because he knows it could happen again. There's no guarantees, except us.
All of you.
Private First Class Harry Dunn from the United States Capitol Police, 14 years on the force. On that day, he was outside Speaker Pelosi's office. He
stood guard protecting fellow officers who were already injured. He was fighting back insurrectionists across the Capitol while being called the
vilest, racist names. His own congressman, a true constitutional scholar, Jamie Raskin, couldn't be here today as he recovers from cancer treatments.
But he called and wanted me to say the following, and I wrote it down. "Officer Harry Dunn acted with remarkable courage and valor to defend both
our institutions and our people." Went on to say "Generations to come, we'll think of him and these officers and thank them for their service."
Officer Carol Edwards, five years on the force. U.S. Capitol Police. On the front lines of the mob's first surge, she stood there, she said, and I hope
I'm correctly quoting you, he said "It looked like a movie. It looked like a movie. Sometimes in crisis, things look surreal, it looked like a movie."
Knocked unconscious with traumatic brain injury. She got back up to help hold the line. The granddaughter of two proud military veterans, she says
it was her job to "Protect America's symbol of democracy," that building.
Sergeant -- excuse me. Aquilino. Thank you, pal. I'm glad you know your name. He call me President Bidden from now on. A proud immigrant from the
Dominican Republic. 16 years in the Force. Like my son, an Iraqi war veteran with the United States military, United States Army who described
January 6 as something from a meaty evil battle, trying to keep insurrections from entering the tunnel entrance on the Lower West Terrace
as he got punched, blinded with a laser, speared with an American flag pole with American flag on it. The flag he swore to defend.
He stood tall in the breach, with a deep and abiding love demonstrated for his country. Officer Eugene Goodman, an Army veteran who put himself at
risk as a rifle squad leader conducting combat patrols to identify explosives in Baghdad. He came home. He came home to guard the U.S. Capitol
for the last 15 years. On January 6th, he risked his own safety to distract the charging group of insurrectionists. He said his duty is to serve and
protect. He said that day, he was just doing his part, but he was protecting. And he did, he protected.
All of you I know, this honor is bittersweet. On that day, more than 140 law enforcement officials suffered physical injuries, and untold numbers of
suffering from psychological toll of that day as well. PTSD that's known to only occur in a military battlefield. Others are gone forever. And I said
earlier, if I can hold a minute here, I said earlier, you know, for those who lost someone on that day, they're proud as the devil that their keen
are being honored. But, boy, is it hard.
SOARES: You have been listening there to President Biden really honoring the bravery, the sacrifice of law enforcement that protected, of course,
the U.S. Capitol on January 6 two years ago. He said, they protected democracy before, during, and after January the 6th. "What was on the
line," the president said "Was democracy. "On this day, two years ago," he said, "Our democracy held because we the people did not flinch. We the
people endured, we the people prevailed." And he said, "And on this day of remembrance, we honor a remarkable group of Americans who embody the best."
And that remarkable group of individuals are standing behind him, as you can see there. They're the recipients or really representatives, I should
say, as well of the Presidential Citizens Medal that will be honored today. That is happening in the White House, of course, as you see right now. As
the President said, the purpose of that day two years ago was to overthrow the will of the people and he said it was fueled by lies about the 2020
election.
On Capitol Hill, meanwhile, what we are seeing is some members of the Republican Party, some who believe, still believe in that lie, really
holding Kevin McCarthy really against them. So we are keeping an eye on the Capitol. We're into the 13th ballot in the race to become Speaker of the
House of Representatives. You're looking at live images there.
And we're seeing a familiar result. Kevin, a Republican, McCarthy doesn't appear to have the votes to cross the threshold. There was a new hope for
his campaign after the 12th ballot, you remember, when he flipped 14 Holdout Conservatives, but an ongoing tally indicates on this vote too many
of the remaining hardliners are staying staunch in their position. We're keeping an eye, of course, on that -- on the numbers for you.
And in other news though, "Love you, boys," NFL player Damar Hamlin delivered that message to his team from his hospital bed today.
[14:50:04]
And a truly remarkable step in his recovery after he suffered cardiac arrest on the field, the Buffalo Bills say he joined their team meeting via
video conference after his breathing tube was removed overnight. His team responded with a standing ovation. Doctors say Hamlin's neurological
functions remain intact, though he's still in intensive care. The Bills' quarterback talked to reporters about Hamlin's first question in writing
Once he regained consciousness. Have a listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOSH ALLEN, BUFFALO BILLS QUARTERBACK: His dad said the first thing that he's going to ask when he wakes up is who won the game? And sure enough,
that's what he did, man. And as teammates, you love hearing that response, that the first thing on his mind wasn't, you know, poor me. It was how are
my teammates doing? Did we win this game? And that's powerful in itself.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: And that does it for us for this hour. Thanks very much for your company. Do stay right here for the latest, of course, on what's happening
on Capitol Hill. Our "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS" is up next with Richard Quest. I shall see you next week. Have a wonderful weekend. Bye-bye.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
