Biden’s Trilateral Talk With Japan, Philippines Leaders

IT IS IMPORTANT TO FRAME THESIGNIFICANCE OF THESE TALKS AGAINST THE BACKGROUND THAT ISVERY NOISY IN WASHINGTON. HOW IMPORTANT IS THIS MEETINGTODAY? >> IF YOU HAD TO SAY IT IN ONEWORD, IT IS ABOUT CHINA. NOT TO BE CYNICAL.WE HEAR THE ADMINISTRATION TALK ABOUT THEIR PROACTIVE USE OFTHIS LATTICEWORK OF INTO PACIFIC PARTNERSHIPS -INDO-PACIFIC PARTNERSHIPS, BUT THIS MEETING IS HELPING SHOREUP A CREATIVE NEW GROUPING OF INDO PACIFIC PARTNERS TO DEFENDAGAINST ATTACKS AND WHAT THE.

U.S.SAYS IS INCREASING COERCION AND AGGRESSIVENESS IN THE SOUTHCHINA SEA AND OTHER DISPUTED WATERS IN THE INDO PACIFIC.KAILEY: PERHAPS INSTEAD OF A NORTHATLANTIC ALLIANCE LIKE NATO, THIS IS A NEW PACIFIC ALLIANCE.DAN: THIS IS AN EFFORT THAT HAS GONEBACK TO THE BEGINNING OF THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION.HE SAW A BIT OF IT IN THE PRIOR ADMINISTRATION AS WELL.THE IDEA IS TO SHORE UP THESE ALLIANCES IN THE INDO PACIFICAND TO BASICALLY HAVE THESE.

FRIENDSHIPS, THESE ALLIANCES INPLACE SHOULD SOMETHING HAPPEN, AN INVASION OF TAIWAN, A TRADEEMBARGO WITH TAIWAN, SOME OTHER ACTION BY CHINA THAT STOPSSHORT OF A FULL ON INVASION, AND HAVE EVERYONE ON THE SAMEPAGE. YOU SEE THIS ONGOING WITH A LOTOF TRIPS BY MEMBERS OF THE STATE DEPARTMENT AND OTHERS TO– NOT THE MIDDLE EAST. KAILEY: WE WILL GET THERE. [LAUGHTER]DAN: CEMENTING THAT WITH THE VISITTODAY. JOE: TO WHAT EXTENT CAN THIS BECONSOLIDATED AND FORMALIZED?.

AS LONG AS CHINA IS CONSIDEREDA THREAT, SHOULD THERE BE SOMETHING CLOSER TO A NATO?WE ARE TALKING ABOUT JAPAN HELPING TO SUPPORT OR WORK AS ASECOND PILLAR. HOW ABOUT CONNECTING THE DOTS?MICHELLE: A LOT OF THAT FORMALIZATION ISLONG COMING. WHAT WE ARE HEARING FROMOFFICIALS IS WE ARE IN EARLY TALKS.WHAT WE ARE LOOKING AT COMING OUT OF THIS TRILATERAL TODAY ISWHAT ARE THEY GOING TO DO FROM WITH A SIGNAL IS AN INCREASINGPLAN TO USE JOINT MILITARY.

DRILLS, AS THEY DID ON SUNDAYWITH AUSTRALIA, JAPAN, PHILIPPINES AND THE U.S., THATSQUAD IS GOING TO BE DRAWN ON IN THE FUTURE.THEY HAVE NOT BEEN SPECIFIC ABOUT WHERE AND HOW FREQUENTTHOSE DRILLS WILL CONTINUE. THAT IS A MAJOR DEVELOPMENT INTERMS OF DEFENDING IN THE SOUTH CHINA SEA. KAILEY:ONE THEATER TO KEEP AN EYE ON. THERE ARE OTHER THEATERS ASWELL, AS DAN BRINGS UP THE MIDDLE EAST, AND POTENTIALLYWHAT IS COMING, IRANIAN TELEVISION FOR THE STRIKEISRAEL CONDUCTED IN DAMASCUS.

AGAINST AN IRANIAN EMBASSY. U.S.OFFICIALS HAVE VOICED CONCERN ABOUT IT BEING IMMINENT.WE SPOKE WITH MARK KIMMITT EARLIER ON “BALANCE OF POWER”WHAT IRAN COULD DO HERE. MARK: IT WOULD BE LIKELY THAT PERHAPSNOT IN THE MIDDLE EAST, BUT IRAN COULD GO AFTER AN ISRAELIEMBASSY SOMEWHERE IN SOUTH AMERICA, THAT WOULD TAKE THEIRFINGERPRINTS OFF OF IT IF THEY USE A GROUP LIKE HEZBOLLAH.THERE WOULD NOT BE DIRECT ATTRIBUTION. KAILEY:IT KIND OF RAISES THE QUESTION OF WHETHER THIS WOULD BE IRANDIRECTLY, AN IRANIAN PROXY MAY.

BE MORE LIKELY.HOW AGGRESSIVE OR DE-ESCALATORY WOULD IRAN BE?WHAT DOES THE U.S. THINK IS MOST LIKELY TO HAPPEN?DAN: THE BIGGEST FEAR THE ADMIN ATTRITION HAS AT THIS POINT IS– THE ADMINISTRATION HAS AT THIS POINT IS A GENERALESCALATION OF TENSIONS IN THE MIDDLE EAST. WE HAVE HEARD SOMENOISE FROM THE ISRAELIS THAT THE OPERATION IN GAZA MAY STARTTO WIND DOWN A LITTLE BIT. WHETHER THAT ACTUALLY COMES TOFRUITION, WE NEED TO SEE. A STRIKE BY IRAN ON ANY SORT OFISRAELI ASSET IN THE REGION.

WOULD CERTAINLY BE ANESCALATORY ACTION. THERE IS NO WAY TO VIEW IT INANY OTHER CASE. BUT AN INDIRECT STRIKE AS THEGENERAL SUGGESTED, THAT IRAN COULD DENY IN SOME SENSE, EVENTHOUGH THERE WOULD BE LINKAGES PEOPLE WOULD POINT TO, WOULDSTOP SHORT OF THAT FULL-SCALE ESCALATION.WHAT COULD HAPPEN AFTER THAT POINT IS ENTERING INTO SOMEWHATUNCHARTED TERRITORY BECAUSE WE HAVE NOT SEEN THIS FULL-SCALECONFLAGRATION IN THE MIDDLE EAST YET.I THINK THAT IS WHAT THE.

ADMINISTRATION HAS BEEN TRYINGTO AVOID. JOE: THE WHITE HOUSE IS SPINNING ALOT OF PLATES IN A DANGEROUS WORLD.THE PRESS SECRETARY TALKED EARLIER TODAY ABOUT TERRIBLENEWS FROM UKRAINE. RUSSIA'S MISSILE ATTACK ON APOWER PLANT NEAR KYIV, THE BIGGEST ONE IN THE KYIV REGION,IT IS NOW OUT OF COMMISSION. THERE ARE GREAT CONCERNS ABOUTTHE LACK OF AMMUNITION UKRAINE. HERE IS THE PRESS SECRETARY. >> RUSSIA LAUNCHED ANOTHERLARGE ROUND OF AERIAL ASSAULTS.

AGAINST UKRAINE'S ENERGY GRIDAS VLADIMIR PUTIN HAS CONTINUED TO TRY TO BREAK THE SPIRIT OFTHE UKRAINIAN PEOPLE AND PLUNGE THEM INTO DARKNESS.RUSSIA STRUCK THE LARGEST POWERPLANT IN KEY — IN KYIV,AS WELL AS POWER FACILITIES IN FIVE DIFFERENT REGIONS ACROSSUKRAINE. JOE: I DON'T KNOW IF WE CAN CONNECTTHE DOTS BETWEEN WHAT IS HAPPENING HERE, WITH THECONCERNS THE U.N. HAS ABOUT THIS OPERATION ON ANUCLEAR POWER PLANT WITH THE LACK OF AMMO.CLEARLY THE SKIES ARE NOT BEING.

DEFENDED IN UKRAINE, EVEN ASMUCH AS WE WERE SEEING BEFORE. THIS WHITE HOUSE WILL CONTINUETALKING ABOUT HEADLINES LIKE THIS UNTIL FUNDING IS PASSED,AND THERE IS NO PATH FOR THAT TO TAKE PLACE.JOE BIDEN IS RUNNING OUT OF OPTIONS. MICHELLE:THIS IS THE SAME CONVERSATION WE HAVE BEEN HAVING SINCEBEFORE THE WINTER SET IN. WE HAD JOHN KIRBY TALKING ABOUTHOW THE WINTER WOULD BE A TRYING TIME AND THAT THEY KNEWRUSSIA WOULD TRY TO ATTACK THE ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE TO TRYAND CRIPPLE UKRAINE.

WE ARE AT THAT STAGE.YET, TALKING ABOUT UKRAINE FUNDING, GOING BACK TO PRIMEMINISTER KISHIDA IN CONGRESS TODAY, WE SAW HIM MAKE THATCALL FOR ALLIES TO SUPPORT THE UKRAINE FUNDING.SOME OF THE REPUBLICAN STALWARTS AGAINST THAT FUNDINGWERE CLEARLY SITTING ON THEIR HANDS IN THAT FORMAT.WE WILL SEE WHERE IT GOES FROM HERE.HAS NOT BEEN MUCH MOVEMENT IN THAT CONVERSATION. KAILEY:YOU CAN FIND REPUBLICANS EASILY WHO ARE OPPOSED TO FURTHERFUNDING FOR UKRAINE, BUT 19.

YESTERDAY WERE OPPOSED TOADVANCING LEGISLATION FOR A FIVE-YEAR EXTENSION OF FISA,SECTION 702. THAT WAS A FIVE-YEAR EXTENSION.WE UNDERSTAND FROM OUR BLOOMBERG REPORTING ON THE HILLTHAT LAWMAKERS WILL TRY TO PASS A TWO-YEAR EXTENSION.THERE WILL BE VOTE EARLY TOMORROW MORNING — VOTES EARLYTOMORROW MORNING. HOW IMPORTANT IS IT FOR U.S.NATIONAL SECURITY THAT THIS GETS DONE? DAN:WHEN YOU TALK TO FOLKS IN THE ADMINISTRATION AND FOLKS ON THEHILL WHO ARE PROPONENTS OF THIS.

MEASURE, THEY SAY WITHOUT THISTHE U.S. WILL BASICALLY GO DARK, THAT ITWILL HAVE NO ABILITY TO REALLY SEE INTO CONVERSATIONS BETWEENFOREIGN ADVERSARIES AND FOLKS WHO HAVE — WHO MAY BE PLANNINGSTUFF ON U.S. SOIL. THE ISSUE IS, DO U.S.CITIZENS GET SWEPT UP IN THAT KIND OF DRAGNET?THAT IS WHAT FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP HAS MADE A LOT OFNOISE ABOUT, AND HIS ALLIES IN CONGRESS.IF YOU LISTEN TO THE NATIONAL SECURITY FOLKS, THEY WILL SAYWITHOUT THIS WE ARE SORT OF.

BLIND AND DON'T KNOW WHAT ISGOING ON. YOU TALK TO SOME OF THE CIVILLIBERTY ADVOCATES OR SOME OF THE FOLKS ON THE RIGHT OR THELEFT, AND THEY SAY THIS IS WARRANTLESS SURVEILLANCE, THISIS CATCHING U.S. CITIZENS IN A WAY THAT IS NOTINTENDED. MAYBE A TWO-YEAR EXTENSION IS AWAY TO KEEP THIS DEBATE ALIVE TO A CERTAIN EXTENT.IT WOULD LAND IT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NEXT ADMINISTRATION.THAT MAY BE SEEN AS A WAY TO KEEP THIS DEBATE GOING IN ORDERTO SATISFY SOME OF THE CRITICS.

AND PROPONENTS AT THE SAME TIME.KAILEY:

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