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White House Concerned over North Korean Nuclear Threat; Russian Bombers Again Intercepted Near Alaskan Coast; Syrian Government Moving Aircraft Following U.S. Missile Attack; New England Patriots to be Honored at White House; Interview with Rep. Ted Lieu. Aired 1:30-2p ET

Aired April 19, 2017 - 13:30   ET

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


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[13:34:08] WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Reaction to threats from North Korea are still very much a focus for the White House today. Last hour, we heard the White House press secretary, Sean Spicer, say he was encouraged by China's admission that they are frustrated with North Korea right now. And in an interview yesterday, President Trump spoke about his own nuclear concerns over North Korea and their unpredictable leader.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: How concerned and worried should Americans be about a thermonuclear war with North Korea?

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Look, you always have to be concerned. You don't know exactly who you're dealing with. I had a great, great meeting with the president of China and that meeting tells me a lot and you've seen a lot of things happen. They have a pretty good power, not a great power perhaps, but a pretty good power over North Korea. We're going to see what happens.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Joining us now from Los Angeles, Congressman Ted Lieu, a California Democrat, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Congressman, thanks for joining us.

REP. TED LIEU, (D), CALIFORNIA: Thank you, Wolf.

[13:35:10] BLITZER: The president and the vice president, they blame the failure of diplomacy with North Korea as a justification for a more aggressive U.S. approach. Is it time, Congressman, to give this emerging Trump strategy a chance?

LIEU: No, it is not. It's been less than 100 days and our secretary of state has basically said he's going to stop talking about North Korea. That shows to me that they have not tried very hard nor understood the potentially catastrophic consequences of what a military solution might mean. It could mean North Korea wiping out millions of people in South Korea, including our U.S. troops stationed there.

BLITZER: So what do you want the president to do? How would you deal with the provocative acts coming from North Korea?

LIEU: I do support the president engaging with China to see what China can do with North Korea. I would hope our secretary of state does engage more than he has.

And it's also important that we don't lie to the American people or to the world. Last week, the White House said they're sending this aircraft carrier to North Korea. They knew that April 15th was an important date in North Korean history. It turned out our aircraft task force was actually going to Australia at the time.

BLITZER: They say that was a miscommunication but you say it was a deliberate lie. Why do you say that?

LIEU: Because the military knows full well where the aircraft carrier task force is going every single minute of the day. There's no way that they would have miscommunicated that. They knew this aircraft carrier task force was not going to North Korea. It was sailing the other direction at the time they made the statement.

BLITZER: At the time, it was heading in the opposite direction towards Australia for exercises with the Australian navy. Since then, it has made that U-turn and now head together Korean peninsula. We expect it to get there by the end of the month. Is that a good step to show U.S. power with that aircraft carrier strike force in the region?

LIEU: If it was attached to a strategy. I have been on the Foreign Affairs Committee, we've had different hearings on North Korea, and I am deeply troubled that the White House has not set forth what their objectives are, what their strategy is in North Korea.

I want you to picture this scenario. We send this aircraft carrier task force to North Korea as a show of force. North Korea ignores it, either detonates another nuclear or launches another missile. Then it puts the White House in this position where they feel like they have to act or they'll appear weak. That's the danger where you put out only a military solution.

BLITZER: In addition to trying to get China to help out, China clearly has influence over North Korea, but there are still some limits, would you go as far as recommending that the U.S. once again establish some sort of direct dialogue with North Korean officials, and if it's not public, maybe through some diplomatic back channels?

LIEU: I would support that, because when you stop talking, when have you no diplomacy, then realistically your only choice is either going to be economic sanctions, which you're already doing, or the use of force. And unlike Syria, North Korea has nuclear weapons and they have artillery and missiles that are directed at Japan, at South Korea, all our U.S. military bases. This is a dangerous situation. We should try to de-escalate instead of provoke North Korea. BLITZER: Let me get your thoughts on the other developing story

that's happening today. For the second day in a row, there's an incident off the coast of Alaska involving two Russian bombers getting close towards Alaskan coast. The U.S. sending up planes to intercept and deter those Russian bombers from getting any closer. First incident happened about 100 miles off the coast of Alaska, the second incident much closer about 36 miles off the coast of Alaska. What are the Russians up to?

LIEU: Thank you, Wolf, for that question. I had the honor of visiting with our amazing troops at Alaska Command about a year and a half ago. This is what they train to do. They train to intercept nuclear-capable Russian bombers from entering U.S. air space. This is something the Russians have also done in the past. They did this in the summer of 2015. But this highlights that whatever the president may think, Russia is not an ally for the United States. They're opposing us in Syria, they are trying to destabilize democracies, and they're testing U.S. resolve by sending their bombers towards the United States. And it's good that our aircraft intercepted them. But we need to make sure our White House has a strategy for dealing with Russia. That's another place where we want to hear from the president, what are his objectives in deal welterweights Russians.

BLITZER: Tensions between the U.S. and North Korea clearly very powerful but there's also serious tensions with Russia right now, as well.

Congressman Ted Lieu, thanks for joining us.

LIEU: Thank you.

[13:40:03] BLITZER: Coming up, live pictures from the White House right now. The New England Patriots, the football team, they will be honored by President Trump momentarily. But Tom Brady, the quarterback, several other players won't be there. We'll tell you why.

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BLITZER: The New England Patriots are set to be honored by President Trump for their Super Bowl victory. But some players won't be in attendance, including the quarterback, Tom Brady, and six other players who are skipping the event.

CNN's Jessica Schneider is joining us now from the North Lawn of the White House.

Jessica, do we know why these players have decided not to attend.

[13:44:56] JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, Wolf, when it comes to Tom Brady, is he citing personal family reasons for not being here at the White House for the ceremony at 2:30. Reports out of Boston do say his mother is fighting cancer and that's why he's decided not to come to the White House today. He'll spend the day with her. In terms of the other players, they are citing opposition to President

Trump as their reason for not celebrating here today. In the months since the Patriots won the Super Bowl, six players have spoken out about why they won't be here. In fact, running back LeGarrette Blount saying specifically he does not feel welcome here at the White House. Five other players citing similar concerns for the reason that they are not here today.

But we do know there are several other fans of President Trump, friends of President Trump who be here today, including Patriots owner, Bob Kraft, will be here as well as Coach Bill Belichick.

And one other person we know is here, the player, running back -- sorry -- tight end, Rob Gronkowski, made somewhat of a comedic appearance inside the White House a little while ago. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEAN SPICER, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: We'll see what pans out in the negotiation. But I think there's an opportunity --

(CROSSTALK)

ROB GRONKOWSKI, NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS TIGHT END: Do you need some help?

(LAUGHTER)

SPICER: I think I got this, but thank you. Maybe. Thanks, man. I'll see you in a minute.

Hold on.

(LAUGHTER)

All right. That was cool.

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHNEIDER: So Gronk offering up a little bit of help to Press Secretary Sean Spicer there. You heard Sean Spicer say that was cool. Sean Spicer, a very big New England Patriots fan.

Of course, the Super Bowl-winning Patriots are here at the White House. That ceremony set to begin at 2:30 this afternoon when President Trump will honor them. But, yes, Wolf, several members of the team deciding to skip out, a few of them saying they don't feel welcome at the White House. They're skipping out as part of their opposition to President Trump -- Wolf?

BLITZER: Nice to see that Gronkowski has a pretty good sense of humor, sticking his head into the White House briefing. There it is here.

We'll have coverage of that event. That's coming up 2:30 p.m. eastern, a little bit more than half an hour or so from now.

Jessica, thank you very much.

We're following other news just coming into CNN. After a U.S. missile strike in Syria, the regime announces they're moving their military aircraft. We'll have details we'll share with you right after this.

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[13:51:18] BLITZER: The Syrian regime of Bashar al Assad is trying to shield its military aircraft from future attacks by the United States. The Syrian government is responding to the Tomahawks that hit the airfield due to the chemical attacks caused by the Syrian regime on Syrian civilians, killing many children in the process.

Our Pentagon reporter, Ryan Browne, is joining us from the Pentagon.

Ryan, what are you learning? The Syrians, what, they want to protect their remaining operational military aircraft? What have you learned?

RYAN BROWNE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Wolf. What the U.S. military is telling us is they have observed the Syrian operational fixed-wing aircraft being relocated from various bases to this main base near the main airport in Latakia Province on the coast. It's where the Russian forces have the majority of their air force. It's a large base. It's very well protected by Russian anti-aircraft missiles and Russia air craft. The thinking is, or the latest analysis from the U.S. military is that they are moving it there to deter any potential future attacks like the cruise missile strike against Shayrat Air Base, which was the origin point for the chemical weapons strike. It's a bit of a maneuver. Secretary of Defense James Mattis said that that strike against Shayrat took out 20 percent of Assad's operational fixed-wing aircraft. In order to protect the remainder, it appears the Syrian regime is relocating, co-locating the planes next to the substantial Russian presence there along the Syrian coast.

BLITZER: The Syrian theory, presumably, Ryan, is that if they position the remaining operational aircraft near Russian warplanes, the U.S. would be reluctant to launch Tomahawk cruise missiles or bombs from fighter jets at that location because it might not just destroy a Syrian plane, it could also destroy some Russian aircraft?

BROWNE: Absolutely. As we saw in that Tomahawk missile strike, the U.S. actually alerted the Russians prior to the attack via that channel, that military-to-military channel, to prevent any casualties or damage to Russian forces. The thinking appears to be in Damascus that the closer they can get to the Russians perhaps, that could prevent a future U.S. strike.

BLITZER: How good would the defense systems that the Russians, and Syrians, for that matter, have placed around their air bases, how good would they be with incoming U.S. strikes?

BROWNE: Well, there have been reports that the Russians have moved into Syria from time to time, some of their more sophisticated, you know, missile -- anti-aircraft missile systems that could, in theory, shoot down U.S. aircraft or other U.S. -- potentially even U.S. missiles. So of course. these capabilities have never been fully tested against the U.S. capabilities, so it's hard to say. But some of Russia's most sophisticated systems have been moved into that area according to reports we've seen.

BLITZER: Ryan, on a different issue, an apparent second intercept of two Russian bombers getting very close to the Alaskan border the other day. It was about 100 miles off the coast of Alaska. Two U.S. fighters went up, intercepted, and the Russians moved away, but now, 36 miles away from the Alaskan border, a second encounter with Russian bombers. What's the latest information that you're getting from your sources at the Pentagon?

[13:54:57] BROWNE: That's right. We're being told that these Russian planes flew, they say, 36 nautical miles from the Alaskan mainland. Again, very odd because previously the last kind of similar type of flight by Russian aircraft occurred back in 2015. So it is a bit strange to see two in such a short 24-hour window. So again, this doesn't really concern military officials, particularly. They do these probing flights in other parts of the globe, in Europe and near Japan, for instance. But it is noteworthy that it occurred so close to the one that occurred earlier in the day, so back to back, something that the military doesn't see very often along the west coast of the United States.

BLITZER: Ryan Browne, reporting to us from the Pentagon, thank you.

Take a look, live pictures from the White House. President Trump will hold a Super Bowl event, the New England Patriots, but minus Tom Brady. Unfortunately, he won't be able to be there. He's got family issues he's dealing with. We'll bring all of this to you live.

The news continues right after a quick break.

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