[Wolf Blitzer, Cnn Anchor:] Hello, I'm Wolf Blitzer. It's 1:00 p.m. here in Washington, 8:00 p.m. in Moscow. Wherever you're watching from around the world, thanks very much for joining us. Right now, we're keeping a close eye on the White House. Later this hour, the press secretary, Sean Spicer, will brief the press, take questions on Russia, Syria, reported troubles inside the president's inner circle. We're going to bring that to you live once it gets underway. Among the questions on Syria, whether the U.S. is changing strategy and the feelings on regime change. The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, says regime change in Syria is inevitable, while the secretary of state Rex Tillerson, he's a bit less direct. Tillerson is now, by the way, in Italy getting ready for the G7 meetings but will head to Moscow tomorrow to talk about the role of both Russia and the United States and Syria and the administration's ideas for the next steps there. Let's bring in our Senior White House Correspondent Jeff Zeleny. He's over at the White House. Jeff, the action on Syria, the action with Russia clearly over shadowing what was supposed to be a victory lap of sorts for the president.
[Jeff Zeleny, Cnn Senior White House Correspondent:] Indeed, Wolf. Foreign policy is still center stage here in this administration, this president with his challenges, sort of, stacking up one on top of the other. But there is a bit of misdirection and it sounds like a lack of cohesion between some members of the president's top advisers. The U.N. ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, she was pretty blunt over the weekend, Wolf, saying, here on CNN and elsewhere, that, look, regime change is essentially going to happen. The secretary of state who is traveling in the region and heading to Russia tomorrow, he was less direct on that. He, you know, said that the focus is still the fight against ISIS. Now, we talked to a senior administration official earlier this morning who said, look, there's not as much difference there as you might think. And Nikki's Haley is being more impassionate in the words of this official and the secretary of state is being more reserved. But there's no question that the challenges there are something in the wake of the strikes last week in Syria that are weighing heavy on this president and this administration. But we saw the president, earlier this morning, Wolf, trying to take that victory lap of sorts with his first appointment to the Supreme Court in the rose garden here at the White House. Let's watch.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] I've always heard that the most important thing that a president of the United States does is appoint people, hopefully great people like this appointment to the United States Supreme Court. And I can say, this is a great honor. And I got it done in the first 100 days. That's even nice.
[Zeleny:] So, Wolf, you get the sense that the first 100 days, that marker that new presidents are always judged by, clearly on the mind of this president here. And that is likely to be his biggest accomplishment, at least in Washington here, as they look for that date at the end of the April. But, also, these foreign policy challenges now weighing on the president. I expect Sean Spicer, at the White House press briefing, will be asked a considerable number of questions about those. It's his first briefing, Wolf, since those strikes in Syria last week.
[Blitzer:] Yes, I'm sure there'll be a whole bunch of questions. We'll have live coverage this hour. That's coming up. Jeff Zeleny, thank you. One consequence from the U.S. air strikes on Syria has been an end to cooperation with Russia on military flights over Syria. No longer is there a system in place to make sure there are no close calls in the air as both countries fly various missions over Syria. Let's go to our Senior International Correspondent Fred Pleitgen. He saw this first hand. He's joining us now for a CNN exclusive. Fred, what was it like flying over Syria?
[Frederik Pleitgen, Cnn Senior International Correspondent:] Yes, we did that today, Wolf. And we saw the operations against ISIS there firsthand. And, of course, right now, there is a degree of uncertainty there in the air for the U.S. forces that are flying there. Because, of course, before that, you had a system in place. That system of deconflicting where the Russians said, look, we're operating here. The U.S. said, we're operating there. We're going to stay out of each other's way. Right now, it's not clear whether or not that system is still in place. It's not clear whether or not there is going to be communication again. Of course, that bears a lot of risks to what you were just talking about, possible midair collisions. But at the same time, the folks on this base, the folks in the U.S. Air Force, say the fight against ISIS has to continue. So, they are still flying missions inside Syria. They are still fighting ISIS both in Iraq and in Syria. Especially in light of the fact, Wolf, that, of course, there are ground forces there, some of them U.S., that are in harm's way. So, they say the fight against ISIS has to continue at full steam even though there are these political tensions right now between the U.S. and Russia. But certainly very interesting to see that firsthand and to see the amount of air power that the U.S. still brings to bear on ISIS, despite everything that's going around here Wolf.
[Blitzer:] All right, Fred, thank you. Fred Pleitgen on an exclusive assignment for us. Appreciate it. Meanwhile, the U.S. is monitoring a show of force in another part of the world. Right now, a U.S. Navy strike group led by the USS Vinson, the aircraft carrier, is headed to the waters off the Korean Peninsula. The move follows the recent missile test by North Korea. The national security adviser, Lieutenant General H.R. McMaster, spoke about the deployment this weekend.
[Lt. Gen. H.r. Mcmaster, U.s National Security Advisor:] It's prudent to do it, isn't it? I mean, North Korea has been engaged with in a pattern of provocative behavior. This is a rogue, a regime that is now a nuclear-capable regime.
[Blitzer:] CNN's Will Ripley is the only U.S. journalist in North Korea right now. He's joining us from Pyongyang with this latest report. Lots going on Will.
[Will Ripley, Cnn Correspondent:] Wolf, we've been speaking with government officials Pyongyang, and they tell us they certainly are receiving the message, the strong message, that the U.S. is sending. But their response may not be what the Trump administration is anticipating. I was with the officials when word came in over the weekend that the carrier strike group, the Carl Vinson, was being sent back to the waters off the Korean Peninsula. We were talking about the Syrian missile strike, at that time, and the official said that these are just examples of what they feel is provocative behavior on the part of the United States. They think the United States is an aggressor. They think it's hypocritical for being the only country that has ever used nuclear weapons on another country. And they believe they have a right. In fact, it's written into their constitution to develop nuclear weapons here. And so, these actions, by the United States, North Koreans say will only encourage them to speed up the development of their nuclear weapons and missiles that could potentially carry those warheads to the mainland U.S. They said they are not afraid of increased sanctions from China. They're not afraid of international condemnation. They say even if this country were to hurt more economically, as a result of their weapons' programs, the nuclear programs, the nuclear program and the missile program would be the last things that would receive spending cuts. North Korean mayor, Kim Jong-Un, has told his people that they live under the imminent threat of invasion by the U.S. and this behavior by the United States reinforces that narrative. There's a lot of news that is kept hidden from the North Korean people, but the state media here is covering, extensively, the carrier strike group and also the Syrian missile strike and telling people that this is why they sometimes have to go without electricity and go without food. This is a big week for North Korean leader, Kim Jong-Un. The supreme people's assembly is happening on Tuesday. It's a major political gathering. And, on Saturday, North Korea's most important holiday of the year, the day of the sun. It's around major events like this that, in the past, North Korea has done something provocative to try to show strength, not only here at home but also to their enemies around the world. And U.S. and South Korean officials, Wolf, believe this country is ready, at any moment, to push the button on its sixth nuclear test. What a way to send a message of defiance to the Trump administration Wolf.
[Blitzer:] All right, Will, thank you. Will Ripley with an exclusive report from Pyongyang inside North Korea. The U.S. says the missile strike on Syria was a warning to North Korea. The Syria strike also represents a sharp reversal for President Trump and his administration. And his larger strategy for dealing with Syria right now still remains murky. Listen to what top members of his administration are saying.
[Nikki Haley, U.s. Ambassador To The United Nations:] So, there's multiple priorities. It's getting Assad out is not the only priority. And so, what we're trying to do is, obviously, defeat ISIS. Secondly, we don't see a peaceful Syria with Assad in there. Thirdly, get the Iranian influence out. And then, finally, move towards a political solution.
[Rex Tillerson, U.s. Secretary Of State:] And once we can eliminate the battle against ISIS, conclude that and it is going quite well, then we hope to turn our attention to achieving cease-fire agreements between the regime and opposition forces. And it is through that political process that we believe the Syrian people will ultimately be able to decide the fate of Bashar Al Assad.
[Lt. Gen. H.r. Mcmaster, U.s. National Security Advisor:] Well, both Secretary Tillerson and Ambassador Haley are right about this. I mean, it's what we really need to do and what everyone who is involved in this conflict needs to do is to do everything they can to resolve this civil war.
[Blitzer:] All right, let's bring in our panel. CNN Political Analyst Kirsten Powers, columnist for "USA Today;" Retired Army Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt, former assistant secretary of state for political and military affairs; and Robin Wright, a Fellow at the Woodrow International Center here in Washington, and a contributing writer for "The New Yorker" magazine as well. So, General McMaster, the National Security Adviser, says they are both right, even though they're stressing different parts. Who's right?
[Robin Wright, Fellow, Woodrow Wilson Internation Center For Scholars:] Well, look, the Trump administration's big flip flop on any policy, domestic or foreign, was last week, when it turned about and said there was no role for Hafezalaz or Bashar Al Assad in the future of Syria. Now, they are beginning to take a softer tone. But this comes in the critical week, the most important meeting that the Trump administration has had with a foreign official and that's with the Russians. This was a government with which they talked about bettering relations, resetting relations and getting together, particularly on the issue of Syria. Now they are deeply divided. And so, I think Tillerson was trying to indicate, look, we want to find common ground, some way to end the fighting. So, I think he softened his language a little bit over last week. But I think the administration is now taking a very tough line and knows that it can't flip flop, yet again, and go back to accepting offset as part of a political transition.
[Blitzer:] Nikki Haley, the U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., General Kimmitt, very, very tough. Also, warning more could be done and probably will be done, suggesting more military action. Is that realistic?
[Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt, U.s. Army:] Oh, I think it's very realistic. At this point, we've already seen the Russians and the Syrians start to fly their planes from that very air field that we bombed. It is clear what the Syrians are trying to say is that we will continue these operations. We may not use chemicals, but you've drawn an upper line on what we're prepared to do and we're going to operate underneath that. We're going to continue the bombings. We're going to continue the killings.
[Blitzer:] Russia is reacting very negatively to the U.S. tomahawk cruise missile strike. Putin says it was an act of aggression. I don't know if Putin is going to meet with Secretary of State Tillerson when he's in Moscow. He'll meet with Sergey Lavrov, the Foreign Minister. But this as we as we all suspect, this could be a critically important session.
[Kirsten Powers, Cnn Political Analyst:] Well, right, it's a major shift from the administration, certainly in a way they're talking about Russia. And I think that if you look at what McMaster said is he basically was saying that, sort of, to take if you take all their statements together, right, Nikki Haley used a, kind of, passive language in the way she was talking about it. What he and it seemed that he was, sort of, building on that and essentially saying that Russia needs to do some sort of soul searching and decide that they don't want to be supporting this murderous regime. But one has to, sort of, ask, like, why would that suddenly happen? This is not news that Assad is doing this. This is not, obviously, the first time Assad has killed people with chemical weapons. You know, and as we remember as a candidate before he was even a candidate, I guess he was, you know, criticizing Obama for even thinking about going after Assad. So, it's not clear why they think Russia is going to suddenly shift and realize Assad's a bad guy.
[Blitzer:] Because the Russians insist Robin, you know that Putin insists and others that, you know what? They the Syrian regime of Bashar Al Assad is not responsible for the chemical weapons killing of all these people, the civilians. The opposition was responsible. They bombed some storage facility there at Idlib and that's why all those people were killed. That's the Russian line.
[Wright:] It's the Russian line, but I'm not sure the Russians really believe that themselves. I think they have enough intelligence on the ground and they will know what the United States knows. I think the bigger question, when it comes this meeting, is the Russian prism on this conflict is very different from ours. They will look at Tillerson and say, OK, you don't like Assad. Who are you offering as an alternative? In the six years since this grisly conflict has gone on, there has been no rebel movement that has emerged viable back by the west. No political figure who's emerged as an alternative, viable, credible alternative. The political opposition has been feckless. And so, I think one of the big stumbling blocks is at they look at what can you do, how can they come together? What is the alternative to Bashar Al Assad? And that's where I think the United States its allies are going to come up short.
[Blitzer:] General, you wanted to weigh in?
[Kimmitt:] Yes, I think that actually what we're looking at is Secretary Tillerson going over, trying to tell the Russians, look, you've been you've been backing the wrong guy for the last few years. You can achieve your goals which is not to keep Bashar Al Assad in power, it is to keep Syria together as a unitary state. But when your proxy, when you're the guy you're backing, Bashar Al Assad, starts using chemicals, that's not a winning hand. You've got to see another alternative. We want to keep Syria together. You want to keep Syria together. The best way to do that is not necessarily with Bashar Al Assad.
[Blitzer:] As you know, Kirsten, the president, as a candidate, as a private citizen, he says, don't telegraph what you're going to do.
[Powers:] Right.
[Blitzer:] Keep them all guessing. I assume that's part of his strategy right now, not to announce what he's about to do.
[Powers:] Yes. Oh, no, I definitely think that's true. That's something he probably said more than anything during the campaign and certainly even when people tried to press him on what his plans were. He always was claiming that he had these secret plans that he didn't to let anyone in on. So, yes, I think that he likes to operate in that way. I think, if you look at the Syria strike, also he moved very quickly. And he wasn't you know, he's not somebody who's going to want to go to Congress or really spend his time thinking about it and talking about it the way President Obama did.
[Blitzer:] So, Robin, you've spent a lot of time in Iran. The Iranians are deeply involved in supporting Bashar Al Assad as well through various militia groups, including Hezbollah. The Iranian government put out a tough statement saying that the U.S. must not carry out anymore strikes, anymore aggression in Syria. They didn't say what they would do, but it's a factor the U.S. has to consider.
[Wright:] Well, it's important in this because it's lost a huge number of fighters, well over 1,000, well over eight generals. Its ally, Lebanon, Hezbollah has lost over 2,000 and 10,000 injured. It really feels invested. And for both Russia and Iran, the issue is not Bashar Al Assad. It's some kind of access to the most strategic geo-strategic property in the Middle East that borders all the other conflicts, all the other major countries in the levant, near the gulf and so forth. And so the game is less about the immediate political future and more about the long-term stakes. And that's where the Russians and the Iranians are going to play hard ball. OK, so they get rid of Bashar al Assad. They want to make sure their interests are represented long term and that that's a country in which they can rely as, whether it's a weapons purchaser or political ally.
[Wolf Blitzer, Cnn Anchor:] Yes, they want to make sure they go through that that arch that they went through from Iraq through Iraq, through Syria into Lebanon. That's what the Iranian goal has always been and they've succeeded to a certain degree. All right, guys, thanks very, very much. Robin Wright, General Mark Kimmitt, Kirsten Powers, appreciate it. Coming up, President Trump justifying his Syrian strike in a letter to Congress. Democratic Congressman Ted Lieu, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, he's standing by to join us live. There he is. Plus, we're standing by to hear from the White House press secretary, Sean Spicer. He'll be giving his first on camera briefing since the president ordered those tomahawk cruise missiles to strike various targets at the air base in Syria. We're going to have live coverage of that. That's coming up.