Transcripts For CNNW Situation Room With Wolf Blitzer 201704

A spokesman tries to down play the dispute and its impact on trumps agenda. Is this shakeup avoidable . A United Airlines passenger forcibly dragged off the plane after refusing to give up his seat on an overbooked flight. How could this happen . Were going to tell you what the airline is now saying. We want to welcome our viewers in the United States and around the world. Im wolf blitzer, youre in the situation room. Tonight, the white house is raising the spector of another u. S. Flight in syria. Spicer suggesting a barrel attack by the regime that might also cross a red line for President Trump like the deadly chemical attack did last week. The administration walking back that mark a bit insisting there is no change in policy. This is only adding to the confusion as top officials have been sending mixed signals about the president s syrian strategy. Also tonight, new concerns that north korea could launch a sixth nuclear test at any moment. Kim jonguns regime vowing to accelerate the Weapons Program as u. S. Aircraft Carrier Strike group moves closer to the Korean Peninsula and President Trump explorees a full range of options to combat the north korean threat. Here at home, the president is celebrating a needed political win with neil gorsuch now sworn in as u. S. Supreme Court Justice at the same time the white house is down playing the rift between top president ial adviser steve bannon and Jared Kushner. This after a frustrate pled trump ordered the two men to work out their differents. Aviation Security Officer is put on leave after dragging a passenger off the United Airlines plane because he refused to give up his seat on the overbooked flight. We have new details and stunning video of this incident. This hour, ill talk with the key republican on House Intelligence Committee and Foreign Affairs committee will herd. First to our pentagon correspondent, barbara starr. Barbara, a new assessment of damage from the syria air strike and a lot of uncertainty about what happens next. Good evening, wolf. The pentagon today saying there was destruction at all of the targets they hit but they didnt offer a lot of details about how much destruction and yes, indeed, a clear signal that there could even be more military action to come. As syrians resume operations at air base the pentagon says the strike resulted in damage or destruction to 20 of syrias Operational Air force as well as damage and destruction to fuel and ammunition sites and air defense capabilities. And confusion about what happens next. Good morning. With the u. N. Ambassador saying one thing about the future of syrias dictator, telling cnn state of the union theres not any sort of option where Political Solutions going to happen with assad at the head of the regime. Secretary of state Rex Tillerson seeming to say another as he heads to russia tillerson emphasizing the Trump White House puts a top priority on fighting isis. We believe that Syrian People will ultimately be able to decide the fate of Bashar Alassad. White house Spokesman Sean Spicer acknowledging both goals. I cant imagine a stable and peaceful syria where ba sar bas alassad is in power. I cant imagine a multipronged approach. The. Tillerson attending g7 meeting in italy says the world cannot stand by and watch. State Department Officials tell cnn yau russia bears responsibility. There is a dossier of responsibility for the nerve action taking shape. According to u. S. Officials, assad either knew about this specific attack or had given commanders Standing Authority to use nerve agent. More chemical sites in western syria likely exists and scientists are still alive who know how to make nerve agent. The u. S. Also looking for direct evidence russian commanders on the ground knew about the planned attack. And tonight there is a full intelligence investigation into exactly that. How much did the russians know and when did they know it . U. S. Officials are saying it was a russian drone that flew over the hospital and where so many injured people fled to try and get care and about five hours after that, russian drone flew an unidentified aircraft dropped another conventional bomb, perhaps trying to destroy evidence of the original chemical attack. But still, they are very much looking what they can definitively say about how involved the russians might have been, wolf. We heard what sean spicer said, barbara, about the damage done to the Syrian Air Force as a result of those 59 tomahawk cruise missiles. What are you hearing from your sources at the pentagon . Well, this is a very interesting question. They are saying that 20 aircraft were damaged or destroyed. Again, not very specific. Could they be repaired . Could they fly again . Could syrians bring in additional aircraft from other areas . Certainly. All of the above. 20 of the Operational Aircraft damage or destroyed would mean that they had 100 aircraft to begin with. Many open source reports indicate perhaps the syrians have more than that. But not really clear, you know, theyve had problems for years with getting spare parts maintenance all of that. So certainly a dent but one of the key things to remember about this u. S. Missile strike, much of the damage caused is repairable and the u. S. Knew that going in. They were not trying to destroy it all, just put a halt to the syrian advance of using chemical weapons. Wolf . We will continue to check that Damage Assessment. We have no independent confirmation. Now to the latest on President Trumps red line in syria and possibility of another u. S. Military strike. Lets go to our senior white house correspondent. You heard White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer creating confusion about the president s socalled red line. He was indeed, wolf, at the White House Press briefing. He was talking in specific terms about what it would take for the u. S. To retaliate and strike again in syria. This is what sean spicer said, then ill explain what he said after this. If you gas a baby, if you put a barrel bomb in to innocent people, i think you can you will see a response from this president. That is unacceptable. So by saying that, he said if you gas a baby or put a barrel bomb in, but then a short time after that the administration was very worried about drawing a new red line there that is something that would box this administration into a corner if you will here. So Administration Official said sean spicer misspoke. He is not changing policy but barr bombs would not constitute any tieype of action. This is all sort of a larger way of saying that this administration is still figuring out what its red line is and what its policy is because they know of course the Obama Administration is backed into a corner, boxed in if you will, about this red line here. Tonight they are saying that barrel bombs alone simply would not cause the u. S. To act again, wolf. Yeah. The Syrian Regime has been dropping barrel bombs for years. A lot of them. On another issue, the white house is trying to down play reports after serious feud between bannon and kushner. Whats the latest . This something thats been plaguing this administration for most of the last 11 weeks or so. This infighting inside the west wing. On the syria policy it became an issue as well with bannon arguing against strikes last week. Other advisers arguing for it. But this all came to head last week we are told when the president himself directly said, work it out here. So today at the press briefing we asked sean spicer about that comment. Lets watch. It must have crossed a line if he said is it work it out. Sometimes, again, im not going to get into what happens internally. But sometimes it might spill out into the public more than other things but there is always a healthy debate internally on a variety of policy issues among the cabinet, among the staff, to make sure that the president sees every option available. He is very confident in the team that he has. They are an unbelievable amount of knowledge. And he enjoys the counsel that they all bring to the table. It seems the infighting is on hold for now at the moment. Well see how long that lasts of course, here. But the president is trying to get back on track. They are very focused on the first 100 days. We heard the president himself talk about that in the rose garden this morning. The white house is as well. His staff and advisers are. So they are trying to at least eliminate some of this infighting. In the short term it looks like steve bannon will stay. He has the confidence of the president. Jared kushner of course, Senior Adviser and soninlaw, he does as well, wolf. About but there are policy differences as well. We are told they have mended fences and agreed to work on behalf and for the good of this president. We will see how long this lasts, wolf. Good point. Thanks very much, jeff zeleny. Reporting from the wlous. Lets talk more about the president s syria policy. Will herd is joining us. He is a member of the intelligence and Homeland Security committees former clandestine cia officer as well. Congressman, thanks very much for joining us. Im always glad to be on, wolf. Happy monday. You said Bashar Alassad should go. How do you think that should be accomplished . And be specific. I think that the missile attacks from a couple of days ago shows that President Trump is willing to use all levers of national power, diplomatic, intelligence, military and economic. We need to be having a diplomatic discussion with the russians and make sure that the russians realize that alassad is a problem for them. Iran kind of signaling support or reaffirmation for is ysupporr alassad. I think one thing that hasnt been talked a lot is that we still have economic tools. We have ability to do sanctions on russia. If they were involved in this chemical weapons attack, there are tools we can use unilaterally but also working to build a coalition of many of our European Partners to put additional pressure on russia to make sure they back away of their support of Bashar Alassad. Were they involved with the syrians in launching that chemical weapons attack that killed all those civilians, including a lot of children . This is what our intelligence sources will be reviewing and look toogt make sure they have a clear understanding of what happened and what did go on. Because i think that their reaffirmation of support is condoning these Chemical Attacks in the future. And i think that is unforgivable and this is something that we cant let stand. But as you know, Trump Administration right now seems to send mixed messages when it come to the future of Bashar Alassad. Is that troubling to you that secretary of state, u. N. Ambassador, White House Press secretary, they are not necessarily all saying the same public things . The word i would use is that their strategy is evolving but they are looking at this from a strategic viewpoint. We often times have to respond to realities on the ground and sometimes that doesnt fit within a larger strategic framework but what the conversations that are going on now, diplomatic engagement that secretary tillerson is doing in the next few day says coming from a position of strength because President Trump has shown and proven that he is willing to use this military tool to deal with Bashar Alassad. The press Secretary Sean Spicer and i quote him if you put a barrel bomb into innocent people then President Trump is going to react. Assad has been using barrel bombs for years. Frequently slaughtering people with the carnage has been awful but does this signal to you a new red line . They seem to walk that back later in the day. I think it signifies that they are thinking about it and this is a potential part of strategy that outlines how we would respond militarily to what assad and the russians do within syria. We have to remember that there is a refugee problem from syria because of Bashar Alassad. There is an isis problem in syria because Bashar Alassad created the civil war which created the vacuum that allowed isis to come in. But Bashar Alassad needs to go. In toward preveorder to prevent terrorist group like isis and potentially attacking us and our allies there has to be some level of civility in syria and i dont see any scenario in which Bashar Alassad would be able to provide that level of stability. We heard also from the White House Press secretary also from pentagon officials, they are claiming, we have no independent confirmation of this and tell me what you know, that these 59 tomahawk cruise missiles either destroyed or severely damaged about to of the Syrian Air Force, syrian planes. What do you know about that . Is that true . Well, there was definitely, they are doing a bomb Damage Assessment as we speak. I think the attack was successful. It was restrained and specific and timely and i think we can all walk away saying that was a good move. We also need to be talking about why did assad and forces use chemical weapons in the first place. What were the reality on the ground that assad was responding to and many have talked about how he was concerned about rebel forces approaching and that he was concerned about losing additional grounds to the rebels. So the use of chemical weapons is not necessarily a stroe of strength on behalf of the syrian president but a show of weakness. And the fact that we were able to damage and take out a reason of how assad has been able to repel the rebels is the use of his air force and the use of Russian Air Force as well. I think that is a good thing to happen to talk about having assad leave and rebels being able to take additional ground. I will take a quick break then resume our conversation but have you been told that 20 of the warplanes have been destroyed or severely damaged . Sorry, wolf, i dont have a specific number for pup. All right. Stand by, congressman. We will take a quick break. Resume our discussion right after this. Are allergies holding you back . Break through your allergies. Try new Flonase Sensimist instead of allergy pills. Its more complete allergy relief in a gentle mist you may not even notice. Using unique mistpro technology, new Flonase Sensimist delivers a gentle mist to help block six key inflammatory substances that cause your symptoms. Most allergy pills only block one. And six is greater than one. Break through your allergies. New Flonase Sensimist listen up, heart disease. you too, unnecessary er visits. And hey, unmanaged depression, dont get too comfortable. Were talking to you, cost inefficiencies and data without insights. And fragmented care stop getting in the way of patient recovery and pay attention. Every single one of you is on our list. For those who wont rest until the world is healthier, neither will we. Optum. How well gets done. Nice tells you what you kind want to hear. Ifferent. But kind is honest. This bar is made with cranberries and almonds. So, guess what . We call it cranberry almond. Give kind a try. Were back with congressman will hurd. Congressman, uss carl vinson, aircraft carrier, entire battle group is headed towards the Korean Peninsula in response to recent north korean provocations. Do you support this move . I do and that battle Carrier Group has been in that region before. Ive been saying this for a long time. Kim jongun, dictator of north korea, will stop at nothing to have an intercontinental Ballistic Missile. Number of tests hes kun over last year and a half has increased significantly and we have to be prepared for this eventuality. This is a real opportunity to achieve Security Cooperation with the chinese on north korea. We have to get the chinese to understand that kim jongun is a larger threat to china than any u. S. , south korea relationship. President trump warned, as you know, that the u. S. Would be prepared to act unilaterally if necessary all options are on the table. Would you support u. S. Unilateral move against north korea . I think we have to reserve all of our tools on the table. That includes a unilateral response. When it comes to north korea, that we would be able tos stapp lish a coalition of other countries that would support the move. We have to remember that it is not just the United Airlines<\/a> passenger forcibly dragged off the plane after refusing to give up his seat on an overbooked flight. How could this happen . Were going to tell you what the airline is now saying. We want to welcome our viewers in the United States<\/a> and around the world. Im wolf blitzer, youre in the situation room. Tonight, the white house is raising the spector of another u. S. Flight in syria. Spicer suggesting a barrel attack by the regime that might also cross a red line for President Trump<\/a> like the deadly chemical attack did last week. The administration walking back that mark a bit insisting there is no change in policy. This is only adding to the confusion as top officials have been sending mixed signals about the president s syrian strategy. Also tonight, new concerns that north korea could launch a sixth nuclear test at any moment. Kim jonguns regime vowing to accelerate the Weapons Program<\/a> as u. S. Aircraft Carrier Strike<\/a> group moves closer to the Korean Peninsula<\/a> and President Trump<\/a> explorees a full range of options to combat the north korean threat. Here at home, the president is celebrating a needed political win with neil gorsuch now sworn in as u. S. Supreme Court Justice<\/a> at the same time the white house is down playing the rift between top president ial adviser steve bannon and Jared Kushner<\/a>. This after a frustrate pled trump ordered the two men to work out their differents. Aviation Security Officer<\/a> is put on leave after dragging a passenger off the United Airlines<\/a> plane because he refused to give up his seat on the overbooked flight. We have new details and stunning video of this incident. This hour, ill talk with the key republican on House Intelligence Committee<\/a> and Foreign Affairs<\/a> committee will herd. First to our pentagon correspondent, barbara starr. Barbara, a new assessment of damage from the syria air strike and a lot of uncertainty about what happens next. Good evening, wolf. The pentagon today saying there was destruction at all of the targets they hit but they didnt offer a lot of details about how much destruction and yes, indeed, a clear signal that there could even be more military action to come. As syrians resume operations at air base the pentagon says the strike resulted in damage or destruction to 20 of syrias Operational Air<\/a> force as well as damage and destruction to fuel and ammunition sites and air defense capabilities. And confusion about what happens next. Good morning. With the u. N. Ambassador saying one thing about the future of syrias dictator, telling cnn state of the union theres not any sort of option where Political Solutions<\/a> going to happen with assad at the head of the regime. Secretary of state Rex Tillerson<\/a> seeming to say another as he heads to russia tillerson emphasizing the Trump White House<\/a> puts a top priority on fighting isis. We believe that Syrian People<\/a> will ultimately be able to decide the fate of Bashar Alassad<\/a>. White house Spokesman Sean Spicer<\/a> acknowledging both goals. I cant imagine a stable and peaceful syria where ba sar bas alassad is in power. I cant imagine a multipronged approach. The. Tillerson attending g7 meeting in italy says the world cannot stand by and watch. State Department Officials<\/a> tell cnn yau russia bears responsibility. There is a dossier of responsibility for the nerve action taking shape. According to u. S. Officials, assad either knew about this specific attack or had given commanders Standing Authority<\/a> to use nerve agent. More chemical sites in western syria likely exists and scientists are still alive who know how to make nerve agent. The u. S. Also looking for direct evidence russian commanders on the ground knew about the planned attack. And tonight there is a full intelligence investigation into exactly that. How much did the russians know and when did they know it . U. S. Officials are saying it was a russian drone that flew over the hospital and where so many injured people fled to try and get care and about five hours after that, russian drone flew an unidentified aircraft dropped another conventional bomb, perhaps trying to destroy evidence of the original chemical attack. But still, they are very much looking what they can definitively say about how involved the russians might have been, wolf. We heard what sean spicer said, barbara, about the damage done to the Syrian Air Force<\/a> as a result of those 59 tomahawk cruise missiles. What are you hearing from your sources at the pentagon . Well, this is a very interesting question. They are saying that 20 aircraft were damaged or destroyed. Again, not very specific. Could they be repaired . Could they fly again . Could syrians bring in additional aircraft from other areas . Certainly. All of the above. 20 of the Operational Air<\/a>craft damage or destroyed would mean that they had 100 aircraft to begin with. Many open source reports indicate perhaps the syrians have more than that. But not really clear, you know, theyve had problems for years with getting spare parts maintenance all of that. So certainly a dent but one of the key things to remember about this u. S. Missile strike, much of the damage caused is repairable and the u. S. Knew that going in. They were not trying to destroy it all, just put a halt to the syrian advance of using chemical weapons. Wolf . We will continue to check that Damage Assessment<\/a>. We have no independent confirmation. Now to the latest on President Trump<\/a>s red line in syria and possibility of another u. S. Military strike. Lets go to our senior white house correspondent. You heard White House Press<\/a> Secretary Sean Spicer<\/a> creating confusion about the president s socalled red line. He was indeed, wolf, at the White House Press<\/a> briefing. He was talking in specific terms about what it would take for the u. S. To retaliate and strike again in syria. This is what sean spicer said, then ill explain what he said after this. If you gas a baby, if you put a barrel bomb in to innocent people, i think you can you will see a response from this president. That is unacceptable. So by saying that, he said if you gas a baby or put a barrel bomb in, but then a short time after that the administration was very worried about drawing a new red line there that is something that would box this administration into a corner if you will here. So Administration Official<\/a> said sean spicer misspoke. He is not changing policy but barr bombs would not constitute any tieype of action. This is all sort of a larger way of saying that this administration is still figuring out what its red line is and what its policy is because they know of course the Obama Administration<\/a> is backed into a corner, boxed in if you will, about this red line here. Tonight they are saying that barrel bombs alone simply would not cause the u. S. To act again, wolf. Yeah. The Syrian Regime<\/a> has been dropping barrel bombs for years. A lot of them. On another issue, the white house is trying to down play reports after serious feud between bannon and kushner. Whats the latest . This something thats been plaguing this administration for most of the last 11 weeks or so. This infighting inside the west wing. On the syria policy it became an issue as well with bannon arguing against strikes last week. Other advisers arguing for it. But this all came to head last week we are told when the president himself directly said, work it out here. So today at the press briefing we asked sean spicer about that comment. Lets watch. It must have crossed a line if he said is it work it out. Sometimes, again, im not going to get into what happens internally. But sometimes it might spill out into the public more than other things but there is always a healthy debate internally on a variety of policy issues among the cabinet, among the staff, to make sure that the president sees every option available. He is very confident in the team that he has. They are an unbelievable amount of knowledge. And he enjoys the counsel that they all bring to the table. It seems the infighting is on hold for now at the moment. Well see how long that lasts of course, here. But the president is trying to get back on track. They are very focused on the first 100 days. We heard the president himself talk about that in the rose garden this morning. The white house is as well. His staff and advisers are. So they are trying to at least eliminate some of this infighting. In the short term it looks like steve bannon will stay. He has the confidence of the president. Jared kushner of course, Senior Adviser<\/a> and soninlaw, he does as well, wolf. About but there are policy differences as well. We are told they have mended fences and agreed to work on behalf and for the good of this president. We will see how long this lasts, wolf. Good point. Thanks very much, jeff zeleny. Reporting from the wlous. Lets talk more about the president s syria policy. Will herd is joining us. He is a member of the intelligence and Homeland Security<\/a> committees former clandestine cia officer as well. Congressman, thanks very much for joining us. Im always glad to be on, wolf. Happy monday. You said Bashar Alassad<\/a> should go. How do you think that should be accomplished . And be specific. I think that the missile attacks from a couple of days ago shows that President Trump<\/a> is willing to use all levers of national power, diplomatic, intelligence, military and economic. We need to be having a diplomatic discussion with the russians and make sure that the russians realize that alassad is a problem for them. Iran kind of signaling support or reaffirmation for is ysupporr alassad. I think one thing that hasnt been talked a lot is that we still have economic tools. We have ability to do sanctions on russia. If they were involved in this chemical weapons attack, there are tools we can use unilaterally but also working to build a coalition of many of our European Partners<\/a> to put additional pressure on russia to make sure they back away of their support of Bashar Alassad<\/a>. Were they involved with the syrians in launching that chemical weapons attack that killed all those civilians, including a lot of children . This is what our intelligence sources will be reviewing and look toogt make sure they have a clear understanding of what happened and what did go on. Because i think that their reaffirmation of support is condoning these Chemical Attacks<\/a> in the future. And i think that is unforgivable and this is something that we cant let stand. But as you know, Trump Administration<\/a> right now seems to send mixed messages when it come to the future of Bashar Alassad<\/a>. Is that troubling to you that secretary of state, u. N. Ambassador, White House Press<\/a> secretary, they are not necessarily all saying the same public things . The word i would use is that their strategy is evolving but they are looking at this from a strategic viewpoint. We often times have to respond to realities on the ground and sometimes that doesnt fit within a larger strategic framework but what the conversations that are going on now, diplomatic engagement that secretary tillerson is doing in the next few day says coming from a position of strength because President Trump<\/a> has shown and proven that he is willing to use this military tool to deal with Bashar Alassad<\/a>. The press Secretary Sean Spicer<\/a> and i quote him if you put a barrel bomb into innocent people then President Trump<\/a> is going to react. Assad has been using barrel bombs for years. Frequently slaughtering people with the carnage has been awful but does this signal to you a new red line . They seem to walk that back later in the day. I think it signifies that they are thinking about it and this is a potential part of strategy that outlines how we would respond militarily to what assad and the russians do within syria. We have to remember that there is a refugee problem from syria because of Bashar Alassad<\/a>. There is an isis problem in syria because Bashar Alassad<\/a> created the civil war which created the vacuum that allowed isis to come in. But Bashar Alassad<\/a> needs to go. In toward preveorder to prevent terrorist group like isis and potentially attacking us and our allies there has to be some level of civility in syria and i dont see any scenario in which Bashar Alassad<\/a> would be able to provide that level of stability. We heard also from the White House Press<\/a> secretary also from pentagon officials, they are claiming, we have no independent confirmation of this and tell me what you know, that these 59 tomahawk cruise missiles either destroyed or severely damaged about to of the Syrian Air Force<\/a>, syrian planes. What do you know about that . Is that true . Well, there was definitely, they are doing a bomb Damage Assessment<\/a> as we speak. I think the attack was successful. It was restrained and specific and timely and i think we can all walk away saying that was a good move. We also need to be talking about why did assad and forces use chemical weapons in the first place. What were the reality on the ground that assad was responding to and many have talked about how he was concerned about rebel forces approaching and that he was concerned about losing additional grounds to the rebels. So the use of chemical weapons is not necessarily a stroe of strength on behalf of the syrian president but a show of weakness. And the fact that we were able to damage and take out a reason of how assad has been able to repel the rebels is the use of his air force and the use of Russian Air Force<\/a> as well. I think that is a good thing to happen to talk about having assad leave and rebels being able to take additional ground. I will take a quick break then resume our conversation but have you been told that 20 of the warplanes have been destroyed or severely damaged . Sorry, wolf, i dont have a specific number for pup. All right. Stand by, congressman. We will take a quick break. Resume our discussion right after this. Are allergies holding you back . Break through your allergies. Try new Flonase Sensimist<\/a> instead of allergy pills. Its more complete allergy relief in a gentle mist you may not even notice. Using unique mistpro technology, new Flonase Sensimist<\/a> delivers a gentle mist to help block six key inflammatory substances that cause your symptoms. Most allergy pills only block one. And six is greater than one. Break through your allergies. New Flonase Sensimist<\/a> listen up, heart disease. you too, unnecessary er visits. And hey, unmanaged depression, dont get too comfortable. Were talking to you, cost inefficiencies and data without insights. And fragmented care stop getting in the way of patient recovery and pay attention. Every single one of you is on our list. For those who wont rest until the world is healthier, neither will we. Optum. How well gets done. Nice tells you what you kind want to hear. Ifferent. But kind is honest. This bar is made with cranberries and almonds. So, guess what . We call it cranberry almond. Give kind a try. Were back with congressman will hurd. Congressman, uss carl vinson, aircraft carrier, entire battle group is headed towards the Korean Peninsula<\/a> in response to recent north korean provocations. Do you support this move . I do and that battle Carrier Group<\/a> has been in that region before. Ive been saying this for a long time. Kim jongun, dictator of north korea, will stop at nothing to have an intercontinental Ballistic Missile<\/a>. Number of tests hes kun over last year and a half has increased significantly and we have to be prepared for this eventuality. This is a real opportunity to achieve Security Cooperation<\/a> with the chinese on north korea. We have to get the chinese to understand that kim jongun is a larger threat to china than any u. S. , south korea relationship. President trump warned, as you know, that the u. S. Would be prepared to act unilaterally if necessary all options are on the table. Would you support u. S. Unilateral move against north korea . I think we have to reserve all of our tools on the table. That includes a unilateral response. When it comes to north korea, that we would be able tos stapp lish a coalition of other countries that would support the move. We have to remember that it is not just the Missile Program<\/a> that we have to be worried about when it comes to north korea. They have longrange are a till rif that can kill hundreds of thousands of people in seoul within a matter of minutes. They have the Worlds Largest<\/a> special forces that can come across the dmz at any moment. We have a special relationship with south korea and japan to come to their defense if one of their adversaries like north korea was able to attack. He has ate buithe ability, if h get an icbm, and can put a Nuclear Weapon<\/a> on top of it, to kill tens of millions of people within a matter of minutes. This is a real menace. This is a real problem. I think we can achieve true cooperation with the chinese on this threat. For them to continue to stop buying coal from north korea would be a good move. They could actually change and tighten up some of their legal ways that North Koreans<\/a> are using Chinese Business<\/a> practices to get in elements into their country to support their Weapons Program<\/a>s. And china is north koreas most important line to the rest of the world and we need the chinese to be able to step up to the table on this. A lot of people have not included this north korean threat represent potentially the Gravest National Security Threat<\/a> in the United States<\/a> right now. Congressman will hurd, thanks for joining us. Wolf, always a pleasure. Just ahead, much more on the u. S. Warships heading towards the Korean Peninsula<\/a>. Also, overbooked flights, theyre common. But this stunning turn of events is certainly not. Why was a passenger forcibly dragged off a plane . A statement from the United Airlines<\/a> prompting even more outrage. I was thinking around 70. To and before that . Re . You mean after that . No, im talking before that. Do you have things you want to do before you retire . Id really like to run with the bulls. Wow. Hope youre fast. I am. Get a portfolio that works for you now and as your needs change with Investment Management<\/a> services. On a perfect car, then smash it into a tree. Your Insurance Company<\/a> raises your rates. Maybe you shouldve done more research on them. For drivers with accident forgiveness, Liberty Mutual<\/a> wont raise your rates due to your first accident. Switch and you could save 509 on auto insurance. Call for a free quote today. Liberty stands with you\u2122. Liberty mutual insurance. So yourhow nice. A party . Ill be right there. And the butchery begins. What am i gonna wear . This party is super fancy. Lets go. Im ready. Are you my uber . [ horn honks ] hold on. Dont wait for watchathon week to return. [ doorbell rings ] whos that . Show me netflix. Sign up for netflix on x1 today and keep watching all year long. Tonight the white house is suggesting that syria will never be stable and secure as long as Bashar Alassad<\/a> is in power but still no definitive declaration on whether or not the president is committed to regime change after ordering direct military action against the assad regime. Lets bring in our team of experts. Press Secretary Sean Spicer<\/a> today said this about the administrations vision for a future syria. Listen to this. I cant imagine a stable and peaceful syria where assad is in power. Yesterday secretary of state tillerson said its up to the Syrian People<\/a> to make that kind of decision. So there seems to be some confusion. Theres a disconnect. When secretary tillerson said that before the chemical attack, it doesnt make that much sense then and it doesnt make that much sense now. But on the other hand it is not clear to me that press Secretary Sean Spicer<\/a> wanted to go to all wait laying out there that a prerequisite for peace for the war is remove of assad because it is not clear that they are committed to regime change. You are an expert, a president obama struggled for nearly six years dealing with this war thats been going on, 400,000 people killed. But could be more complicated now for President Trump<\/a>. It can be. Certainly there are so many other International Players<\/a> now. Russia, iran to a very heavy degree. Foreign fighters on all sides. Gee addists. It is very complicateed. But very interesting that strike itself sent a very narrow message. Specifically targeted at the use in syria and they will use that as a thin in the wedge and good from there. What does it send, rebecca, the message to various players that the administration is speaking with different voices. It sends that message certainly that maybe we dont know who is in charge. Nations wouldnt know who to take at their word. Should you trust the secretary of state . Should ud trust the white house . It is not clear what answer would be. But also projects an element of disarray and maybe a little bit of just how new this white house is at dealing with matters of Foreign Policy<\/a> and matters of National Security<\/a>. There are not a lot of members in the administration that has been here before and i think that shows in the statements. We did hear a remarkable statement from spicer at the white house briefing. I jumped up when i heard this. But listen to what he said. If you gas a baby, if you put a barrel bomb in to innocent people, i think you will see a response from this president. That is unacceptable. That sounded like new red line. Not just the poison gas but barrel bombs which theyve been using those for years. They have. I think the messaging has been confused from day one. The president s move and i supported it last week is wildly popular across america. He gave the staff a softball and they whiffed. Since that strike weve gotten barrel bombs, regime change. Were not doing regime change with the Syrian People<\/a>. We got our priority is isis. Messaging has been horrible. Let me give you bottom line, wolf. It is confused out of washington. Theyve got two choices. If you take out a regime with regime change that means civil war. Groups and terrorists benefit. Profit from civil war. That means governments fall. Security services fall. And chaos reigns. This is the message no one wants to tell American People<\/a>, you need stable leadership and stable security service. That means assad is staying. You tell the American People<\/a> about all of this gobbeldygook. We have both and you cant have both. The context by the Bashar Alassad<\/a> regime about the barrel bombs containing shrapnel and nails and chlorine and they slaughter these people. Right. Improvised explosive device frets air. They vary in form. I think spice ares comments seem to indicate that Syrian Regime<\/a> has been found on three different occasions to use and deploy chlorine. I think thats the big worry. If the regime continues to use these chemical weapons. And the overall fight of the war, barrel bombs are part of the regimes major form of defense. They have been using them for years. Years and years and i dont expect they will stop it. The question is now, do they stop using chemical weapons and syria is the only violator of the Chemical Weapons Convention<\/a> ever and it has done so on multiple occasion answers in this occasion using sayrian which was supposed to have been destroyed. Didnt they tell john kerry that all of the chemical weapons and supply depots were destroyed. Yes. All down to the ocpw, long suspecting the Syrian Government<\/a> did not disclose all of their chemical weapons stockpiles. And this indicates that ocpw is correct. People are wondering, did the russians at least know about the poison gas against the civilians and with are they complicit . That something the Intelligence Community<\/a> will be able to determine, presumably. Im not sure thats true, wolf. I can after 25 years in that community, i can assure you they are looking at the problem to be certain about whether russia was complicit. I would suspect they would be. You cant be that tightly wound with the Syrian Military<\/a> without knowing what they are doing in a tactical level. If you want a hundred percent guarantee which is what you want to bring in the oval office, i dont believe you get that in this case. Let me take one further step. We stuck 59 missiles in the course of three to four minutes in one air compound. In russias brazen support for syria dictator, if we think thats going to turn around, the syrians willingness to use brutal methods, we have to think again. I support what the president did but this has to be backed up over time. How does secretary of state tillerson handle he is meeting with a Russian Foreign<\/a> minister in moscow this week. Take the issue of whether or not the russians knew or turned a blind eye and our military and intelligence is looking into right now. If that were the case it has to be found out because that meant at minimum that russia sort of abdicated its responsibility. On the other hand if youre secretary tillerson you go into a meeting in moscow and youre not absolutely sure how far the administration is willing to go thats a delicate thing to bring up. We have more to discuss. Ahead, United Airlines<\/a> explanation adding to the outrage. A passenger removed from an overbooked flight, and what happens now. Lder people when they actually did start saving. This gap between when we should start saving and when we actually do is one of the reasons why too many of us arent prepared for retirement. Just start as early as you can. Its going to pay off in the future. If we all start saving a little more today, well all be better prepared tomorrow. Prudential. Bring your challenges. Were on the move. Hey rick, all good . Oh yeah, were good. Were good. Terminix. Defenders of home. Actually making your body feel better. Thats exactly what tommie copper does for people everywhere. They call it wearable wellness, and tommie copper has infused it into everything they do. Why not experience the difference tommie copper can make in your life . Go to tommiecopper. Com, enter your email to become part of the tommie copper community, and get 15 off your entire order, plus free shipping. Life hurts, feel better. Tonight the white house says the president is very confident that steve bannon and Jared Kushner<\/a> can put their rift behind them after mr. Trump told his top advisers to work it out. Were back with our analysts. Rebecca, what does it say that Steve Bannons<\/a> influence at least appears to have been diminished . It tells us something that we already knew about donald trump. He values family and royalty that they bring with him. He is running the white house like he is running his business, this is family business, essentially. Part of this we knew. But it also underscores different ideologies that you have constantly in competition in the white house. You have what you might call the right wing of the west wing with steve bannon and mike pence and Mick Mulvaney<\/a> and others and then this new york trump set with Jared Kushner<\/a>, ivanka trump, dina powell and they are constantly clashing in terms of personal its but also in ideas. Could they find Common Ground<\/a> here . Maybe. But they need to do it quickly and to rebeccas point, you have competing styles and ideologies, on substance neither of these guys is like a small government guy. If they go for infrastructure policy maybe that is something to work upon but in politics, find a common foil. In the campaign they could mutually attack. Now they dont have that. They need something. Correct me if im wrong, phil, that generals, secretary of defense, general mattis, National Security<\/a> adviser, general mcmaster, that they seem to be elevated right now in the Decision Making<\/a> progress on these critically important National Security<\/a> issues. Boy, you got that one right, wolf. If you look what the they bring to the table, any time there is a new administration, rightly, American People<\/a> elect big ideas people. Thats the president of the United States<\/a>. But big ideas have to face reality. Two generals bring a lot of reality. One issue this conversation about regime change in syria, these guys are going to know. We tried this in the 50s in southeast asia. In cuba, iran in 1959. Fast forward to 2003 we did it with iraq. Supported it in libya. You tell me which was a success. We swung and missed on each one of them. I think if there is big ideas about what do we do with assad, hes got to go, those guys bring experience in the field to say youve got to do that but beware of consequences. They are consequence guys. Generals are clearly infle influential. Rebecca, youre an expert. You have studied syria. Are they an expert on syria . It terms of the actual expertise, the staff is there. A lot of holdovers from the Obama Administration<\/a>. The expertise is there. As mentioned, the experience of those in the military that they bring to the table is very solid, very nuts and bolts. And you can see with this strike they didnt go very wide, they went very narrow. They are concerned about syria but overall for the moment focussing on c dot. How do they know their fighters jets were either damaged or destroyed by those 59 tomahawk cruise missiles . Im not sure. But i think it is based on the intelligence assessment. You buy it . Yes, i do. I think the Syrian Air Force<\/a> was knocked down anyway. Bolstered by the russians. No jets destroyed. Look, the regime change has problems. But we have to admit something. We are headed in the way back to like iraq in 19 the90s. But the difference is that assads regime is far weaker that issaddams regime. Thats where there are strategic weapons to try to defeat his population. Does he have more . He does. Well, this is a real question, what did he disclose . What didnt he disclose . He didnt disclose all of his stockpiles. And getting chlorine is not hard at all, it is an industrial chemical. You think he will do that again . Use poison gas to kill civilians . We have an important distinction. That is chlorine vaersus sarin. I think we will see chlorine used again. If i were to wager on sarin, i would say yes. The cost is in a civil war six years in has been relatively low for him. Remember the attack years ago resulted in 1400 dead. 1400. In this case, we have fewer than 100. He paid nothing a few years ago when he used it. I think he will look at the missile attack and say, if thats cost, so far the cost isnt high enough yet. But next time, david, if the president is faced with a reality that sarin gas is used and civilians women and children and kids are killed, he may not necessarily just limit it to the tomahawk crews missiles. No. One advantage of this limited strike is you have somewhere to go in terms after response. The only problem is you have to figure out in advance how far youre willing to go up to and including trying to out of oust a regime and whatever consequences there are from that. We are rebecca, war weary. Right. Trump ran an America First<\/a> campaign. He promised that he as president would not engage us in that quagmire to use his phrasing and his view. And so he is absolutely risking especially his core supporters, will they turn on him if he goes any further. Guys, good discussion. We will stay on top of this. Also coming up with u. S. Warships on move right now, will kim jongun respond by pushing the nuclear test button once again. And the story behind pictures creating a fire storm right now. We are getting new information on the passenger dragged off an overbooked flight. The sunll come out for people with Heart Failure<\/a>, tomorrow is not a given. But entresto is a medicine that helps make more tomorrows possible. Tomorrow, tomorrow. I love ya, tomorrow in the largest Heart Failure<\/a> study ever, entresto helped more people stay alive and out of the hospital than a leading Heart Failure<\/a> medicine. Women who are pregnant must not take entresto. It can cause harm or death to an unborn baby. Dont take entresto with an ace inhibitor or aliskiren. If youve had angioedema while taking an ace or arb medicine, dont take entresto. The most serious side effects are angioedema, low blood pressure. Kidney problems, or high potassium in your blood. Tomorrow, tomorrow i love ya, tomorrow ask your heart doctor about entresto. And help make tomorrow possible. Youre only a day away. Like finding new ways to be taken care of. Home, car, Life Insurance<\/a> obviously, ohhh. But with added touches you cant get everywhere else, like claim free rewards. Or safe driving bonus checks. Oh yes. Even a claim satisfaction guaranteeeeeeeeeee in means Protection Plus<\/a> unique extras only from an expert allstate agent. Its good to be in, good hands. But theyre different. D kind its nice to remove artificial ingredients. Kind never had to. Weve used real ingredients, whole nuts, and Natural Flavors<\/a> from the very beginning. Give kind a try. Tonight as the u. S. Carrier and the battle group head toward the north Korean Peninsula<\/a>, kim jongun is responding. He is vowing to accelerate his nuclear Weapons Program<\/a> and he could launch his sixth nuclear test any moment. President trump is the National Security<\/a> advisor says theres a full range, his words, full range of options to deal with the north korean threat. That is what the administration is saying. Officials telling us nothing is off the table. And given the recent u. S. Missile strike in syria, analysts say kim jongun is facing something he hasnt seen before, the real prospect that north korea could be hit with u. S. Fire power. The question is how will kim respond . Tonight american war ships are headed toward the peninsula with more than 60 fighter planes is on route from singapore. A u. S. Official says in response to kim jonguns recent provocations. The battle group sends one strong manessage, that is the United States<\/a> has the capability to immediately respond if north korea gets frisky. Reporter the deployment of the group comes after north korea launched missiles in the recent days. The regime has connected several missile tests recently to speed up his plans to have a Ballistic Missile<\/a> capable of hitting the United States<\/a>, but the deployment of u. S. War ships comes after President Trump<\/a> launched missiles into syria which analysts changed the calculation of americas rivals from the russians to the dictator in pyeongchang. I think for the first time in his life kim jongun has to imagine that the American Military<\/a> might could hit the north korean homeland. Before the Syrian Strike<\/a> i dont think he thought this was possible. Reporter alongside the aircraft carrier, there will be two missile zroidestroyers and cruiser which can shoot down the types of Ballistic Missile<\/a>s kim has been testing. Kims forces wont likely directly confront the strike group, but he could respond in other dangerous ways. Its not beyond him to launch special forces. He could launch an arrow artillery barrage. He may decide to launch missiles toward japan in order to test their capabilities and provoke the United States<\/a>. Reporter what has military officials worried tonight is if a mistake is made, if forces launch a missile test while the Carrier Group<\/a> is there and put the group in danger, then the American Forces<\/a> would likely respond by taking out the missile and the launch pad, which might trigger an assault on south korea. A dangerous situation. Adding to the tension there are important events coming up this week which might prompt kim jongun to launch a provocation. They have the gathering of the supreme peoples assembly. The real window for a possible window launch could come this saturday. Its called the day of the sun. Its the most important holiday of the year in north korea. It is the birthday of the founder of north korea, kims grandfather, kim ilsun. Reporter a crisis tonight for United Airlines<\/a> showing a bloody passenger being dragged from an overbooked flight. Our aviation correspondent is here with details. Renee, overbooking is common, but something extraordinary happened this time. Reporter ive never seen anything like this. This is was not an unruly passenger. The officer seen dragging that passenger is on administrative leave and the department of transportation which protects passenger rights is reviewing the incident to determine if United Airlines<\/a> violated any rules. A United Airlines<\/a> passenger was dragged off an overbooked flight from chicago to louisville when he refused to give up his seat sunday night. Passengers were horrified as they see three Chicago Airport Police<\/a> officers board the plane and yank the man from his seat. His head hit the arm rest and blood flowed from his mouth as he was pulled down the aisle. Witnesses say the flight crew was trying to free up seats for United Airlines<\/a> employees. Once they dragged the guy off, then subsequently the united employees come on the plane. The other passengers were berating the employees saying things like you should be ashamed of yourself, you should be embarrassed to work for this company. Reporter in a statement united said the floight, quote, was overbooked. Normally when this occurs passengers are asked to voluntarily give up their seats for compensation and the situation was resolved. However this was not the case on sunday nights flight and united was forced into an involuntary deboarding situation. Perhaps the compensation was not good enough. The airline didnt get all the volunteers it needed so its computers picked which passenger to kick off. Families and unaccompanied minors were given priority to keep their seats. Its unclear what the offer was, but passenger rights activists says the airline should have offered the maximum. The maximum which the government requires you to pay is 1,350 in cash. They could have offered the maximum. That would have taken care of the problem. Reporter the incident sparked outrage on social media. One person tweeting United Airlines<\/a> is pleased to announce new seating on all domestic flights. In addition to united first, we introduce fight club. The backlash so fierce the airlines ceo was force in had to respond tweeting i apologize for having to reaccommodate these customers. Our team is moving with a sense of urgency to work with the authorities in conducts and our own detailed review of what happened. Was the passenger wrong in any way for refusing to get off . I dont think he was wrong. My only way of saying hes wrong is ive never seen this happen before. Ive never seen a passenger roughed up and dragged off a plane to put a Flight Attendant<\/a> on. Reporter chicagos Airport Police<\/a> admit the officers seen in that video, quote, was not in accordance withstand ard operating procedure. We should note it is in the fine print an airline can make a passenger give up their seat if the flight is overbooked, but its the way this man was removed from the aircraft that really is sparking a lot of outrage. They would have spent a 1,000 and offered that message money im sure there would have been a lot of people ready to get off that plane. Really a stupid decision by those folks who did what they did. Thank you very much. Thats it for me. Im wolf blitzer in the situation room. Outfront starts right now. Breaking news, the white house calling out syria for using deadly barrel bombs. Something the assad regime does daily. Is it a new red line. Plus a massive u. S. War ship headed toward the Korean Peninsula<\/a> tonight. Will it stop or encourage kim jongun. Plus a manhunt for a man that mailed President Trump<\/a> a deadly manifesto. The breaking news, the white house saying the u. S. Is prepared to take more military action against syria. 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